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Welcome to EDUC 58075 ÒTeaching Effectively OnlineÓ

http://lone-eagles.com/teachwelcome.html

 

To Begin the Class: Go to  http://lone-eagles.com/teachingbegin.html

and/or review the syllabus, http://lone-eagles.com/teachsyll.html

 

and/or review the class website at http://lone-eagles.com/teaching.html

...where the lessons will appear as "live" hyperlinks when they are ready.


An Informal Welcome and Overview:

There are profound changes afoot. Internet users now prefer videos to web pages. Personal devices such as Ipads and smartphones are used for access to an increasingly diverse range of information – including elearning, often mediated by peers instead of formal educators. Apps that deliver information directly to mobile devices are replacing the use of web pages to access information. Social media seems to be everywhere. We hear of cloud computing and new online tools and applications almost daily.

 

www.udemy.com offers tools to create free video courses, and viewing their free "How-To" course will show you how.

 

www.jingproject.com (take the 2 minute tour) is a free program you can learn in a few minutes to allow you to create "How-to" videos online, too.

 

For Educators, the "New Normal" is learning to do more with less, as budget cuts redefine what schools and educators can afford to do for their students. With class sizes doubling, and online learning replacing classroom learning, can we still maintain the quality of education and most pointedly a meaningful teacher/student relationship, even if limited to occasional two-way video chats?

 

A few facts: One third of HS students nationally walk away from a free public education. In the 17 largest cities the figure is over 50%. In China and India students greatly value the luxury of being able to receive an education and devote 12-14 hours a day without complaint.  Will the U.S. be globally competitive? Where is the work ethic of the previous generations? How can we motivate youth to value their own potential and to stick with the simple goal of at least getting a HS diploma?

 

One American in 100 is in prison. One Alaskan Native male in 35 is in prison. 75% of those in prison lack a HS diploma. What's gone wrong? How did we get here?

 

Using the Internet, anyone motivated can learn most anything, and in question these days is whether the rising cost of college degrees justifies the return. Many successful business startups have been lead by college drop-outs (but not HS drop outs.)

 

Youth are very motivated by social media, but at most schools all such devices and collaboration tools are prohibited.  Mobile learning might be a way to reengage students who feel schools are too far behind to be relevant.

 

But, what matters most depends on who you are, what you want and/or need, and whether you can drink from a firehose, or prefer to sip from a straw.

 

Teens today average 100 text messages a day, and have an average of 10,000 hours of video games under their belts. Elders, might enjoy 2-way video with family, and exploring topical videos, but likely will prefer less to more.

 

One bit of good news, with 2 billion now online, the best distance learning content can get to more people, faster, than ever before. The bad news is 2 billion rural citizens will swell the worst of urban slums in the next decade, likely to have a smartphone with broadband and little else. The global challenge is whether these folks can learn, perhaps from you directly, how to create enough value to buy a meal to live another day.

 

I think youÕll enjoy the following 15 minute videos from http://TED.com

 

An Optional Visioning Tutorial to Kindle Your Imagination

 

We're limited only by our imaginations as our one human family learns to join voices, virtually. The "Promise of Broadband" is literally that the clouds will part and the angels will sing. As you watch this short video, think about a new type of Facebook with individuals posting short video testimonies on what they believe in and are learning to contribute. Imagine elegant visuals mirroring to all which individuals are being Òmost effectiveÓ helping others as an area ripe for innovation. Many successfully new media entrepreneurs are now focusing on ÒmeaningfulÓ social media.

1. http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_whitacre_a_virtual_choir_2_000_voices_strong.html

NOTE: Video biographies for individuals with disabilities are at www.itsourstory.org - The founder, Scott Cooper, could use funding support. Recommended: View the short video on the home page.

 

2. The Hole in Wall experiment in India demonstrated how kids taught themselves how to use a computer placed in a hole in the wall.  Here's a recent 18 minute TED talk from that project founder - related to Love of Learning,  models for self-directed learning where teachers are not affordable,  and kids as the global solution.

Note: The Granny Cloud refers to Elders mentoring youth as they engage in self-directed digital learning - simply by giving youth encouragement and attention: Most youth need a minimum of five adult mentors to encourage learning, and the 'the love of learning.'

http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html

3. Two billion will leave rural areas to swell urban slums in the next decade, but we're learning how to empower those in poverty in ways we all can contribute to;

Melinda French Gates: What nonprofits (and for-profits) can learn from Coca-Cola

http://www.matr.net/article-42944.html

 At TEDxChange, Melinda Gates makes a provocative case for nonprofits taking a cue from corporations such as Coca-Cola, whose plugged-in, global network of marketers and distributors ensures that every remote village wants -- and can get -- a Coke. Why shouldn't this work for condoms, sanitation, vaccinations too? How about peer mentoring and educational goals? Aspirational marketing is a theme to take a hard look at.

4.  The Khan Academy is a new metrics-based approach to education.  But it begs the question of the overall motivational context, in my humble option. There is still a lot of room for innovation.

Master learning with new K12 assessment metrics. Google and Gates gave this project $3 million – touted as the future of education.

http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html

www.khanacademy.com

5. Did you know there is a $100 Billion/year market for sharing services?
I.E. Doing more with less.
If we all share what we know, we'll all have access to all our knowledge. AND, we can all benefit by sharing our stuff - when we're not using it. Smarter ways of supporting each other are now easier than ever as broadband gives us the means to connect needs and resources. If we can all learn to get by at less cost through sharing, everyone wins.

Collaborative Consumption http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/rachel_botsman_the_case_for_collaborative_consumption.html

6. Would you believe anyone can easily learn to create their own online video class for free?   And you could offer your course for a fee, and what if thousands bought it, even at $5?

See the Udemy "how to" video at www.udemy.com

7. Anyone can quickly create a free online video capture literally showing and explaining how to use new web 2.0 tools. I.E. NowÉEveryone CAN be both learner and teacher, consumer and producer. Take the 2 minute tour at www.jingproject.com

8. A Must SEE Video: ÒDid you know?Ó   (six minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIDLIwlzkgY&feature=related   In our age of accelerating change, here are some fast facts to start you thinking. But donÕt worry, this class will not be presented at this pace, but you might see somethings you didnÕt know.