Online Learning
News
Weeks of August 11, 14
Below is a collection of news and information gatherings on online learning and resources
that can support online learning that were gathered the week beginning August 11, 14.
More Information about online learning and online learning material can be found at
www.milearnsonline.org
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“Google Open Gallery” Looks Like A Neat Place To Display A Class Project by Larry Ferlazzo - Google Open
Gallery was unveiled quite a few months ago , but I just received an invitation today and think it looks pretty
neat. It’s designed to let artists and others display cultural artifacts in an easy and visually appealing way. I
think it could be useful for my students to use as part of their annual project teaching about their home
cultures (you can read, and see, a lot more about that project at our class blog). http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2014/08/11/google-open-gallery-looks-like-a-neat-place-to-display-a-class/
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5 examples of blended learning success by Laura Devany - As new educational models gain support among
educators and students who want to learn in new and different ways, blended learning is perhaps one of the
strings amend these new models. http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/278ff2e8#/278ff2e8/4
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A virtual analysis: Pilot study put blended-format courses to the test By Michael Patrick Rutter, Harvard
Correspondent
A new analysis of four blended-format courses taught last fall offers practical guidance for faculty members
interested in fresh pedagogical approaches. The pilot study led by the Bok Center for Teaching and Learning
and released today after months of checks and balances showed that students responded most to lesson
structure and execution, placed a premium on person-to-person interaction, and found redundancies between
in-class and online instruction. - http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/07/a-virtual-analysis/
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An Essential Read for Online Education Decision Makers: “Leading the e-Learning Transformation of Higher
Education”
“Leading the e-Learning Transformation of Higher Education” published in 2014 by Stylus Publishing in
association with The Online Learning Consortium (formerly Sloan Consortium) is the first book in a planned
series about distance education. Overview The book is current and relevant; “Leading the e-Learning
Transformation of Higher Education: Meeting the Challenges of Technology and Distance Education ” is an
invaluable if not essential resource for leaders and decision makers in online education, though anyone
involved with the development or implementation of an online learning strategy for a higher education or K-12
institution will find it an excellent resource. The themes are familiar—e-learning effectiveness and quality,
support for faculty success, student success and retention, and the impact of online learning programs has on
an institution’s traditional programs. What sets this book apart and makes it exceptionally valuable is the
diversity of perspectives from the authors—seven leaders in distance education representing five higher
education institutions and the Online Learning Consortium. http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2014/08/05/an-essential-read-for-online-education-decisionmakers-leading-the-e-learning-transformation-of-higher-education/
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EdTech 10: From Ideas to Implementation - We love a good continuum, and this week’s top stories reveal a
good one. Scan this week’s EdTech 10 for a range of efforts that celebrate the evolution from “idea” to
“implementation” and everything in between. http://gettingsmart.com/2014/08/edtech-10-ideasimplementation/
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Essential Theme 2.7.4 Released - If you’ve been waiting for an updated to Essential theme, one of the first
responsive themes, you’re in luck. Gareth Barnard and David Bezemer have stepped into Julian Ridden’s
shoes as official maintainers to upgrade the theme, fix bugs and provide updated releases to the community.
2.7.4 is the first of their releases. - http://www.moodlenews.com/2014/essential-theme-2-7-4-released/
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Learning to Teach Online By Rhea Kelly - In 2013, 7.1 million higher education students took at least one
online course — a 6.1 percent increase over the previous year, according to a report from the Online Learning
Consortium (the recently renamed Sloan Consortium). That means more than 400,000 additional students
took an online course last year. And, I'll venture to guess, thousands of faculty members added an online
course to their workload, perhaps for the first time. http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/08/07/learning-to-teach-online.aspx
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Teaching Online Across State Lines by Tom Vander Ark - Reciprocity of teaching credentials has been a low
priority in many states. Over time many states created some reciprocity allowing teachers new to the state to
avoid lengthily and costly re-certification efforts. With the rapid growth of online learning, reciprocity is not just
an issue for teachers that move, it’s an issue for every online teacher. http://gettingsmart.com/2014/08/teaching-online-across-state-lines/
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Video: Hot Pot for Moodle 2.x - The Hot Pot module was on the Moodle 1.8 site that I cut my teeth on. The
handy 3rd party module provides a way for teachers to create and share various quiz and game questions
and then upload them to Moodle for students to use. It does require a separate download and installation to
your computer, but I think you’ll find the use of Hot Pot to be both easy and intuitive to create questions for
use in your classroom. This past Month Mary Cooch (@Moodlefairy) created a video for Hot Pot as the
featured plugin for July ’14. - http://www.moodlenews.com/2014/video-hot-pot-for-moodle-2-x/
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Video: Using Moodle’s Blog Feature - Here’s a slick tutorial that taught me some stuff on how to work with
Moodle’s Blog feature where you can attribute and assign blogs directly to a course. The video, led by Jeff
Raine of Nova Scotia Virtual School , is just over 3 minutes and shows how Moodle’s Blog feature, if turned
on, can be used to blog about specific course. http://www.moodlenews.com/2014/video-using-moodles-blogfeature/
And Don’t Forget: www.milearnsonline.org/giveandget
The MiLearns Online Newsletter is archived at
http://www.remc.org/projects/milearnsonline/resources/milearnsonline-newsletter-archive/