Blogging in the classroom

Here is a great blog on Classroom Blogging, it has some great links to other blogs on blogging.

http://blogintheclassroom.blogspot.com

Planning to use Virtual Classrooms

A virtual classroom is a web-based tool in which you can communicate to students using live video, audio or chat.  In many virtual classrooms you can share files, websites, powerpoints and desktops.  Most virtual classrooms can be recorded for and used as a vodcast later on.

Virtual classrooms are great tools to facilitate online communication and collaboration with students on-campus and off-campus.  Students can quickly feed off each other’s ideas and share digital resources.  Breakout rooms allow for small group work.

Some virtual classrooms available:

• Elluminate
• Wimba
• Blackboard (built in to the learning management system)

Teaching, Learning and educational management websites

This is a comprehensive (over 200), alphabetised compilation of links to teaching, learning and educational management websites
that some of you may find interesting.

It’s not a pretty site but it has some good links:

http://www.developfaculty.com/online/index.html

Groups to join

I have been a part of a few online groups for the last few years, here a few that I really enjoy.

Edna Blended Learning Group

The E-Learning Guild -   These guys put on a fantastic conference at the end of the year, it is worth going to.  It’s called DevLearn and it is a great networking event with knowledgable speakers from not only educational institutions but high profile organisations with eLearning departments.  They also have a demo where you can take along your eLearning projects and an Adobe roadshow at the conclusion of the event.  The website has an eLearning magazine you can subscribe which offers fantastic information on a variety of eLearning tools and technologies.

Educational Technology Users Group -   This group is from British Columbia, Canada.  It’s a great networking site where everyone is focussed on using technology to enhance learning and teaching. A fantastic resource.

Learning Technologies User Group -   Social networking site for learning technologies.

ALTC Exchange – This group is fantastic if you are thinking of applying for an ALTC award or grant.

Education.au on You Tube

A collection of short videos on emerging technologies, key trends and current trends in embedding ICT’s in education from Education.au

http://www.youtube.com/user/edauvids

Concourse Syllabus Builder

A web-based syllabus builder that allows collaboration on a master syllabus, this means you can have different views of the syllabus for different sections of the course.

You can sync dates with an online calendar, such as Google Calendar and Concourse is an additional tool for you to manage your course in a CMS such as Blackboard or Angel.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2009/04/15/concourse-syllabus-builder-on-the-web.aspx

You tube creates new section

Interesting article on You Tube creating a section to highlight college content

http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/3684/youtube-creates-new-section-to-highlight-college-content

How to integrate technology in the classroom

How to Integrate Technology into the Curriculum

View more presentations from sreljic.

Clickers

Clickers or classroom response systems, first thoughts: 

• How much infomation can you get from multiple choice questions
• Surely you can gauge the level of understanding in other ways
• Surely students would ask questions if they didn’t understand

After some research and a trial I have decided that Clickers have a great deal of potential.

When I first thought about Clickers in the classroom I thought about a small classroom with 30 people, where it is easier to see whats going on.  But think about clickers in a Uni class with 200 + or even 400 students.  The lecturer is simply talking to a bunch of blank faces and couldn’t possibly know if each one is understanding the subject matter.  This is where the whole ‘why don’t they just ask’ situations arises.  Most people say the clickers are better because people can remain anonymous and answer questions and find out if the understand easier and therefore not have to ask questions in class.  I think the real problem is that in many subjects you can have a shallow understanding of the subject.  In many cases the students think they understand completely and will not ask a question, but come final exam time they do not do as well as they hoped because of the level of understanding.

Presenter Pro

http://www.accordent.com/

Hardware:

PC server

Audio Video capture card – ViewCast Osprey

VGA capture card – DataPath Vision RGB

Features:

• Stand alone capture station
• Automated recording
• Touch screen integration
• Capture and synchronise content
• Live broadcasts
• Integrated with Blackboard
• Presentation editing
• Publish to CD/DVD