21st Teaching

I'm happy to see references coming out about 21st Century Teaching. As much as educators may know about the 21st learning skills, integrating them into course experience is another.

I will start here with a couple brief references because this topic will undoubtedly warrent

more than one post:

So to start -- here's a faculty site which provided professional development to this end:

http://www.cte.usf.edu/. The goals are quite modestly stated, but they are there, and the tools are there to get people started. E-learning is essential for all deliveries, given the fact e-practice is pervasive in 21st century living.

Additionally, Bloom's digital taxonomy connects learning objectives to web2.0 tools for demonstrating knowledge at different levels, and also includes the verbs related to the Web2.0 capacities.

Critical Thinking Video

The ability to questions sources and claims is truly a key requirement in all ages, and remains so in the information age. This video defines critical thinking and makes the case nicely:

How Are We Doing? Evaluating Technology-Based Practices in Our Courses

This slideshow is adapted from one initially prepared for the City University of Hong Kong. A few slides were added to
define e-learning and it's part in 21st Century Learning.

How Are We Doing? Evaluating Technology-Based Practices in Our Courses

View more presentations from ConstantLearning.

Towards US Online Quality Assurance: What are the Policy Issues?

Just returned from two presentations in Hong Kong about models for developing and evaluating quality e-learning to see the US College Presidents Forum at Excelsior College, a meeting to discuss state policy barriers to a U.S. Quality Assurance System for online learning.

While all accrediting regions have adopted WICHE/WCET's Best Practices for the Delivery of Online Degrees and Programs, the way they play out vary.

This 2005 sampling presents how state policies express the implementation of the WICHE/WCET standards. Montana's appear to be the most explicit. In reviewing these sites for updates, some of these links are no longer available (like MT, for example). If you have updates you would like to share in email, that would be most appreciated.

Examples of States within a defined Accreditation Region	Accrediting Region	State Policy Incorporating WICHE-WCET/ CHEA DE Practices at State Higher Education Policy Level	Expressed State Policy Elements Responsive to WICHE-WCET/WICHE Standards
CO, MN, OH	North Central (NCA)	Montana (1999): http://www.montana.edu/wochelp/borpol/bor300/3037. Htm.	All WICHE/WICHE Standards are expressed in the Faculty and Course Management and Support sections under IV. Standards and Conditions, Policy 303.7, Delivery of Instruction via Telecommunication.
TX/FL/KY	Southern (SACS)	Kentucky (1998): http://www.kyvu.org/kyvu/additional-info.asp#guiding	As directly quoted from Kentucky’s site (1998,“Guiding Principles”): Implement the vision, goals, and objectives of the statewide strategic agenda for postsecondary education. Recognize institutional missions and their respective strategic plans. Effectively and efficiently utilize existing resources, including faculty, services, and information technology, to accomplish its goals. Capitalize on and create synergies among the educational resources and services of in-state institutions, both public and independent. Use regional, national, and international resources to meet the needs of students that cannot be met by in-state institutions. Use available state resources, including public schools, in the delivery of post-secondary education. Develop importing and outsourcing options where appropriate. Use educational best practices across the country and globe to conceptualize, develop, deliver, and evaluate instruction, student services, and faculty development. Respond promptly to demonstrated needs for programs and courses by providing instruction, learning resources, and student services where and when needed. Respond promptly to demonstrated needs for programs and courses by providing instruction, learning resources, and student services where and when needed. Promote faculty and staff reward and recognition systems that value innovative uses of alternative delivery systems. Recognize, evaluate and, where appropriate and feasible, adopt state-of-the-art technologies and processes that can best serve Kentucky's needs. Integrate, to the maximum extent possible, assessment of the KYVU with the CPE's existing accountability and comprehensive data base systems. Address intellectual property and copyright issues. Produce high quality student learning.
ME/RI/CT	North Eastern (NE	RI (1997): http://www.ribghe.org/disted.pdf	Expresses the directive that DE should build on” established system and institutional missions and quality academic programs,” and use DE to expand access, opportunity, with quality.
AK/WA/OR/ID/UT	Northwestern NW	Oregon (1995): http://www.ous.edu/dist-learn/dist-pol.htm	Framework provides for “Planning, Quality and Program/Courses; Student Services; Faculty Issues; Tuition/Fees and Student Enrollments; and Technical Standards”
NY/PA/ MD	Middle States (Middle)	NY (2004): http://web.nysed.gov/ocue/distance/	Framework: Draws from Middle States adoption of WICHE/WCET best practices, and “Statement of Commitment Document.” Defines deliveries outside the state and seat-time equivalencies (good instruction, regardless of format).
I, CA	Western (W)	Hawaii (1998): http://www.hawaii.edu/ovppp/distlearn/policy.htm	Framework: Access, Instructional Quality are addressed.

Figure 1: State Policy Language Reflective of WICHE/WCET Best Practices

I have two questions about the policy issues: 1) Do the policy barriers relate to competition among a state's institutions for various student populations in a state or beyond? 2) Conversely, what can ensure transfer of quality courses among states, beyond a local attitude, that if it doesn't come from us, the student really should take our course?

James Alliban: Augmented Reality in Education

Check out this SlideShare Presentation on augmented reality--the embedding of "computer generated information in 2D or real world objects: See this explanation. Once these codes are read from scanning software on a device such as a Smartphone, the reader is connected to the digital content. Thank you James for this great set of augmented reality examples.

James Alliban: Augmented Reality in Education

View more presentations from University of London Computer Centre (ULCC).

A Review of and a Link to a Useful Multimedia Selection Guide

This is a helpful guide for the many considerations for blended learning by authors Dr. Jolly Holden, Dr. Philip Westfall, and Dr. Keysha Gamor:

AN INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA SELECTION GUIDE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING—IMPLICATIONS FOR BLENDED LEARNING FEATURING AN INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUAL WORLDS

http://www.usdla.org/USDLA_Ins_Media.pdf

The strength of this short publication is that it connects cognitive strategies to instructional strategies to tech choices. It also names some of the limitations of those tech uses along with suggestions for types of instructional activities for a particular choice.

The section on virtual world applications clearly defines and discusses the potential for their instructional activity.

This is a useful guide for practioners and designers (and for the many who serve both roles) both early and somewhere along the road. For the more advanced, you may also be asking for more on Virtual worlds, and serious games, but this is a very good start. Nonetheless, the material here will also give the more experienced a chance to examine their current practices.

One point I think about as I design are questions to ask the learners. What are they using? Would their choices help them learn in this particular class? How?

Most recently I’ve also been thinking about the potential for certain activities across multiple applications and platforms. This choice of interoperatibility could immediately increase access to various activities for the various learners likely to come into a course.

Thank you to the authors and USDLA --- this is a clearly written, very useful contribution to the development of 21st century teaching and learning.

Ben Harper, Harrison and Arthur

Become a member Live at KCRW on Morning Becomes Eclectic 08.26.10

Alec Couros' Presents on Informal Networks

Alec Couros is a higher educator for U of Regina. His presentation illustrates the way social medial has caused an explosion of knowledge and human sources for learning opportunity. Two good points: 1) Certain literacies are an important part of benefitting from such opportunity, and 2) How does a skilled educator facilitate such opportunity?

How Informal Learning Networks Can Transform Education

View more presentations from Alec Couros.

Tech Tools for Assessment

This presentation is due for some updates, but I wanted to share this assessment presentation LisaMarie Johnson and I put together a while ago.

Letting Them Show What They Know: Tech Tools for Assessment

New Designs for Assesssment

I enjoyed doing this presentation with CCCOnline's Karen Kaemmerling.

It addressed opportunities for interactive and engaging formative and summative assessment practices.

New Designs for Assesssment

Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0: What's on Your Plate?

The theme for this training day was the Web 2.0 Buffet -- fun theme.

Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0: What's on Your Plate?

Increasing Learner Opportunities With Recent Technologies

Increasing Learner Opportunities With Recent Technologies

View more presentations from ConstantLearning.

Second Life Publications and How to Cite SL Sources

The Info Island Virtual Community Library has a wealth of online, print, and article bibs for books and articles about SL, as well as some links that show how to cite for SL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island/84/58/36. There's an SL archiving site also.

If You Put the Tweet Button on Your Site

This video explains how putting the Tweet Button on your site makes it easy for someone to tweet easily from your url: (See mine at the right.)

Getting Re-Directed and Focused

I have been away from the online world for a bit. Took a month away to see my mother and relatives in Minnesota.

It marked the first time in many years that I actually had some unstructured time.The occasion? I chose to re-direct, you know, the early boomer, second career choice. That said, I'm back :).

In my next work, I look forward to the opportunities to

• design learning environments for specific communities of users, ones which support learning success and incorporate appropriate 21st century tools and strategies
• define and apply quality evaluation models for projects and courses
• explore, communicate, and train others on new technologies that support learning
• contribute to global efforts in the positive outcomes made possible through educational communities

Social Learning: an explanation using Twitter

View more presentations from Jane Hart.

How to create a post in Blogger.com

Over the Top QR Code Project

This week I attended the ELearning Colorado Consortium Conference.

One term referred to in a keynote was augmented reality. I had seen some examples earlier this year but had forgotten about them.

The Strange Librarian so nicely explains augmented reality as "placing computer-based or cloud-based information on real-world locations" (or items). QR codes are an augmented reality application. QR means Quick Reference and is a 2D image which transmits such digital information through scanning software.

These codes (like bar codes) are read by a reader in camera phones (though you can download them to desktops, at least in some cases). So you might have product info, or maps, or contact info, or a photo, or websites. You may now see them in magazines or on products or even on some buildings.

Sites are available to download the scanner software for a variety of phones, and sites also allow each of us create QR codes.

The keynoters had made mention of QR on t-shirts, and I did have some fun looking at QR codes on T-Shirts, bags, business cards, and caps. Coming across this video took it right over the top, though -- how to use a knitting machine to create a scarf with your desired QR code:

Rick Steves: Travel as a Political Act

Rick Steves is known for his guidebooks, but last year he came out with a book, Travel as a Political Act.

Here's a video of a guest appearance he made and how personalizing a place can take away the fear of it, and this can be accomplished through travel:



He has a blog and you can also follow him on Twitter:

Rick Steves' Blog

MMMGood Curriculum Innovation: An Interview with Todd Rymer

Why is Todd Studying a Seed Catalog?

As a food professional, Todd Rymer, Director of Culinary Education at the Vail /Eagle Valley Campus has been following Chefs Collaborative, one of the first organizations to directly connect chefs with food growers, for over a dozen years. Todd helped found a Slow Food convivia (chapter) in the Vail Valley about six years ago. Slow Food is an international organization promoting food that is “good, clean, and fair.” The movement focuses on local food as well as food free of chemicals, and food that provides a fair wage for the agricultural growers.

In addition to these important issues, a sustainable foodservice operation must also consider issues of energy, water consumption, chemicals, equipment, to-go containers, recycling and marketing of “green” practice. About three years ago, CMC added a course in Sustainable Cuisine to the CCCNS. As consumers and foodservice operators have further embraced sustainability, market research provided support to move this knowledge and practice into the CMC curriculum – an academic process that requires patience in the face of curriculum development that can still be timely and competitive.

So starting next fall, CMC will offer a certificate in Sustainable Cuisine Operations. In addition to many of the culinary courses already in the curriculum, the certificate includes: Intro to Sustainable Cuisine, Sustainable Food Operations and a revised course that adds vegan and vegetarian entrees preparation to Center of the Plate courses that formerly focused on beef, pork, poultry, and seafood entrees. As the certificate is expanded, courses will be offered in agro-ecology to help students learn about the environmental impacts of food production for restaurants that not only buy food, but grow it.

As we ended our conversation last week, I noticed a seed catalog on his desk—why was it on his desk? It’s part of his ongoing professional development—he’s taking a Colorado Master Gardner’s Class to forward his own expertise and share that development back with the newest of practices.

The Future Skype: Embedded in TV

What educational opportunities might this new development provide?

Textual Literacy, Technology and the Visually Impaired

More synchronicity? There's an article today in the NY Times Magazine about the effects of new technology on literacy and the visually impaired. Levels of textual literacy has been distinguished in the visually-impaired community by the use of Braille and the standard conventions of written language. Though text-to- voice makes for access to information via text-to-voice, we return to the question of how the tech advances influence written textual expressions by visually impaired people.

Braille's End?

These questions seem to relate to my last post--so if we move to post-literate expressions (mediums), what happens to the perception that educated persons are able to express themselves through textual communications?

Literacy, Aliteracy and Post-Literacy

I've just been visiting with my niece, an elementary teacher and reading specialist, about our recent reads. She brought up the term "aliteracy"-- having the ability to read, but choosing not to. I have a hard time with the thought that we can forsake reading of text and forsake critical thinking without making ourselves vulnerable to manipulation by people who create spin, for example.

After talking with her, I did a bit of reading about "post-literacy" as well -- the development of media-based communications, which could question whether we would need textual literacy skills and came across this blog post:

http://somanybooksblog.com/2009/03/16/are-we-headed-toward-a-post-literate-world/

I don't think that literature will go away (though it's form may change) or fully believe that post-literacy would need to fully ignore textual forms that might inform new mediums. I'd still make the case for textual literacy as an educational under-girding for wherever we are headed.

Test blog post