I like this video because… its an issue in education.  Its an issue in life.  We can’t get beyond the things we complain about as long as we pretend everything is ok, can we? (btw… for those who are uncomfortable, I’m not going to stop being the black chick with the Masters degree talking about education… […]

Don’t know what else to say but THANKS! Last week, the Northfield Education Foundation (NEF) donated $1,500 towards classroom supplies for the K4STEMLAB! The NEF has a long history of supporting our school, staff and programs, funding after-school clubs, field trips and more. It’s this kind of community support that makes teachers like me work even harder for the kids of Northfield. So, what are we going to spend (almost all of) this money on? FOAM CUBES. Yes, that’s right. I was first read about foam cubes in "Make Space", one of the books on learning space design that is having a profound effect on design of our new classroom. We are creating an "agile" space that can easily be reconfigured as needs dictate: portable white boards, movable furniture and cabinets, and so on. We also want the space to evoke creativity and FUN, and to be seen as unique in our school (or any other for that matter.) Foam cubes have been an element of agile learning spaces for a long time. The images below are screenshots from an ABC News special report from 1998 about the internationally renowned design firm IDEO. You can see the cubes in the foreground and center of their workspace: …and here, the cubes act as a partition: This pdf from Make Space explaining foam cubes does a great job explaining what these cubes do in an agile learning space and how to make them. It didn’t take long to realize that if I were to fabricate them, it would be expensive, time-consuming and not likely to generate an end result worth using. Fortunately, I found a suitable alternative on Amazon.com: The rest, as they say, is history. Thanks to the supreme generosity of the NEF, a full complement of twenty-six of these are on their way to our classroom. They will be used for seating, primarily, but I can also see them serving as laptop stands; flexible partitions; or being stacked artistically when not in use. Overall, they will help create the learner-centered environment we so desperately seek. Thank you, Northfield Education, Foundation, for your support!

If you are an elearning/ distance learning / online learning practitioner you should plan to join your peers and peeps at the 26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning in Madison, WI August 4-6, 2010 at the Monona Terrace...

The students’ last day of school, I stood in the hallway staring into space. I listened and watched as children screamed goodbyes to each other and some of them cried and swore to always keep in touch. A few came looking for me and told me they loved me and hugged me tightly. I hate […]

If you need to learn anything from Facebook to Gmail to Captivate, you'll love lynda.com. Read the review.Post from: The eLearning CoachLynda.com Review: Looking for software tutorials?

Now that my Donor’s Choose project has been funded by a bunch of amazing people, it is time for me to pick the names of the ‘locations’ that will go underneath each one. I am getting seven clocks. I may set the first one to our local time and use YOUR HOUSE as the location name, which would mean I only need SIX names … but I’ve set up the poll to ask for SEVEN just in case. Please complete this poll and share it with as many people as possible - or better yet, READ THE QUESTION TO ANY KIDS YOU KNOW. Thanks! web surveys

I happened to see some of the chat from this morning's #Lrnchat talking about how all the acronyms in this discipline make people crazy. Over the years I have written probably about 4 bazillion glossaries, sidebars and so on, listing...

I have time (ha) so I’ll be reading a bit this summer.  First, if you don’t have it, download OVERDRIVE MEDIA CONSOLE and connect to your local library.  If you have a library card, you can "borrow" ebooks all summer long and not have to worry about late fees when you forget to return the […]

The arena of online learning is continually reshaped by technological advances. Just as we must pay attention to the latest research on learning and pedagogy, it’s important to be aware of current technological trends. These have the potential to redefine what it means to learn online. What technology trends of 2009 have impacted online learning and will continue to do so in the coming year? Here’s my list. Cloud Computing Cloud computing refers to delivering capabilities as an online service accessed from a web browser. The number of applications and services that rely on cloud computing seem to be growing exponentially, impacting both the development and delivery of online learning. Web-based tools for scheduling, project management and documentation increase productivity and enhance personal mobility. Online image editors and other multimedia production tools provide access to a host of new and often less expensive applications. Steaming media services, like Amazon S3, make it easy to store and deliver large media files. While online applications for webinars, presentations and mind maps provide new ways to learn and collaborate online. Open Source Software Open Source software products for eLearning, for which the source code is freely available, are becoming widely accepted. An increasing number of organizations are taking advantage of Open Source products, like Moodle and Sakai, for Learning Management Systems and authoring tools, like Udutu, for course production. The advantages? Open Source apps are usually free to download, which makes online learning more affordable. Access to the source code makes the programs customizable. Also, Open Source software often has a large and supportive community. The downside? The documentation for Open Source software can be disorganized or sparse. Some organizations forget to add in the costs of customization. Social Media Social media technologies are exploding, providing an array of offerings for learning online. The prevalence of social networking, real-time search and discussion, and collaborative technologies increase the opportunities for informal and unstructured learning and can enhance structured learning strategies as well. Although organizations have been slow to adopt and promote social media technologies for learning, interest in these approaches is increasing. Individuals, rather than organizations, have been using social media technologies for self-directed and collaborative learning for quite some time. Immersive and Gaming Environments With 3D virtual environments coming online at a steady pace, sophisticated virtual authoring software, and augmented reality beginning to take hold, learning in 3D is now more feasible than ever. Although it increases development time, the potential for improved learning transfer from virtual environments to the real world can no longer be ignored. And of course, there’s the motivational factor too. Mobile Technologies This year set the stage for a more robust mobile learning space, where limitations in access, power and speed had to be overcome. Due to more powerful mobile data networks, ubiquitous access to wireless, mobile tools that work across platforms and more smart phones and devices that are Flash ready, many types of learning can be set free from the personal computer. More organizations are exploring mobile learning to provide just-in-time resources and learning objects to an increasingly mobile and virtual workforce. eBook Readers The popularity of eBook Readers, such as the Kindle, are increasing the opportunities for learning from digital books. As these become more accepted by consumers, online learning professionals might consider incorporating digital books as part of an overall learning strategy. The devices will probably need to improve when it comes to color and graphics, but they are slowly impacting self-directed learning. Netbooks Netbook computers—those highly affordable mini-laptops—are making the Internet more accessible to the masses. Priced at around $200-$300 dollars, netbooks are contributing to a reshaped eLearning environment by increasing the number of people who can participate. In your opinion, what technology advances or changes in consumer and user behavior are impacting online learning? Comment below. Related Articles: 10 Social Media Tools For Learning Games and Simulations The Future of Learning Design How To Communicate The Value Of Social Media [Photo credit: Kozuch] Post from: The eLearning Coach2009 Technology Trends That Impact Online Learning Tweet This! Share this on Linkedin Share this on Facebook Buzz up! Share this on del.icio.us Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Email this to a friend?

Last week was a blur of activity even though I was only able to work two out of five days on the K4STEMLAB, Monday & Tuesday. Wednesday I ran technology workshops all day in Atlantic City for the ETTC and Thursday I was part of the team that brought the Padcamp unconference to life. Friday I got hit with a nasty stomach bug and didn’t accomplish much of anything. I had plans over the weekend to get into my LMS (learning management system) options but didn’t make as much progress as I’d hoped. Today got off to a great start however as we were able to get my SMART Board finally mounted and properly configured. The PC you see at the bottom left is a STUDENT machine. The SMART Board in my room is a STUDENT device. (Notice there is no monitor; I do have a wireless keyboard for it.)  I am not aware of any other classroom in the school where the SMART Board is not attached to a TEACHER computer. Since I don’t plan to use it as my primary teaching device, it made sense to attach a STUDENT computer to it. The small items you see on the floor are sample interlocking foam tiles from WeSellMats; I am trying to decide what to do about floor covering for that area. I think the interlocking tiles will work but am not sure. Once I get the foam cubes we ordered I’ll be able to make a better judgment. My Z-Rack is ready for assembly so I had to start fabricating the metal strap hangers needed to suspend it on the poles. I used tin shears to cut the pipe hangers to the right length and tried to bend them into the approximate shape needed. It wasn’t a total failure but it was harder than I thought. Tomorrow I hope to drill and mount the board.   Later in the morning I spent about an hour with a rep from Haiku Learning in a demo. I’ve heard a lot about their learning management system (LMS) and wanted to see what it has to offer. Don’t be misled by the frightening screenshot above, there is very little content on the demo classroom I built, I just wanted to get some experience with the configuration options and feature set. I really appreciated ths Google Apps integration. With a few mouse clicks, I was able to set up the demo to pull in our Google Apps user accounts, eliminating a major setup step (and separate data store). This is HUGE. I am now trying to determine how "friendly" the design will be once loaded with relevant content, and what features we need to disable. So far I’m very impressed. Tomorrow should see the Z-Rack completed and more progress with Haiku. I’d like to get the LMS work out of the way so that later in the week I can get some screencast lessons ready for testing. From there things should start to move pretty quickly. See you tomorrow…