iPod Quiz

The folks at Respondus have added an interesting publishing feature to their test generation software. The software will now let you save the test for the iPod Quiz feature. If you already have your self-test questions loaded in Respondus, this will be a simple option to provide students. If you don't, it's 100% possible to download your questions from CE6 and then republish them for the iPod. Pretty nice. Can't say too many students will use it, but giving more options is certainly what counts.

50 Story Sites

From Alan Levin on CogDogRoo we can quickly explore and evaluate 50+ tools for presentation and story creation on the web. Plenty to look at here. Most interesting might be the Powerpoint conversion and sharing sites. I like the concept of timeline tools but I wasn't overly impressed with any of the embedded styles.

YouTube Lectures

UCBerkeley is using YouTube to host and deliver course lectures, visiting scholar events and marketing videos. Such a simple and useful vehicle.

KQED on SL

This comes from Quest on the KQED.org site. A great introduction to Second Life and how distance educators are using it.



*it might take a bit to load since it's HD*

Second Life T-Shirt

I've been looking at Second Life again. I was curious to see how other colleges were represented in SL and what kinds of activities they are promoting. I'm also curious if colleges are using SL as a marketing tool and if so, how. Clothing seems to work in the real world, so it seems an obvious choice for SL as well. So, I made myself a Kirkwood t-shirt. If anyone wants a copy, we can arrange a time to meet in SL and I'll give you one.

I'm pictured here in China. A small boat of an island really, but it was happenin'. Got to "speak" some Chinese too.

Social Learning

Heard about this study on NPR this morning. Claims humans are better at learning via social cues than other primates. And suggests this is perhaps why humans were able to develop complex social structures like language among other crazy human-only accomplishments. And then I was searching for the actual study (apparently in the new issue of Science) when I came across the College-cram.com website. It's an interesting site concept that combines elements of facebook with interactive online learning objects with old fashioned study groups.

GrandCentral

This might be of some use to Distance educators. GrandCentral is a telephone linking service. It works like this: You sign up with GrandCentral and they give you a phone number. Then you choose which phone or phones (home, work, cell) will ring whenever someone calls that GrandCentral number. Interesting, no?

So, for example, you give your students your GrandCentral number and set it so it rings both in your office and on your cell. If you happen to be in your office, you can pick it up there. If you are out and about, you can answer it on your cell. It doesn't matter which phone you pick up. And one number does it all.

But wait, there's more! The service also allows you to ListenIn on someone leaving a message if you need to screen calls a bit. And if you press 4 anytime during the call, the call is recorded (there is fine print in the agreement warning users that some states have laws that require you to inform a caller s/he is being recorded).

Currently the service is FREE! There will likely be levels of subscription in the near future.

Morguelife.com

In a recent edition of Mac World, I found reference to morguefile.com, a free high quality image site that might be of use to some. Here are some images I found there doctored up a bit by me.

DDR and PE

NY Times article exploring W. Virginia's inclusion of Dance Dance Revolution into their Physical Education curriculum. Gaming and education is hot these days.

Media Components

I created five flash media components for a little presentation I gave recently. The idea was to provide instructors with a relatively easy and slick way to include media in their online courses or web pages. The contents of each component are customizable by gathering media and editing a simple xml file. Instructions as well as all the support files are available at the link above. The media components include: Image Presenter (basically just a slideshow), Audio Presenter, Video Presenter, Flashcards, and MediaMatch (a drag-n-drop multiple choice type activity).

If you are a developer and improve these components, I would love to know about it.

Zamzar.com

This might just be the mother of all file conversion tools. Ever receive strange file formats from students you can't open? Try converting them to something you can with Zamzar.com. Handles documents, images, audio and video. Will come in handy if you need some flv formatted video and only have mpgs or mov or avi or many others...

Download Youtube

This TechCrunch page proved helpful today. If you need a quick way to download a video from YouTube, and don't want to install anything, this one worked great for me. It downloads in Flash video format (.flv), so you will need some kind of player. The files do not play natively in a browser or even the Flash player. It just so happens I have created a little component to play and organize Flash video (.flv) files on a webpage. I call it the Video Presenter.

iPod Video Converter

Another tip from Geekbrief.tv today that might prove useful if we can ever get off the ground with podcasting or vidcasting. This little aptly named software (IPOD Video Converter for Free) converts many formats of video into iPod friendly format. And it's free! I'd play with it, but I don't have a video iPod. Maybe this is the reason to get one? There are also other options out there. Check out some of the comments on the lifehacker post.

jott.com

Ever wish you could remind yourself to follow up with a student or colleague without wasting a post-it note? Well, now you can! All you need is a dedicated phone to register. Sign up with Jott.com and leave yourself a message that will be transcribed and emailed to you. Now, I am a certified mumbler and quiet talker, so I was apprehensive. But my fears were pointless since the audio is also attached to the email file. If I can't make out the transcription, I can always listen to my audio.

Game Play

Here is one more entry for the eLearning conference. Gaming is still receiving its fair share of attention for its ability to motivate and engage the learner. There was a session on Second Life, which is technically not a game but more like a whole world. Educators are using this. There is a whole campus there with galleries and lectures. It's worth exploring.

I didn't attend that session though since I already know a bit about Second Life. But I did attend a student orientation game-model session. Presenters from Mercer Community College demonstrated a game-show style orientation for online learners. The software they are using (Game Show Presenter) is not free, but was inexpensive enough to make this possible on a shoestring budget. The orientation is currently delivered F2F, but the presenters will be exploring the online version of the tool in the near future (it was just released).

I recently found a template for Captivate that creates a Jeopardy style quiz/game. Might be fun as part of an online student orientation.

eLearning 2007 Summation

I'm back in a strangely warm Iowa. Feels good here.

The conference was a wonderful learning experience. I'd say the biggest lessons for me centered on instructor training for online course development. It seems there is or soon will be a mandate for some kind of more formal processes. The Department of Defense is supposed to be come out with a list of criteria that must be met for online courses to be listed as certified. Without their stamp of approval, current officers will not be able to receive funds from the military to take our classes. And this could expand to veterans too. And from there, I expect any accreditation agency will want some more formal process in place. I'll be looking into this more.

Another area of interest at this conference was, as always, student success. And this ties into the first point as well. As you might imagine, instructors who are well trained in course design principles have an easier time helping students. But it goes well beyond this too. It seems everyone agrees there needs to be readiness to learn online. And there are surveys measuring students' readiness. We have one at Kirkwood. What we are missing is a compelling procedure to bring that tool to students. I know we already mail our students a slew of paper they rarely read, but I might try emailing them. It won't reach everyone, but every little bit helps, right? I spoke with one college President at lunch -- his college requires a 2.7 gpa OR (and this is or is crucial) a student can take an online learner orientation course to make up for the less than awesome gpa. I'll be looking into this more.

If you have never been to New Mexico, plan a trip. It's amazing.

Student Characteristics

A single study measuring similarities and differences of online and F2F learners. The students were all in the veterinary technician program. The aim of the study was to make sure they were recruiting the right students or better inform their recruiting and advertising choices. They used four different measures to gather data: Demographic survey, Readiness for Online Learning survey, KOLB Learning Styles, Trice Academic Locus of Control (Motivation).

A summary of their study concluded that, compared to F2F students, online learners were more employed, more prepared to learn online, more internally motivated to be learning, and more abstract thinkers, among others. Nothing outside what you might expect there, but it's always nice to have the numbers to back up claims. (The one number they did have that was surprising was modal age was 31-32. I need to work on our demographic stats.)

The Cheating Debate

Every year eLearning/ITC hosts a somewhat formal debate on a burning issue in the area of distance learning. Last year was Blackboard vs. Moodle. This year the argued statement was "cheating is rampant in distance learning courses."

There was an overwhelming consensus that cheating is not such a big deal. The arguments against the claim really focused on the word "rampant" which he took to mean "unchecked and widespread." This allowed him to focus less on whether or not it existed, but how much everyone was already doing about it. The message was that it's there, as it always has been, and we are dealing with it.

I did find one argument presented by the against side compelling. He claimed software like Turn-It-In created a culture of cheating and is ultimately illegal. We value, and pay for, a service that asks us to publish our students papers without their permission. It's interesting. I wonder if any student has thought to file suit, or if institutions have sought blanket permission from students.

SPOC

Any guesses what S.P.O.C. stands for? I'll give you a hint: It's a product of St. Petersburg College, and assists instructors with online communication. If you guessed Selective Product for Our College, you are not entirely wrong.

SPOC consists of a suite of tools created for Angel LMS using Flash and Flash Media Server technologies. They are impressive tools adding rich functionality, with simple interfaces for instructors and students, currently missing from most LMS packages. Not that the same functionality doesn't exist in other third party tools such as Wimba, but alternatives and competition is typically a good thing. Some of the tools include live classroom, video recorder (for students and instructor), audio recorder, video responder (allowing instructor to add text comments to a student submitted video), and more.

Unfortunately, the tools are currently only built for Angel, although could potentially ($$$) be customized to fit other LMSs. The suite is also tied up in legal ownership issues since they were built with grant money from the federal government. So, here are these impressive tools and nobody is really allowed to use them outside of St. Petersburg College. But it's something to check in on from time to time.

If only this was built with an open-source model.

Student Satisfaction Data

This is the second year I attended this session on student satisfaction data as gathered at Lake Superior College. They are using the PSOL survey from Noel-Levitz and have been directing their attentions for improvements, in part, based on these results. The survey measures both importance to the student and how satisfied they were with that element of the online experience. It's important to note that the survey asks students to evaluate the program and not a particular course. Whether or not students realize this distinction with every question is impossible to know.

Much of the survey adds quantitative figures to otherwise un-quantified notions that we likely share. Items like students find it most important to have a reliable Learning Management System and they find it very important to have responsive faculty.

Other areas suggest a mismatch in our efforts to promote collaboration when students rate it as only somewhat important. Of course, I would argue that the benefits of learning to work together only make themselves known years later.

Barry Dahl, the presenter, is setting up the Online Student Satisfaction Blog for the ongoing dissemination of his analysis.

ION QOCI

It's pronounced "kwaki" like the final syllables in Meskwaki. The Illinous Online Network (ION) has created, tested, facilitated and benefited from the Quality Online Course Initiative (QOCI). And they are sharing!

The rubric for course improvement is based on Quality Matters but goes much more in depth and really just looks much much cleaner. It purposely separates course from instruction. This rubric does not evaluate instruction, but instead provides extensive feedback on course design. It's nice - I'd like to incorporate this tool into an online training course. Look for that in the near future.

CATs Online

Classroom Assessments Techniques were outlined and it was proposed that they could be just as effectively used online as in the F2F classroom. The most common CATs:

• Minute Paper
  
• Muddiest Point
  
• One-Sentence Summary
  
• Directed Paraphrase
  
• Application Cards

It's healthy to be reminded there are more than just a few ways to authenticate learning.

Retaining Students

I came a bit late to the session on tips, tricks, and how-to's for retaining online students. It was a frenzied session with an exuberant presenter. So exuberant she blasted through her slides and left some chuckling (not mean-spiritedly) when she asked for questions:

"Okay, anyone have any questions? (No pause) Because now I am going to on to the next slide, and here we have more ideas on how to connect..."

I'm not exaggerating. I envy those minds who were capable of keeping pace. But in the end, I was not sure how any of the tools she presented or had other attendants suggest really improved retention. Actually, I never heard her even mention retention. I think there is an assumption that using a variety of tools and multiple presentations would increase retention. It sounds good, and I wouldn't disagree. But I also think the energy of this instructor/presenter could have more than a little to do with her success in the classroom.

Podcast, Vodcast?

Naturally there have been a few sessions on the subject of podcasting, vodcasting, vidcasting, or the generic "netcasting." Call it what you will, many educators are intensely interested in this technology/term/stuff. And yet the conversation is plagued with warnings of tech driving pedagogy. It's a good warning, but I've heard them before. Let's move on. Remember, no significant difference.

Briefly, whatever-casting allows you (the producer) to push media content (video or audio) to subscribers (students). The types of outcomes you can hope to address by pushing media to students include review of materials, slow down of speech (nice for ESL and disability students), preview of materials, maximizing class time for more interactive activities, reaching multiple learning styles, delivering in a mode students enjoy, portably available content and probably many more.

The tools necessary to whatever-cast are readily accessible. The presenter suggested a 4th generation iPod with Belkin mic input and a lapel mic for creation. Another presenter suggested the Sony hard-drive video camera with the Sony wireless mic - pretty neat, but certainly not without some investment.

If I understood Dr. Jackson correctly, at the heart of podcasting in education is a paradigm shift from "learn this" to "learn to think" or from "cover material" to "uncover knowledge." It's compelling, but maybe there is a bit of biased spin in there.

Mingling

I am not the strongest mingler in the crowd. Never have been. But when standing in line for some food or wine or sitting next to people eating, it's hard not to say something. As such, I had the opportunity to chat with several interesting individuals whose names I have forgotten.

MICROSOFT: As I approached the wine table, a charming smile asked if Kirkwood was in Washington. I said no, but that it seemed Kirkwoods are in many places. I asked where she was from and we got to mingling. Turns out she works as a consultant for Microsoft and has been traveling all over the country showcasing Office 2007 and Vista. I asked her how fast she thought adoption of the Office suite would come about. She couldn't nail down a timeline or anything, but did say that most clients she spoke with would make the transition in Fall of '07. The wine table was free and I scored a glass of White Merlot.

BLACKBOARD: The buffet lines were always slow. In one, I waited along with an incredibly sharp Blackboard representative. I found it fascinating that she wanted to attend this conference given the less than warm reception it seems Blackboard has received here. Perhaps they are just going through a rough PR patch. That aside, she was surprised to hear that we were having difficulty with the new product name: "Blackboard Learning System CE6." I explained many faculty and staff told me it wasn't very catchy. I was surprised she was surprised. I mean, really, it isn't very catchy. In terms of product names, it must be the most clumsy I have ever heard. She graciously told me she would pass on these thoughts. Then, it seemed we were at the end of the buffet line, but most of the food was gone. She was bothered the chicken was gone.

MOODLE: This might not technically count as mingling since I actually stood at the Moodle booth while talking. In the first two minutes of our conversation, the representative made two star-trek references. I think that says something about Moodle, but I'm not sure what exactly. I remember one was the adjective "Borgish" in reference to the kind of growing collaboration Moodle was enjoying and seeking out. I didn't call him on the generally evil assimilation the Borg is typically associated with. Instead, I asked him about a complaint I often hear from our database admins: the number of users can break the system and drop data. He told me about Open University with 150,000 users. People are making this happen.

Modeling and Simulation

StarLogo software was demonstrated. It's an open-source, MIT created, simulation tool that is supposed to be easier to work with than others if its kind. Still, programming will be necessary, but the kind of programming that can be accomplished by trained 3rd-graders. Still, it might not appeal to a terribly wide audience. But if there are simulation needs, this might be a good tool for the job.

Meeting Learner Needs

The featured presentation this morning was Dr. Brent Wilson from University of Colorado at Denver. The subtitle of his talk was "Pushing and Pulling till We Get it Right."

I struggled to find the heart of Dr. Wilson's talk. He had some rather interesting slides, and with any luck the ITC will make these available in the near future, but the talk meandered through the issues of distance learning like an elephant in a city. I'm still not clear who was pushing and what was being pulled, but still, some of the slides and comments were interesting. I'm paraphrasing:

• There is a difference when instructors/students choose to teach/learn online from when they are assigned to do so.
  
• People doing matters.
  
• Practice deliberately to improve.
  
• Learn to pay attention.
  
• The online course is a learning laboratory.
  
• Think of yourself as an artist.
  
• Explore the transformation/journey of the learner (Mythic View).

My apologies to Dr. Wilson for over-bulletizing his talk.

Pre-conference Workshop

This workshop I attended, Designing and Delivering Successful Online Instructor Training, could potentially be controversial. The idea that instructors would be required to gain certification to teach online is not likely going to be widely welcomed. Still, the idea appeals to me. And I might go as far as to predict that online instructors will grow accustomed to more attention than their F2F colleagues, and they will actually welcome it. Or it could all blow up with strong emotional, moral and ethical objections that will ultimately preserve the status quo. Not that there is anything wrong with status quo. I simply enjoy tinkering in the hopes of making improvements.

With this rough context in place, let me tell you a bit about the Online Teacher Certification program at Central New Mexico Community College.

In order to teach online, adjunct faculty must enroll and complete a 12 week online certification course. The course is taught by faculty and when finished, faculty are guaranteed a section. The guarantee acts as the incentive to complete the course.

During the course of the 12 weeks, students learn about best practices, theory, research, the learning management system and what it's like to be an online learner. Faculty must complete assignments, contribute to discussion boards, participate in peer reviews, and perhaps most importantly, work on the framework for their own online course. It's intensive.

This certification course grew from the faculty at CNM in an effort to improve and ensure future online courses at CNM will continue to deliver quality education. More information at the link above.

In the end, it wouldn't be too terribly difficult to expand my current Designing Online Instruction course to include more about teaching online and course development. And then make that available to anyone interested, especially new online instructors.

Opening Keynote

eLearning 2007 kicked off last night with an opening keynote by Dr. Joel Greenberg of The Open University. The title of his talk was to be "Online Learning: Are all the Pieces Finally in Place?" but this title changed to the more vernacular "Are We Nearly There Yet?" which, in the American vernacular would just be "Are We There Yet?"

That little linguistical curiousity plagued my attention for the vast majority of the talk. It's a much more intelligent question to be asking than the American English (AE) version. In the AE version, we must take it less than literally. Naturally, if we were there, the vehicle would no longer be moving and the question would not likely need asking. The British version insinuates a longing as opposed to an eventuality, a direction as opposed to a destination. The AE version assumes too much I'm afraid.

If I didn't misinterpret Dr. Greenberg's remarks, the answer to this question is perhaps that we will always be nearly there. Or as my parents enjoyed telling us in answer to this question on our family road trips, "We're getting closer." But the footnote would be that our destination is also shifting. The Open University is certainly paving some of the road ahead with their development, research and sharing. (note to self: take a look at Moodle's ePortfolio and upgrades in May).

Image Labeler

I am on a roll today.

I created this little Flash tool, the Image Labeler, for a training session on Flash. I want instructors to come out of my training session with something useful. Hope this is useful. It is learning tool, so it might not be the absolute best way to set up a component like this, but I think it will show participants fundamental aspects of Flash and actionscript. If they want to learn more, picking this component apart is, I hope, a nice way to learn. If they just want to customize the labeler, that's also very much a possibility.

The Image Labeler is an image hot-spot annotation tool. Roll over the image to see the label associatied with that area of the image. Currently, as many as 50 hot-spots can be added to each screen, but this number is rather arbirtrary. Try out the example linked above to see what I mean.

eLearning 2007

Rule #1 of blogging is to keep it fresh. I have not been so good with rule #1 lately. But these next couple of days should change that. I am attending the annual eLearning conference hosted by the ITC (Instructional Technology Council) Network. The sun is shining in Albuquerque, the warmth is exciting, I am well rested, my luggage has yet to arrive. But who needs clean socks to absorb the teachings and learnings of colleagues in distance education?! Actually, dirty socks is just one more reason we need to improve distance education for everyone.