"What’s trending up for 2015 school year in terms of education technology?" Source: www.teachthought.com See on Scoop.it - Educational News and Web Tools

Audio can add a great deal to the quality of your course. While generally beneficial to learners, voice-over audio is particularly important for auditory learners (those who remember best when they hear the information), those learners who may struggle with reading, those for whom English (or the course’s target language) is not their native language, and those who may enjoy listening to your course while multitasking (commuting, exercising, etc.). Many devices and industry-standard elearning tools offer simple and effective software for recording audio. Use whatever works best for you. One of our authors who was just getting started with elearning never before had had the need to record audio—and asked for advice on tools. This article lays out some of your options, focusing on simple voice-recording tools for your personal computer. As you consider your options, do also explore the numerous apps available for your smartphone or tablet as you may find some of these to be particularly convenient. Bottom line, for use in the 360training authoring system, you need a tool that will export your audio file in MP3 format. Please note that 360training does NOT endorse any third-party products or services. We just want you to create great courses! Please carefully review potential solutions in terms of their costs, risks, policies, and other impacts—and confirm that the solution you pick truly meets your particular needs.   I need to record simple voice-only audio  To go with my PPT slides  And I have PowerPoint 2013 or better To go with my text-and-graphic or activity slides At little to no cost  And no download required  But can download tool  With a moderate spend and can download tool   I need to record voice-only audio to go with my PowerPoint slides. You can record audio and associate it with a PowerPoint slide, but did you know that you can create video from your PowerPoint? For the full PowerPoint experience, syncing animations and transitions with audio, record your audio directly in PowerPoint and export your deck as video. Then upload this to the Streaming Video template in the course creation tool. An upcoming post will describe how to do that.   I need to record voice-only audio to go with a text-and-graphic slide or activity… And spend little to nothing, and download nothing. Sometimes circumstances are such that there is no money to spend on tools, and your IT department or personal policies may be such that you are not willing to download freeware. There are still options to get the job done. Online Voice RecorderOnline Voice Recorder is an extremely simple Flash-based free tool that allows you to record and save audio. Click the red circle button to start recording. Click again (now showing a square icon) to stop recording. The visual representation of the sound will display as squiggles on the timeline. The louder the sound, the larger the squiggle. This lets you "see" your words. If you have extra silence at the beginning or end of the recording, slide the handles such the blue shading area starts just before your audio, and ends just after it. Click Save to indicate that the selected portion of recorded audio is what you want. Click Click to Save to download and save the audio file to your computer.   TwistedWaveTwistedWave expands your options. The free tool only allows you to record 30 seconds of audio at a time. The paid models of this tool meet a range of needs, price points, and platforms. The free version, in addition to recording audio, offers undos, normalization of audio levels, fade-ins and fade-outs, control of audio quality, and control of export format. Click New Document to get started. Click the red circle button to start recording. Click again (now showing a square icon) to stop recording. The visual representation of the sound will display as squiggles on the timeline. The louder the sound, the larger the squiggle. This lets you "see" your words. If needed, click the plus or minus magnifying glass to change the zoom level on the top representation of the audio. If you have extra silence at the beginning or end of the recording, click-and-drag in the bottom representation of the audio to set the selection such that the dark gray shading starts just before your audio, and ends just after it. Click the Export button to name your file, set the quality, and download it.   And spend little to nothing, but would consider downloading a tool. AudacityOne of the most popular free tools is Audacity, which is available for download for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, in a variety of languages. It features multi-track editing (so you can put music or sound effects behind your voice track) and a wide range of features. There is much you can do with this tool, but to get you started: Click the red circle button to record. Click the separate brown square button to stop recording. The visual representation of the sound will display as squiggles on the timeline. The louder the sound, the larger the squiggle. This lets you "see" your words. If you have extra silence at the beginning or end of the recording, click-and-drag in either representation of the audio to set the selection such that the gray shading starts just before your audio, and ends just after it. Click File > Export Selected Audio. Navigate to the desired save location. Name the file and click Save. Fill out additional metadata fields as desired, and then click OK.   Or spend some money. If you are ready to invest money into audio tools, there are a number of software options that may be of interest, such as: Sony’s Sound Forge Audio Studio, Adobe’s Audition, Avid’s Pro Tools, Apple’s Logic Pro. Keep in mind that higher-end tools are often geared to the complexity and demands of music production. If you just need to record voice-over, fairly simple tools may satisfactorily meet your needs.   More questions? Not sure how to do something? Ask us! We can’t wait to see the glorious courses you build—and will do what we can to speed you on your way. Your special knowledge is the "why" that drives our free authoring tools. Come join us. Come create. Come teach. Onward and upward!Laura and the 360training Authoring Team

I am delighted that Gregor Kennedy from the University of Melbourne is coming to give us a talk at Leicester on Friday. I have known Gregor for many years, through the ASCILITE community and he and his team do great research, of particular note is his research on learner experiences of using technologies. So if you are around on Friday email me and feel free to come along. The talk is in 103-105 Princess Road East at 2 pm.   Negotiating disruptions in learning space and time Gregor Kennedy The University of Melbourne The last year has seen substantial changes in the higher education landscape, not least the spectacular rise in prominence of Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs. The transition of MOOCs from the boutique to the popular has in part been noteworthy because of who is offering them. These wholly online courses are being provided by the ‘elites’, the North American ivy leagues; universities not traditionally known for their online and distance education programs. In a relatively short space of time, it seemed as if wholly online education, once the domain of universities oriented towards ‘distance’ education, was now the remit of all.  In this presentation I will argue that, in fact, the blurring of boundaries between ‘traditional’ and ‘distance’ higher education providers has been a long time coming. I will suggest that significant changes in higher education over the last few decades reflect a fundamental shift in the relationship between ‘student’ and ‘university’. This shift has been functional, reflecting the diverse reasons students choose to go to university. There has also been an operational shift that has fundamentally disrupted well-established university practices of teaching and learning, which have traditionally operated in centralised time and space. I will argue that all universities, regardless of their heritage, are now being forced to consider how they educate students given the challenges posed by disruptions of time and space. While diverse universities may respond differently, all will need to consider how they design, use and invest in space, both physical and virtual, and how they think about the speed and pace of learning and instruction. These institutional considerations - and the outcomes of these considerations - raise fundamental questions for educators about pedagogical practice.  Gregor Kennedy Associate Professor Gregor Kennedy is the Director of eLearning at The University of Melbourne and is based in the Centre for the Study of Higher Education. His current work involves leading the University’s strategy in technology-enhanced learning and teaching, supporting staff in the use of learning technologies, and undertaking research in the area of eLearning. He has a background in psychology and has spent the last 15 years conducting and overseeing research and development in educational technology in higher education. His research interests include staff and students’ use of technology, contemporary learning design and emerging technologies, approaches to educational technology research and evaluation, computer-based interactivity and engagement, and the use of electronic measures for educational research and evaluation. He has published widely in these areas and is currently the co-editor the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology.    

"This infographic explains how edtech is successful as well as how it affects educators and students." Source: edtechreview.in See on Scoop.it - Educational News and Web Tools

The 360training Authoring Program was delighted to have the recent opportunity to talk with Lori Myers about the ground-breaking assessment work of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS). Lori Myers has spent the better part of her professional career dedicated to educating others and preparing them for a future in family and consumer sciences. With sixteen years of teaching experience on the middle school, secondary, and university levels, Lori strives to continue this dedication to teaching through her position as Director of Pre-Professional Assessment and Certification (Pre-PAC) with AAFCS. The AAFCS Pre-PAC Perspective As the association’s Director of Pre-Professional Assessment and Certification (Pre-PAC), Lori Myers’ background truly gives her the knowledge she needs to support those turning to Pre-PAC for help. "It’s really exciting working with the Pre-PAC program because we are working primarily with the secondary and post-secondary audience to really try to meet the assessment and certification needs they have." Beyond the assessments themselves, Pre-PAC has also worked with institutions to ensure that they receive the data they need to help them meet federal requirements and document the success of their students. Having objective data on hand can make a huge real-world difference to schools. Administrators from a variety of institutions have turned to Pre-PAC for help in documenting student success and performance and in improving their programs. The Pre-PAC assessments, developed in conjunction with industry leaders and content specialists, help programs focus on what matters most and what will help prepare their students for real-world employment or further education. Student performance on Pre-PAC assessments and certifications are now used as benchmarks to attest to how well programs meet these needs. These results have even helped to save some programs from being discontinued. Lori explains that prior to Pre-PAC, there were few credentialing opportunities in Family and Consumer Sciences, but since launching their first assessment in December of 2009, Pre-PAC now offers 11 different assessments and corresponding certifications. "We are currently working on a new one," she tells us, revealing that the new assessment will focus on leadership. "That has been one that has been requested by many states." Building rigorous assessments takes commitment. Extensive and thorough, the AAFCS’s process of assessment development helps ensure that the best possible assessment is provided to learners and organizations. Work begins with the assembling of panel members, who will spend time developing the assessment. "That sometimes takes the longest, as you’re trying to put together the right people," she says. Those "right people" are national business and industry experts and content specialists, who will put much effort into ensuring that student success on the assessment closely correlates to marketable skills and solid performance in the workplace. Lori goes on to stress the importance of meeting the requirements associated with federal legislation and national content and industry standards when developing an assessment—a theme that underlies much of the compliance and professional development work we see at 360training. It is essential that "when someone finishes a program of study, takes the assessment, and successfully earns the credential, they have the skills and knowledge base that someone who is at a pre-professional level should have as they are entering the workforce or a post-secondary institution." Her advice to someone who may not have a lot of experience creating rigorous assessments is to ensure that the assessment measures what it should measure, that it addresses the expected content, and that it is first and foremost standards based. "The key is making sure it has a strong foundation and framework." The next step, she says, is to ensure all efforts are taken to confirm the validity and reliability of the assessment as a whole, and all the items within the assessment. Without this, an assessment cannot thrive or yield successful results. For example, prior to including questions on any of the high-stakes exams, the team tests the items on national pilot groups. New potential questions are first released as "non-graded" questions mixed in with the graded ones. A statistical analysis of question response data helps reveal questions that may be too easy or too hard—or biased towards certain demographics. "If you have a reliable and valid item, that’s going to lead to a reliable and valid assessment, which leads to reliable and valid results." Your Turn Are assessments the key to your future success? What do your students need to know to be successful? What are the industry standards? What standards should there be to help learners succeed? Follow the Pre-PAC formula for success as you take advantage of 360training’s new authoring program and eLearning Marketplace—and make a difference in your world and community. With our new, web-based course builder, 360training.com makes it easier than ever for users to share their industry expertise through course and assessment creation. Are you a dedicated and respected expert in your field who is looking to share your knowledge base with others? Head over to 360training.com to find out about our new authoring program and get started today! Meredith and the 360training Authoring Team

Sharing out to the world with iTunes U from tbirdcymru The University of Leicester launched on iTunes U on 16th March 2013. Yesterday Terese Bird ran a workshop describing the history of iTunes and the pros and cons in relation to other media channels such as YouTube and also the process Leicester went through in terms of choosing content. We had a team of subject specialists, elearning people and members of marketing. Content was vetted in terms of quality (both technical and pedagogical) and needed to have the appropriate Leicester brand. Criteria included checking that the sound quality was good, that the resource worked as a stand along item, and ensuring that if video was used it added some value over simple audio. The timing of the launch was good given all the publicity around the discovery of Richard III and not surprisingly the resources on this topic are one of the most popular. Click on the below for an image of Terese in action! image.jpg

Have you ever traveled down a road without quite knowing where you were heading or if it would connect with the road you wanted? Have you ever taken a training course without being fully convinced of its importance or usefulness? A course where the content seemed to meander from one topic to the next with no strong purpose? In either case, if the journey is interesting, you might be fine with just going along for the ride—for a while. But as soon as the situation requires more time or effort than you’re willing to spend, chances are you’ll be looking for the off-ramp. As learners or travelers, we want to know why we should make a particular journey and where it’s going. An elearning course is in certain ways like a tour bus that takes the learner on a sequence of planned adventures. The GPS way-finder of that experience, that directs the learner from one destination to the next and reinforces the "why" of the journey, is its set of learning objectives. What are learning objectives? Conceptually, learning objectives help define and structure the course journey, like an itinerary marking each expected milestone and highlight of the trip. Literally, learning objectives are a sequence of sentences that describe the knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills that learners are expected to acquire as they progress through the training. Why do we need learning objectives? Clearly defined learning objectives set the scope of the training. Learning objectives provide guidance with respect to the types of learning experiences that should be included to help support student success. A set of clearly written learning objectives can help satisfy students’ curiosity of "what’s in for me" and inform them about the new knowledge and skills that they can expect to gain. Learning objectives serve as the basis of the assessment of student mastery of the subject matter. What are the parts of an effective learning objective? Robert F. Mager has identified three key components of an effective learning objective. Performance: Learning objectives should specify what the successful learner will be able to do. This action must be something you can measure and assess accurately, given the method by which the training will take place. For example, a learner may be able to "explain" something to a trainer or coach—but in an online asynchronous course, we may need the learner to instead "list key components" or "assess a situation based on a scenario and choose an appropriate response to it." Conditions: Learning objectives should include notes regarding the conditions under which the expected performance occurs. Consider a course that requires students to perform calculations. The condition portion of the learning objective may note the source of the data for those calculations, such as a table, graph, or written scenario. It may indicate whether or not a calculator may be used. Criterion: Learning objectives should specify the criteria that will be used to evaluate success. Let’s say you have a course on proofreading. Does the learner need to identify 100% of the errors in a piece of sample text in order to be considered a success? Or will 85% accuracy do? What about the complexity of the writing in that sample text? Or the nuance of the rules covered? Learning objectives should set expectations regarding the level of mastery for which the course will prepare the learner. It should be noted that, for the sake of brevity, authors will sometimes choose to omit conditions and success criteria from student-facing learning objectives. They may even rewrite the objectives as quick goals or benefits of taking the training—similar to how a travel brochure may simply present highlights of a proposed tour, rather than an hour-by-hour breakdown. Behind the scenes, however, the author—like a good tour guide—must have a firm idea about all these critical aspects (performance, conditions, and criteria) to help ensure that the course will in fact get students to their promised destination. How can I create good learning objectives? Don’t leave students metaphorically on the side of the road, short of their desired end state, due to missing, vague, or ineffective learning objectives. Here are few tips. Good learning objectives are SPECIFIC and CLEAR. Clearly communicated outcomes are vital for successful training, as they direct both the learners’ and the instructor’s attention towards the target path. Consider the following learning objectives related to a business writing course: A: By the end of this course, the student’s writing skills will improve. B: By the end of this course, the student will be able to:- Classify types of business letters.- Identify the primary purpose of each type of business letter.- Rate the relative effectiveness of sample business letters, identifying the elements in those letters that impact the effectiveness. Example A is vague. What exactly will the lesson cover? How will the instructor or online system confirm that the learner’s writing skills have improved? This learning objective, as currently stated, is of little help in directing the learning that should occur. Example B is clearer and more specific. We can immediately begin to imagine the content that will need to be included in the lesson. We have indications of how the student will be assessed and a good idea as to what "success" will look like. We can start to form a plan of how we’re going to get the student to that point. Clear, specific, measurable objectives help ensure that everyone involved has a common expectation about the learning outcomes of the course. Avoid ambiguity. Verbs such as "understand," "become aware of," or "appreciate," are highly subjective and difficult to definitively plan for and measure. As part of the elearning adventure you are creating, learners may indeed have the opportunity to step out of the tour bus, wander in the meadows and simply soak up the beauty of the landscape—but if this side excursion is to be a milestone learning objective, there should be a specific, clear outcome that you can assess. Good learning objectives are LEARNER-ORIENTED. Effective learning objectives are student-centered. They describe the skills and knowledge that learners will gain—ideally, things of clear benefit or value that will get them excited about learning. Our learners stick with our "tour" because they’re getting something they want or need. Good learning objectives focus on APPLICATION. Good learning objectives should be action-orientated and tie back to real-world goals. While writing learning objectives for your elearning course, think about the knowledge and skills a learner requires to be truly successful. For example, if you are writing a course on food safety, knowledge of food safety rules and regulations is important—but ability to correctly apply that knowledge to real-world scenarios involving handling food and reducing risk of food contamination is even more important. Give students objectives that are relevant and meaningful. Good learning objectives are LINKED with the ASSESSMENTS in the course. Learning objectives and assessments are closely tied. Learning objectives refer to the target performance level expected of the student upon completion of the course. Assessments are a tool to gauge how well the intended learning objectives have been met by a particular learner. Good learning objectives are REALISTIC. Effective learning objectives are realistic and achievable. Don’t promise (or demand) things that are beyond the scope of what your course can reasonably deliver and help the student achieve. Once you are happy with your learning objectives, be sure to provide sufficiently comprehensive content and activities to empower students to gain the skills and knowledge targeted by the learning objectives of the course. Closing Thoughts Thinking of authoring an elearning course? To help keep your course focused and effective, make learning objectives part of your plan! Onward and upward!Shazia, Laura, and the 360training Authoring Team

  We have just completed our JISC-funded PLACES project, which focused on evaluating the use of iPads in a Masters course offered by Criminology.  Ming Nie and Terese Bird worked on this, along with Nichola Hayes from our Academic Practice team and Adrian Beck, head of Criminology. They have produced a detailed case study and a video. Criminology realised that their new MSc in Security, Conflict and International Development (SCID) would require a high degree of flexibility in the way in which course materials could be accessed - carrying large amounts of printed material or having 24/7 access to the Internet would not always be possible for these prospective learners. So they decided to issue all students with iPads as part of the registration process. This enabled students to have access to all their course materials on the device. Feedback was elicited from students vai an online survey. The results indicated that the iPad improved the experience of the distance learners involved in the pilot in the following ways: 92% stated it was useful or very useful 100% stated they were satisfied or very satisfied with their iPad 50% used the iPad every day Students valued the portability and flexibility of the iPad The iPad had the advantage of accessing, storing, managing, and editing (such as making notes, highlighting) the majority of the materials students need for their study on one single device The ability to access course materials without an Internet connection is also considered essential for many students So overall the evaluation was very positive indeed. Of course, as with any innovation, there were challenges; in particular issues to do with copyright, implementing a new technology into the existing IT services and finding the right kind of business model for this kind of approach. A key outcome from the project is that it has paved the way for other departments to explore the use of tablet devices. Education are using iBooks Author to create resources and Medicine are thinking of giving all first year students iPads. So iPads and other table devices are clearly here to stay and I predict that more and more courses will move to using them in the near future. 

Source: anniemurphypaul.com See on Scoop.it - Educational News and Web Tools

Instructors, lecturers, and subject matter experts: Get your next webinar off to a great start by following these quick rules—and by using 360training’s free webinar tools! 1. Do a system check prior to the event. Make sure your computer, webinar software, and network connections are up-to-date and working well together. Do your initial test run about a week in advance. Check again just prior to your meeting. 2. Check audio quality. Good quality audio is critical. If your audience cannot hear you clearly, or if the audio has a lot of distortion or interference, participants may get frustrated and leave your webinar before it is over. Prior to the event, work with a friend or colleague and try out equipment to see which of your options sounds best, from a land line telephone to computer software with voice over IP (VoIP). Keep in mind that a good headset will often provide better quality audio than a laptop’s built-in microphone. The headset will help ensure that the microphone remains a consistent distance from your mouth, no matter which way you turn your head as you speak or move. In addition, use of a headset means that the return audio is piped into the earphones, rather than the computer speakers, keeping that audio from getting picked up by the microphone. When thinking about audio and selecting a place from which to present, also consider the likelihood of background noise. Try to find a space away street traffic, dogs barking, co-workers chatting, loud fans, etc. 3. Check video quality. How do you look? Set up your equipment in a location with a neutral or professional background. The environment seen behind you should complement the mood and nature of the conversation you are about to have. Adjust the height and angle of the camera to ensure that your head and shoulders are properly centered and appear natural—the way they’d look if your guest were sitting across from you. If you’re using a built-in webcam, this may mean setting your laptop on a few books to get the lens of the webcam closer to the level of your eyes. That webcam lens offers you virtual "eye contact" with your audience, so position it so that you can achieve this contact naturally and easily. Check the lighting at the time of day you plan to give the presentation. If there is too much light behind you, for example from a window, your face may be completely in shadows. If the overhead lights are too harsh, or you have strong light from the side, you may find deep shadows cast across your face. Adjust your position as needed, or try placing some desk lamps in front of you (out of sight of the camera) to provide pleasant ambient light and minimize shadows. 4. Ensure optimal computer performance. Make sure your laptop is fully charged prior the start of the webinar, and if possible, keep it plugged in to a power source. If plugging in is not an option, and your webinar may push your computer’s battery to the limit, keep a spare fully charged battery close by. Prior to the event, close out all unnecessary applications running on your computer so that they do not take additional processing power. If you share a limited network connection with family or co-workers, ask them to refrain from uploading / downloading large files, streaming video, or otherwise commandeering bandwidth during the time you plan to give your presentation. Frozen video can create an eerie feeling of disconnection. 5. Quell distractions. For the duration of the webinar, consider yourself devoted to that environment and activity. Put the phone on mute. Turn off email, IM, and social alerts. Put a sign on the door telling people that you are not available, and when you will again be available, so that no one is tempted to peek in to find out. When you reserve a room, or write your sign, be sure to schedule additional time before and after the official period for the webinar. You’ll need time to set up—and you may want to stay a few minutes afterward to answer questions or follow up on connections. If you will be showing your desktop, remove viewer distractions. Clean up your desktop, relocating files and folders that may have accumulated. Make sure your screen’s background is neutral or reflects the message you wish to convey. Turn off programs that do not need to be running—particularly those that send you messages. 6. Make your presentation engaging—but easy to deliver. There are many ways you can engage your audience in a webinar. You may choose the traditional PowerPoint deck, opt for screen sharing, do straight live video, and / or include pre-recorded video clips, polls, and other activities. By all means, make your presentation lively and engaging! That said, don’t over-complicate the mechanics of what you’ll need to accomplish during the presentation, and plan the sequence of events carefully. If something unexpected happens, a simple presentation plan can help you maintain your cool and keep the event moving forward smoothly. For example, if you want to show YouTube videos, load each video to a different tab of your browser, in the order in which you will show them. If you need to show visual examples, upload those items to the webinar system or have them sequenced in a folder, so they are all immediately at hand, in order, ready to go. You don’t want to be scrambling and looking for materials. If the mechanics of your presentation are simple, you can devote your energy to what you are saying, how you are saying it, and how you can best connect with your audience. 7. Practice. Become familiar with all the features of the webinar tool or service that you are using. Try out everything to see how it works, even if you do not plan to use a particular feature. Once you feel you are ready, perform a test run with a friend or colleague—preferably the person who will be helping during the presentation to cover chat questions. That person needs to be familiar with the content and you’ll want to discuss in advance common questions participants might have. Run through your entire presentation from beginning to end. Were there any rough spots? Revise and practice more until you are comfortable. 8. Help make sure participants are ready and on time. If possible, send a reminder to participants the day prior to the event, expressing your pleasure in getting to know them and encouraging them to arrive a few minutes early if this is the first time they will be using this webinar service. Plan for you and / or your chat monitor to arrive to the session at least 15 minutes early to help participants who may have questions or need additional assistance. 9. Maximize interaction by enlisting a chat monitor. Live chat—where participants can ask questions or provide provide feedback during a presentation—can add great depth to webinars, differentiating them from presentations in standard online courses. It can be challenging, however, to monitor the chat feed and present your content at the same time. If possible, make arrangements with a colleague to monitor the chat and respond to questions, while you present. Establish a signal for your partner to let you know that a question has come up that you should address in the main flow of the presentation. Build in question-and-answer time at the end of the presentation. Near the start of the webinar, when you go over the agenda, be sure to highlight this opportunity. 10. Relax and enjoy. Prepare well. Then, just take things as they happen. Remember: Your audience came to the webinar to learn from YOU and hear YOUR message. That’s what’s most important—the piece that you and only you can deliver. Stay focused on that core message, and even if elements of your presentation or the overall webinar experience don’t go perfectly, your audience will walk away with something of value. Thinking of offering a webinar? If you have been contemplating teaching via webinars, delay no more. Our free webinar tools will not only give you the means to easily share what you know with learners, but sell your workforce training webinar courses through 360training’s extensive network of sellers and resellers. Find out more—and make the future a bright one! Wesley and the 360training Authoring Team