The Khan AcademyKhan Academy YouTube ChannelVia Helge ScherlundTHE KHAN ACADEMYSalman Khan (Sal) founded the Khan Academy with the hope of using technology to foster new learning models. The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere. They currently have 700+ videos (growing fast!) on YouTube covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, and finance which have been recorded by Salman Khan.SALMAN KHANHe is currently the portfolio manager of a fund based in Menlo Park, CA. Sal received his MBA from Harvard Business School where he was president of the student body. He also holds a Masters in electrical engineering and computer science, a BS in electrical engineering and computer science, and a BS in mathematics from MIT where he was president of the the Class of 1998. While at MIT, Sal was the recipient of the Eloranta Fellowship which he used to develop web-based math software for children with ADHD. He was also an MCAT instructor for the Princeton Review and volunteered teaching gifted 4th and 7th graders at the Devotion School in Brookline, MA (Source).SIMPLIFYSal knows his stuff (pretty well!), and has a great ability to simplify what he teaches using story telling with a laid-back approach (conversational style). As far as I know, his formula to create learning content is quite unique:Microsoft Paint is his blackboard (Who needs PowerPoint?), which he uses to draw and illustrate step-by-step what he is explaining.He records the narrated lessons using a screen recording software (Here are a few free ones!).When recorded (and edited), he uploads his recordings to YouTube (YouTube Channel).Then he links his recordings or lessons to The Khan Academy website, which indexes the hundreds of videos as he likes.No real cost required (excluding his website), except his precious time. I suppose he figured out that instead of teaching a few people here and there (again and again), he could educate the world (doing it once!).Alright, he is not going to get A+ for graphics, but I would give A+ for creativity, pedagogy, passion, knowledge sharing, and efficient development. How many educators have produced 700+ videos (x10 = 7000 minutes/60 = 116.6 Hours), or more than 116 hours of e-learning content in a couple of years?Yes, I also love the way he has chunked most of his videos into digestible 8-12 minute lessons, which are perfect for learning-on-the-fly.INSPIREIt is inspiring to see Sal share his amazing knowledge to the world in such a creative and efficient way. I suppose he deserves an Oscar for knowledge sharing :)Here in Malaysia and Singapore, parents spend millions (if not billions of) dollars on tuition for their kids to score great grades. What if we could inspire geniuses here who have a knack of simplifying content to do similar kind of initiatives. By doing so, we can level the field a bit more and enable perhaps some of those who couldn't afford tuition to have a chance to compete and do better. Well, you still need a computer device and Internet (unless the content is downloaded), but it would still be a great start.In other words, we don't actually need to spend millions to produce quality e-learning content and learning experiences. With today's free web 2.0 technology, we could do it practically with no significant initial cost (except for our time).For example, we could use Google Sites to develop our website, free screen-recording (casting) software to capture our lessons, and use YouTube to upload our content (or perhaps Google Video, if our videos are longer than 10 minutes). If we are developing PowerPoint presentations, we could use SlideShare (and link uploaded audio, which can be synchronized with the slides. Audio upload alternative: Internet Archive). Another PowerPoint (convert-to-Flash) upload alternative would be SlideBoom, which also captures the PowerPoint animations.These are just a few possibilities of many we can use to share our knowledge and skills to the world. I suppose the biggest struggle today would be to find the time to do it (and the appropriate tool(s) to use) :(On a positive note, Sal has found the time and his work is inspiring. He fits well with my new learning motto (and adventure):Simplify Ideas, Inspire People! :)

In the last post, we looked at how Salman Khan inspired us with his creative usage of Microsoft Paint to educate our learning minds.Since we are on the Microsoft Paint topic, here are a few mash-up graphics that I developed in the past (between 2007 Aug - 2008 Feb) using a combination of PowerPoint, clip art, images and Microsoft Paint.YouTube is an amazing learning space (although a lot of junk!). I suppose I am a bit weird (No joke there!)!There is too much knowledge out there to capture and digest, but you could learn a few tricks from Tom Kuhlmann.Stephen Downes is doing a great job synthesizing the online learning WWW (from cats, too!), but I suppose he could learn a few tricks from Yoda.Don't be afraid, the world is not flat. Even if it was, it was certainly not Thomas L. Friedman that discovered that first! It was...Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama... If I write Obama one more time, I might get thousands of more accidental hits. Is it that easy?In short, I am just having some fun looking back at some of the nutty mash-ups that I visualized in context to past articles and posts. So, I suppose if you haven't read the posts related to the mash-up graphics above, you might not get the point (if any?). If you are interested in reading those posts related to the graphics above, have fun finding them :)In the next post, I will explore 10 more of my past mash-up graphics. Then I will begin my learning mission for 2009. What was that again? :)

Wiki-version - A Growing List of Free Learning Tutorial SitesI was thinking the other day, why not create a simple raw list of links to EXCELLENT SITES (with short descriptions) that have or link to tutorials that explore learning tools and online learning. Here is my initial list, but I am quite sure there are many more great resource sites out there. So, if you have anyone to share, please post them in the comments section and I will add them. Ops, shouldn't we be using a Wiki for this kind of activity (Collaborative list creation)? Click here, if you want to add using the wiki-version.Here is the initial quick list:Learning 2.0 ProgrammeThis blog has been set-up as part of PLCMC's Learning 2.0 project to encourage staff to experiment and learn about the new and emerging technologies that are reshaping the context of information on the Internet today.An Introduction to Social Learning(Jane Hart)Provides you with a practical approach to getting started with using social media for both formal and informal learning - either in the form of best-of-breed stand-alone tools or in an integrated suite of social media tools.ELearning T4T (WikiEducator)eLearning Training for Teachers is a project node for the collaborative development of "just-in-time" tutorials to help educators implement eLearning successfully.WebTools4u2useThe purpose of this website is to provide a place for K-12 school library media specialists to learn a little more about web tools that can be used to improve and enhance school library media programs and services, to see examples of how they can be used, and to share success stories and creative ideas about how to use and integrate them. Hundreds of free and inexpensive web tools are available for school library media specialists to use that can make us more productive, valued, and, perhaps, more competitive.Paul's E-Learning ResourcesThis E-learning resources website is developed and maintained by Paul Andrews (Learning Technologist). On this site you will find his favourite links to free on-line services that allow you to provide your students with enhanced learning opportunities which you can then embed into, or link from, your school/college/university's website, course blog or VLE/MLE.iLearn technology (Kelly Tenkely)Is an edublog dedicated to giving teachers practical tips for integrating technology into the classroom.Resource Kit for Creative Communities (e-Learning)In this resource kit, community organisations can find helpful online guidance, ideas and tools for developing and facilitating e-learning in communities and regions. The kit includes suggestions and options on the why and how of e-learning. You'll find guidance on low cost tools and technologies, as well as ideas and stories to help you get started.Teacher Training Videos (Russell Stannard)These videos were created for teachers to help them to incorporate technology into their teaching. Just click and a video will open and take you through how to use that technology. These videos are for any teachers or lecturers, indeed for anyone interested in learning how to use the technologies.WonderHowToHand-selects and curates the best instructional videos from over 1,700 websites. It is your one-stop shop to browse, search, or network your way through the world of free video tutorials.EduTubeIs a educational video search platform with an main aim to organize the best educational video content on the Internet. All content on EduTube is moderated and only relevant, educational content is permitted.Multimedia Training VideosA series of free learning videos (by Russell Stannard and Savraj Matharu) that explore Flash, Director and Photoshop.ItrainOnline Multimedia Training Kit Is a growing collection of "workshop kits" for face-to-face training. The materials use a standard set of templates, and offer building blocks for trainers to build their own courses.Teachers TVis a digital channel for everyone who works in schools. Their programmes cover every subject in the curriculum, all key stages and every professional role - from teaching assistant to headteacher. You can watch us on digital cable and satellite and programmes are also available anytime, on-demand and for free on this website. TeacherTubeIts main goal is to provides an online community for sharing instructional videos. Here you will find more than 54,000 videos covering all sorts of subjects.ALISONFree Interactive Workplace Skills Courseware including Touch Typing Skills, European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), British Computer Society (BCS) Unit E, Financial Literacy and e-CitizenThe Moodle AcademyIs designed to be a drop in centre for you to reinforce your Moodle skills. While we are thinking Moodle, we might want to check out Using Moodle 2nd Edition, which is the second edtion of the O'Reilly book "Using Moodle" by Jason Cole and Helen Foster. Moodle TutorialsOps, can't get Moodle out of my head! Check out this collection of 2 Minute Moodles - an attempt to simplify and show how to use a range of Moodle features. The tutorials try not to assume too much previous knowledge and are presented for the pragmatical and not necessarily tech-savy users (Moodle purists please excuse).Drupal in Education Open book (hosted by e-Learning Institute)An open resource started by Bryan Ollendyke at the e-Learning Institute to talk about Drupal's place in education. Has a great CMS matrix comparing different CMS technologies that can all be used for education / e-learning. It is a living resource and has contributions from several PSU Drupal'ers though it's open to contribution from any / everyone. Good if you are interested in getting into Drupal for Education.Google Apps TrainingThe Google Apps interactive tutorial provides clear audio and text directions and practice exercises for using six Google products; email, calendar, talk, docs, sites, and start page.Go-2-SchoolA great resource for learning Google SketchUp and Google Earth.W3SchoolsHere you will find all the Web-building tutorials you need, from basic HTML and XHTML to advanced XML, SQL, Database, Multimedia and WAP.EdumaxEdumax is an online learning website that provides free lessons on topics from personal development to computer programming.TechTutorialsA directory containing thousands of free tutorials for IT professionals, hobbyists, and home users.14 hours of Free E-Learning Strategy TutorialsBryan Chapman, Chief Learning Strategist at Chapman Alliance does regular webinars on e-learning strategies. He posts these for free use from his website. They are a little bit hidden. You have to scroll down the page to find them. NOTE: Because many of the webinars are vendor sponsored, you may have to add your information before watching them, but they are absolutely free.Contributors:Clayton WrightMitch WeisburghBryan ChapmanZaid Ali AlsagoffLet's build a great collection together (wiki-version)! Let's use our collective findings to help others discover these great learning tutorial sites :)

Link to Academic EarthFAQsWHAT?Academic Earth is an educational video website with the goal of enhancing the usability and expanding the awareness of OER, focusing first on video lectures.MISSION?Giving everyone on earth access to a world class education.OBJECTIVES?Centralizing the best video resources from multiple sources into one easy-to-search hub. Applying the latest best practices in usability and design.Integrating crowd-sourcing and wiki tools so users can enhance the experience for future users (these features to come).WOW!Currently, there are over fifteen hundred videos from MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale there. As they are adding more every day, you can imagine the rest! Also, many lectures are grouped into courses, providing us added convenience to access. In addition, when the "Download to iPod" option appears you can download a QuickTime version of the lecture (click on the "Download to iPod" link and select "Save Target As..." or the equivalent for your browser).Yes, they even allow you to grade (A, B, C, D) the lectures, which is quite cool. Lecturers are graded instead of learners or students. Wouldn't that be a cool school? We learn, no grades except for grading our lecturers. In other words, students can relax and learn, while lecturers get stressed out with their grades (for their lecturing ability). Though, I suppose they could add a comment feature to each lecture, enabling us to give our 23 cents when wanted or needed.The interface is soothing and it is easy to find stuff (Playlist, Subjects, Universities and Instructors). Besides the normal embed and share feature, we are also provided with a 'Citation Info' feature, which makes it extremely easy for us to reference our lecture discoveries (replicate!). Interestingly, a 'Feedback' option follows us everywhere we go, indirectly reminding us of their eagerness to get feedback and improve further.If I was allowed to grade this site, I would give it a delicious A. Surely, one of the best lecture finding sites (or lecture aggregators) I have ever visited :)

The SciTech JournalWHAT?The SciTech Journal is a richly informative project, which attempts to answer various questions arising in the common man's mind relating to science and technological phenomena.WHAT HAPPENED?Good question! Alright, before I get back to the cool SciTech thingy, you might be wondering what happened to ZaidLearn for the last couple of months (zero posts!). To be honest, I have taken some time off to think (2 1/2 month sabbatical thinking leave) and reflect about life and how I can contribute in this amazing Universe (after a tough 6-months of growing up. Mild terms!). To cut it short, I am leaving my existing e-learning job, and am now exploring possibilities of working in another learning organization. Yes, if I can do my PhD at this new organization (where that may be) that would be a big plus. But then again, I am still searching for that 'UgA UgA' idea that I can imagine spending 3-5 years exploring. Yes, I would also love to facilitate a light and easy 'Learning Innovation Lab', which explores technologies (in a connective sense) and tries to make sense of them in terms of learning and teaching. Alright, let's get back to SciTech thingy!QUESTIONSWe all have questions, and often we have them dangling in our minds for days, weeks, months, and even years (not to mention a life time). I am not sure if the SciTech Journal can answer all of our difficult questions, but it does try to answer questions we might have asked here and there, but never really taken the time to explore further (or even 'Google' ).Have you ever wondered...Why the entire surface of a plane is not painted over?Why ants touch each other’s heads when they meet?Why flock of birds fly in ‘V’ formation?Why birds don’t fall down from its perch during the sleep?Why races are run in anticlockwise direction?Why we yawn and whether it is infectious?Why do tears come in eyes when crying or after much laughter?Why hair color becomes white in old age?These are just a few of the questions that are explored in this growing juicy repository of Q&A using a scientific mindset or hat. Also, I love the fact ('opinion' according to scientific terms!) that each post (or answer) is easy-to-understand without tons of scientific mambo jumbo jargon (that even aliens might have difficulties to decipher). Ops, I forgot to mention the author, who is Darshan Chande (his Twitter).Please stop reading this post (NOW!), and have fun reading the The SciTech Journal. Also, I do hope it will eventually answer why monkeys eat bananas. Hopefully, it is more scientific than the WikiAnswers's version (Google it!) :)

A person who speaks two languages is bilingual...A person who speaks three languages is trilingual...A person who speaks four or more languages is multilingual.What is a person who speaks one language? Answer (Tip: Click the link and scroll down)WHAT?Speak English as a second language? Why a second language? Why not a third language? Or perhaps a fourth language? For some language gurus it might be the 15th language that they learn. In short, it depends (Easy way out!). I know the phrase, "speak English as a Second Language" (ESL) is a figure of speech (or something up there), but it just sounds funny to me, especially when I reflect the joke above. For many Americans, British (and Japanese) this phrase might sound perfectly fine, especially if they only speak one language. But for others (or me), it is just plain funny.I suppose it sounds better than learning "English as a Foreign Language (EFL)". What about learning English as an alternative language. Nah! That doesn't sound right either! If you have any suggestions, please comment. It would be fun to socially brainstorm a better solution to this highly important term issue. We certainly don't want to confuse people embracing English as a second language. Ops, I mean third, fourth, or whatever!THINKING During my 2 months plus thinking leave I was considering becoming an 'English Teacher' for a couple of years (Actually, I still am), but then when I began revising my English grammar, I was simply .......Are you serious, did I learn that before. Gerunds! WOW! Not to mention 'Past Perfect Continuous'! The more '+ing' it gets, the longer the jargon phrase gets! I am really enjoying revising grammar and will surely work on my prepositions, but I am beginning to question whether I could teach someone in the future grammar or not (effectively). Perhaps, teaching something about 'Nouns' should be alright. 'Adjectives' are also cool, but 'Adverbs' become tricky. And then you have all the different contexts, which might transform a word to this and that. It is verb here, but not here. Oh man!I suppose if I ever began teaching English, I would facilitate it by skipping grammar through scribbling, babbling and chatting, again, again, fused with modeling and feedback until it makes sense (who's sense? Got a point there!). As for grammar (if any), I would only teach them the very basics needed to construct a sentence that makes sense (who's sense? Alright, I get it!).Give me another six months of learning English Grammar, Writing, Speaking and Listening skills, and I am ready to teach ESL. Although, I currently don't have any appropriate qualifications, I suppose if I do one day acquire a CELTA or two, I can Mind Your Language with my students.LEARNING GALORE!What really struck me while I was searching for ESL online resources, was the amazing amount of options that we have. Whether you want ESL content for your IPod, or you want to do an online quiz to test your knowledge, trust me, there are enough resources to last you a few life times (and more). Wow! Are you kidding me! Then I found another bomb (not that kind of one)! Wow! It was one ESL learning orgasm after another. Below is a list of interesting ESL resources that I have discovered until now, and most of them are free. Keep in mind, this might just be the tip of the iceberg. If you get to the end of this post, I will reveal the ultimate ESL resource collection (to my limited exploration!). Have fun with this raw list (with some really juicy ones first):Dave's ESL CafeThe site looks a bit messy and it probably applies perhaps some outdated scripts and tools, but if you look beyond the cosmetics, you will find an amazing ocean of ESL resources. Also, it is a great meeting place for ESL teachers and students (check the forums) . If I end up as an ESL teacher one day, Dave would certainly be my 'knowledge sharing' role model. Thumbs up!BBC Learning EnglishIs a resource for people who want to learn British English. It has material for both students and teachers, including video and audio clips. It also has links to improve your business English, with bilingual support for Spanish and Portuguese speakers. A great site to Learn English. It is BBC for crying out loud! ESL PodIs run by a team of experienced English as a Second Language professors with over 30 years of high school, adult, and university ESL teaching experience. Dr. Lucy Tse writes scripts and story ideas for the podcasts, and records many of the dialogs and stories. The host for the podcast is Dr. Jeff McQuillan, who helps read the scripts and provides explanations for them. EnglishSpeak.comIs a free and award winning new system for learning to speak English. The program contains lessons that give special attention to English pronunciation and everyday language. With over 100 lessons, Englishspeak.com provides a large amount of audio content. Users have access to two different speeds of playback for each item.ESL Kingdomwas established and is run by a small team of multi-national ESL professionals who have drawn on decades of experience teaching in Asia, Europe and North America to create the materials available for use in your lessons. English BabyEnglish lessons to help you study ESL. Practice English with English Chat and English forums. Find Friends and penpals in different countries, test your English vocabulary with our vocab quiz, and check your English grammar and English slang. English to goEnglish lessons, Learn English, Teach English, Lesson plans, ESL resources, ESL reading. One of the world’s leading providers of English training resources delivered via the Internet. Their resources are used by more than 55,000 teachers in 190 countries reaching over one million students worldwide.PodCardsPodCards are audio postcards that you can download to your iPod. They contain information about a particular town or city from different countries around the world or biographies of famous people or events that make these places famous.EnglishMeetingA resource with audio and video for ESL (English for Second Language) students and teachers worldwide. languagecaster.comThe idea behind this site is simple. By listening, reading and writing about something you enjoy - football - you can improve your English language skills. Follow the Premier League in England, and the big football stories from around the world while learning English. Why didn't I think of something like that!ELTgames.com100 activities written by professional ESL/ELT writers. No downloading PDFs - just choose, print and go. Quick and easy to use, even over a dial-up connection. LEO NetworkFor over 10 years Learn English has been the free and independent web site for EFL/ESL learners and teachers. With over 2 million visitors a month, it must be doing something right. Learn EnglishThis site is for elementary and intermediate learners of English. You can study grammar or vocabulary topics and try one of the 400 exercises and language games. English PageFree online English lessons & ESL / EFL resources. EnglishCafeAn English learning community for the global professional. It is an evolving culture of English learners and experts, where people help each other navigate our rapidly changing world through use of a common language. Bee OasisAt BeeOasis you can enjoy many stories without a dictionary at a level just right for you. Learning English without a dictionary. That is interesting! Exam EnglishThis web site is for people studying for an English language exam. These pages contain free online practice tests for the most important international ESL/EFL exams: IELTS, TOEFL, and the Cambridge ESOL exams such as CPE, CAE, FCE, and PET. You can also find out information about the different exams.ESL Business NewsA weekly podcast of international business news read in slow, clear English. Listen to the podcast and follow along in the accompanying script. Yossarian the GrammarianA whole bunch of excellent video tutorials exploring grammar and sentence construction. You have to watch this great teacher get down to business simplifying gerunds and who knows what. To be honest, he seems a bit frustrated with all the hopeless ESL or English teachers out there. Hopefully other English teachers are watching. One minus point though, I believe he could have used simpler examples (phrases and sentences) to make his points clearer.podcastsinenglish.comAll podcasts are free for language learners and teachers, but only members receive the learning English worksheets, vocabulary tasks, webquests and transcripts. English Listening Practice for English LearnersYou will find good stories for listening practice on almost every page of this site. English Teacher John ShowAn easy-to-understand English learning podcast site, which features grammar, idioms, pronunciation, topics and more. ESL Learning PodThis site was put together to help you learn English. It provides free podcasts and learning materials for you to practice and improve your English language skills. The English DeskPractise your English listening skills by listening to the episodes first without reading the text. The Word NerdsIs a podcast about language and language change. It has been published on the Internet since March 21, 2005. Originally published every week, it now appears once every two to three weeks. Lingofeeds - English for Professional PurposesIs dedicated to providing niche-specific English learning materials for professional purposes. Launching June 2009. UGoEigoIt offers two video podcast series to help you learn English pronunciation: "English Sounds" and "Functional Phrases". Each lesson shows a close-up of the mouth saying the target sounds and words. Pronunciation PowerPronunciation Power teaches you how to use the 52 sounds necessary to say all 540,000 English words. Commercial, but still worth a buck, I suppose. Free English and Spelling LessonsBy Mikie Metric. This site uses American English rules of spelling and grammar . Essay Punch - An Interactive Writing TutorialThe site provides online interactive exercises that guide users step by step through pre-writing, writing, organizing, editing, rewriting, and publishing. GlobalEnglishImproving business English communication skills of global companies. Founded in 1997, GlobalEnglish has become the leading provider of online learning and support for business English communication. They offer a scalable, on-demand solution that helps employees improve their ability to communicate effectively in English and enables companies to succeed in the global marketplace. YouTube Channel - English TutorialsShakespeare, Grammar, Composition... English at your fingertips! check out writing essays, what Hamlet really means, and all the strange quirks of verbs... anything you need in school. Studio 4 LearningStudio 4 Networks provides award-winning lifestyle and educational programming delivered on-demand over cable television, satellite, and the Internet. EnglishcasterIs for both students and educators: EFL, ESL, TESOL, TEFL. You can listen to, rate, review and submit podcasts, as well as other English study resources. Tech ELT BlogThis blog began life for everyone taking the CELTA course at International House Barcelona, but is also intended to be of interest to anyone wanting to use technology in English Language Teaching. ESL-to-goIn today’s fast-paced world of e-mail, instant messenger, on-line classes and blogs "ESL TO GO" was born. This is a blog to help ESL students. The English BlogInternet resources, reviews, news, tips and trivia for learners and teachers of English. Business English PodBusiness English Pod provides MP3 and video podcast ESL lessons for intermediate and advanced business English learners. Each business English podcast lesson is focused on a particular workplace English skill (meetings, presentations, telephoning, negotiating, socializing, travel, conversation etc.) and language function (clarifying, disagreeing, questioning, expressing opinions, persuasion etc.). Activities for ESL/EFL Students (English Study)Quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles to help you learn English as a Second Language (ESL). This project of The Internet TESL Journal (iteslj.org) has thousands of contributions by many teachers. Learn English Online with English4TodayHundreds of grammar and vocabulary resources, online courses, IELTS, Business English, and Writing courses, video English lessons, podcasts, downloadable software. Entry WSU ESL Help DeskThis virtual help desk is designed to help ESL (English as Second Language) students and their instructors at Washington State University (and you). Curricular Resources in English as a Second LanguageHere are a number of links to Internet sites which contain information and/or other links related to Language Arts. You may also find useful information (e.g., various foreign language dictionaries) in their collection of Reference Materials. Common Errors in EnglishWilliam, James Co. has published a book based on this site titled Common Errors in English Usage. It contains most of the contents of the Web version (as of the date of publication) plus more detailed discussion of many of the entries simply listed under "More Errors." Since the site will remain online for free use, why should you buy a copy? Could point!FoxLingoA language tool that gives you easy access to sites in foreign languages. It is the first meta-translator, linked to thirty-six free online translators, enabling you to translate between fifty languages in over 1,500 different language pairs. Foxlingo has been downloaded over two million times by people all over the world. MeGlobeIs a web-based instant messenger client with realtime translation into 14+ languages. This Jabber-powered tool lets folks chat interlingually. If you ask me to recommend the ultimate mambo jumbo list or collection of ESL resources (if you have a couple of weeks to explore!), it would have to be Dave's ESL Cafe's Web Resource list. Here you will find more than 3000 links (URLs) to English related learning resources from A-Z. Amazing! In addition, you might want to explore the Top ESL Websites, which is another wonderful collection. Have fun learning English as a second language. I mean third, or ... simply have fun ' Learning English' :)

YouTube EDUVia Jeff Cobb"YouTube has aggregated all of the videos from its college and university partners - including luminaries like Stanford, Harvard, and Dartmouth - in one place: YouTube EDU. Good news for lifelong learners." - Jeff CobbSOME THOUGHTSAlright, in the Edublogs sphere this is old news (3 weeks old!), but I do hope that readers of this blog who don't know, know now. I am still trying to catch up with all the new learning juice flowing through the online Universe (Need another 3-4 weeks!).I suppose after watching other sites aggregate or organize University/College lectures or videos (e.g. Academic Earth ), Google came to their (ad) sense, and created their own dashboard or web page where we can access all the educational channels from one space. From this dashboard one can find video lectures from the directory, 'YouTube Edu' specific search, most viewed and most subscribed options. Though, I didn't see a Latest 'YouTube Edu' videos option. Also, it would be cool if it totaled up all and provided one figure (e.g. 150 000) specifying how many EDU videos there are. Actually, it would be even cooler if it was an animated counter, counting up instead of down.In general, I just hope that more educators and students discover this amazing collection of lectures, and find ways to use them for their learning enrichment. Have fun discovering YouTube EDU :)

WHATIt is Friday night, and after a long week of work and thinking (about the future), I am going to have some fun using my imagination to predict the future evolution of the blog (in a light sense). While the blog might have been the ultimate online personal publishing tool a few years back, I suppose the flavor of 2009 is micro-blogging with Twitter in the lead, sweeping through every corner of the world. 10 million+ users now and growing fast. Expect it to reach 50 million+ users by year end.While you require time and effort to maintain a blog (many never reach the second post), you can't say that of micro-blogging. So, why are micro-blogging tools such as Twitter growing in popularity around the world so fast?WHY TWITTER?"Simplicity has played an important role in Twitter's success. People are eager to connect with other people and Twitter makes that simple. Twitter asks one question, "What are you doing?" Answers must be under 140 characters in length and can be sent via mobile texting, instant message, or the web (answered by Twitter)..."Easy to register, easy to learn, easy to connect, easy to write, easy to converse, easy to share, easy to socialize, easy to follow, easy to promote (yourself and your company), easy to message, easy, easy, etc. Seriously, you can have so much fun with so little effort. How do you beat that?TWIT MANIA IN 2013!So, what comes after Twitter or micro-blogging? Molecular blogging? While 140 characters might sound simple, short, easy, and cool today, I predict that we might see tools breaking the barrier further, so here is my solution or idea. Let's just call it TWIT. Not twit (meaning wise!) :)As time passes by, Twitter will loose its trendy edge and people will explore other simpler and easier tools, and eventually Twitter will be seen as a long-winded way to express oneself compared to the new revolution in town. what?Yes, we are talking about 'TWIT' and the year is 2013. People are still fond of blogging and Twitter, but TWIT has taken the world by storm. People are fed up of knowing what others are doing (who cares what you eat for breakfast?), and who has the time to write a sentence or 140 characters.With TWIT you must say what you want within 3 words or 33 characters ('Just Do It'). TWIT asks one question, "What do you think?" And you better be concise and short, or the world won't be following and watching/reading/listening what you have to say. It is really up to you whether you want to post your answer using video, audio, graphics, or text (the tool can detect the words in all modes). Whatever mode you use, you are limited to 33 characters (or 3 words). It's easy, challenging and fun at the same time.People simply love it, and by November 2013, TWIT users has smashed the billion mark. Whether you are on your IPhone Flex or old PC, TWIT users are TWITing an average of 20.5 messages a day. You want to buy a ZaidPhone, and within one search you have 1 million TWIT reflections of what people think about it. And by that time, TWIT uses an intelligent synonym analyzer and a semantic babble doodle to make humanly sense of all these short reflections via a patterned 3D visualization synthesizer (what the h......l is that!).So, what do people love about TWIT? People want to know what others think about this and that, and they love quick trigger answers (Much like headers or slogans). With TWIT you can find out within seconds what millions think about anything you can imagine summarized with a few words. It is amazing!While Twitter users have thousands of followers, popular TWIT users have often millions of followers . Obama was asked, what is your secret weapon to win the 2013 election? And his answer was "TWIT of course!"TIME TO SLEEP!It is getting late, and I am getting sleepy (Nearly 3 am for crying out loud!), and this post needs a break. I need some more time to conceptualize a TWIT that inspires millions. Ops, then comes Rubi on hot wheels. Are the any savvy programmers who are working on a molecular blogging tool right now? Seriously, 140 characters is simply too long to be spicy in 2013. So, will TWIT outshine Twitter in 2013? Time to get back to reality, I mean sleep :)

ccLearnThe Open Education CommunityOPEN EDUCATION"...is the simple and powerful idea that the world’s knowledge is a public good and that technology in general and the Worldwide Web in particular provide an extraordinary opportunity for everyone to share, use, and reuse knowledge." (1)ccLEARNccLearn is a division of Creative Commons dedicated to realizing the full potential of the internet to support open learning and open educational resources. Their mission is to minimize legal, technical, and social barriers to sharing and reuse of educational materials ...moreIn short, they are hosting and facilitating...THE OPEN EDUCATION COMMUNITY"The Open Education community consists of people, institutions, projects, and governmental bodies who are all striving towards similar goals: to positively impact educational access, opportunity, and quality for everyone, everywhere. Here, you can share information of interest to the community, as well as identify and coordinate with peers and collaborators from across this international movement." (2)REFLECTIONCOOL! I even found my blog there (3) as a site to find learning tools (Thanks!). I would surely like to know who posted my blog as a good reference point for tools (not sure if I agree with that)? Of course they are using a Wiki, meaning we can check the history (4). So, now I know it was 'Jane' who posted my blog URL there, but was it her that recommended it, or was it someone else. Who cares! My blog URL is there, and there is no harm in that (great actually!). It was surprising and fun! Thanks for that ego trip :)If you are looking for Open Education Resources (OER) you will probably like the Finding OER section. As mentioned, they are using a wiki to develop the site, meaning you can also contribute without too much hassle. Also, you will find the teachers and learners sections relevant and useful. Whether you want to find, produce, use or join an OER community, you will find something useful and relevant in these sections. But most importantly, they want you to get actively involved and be part of the global OER movement. I suppose the teacher is no longer the main source of knowledge, but just an important resource among many out there. Therefore, being able to navigate and make sense (to the learners) of this growing galaxy of OER is crucial for becoming a great educator and learning facilitator.Finally, I love the website's clean design, lightness and ease-to-navigate. Though, it seems a bit thin in the content department (like most new sites!). But, I suppose as more people discover this community and begin to contribute, the site will truly blossom.If you asked me to TWIT what I think about this Open Education Community initiative, it would be: "About Time!" :)

Directory of Learning Professionals on Twitter (Jane Hart)ZaidLearn's TwitterIMPORTANT NOTICESince I posted this juicy list, Jane Hart has come to her 'Instructional Design' senses, and created an exceptional list of 100 learning professionals that Twitter, which is also based on recommendations by others. Also, she has added links to their blogs and webpages (if any), and designed the list in an organized and stimulating manner. As the list is really juicy, I have decided to endorse and recommend it to others instead of mine (below). For now, I will leave the one I created below as it is. If you are smart, use both lists to build your learning network and connections. So, how do you get to Jane's juicy list? Just CLICK HERE!BEFORE If you are looking for a huge list (1000+), Jane Hart's Twitter directory of learning professionals, is simply amazing. However, some people might want a more filtered list of juicy learning professionals. So, after exploring Jane's amazing list for a couple of hours, I sat down, explored and filtered out all those learning professionals that I would recommend others to follow. No specific criteria was used (e.g. number of followers), except that these learning professionals identified have impacted my learning one way or the other. It was an interesting learning journey...LEARNING PROFESSIONALS?In the coming months, I believe Malaysia and Asia will be hit by the Twitter mania, and I expect one question to be popping up again and again: "Do you have a list of the top learning professionals around the world on Twitter, which we can follow?". The list below, is not ranking, but just numbering to keep track of how many I have identified. Though, I have deliberately added some of the super learning professionals in the first 20 to excite those reading it. This is by no means a static list, and I will update it from time to time. The main reason for assembling this list, is to help people looking for top learning professionals on Twitter. Though, if you are not using Twitter, you can always subscribe to the learning professionals' tweets through RSS. Finally, when you visit a learning professional's Twitter page, you will also find there their blog or site (if any).In short, this list assembled here is to quicken your access to some of the juiciest learning professionals around. Here we go:George Siemens (gsiemens)elearnspace author and consultant, CanadaJane Hart (c4lpt and c4lptnews)Social Media & Learning Consultant and founder of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies (including the one and only Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day).Stephen Downes (downes)OLDaily author, researcher, speakerClive Shepherd (cliveshepherd)Consultant specialising in workplace e-learning Tony Karrer (tkarrer)CEO of TechEmpower Elliott Masie (emasie)Is an internationally recognized learning futurist, analyst, researcher and organizer on the critical topics of workforce learning, business collaboration and emerging technologies.Will Richardson (willrich45)weblogg-edWill Thalheimer (willworklearn)Research-based Learning Insights Wesley Fryer (wfryer)Moving at the Speed of Creativity, authorJay Cross (jaycross)Business consultant, author, expert on informal learningCathy Moore (CatMoore)On a mission to save the world from boring corporate e-learning. Jeff Cobb (jtcobb)Mission to Learn blog author and consultant Julie Lindsay (julielindsay)Head of Information Technology and E-Learning, Qatar Academy, Doha and co-founder of Flat Classroom projectKarl Kapp (kkapp)Professor, Instructional Technology/Author, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PAAlan Levine (cogdog)Instructional TechnologistJudy O'Connell (heyjudeonline)Writing, speaking and consulting on school technology and library issuesJane Bozarth (JaneBozarth)E-Learning Coordinator, AuthorMichele Martin (michelemartin)Web 2.0 for career and professional development, author of the Bamboo Project blogJanet Clarey (jclarey)Researcher in the learning technology space, Brandon HallJohn Connell (JConnell)Education Strategist - Cisco - Emerging MarketsEwan Macintosh (ewanmacintosh)New media, learning and the futureVicki Davis (coolcatteacher)Teacher, blogger, technology geekRobinGood (RobinGood)Hand-picked news, tools and resources for professional web publishersDavid Warlick (dwarlick)30+ year educator, technologist, programmer, author, & public speakerRozhan Idrus (profrozhan)Professor of ODL and TechnogogyZoraini Wati Abas (zoraini)A learning technologist at an open university in Kuala Lumpur, experimenting with emerging technologies - Learning 2.0.Allison Kipta (akipta)Educational technology, elearning, Web 2.0Andrew McAfee (amcafee)Enterprise 2.0 specialist, Harvard Business SchoolBill Brandon (billbrandon)Editor eLearning Guild's Learning Solutions magazineB J Schone (bjschone)Learning Designer from San DiegoBrian Lamb (@brlamb) - Emerging Technologies Discoordinator, Office of Learning Technology, The University of British Columbia Brent Schlenker (bschlenker)Corporate eLearning Consultant Chris Brogan (chrisbrogan)Social media expertChris Penny (chrispenny)Educational Technology Professor and Apple Distinguished Educator, PennsylvaniaClara McCallum (clara_mac)Learning Officer for BBC Scotland LearningCraig Nansen (cnansen)District technology coordinator, Apple Distinguished Educator. STAR Discovery Educator.Collin Kromke (collin_k )Blogger, elearning, Web 2.0, Learning 2.0 Doug Belshaw (dajbelshaw)E-Learning Staff Tutor and History Teacher Dave Cormier (davecormier)Works at edtechtalk, educationbridges and UPEIDolores Reig Hernandez (dreig)T consultant, comunidades, communities, web design, web 2.0, web3.0, web 3.0, e-learning Gavin Dudeney (dudeneyge)Educational Technologist, Barcelona SpainLee Graham (elearning30)Edutainment, Collaboration & Social Learning = Future of eLearning Paul Stewart (elearningnews)eLearning Officer for the Catholic Education Department, AustraliaLucy Gray (elemenous)Technology coach and consultant, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Teacher Elizabeth (Beth) Holmes (ElizabethHolmes)Education Specialist for 21st Century Teaching and Learning, ENTJ Luis Suarez (elsua)Social Computing Evangelist Grainne Conole (gconole )E-Learning Researcher, OUGabriela Grosseck (ggrosseck)Lecturer at West University of Timisoara Romania.Graham Attwell (GrahamAttwell)Founder of Pontydysgu and Director of ResearchGary Woodill (gwoodill )Director, Research & Analysis, Brandon Hall Harold Jarche (hjarche)Learning 20 Consultant from Canada Satish Talim (IndianGuru)Teacher, Educator, Author, Speaker for Ruby programming at RubyLearning Jeffrey Keefer (JeffreyKeefer)Reflective practice in organizational learning, educational technology, and postmodern society Judi Epcke (jepcke)Educator 2.0. from Classroom teacher to Technology Director to Technology Integration SpecialistJerome Hidalgo (JeromeHidalgo)Concepteur Pédagogique Multimédia (e-Learning Designer) Lyon, FranceJoachim Niemeier (JoachimNiemeier)Enterprise 2.0 specialist, University of StuttgartJoan Vinall Cox (JoanVinallCox)Social Media and Learning Consultant, Canada Jeff Utecht (jutecht)Technology Specialist, Shanghai Kevin Jarrett (kjarrett)K-4 Technology Facilitator/Computer Lab Teacher Lars Hyland (larshyland)Specialist in workplace learning technology and e-learning. Interested in memory and learning research. Liz Davis (lizbdavies)Educator who strongly believes in the power of technologyMalinka Ivanova (malinkaiva)Lecturer, Technical University of SofiaScott McLeod (mcleod)Director, CASTLEMiguel Guhlin (mguhlin)Director of Instructional Technology for a large urban district in TexasMichelle Dodd (michelledodd)Passionate about using games and technology to reengage, develop literacies and make learning fun! Chris Morgan (morgsman)Learning and Development enthusiast, practitioner and thought leader, Romsey HampshireMark Prasatik (mprasatik)Consultant, Learning Strategist, Training Director using informal learning and enterprise 2.0 technology to get better results Mike Wesch (mwesch)Social Anthropologist, University of Kansas Nellie Deutsch (nelliemuller)Educator specializing in leadership, curriculum, and instruction, social networking, and blended learningDavid Wiley (opencontent)Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young UniversityPaula White (paulawhite)STAR Discovery Educator, Apple Distinguished Educator Patricia Donaghy (pdonaghy)ICT Teacher, Dublin, Ireland Garr Reynolds (presentationzen)Presentation design guruTony Hirst (psychemedia)Open University, UK Chris Smith (shamblesguru)ICT/Edu Consultant & Digital Nomad, Asia Dean Shareski (shareski)Digital Learning Consultant in Moose Jaw, SK, Canada. Shiv Rajendran (shiv53)Director of Languagelab.com - teaching languages in Second Life since 2005 Todd Gilmore (ToddGilmore)Entrepreneur, Innovation Consultant Jeff O'Hara (zemote)Co-founder of edmodoStian Håklev (houshuang)MA in Higher Ed, OISE/UofT, Toronto. Open access, open learning, peer2peer learning. Martin Ebner (mebner)Researcher: e-Learning, m-Learning and technology enhanced learningIsmael Peña-López (ictlogist)Researcher, lecturer, speaker on the Information Society, ICT4D and the Digital Divide.Susan Sedro (ssedro)Just another EdTech Geek Girl in the tropicsSue Waters (suewaters)Helping others with education, elearning & blogging.Cindy Huggett (cindyhugg)Training and Performance Consultant; Chair of ASTD National Advisors for Chapters (NAC); CPLP; passionate about leadership, learning, and training trainersLynn Marentette (lynnmarentette)School psychologist,consultant, grad studentTracy Hamilton (hamtra)Trying to learn at least one new thing each dayMarcia Conner (marciamarcia)Strategist, Writer, Learner and EducatorCammy Bean (cammybean)eLearning Instructional DesignerRay Schroeder (rayschroeder)UIS Prof Emeritus/Director of Office of Technology Enhanced Learning and Center for Online Learning Research and ServiceChris Betcher (betchaboy)Education, technology and ideasElaine Talbert (etalbert)Secondary languages teacher, principal, now in IT web filter managerDean Groom (deangroom)Head EdTecDev @ Macquarie Uni, Sydney, Author, Blogger, Geek, Air-HeadJohn Larkin (john_larkin)Teaching history, teaching technology, teaching teachers here, there, everywhere...Tomaz Lasic (lasic)Teacher, ed-tech t(h)inker, and Moodle fanJulian Ridden (moodleman)Moodle evangalist, ICT integrator, trainer and presenter all in a single package!Allisun eLearns (allisunelearns)eLearning and Moodle enthusiast; aspiring instructional designer; M.S. Ed in Online Teaching and Learning student.Maryna Badenhorst (marynabadenhors)Teaching and Learning CoachRanelle Maltas (ranellem)Technology trainer and support for the faculty/staff of UNLGreg - elearning (Dr_elearning)Working on creating engaging interactive e-learning modulesBritt Watwood (bwatwood)Online Learning Specialist at Virginia Commonwealth UniversityMark Drapeau (cheeky_geeky)Biological scientist working on defense policy and researchingsocial tools for government useChris Pirillo (chrispirillo)A media-friendly geek who produces content and catalyzes communities. Tech Expert for CNN.com.John Pederson (ijohnpedersen)Building the educational network around the networkIan Usher (iusher)BucksCC's E-Learning Co-ordinator, moodle, Adobe Education LeaderJennifer Maddrell (JenM)EdTech Weekly presenterJudy Brown (judyb)Mobile Learning ConsultantKarl Fisch (karlfisch)Educator and author of The Fischbowl blogLee Lefever (leelefever)CommonCraft video producerMichelle Gallen (michellegallen)Ireland-based e-learning consultant and instructional designerAaron Silvers (mrch0mp3rs)On the SCORM Technical Working Group and LETSI, Learning ConsultantKim Cofino (mscofino)21st Century Literacy Specialist at the International School Bangkok, ThailandMartin Weller (mweller)Professor of Educational Technology at the OUSteve Hargadon (stevehargadon)Educational TechnologistTheo Kuechel (theokk)Technologies for Learning, Archives - Collections, Open Educational Resources, Music and other social activities....Graeme Boxwell (LearningTech1)Learning Technologist at the City of Sunderland CollegeNeil Lasher (Neillasher)e-Learning development specialist and Instructional Design coachJosh Bersin (Josh_Bersin)Corporate Talent, HR, and Learning Analyst and CEO of research and advisory services firm Bersin & Associates.Olavur Ellefsen (olavur)Founder of Simprentis - developer of learning simulations and provider of team-based education and training to oil and gasRay Jimenez (RayJimenez)CEO of Vignettes for Training, Inc. author 3-Minute e-Learning and Scenario-based LearningEdrie Greer (explorelearn)Learning/performance consultant, explorer, devil's advocate, media developer, nature lover, eclectically curious gal. Proud owner of 2 Belgian TervurensYuri Quintana (yuriquintana)e-health, e-learning, innovation, web 2.0, Internet social networks, global causes, global healthRJ Jacquez (rjacquez)Adobe Evangelist for eLearning and Technical Communication. All about Innovative Technologies, Social Media Adobe in general, Family and Helping othersJay Lambert (LambertJay)CEO, Integrated Learning Services (e-learning)Manish Mohan (manishmo)Collaborative and Informal Learning, Management, Performance enhancement, Entrepreneurship, Technology, Amateur photographyHall Davidson (HallDavidson)Blogs, speaks, works with teacher network for Discovery (the Discovery Educator Network. Hopeless ed tech geek since '73.Again, I have to thank Jane Hart for her amazing directory, because without it, it would be a real headache finding the learning professionals I have assembled above. Thank you so much!OTHER LISTS?Here are other interesting lists of learning professionals on Twitter (as I discover):Indian Learning Professionals on Twitter100 Educators on Twitter to FollowTop … ELT (English Language Teachers) To Follow On TwitterFinally, if you think you are a super learning professional and believe you should be on this list, please comment or shoot me an e-mail. The list can always grow (or shrink) :)