On October 22-24, 2014, I’ll be attending and presenting at the 12th Annual SLATE (Supporting Learning And Technology in Education) Conference, hosted at Northern Illinois University, Naperville. This conference invites all faculty, system administrators, CIO’s, Web developers, instructional designers, librarians, students, and user support staff from institutions that are deploying and/or currently using any Web-based tools, applications or programs, in their teaching and learning. Presentations offer a wide variety of best practices for incorporating and supporting technology in teaching and learning. I’ll be involved in giving three different presentations during the conference. For those who will be attending the conference, I hope you’ll join me for any of these topics that may be of interest to you: Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard Presenter: Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University Thu, 10/23, 11:00-11:50am, Auditorium Join us to explore suggested best practices included in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric for designing engaging online courses. The presenter will share practical tips from his experience building a course in Blackboard that meets the estab- lished ECP quality benchmarks. We’ll also cover the steps and associated deadlines for faculty interested in submitting their course for consideration as a Blackboard Exemplary Course. This session is geared toward an audience already familiar with the basic online teaching tools available in Blackboard Learn. Contemporary Issues in Higher Education and Online Learning Presenters: Carol Scheidenhelm, Loyola University Chicago; Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University Thu, 10/23, 2:00-2:50pm, Room 162 At a recent meeting of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association Center for Online Leadership & Strategy, the presenters participated in a roundtable discussion of issues relevant to online teaching and learning in higher education. Participants had the opportunity to share their experiences with issues, policies and road blocks to educating "contemporary" students, resulting in a recently-released federal policy brief. We thought it would be productive to bring this type of discussion to our SLATE Conference participants and provide them an opportunity to come up with a listing of the most pressing issues in higher education today. The list will be shared with the SLATE leadership and may help guide topics for discussion in the 2014-15 SLATE meetings. Where eLearning Meets Faculty Development: Providing Seamless Online Program Development Support Services Presenters: Aline Click, Northern Illinois University; Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University Thu, 10/23, 4:00-4:50pm, Room 162 While there is no single strategy for effectively supporting online teaching and learning, common faculty support needs related to online teaching practices and online course development exist at every institution. Join us for this panel presentation to learn about one institution’s collaborative approach to providing comprehensive support for new online program development. The conversation will focus on the specific online course development services as well as online teaching support programs, resources, and services offered for faculty. For those in the Chicago area, there is still time to register to attend the conference in person, details at slategroup.org/conference/register. There is even a single-day option available for those who want to just come for 1 day. For those who can’t attend in person, feel free to follow the conference @slateconference and hashtag #slate14

Horses are some of the best known animals on the planet, and have played an important part in the development of human society, as well as in the domestication of animals as a whole. Horses are 4 legged animals that are fast running mammals, that are relatively easily startled, quickly run away from predators, and played a major role in human warfare, travel, and communication, as they are capable of traveling long distances at a quicker rate than otherwise possible. Horses are frequently admired as being beautiful animals, and between their appearance in the wild, and in equestrian events, they are frequently being photographed: Black and White by Vedran Vidak Wild horses by Antonio Costa Horse by Rob van de Peppel Horses by NickYourMyHero Sand Bath Terminus With Gnats by Lynne Glazer Icelandic horses by Karen Friends For Ever by Jeannette Oerlemans Danish Horses by Thilo Teschendorf Horses with harrow by Christine Sweet Charge by Jojo Freedom by Guillermina Sogo Horses by M.S.Photography/Art 4 icelandic horses by Kristján Karlsson Horses by Ozetsky horses by emochick91 Resilience by Karsten Wrobel Horses by Göran Backman Icelandic stallion by Anna Guðmundsdóttir Amazing Horses by Lemieux66 The calm before the storm by Neil Morgan Sardinian Horses by Ajö Gypsy Horses by Motorbikeman Three Horses by WabbyTwaxx Dusty Horses by Charlotte Ballenger Horses at Strumpshaw by Nick Wakeling Sea Horses by Alison Duncan Horse by meg_nicol Horses by eclareee Iceland horses by José Eduardo Silva Winter Horse by Joshua Jacks Related Posts 30 Photographs of Bicycles Duck Photography Rocks, Stones and Pebbles in Photography Bright and Sunny Photography Out of this World Starry Photographs

Research shows that students who are read to as youngsters and continue to read achieve higher in school and on standardized tests. Literary elements and vocabulary development occurs when reading for the joy and love of reading is present in the household. My step-children don’t care to read, nor my husband, but I pressed that it is important to see us modeling reading for enjoyment. Things are different but those impressionable years reading at home was pushed and I truly believe it made a difference. Do our kids still like to read for enjoyment, or my husband? No, but their skills were strengthened and they do not struggle like many students do and I attribute that to modeling and giving kids books or magazines that students enjoy. This year, the 2014 Global Read-A-Thon is coming up from October 6th - November 14th. The goal is to join this global project and make connections with other classes, educators and students throughout the project.  Join in and participate in one of the book studies for yourself or with your students: Author Study: Peter H. Reynolds To make the collaboration easier for everyone, for the author study we recommend reading these books: Week 1: The North Star Week 2: I’m Here Week 3: Ish Week 4: Sky Color Week 5: Going Places Week 6: Your Choice Author Peter Reynolds was selected because of his strong values, ethics and has a wonderful background story that is so inspiring and beloved by many across the globe. His books are so engaging and enthralling they appeal to readers of all ages. Book Choices: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm One For the Murphy’s by Lyndy Mullaly Hunt The Fault in Our Stars by John Green   Each of the above books will be broken down by weeks and you can find more information at http://www.globalreadaloud.com/p/books-for-2014.html. Why the Global Read Aloud? Global collaboration is necessary to show students that they are part of something bigger than them. That the world needs to be protected and that we need to care for all people. You can show them pictures of kids in other countries but why not have them speak to each other? Then the caring can begin.   The following Edmodo groups are available to join, read along and discuss ideas while participating in the Global Read Aloud (#GRA14):   Peter H. Reynolds Author Study Group on Edmodo https://edmo.do/j/4fpgfb The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Group on Edmodo https://edmo.do/j/hiessvThe Fourteenth Goldfish Group on Edmodo https://edmo.do/j/jcmw82One For the Murphy’s Group on Edmodo https://edmo.do/j/9d3fh9The Fault in Our Stars Teacher Group on Edmodo https://edmo.do/j/y9fhkxMass Facilitator Edmodo group https://edmo.do/j/mtk6pu - for those who are the point person for other teachersEdward Tulane in Spanish Group on Edmodo https://edmo.do/j/ffekjc   Classroom 2.0 LIVE will be hosting a free webinar on the event (http://live.classroom20.com) on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 12pm EST.   Sign up on the same page to participate in the read aloud (http://www.globalreadaloud.com/p/where-do-we-share.html) at the bottom of the very right and join in the fun and gets your students engaged in a good book! Classroom 2.0 LIVE will be hosting a webinar on the event (http://live.classroom20.comBe sure to say I sent ya! (:          

During this presentation by Jason Rhode at the 12th annual SLATE Conference on 10/23/14, we explored suggested best practices included in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric for designing engaging online courses. Jason shared practical tips from his experience building a course in Blackboard that meets the established ECP quality benchmarks. We also covered the steps and associated deadlines for faculty interested in submitting their course for consideration as a Blackboard Exemplary Course. This session was geared toward an audience already familiar with the basic online teaching tools available in Blackboard Learn. While the examples shared were specifically of courses in Blackboard, the principles can be applied to developing quality online courses in any learning management system. Resource Links Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Info Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric Sample Course Playlist on YouTube Sample Captioned Course Welcome Video Sample Screencast Course Tour Sample Screencast Group Tour Sample How-To Screencast for Video Discussion Exemplary Course Tours Exemplary Course Program Gallery on Coursesites.com Self-enroll in the Sample ETT 510 Exemplary Course

Source: American Library Association This week, September 22 - 26, 2014 is ‘Banned Book Week’. There are so many reasons parents, administrators, educators and people in general fight to get books banned and out of the hands of young readers everywhere. This week is dedicated to celebrating the freedom to read according to American Library Association (ALA). Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community -- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types -- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. What an honor that we are able to read the books we choose and have the freedom that we can share with others. Whether you read a printed book or and an electronic version, it is exciting that we have this opportunity every day. There is a proclamation you can take to your local library listed on this webpage: http://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/proclamation. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) does not claim comprehensiveness in recording challenges. Research suggests that for each challenge reported there are as many as four or five which go unreported. In addition, OIF has only been collecting data about banned books since 1990, so we do not have any lists of frequently challenged books or authors before that date. List of 100 most frequently challenged books 1990-99 List of 100 most frequently challenged books 2000-09 Have you read any of the humorous ‘Captain Underpants’ books by Dave Pilkey. There have been efforts and challenges to ban his books. He created this video below. Celebrate this week and share with your students that not everyone has this freedom! Please share what you are doing in your classroom or library to celebrate ‘Banned Books Weeks’.      

Animals show up frequently in logo designs, especially animals that serve as pets such as dogs and cats. Cats work in logo designs for a variety of businesses. Asides from the obvious, such as cat or pet-themed businesses, cats also work for business names that are play-on-words, such as "fat cat" or references to paws, meowing, purring and more. In this post, I’ve gathered up some cute examples of cat themed logos: HJ Mews Fat Cat Burgers Cat Food Sketchy Cat Creative Cap Sante Yacht Sales Cat Flower Gatto Picante Emusklep Banjo Cat Beli The Cat Related Posts Motor and Car Themed Logo Designs Deliciously Creative Food Logo Designs Christmas and Holiday Logos Burning Hot Fire Logo Designs Retro and Vintage Styled Logos

Wed, 10/28/14, 12:00-12:35pm Southern Hemisphere I During this session at the 20th Annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference, learn about Northern Illinois University’s innovative faculty development initiative to offer introductory online technology training via self-paced online workshops as a component of comprehensive online faculty certification. An overview of the process identifying technology competencies for online teaching was shared as well as the design, development, and implementation phases of the project, highlighting lessons learned and tips for other institutions interested in pursuing a similar self-paced model for scaling their faculty development efforts. Accompanying slides are available here and links included in slides shared below. Resource Links NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center NIU Teaching with Blackboard Website Blackboard Competencies (Basic) Blackboard I: Outline for Self-Paced Workshop Self-Paced Blackboard I Workshop YouTube Playlist NIU Blackboard Tutorials NIU Blackboard Quick Guides

Recently I downgraded the iOS on my iPad 2 back to version iOS 7 as I was having too many problems with a lag and certain apps not running. The apps would close immediately and you couldn’t do anything with them. This was all very frustrating until my husband and I found a site that tells you how to downgrade from version iOS 8 back to version iOS 7. In the event you want to do the same I wanted to share the webpage with you. The download page is linked here. The only version I could get of the firmware to work was the non-GSM version. Apple only allows a short amount of time to downgrade iOSs back to a previous version after a new release so don’t wait too long. Apple recently stopped offering iOS 8 as there have been so many complaints and problems with the release. You can read that article about the status of iOS 8 here.

Today I have another set of my favorite textures, Abstract Grunge. I love reusing my old images and playing around in Photoshop making these unique and weird textures. Anyway, I hope you like them. Enjoy! Download all textures as ZIP from copy.com (27.9Mb) Did you like these textures? Let us know by leaving a comment, and you can even post a link if you used them in your artwork. Related Posts Free Texture Friday - Grunge Screens Free Texture Friday - Grunge Metal 2 Free Texture Friday - Vintage Stone Wall 2 Free Texture Friday - Black Leather Free Texture Friday - Vintage Book 3

Since 2004, EDUCAUSE has partnered with higher education institutions to investigate the technologies that matter most to undergraduate students. In 2014, the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research technology survey was sent to approximately 1.5 million students at 213 institutions, yielding 75,306 responses across 15 countries. This year’s findings are based on a stratified random sample of 10,000 U.S. respondents and shed light on a number of topics. click here to view enlarged infographic General student technology experiences and expectations Technology is embedded into students’ lives, and students are generally inclined to use and to have favorable attitudes toward technology. However, technology has only a moderate influence on students’ active involvement in particular courses or as a connector with other students and faculty. Students’ academic use of technology is widespread but not deep. They are particularly interested in expanding the use of a few specific technologies. Most students look online or to family or friends for technology support. The minority who use institutional help desks report positive experiences. Anytime, anywhere access to learning that is enabled by device proliferation More students own mobile devices now than ever. Although students rate network performance as generally good, projected increases in connected devices could soon challenge even the most robust campus networks. Many students use mobile devices for academic purposes. Their in-class use is more likely when instructors encourage such use; however, both faculty and students are concerned about their potential for distraction. Learning environments More students than ever have experienced a digital learning environment. The majority say they learn best with a blend of online and face-to-face work. Undergraduates value the learning management system (LMS) as critical to their student experience but rarely make full use of it. Today’s undergraduates want a mobile-friendly, highly personalized, and engaging LMS experience. Most students support institutional use of their data to advise them on academic progress in courses and programs. Many of the analytic functions students seek already exist in contemporary LMSs. Few undergraduates have taken a massive open online course (MOOC). Students still view traditional college degrees as the gold standard for résumés. Few students would include digital badges, e-portfolios, or competency creden- tials on their résumés. Although technology is omnipresent in the lives of students, leveraging technology as a tool to engage students is still evolving. We know from looking at longitudinal data from past student studies that students still have a complex relationship with tech- nology; they recognize its value, but they still need guidance when it comes to using technology in meaningful and engaging ways for academics. Students are still ready to use their mobile devices more for academics, but we haven’t yet seen widespread application of this. Students also still prefer blended learning environments, and their expectations are increasing for these hybrid online/face-to-face experiences. The following study materials and resources are available: Report [PDF] Infographic [PDF] Slide Presentation [PPTX] Survey Instrument [PDF]