Eye on Learning

Learning in Open Online Courses

2011-12-13T09:53:00.000+08:00

Learning is becoming more complex, or so, it seems. Depending on how one looks at learning, it could be done in a very formal structured way ("traditional") vs a somewhat informal unstructured way ("new").

I think some students in higher education institutions are going through some very challenging times. On the one hand, they are so used to learning the JIT way which is any which way that works at a particular moment in time. It could be through any ICT device or any print media; but more likely the former, where one can quickly look up for information. Typically, information would best come from Twitter or RSS feeds or FB posts, in fact, more so than from structured or well-designed web sites or portals.

The minds of individuals, especially those of the young, work differently than those who are more matured. Perhaps they have been wired differently. Or, perhaps the way their minds function is a result of their environment, which can be described as chaotic. Life isn't as simple or straightforward like it was in the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s.

Somehow, with the birth of play stations and similar devices in the 90s, the young children of that time had a lot of control within their little hands. They quickly learnt how to strategise when playing the games or when they role played in the many simulation games that were created for PCs. Perhaps, their brains became wired for more complex situations and those that called for quick decisions based on multiple strategies or analyses of multiple situations. So, imagine after all that, having to sit still in a formal classroom, listening to lecture after lecture and reading what were prescribed became somewhat "unrealistic."

How about if students today were given a range of alternatives in which to "pull" from for their learning? Of course, this gives rise to a different sort of way to assess their learning.

Roughly, about 30 percent of those taking a higher education course are taking them online. Another set of statistics, also indicate that some 30 percent of Internet users have smart phones. I wonder if these 30 percent are also those who are learning through a self-organised manner? What do you think?

George Siemens's slides on the latter are below:

Self-Organization in Open Online Courses

View more presentations from gsiemens

MOOC on mobile learning at OUM

2011-09-12T00:28:00.000+08:00

Mobile learning at OUM started with the formation of an research team on m-learning in August 2008. Its first task was to determine how ready OUM learners would be for mobile learning. We surveyed almost 3,000 learners throughout Malaysia and found that more than 80 percent of the learners said they would be ready for learning through their mobile phones. We first experimented with podcasts and moved on to using sms to support the blended mode of learning at OUM and found that the latter worked extremely well.

For more information on the m-learning project at OUM, three papers have been uploaded at:
http://www.scribd.com/collections/3238724/MOOC-on-mobile-learning-at-OUM for your reading.

More than 21,000 learners have benefited from m-learning at OUM and the SMS for selected courses continue to be sent for free (burned by the university) to the targeted group of learners.

Insect - simply amazing

2011-08-21T09:52:00.001+08:00

Teachers can use this as an LO for subjects such as biology, zoology, ecology, geography, etc.

MOOC as explained by George Siemens

2011-08-21T00:21:00.000+08:00

Watch the interview of George Siemens by Howard Rheingold One of the originators of MOOCs for a more detailed and interesting description of how the idea for MOOCs came about in 2008, what MOOCs are, how they operate and, more importantly, how MOOCs may benefit users or participants of courses.

You may enjoy the interview below:

MOOCs - An overview

2011-06-24T15:07:00.001+08:00

Want to know more about MOOCs? Watch the two videos below. The first introduces you to MOOC. The second is what makes MOOCs successful. I registered myself for the eduMOOC2011. The topics are great and the panelists are those who you want to listen to. It has at this point in time, already has an enrollment of more than 1,800 participants from 50 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. And, the course is free.

MOOCs - massive open online courses

2011-06-23T12:51:00.003+08:00

There's always something new to look forward to. MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses are the next thing to watch out for. You can be part of it, either actively or passively, as a participant in an online course that is attended by hundreds or thousands from more than a dozen countries over a period of time. These are typically hosted by an institution and participation is invited by various online modes or communication.

For example, next Monday, we have the University of Illinois at Springfield making availabile a new not-for-credit MOOC devoted to examining the state of online education and where e-learning is heading. If you're keen to join, you may do so by registering for the eduMOOC2011 course at: http://sites.google.com/site/edumooc/

Coming up next is a MOOC organised by George Siemens from Athabasca University in Canada together with Stephen Downes and Dave Cormier. Siemens' is known for his ideas on connectivist learning and has become famous because of it. The online course will run for 36 weeks (September 12, 2011 - May 2012). The team has assembled educationists from around the world to share their work and experience related to e-learning, distance education, mobile learning, personal learning environments, authentic learning, open scholoarship, etc. etc.

For more information, visit: http://change.mooc.ca/. To register, click at: http://change.mooc.ca/cgi-bin/login.cgi?refer=http://change.mooc.ca/cgi-bin/admin.cgi&action=Register.

Sending in a CV? Watch this first

2011-05-31T16:22:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since I last blogged. Not that there was nothing of interest to blog about. It was just that it was quicker to link the interesting resources found to my facebook. Anyway, I found something today that I thought must be posted here. It's impressive. CVs like we know it (paper-based) from years ago, have evolved. See the slides below to know what I mean. Personally, I would not mind receiving a CV in either of those media or approaches mentioned. Especially, if it's for a job that requires creativity, flexibility and innovativeness. Watch:

Stop Sending CV's

View more presentations from Active Media

21st century education

2011-02-16T11:58:00.000+08:00

Much has been said about the need to transform the way we teach and how students learn in school and institutions of higher learning. Yet, we are a bit slow in changing. A quick overview of the vision, need, rationale, knowledge, skills, assessment and the how have been made widely available on the Internet and these (click link below) are just several.

http://www.shambles.net/pages/school/ed21cent/

Use of Bono's Six Thinking Hats

2011-01-21T09:51:00.001+08:00

Very clever I thought. Another way of approaching the design of instruction. To all instructional designers out there...what do you think?

Try applying the SIX thinking hats and see if your ID tasks are easier to tackle. Of course, I don't think the six thinking hats are all there is to ID. Time proven principles should still come into play.

For more details, read:
http://www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/2011/01/19/instructional-design-and-the-six-thinking-hats/

Learning via iPods and iPads

2010-12-17T09:57:00.001+08:00

I love these tools. The iPhone was my first intro to Apple's "i" creations. They are unique, so good that others have copied and are still copying. Apple has set a benchmark that's attracting others to follow or beat. More important to educators is how to take advantage of these very tools that are in millions of hands, many of them, students. In 2-3 years time, I think educators have no choice but to seriously consider adopting these tools or become irrelevant. The possibilities as listed in the link below are only a beginning...visit:
http://teacher.ocps.net/groups/ipodsintheclassroom/

New technological tool to visualise concepts through statistics

2010-12-13T10:19:00.000+08:00

Once in a while, you find a new and interesting way of visualising things. Hans Rosling has found a new approach. In fact, it's fascinating the way he does this. It has captivated the attention of the people I've show his approach (published in YouTube) to. Watch it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo&feature=youtu.be

For more good stuff, go to Gapminder and explore the world via what appears to be real statistics.

Creating great slides

2010-11-21T18:29:00.003+08:00

Another great set of slides....taken from the section highlighting the entries submitted for Slideshare's competition.

B2B Social Media Palette

View more presentations from Miikka Leinonen.

Designing slides

2010-11-15T13:54:00.003+08:00

I don't know about you but I've always paid attention to how presenters design their slides. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. So let your slide say a lot more than you do...if it's all possible. View:

YOU SUCK AT POWERPOINT!

View more presentations from @JESSEDEE.

I found a few attractive slides as examples. Enjoy.

Communication

View more presentations from Ghaidaa Naguib.

Social Media for Business

View more presentations from Presentation Advisors.

Anxiety

View more presentations from csilvert.

Creating Start-Up Success

View more presentations from Alexander Osterwalder.

What I've Learned Along The Way...

View more presentations from 3Sixty Global Marketing Ltd.

People who change the world: Conversation Managers

View more presentations from steven van belleghem.

Revolution in presentations

View more presentations from nobuu.com.

The Science of Social Media

View more presentations from Dan Zarrella.

FollowFridays - The Limitations of Social Media

View more presentations from AdNerds.

Annual meeting and slideumentation v1

View more presentations from MESSIER Jean-François.

Improving Einstein's Theories - The Me-Earth Equivalence

View more presentations from Bret Larson.

Mistakes in Virtual Education

2010-11-11T15:36:00.000+08:00

I love the slides below. Understanding what education is and the mistakes we often see made in delivering education to the masses.

The 5 big mistakes in virtual education

View more presentations from guiramirez.

Glogster ... the new tool on the block

2010-11-11T15:28:00.000+08:00

I never cease to find good, interesting and useful tools that I could use as a teacher. Check this out. A poster that you can create and insert multimedia elements. First, to understand what Glogster is all about, watch the following videos:

Glogster in 90 seconds

Detailed tutorial on Glogster:

Glogster as a teaching and learning tool:

Yet another tutorial on how to use Glogster

What twittering could lead to???

2010-11-11T15:20:00.002+08:00

A hilarious look at what Twittering is all about.

Twitter in Education

2010-11-11T00:40:00.002+08:00

For an introduction to what Twitter is all about, watch the two videos below:

Interesting....see how students at a university are using Twitter to engage students to communicate:

A good set of guidelines on using Twitter is at:
http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/

Facebook Applications in Education

2010-11-11T00:34:00.006+08:00

What exactly is Facebook? The following videos summarise what it is very nicely:

What can you use Facebook for other than for social networking? View the following video for top 20 learning applications:

A useful set of guidelines on how to use and manage Facebook is at:
http://mashable.com/guidebook/facebook/

How a teacher uses an iPad in the classroom

2010-11-10T14:51:00.001+08:00

An interesting video to watch on some possibilities of iPad use in the classroom:

Mobile Learning

2010-10-29T15:16:00.000+08:00

I think the day that most people will use their personal mobile devices is not too far away. Already, many are in their FB and Twitter accounts using their mobile phones. Many download music, movies and eventually, will do the same with academic podcasts (streamed videos and audio files) and slides for learning. mLearning will then become uLearning or ubiquitous learning.

I found a few interesting slides on how mobile devices or mobile Internet will become part of our lives soon. This will of course, lead to mLearning. View the slides below:

Designing Mobile Experiences

View more presentations from Brian Fling.

Mobile Trends 2020

View more presentations from Rudy De Waele.

2010 Mobile Influencers: Trend Predictions in 140 Characters, By TrendsSpotting

View more presentations from Taly Weiss.

Web 2.0 going into Web 3.0

2010-10-28T17:34:00.001+08:00

It's all a matter of time. When we first got on the Internet (early 90s), it was a thrill just to be able to communicate with someone who lives on the opposite side of the globe within seconds. That was primarily e-mailing and at times chat using the IRC.

Next, Mosaic came along, followed by Netscape (mid-90s). No more gophering or ftping to get the files or information you need. It was exciting and the world slowly opened up...lots of information and lots of sharing. It changed the way we communicated, learned, taught, shopped, banked, etc. etc.

Today (15 years later), we're blogging, Skypeing, Yahooing, Googleing, Wikiing, RSSing, Flickering and more. Who knows what else. But one thing for sure, with iPods, iPhones, and iPads, the Internet that used to be at the tip of a mouse now sits in the palm of our hands and we can be anywhere, standing, walking, lying down, eating, exercising in the gym, shopping, working, on the bus, in the car, in the train, that is, just about anywhere and doing about anything, reading, listening, viewing and responding to info downloaded into our personal devices.

So, are we in Web 3.0? Visit:

http://www.labnol.org/internet/web-3-concepts-explained/8908/

Resources on mobile learning

2010-10-27T16:40:00.001+08:00

Mobile learning or mLearning will soon be part and parcel of students' lives. With more than 100,000 Android apps now and more than 200,000 apps for the iPhone/iPad/iPod, it will be only a matter of time that we consider what students are already using and provide suitable learning resources and activities for their benefit.

A good start for resources on mLearning is at:

http://www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/02/top-50-mobile-learning-resources/

Also, Free Technology for Teachers is a good start to find ideas and resources that can be used to design resources and activities that could be downloaded via mobile devices.

I also see potential in using MyBrainShark mentioned in one of the blog entries for slidecasts. I'd like to try it.

Conferences to present research on eLearning

2010-10-15T14:51:00.002+08:00

Here's a blog that highlights several interesting conferences for your research findings on eLearning. The list is not exhaustive.

http://otelonlineresearch.blogspot.com/

eLearning continues to grow ...

2010-10-14T23:42:00.001+08:00

Revised set of slides for my session with Open University Sri Lanka on 15 October 2010:

New elearning trends oct2010 2010

View more presentations from zoraini.

Exploring the iPad

2010-09-23T21:38:00.000+08:00

I met a lady lecturer from KSA today who was happily using an iPad. She's leading her university's e-learning initiatives and I would think, that out of curiousity, and the natural interest within her, got the iPad to use as a personal productivity tool.

I personally think the iPad is one cool technology. Having toyed with it for almost a month now, I must say it has the potential to be an excellent learning companion. If only, it was more versatile; able to do what one typically does on a notebook PC alongside all the other iPad applications. I find the iPad somewhat limiting...not that great a devicejavascript:void(0) for word processing or to create a set of presentation slides. However, it is an excellent device to view files such as videos, documents or slides. It's a wonderful tool for email, surfing and all things that you normally do online. It's a great book reader as well, especially, if we don't want to carry that many books with us.

Nevertheless, here is an interesting set of slides that explores the iPad in terms of technical details, if only to get a good overview of what the iPad offers the user.

View and see if the iPad has some or a lot of potential for the classroom.

A research on i pad device & experience design

View more presentations from Vinny Wu.

iPads in education?

2010-09-08T11:22:00.000+08:00

iPads appear to be a hot item with many people these days. Selling at about a million units each month, it's a tool to watch out for. I've just got one to toy with. It's an awesome tool really. After the iPhone, the iPad makes more sense. The iPad screen is larger and friendlier to the eyes, provides a better interface and amazingly, there are over 200,000 applications to try out on the iPad. Note that the applications are not all free.

Compared with my trusty notebook computer, it's lighter and the battery lasts at least twice longer - enough charge for almost a whole day of use. With more improvements to come, as reported by the iPad Insider, I believe the iPads will offer more to students.

As a personal computing device, it's great for surfing the internet, checking the email, doing online banking, going into facebook, viewing online videos or listening to audio podcasts. It's not intrusive, works pretty much like having a book open in front of you except that it's a multi-media device that's connected to the entire world of resources and information. Beats the time when I was using a modem and a terminal to connect to the university mainframe to run my SPSS jobs or to print my doctoral dissertation in the 80s. Technology has gone very far, indeed.

Hence, it's not surprising that universities are adopting the iPads or experimenting with iPads as a tool. I envisage that once we can have college textbooks as ebooks that can be read and annotated on the iPads, the entire education landscape will change. For some of the latest news on what campuses are doing, read the two articles from the Chronicle of Higher Education below:

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Williston-State-in-North/26313/

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/More-Universities-Announce/25646/http://chronicle.com/blogPost/More-Universities-Announce/25646/

Will schools become obsolete?

2010-09-08T10:26:00.001+08:00

For someone who once predicted that the Internet will not stay, Bill Gates predicts that in five years time, you will find the best lectures online for free and that e-books will dominate over traditional printed books. With the increasing popularity of online distance learning programmes and new universities such as University of the People , a tuition-free online university, Gates' predictions are likely to come true. And, now with the proliferation of tablet computing devices and smart phones, it will only be natural that learners will adopt learning on the go, aka mobile learning.

View part of his talk at a recent technology conference.

Principles to remember when using graphics

2010-09-08T08:48:00.001+08:00

We sometimes make the mistake to include the wrong graphic, photo or image. Read the pointers from the web site below:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5151400&id=592772926&comments=&alert=#!/notes/upside-learning/digital-instructional-media-design-101-graphics/480358265864

A conversation on old vs new way of "learning"

2010-08-04T13:05:00.003+08:00

You must watch this. A hilarious look at a "traditional" teacher vs a "NextGen" learner. Can you understand any or all of it? This is how digital natives are learning.

How will the progression of ICT and the Internet impact the world?

2010-08-04T13:01:00.001+08:00

Already viewed by more than 11 million viewers. Interesting set of statistics in the video (Did you know?) below:

Top 100 e-learning tools for 2010

2010-08-04T08:41:00.002+08:00

Good to see that the 7 tools I use often are in the top 12 of the list. I'm about to try 3 others which are in the top 15. Great minds think similar! See complete list below:

http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/recommended/top100-2010.html

Mrs Boey's blog - school teacher

2010-07-26T16:13:00.001+08:00

I stumbled on this blog by a school teacher who uses it with her students to provide links to useful learning resources and to remind them of deadlines and such. A simple, yet interesting use of the blog. I wonder if all her students like it.

Visit:
http://2010sv38.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog

Mobile 2.0: Design & Develop for the iPhone and Beyond

2010-07-24T08:27:00.001+08:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Mobile 2.0: Design & Develop for the iPhone and Beyond

View more presentations from Brian Fling.

The Advent Of Mobile Learning Technology

2010-07-23T20:31:00.001+08:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

The Advent Of Mobile Learning Technology

View more presentations from Upside Learning.

Does LMS have a future?

2010-07-22T23:05:00.005+08:00

Sometime in 2008 it suddenly hit me. It can very well be that after a decade of serving students so well the LMS may no longer be the best platform to support learning. A couple of months later, I read a piece of article on the LMS declining in popularity. And now the video below.

I think something like Ning will do a better job in supporting learning. Too bad it isn't free for all educators. Only North American educators will benefit from Pearson sponsorship.

LMS SWOT Analysis

View more presentations from Upside Learning.

Web 3.0/Elearning 3.0?

2010-07-16T08:48:00.003+08:00

Many of us are still talking about using Web 2.0 for learning. Of course, it's only a matter of time before Web 3.0 creeps into our lives. Steve Wheeler's recent presentation on Web 3.0 is timely and will soon, if not now, be forcing us to think of a new direction that will probably make sense given the state of advancement of technologies for learning now. Are we ready? How or why not? View Steve's slides below:

Web 3.0: The way forward?

View more presentations from Steve Wheeler.

Systemic Changes in Higher Education

2010-06-20T13:08:00.005+08:00

As we move into an increasingly globalised world, which without doubt is a result of the impact of the Internet, more powerful yet more affordable mobile devices, we will be seeing some shifts in education today. However, while some institutions are making the necessary shifts to produce graduates who can fit into the new society, others are slow in making the changes and will, one day, find themselves producing graduates who can only contribute little to developing their country's economic development.

More on this in the following article by George Siemens and Kathleen Matheos:
http://ineducation.ca/print/202

Teaching Music Online

2010-06-17T00:46:00.002+08:00

Brilliant and interesting...how a teacher teaches music on the Internet.

Gilly Salmon's advice

2010-06-17T00:39:00.002+08:00

Listen carefully and get the message. Strategy for elearning - listen for the four quadrants!

Ten Web 2.0 things you can do

2010-06-17T00:18:00.002+08:00

Interested to explore the usefulness and excitement of Web 2.0, especially if you think you need to do/learn more? See what Stephen Downes recommends. It was uploaded a year ago but is still relevant for many educators and learners alike.

Resources for the Instructional Designer

2010-06-17T00:08:00.002+08:00

A great list of 30 top resources, useful for the ID at work. Enjoy!

http://www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/2010/05/20/30-top-online-resources-for-instructional-designers-to-keep-up/

Learning theories anyone?

2010-06-14T09:03:00.001+08:00

Can't find a better way to quickly get an overview of learning theories. A series of YouTube videos put together for you to learn or review.

http://technologyinclass.com/blog/learning-theories/

eLearning ideas for newbies

2010-06-09T20:04:00.001+08:00

The slides are two years old but the info is still relevant and can still benefit those who are new. Check it out:

How To Make E Learning Work

View more presentations from Jane Hart.

Piano Stairs

2010-06-07T20:11:00.003+08:00

A hilarious look at how learning, or rather re-learning can occur if a "fun" element is involved. Watch:

Theories of Learning

2010-06-07T20:08:00.001+08:00

My all time favorite. Great discussion tool to introduce learning theories.

NextGen Learning?

2010-06-07T20:06:00.002+08:00

Benefits of ICT to learners today for tomorrow. Watch this interesting video:

Will learning be mobile by 2015?

2010-06-04T01:11:00.003+08:00

Mobile devices are getting more powerful but cheaper and increasingly affordable. The only "hindrance" to the widespread adoption of mobile phones as learning tools is the lack or absence of broadband infrastructure or the somewhat high charges for 3G connection.

Nevertheless, view the following slides to see how some changes could occur.

mobile university: learning and teaching landscape

View more presentations from andyramsden.

Connectivist learning

2010-06-04T00:57:00.005+08:00

Like many other things, learning theories have evolved with time.

Behaviorist theories have been part and parcel of learning for ever since we can remember. Then came cognitivist learning theories that highlighted the need to prepare the learner mentally so that he can cope with the learning and then given the techniques for effective storage and retrieval. Next came constructivist learning where learners need the "aha!" experience to discover new learning.

With the pervasiveness of the Internet comes "connectivist" learning. Argued by some to be a theory and others as not being one, it is how learning occurs among the millennials or the GenYs.

View the slides by Downes if you need to understand how this works.

Connectivist Learning and Teaching

View more presentations from Stephen Downes.

Transformation of Education

2010-06-03T07:53:00.003+08:00

Apple's latest products have the potential to transform education quicker than other devices. Imagine how students will use just one device to read, listen, view, create, publish, communicate, collaborate and share information related to learning. Many NextGen students will love being able to do this through a single device. What do you think?

Research by Online Degrees.org

Making Art Lessons Come Alive

2010-05-27T08:40:00.005+08:00

I am most delighted with the achievement of Ms Chow Yun Yun, an Art Educator whom I first met when I conducted a workshop on using Web 2.0 tools in June 2009. She has proven that Art can come alive for young students through the use of blogs, facebook, etc. Take a look:

What learning means to me

2010-04-10T10:04:00.001+08:00

eLearning for the 21st century

2010-04-09T21:10:00.003+08:00

eLearning has been around for several years now. It's evolving into eLearning 2.0, ubiquitous learning and who knows where it'll ten years down the road. The digital millennials are in secondary/high schools and colleges today. Then comes Generation Z? What will educators have to do to accommodate their preferences and needs for learning? For a start, view this great set of slides. I love how the message has been designed.

E-Learning: 21st Century Perspectives on Teaching, Learning, and Technology

View more presentations from Kiran Budhrani.

What is instructional design

2010-03-01T17:23:00.002+08:00

Found an interesting presentation on "What is instructional design?" Love the slides, the way the content flows and the message.

What Is Instructional Design?

View more presentations from ejars.

Launch of the new iPad

2010-01-28T14:01:00.001+08:00

Watch the launch of iPad by Steve Jobs:

Apple iPad - latest launch from Apple

2010-01-28T08:20:00.004+08:00

Apple never fails to impress me. One typically drools over their products, especially of late and their prices are getting more affordable unlike 10-20 years ago :-)

Steve Jobs just launched the iPad. Really something. If you're about to buy a netbook, wait...see if the iPad will work better for you. I'm tempted to get one as soon as they start selling. Why not?

As my Gen Y daughter says, "It's an iPhone and laptop hybrid, who would've thought that'd be possible so soon? On hindsight though, these days it's actually not much of a surprise especially with Apple. Anyhow, seems pricey in US$ and may also likely well be by the time it's (or if!) sold locally here but it'll probably be convenient and will see some personal 'productivity' increase for those who can afford one. The book reader function looks nifty and could actually be well-utilized."

For more info, visit: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/the-apple-ipad/. Looks like it can be a great educational tool. Another revolution in education perhaps? What do you think?

Awards to promote excellence in learning

2010-01-25T16:46:00.002+08:00

One of the ways to promote excellence in learning is by giving out awards of excellence. Why not? Brandon Hall has been doing this since 1999...wow!

For further info, visit:

http://www.brandon-hall.com/awards/excellenceawards.shtml

Microblogging: Is it a tool for higher education?

2010-01-18T20:56:00.002+08:00

“The easiest way to make sense of microblogging is give it a go! It’s not for everyone, but the majority of people who use it as part of their working practice report that they find it beneficial."

What do you think? View the video below and see if your view is correct.

Instructional Media - A Good Overview

2010-01-12T12:43:00.004+08:00

This is a good summary of instructional media....not so much the instructional technology which will include other components, that is, not as clearly communicated through the slides, visually, that is.

Information & Instructional Technology

View more presentations from Alaa Sadik.

New Age Tools for Malaysian Education

2010-01-12T12:36:00.002+08:00

Slides presented to audience invited by the Malaysian Development Corporation (MDeC) last December 2009 as part of a platform of events to reflect on current trends and planning for the way forward for education in schools.

http://www.slideshare.net/zoraini/new-age-tools

New Age Tools

View more presentations from zoraini.

Colleges Lag in Technology and Teaching Quality

2010-01-11T14:52:00.002+08:00

Latest from The Chronicle of Higher Education (Jan 11, 2010 issue:

"Getting technology tools into the hands of every student and family should be standard practice. It isn't now," said the U.S. under secretary of education, Martha J. Kanter, addressing a mix of technologists and educators . . . for more.

Something that's equally interesting is that Facebook is giving away five doctoral awards. Read more about it here:

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Colleges-Lag-in-Technology-and/20419/

Top 100 Tools for Learning (2009)

2010-01-10T23:49:00.001+08:00

See if any of your favourite tools are on this list of top 100 tools for learning!

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009

View more documents from Jane Hart.

Compendium of Tools

2010-01-10T23:36:00.002+08:00

There used to be a time when many of the most desirable tools for teaching and learning were purchased. And, companies used to tout that once institutions have bought the license, teachers can easily create content. It was usually far from the truth. How many teachers can use Authorware, for example, to produce good lessons?

Today, one can easily find a tool or platform that can be easily adopted for free or by paying minimal fees (should one want an ad-free environment) and teachers can create, not just content, but a learning environment that will engage both learners and teachers alike.

If you're looking for a useful tool, visit Jane Hart's learning tools compendium at http://c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/instructional.html

Learning 2.0

2010-01-04T11:16:00.002+08:00

We've gone through the last couple of years talking about and promoting the usefulness of Web 2.0 and how it is changing education, learning, learners and teachers. How long more will we be in this mode? How long more will it take for most, if not all, educators make significant changes. I have personally seen a few educators in Malaysia talking about Web 2.0 in education, the need to incorporate it and how to incorporate it...a bit late but never too late.

Meanwhile, here are a set of slides in case you need another overview, particularly on Learning 2.0.

John Seely Brown - Learning 2.0 - The Big Picture

Building a 21st Century Education System

2010-01-04T10:59:00.003+08:00

This is interesting....found this today. I would like to know which country is satisfied with its education system in terms of producing relevant high school leavers. I think we need to be brave enough to re-evaluate and re-create our school curriculum, implementation and reward system for both students and teachers. It's about time.

The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF)has a book titled, "Building a 21st Century Education System" comprising several chapters available online. See below and Web site.

"NCTAF Board member Robert Wehling and the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future have published a book that brings together the visionary thinking of some of the nation’s finest education thought leaders and presents a diverse set of strategies and solutions to provide every child with a high-quality, world-class educational opportunity."

Web-based learning effectiveness: Generations compared

2009-12-24T14:24:00.002+08:00

What can we learn from the above slide?

Boundless Learning

2009-12-24T13:08:00.002+08:00

I first listened, in person, to Terry Anderson last October at the eLearn conference. He's a great speaker when it comes to presenting what's the latest in learning and education and directions we should be planning towards.

One of his latest presentations is below. Enjoy.

Helsinki 2009

View more presentations from terrya.

Web-based Slide Presentations

2009-12-21T10:08:00.003+08:00

Slide Rocket appears to be a solution for those who have found it irritating to have slides with hyperlinks to files on their storage media not work.

I will be trying it out soon but what if the Internet is inaccessible? Then, it's back to having your notebook computer with you all the time.

Nevertheless, you may first watch the video on what's it all about at the web site or how it can benefit presenters.

Go to:

http://www.sliderocket.com/

Facebook for learning?

2009-12-20T01:11:00.003+08:00

Thanks to Mimma Sayuti, these are useful resources on using facebook in the classroom. I have personally got it used to support our mobile learning via SMS initiative at OUM. Papers on this will be written soon by the project members.

Enjoy viewing and reading the following slides:

The 411 on Facebook: An FYI for Teachers

View more presentations from APatterson79.

Facebook Strategies For The Classroom

View more presentations from Kevin Lim.

Planning an Online Course

2009-12-17T23:54:00.002+08:00

This is new. Great for those who are keen to learn about how to plan an online course, view:

http://podcast.iu.edu/upload/OOIC/b8a8e3cd-fd8c-425b-89a4-5191606043aa/Planning%20an%20Onlince%20Course%20680x480.mov

It is part of the Distance Education video series at Indiana University.

ISTE's Ning Web site

2009-12-17T23:37:00.001+08:00

ISTE has done this very well!

View and participate...thanks NZH!

http://www.iste-community.org/

Top Ten Ed Tech Books

2009-12-17T23:21:00.004+08:00

The World is Open and nine other titles are in the top ten Educational Technology books of the decade. Check it out.

A promise I made to myself is to continue my reading of Curtis Bonk's "The World is Open." Nevertheless, it will be the core reference for one of my online courses in Jan 2010.

Use of blog in a Malaysian private school

2009-12-16T10:50:00.001+08:00

Please view this . . . it was the result of a training workshop by OUM last June 2009 and I am personally impressed by what the teacher has done to contribute to the excitement for Art classes. It's available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQTIPjFjwHQ

21 Things for the 21st Century Teacher:

2009-12-03T22:30:00.002+08:00

If you're curious, check this out:

http://classtools.net/twitter/tweet.htm?url=http://21things.weebly.com/&message=21%2520Things%2520for%2520the%252021st%2520Century%2520Teacher

Global Learn Asia Pacific, 17-20 May 2010

2009-12-03T07:35:00.003+08:00

The inaugural Global Learn Asia Pacific conference on learning and technology will be held on the beautiful island of Penang, Malaysia in May 2010. More than 350 papers have been submitted so far. We're expecting at least 500 participants from all over the world to attend. If you haven't plan on submitting a paper by 20 December. It will be one of the best conferences you would have attended.

For more info, visit http://www.aace.org/conf/glearn/

Academia 2.0

2009-08-24T07:57:00.003+08:00

There is a call for universities to transform the educational environment to better serve students today. Students are learning a different set of information and we need to help them learn how to learn. They need to be educated in a different way from the past. Today, technology is the main core of a student's life and academia needs to adopt and adapt in terms of technology utilisation. The following video illustrates why so:

America's teens today - how education needs to progress

2009-08-24T07:48:00.002+08:00

Some of you may have watched the "Did you know . . . " video from YouTube. It's gone into several editions, the latest of which is here, comprising the latest statistics. Dr. Howie DiBlasi is the one who should be credited for these series of videos depicting the current situation among students today and how educators need to re-think about what we're providing to them. View this interesting video:

Is social learning the future of eLearning?

2009-08-14T14:28:00.002+08:00

Jan Hart is advocating the very idea that social networking will become the foundation for eLearning in the future. I think it will be in some instances but not always. In countries that have exams at the very core of the curriculum, this may not happen or very little of it will happen. However, in countries where the curriculum is more open ended in terms of content, social learning is definitely one of the better ways to "teach" or produce learning.

View Jan's slides here:

The future of e-learning is social learning

View more documents from Jane Hart.

Fostering learning in a mobile world

2009-08-13T16:34:00.003+08:00

After a year of work on the mobile learning project, it's good to be able to report the success and tribulations of the initiative. Of course, it's not just about mobile learning per se but the role it plays and how it contributes to the learning process are more important. How m-learning fits in today's digital world or caters to the Gen Y learners on our campuses is the bigger issue and should provide the framework for how we do things.

The presentation from ICI9 Conference this morning is below:

Ici9keynote Zwa Aug13 2009 Final2

View more presentations from zoraini.

Mobile learning for adult learners

2009-07-30T20:09:00.003+08:00

Imagine being able to listen or view course lectures where you are on your mobile device. You could turn your unproductive or waiting time into time during which you can learn and advance in your studies. A major book publisher has gone into provision of mobile learning for adult college learners. View this interesting video:

And, if you'd like a quick overview an introduction to mobile learning, here's a great set of slides:

GMU/DAU Mobile Learning Workshop

View more presentations from judyb.

100 Best OERs

2009-07-25T23:44:00.002+08:00

OERs or Open Education Resources are a boon to the lifelong learner. Imagine being able to listen or watch lectures from the top and renowned universities. Download, carry them with you and you have a classroom in your pocket or car or any other place you're at. Someone actually compiled 100 of these. Check it out at:

http://www.masterdegreeonline.com/blog/2009/the-100-best-open-education-resources-on-the-web/

Malaysia revises target for broadband plan

2009-07-25T10:11:00.003+08:00

It's about time.

When MIMOS first offered its Jaring services for connection to the Internet in the early 90s, it was limited to academicians in higher educational institutions. I was one of the fortunate few who grabbed the opportunity then.

Today, although I live in the Klang Valley and work in an institution that enables me to connect to the Internet anywhere in the University. Yet, I am still hungry for more.

Hence imagine my delight when, a few minutes ago, I stumbled upon the report saying that the nation will aim to provide broadband connection to at least 26 million mobile phone users.

As head of the mobile learning team at the University, we had first offered 1-minute podcasts of course content. Although learners had mobile phones with wireless capabilities, we discovered that even if they were able to connect ubiquitously, they were hesitant about paying extra for the cost to download.

We next focused on providing SMS messages to engage learners in the learning process. This met with greater approval as long as it was free or if the cost was minimal.

In any case, when renowned universities such as Harvard, Stanford and Berkeley have made available their lectures online (see Academic Earth)in the form of podcasts, Malaysian universities are unlikely able to do the same until the broadband connections are widely available as well as affordable, especially for the education community.

It's about time that broadband services become common place, are as inexpensive as water and electricity (although some of us will refute the latter)and as I once remembered of an earlier idea (first heard more than a decade ago), we should have web tone available through all our mobile devices. After all, for what a restaurant will charge for a family of four, one can purchase an MP4 player.

If Malaysia is serious about making the country an educational hub with institutions providing or "producing" learning, broadband services must be available nationwide to benefit every citizen in the country, among which are the 26 million (and growing) mobile phone users.

Gaps in e-learning?

2009-07-22T18:21:00.003+08:00

A great set of slides....thought provoking. Thanks to Mimma who posted the link in her facebook.

The e-learning skills gap

View more presentations from Clive Shepherd.

Ten ways universities share information using social media

2009-07-21T22:53:00.002+08:00

More and more educators in higher education institutions are using social media to support learning and teaching. Jane Hart highlighted in one of her recent twitter posts, how universities are using social media to share information. Read this at: http://mashable.com/2009/07/15/social-media-public-affairs/

The Interactive Web

2009-07-19T22:14:00.002+08:00

I must thank Mimma Sayuti, a PhD student and educator for this..."Harnessing the Interactive Web." One of the best presentations I've seen on the topic. If you're new, it may be overwhelming. It's a topic educators should at least be familiar with now and actually be able to use some of the tools to make education meaningful and relevant for the GenY learners who are now on campus and will be for the next ten years or so.

Harnessing the Interactive Web

View more documents from Bill Warters.

New media and distance learning

2009-07-19T22:02:00.002+08:00

A good but quick overview identifying the use of new media in delivering distance learning. One of the slides indicates the six generations in the history of distance learning.

New Media & Distance Learning Workshop (160609)

View more presentations from Stevemac121.

OERs

2009-07-19T21:28:00.002+08:00

Open Educational Resources (OERs) have been promoted by educationists who believe in sharing resources for the benefit of learners and instructors across the world. To gain an understanding of what OERs are all about, there are a few slide presentations that are worth viewing. I believe you will also gain an insight on how to proceed to create OERs.

OER

View more presentations from gsiemens.

Open Educational Resources

View more documents from Stephen Downes.

Open Educational Resources: Building a Culture of Sharing

View more presentations from Catriona Savage.

A blast from the past

2009-07-08T22:46:00.004+08:00

There was a time when I was writing up to three columns a week for our national newspapers, educating the public about the Internet, how interesting it is, how we could benefit from it and so on. I remember writing these with a passion. Unfortunately some of these articles, especially the soft copies, have gone missing from my collection due to corrupted disks, failure to make more than 1 copy and so on.

Imagine my delight when I found these: http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/7903/koleksi.html#Komputer_Tanpa_Internet_Ibarat_Lagu_Tanp.

I can't even begin to think how to thank Hamdan Noor who had somehow got my articles on to part of his web site. But, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am indebted to his gesture and for helping me re-visit the past.

Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning

2009-07-05T16:56:00.002+08:00

What are emerging technologies? Well, most will definitely include Web 2.0 tools that are increasingly becoming more user-friendly and support open learning and use of open resources. Perhaps, a quick overview will help you understand the concept. Please view:

Emerging technologies for teaching and learning: into fall 2008

View more documents from BryanAlexander.

Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction

2009-07-05T15:05:00.002+08:00

If you're an instructional technologist or into instructional design, applying Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction when planning, designing or developing your instruction is key to good instruction. Not many realise that it's similar to developing a lesson plan before carrying out the actual teaching.

There's a good video from YouTube on this. If you'd like a review of Gagne's Nine Events or simply want to refresh your knowledge, view it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_8MB9F2cts:

Learning 2.0

2009-07-05T14:55:00.003+08:00

I can't believe it's been almost a month since the last entry. I've been promoting Twitter and now started experimenting with Ning. Twitter is getting known in Malaysia, although Facebook seems to be the more popular of the two, still. In any case, both can be used to support learning.

As part of a mobile learning initiative at the Open University Malaysia, we used twitter to archive all the SMSes sent out. The purpose is to enable those who were late in subscribing to the service a chance to view the SMSes they missed. To view, visit http://twitter.com/oumh1103.

It's also possible, that in the future, we will use Twitter in place of SMSes so that we're more cost effective but only after everyone understands how Twitter works and functions.

Learning 2.0 is still somewhat new among Malaysian educators. Nevertheless, there is a lot of interest whenever I share what I know about it and the possibilities in creating more excitement in learning. Related to this, I'd like to urge you to view the following set of slides created in 2006 but still very much relevant and useful today. Enjoy!

Creative Web 2.0 Learning

View more presentations from Judy O’connell.

Twitter in Plain English

2009-06-11T14:11:00.002+08:00

I found a video on Twitter explained in plain English....click on the link to view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o.

What academicians do on Twitter

2009-05-11T14:41:00.002+08:00

Twitter, as they say, is a great socialising tool. It can also, believe me, used to promote a business, product, service and the like. As an educator, I usually try to find the use of such new tools to help enhance the learning environment. What if Twitter could be used to better engage the students in the learning process or to provide timely reminders, additional but useful resources for the course, etc?

Read what Steve Wheeler has to say in his blog on as a lecturer, he has used Twitter with his students at: http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2009/01/teaching-with-twitter.html. Also, visit the links below his blog to see how other educators have used Twitter to benefit their students.

For example, you may view the video by David Parry, a professor at the University of Texas, on how he's used Twitter in his courses. See also at: http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/video-teaching-with-twitter.html

Top Tools for Learning

2009-05-11T09:38:00.003+08:00

Every day, you hear about a new tool that can do very interesting things for learning and teaching. It is, after all, the new world of e-learning and developing by leaps and bounds are numerous applications based on social networking, the basis for connectivist learning proposed by George Siemens and who have taken the world of education by storm since he introduced the concept in 2005 via his now well-read paper on connectivism at http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/networks.htm

Based on the list compiled by Jane Hart a social media and learning consultant, the one tool that made it in the top 5 among both learners and learning professionals is Twitter. For the complete list (as of 10 May 2009), visit: http://c4lpt.co.uk/recommended/index.html.

As Steve Dambo, an educator who maintains a blog entitled Teach 42: listed in a recent blog entry, what he's learned from the interactions in Twitter, it can be a great learning tool for the learning professional. The URL is http://www.teach42.com/2007/09/28/what-i-learned-from-twitter-today/.

Twitter Guides to help new and not so new users

2009-05-06T08:51:00.003+08:00

Twitter is quickly gaining a huge following particularly in the last few months. It has surged to 10 million from 6 million (in early 2009). For more on how Twitter is influencing social media, read the report by Brian Solis at http://www.briansolis.com/2009/04/twitter-traffic-surges-to-10-million.html

If you're keen to try out Twitter, guidebooks are aplenty. One recently released is available as a .pdf version. You may download it from: http://lindenamueller.com/blog/2009/05/trying-to-figure-out-twitter-try-our-free-ebook/

Happy twittering!

Twitter set to grow among Malaysians

2009-05-03T23:59:00.006+08:00

Since I first joined twitter more than eight or nine months ago, I have introduced Twitter to many Malaysians through my presentations in conferences, meetings, etc. I can recall only two friends, colleagues or acquaintances who are already on Twitter. Two others I know are politicians (the Malaysian PM and ex-Deputy PM). In short, Twitter is almost unknown. Facebook, Friendster and MySpace have a much larger following.

The other friends, colleagues and acquaintances have facebook accounts or netvibes and never heard of Twitter. Today, however, the Sunday Star papers highlighted Twitter. Read it at http://tinyurl.com/cp5d3t. I expect more Malaysians will now be twittering.

Personally, I love Twitter! As a microblogging tool, I can quickly update, provide useful links for other twitterers and learn from those with the same interests as mine. You can use it as a learning tool, teaching tool and marketing tool.

You can also set it as a community tool by activating the Twibes feature. For example, about an hour ago, I set up a twibe on mlearning at: http://twibes.com/mlearning. If it works, we will see people with a common interest on mobile learning join as members of the "twibe." That'll be one quick way to see what others are doing with mlearning and to get ideas and opinions from each other. Of course, I'm not sure how many will follow.....although 4 have joined since the last one hour. More members will mean better interactions and more meaningful learning will occur.

Twitter Applications in Learning

2009-04-19T15:12:00.004+08:00

Twitter is one of my favourite tools. To understand what Twitter is, study the visual above. Initially meant for and focussed on communication, it has worked well in some learning situations, for example in English language classes where students are forced to tweet within 140 characters.

Perhaps the book below will generate more ideas on how educators can benefit from Twitter!

Twitter Handbook for Teachers Twitter Handbook for Teachers Tomaz Lasic An overview of Twitter and ways of using it in education for a group of educators attending Twizza (Twitter & pizza) gathering in Perth, Western Australian on April 8, 2009.

Created by Tomaz Lasic (@lasic, http://human.edublogs.org)

Publish at Scribd or explore others: How-to-Guides & Manu human twitter

Emerging Technologies

2009-04-19T14:51:00.002+08:00

For a quick overview of emerging technologies, view:

Emerging Technologies

View more presentations from David Peter.

Conference on Learning Innovations in Higher Education

2009-04-19T14:21:00.003+08:00

The 9th ICI conference with a focus on Learning Innovations in Higher Education will be held on 12 and 13 August 2009 at The Legend Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Proposals are being accepted until 1 May.

Further details are at: http://ici9.oum.edu.my/

Updates are available on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ici9

For more information, email: ici9@oum.edu.my

Web 3.0 and Learning 3.0

2009-04-14T20:22:00.003+08:00

How would you respond if someone were to say, that the Web has gone through three generations: Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. The difference between each one is that Web 1.0 was the "Write Web," the Web 2.0, the "Read/Write Web" and the Web 3.0 the "Read, Write, Collaborate Web." Just think how in the 90s, it was all about having or rather publishing your own Web site. It was cool to say the least. About a decade later, it's about creating 'content' together. Today or soon it will be about connectivity and collaborative learning through mobile technologies.

Read more in Steve Wheeler's blog at http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2009/04/learing-3.0.html

National Academic Award by Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia

2009-03-16T11:56:00.004+08:00

The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) is inviting applications for the 2008 National Academic Award in six categories as listed below (for details see http://www.mohe.gov.my/aan2008/konsep.htm):

Anugerah Tokoh Akademik Negara

Anugerah Penerbitan Makalah Jurnal

Anugerah Penerbitan Buku

Anugerah Inovasi dan Pengkomersialan Produk

Anugerah Seni dan Kreativiti

Anugerah Pengajaran

A briefing to public and private universities was held at PICC on 16 March 2009.

Deadline for applications to reach MOHE is 4 May 2009.