elearnspacelearning, networks, knowledge, technology, communityWesch on Media Literacy and such- June 30, 2008 Mid-June, Michael Wesch presented at University of Manitoba. The recording of his presentation is now available.http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003424.html Education for a digital world- June 30, 2008 BC Campus and Common Wealth of Learning are offering a free download of their book Education for a digital world (the book can also be purchased). The book covers significant topics, including: impact of instructional technology, implementing technology, preparing online courses, e-learning in action, and engagement and communication.http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003423.html Open, Connected, Social- June 26, 2008 Alec Couros has posted a paper - Open, Connected, Social - Implications for Educational Design - for an upcoming conference based on his successful (and distributed) online course. He's onto something important (and as I acknowledge here, has served to inspire some of my thinking for our upcoming connectivism course). Alec explains his philosophy, methods of assessment, tools, acknowledges the challenges of managing the distributed conversation, and provides student reaction.http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003422.html Distributed Learning Environments- June 26, 2008 Writing in the Digital Age: "In the conversation over distributed learning environments, it is important to begin by recognizing that the question is not IF our learning environments can be or should be distributed but rather HOW...Students learning experiences are shaped by these distributed networks, and our pedagogies circulate through these networks. This may seem self-evident, but our discourse on emerging technologies in teaching regularly makes the error of situating the choice between a.http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003421.html Android- June 26, 2008 Google announced a new mobile operating system and development platform called Android in late 2007. Wired provides a fairly coherent overview of Android, its development and its future potential. The mobile world is huge - far exceeding PCMac numbers worldwide. Apple's iPhone has raised the profile of smartphones significantly. Overall, innovation in this space has been lacking. Google has now opened innovation to "network effects", allowing others to assist in innovation, while simultaneously.http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003420.html The Petabyte Age- June 26, 2008 Wired has an interesting online resource detailing massive changes in data - The Petabyte Age. A broad range of topics are reviewed that reflect how massive data abundance creates new challenges and opportunities. Included: data visualization, tracking airline fares, commodity prices, tensionconflict, etc. The articles are unfortunately placed under a grand theme titled: The end of theory which makes the bold Google-love-in proclamation based on correlations revealed in data exploration:...http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003419.html Learning 2.008- June 25, 2008 Learning 2.008 in Shanghai is one of the more interesting conferences I'll be attending this year. Eight keynotes (if that's the right word) have been invited, but from the proposed layout of the conference, I think keynotes will take a back seat to conversations with attendees (which is exactly how it should be). I've been requested to presentattend a series of 8 presentationsworkshopsconversations. The opening night will have all keynotes deliver a short (7-minute) TedTalks style presentation.http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003418.html Brain based learning- June 25, 2008 I suspect most educators have heard of brain-based learning (I read a particularly dismissive article on the subject recently where the author questioned what the alternatives are: Liver-based learning Is that like butt-based sitting Oops, off topic). Brain-based learning theories are often accepted without critical reflection. For some reason, however, perfectly normal, sane human beings accept all kinds of statements when prefaced by "neurospeak", as detailed in the Seductive Allure of...http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003417.html Multitasking- June 25, 2008 Multitasking as a concept is being called into question (well, it has been called into question for several years, but the commentary is moving mainstream). The Myth of Multitasking is the most recent article on the subject. Research on this front - like with so-called millennial learners - is still in the early stages and we'll continue to see reports both validating and denying the concept. John Medina at BrainRules offers a short discussion on the error of multitasking. I personally, will...http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003416.html Creating Powerful Presentations- June 24, 2008 I'm moving into the somewhat reflective stage of summer. My thoughts over the last few months have been focused on how I deliver presentations, how I use slides, and how audience members interact with ideas put forward. About 3-4 years ago, my slides were heavily text-based. Over the last year or so, I've tried to rely more on images. But I'm not satisfied with how the ideas I'm trying to present come across. Have you ever attended a presentation and the speaker, by her...http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003415.html |