XLS Commons
Posted on June 29, 2009
Filed Under Emerging Technologies, Instructional Design | Leave a Comment
In response to the question ‘What percentage of the knowledge you need to do your job is stored in your own mind?’, knowledge workers in 1986 responded, 75%; in 1997, 15 to 20%; and in 2006, 8 to 10%. Source: Robert Kelley, Carnegie Mellon University. In today’s workplace, it’s common for individuals to work in teams where they generate and discuss ideas, come to agreement on issues of strategic importance and represent their organization through the production of high quality items. In the last few years, it has also become increasingly apparent that being effective in the workplace means being literate with online information, locating and accessing learning networks as well as harnessing the expertise of online communities. To ask our own question, how well we are preparing students to be successful in today’s workforce? Read more
Posted on June 22, 2009
Filed Under Engagement | 1 Comment
We spent considerable time on Day One establishing some common understanding of what we all meant by engagement. This should not be surprising, I suppose, given the audience and given the term itself, which can easily and understandably be applied to a whole range of activities (none of them prenuptial). Read more
Posted on June 22, 2009
Filed Under Operational Efficiency | 2 Comments
Keith and Clare, part of the XLS team, shared these interesting articles about ways that colleges and universities are cutting costs. For example, Davidson saved more than $10,000 by switching from bottled water to tap at most college events:
I am inviting suggestions regarding how UM can provide drinking water to the up to 2800 undergraduate students and faculty mentors who will be visiting our campus April 15-17, 2010 for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. We have concerns for both cost and the environment. Providing multiple bottles of water is expensive and environmentally wasteful – yet the affordable plastic bottles we could provide for refill are smelly and there would be no way for participants to wash them prior to using. At this point, we are planning to suggest that students bring their own Kleen Kanteens or Nalgenes and we will provide tankers of fresh drinking water for refills, but perhaps you have other good ideas and suggestions. I’d appreciate it if you added your comments below.
Thank you,
Janie
Posted on June 22, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Whether you’re teaching an online course or simply interested in learning more about them, it can be difficult to know where to access scholarly research on online education. Many peer-reviewed journals addressing online education and educational technology are available online, free of charge. These are the ones I find myself returning to on a regular basis:
Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology: http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt
Innovate: Journal of Online Education: http://innovateonline.info/?view=about
Journal of Online Teaching and Learning (JOLT): http://jolt.merlot.org/index.html
Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology: http://www.rcetj.org/
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration (OJDLA): http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/
Publications in these journals typically represent a range of academic disciplines, and the articles address topics such as learning theory, online pedagogy, instructional design, program design and development, and technology and learning.
I hope you’ll check some of them out and also share your favorites with all of us who follow the XLS Commons.
Photo by D'Arcy Norman @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnorman/2198263168/
Posted on June 17, 2009
Filed Under Emerging Technologies, r3 | 1 Comment
With the furor surrounding social media tools like Twitter and Facebook, modern educators are increasingly tempted to brave the turbid waters of the internet in the hopes of finding new and interesting ways to enhance the classroom experience. However, for many of us who have never used these tools before, the question then becomes, “Where do I even start?”
At the 2009 Interactive Technology in Education conference in Finland, keynote speaker Andrea Vascellari addresses this question by presenting concrete examples of social media at work in the field of education. In doing so, he brings to light an important point that I think deserves more attention: even tech-savvy students that already use these tools in their personal lives probably don’t use them as intelligently as they could.
The social media experiment is ongoing, and society is still coming to grips with the ways it can change how we learn and communicate. It’s fine to feel a little overwhelmed, but it’s still too soon to throw in the towel if you don’t have a Facebook page and have never Twittered a single Tweet; you’re probably not as behind the curve as you think.
Regardless of experience level or exposure, everyone has something they can contribute to the conversation surrounding social media in education. Do you have any ideas for using these new communication tools to enhance the learning experience?
keep looking »