Helge Scherlund's eLearning News

Hilton Worldwide and Harvard Business Publishing Partner to Develop a World-Class Leadership Curriculum

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:36:01 PST

Harvard Business Publishing and Hilton Worldwide today announced a multi-year agreement to provide Hilton Worldwide University, the company’s global learning resource platform, with leadership content and online learning programs. Harvard Business Publishing will offer a number of programs including Harvard ManageMentor®, the most trusted online resource for management essentials, as part of Hilton Worldwide University’s Leadership College curriculum.

Harvard ManageMentor brochure

Hilton Worldwide University gives the company’s Team Members access to online and instructor-led workshops to build their job competence and professional development. Leaders will be able to access Harvard ManageMentor online and through mobile devices, supporting quick and effective learning within their fast-paced workdays.
Read more...

About Harvard Business Publishing

Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning partners with clients to create leadership development solutions for managers at all levels. Our team leverages the management insight, thought leadership, and expertise of Harvard Business School faculty and authors from Harvard Business Review to create tailored leadership development solutions. With more than 20 years of practical experience, our innovative, technology-enabled solutions drive meaningful and lasting business results. Corporate Learning is a market group within Harvard Business Publishing. For more information, visit www.harvardbusiness.org/corporate.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value.
The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,800 hotels and timeshare properties, with 630,000 rooms in 88 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations.
The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.

Source:  EON: Enhanced Online News

AP brings Aakash down to earth

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:44:38 PST

Photo: Deccan Chronicle

Aakash, the world cheapest tablet, will be available to students in the state for only Rs 1,500. Originally priced at Rs 2,500, the state government has offered a subsidy of Rs 1,000 for students to facilitate e-learning.

The discounted tablets will initially be offered to students in state universities, engineering and polytechnic colleges and the government plans to extend the scheme to all private colleges in the future.
The proposal has been sent to the Union HRD ministry which is monitoring the Aakash project.

The tablets were launched by Union minister for HRD Kapil Sibal in October 2011. Designed especially for students with an aim of bridging the “digital divide” between the rich and the poor, the Centre aims to provide the tablets to 22 crore students over the next five years.
Read more...

Related link
Aakash (tablet). From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

The touch-screen classroom by Kate Lunau

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:27:04 PST

How technology can reinvent how and where children learn.

Kate Lunau writes, "At Eden High School in St. Catharines, Ont., students are banned from using their cellphones in the hallways. In Eric Moccio’s classroom, it’s a different story. Moccio, who teaches music and media arts, employs his students’ phones as a teaching tool: he recently had them vote via text message on the topic of an upcoming video project."

Photo: Macleans.ca

Moccio projected a live chart to the front of the class, which “readjusted to show numbers as votes came in, American Idol-style,” he says. Another time, he ran a scavenger hunt, texting clues to students as they searched through the school. (That day, he got special permission from administration, and each student carried a signed note of permission to use their phone.) Today’s smartphones can do much more than just make calls; “they’re computers,” Moccio says, and with so many students carrying powerful devices in their pockets these days, “we’d be fools not to use them.”

Despite the technology-rich environment that surrounds kids outside school walls, most classrooms are lagging. Administrators worry that the use of phones, iPods and tablets could cause distractions, promote the rise of cyberbullying and other bad behaviour, and maybe erode literacy skills, fretting that students might start including textisms like “CUL8R” in their essays. While some school boards have resorted to bans on some technologies, not all educators agree that’s a good idea. In September, the Toronto District School Board, Canada’s largest, reversed a rule that personal devices should be turned off and out of sight within its schools, after trustees recognized that smartphones and other devices might actually enhance student learning. Now, teachers like Moccio are experimenting with new ways to use not only smartphones but tablet computers and interactive whiteboards. Indeed, proponents say that, at its best, technology can change virtually any place into a classroom—or transform a classroom into somewhere as remote and different as a Borneo rainforest.

Phones make ideal teaching tools because, unlike laptops or spiral notebooks, students are unlikely to forget them at home. “They have quite a strong emotional attachment to these devices,” says Patricia Wallace, author of The Psychology of the Internet and senior director of information technology at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. Mobile phones are portable, especially for elementary school kids, who can’t lug a heavy computer in their backpack. And because they’re easy to carry everywhere, they can be used to take advantage of what she calls “micro time slots,” those spare moments waiting for the bus or a friend, when a teen could complete a quick lesson instead of a game of Angry Birds.
Read more...

Source: Macleans.ca

How to engage students with wireless tech by Steve Largent

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:05:24 PST

Photo: Dennis Pierce

Dennis Pierce, Editor writes, "In our "Site of the Week,” Dell is accepting applications for the 2012 Dell Social Innovation Challenge, a program that gives students from around the world the chance to bring their entrepreneurial ideas to life to solve some of the world's most pressing challenges."

http://www.dellchallenge.org/

Dell is now accepting applications for the 2012 Dell Social Innovation Challenge, a program that gives students from around the world the chance to bring their entrepreneurial ideas to life to solve some of the world’s most challenging issues.

For the sixth consecutive year, Dell is partnering with the University of Texas at Austin’s RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service to help fuel the entrepreneurial spirit of the best and brightest minds through this program. During the past six years, more than 3,000 inspiring social innovation projects stemming from 90 countries have been submitted through the Dell Social Innovation Challenge, which provides mentoring, tools, and more than $350,000 in cash prizes to teams of student entrepreneurs from across the globe.

The program’s newly developed site allows students to upload their project ideas directly and encourages judges, mentors, and other interested parties to vote for their favorite ideas. Students have until Feb. 14 to submit their project proposals.

Source: eSchool News

20 Brain-Bending TED Talks for Philosophy Students

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:39:57 PST

Jasmine Hall has been in touch to reminds us about this published article below.

Philosophy may get a bad rap for being an unmarketable college major, but in actuality, the lessons taught in philosophy classes can be applied to just about everything we do, day in and day out. From morality and ethics to free will and aesthetics, philosophical questions surround us in the creative, business, and scientific fields.
Whether you need a reminder of the awesomeness of all things philosophy-related or just want to stretch your brain, check out these amazing TED talks. You’ll hear from a range of scientists, researchers, academics, and yes, even philosophers on issues that have been troubling the human mind for centuries.

1 Michael Sandel: What’s the right thing to do?
Are there ever moral absolutes? That’s one of the questions political philosopher Michael Sandel addresses in this lecture, touching on some of the gray areas in our morality, and asking listeners like you to consider their own positions on right and wrong.

Read more...

Related link
Take a closer look at onlinecolleges.net's blog

Thanks to Jasmine.
Enjoy your reading!

Source: onlinecolleges.net

Going Green with Online Studies by Melanie Slaugh

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:07:03 PST

Today I have Melanie Slaugh as guest blogger. Please be sure to check out her unique guest post. Guest posts are always welcome, please contact me.

Going green can mean different things to different people. One thing we can all agree on, however, is that saving the environment should be a priority. One easy way for students to go green is to take their classes online. Not only do online classes not use as much paper as regular classes, the students also do not have to commute back and forth to school, reducing their carbon emissions. Also, the energy use from heating and cooling classrooms is drastically cut when students have the ability to learn from home.

Online schools are healthier for the environment than traditional ones, but are you losing quality when you take classes online? With all the new online schools appearing, it is hard to tell which ones authentic and which ones are just diploma mills. Choosing an online school that is related to a brick-and-mortar school is usually a safe choice. But how does the curriculum compare?

Arizona State University is one of the many schools that has both online and on campus curriculum. “Arizona State University (ASU or Arizona State) is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona. With an enrollment of 70,440 students in the Fall of 2010, it is the largest public university in the United States by enrollment.

Founded in 1885 as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory, the school came under the control of the Arizona Board of Regents in 1945 and was renamed Arizona State College. A 1958 statewide ballot measure gave the university its present name.

ASU offers programs in the liberal arts and sciences, engineering, journalism, business, law, nursing, and public policy. The university is broadly organized into 14 divisions and is spread across four campuses: the original Tempe campus, the West campus in northwest Phoenix, the Polytechnic campus in eastern Mesa, and the Downtown Phoenix campus. All four campuses are accredited as a single institution by the Higher Learning Commission.”

More than that, ASU offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs through a completely online program, known as ASU Online. The degree programs you can take online have the same accreditation as the university's traditional on campus programs, and students can obtain most of the same degrees as those who attended courses in person. According to ASU Online’s website, more than 3,000 students are currently enrolled online. ASU Online is headquartered at ASU's Skysong campus in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Not only is the curriculum identical but it is just as demanding and accurate as the on campus curriculum. New tools, such as online video conferencing and cooperative chat rooms permit teachers and students to relate in real time. Online students also have the benefit of being able to complete their work when they have the time, even in the middle of the night. Discussions are logged and saved so that no one misses out. In many ways, there is increased teacher-student interaction online. Additionally, online classes permit more students to enroll per class, thereby keeping tuition affordable.

The advantages of online classes are easy to see and the curriculum is just as good as being taught in the on campus classrooms. As an increasing number of traditional universities offer entirely online programs, it is easy to see the advantages. If you are an environmentally conscious organized learner and want flexibility in your education, online is certainly the way to go.

Melanie Slaugh is enthusiastic about the growing prospects and opportunities of various industries and writing articles on various consumer goods and services as a freelance writer. She writes extensively for internet service providers and also topics related to internet service providers in my area for presenting the consumers, the information they need to choose the right Internet package for them.
She can be reached at her email.

Many thanks to Melanie.
Enjoy your reading!

Educators hope Apple's textbook foray will begin a "learning revolution" by Chris Foresman

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:04:28 PST

Photo: Chris Foresman

Chris Foresman writes, "On Thursday morning, Apple announced a series of related initiatives designed to modernize learning based around its iPad tablet. Apple is hoping to "reinvent textbooks" and change the way we learn with an updated iBooks 2 app, which works with interactive textbooks built with the iBooks Author desktop app, and an expansion of iTunes U that offers course materials and K-12 access. And according to several experts we spoke to, Apple's announcement today could do just that."

Several educators were particularly bullish on the impact that Apple's move into the digital textbook market will have on both teaching and learning. Assistant Professor of Arts, Media, and Design at Boston's Northeastern University Matthew Gray told Ars that iBooks 2 and iBooks Author will be a "fantastic" improvement over what's commonly used in universities now.

Photo: Ars Technica

"A pivotal year for students"
"Personally, I love this development" Gray said. "What was funny to me was the continuous emphasis on the word 'book.' But what Apple's new technology says to me, however, is 'syllabus.' This new kind of ebook acknowledges that we all can Google things, and therefore education needs something to bridge 'fixed' knowledge and 'fluid' delivery systems for knowledge. An e-book can use its unique referencing ability to link a far wider resource library to students."

Abilene Christian Univeristy's director of educational innovation, Dr. William Rankin, also believes Apple's digital textbooks and iTunes U expansion will have a major transformative effect. "Teachers no longer have to have an IT department, digital infrastructure, or really even buy-in from their school," Rankin told Ars. "Apps, notes, syllabi, textbooks—they all integrate. As long as I can get iPads for my students, I can do it all."
Read more...

Source: Ars Technica

Apple Offers Online Courses through iTunes U App

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:17:02 PST

Photo: Jeff Gamet,
Mac Observer’s Managing Editor

"Apple is making its iTunes U online learning service even more accessible as of Thursday with the introduction of its iTunes U app for the iPad.", summarizes Jeff Gamet.

iTunes U on the iPad

The app links users to iTunes U courses, supports notes, class outlines and assignments, tracks instructor office hours and class credits, and messaging with instructors. Notes from iBooks 2 textbooks sync with the iTunes U app, too.

iTunes U offers more that 500,000 free lectures on a wide range of subjects from schools and institutions such as Stanford, Yale, MIT, the New York Public Library and MoMA.

The iTunes U app is free and is available at Apple’s iTunes-based App Store.

Source: The Mac Observer

Learning Tree International Introduces a New Course: Designing Web Sites for Mobile Devices

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:46:03 PST

Learning Tree International has announced the introduction of a new course for Web designers and developers interested in learning how to build a mobile Web site. The course is entitled Designing Web Sites for Mobile Devices.
This course is for experienced Web designers and developers who want to learn to create a mobile Web site that fully exploits the sophisticated capabilities of Web browsers on mobile devices.

Designing Web Sites for Mobile Devices

Participants are taught the skills to create a mobile Web site. They’ll learn best practices, designing for touch and tilt interactivity, how to leverage geolocation, how to generate bandwidth-appropriate video content, how to manipulate layouts dynamically with transitions and animations, and much more.

Exercises include:

Architecting modern cross-platform mobile Web sites
Enhancing forms with HTML5 extensions
Replicating the native platform UI with CSS3
Querying device capabilities with JavaScript
Presenting optimized graphics and multimedia
Geolocating the user with HTML5 and JavaScript
Enabling offline access to enterprise data

Learning Tree will begin presenting Designing Web Sites for Mobile Devices at its education centers in January 2012. The current schedule includes the following:

Ottawa, ON — February 15-17, 2012
New York, NY – February 22-24, 2012
Toronto, ON – February 29-March 2, 2012
Washington, DC (Alexandria, VA) – March 14-16, 2012
Washington, DC (Rockville, MD) – March 21-23, 2012
Chicago (Schaumburg, IL) – April 18-20, 2012

There are three ways for participants to attend this course:

1. In-class, at a Learning Tree Education Center
2. Live, online via Learning Tree AnyWare—our instructor-led training delivery solution that allows participants to join this course from their home, office or anywhere there is Internet access
3. On-site as a private, customized event, delivered by Learning Tree at a client facility of choice

For more information and the latest course dates and locations,visit us online.

About Learning Tree International

Learning Tree International is a leading global provider of highly effective hands-on training to managers and information technology professionals. Since 1974, over 65,000 organizations have relied on Learning Tree to enhance the professional skills of more than 2.1 million employees.

Learning Tree develops, markets and delivers a broad, proprietary library of instructor-led courses focused on people and project management, leadership and business skills, Web development, operating systems, databases, networking, IT security and software development. Courses are presented at Learning Tree Education Centers located globally, on site at client facilities, and are available via Learning Tree AnyWare, our proprietary live, online instructor-led training delivery option that connects online participants to actual classrooms.

For more information about our products and services, call 1-888-THE-TREE (1-888-843-8733), visit www.learningtree.com, follow @LearningTree on Twitter, or visit Learning Tree International’s Facebook fan page.

Source: Business Wire

eBook: Increasing Your Social Influence

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:29:54 PST

What do Twitter, Facebook and blogs have to do with your training initiatives? Used strategically, social tools help you engage audiences, build emotional rapport and extend your training reach.

This new eBook by training expert Tom Bunzel provides a roadmap and checklist for increasing the effectiveness and scope of your training initiatives with today’s top social tools.

Read the eBook to learn:

How social media increases your training reach
Tips for creating conversation with video, QR codes and the hashtag
8 simple steps for promoting your online event socially
And more...

Download the eBook

eBook: The New Common Core Standards and Emerging Assessments

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:38:08 PST

Here’s the latest Technology & Learning's eBooks below.

Preparing for Change:
The New Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Emerging Assessments to Help Educators Strategically Transition to New Curriculum

Districts must begin to prepare for the new Common Core State Standards and methods of assessing them. In this ebook you'll learn about the transition toward common curriculum, the new forms of assessments, and some of the best practices for measuring student achievement and evaluating teacher effectiveness in this new era.
Read more...

What's Inside the eBook:

Enjoy your reading!

New study examines availability, variety of apps for mobile devices by Laura Devaney

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:31:00 PST

As mobile learning devices crop up in classrooms from coast to coast, the market for educational apps appears to be thriving, with educational apps for pre-schoolers and toddlers experiencing a huge jump over the past two years, according to a new report.

Photo: eSchool News

“iLearn II: An Analysis of the Education Category of Apple’s App Store,” conducted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, analyzed the “Education” category in Apple’s App Store in an effort to understand the educational apps market and possible emerging opportunities within that app category.

iLearn II: An Analysis of the Education Category of Apple’s App Store

The report reveals that mobile app revenue is predicted to generate $38 billion by 2015, and Apple’s App Store has paid out more than $2.5 billion to developers. There are currently more than 500,000 apps available on iTunes and more than 300,000 available on Android, although this report examines only Apple’s App Store.

The study included 109 publishers within the sample of 196 apps, and was conducted in July 2011. The report updates a 2009 Cooney Center analysis on the same topic.

When broken down by age category, the mention of apps intended school use is lowest for toddlers and pre-school students and is highest among middle school students.

While both devices follow similar age trends, data revealed that apps for toddlers and pre-school students are more prominent as iPad apps than as iPhone apps. Apps for elementary students peaked among iPhone apps.

The report includes several important recommendations:

Address the “app gap”
Create standards for products marketed as educational
Project children from digital-age commercialism
Consider emerging market dynamics in an update to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
Enable sustainability and profitability
Set a research agenda

Read more...

Source: eSchool News

Digital Learning Day Cometh by Michael Horn

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:07:46 PST

Photo: Michael Horn

"With the arrival on February 1, 2012 of the first-ever national Digital Learning Day, the disruptive innovation of K-12 online learning—from in blended-learning environments to remote ones—seems to be taking yet another step toward the mainstream." summarizes Michael Horn

With the rise of online learning, that began to change. Its growth is rapid and undeniable. Increasingly we’re seeing online learning stretch beyond areas of nonconsumption—where the alternative is nothing at all and where disruptive innovations first take root.

The shift from print to digital, as Tom Vander Ark so succinctly puts it, is upon us. Singapore for some time has had an e-learning week.

Now we have our first Digital Learning Day.

As we approach this day, and as district schools, charter schools, and states around the country participate, we must make sure that this doesn’t become a day that is all about technology for technology’s sake.
Read more...

Source: Forbes

Blended learning in classrooms by Arun Nigavekar

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:53:05 PST

Photo: Arun Nigavekar

Arun Nigavekar writes, "We have been struggling, without much success, to promote the use of technology in classroom education, from primary to higher education. In early 90s the arguments were focused on cost of hardware; the computers, projection systems and of course, the cost of renting connectivity."

Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In the past one decade these arguments have lost significance as all hardware is getting miniaturised, giving larger memory and speed, becoming cost effective, and user-friendly. However, the notion of blending various teaching methods to achieve an effective learning experience is still a subject of exploration by academics.

This is mainly because adoption of blended learning is a complex process for educational institutions and academic staff. It is true that adding creative and innovative uses of technology to improve teaching practices has generated new opportunities for learning. Blended learning is envisaged to maximise the benefits of traditional teaching methods and online delivery.

Blended learning is significantly different from courses delivered in a traditional face-to face classroom with a supplemental website. It is not implemented by a simple transfer of teaching materials online, but rather involves redesign of delivery and pedagogy. Technology has had a significant influence on the ways students interact with their peers and faculty and has transformed learning and teaching inside and outside the classroom.
Read more...

Source: mydigitalfc.com

Site helps teens make the math grade

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:29:28 PST

Is your teen’s New Year’s resolution to do better at math?

Math Homework Help

A provincial government website can help them make the grade.

Through Homework Help – located at www.edu.gov.on.ca/elearning/homework.html –students in Grades 7 to 10 can access the help they need to learn and pass math. Parents too can access tools to help with their kids’ assignments.

The site has linked about 600,000 students with tutors, who have helped with more than 40,000 last year.

Live tutoring is also available from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays.

Students can log on at www.ontario.ca/HomeworkHelp to access more than 250 videos, interactive activities, a math glossary and live tutoring.

Students receive free online homework help

Source: The Barrie Advance

e-Learning Authoring Software Hosts Free Webinar

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:05:39 PST

Lectora® e-Learning software will host an upcoming webinar featuring time-saving tips for creating questions in e-Learning content.

As a free webinar in the Lectora Inspiration Wednesdays webinar series, this free session on January 18 will provide firsthand, live instruction on how to use Comma-Separated Value (CSV) question types to create questions in e-Learning courses more quickly and in just a few steps.

Attendees will learn the following skills from this free, live webinar, “Working with CSV Question Files:”

How to create uniform questions automatically using a Comma-Separated Value (CSV) question type

How to import CSV question files into a Lectora Title

Inspiration Wednesdays webinars inform and educate on valuable e-Learning tips, how tos and insights. Inspiration Wednesdays live sessions take place on designated Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. ET (GMT – 5).

For more information about Lectora free e-Learning webinars and to register, please visit: Free e-Learning Webinars.
Register Now

Source: PRWeb

ITTO: Apps Transforming the Classroom by Margaret Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:33:10 PST

Mobile apps are finding their place in the classroom, as online programs grow in the coming year.

Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Students and parents can expect to see more digital learning tools -- from organizational and content apps to online study sites -- in 2012, both inside and outside the classroom.

Supplemental educational programs are leading the way in adapting curriculum for the online learner. For example, companies like Kaplan and Sylvan offer online tutoring programs to supplement classroom learning, and forecasters are looking to those projects for clues about what works and can be applied to the nation's classrooms.

In general, these programs assess students to determine skill gaps an individualized curriculum might address. This level of customization allows the student to focus on critical areas and often provides a measurement tool to gauge success. Some of the strategies will likely trickle down to more traditional classrooms eventually.

Increased use of mobile devices with educational apps will also be one of the biggest education technology trends in 2012, according to a September 2011 study by Encyclopedia Britannica, which points out smartphones, tablets, and netbooks lead the pack of preferred handheld devices among K-12 students.
Read more...

Is This Thing On?, or ITTO, is Mobiledia's Wednesday column showing how everyday people use technology in unexpected ways.

Source: Mobiledia

MITx: Revolutionizing Online Education by Marina Salsbury

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:40:06 PST

Today I have Marina Salsbury as guest blogger. Please be sure to check out her unique guest post. Guest posts are always welcome, please contact me

MIT is planning on offering a pilot program, which enhances the features of the already 10 year-old OpenCourseWare (OCW) online learning site. Beginning in the spring of 2012, the project features a prototype class, where upon completion; individuals have the opportunity of obtaining certification. Off-campus students have free access to university online programs, which also aid in the learning experience of university-enrolled individuals.

According to a December 2011 newsletter, (MIT launches online learning initiative - MIT News Office) a blog posted by the MIT news office declared an upgrade to the already popular OCW online software leaning program. Since students are increasingly enhancing their classroom education with online resources that go beyond learning traditional formulas and techniques (such as business-minded students could use MBA Online to gain real-world knowledge of business trends), MITx plans to offer free online classes with advanced interactive features, allowing students to interact by answering questions, sharing ideas and having student-to-student feedback. The self-paced learning system will additionally enable students to take a comprehensive test. Successfully passing the examination entitles students to a certificate of completion. Students taking online MITx classes do not acquire a degree. The university also has not determined whether certification will count toward degree requirements if students later enroll on-campus.

Comparable to the OCW learning center, MITx does not require registration or educational prerequisites before allowing students access to the software. While the university will initially offer one class in the new program, the hope is that the institution will induct more and more of the current online classes into MITx.

There are no charges involved in using the program, but students must submit a moderate fee if desiring certification. Testing fees for the new program are not yet available. The method of testing the university plans to use has also not been disclosed. Certificates will not be awarded by MIT itself, but instead by another governing body located in the facility.

The current OCW program offers over 2,000 courses in 26 fields of undergraduate and graduate study. Each online class features the same lectures and demonstrations offered to campus students. Various courses include online textbooks, a course syllabus, lecture notes and suggested reading material. Unlike “watch only’ programs offered at other universities, or those restricted to K-12 students, OCW, and the future MITx, offer a means of gauging the online learning experience. Present OCW courses offer varied assignments and subject material quizzes.

OCW not only enhances resources for on-campus students, but millions of students around the world have used the program. The university also plans on making MITx available to non-campus students and other learning institutions. The OCW and MITx programs provides all off-campus students the opportunity for obtaining quality higher education. Enrollment limitations, the expense of attending college, and physical location of students, often inhibit many individuals from acquiring an education beyond high school. The ability to attend free classes online through the OCW and MITx programs eliminates financial, geographical and other barriers.

Many applaud the efforts of MIT and other online educators for offering a cost-effective means of gaining an education that is also environmentally friendly.
Some professional educators, however, question the possible certification procedures used for MITx. Robert Talbert, Michigan university professor, ponders the legitimacy of certification and the possibility of deception. Some employers have already voiced acceptance of prospective employees and MITx certificates because of the prestige associated with the name of the university.

Questions and comments can be sent to: Marina Salsbury

Many thanks to Marina.
Enjoy your reading!

As Digital Learning Day approaches, states pledge support

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:08:09 PST

Photo: Laura Devaney

Laura Devaney, Managing Editor writes, "Digital learning can help states address concerns about budgets and can help boost student achievement, a new report argues."

A new report that comes in advance of the first-ever Digital Learning Day argues that digital learning can expand students’ learning opportunities and help schools overcome tough budget situations and boost achievement.

The Digital Learning Imperative: How Teaching and Technology Meet Today’s Educational Challenges (PDF)

The Digital Learning Imperative: How Teaching and Technology Meet Today’s Educational Challenges, from the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE), comes just one month before the first-ever Digital Learning Day on Feb. 1, 2012.
The report outlines three challenges that the U.S. education system faces:

U.S. high schools are not improving at a rate that will help all students graduate from college and be ready for careers in a rapidly-changing world. President Obama’s goal, which aims for the U.S. to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020, will not be met unless high school learning improves greatly, the report warns.

A struggling economy and strained state and local tax bases leave schools with little hope for increased or new funding, forcing leaders to do more with less and carefully evaluate how resources are used.

Many students are without access to highly qualified and skilled teachers, top-notch teaching strategies, or unique and enriching learning experiences, leaving them at a disadvantage.

For Digital Learning Day, AEE will broadcast a virtual town hall meeting from Washington, D.C., and will link up with four to six satellite locations. Twenty-five partners, including national education organizations and stakeholder groups, have pledged support.

Twenty-eight states have signed up to partner on Feb. 1: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Participating states will customize their own celebrations, which might include a showcase of students’ digital learning work, digital lesson plan contests for teachers, and new or promising digital learning practices.
Read more...

Source: eSchool News

Attend These Free Webinars!

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:26:02 PST

The New Wave of STEM-Focused Schools

Tuesday, January 17, 2012,
2 to 3 p.m. ET.

At a time of heightened national attention to improving education in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the development of STEM-focused schools has rapidly gained momentum across the country as a strategy to boost knowledge and interest in the subjects.

While STEM schools historically have tended to target the top math and science students in a state or district, the new wave appears to have a broader reach, with many of the schools aimed especially at serving populations underrepresented in the STEM fields, such as African-American, Hispanic, female, and low-income students.

This webinar, featuring a national researcher and the principal of a STEM-focused high school in Texas, will explore the rationale for STEM schools, what they are, and what they look like in practice. It also will examine the promise they hold for improved learning, as well as some of the challenges of finding success.
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E-Learning Goes Global

Tuesday, January 24, 2012,
2 to 3 p.m. ET.

From professional development for teachers in China to the use of open-source resources for students in foreign countries, e-learning is bringing new techniques, expert teachers, and an awareness of life in other countries to students around the globe.

Online learning is helping a variety of countries overcome a lack of infrastructure, rural isolation, and a shortage of qualified teachers. This webinar will examine the state of online learning internationally and highlight various countries moving ahead in this arena.

It will also take a close look at the use of mobile technologies for education in Africa, where mobile phones, iPads, and laptops are helping to bring new learning opportunities to students living in remote villages or in dangerous areas.
Register Now

BenchPrep Is Codecademy For Any Subject, High School To Med School

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:09:58 PST

TechCrunch writes, "Books are not the best way to learn. To retain knowledge you have to interact with it, and that’s where BenchPrep comes in. The startup licenses textbooks from big publishers like McGraw Hill and converts them into interactive web and mobile learning courses."

Photo: TechCrunch

Today, BenchPrep announces its expansion beyond college admission test prep. It will now offer courses to assist with high school, university, law, medicine, professional certifications, army, and more. It’s also releasing a new evaluation tool that determines a student’s weaknesses in a given subject.
BenchPrep is the future of the ‘education anywhere’ movement.

BenchPrep users can choose from over 30 courses such as AP US History, SAT Math, California Bar Exam, and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist — though it leaves computer programming education to Codecademy. The diagnostic tool indicates where they need more practice. Each course offers reading materials, bookmarks and notes, flashcards, real-time chat and study groups, quizzes, and performance analytics. BenchPrep apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android let customers access their courses on the go.
Read more...

BenchPrep - Realize Your Potential

Source: TechCrunch and BenchPrep's Channel (YouTube)

Live Webinar:Training on the Edge

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:48:28 PST

Attend This Free Webinar: Training on the Edge: How to Stay Ahead of the Trends for the Next 5 Years

Date: Wednesday, January 18
Time: 12 PM (UK)

Speakers:
David Smith, InSync TrainingJon Kennard, TrainingZone.co.uk

With the advent of social media, virtual classrooms, mobile learning and more, we are being asked to create a blended learning design that takes advantage of all that the future has to offer.

But which of these tools are a fad, and which are here for the long run? When should each be used?

Join this interactive webinar to hear David Smith, master facilitator with InSync Training, explore what the next 5 years hold for the design and direction of training.

Attend the webinar to learn:

Advantages and pitfalls of key trends
How to impact the "consumption" of training
What resources and opportunities thought leaders require
Techniques for encouraging adoption of new technologies

Register

E-learning 'will be advanced by mobile technologies'

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:08:22 PST

"The advancement of e-learning will soon be in line with the development of smartphones and tablets, according to one expert." writes Virtual College

Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A representative from the Beyond Distance Research Alliance at the University of Leicester, suggested that mobile technologies will be an important driving force behind the future of the online learning industry.

Photo: Grainne Conole

Grainne Conole, director of the alliance at the university, said: "I was always dubious about mobile learning until I saw things like the iPhone - which is transformative - and some of the things like tablets for example."

She added that mobile devices are listed as the most likely technology to have the largest amount of influence in the learning sector.

Tom Kuhlmann, editor of The Rapid E-learning Blog, recently suggested that learning on the go is a major selling point for distance education and that mobile technologies could help to facilitate growth and demand.

Read more...

Related link
E-learning innovation: research, evaluation, practice and policy

Source: Virtual College

Top 10 applications and websites used with MathType

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:51:31 PST

MathType 6.7 for Windows extends our Equations Everywhere and Anywhere™ initiative to over 500 applications and websites. While many people use MathType with Microsoft Word or Apple Pages '09, we thought you'd like to see the other applications and websites people use with MathType.

Top 10 other applications and websites:

1. Mathematica
2. MATLAB
3. OpenOffice
4. InDesign
5. Mathcad
6. Gmail
7. Google Docs
8. Maple
9. PowerPoint
10. Moodle

Over 500 applications and websites
Check out our "works with" web application to get up-to-date information and instructions on how each of the 500 applications and websites work with MathType.

Source: Design Science

Learning Tree International Introduces a New Course: Building iPhone and iPad Applications: Extended Features

noreply@blogger.com (Helge Scherlund) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:35:38 PST

Learning Tree International has announced the introduction of a new iPhone(R) and iPad(R) programming course for developers who want to build iPhone and iPad multifunctional applications.

The course is entitled Building iPhone and iPad Applications: Extended Features. In this course, participants learn to build feature-rich applications using a variety of Cocoa Touch frameworks.

This advanced iOS development hands-on training course provides experienced iOS developers with the hands-on skills and knowledge they need to create iPhone and iPad applications that are feature-rich and compelling, using a variety of Cocoa Touch frameworks.

Exercises include:

-- Programming with Objective-C categories, protocols and blocks

-- Reading and writing application preferences

-- Persisting information with SQLite and Core Data

-- Finding a device location using Core Location

-- Displaying dynamic maps and annotating using MapKit

-- Creating push notifications for calendar events

-- Building a reusable code library

Learning Tree will begin presenting Building iPhone and iPad Applications: Extended Features at its Education Centers in January 2012.
Read more...

About Learning Tree International

Learning Tree International is a leading global provider of highly effective hands-on training to managers and information technology professionals. Since 1974, over 65,000 organizations have relied on Learning Tree to enhance the professional skills of more than 2.1 million employees.

Learning Tree develops, markets and delivers a broad, proprietary library of instructor-led courses focused on people and project management, leadership and business skills, Web development, operating systems, databases, networking, IT security and software development.

Courses are presented at Learning Tree Education Centers located globally, on site at client facilities, and are available via Learning Tree AnyWare(TM), our proprietary live, online instructor-led training delivery option that connects online participants to actual classrooms.
For more information about our products and services, visit www.learningtree.com , follow @LearningTree on Twitter, or visit Learning Tree International's Facebook fan page.

Source: MarketWatch