Online Cognitive Apprenticeship

A Cognitive Apprenticeship Approach to Student and Faculty Online Learning and Teaching Development: Enculturing Novices into Online Practitioner Environments and Cultures in Higher Education In a previous article, How prepared are learners for elearning? I wrote about the difficulties in identifying if learners are “ready” to study online and some suggestions for possible ways to identify… Continue reading Online Cognitive Apprenticeship

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How prepared are learners for elearning?

What makes a learner ready to study online? How do they know? How do they find out? In an attempt to address the issue of the higher student attrition (drop-out) rates in distance education (DE) and elearning than in face-to-face classes, it’s becoming more common for educational organisations to try to evaluate learners’ to find… Continue reading How prepared are learners for elearning?

A limitation of direct instruction and what we can do about it

Teachers in professional development sessions, discussion forums, and informal conversations often recognise that there are issues affecting their learners’ attention and learning, despite their best efforts to design and plan clear, concise, interesting, engaging, purposeful, and meaningful lessons. I’ve frequently heard teachers, novice and experienced alike, searching for ways to make their classes more engaging… Continue reading A limitation of direct instruction and what we can do about it

Enabling web conferencing in Ubuntu Linux

Ubuntu Linux and other distributions like Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, and Xubuntu have come in leaps and bounds in recent years and are becoming more fully featured and easier to use. I think they are now getting to the stage where they are potential replacements for Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s OS X for elearning. Well, almost…… Continue reading Enabling web conferencing in Ubuntu Linux

Instant, simple video conferencing for free

The following is a quick, simple “How to… ” guide for setting up instant, free, “no frills”, easy to use, multi-way video conferencing and chat in Moodle for up to 8 people at a time. It also works on any web page as you see in the embedded room at the bottom of this article.… Continue reading Instant, simple video conferencing for free

Free and low-cost Moodle hosting options

Every year, web hosting and installing web apps becomes less technically demanding, quicker, and simpler and it’s getting to the point nowadays where it’s a consumer level endeavour. Here’s a few of the easiest low-cost options for hosting Moodle that I’ve seen so far. [Please note: This article is now out of date & Moodle… Continue reading Free and low-cost Moodle hosting options

Ratings systems on social platforms can have unexpected effects

This is a quick post to share a recently published paper, How Community Feedback Shapes User Behavior, that examines the effects of ratings systems and up/down voting on social networking platforms and services. I go on to discuss some questions it raises for online social learning. Abstract Here’s the abstract to How Community Feedback Shapes User… Continue reading Ratings systems on social platforms can have unexpected effects

Are teacher-led and learner-led approaches compatible?

As learner-led/learner-centred learning and teaching oriented methods and principles gain attention and popularity, teachers, curriculum developers, and instructional designers are incorporating them into learning activities and courses. Many report mixed results and issues when they do so. The following article examines one possible contributing factor to such results and issues. Defining terms Firstly, I’m not… Continue reading Are teacher-led and learner-led approaches compatible?

What can learners and teachers do to limit corporate surveillance while working online?

Since security and surveillance expert Edward Snowden blew the whistle and leaked damning NSA documents to investigative journalists Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald, the implications and ramifications of the NSA’s dragnet surveillance, partly enabled by IT giants like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, have been cause for concern everywhere, and not least in elearning. As educators… Continue reading What can learners and teachers do to limit corporate surveillance while working online?

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