Angela Harris WaldenU

Educational Technology in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 03:51:00 +0000

I have read blogs containing information on many different technologies, websites, and applications over the past several weeks. While I think that most of this information is interesting and useful in its ability to help me function as an educator, there are three (written about by my colleagues) that I have found especially interesting and beneficial.

These three “technologies” are Marcia Oyanadel’s choice of Glogster, Adam Pierre’s discovery of WatchKnowLearn, and Shirmen McDonald’s suggestion of Talking/Audio Books. I also believe Debra Beebe’s selection of Augmented Reality to be a technology that definitely has a place in education’s future, so I am going to give this one an Honorable Mention.

Glogster is an application that allows for the creation of multimedia posters. An educator can use Glogster to make posters that contain photos, videos, images, and text for any learning subject (Glogster, 2015). In fact, Glogster is a great tool for helping to teach ESL to non-native speakers, since the instructor can place an assortment of resources on one “poster” for the student to study.

If my students were learning about prepositions, I could use Glogster to create a poster of images, such as boxes with a cat in them, a table with a vase on it, and a bridge with a car under it to show the visual aspects of these particular prepositions. I could also include text boxes with each word being used in a few sentences next to the images and each photo can be clicked in order to activate a video of someone pronouncing the word and using it in a sentence. This all would give the student a multi-sensory experience to greatly enhance their ability to learn a new language.

WatchKnowLearn is a database filled with educational videos that can be used to learn about pretty much any topic. While mainly for grades K-12, WatchKnowLearn does also contain video material that would be appropriate for any age of ESL student. A quick search will yield several thousand videos that would be useful in teach English to the non-native speaker, including grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, among many others (WatchKnowLearn, 2015).

Since all of the videos have already been created, the ESL instructor can spend the majority of their time instructing their students rather than spending it making resources for them to use in class. By choosing one (or more) WatchKnowLearn videos that are related to the day’s learning topic, the instructor can use them with in conjunction with handouts, lectures, and other materials to teach their students how to read, write, and speak English.

Audio and TalkingBooks are voice recorded versions of printed books, including textbooks, magazines, and novels (Audible, 2015). There are talking books available for any age group or topic and they have been recorded in a pretty much every spoken language (Audiobooks, 2015). While originally created for the visually impaired, audio and talking books are excellent examples of how older technology can be successfully used by modern educators to teach their students.

For the ESL instructor, talking books can be used to help their students hear English being spoken in an entertaining and contextual manner. There are even audio books that are were “written” for teaching English to non-native speakers available for listening, such as Learn English: Word Power 101, English in Situations – Listen & Learn to Speak, and Keep Talking English – Ten Days to Confidence: Learn in English. While some of these types of audio books are not free to use, there are plenty available from a variety of different sources that are free.

This brings me to my honorable mention, augmented reality. Augmented reality (AR) is a boon to the educator, especially one that teaches languages (including ESL). Through the use of applications on an iPhone, smart phone, or iPad, etc. or special visual device aids (like Oculus Rift and Google Glass), AR can allow a user to interact with their environment in ways never thought possible (Widder, 2014). Some examples are the use of AR to overlay various businesses on a street so that a tourist can turn on their phone’s camera and see what reviews others have given them or a student can use their device to scroll around a room and the English names for items (furniture, doors, animals, foods, etc.) will pop-up as words overlaid on them (Widder, 2014).

Emerging technology (these and others) are making the field of education easier and much more interesting. For the student, emerging technology is making learning fun and helping to keep their, often easily distracted, attention focused on learning.

References

Audible. (2015). About Audible: Our mission. Retrieved from http://about.audible.com

Audiobooks. (2015). Let us tell you a story. Retrieved from http://www.audiobooks.com/about

Glogster. (2015). Make it personal with interactive multimedia posters. Retrieved from

https://www.glogster.com/

WatchKnowLearn. (2015). Free educational videos. Organized. Retrieved from

http://www.watchknowlearn.org

Widder, B. (2014, March 14). Best augmented reality apps. Retrieved from

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-augmented-reality-apps/

Digital Citizenship

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 03:42:00 +0000

Digital access and digital communication are both vital components of the "Internet-Age" society and are indispensable in the world of online education.

Digital Access is the “full electronic participation in society" (Ribble, n.d.), which means that

"everyone should have access to digital technology..." (MoodleShare, 2012). According to Lockamy (2015), "Digital Access is full electronic participation in society (sometimes called the Digital Divide).”

Basically, digital access is people’s ability to connect to and use modern digital technology, such as the Internet, cell phones, Wi-Fi, etc., in order to engage in communication, research, game playing, work, or education. Not everyone has digital access and even among those who do, there is a wide variance between how much they are able or willing to participate. Some people may access digital technology only for work, school, or emergencies, while others may spend all of their time utilizing it, often to excess.

These differences notwithstanding, digital access is advantageous to the online learner and educator since it allows them to interact with one another despite there being great distances between them (time, location, etc.). While it is possible to teach a student without the use of digital communication (mail-in courses, landline telephones, etc.), it is not very convenient, efficient, or fulfilling (for the educator or the student).

I can use my students’ access to digital technology to teach them in online classes and have them perform most (or all) of their research via the Internet, while collaborating with each other through the use of email, Google Docs, or other types of online tools. I can even teach students in a brick and mortar classroom by accessing digital technology. Digital access makes it possible for me to pull-up online videos for my students to watch, take them on a digital tour of a museum or another country, and I can teach them through the use of integrated technology (SmartBoard, iPad, and the Cloud).

Because of its importance in the modern world, everyone should have digital access regardless of location, culture, socio-economic status, or any other demographic. It is this belief that has encouraged several organizations to implement “access for all” programs. Two such organizations are the Digital Access Project and Outernet.

While not exactly in the business of creating digital access for the world, the Digital Access Project was “founded in 1998 to help local non-profit organizations provide access + tech literacy programs in underserved communities" (The Digital Access Project, n.d.). Unlike the Digital Access Project, Outernet is creating the ability for anyone, anywhere to have digital access regardless of their ability to pay or their location in the world. Outernet is “humanity's public library, broadcast from space for free” (Outernet, 2015). According to Outernet (2015), it is their mission to take “the best of the web and broadcasts it from space for every human on Earth.” They go on to explain that the content they broadcast “is determined by anyone who chooses to vote on the most important things to share with humanity” (Outernet, 2015).

Going hand in hand with digital access is digital communication. If not for digital access, we would not be able to communicate digitally. The most obvious use of digital communication is that which takes place between two or more people via email, cell phone, video conferencing, etc (NYU, 2015). While these are all forms of digital communication, they are not the only uses.

Digital communication is the "electronic transmission of information that has been encoded digitally (as for storage and processing by computers)" (digital communication, n.d.) or as Ribble (n.d.) states, digital communication is simply the “electronic exchange of information.”

There are a variety of different definitions, but they all have one thing in common, and that is to explain that digital communication is simply the exchange of information across an electronic (digital) medium (NYU, 2015). Some of these types of media are websites, text, audio, and video. As technology evolves, the main method of communication and interaction among people is evolving, as well.

In many parts of the modern world, children are exposed to digital technology while they are still babies. By the time these children reach school, they are well-versed in the use of various forms of digital communication, abilities that only improve and expand as they age and make their way in the world (NYU, 2015). As adults, people have come to depend on email, interactive websites, texting, and social media to interact with one another, including performing work related functions and attending school classes.

Through the use of digital communication, students can go to school, collaborate on projects, and perform research in the world’s largest digital library (Outernet, 2015). Through video conferencing, students can attend “live” lectures and even learn and practice a new language with native speakers. The ability of students to expand their knowledge of the world and learn about cultures other than their own will help to make them more accepting of diversity, as well.

In fact, through digital access and digital communication, so many doors can be opened for people who might otherwise have to become beggars, perform hard labor, or marry for survival. With access to digital media, these people can learn skills, how to read and write, attend school, and much more. Digital access and communication will help to equalize the people of the world by giving them all access to the same information and a chance at an education regardless of their demographics.

References

The Digital Access Project. (n.d.). The Digital Access Project. Retrieved from

http://www.digitalaccess.org

Digital communication. (n.d.). In The Free Dictionary online. Retrieved from

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/digital+communication

Lockamy, T. B. (2015). Digital access. Digital citizenship. Retrieved from

http://internet.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us/district/ddi/media/Digital%20Citizenship/Pages/DigitalAccess.aspx

MoodleShare. (2012, June 26). Definition of digital access. Retrieved from

http://moodleshare.org/mod/page/view.php?id=14997&inpopup=1

NYU. (2015). Digital Communications. New York University. Retrieved from

http://www.nyu.edu/employees/resources-and-services/media-and-communications/ digital-communications.html

Outernet. (2015). Enabling universal information access: Libraries from space. Outernet.

Retrieved from https://outernet.is

Ribble, M. (n.d.). Nine elements: Nine themes of digital citizenship. Retrieved from

http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

Open and Distance Education Technologies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 06:24:00 +0000

Distance learning is not something new to the world of education, having been around for many decades, but the creation of the Internet has opened up an entirely new way of utilizing this schooling option. Rather than having to send and receive all their physical materials and assignments through the postal service the distance learner can now access everything via their mobile device or computer at any time or place. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have also changed the way students interact with one another and their instructors compared to how it used to be done with mail-in courses.

The days of being on their own without the feeling of being in a community of like-minded fellow students or the guidance of their instructor are gone. MOOCs have made it possible for distance learners to contact their instructors and classmates almost immediately through the use of email, messaging, Skype, and many more. Additionally, modern technology has made it possible for students and teachers to interact with one another through online discussion boards and school portals (Blackboard, Sakai, etc.).

The development of such technologies as the pdf, digital books, and digital libraries has also made carrying around a “truckload” of expensive and heavy textbooks a thing of the past. The online learner can carry their entire school, along with books, library, classroom, teacher, and classmates, with them everywhere they go and access all of it at any time. If a student has a tablet/iPad/Kindle, smartphone/iPhone, or MacBook/laptop/Chromebook they can attend college or take classes regardless of how far away the nearest school is, whether or not they have the time or ability to attend a brick-and-mortar school, or if they have a job or family that results in scheduling conflicts.

Two open and distance education technologies that have the potential of enhancing adult learning are the MOOCs, such as MIT and Coursera, and the online school system, such as those accessed through the Blackboard and Sakai gateways.

One way to find out what schools or companies offer MOOCs and what types of courses there are is to check with a database such as edX or MOOC-List. MOOCs allow a person to learn about an almost endless selection of topics over the Internet. If a person wants to learn more about electronics, mathematics, English, or even all about wine, they can find an online course for it. Some of the most popular MOOCs are offered by Coursera, MIT, or Harvard, and include such topics as foreign languages, physics, English as a Second Language, and computer programming. While some MOOCs are still learner paced and have little (or no) instructor guidance, many are now a bit more scheduled with instructor input, assignment due dates, and exams.

Many MOOCs also offer free or low-cost options for those only wanting to acquire knowledge or a completion certificate, as well as a tuition-based diploma or college credit option for learners who want to get full credit for their learning. Many schools now allow students to take a CLEP exam in order to get credit for their previous life experiences, including knowledge gained from taking free MOOC courses. There is a MOOC out there for everyone, as there are options available for any topic or reason.

The online school system, made available through a gateway, is one of the most important distance technologies to be created so far in the world of education. In fact, many brick-and-mortar schools are now offering numerous courses and degree programs in this manner, while other schools have gone completely online (having no physical classrooms at all). Even those schools that do not offer online courses (or who have both online and physical classes) have turned to using digital gateways for their students, as well as electronic libraries, and digital books instead of paper textbooks.

Universities have discovered that it is less expensive and less stressful to operate an electronic school than it is one that is composed of numerous (often old) buildings, a huge staff, and that has thousands of students milling around (Towhidi, 2010). Additionally, students have found out that they can have a job, raise a family, and live anywhere in the world while still attending a college (and getting a degree) in another city, state, or even country (Towhidi, 2010).

With the inclusion of the electronic library and digital textbooks, these students are able to perform more in-depth research projects without being afraid that their needed journals, newspapers, or books are not available (checked out, at another library, or a non-borrowable reference book). After a quick search through the school’s electronic library, the student can locate a huge assortment of references and resources that they can then download in digital format for future use on any research project.

By using the school’s online gateway, such as Blackboard, the student can access learning modules, discussion boards, chat rooms, and their school’s email system, as well as being able to take care of their financial aid, class registration, and transcripts. They can also see what events might be planned, who might be offering internships or student job positions, and what their class or semester schedule might be.

Most schools that use a gateway system, such as Blackboard, also make themselves available to their students via any type of Internet capable device so that a learner can access their classroom, research for or write a paper, and turn-in their homework at any time from any place, as long as they have an Internet connection.

It is not likely that the brick-and-mortar university will completely disappear from the world of education (Buckridge, 2015). The modern development of many forms of open and distance learning technologies has made it possible for them to offer more choices to a wider variety of students than ever before (Penteliuc-Cotosman, 2006).

This makes it possible for more people to attend college, resulting in a degree, an advancement in their career, or a new hobby (OnlineAndCampusSchools, 2015).

MOOCs, online school gateways, and the numerous technologies that go along with them have opened up the door to learning for anyone who wants it, making them some of the most important elements in today’s world of advancing educational technologies.

References

Buckridge, T. (2015, April 3). University bricks and mortar - Why they still matter. LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/university-bricks-mortar-why-still-matter-tom-buckridge

OnlineAndCampusSchools. (2015). What is the difference between online college and brick-and-mortar schools?. Online and Campus Schools. Retrieved from http://www.onlineandcampusschools.com/first-time-student/online-college-and-brick-and-mortar-schools/

Penteliuc-Cotosman, D. (2006). The new multimedia educational technologies, used in open and distance learning. Anale. Seria Informatica, IV(I), 195-204.

Towhidi, A. (2010, August). Distance education technologies and media utilization in higher education. Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Aug_10/article01.htm

Games, Simulations, and Virtual Environments

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 02:24:00 +0000

Computer-based learning is starting to become more commonplace in the learning environment, whether in the form of educational games, applications, and programs; 3D interactive worlds like Second Life; or medical simulation programs such as BioInteractive Virtual Labs and SICKO.

Modern technology not only allows people to keep in touch with one another across vast distances, it also makes it possible for students to attend a class without ever leaving their homes, as well as giving medical students the opportunity to diagnose a virtual patient, work in a laboratory, and perform vivisections or surgeries without endangering another human or animal in the process (Pelletier, 2014). Using such programs in conjunction with (or instead of) an “in the flesh” classroom makes it possible for a diverse and widespread group of students to interact with each other and their instructor from their own homes or other locations.

Second Life, especially when used with the Oculus Rift Viewer, is an online, virtual, interactive world that contains a variety of islands, buildings, stores, and other locations (both public and privately owned). It is possible for a school to purchase locations (such as an entire island) from the developer (Linden Labs) and have it designed to resemble an entire college complete with classrooms, a quad, a bookstore, science labs, and a library. When using the Oculus Rift Viewer, a student (and teacher) can become immersed in a 3D virtual world and see things in a manner that is nearly identical to being there in person.

A student taking a class at a Second Life college can interact with other students through chat and Skype, allowing them to have the full immersion experience without having to go to another country in person. When used to teach English as a Second Language (ESL), a Second Life classroom allows the students to practice their English language reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills via interactions with native speakers. When not taking part in “outside” activities, the students can “sit” in their virtual classroom in order to listen to lectures, take quizzes, and collaborate on team projects.

If designed properly, a school can even create areas that represent different locations or time periods where history, geography, travel study, archeology, and other students can go to learn about a topic from a visual, “almost like being there” stand point. This would give them the chance to walk through a 1^st century Roman city, watch an Egyptian pyramid being excavated (or built!), or see tropical plants and animals in their natural habitat (including rare and extinct animals, even dinosaurs!). There literally is no limit to what type of learning environment can be built inside Second Life.

In addition to Second Life, other virtual learning applications are those used as medical simulators for teaching delicate or dangerous subjects and actions to medical students.

Medical simulation games and programs, like BioInteractive Virtual Labs and SICKO make it possible for medical students to practice diagnosing and treating sick “patients” in order to learn as much as possible in a safe environment before they are actually allowed to work with living people (The Canadian Press, 2012). This makes it safer for everyone and removes much of the stress from the student since they do not have to worry about causing harm to a patient, making it possible for them to concentrate on doing things correctly (Pelletier, 2014).

BioInteractive Virtual Labs even has programs designed to teach laboratory techniques, neurobiology, cardiology, and much more.

SICKO is a medical simulating, educational game created by Stanford University to develop and teach safe decision making skills in surgical situations, triage, diagnostic testing, and proper use of laparoscopes (Stanford, n.d.).

In addition to teaching new skills to medical students, these types of simulators can also be used to allow laboratory and medical staff a chance to practice and perfect previously learned abilities, as well as keep up-to-date on those they may not get to use on a frequent basis (Stanford, n.d.).

As the world becomes more technologically advanced it only makes sense that our learning environments should also become more advanced. With such technology, there are few limits to what the field of education can accomplish for the institutions, the teachers, and the students (and the world!).

References

Pelletier, S. (2014, June). Technology in academic medicine: Video games take increasing role in medical education. Association of American Medical Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporter/june2014/384790/technology-medical-education.html

Stanford University. (n.d.). About SICKO. Retrieved from http://med.stanford.edu/sm/archive/sicko/game/AboutSICKO.html

The Canadian Press. (2012, August 28). Forget the scalpel, med schools use robots, video games to train new doctors. Canada.com. Retrieved from http://o.canada.com/health-2/forget-the-scalpel-med-schools-use-robots-video-games-to-train-new-doctors

Mobile Learning Technologies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 05:04:00 +0000

There are a multitude of mobile learning technologies available to instructors and adult learners for use in the educational setting. These technologies include such devices as mobile, smart (Android), and iPhones; iPads, tablets, and notebooks; MacBooks, and laptops (Shawe, 2013). Additionally, there are numerous types of software for use with these devices, as well, including applications, browsers, RSS feeds, and podcasts, to name a few.

One device that I feel is an important tool for use with the adult learner is the iPad, especially when used in conjunction with the extremely large variety of software made just for this purpose. The iPad is Apple’s version of a tablet and allows the student to access the internet, cloud-based materials, and classroom or school LANs. The iPad also makes it possible for the learner to use integrated technology such as the SmartBoard, as well as utilize educational software, computer (or internet) –based quizzes and test banks, “teaching” videos, and school websites (Blackboard, Sakai, etc.).

The iPad is easy to learn, simple to use, and familiar to most people since nearly everyone has used a smart phone and/or a tablet, making it a reasonable choice for most instructors (Idemudia & Raisinghani, 2014). Today’s iPads are ultra thin, lightweight, and extremely portable so that the student can carry them around with them whether they are going to class, working, or taking care of their families (Litmos Limited, 2015). This unobtrusiveness and portability is what makes the iPad such a great mobile device for learning since the student will be more willing to take it with them and spend time using it (Litmos Limited, 2015).

One method of using the iPad in the learning environment is to integrate with a SmartBoard, cloud-based materials, and educational software. By having an iPad (with required software already installed) assigned to each learner in the class and integrating it with an interactive SmartBoard, the instructor can be assured that the student will have that day’s notes and lecture material downloaded immediately upon entering the room.

Connecting the iPad with the SmartBoard, also makes it possible for the student to write additional notes (if they want), automatically copy any other information the teacher writes during class, and even write to the “Board” without leaving their seat (SMART, 2015). This is a definite boon for those students who are disabled, learning impaired, or have poor reading or language skills and will help to prevent them from falling behind (Marpadga, 2014).

There are also some very good applications available to the adult educator to use with their learners, including some excellent language apps that would be useful for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to non-native speakers. Nearly all available educational software comes in a variety types suitable for androids, Apple (iPads, iPhones, Macs, etc.), and PCs, making them useful even in situations where the iPad (or other singular device) is not the only type used by the entire classroom.

Some of the best ESL applications available are those found at My English Teacher and iPad in the ESL Classroom. Both of these sites contain a large variety of applications for both androids and iPads/iPhones, with some that are compatible for Macs and PCs, as well. By using these applications in conjunction with the assigned iPads, ESL students would be able to take their assignments, vocabulary lists, practice quizzes, and other material home with them so they could work on it outside of the classroom.

Merging the iPad with the SmartBoard and combining those two devices with an assortment of downloadable applications and a cloud-based system would allow the instructor to give their students the most up-to-date (but still easy to use) learning technology available today. Students using this combination of technology would be able to learn at a higher rate of speed than those students who are only able to interact with the learning material while in the classroom, since they would have more time to practice (Litmos Limited, 2015). The use of downloadable applications would also make learning fun, exciting, engaging, and interactive, all of which helps to keep the learners attention, aiding in memorization and long-term retention (Marpadga, 2014).

References

Idemudia, E.C. & Raisinghani, M.S. (2014, February). The influence of cognitive trust and familiarity on adoption and continued use of Smartphones: An empirical analysis. Journal of International Technology and Information Management, vol. 23(2), 69-94.

Litmos Limited. (2015). The advantages of mobile learning and how an LMS can help you achieve those goals. CallidusCloud. Retrieved from http://www.litmos.com/

Marpadga, Amarnath. (2014, April 11). Benefits and limitations of mobile learning. CommLab India. Retrieved from http://www.commlabindia.com

Shawe, D. (2013, June 22). 12 benefits of mobile learning. Academy Express Courses. Retrieved from http://academyexpresscourses.com/2013/06/22/12-benefits-of-mobile-learning/

SMART Technologies. (2015). SMART education: It's simply magic. Retrieved from http://education.smarttech.com

Social Networking and Education

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 03:23:00 +0000

There are a multitude of social network sites available to the adult learner, but many of them are not suitable for use in the classroom (at least not in the "normal" sense or without a lot of altering). Some of the most popular social networking sites available today are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Reddit, Google+, MySpace, Flickr, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, Tagged, Vine, VK, Academia.edu, etc. Out of this list, Academia.edu, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are the most commonly used social networking sites for adult learners and professionals. Twiducate is also a social networking site and was created for educators to use as a controlled alternative to Facebook and Twitter.

Twiducate contains links to Wikipedia, BBC, Discovery Education, SchoolTube, Scribd, Prezi, and many more. You can add teachers and students to your "group," as well as inputting important dates, links, emails, and announcements. There is a "Share your thoughts" area, where you can post things much like the news feed on Facebook and other similar social networking sites. Some other interesting features are class bookmarks and the ability to keep track of others in the class network.

Most students will be familiar with the way this site functions since it is like a cross between Facebook and most college Blackboards. The one main difference is that Twiducate does not allow students to interact with or see posts by others not in their network. This helps to keep the learner on task (we all know how distracting Facebook can be) and safe from harassment or outside influences. The teacher, who acts like a group administrator, has the option to forbid students from editing or deleting their own posts (good for preventing "fly-by" posts, where a student posts something inappropriate and then deletes or edits it before the teacher sees it). There are also settings to allow the teacher to receive email notifications whenever a student posts something and the chat feature can be also disabled (good for preventing overly social activities during classroom sessions or quizzes/tests). Disabling chat also prevents students from interacting with each other in a manner that is outside of the teacher's sight and control.

As a professional alternative to Facebook, LinkedIn is one of the most used social networking sites out there. This site is a lot like a digital CV (curriculum vitae) that places users educational and career related information in the eye of a controlled public. Subscribers input their data and experience in the hopes that it will be seen by job/career recruiters (helping them find employment) or they use it to connect with others in their same career field (Lemann, 2015). LinkedIn is available in more than 200 countries and territories, as well as over 24 languages (Hempel, 2013). As an employment-related social networking site, LinkedIn is one of the most active ones available, with almost 450 million users worldwide (Awan, 2015).

When used as a social network for educational purposes, LinkedIn supports the formation of interest groups by its users (which can be private or "public"). While many of the groups are employment and career related, there are a hundreds of thousands of groups available that cover academic and career issues. Additionally, these groups have moderated discussion areas (albeit basic and limited). Unfortunately, many of these group areas are found to contain an excessive amount of spam, although efforts have been made to reduce this problem. Groups use emails and notifications to help keep their members informed of updates, discussions, and posts, as well as access to polls.

Educators can create groups for their students to use during collaborative projects and learners can join groups that contain other users who are working (or have worked) on similar projects. A couple of "outside the box" LinkedIn uses for educators are--as a means for teachers to keep their students informed about events and situations, a way to search for funding or people for projects and events, and connect or collaborate with other educators for support, ideas, and research. Students can use LinkedIn to access college portals to find scholarships, internships, and graduate positions; search for mentors and tutors; join research groups; and collaborate with other students on group projects.

With a little research a teacher can often find “sister” sites to many of the most common social networks that are dedicated solely to education. Twitter is one of the most used social networks for this purpose, with numerous web pages available to teachers explaining this use. Some of these web sites are:

Twitter for Education

The Teacher's Guide toTwitter

Twitter4TeachersWiki

Twitter forTeachers

For the “modern” educator there are a multitude of resources available to them for use with their students and social networking sites are an excellent example of how to merge student-familiar technology with education to the benefit of all concerned.

References

Awan, Aatif. (2015, October 29). How LinkedIn’s 400 million

members are helping build the economic graph. LinkedIn

Official Blog. Retrieved from

http://blog.linkedin.com/2015/10/29/400-million-members/

Hempel, Jessi (2013, July 1). LinkedIn: How It's Changing

Business. Fortune, 69–74.

Lemann, Nicholas. (2015, October 12). The network man: Reid

Hoffman’s big idea. The New Yorker. Retrieved from

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/12/the-network-

man

Educational Applications and Multimedia Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 22:34:00 +0000

In today’s ever evolving world of technology it only makes sense that educational methods should evolve, as well. In order to find out what types of resources might be available for use in the modern classroom, it is important to understand exactly what educational technology really is.

University of Geneva professor, Dr. Daniel K. Schneider has written an easy to understand, descriptive Edutech Wiki about this exact subject titled “Educational technology,” which is located at http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Educational_technology. According to Schneider’s (2015) wiki, “Educational technology is the use of technology to improve education. It is a systematic, iterative process for designing instruction or training used to improve performance” (Educational technology). With this definition in mind, I searched through a variety of resources to find those that I feel would be useful in the field of adult education.

Last week I wrote about two types of emerging technologies that can be used to enhance learning in the classroom. This week I am going to introduce two multimedia resources that can aid in the implementation of lesson plans, tests, and other forms of material and exercises in the educational setting of adult learning.

One important aspect of these resources is that they are that they are free and open source (FOSS), having been written and uploaded by other educators (Bonk, 2009). Both of these elements are greatly appreciated by underfunded, “pressed for time” teachers who often rely on less than engaging school supplied resources or pay for more interesting ones out of their own salaries (Bonk, 2009).

A good database of resource links for digital learning is the website “Classroom Aid” located at http://classroom-aid.com/educational-resources/multimedia-resources/. In addition to links, this site, which is available in a downloadable iTunes U app for iPhones and iPads, also contains links to learning apps, freeware and open source software, learning games, management tools, quiz tools, and much more.

This site also contains links to numerous useful multimedia resources such as TeacherTube and Next Vista for Learning, both of which contain their own collections of resources for educators to utilize in their classrooms.

TeacherTube is located at http://www.teachertube.com and consists of a huge database of teacher submitted videos, audio pods, photos, documents, and numerous other resources and collections. All of these resources can be put to use by any educator to help enhance their students’ learning experience.

Some of the fields available on TeacherTube are math, science, history, English (and other languages), and the arts (including dance). There is also a large selection of miscellaneous topics including locksmithing, using Excel (and other applications), holidays, decorating, and classroom behavior (such as racism and bullying).

In addition to the nearly inexhaustible list of resources available for numerous topics and fields TeacherTube also allows educators to access various classrooms, groups, and educational apps via the “My Hub” interface. An interesting aspect of this site is that users can download various instructional videos using a smartphone and a technology known as QR Code.

As a multimedia resource, TeacherTube is a good option, although many of their materials are geared towards the K-12 demographic, as opposed to the adult learning community. In spite of this, there are still numerous items available on the site to aid in the teaching of adult learners, including those being taught English as a Second Language and professional development.

Next Vista for Learning is a gateway website for a huge collection of over 1500 educational videos, including such topics as careers, health and fitness, history and culture, performing arts, math, science, literature, technology, and many more. All of their topics are categorized in one of three principal collections (Light Bulbs, Global Views, and Seeing Service).

Much like the TeacherTube website, Next Vista for Learning is also geared mostly towards the K-12 educator, although many of their videos can be used to teach the adult learner. Of special interest is their collection of English language and phonetics videos, which are excellent resources for teaching adults English as a Second Language.

This site also contains videos to help educators with their own “issues,” such as instructional videos on how to properly use certain apps (spreadsheets, QR codes, Photoshop, etc.) and technology (iPads, porting, Robotics, etc.).

Bonk, C. J. (2009). The world is open: How web technology is revolutionizing education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Educational technology. (2015, March 4). EduTech Wiki, A resource kit for educational technology teaching, practice and research. Retrieved from http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/mediawiki/index.php?title=Educational_technology&oldid=55234

Cross-media Storytelling and Transmedia Narrative in Education

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 05:25:00 +0000

Transmedia Narrative and Cross-media Storytelling are ancient learning methods that have found a foothold in the modern, technological world of online education.

Before the invention of most modern methods of media (internet, film, online games), important information would have been taught to the masses across various, more "primitive," platforms, such as storytelling, plays or cinema, events, and even artwork.

Transmedia Narrative refers to the use of the "story" and the narrative as it is found across multiple platforms, such as books, film, cinema, etc. and how these various "media" interact with one another.

Cross-media Storytelling refers to the utilization of various types of media (books, movies, video games, music, etc.) to tell the same story.

As teaching methods, Transmedia Narrative and Cross-media Storytelling are both interesting and effective ways of engaging and educating the adult, online learner.

Top 10 Most Popular MMOs 2015 | MMO ATK Top 10

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 21:11:00 +0000

World of Warcraft, Sociology, and the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 21:00:00 +0000

Continuing along the path of online learning and the use of MMORPGs, Blizzard's World of Warcraft has been used frequently as a model for teaching students a variety of subjects.

In fact, there are a multitude of textbooks in print designed to aid educators in the proper way of using the game to teach sociology and other topics to their students.

With the increasing popularity of such MMORPGs as World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, and Second Life, educators are discovering the usefulness of these types of games in the design of their curriculum.

What better way can there be to "reach and teach" today's learners (who are becoming more immersed and experienced in the workings of online gaming), than to use their familiar games to help them understand the workings of human society.

Online Learning Communities: Using MMORPGs to Teach English Literature

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 04:03:00 +0000

Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative is an excellent online course offered by Vanderbilt University through the free online learning community called Coursera.

Located at https://www.coursera.org/course/onlinegames, this course places emphasis on storytelling, cross media representation, and remediation of various works of literature and art.

The main focus of the course is to explore the changes that occurs to a story when it has been converted to a movie and an online video game.

This course mainly involves J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings books and movies, and The Lord of the Rings Online MMORPG.

Students taking this course spend time interacting with one another within the game and keeping logs of their gameplay; reading various books, short stories, and poems; watching a selection of plays and movies; and attending video classes taped at Vanderbilt University.

Coursera Week 3 Lord of the Rings Online Video

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 04:03:00 +0000

A video of gameplay from Vanderbilt's Coursera course Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative.