eLearningpod.com

Here is a good infographic that provides an overview of six different models of blended learning:

http://www.edudemic.com/blended-learning-infographic-2/

Good article on teaching online at:

http://www.educationforallblog.org/education-and-technology/backwards-and-in-high-heels-teaching-well-online

Particularly like:

“But if a great teacher is to the classroom what Fred Astaire was to dancing, then an online teacher must be even better because teaching online is far more challenging than teaching face-to-face. Like Ginger Rogers, the online teacher has to do everything Astaire does—but backwards and in high heels”

and

“Good teachers demonstrate mastery in their content area. They know how to use content-specific pedagogical practices; they use multiple forms of assessment and offer useful feedback for student learning. They tailor types of instruction and the pace and levels of difficulty to individual learner needs. They are effective and clear communicators. They set clear learning goals and expectations, establish a positive classroom climate, possess high degrees of efficacy, and involve all students in sharing ideas and in the learning process (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005; Burns & Strategic Planning Development Team, 2012).”

Good blog posting on “How Colors Can Enhance Memory Performance” at:

http://blog.edynco.com/instructional-design/how-colors-can-enhance-memory-performance/

Great points to keep in mind as I begin to develop a new online course. This is from a new blog called Ednyco that I discovered this weekend. The blog is for a Learning Maps tool which is kind of cool and the blog topics focus on cognitive learning. Some of the topics include:

• Simple technique that helps your students to remember more – bite sized pieces; “not about the content, but is about how the content is presented considering cognitive learning theory”.
• How to create efficient quizzes?

10 Super Powers of Instructional Designers:

http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/331573/10-Super-Powers-of-the-World-s-Greatest-Instructional-Designer

A  popular discussion topic on many eLearning forums is “What microphone should I buy?”.  Over at eLearning Brothers they have started a series on “How to record voice overs for eLearning“. There are a lot of different opinions about recording equipment.

I’m currently using the Blue Snowball mic, but would like to invest in something new. Because I record in a big empty room in my condo, I’ve also purchased the Porta-Booth Pro. A bit expensive, but the best solution at the time.

Ideally, I would like a space that is set up for audio and video recording, but until that time my home grown studio will have to do the job. Check out the article on “Voiceovers for elearning” at:

http://elearningbrothers.com/how-to-record-voice-overs-for-elearning-part-1/

Good list of resources for developing online interaction:

http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/resources-2/resources-for-developing-online-interaction/

The article included a link to the COFA series Learning to Teaching Online, which I have used in the past for faculty development. Good to review again.

From Donald Clark via Steven Downes – “It’s not about courses stupid, it’s content” and “flip your mind and see MOOCs not as courses but free content. ” Yes. Totally agree.

http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.ca/2013/12/moocs-c-word-is-problem.html

A good article on using screencasts and videos in education. I like that it includes a brief overview of cognitive load theory in multi-media (Clarke and Mayer, 2008). Too often we have so called “online gurus and experts” leading projects and talking about online education who don’t have any background in instructional design or knowledge of educational theories, or experience in teaching online or ftf. The article also describes specific examples of how screencasts and videos have been used in education and the tools used (Articulate and Camtasia!) to develop the examples. This was the focus of my last sabbatical and it is refreshing to hear from someone else who combines practical application and theory in designing for learning.

http://michaelseery.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Screencasting-and-videos-in-science-education.pdf

via Garr Reynolds (http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2013/12/sir-ken-robinson-gives-best-talk-yet-at-ted-education.html )