Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad Tomorrow I am presenting a keynote presentation and workshop at Fresno State University. My workshop is focused on Haiku Deck, so I thought I'd share the content here, as well.Haiku Deck is a Seattle-based startup that began in August 2012 as an iPad app delivering a simple method of creating image-rich presentations that pull Creative Commons licensed images directly from Flickr and attribute the images directly on the slides without the user having to do a single thing. Now, as an art historian by training who taught art history full-time for seven years and still uses images heavily in my work, I appreciate all tools that make CC-licensed images more accessible.  But when the attribution is taken care of for me -- you've got me!Haiku Deck also creates a beautifully designed presentation, regardless of your own design skills.  A free Haiku Deck account provides you with six themes, each which has its own font and photo filter.  While the aesthetics of the design process are taken care of for you, you will soon realize that Haiku Deck is different from PowerPoint in one important other way --it minimizes the use of text.  And this is a good thing, folks.By minimizing text, the creator of the presentation must focus more heavily on using images to convey the concepts of the presentation. This is challenging -- but it also engages a learner in a much different way.  Images are a tremendous opportunity to engage a learner's affective domain by triggering emotion. Yet, rather than using pictures to enhance learning, visual resources are used too often in education to repeat the content presented by an instructor.  This approach is shown to actually reduce retention of content, as the learner is conflicted with listening and reading the same message (Mayer & Moreno, 2003).Haiku Deck recently became available as a web app too for the general public!  After you create a Haiku Deck, it must be "published" to the web, which will allow you to be able to retrieve the presentation from your account on the Haiku Deck web app. Haiku Decks can be exported to your computer as PDFs or Powerpoints and you can add images from your own computer (in addition to those on Flickr and additional premium images available for purchase). You may also choose between the following privacy settings for each of your Haiku Decks: private (only you), restricted (only those with the link can view it), and public (it may be found through web searches).  Finally, the content you share may be embedded in other sites (like an LMS), which makes it great for teaching!At the top of this post is an example of a presentation I created in Haiku Deck.  Click here to view a resource page I created to support the workshop. It includes more samples and a video I recorded that demonstrates how to embed Haiku Decks into a secure LMS that uses HTTPS.

Audio File / Podcast: http://beyondutopia.net/podcasts/elevator.mp3It had been a long day. Tinguely Querer was ready to leave her office. But, the elevators were malfunctioning again.Not relying on the technology to repair the new, streamlined elevator, Tinguely decided to take the old reliable workhorse, the freight elevator.How appropriate, thought Tinguely, as she felt she was getting a bit

Save 50% on my eBook, How to Humanize Your Online Class with VoiceThread Smashwords: Coupon Code: LZ39B  Between now and January 31st, get 50% off my eBook*, How to Humanize Your Online Class with VoiceThread, at Smashwords using the coupon code LZ39B. Learn more about the eBook here!(*Discount not available on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Kindle version is available at Smashwords.)Free Custom Feedback Icons Also, one of the most demanded custom feature requests I receive is for "feedback icons" for use in VoiceThread.  In chapter 4, I explain how I use VoiceThread's Identities feature to toggle between avatars and leave "Feedback" for students on a single VoiceThread page. Doing so allows me have multiple visual markers of my presence, which is usually not a possibility in VoiceThread when multiple comments are left on a single slide using the same identity (the avatar only appears one time and students typically are not aware that feedback has been left for them). I have produced a beautiful set of 12 custom feedback icons that I am giving away free to all current members of the Teaching with VoiceThread Google+ Community, in addition to any new members who join between now and the end of February 2014! Of course, I am hopeful that this will stimulate some conversation and sharing in our community about all the great things you have been doing with VoiceThread. :) Share your stuff. It will inspire others!Click here to go to the Teaching with VoiceThread Google+ Community.

Do you want to hold a webinar, but want to save money by doing it on your own? As speed and bandwidth restrictions continue to be reduced, and travel costs and time away from the office continue to be problematic, webinars are being incorporated into education, professional development, training, and team-building. Open Source software can be a great solution when there is sufficient programming

 This week, Sloan-C shared the 11th Annual survey about online learning in higher education in the United States, a collaboration between the Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board, Grade Change: Tracking Online Education in the Untied States, 2013. The report surveyed the opinions of academic leaders at more than 2,800 degree granting institutions of higher education across the United States. at I have prepared some highlights and shared some deeper reflections about the study. A bird's eye view.The data demonstrates a continued and consistent shift from brick and mortar learning into a college learning experience that provides students with options to learn in a physical classroom or online.  In United States higher education in 2013: 7.1 million students or 33.5% took at least one online classthere were more than 411,000 additional students learning onlineWhat does this mean in context to overall higher ed growth rates?  In 2002, only 1.6 million students took at least one online class in higher education in the U.S.  The change from 2002-2012 represents a compound annual growth rate of 16.1 percent. Overall (all modalities of learning), overall U.S. higher education enrollment has grown at an annual rate of 2.5 percent during this same period.  How have academic leaders' values changed about online learning? The way college and university academic leaders value online learning has changed significantly in the past eleven years.  In 2002, less than half of all higher ed institutions surveyed agreed that online learning was strategic to their long-term success. In 2013, close to 70% of institutions agreed, an all time high.What Does the Crystal Ball Say?  Academic leaders agree that online enrollments will continue to grow in the future.  Ninety percent believe it is likely or very likely that a majority or all of higher education students will take at least one online course by 2018.  Currently, this figure is at 33.5%.What's up with MOOCS? Fifty three percent of institutions are undecided about MOOCs and 33% have no plans for a MOOC. These figures reflect little to no change from 2012, despite the deluge of press coverage MOOCs have experienced.Leaders at institutions offering MOOCs supported the following three objectives most for implementing them: Increase Institution Visibility (27%)Drive Student Recruitment (20%)Innovative Pedagogy (18%)Flexible Learning Opportunities (17%)Retention is an issue. Forty one percent of academic leaders noted that retaining online students is more of a problem than it is in face-to-face classes.  This number increased from 27% in 2004.  The leaders were not asked to speculate why.Which institutions offer the most online courses? Associate degree granting institutions offer far more online courses than any other type and have the most positive view of online learning.  Baccalaureate institutions have the most negative view about online education and represent the largest institutional type with no online offerings. Last year's 2012 study demonstrated that attitudes about online learning change when more online course are implemented into an organization and the realities of the online paradigm begin to be experienced (Changing Course, 2012).  For example, 18% of academic leaders at institutions without online offerings disagreed that it takes faculty more time and effort to teach an online course; whereas, only 9.7% of academic leaders at institutions with online courses disagreed with this statement.    You may request to download the entire report from Babson here.p.s. I missed the cool infographic that was developed and shared with last year's report.

Audio file // podcast.E-learning can be a highly effective and affordable way to provide high-quality technical education and professional development. However, there are a number of considerations to keep in mind while developing e-learning programs for technical professionals in a multi-generational workplace.Generational Beliefs and MisconceptionsWhile it can be said that cohorts who share the

Creating conditions of learning for at-risk students can be challenging, particularly when literacy issues are a factor, and students must perform well in high-stakes assessments. Responding to the challenge has inspired at least one educator to create a set of study guides that respond to students' real-life interests and current, contemporary young adult literature. Welcome to an interview with

CC-BY-NC-SA by Jim BumgardnerJoin me this Wed, January 22nd from 4-5pm Pacific for a dynamic Hangout on Air conversation with three fabulous online instructors representing California community colleges.  The Hangout will feature +Tracy Schaelen, +Michael Smedshammer, and +Lene Whitley-Putz -- three @ONE Online Certified Instructors.  They will take you inside their online classes and demonstrate techniques and strategies used to make week one the solid foundation it needs to be to establish a successful start for online students.This Hangout is part of The Center, a next-generation online learning community which I began coordinating in October 2013.  Click here for a Guide to The Center.Center events include Hangouts on Air and Twitter Chats (#CCCLEARN) focusing on topics and innovations for improving teaching and learning through technology that are relevant to California community colleges.  All events are free and open to everyone.How to View the Hangout on Air: Click here to view the Google Event for First Impressions: How to Make the Most of Week One Online.  The Hangout on Air video will stream live in the Event page that is linked above -- so that link is all you need! The "Details" area provides more information.Join The Center on Google+.Follow The Center on Twitter.

With a new surge in popularity of mobile devices, including tablets (iPads) and aggressively app-oriented smartphones (Droid, iPhone), podcasts can be employed in even more settings in both mobile learning and single location-based e-learning. Further, podcasts that form a component of integrated applications (archived webinars, narrated slideshows), can be used in new ways to accommodate

Thanks to John Spencer @edrethink for his Tweet today that pointed me to http://photoprompts.tumblr.com.  This site is a great resource of visual, thought-provoking prompts that can be used as ice-breakers in online classes.  The images are already attributed and can be uploaded into a VoiceThread or embedded in an LMS for student blogs or discussion forum. Lots of great ways to use these stimulating prompts to foster student-student interaction.Just for the record, my three songs would be: John Lennon's Imagine, The Pretender's Brass in Pocket, and Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. And what would yours be?