tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34383852012-02-02T20:00:50.824-08:00Brainstorm in ProgressGeoff Cain explores education, elearning, open education resources, open textbooks, and social networks. Join the conversation!Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.comBlogger3371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-58746655065651646722012-01-30T10:27:00.000-08:002012-01-30T10:27:09.894-08:00Apple Innovates Away Textbook Access and AffordabiltyI wanted to write a few notes here about many of the questions and comments I have read on Twitter and elsewhere about the iPad and textbook authoring. Two things that Apple does well is marketing and innovation. Sometimes though, the two don't speak well together. Apple is "reinventing" the textbook only for those who haven't been watching the textbook get reinvented over the last ten years. TheGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-8325725475756481592012-01-24T11:48:00.000-08:002012-01-24T11:48:41.061-08:00Daum Equation EditorWe had a faculty member who is teaching chemistry for non-majors ask us to come up with an equation editor that would not require his students to learn LaTex or ML - the subject is tough enough without having the students learn code as well. We went through a lot of candidates and we came to the conclusion that math people don't do visual stuff very well. We sent out the hounds on Twitter and Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-53707562186099153152012-01-23T09:50:00.000-08:002012-01-23T09:50:45.029-08:00Open Education Week Coming in MarchThis from Cable Green at Creative Commons: "Join your colleagues around the world to increase understanding about open education! Open Education Week will take place from 5-10 March 2012 online and in locally hosted events around the world. Image via CrunchBaseThe objective is to raise awareness of the open education movement and open educational resources. There are several ways you and your Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-81420004377367439552012-01-19T09:09:00.000-08:002012-01-19T09:23:29.309-08:00OERs: Why Commercial Electronic Textbooks Are No BargainEarlier this month, there was a posting at the California State Library blog that said that, according to a Dayton College study, the savings for students using electronic textbooks was only a dollar: "Despite the promise that digital textbooks can lead to huge cost savings for students, a new study at Daytona State College has found that many who tried e-textbooks saved only one dollar, Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-58829588739346946702012-01-18T09:51:00.000-08:002012-01-18T09:52:18.127-08:00SOPA Resistance DayOn Jan 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We need to kill the bill - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity. See this timeline of SOPA and PIPA events and the activist backlash.
What can you do?
Image by ~C4Chaos via Flickr
If you have a Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-13619131879790689812012-01-13T08:59:00.000-08:002012-01-23T15:18:20.174-08:00My Nigerian MillionsThis is the Tech Beat article I wrote for the Times Standard:
By last count, I have made over $3.5 billion on the Internet since 1997. It has not come all at once; the money trickles in a few million dollars at a time. Every once in a while a whopping $100 million will just appear out of the blue. Apparently, I have a lot of friends in Nigeria: a widow of a former financial director, a Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-15817631078556404532012-01-11T15:05:00.000-08:002012-01-11T15:05:05.842-08:00DE 101: Online Student SuccessLondon College of Fashion short courses I wanted to share a few notes here about our orientation to online learning. Here at College of the Redwoods, Barry Tucker and I have created "DE 101" - our free, not-for-credit, fully online student orientation to online learning. This is our syllabus. NB: This posting is meant to be a chatty draft of a more formal paper that Barry Tucker and I will writeGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-2332822396508300742012-01-05T09:48:00.000-08:002012-01-05T09:48:04.728-08:00OER Books & Journals: Don't forget Europe!Image via WikipediaI came across a great site in my morning reading: OAPEN (Open Access Publishing in European Networks) which "is a collaborative initiative to develop and implement a sustainable Open Access publication model for academic books in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The OAPEN Library aims to improve the visibility and usability of high quality academic research by aggregating Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-86799723179288628952011-12-31T17:07:00.000-08:002011-12-31T17:17:43.265-08:00New Year's Eve Technology PredictionsEvery year we are treated to a wide range of predictions in the technology field. Typically Futurists write about what they think will happen. I have included in my list things that I think will not happen as well. This could be valuable advice for investors. My predictions are based on extensive research, a thorough review of data including white papers, reports and various old serials and comicGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-54424447410001724762011-12-19T16:58:00.000-08:002011-12-19T20:52:00.054-08:00Vaclev Havel and the 300-Baud Velvet RevolutionImage via WikipediaI was familiar with Václav Havel through his writings and only later came to understand his significance as a politician (I hate to use that word to describe people I like) as communism fell. Havel had to distribute some of his writings as "samizdat" - slang for self-publishing - because the means of communication was held by the state. Samizdat was a key form of dissident Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-30356944161926758362011-12-16T17:58:00.000-08:002011-12-16T18:02:39.048-08:00Help Shape Creative Commons 4.0Image by jorgeandresem via FlickrThis just in from the ubiquitous Cable Green:
Creative Commons has officially opened the public discussion process for version 4.0 of the CC license suite. Please see the announcement below, and join the discussion by subscribing to the CC license discussion list (link in blog post, below).
As we all know, the core part of any OER definition is the educational Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-86171857824768696932011-12-12T15:21:00.000-08:002011-12-13T08:57:06.889-08:00Open Content Licensing for Educators WorkshopImage via CrunchBaseThis in from Cable Green: Creative Commons, the OER Foundation and Ako Aotearoa announce an international professional development opportunity for all educators.
What: Open content licensing for educators workshop (#OCL4Ed)
Where: Online
When: 23 -27 January 2012
Cost: Free
Registration: Open (register today)
Facilitators:
Cable Green, Director Global Learning, Creative Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-32893877605456523122011-12-11T16:22:00.000-08:002011-12-11T17:00:17.058-08:00Redwood Technology Consortium's Annual Holiday Tweet-UpThe Redwood Technology Consortium welcomes the public to join them at the 3rd annual Holiday Tweet-up, Wednesday, Dec. 14, at Greenway Partners in Arcata from 6:00-10:00 P.M.
The Tweet-up started three years ago with the intention of providing a face-to-face meeting place for community members whose main interaction was through social networking websites, like Twitter and Facebook. The event hasGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-88460894129466391422011-12-03T17:42:00.000-08:002011-12-04T08:13:21.184-08:00On Learning LatinImage via WikipediaI once walked into a beginning Latin class at U.C. Berkeley. I hadn't made up my mind whether I was going to take the class or not. Right off the bat, the teacher had us reciting "amo, amas, amat..." - all 40 of us in unison - in other words, it was going to be one of those classes where rote memorization was the key learning method. I raised my hand and asked why we were Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-51454033293089874522011-11-29T09:15:00.000-08:002011-11-29T09:50:12.044-08:00Public Domain Music Keeps Getting BetterImage via WikipediaHow does public domain music keep getting better? For one thing, the technology being used to clean up sound files has gotten significantly better. Many of the online archives of audio suffered from some pretty raw recordings from wax-cylinders and old 78s. This music is in the public domain and free but much of it was listenable only for real fans. There is some really amazingGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-46996668539833724832011-11-16T15:30:00.000-08:002011-11-16T15:34:20.507-08:00Call for Open Education PracticesImage by Matthias Ripp via Flickr
This is from Abel Caine:
UNESCO is a member of the Open Educational Quality Initiative (OPAL) which aimed to create a new open educational practices (OEP) framework.
Open educational practices were defined as practices which support the production, use and reuse of open educational resources (OER) which help learners, educational professionals, organizational Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-40357116840323806872011-11-10T16:32:00.000-08:002011-11-10T16:54:14.023-08:00Why #Occupy will succeedGeorge Siemens wrote an interesting post on the Occupy Movement earlier this month. I think he gets that leaderless, connected groups can succeed but he also writes "I saw a few #occupy members on Colbert Report yesterday. They may not be representative, but I was left with a sense of 'wow, I don’t speak their language…I have ZERO interest in being a part of what they are talking about.'" I Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-87341813732608515302011-11-03T08:42:00.000-07:002011-11-03T08:42:29.835-07:00Job Announcement: Open Education DirectorImage by wiccked via FlickrTacoma Community College, an innovative college in an innovative state, is advertising for an "Open Education Program Program Director." I can tell you by direct experience that this is a good college to work for. I think the fact that there is an American community college advertising for such a position is incredibly significant. I am hoping as progress is made in Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-76890307994418704962011-10-31T13:24:00.000-07:002011-10-31T20:52:19.517-07:00WA Open Course Library saves students millionsImage via Wikipedia
GROUNDBREAKING STATE-SPONSORED PROGRAM CREATES FREE COURSE MATERIALS THAT WILL SAVE COLLEGE STUDENTS MILLIONS
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Today during a telephone press conference, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) announced the launch of the Open Course Library, a collection of expertly developed educational materials for 42 of the state’s Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-28600908955637856532011-10-28T13:51:00.000-07:002011-10-28T14:35:31.510-07:00Jim Groom: The Wild Man of OER Made My YearI was at the Open Education 2011 conference this week and David Wiley had the good sense to invite Jim Groom in to rattle cages and shake the chains. I have been reading his stuff for sometime. You can follow him on twitter here and his blog is always worth reading, but it is really a whole other experience to meet him in person. As a distance education director, I almost never say that. He is Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-23741017854335541182011-10-27T09:37:00.000-07:002011-10-27T09:37:48.671-07:00Open Ed Conf. Keynotes: Cable Green & Philipp SchmidtImage via CrunchBaseThe Obviousness of Open Policy
Speakers: Cable Green
The Internet, increasingly affordable computing, open licensing, open access journals and open educational resources provide the foundation for a world in which a quality education can be a basic human right. Yet before we break the "iron triangle" of access, cost and quality with new models, we need to educate policy Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-25683713237698868982011-10-26T11:28:00.000-07:002011-10-26T11:28:30.928-07:00Assessment and Accreditation of an OER LearnerImage via WikipediaSpeakers: Rory McGreal, Wayne Macintosh
Learners accessing OER can acquire knowledge formally or informally. This project reports on assessment and accreditation policies worldwide.
A major function of colleges and universities is to validate and credentialise learning by conferring qualifications and degrees. They are well equipped and experienced in the process of assessing Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-33799925762129623892011-10-26T10:58:00.000-07:002011-10-26T10:58:46.230-07:00Openness and Learning AnalyticsImage by nep via FlickrSpeakers: John Rinderle Norman Bier
Revise/Remix can build a 1000 points of OER light. Can these lights converge to fire authentic learning analytics & share-alike data models?
Conventional wisdom in the OER community maintains that one of the more important features of the open education approach is the malleability and customizability of materials, allowing freely Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-12048782544400334992011-10-26T09:01:00.000-07:002011-10-26T09:01:34.752-07:00Open Ed Conference - Keynote speakers Josh Jarrett & Jim GroomJosh Jarrett at discussing "Access is Not Enough."
Challenges from here to 2020
Warning: raw notes ahead!
Three challenges for the OER community
Four Challenges for the Next decade
Completion
Quality
Funding
Demographics
Higher ed tuition has gone up over 400%. There is over a trillion dollars in student loan debt. The "new normal" is students who work and go to school. "Education drives Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-78601457346817159182011-10-25T15:46:00.000-07:002011-10-25T15:46:14.108-07:00UNESCO Chairs in OER Programme and International NetworkImage via WikipediaSpeakers: Rory McGreal Fred Mulder Susan D\'Antoni
The UNESCO Chairs in OER explain their programme, goals and objectives in supporting an international network of OER users.
In Nov. 2006, ICDE launched its Global Task Force on OER at the UNESCO HQ in Paris with strong support from UNESCO. In March 2009 an OER Seminar was organised by the EADTU OER Task force and UNESCO, againGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-15555401450696996222011-10-25T15:01:00.000-07:002011-10-25T15:01:43.520-07:00Open Ed Conference: From Shared to Open: The evolution of open education in Washington StateImage by textbookrebellion Speakers: Tom Caswell & Connie Broughton
Learn how Washington's colleges went from a few system shared courses in 1997 to developing 81 courses as part of the Open Course Library.
Washington's State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) is currently developing the Open Course Library, an ambitious 2-year project to design open educational resources for Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-32560382604790909342011-10-25T14:32:00.000-07:002011-10-25T14:34:09.054-07:00The Open Course Library: Bridging the gap between the LMS and OCWSpeakers: Tom Caswell & Connie Broughton
We will share the Open Course Library project, including technical & professional development challenges faced as we developed phase 1.
The goal of the Open Course Library is for faculty to design digital, openly licensed materials for 81 high enrolling courses in Washington State community and technical colleges. During the development of the first 42 Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-63793141406031543422011-10-25T13:53:00.000-07:002011-10-25T13:54:37.533-07:00Open Ed Conference: Are commercial publishers friend or foe of open education?Image by matthileo via FlickrSpeakers: Eric Frank and Nicole Allen
Are commercial publishers friend or foe of open education? This session will challenge five common assumptions about the role of commercial publishers in the open education movement. The presenter will share lessons learned from the frontlines of the $8 billion college textbook industry, and demonstrate why profit motives and Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-82642615113124238422011-10-25T11:30:00.000-07:002011-10-25T11:30:56.916-07:00Open Ed Conference: Cognitive and Cultural Barriers to OpennessSpeaker: Steve Hargadon
Image by jdlasica via FlickrWhat are the cognitive and cultural barriers to openness, and how does understanding them help to promote broader openness?
A conversation with the desire to identify the core ways in which people are naturally or culturally conditioned to be suspicious of or opposed to openness; then to use that information to think about ways to build Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-35949569159104779492011-10-25T10:55:00.000-07:002011-10-25T10:56:00.129-07:00Open Ed Conference: Towards an aggregated profile of the Global OER and OCW audienceSpeakers Mary Lou Forward, Meena Hwang and Una Daly
Developing a profile of our global audience through aggregated surveys of OER and OCW users worldwide.
What are the demographics of those looking of open education resources and open courses? based on their surveys, most of the people visiting http://www.educationportal.com are mostly over 40. They are getting mostly life-long learners. Only aGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-46758479229077521542011-10-25T10:15:00.000-07:002011-10-25T10:15:47.887-07:00Open Ed Conference: A Case Study of OER from within the LMSImage via WikipediaSpeakers: John Rinderle, Bill Jerome
Can we increase OER uptake with seamless LMS integration?: Realizing opportunities for OER discoverability and data exchange in the LMS.
A key factor in OER uptake is the ability of resources to be easily accessed, combined with other course materials, and presented in an appropriate context for learning. For many instructors, the learning Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-88893786617004482392011-10-25T09:37:00.000-07:002011-10-25T09:40:08.650-07:00Open Ed Conference: "Which License for OER?"Image by kool_skatkat via FlickrSpeakers: Ahrash Bissell, Gary Lopez, Philipp Schmidt
Tired of the never-ending debate about "Which license for OER?" We agree! Perhaps we should talk about "Which assets" instead.
For too many projects, and for too long, the OER community has grappled with the proper interpretation of open-content licenses, their use, and possible sustainability strategies builtGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-31288454695674693172011-10-25T08:36:00.000-07:002011-10-25T08:36:37.402-07:00Open Education Conf. Keynote Speakers Martha Kanter & Jim SheltonImage via WikipediaMartha Kanter, Under Secretary of Education, U.S. Dept. of Ed, started off the conference with a keynote address. She is the former chancellor of the De Anza Community College where she was a strong advocate for open education. Kanter and Jim Shelton drafted the educational technology plan. She was appointed by Obama to the dept of education. She says that we are getting out Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-80104492291237637432011-10-23T17:08:00.000-07:002011-10-23T19:31:38.200-07:00Connectivism and Agile Software DevelopmentImage by sjcockell via FlickrAs a director of distance education, I often have multiple projects going on: some with the in-house team or with others at a distance in grant projects. I have been researching how projects get done for a while now. I read about "agile" software development. I in no way would like to imply that our team is at that level of efficiency - but we are also in a place Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-80727630574799543272011-10-20T14:31:00.000-07:002011-10-20T14:31:28.949-07:00OER Session 4 - Funding OER: SustainabilityImage via CrunchBaseJoin us for a webinar on October 31 hosted by SoftChalk.
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/962111696
How do OER projects and programs get started? How are they maintained? Where are funding resources? Can OER projects work without external funding?
These questions and more will be answered by our panel consisting of Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-11035973512893005242011-10-14T16:54:00.000-07:002011-10-14T16:56:27.310-07:00Six Factors Driving Online EnrollmentsImage by proper dave via FlickrThis was the article that I wrote for the Times-Standard's Tech Beat:
Many students are taking online classes at College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University. Even though online learning is called “distance learning,” the majority of our online students are from here on the North Coast. Research, and our experience at College of the Redwood's Distance Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-80330681401605686812011-10-07T16:17:00.000-07:002011-10-07T16:57:59.674-07:00Bridging the Digital Divide with the Aakash TabletIndia's new tablet computer, the Aakash, is the world's cheapest tablet computer. It will be known commercially in the West as the UbiSlate. The Aakash tablet computer is a project, much like Negroponte's OLPC project, that is meant to bridge the digital divide - that gulf that separates the technological wealthy and the electronically disenfranchised poor. It will sell in India for $50 and Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-77512929040381577902011-10-06T12:13:00.001-07:002011-10-06T12:57:17.251-07:00Stay hungry; stay foolish...Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-32011861298070103612011-10-04T09:23:00.000-07:002011-10-04T09:31:36.833-07:00Bill Strips DOL Grants of OER ProvisionsImage via WikipediaGot a note this morning from Cable Green via Kim Thanos. Kim says that if the Kaleidoscope grant was funded under these restrictions, we could not have proceeded with the course developments. The bill to be discussed appears to remove any support for OERs (open education resources).
DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will be hosting two web-chat sessions for Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-30867630691216831802011-10-01T13:37:00.000-07:002011-10-01T13:37:32.898-07:00Concept Mapping with CompendiumImage by ryan2point0 I do a lot with concept mapping. I use it in my work as an instructional designer and I use concept maps in writing fiction and technical work, and I am really interested in Compendium right now. What is Compendium? It is more than just concept mapping software. "Compendium is about sharing ideas, creating artifacts, making things together, and breaking down the boundaries Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-61491360245963217112011-09-27T18:59:00.000-07:002011-09-27T20:35:53.825-07:00Another reason textbooks are so expensive!I came home from work today and going through the mail, I found an piece of mail from Bedford/St. Martin's. It is a full color brochure, printed on thick card stock advertising their book, Approaching Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. It says "Jump right in... the literature's fine!" I used to teach English and I have never seen a more expensively produced brochure for a textbook. I hope Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-42408375544895273742011-09-15T12:01:00.000-07:002011-09-15T14:38:51.918-07:00Creating OER: The WHO and the HOWJoin us as we continue the OER webinar series where experts are demystifying the world of open educational resources (OER). This month's session will feature OER development models and creation tools. Next month a panel of OER experts will discuss the sustainability of OER projects and the issues surrounding funding. Sign up for these sessions today!
If you missed one of the previous sessions, Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-26175069240098954162011-09-15T09:16:00.000-07:002011-09-15T09:17:57.676-07:00Creative Commons Positions: Senior Project Manager & Senior Project AnalystImage via CrunchBasehttp://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/29046
Creative Commons is seeking highly motivated and organized individuals to fill two positions: Senior Project Manager and Senior Project Analyst. Both positions are full-time with full benefits. Both positions will key members of the team supporting Department of Labor TAACCCT grantees.
Ideal candidates have contributed to open Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-62885464104767679142011-09-06T18:20:00.000-07:002011-09-06T18:25:50.760-07:00Distance Ed: No Significant Difference (Even Fictionally)Image via WikipediaI am reading Hermann Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game" aka "Magister Ludi." The perfect novel to get my mind off of work. The novel is about a student who navigates the labyrinthine academic and quasi-spiritual institution of the glass bead game. Throughout the course of the novel, our maverick hero even rises to become the Game Master. What is the game? There is not really a lot Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-26106419160073385142011-08-27T10:10:00.000-07:002011-08-27T13:14:04.914-07:00Open Learning and the Next Generation LMSImage by moqub via FlickrWe have been talking at work about what the next generation of LMSs (learning management systems) should look like. In the education blog world, LMSs are considered pretty old fashioned because they tend to be proprietary silos, built on old code (by committee), and do not empower students to facilitate their own learning. Once the class is over, the LMS shuts the door Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-79433241704879955692011-08-21T16:40:00.000-07:002011-08-21T17:16:18.451-07:00Digital Native MythologyImage via WikipediaI was glad to see some research this week on the so-called "Digital Native" in the article "Open University Research Explodes Myth of 'Digital Native.'" The whole idea of a "net generation" is ridiculous - the idea that because you were born after a certain year, you have some latent super-powers as far as technology is concerned. What the research shows is that it depends moreGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-73667228640217420012011-08-19T17:16:00.000-07:002011-08-19T17:16:34.344-07:00Time says commercial textbooks are a boondoggleThey did not use the word "boondoggle" but in the list of 12 Things You Should Just Stop Buying that also included homeopathic remedies for the flu was new commercial textbooks. The article suggests that you shop online for used or electronic texts. The only exception, according to the author, Martha C. White, was if you could not find one or if the instructor was the author. I would further add Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-2776469368838143542011-08-16T09:48:00.000-07:002011-08-16T09:48:14.914-07:00Flash Robs and the Darker Side of Human NatureImage via WikipediaAfter weeks of Twitter fuled violence, rioting and crime, the British government is considering shutting off social networks. With similar problems, the mayor of Philadelphia is appealing to youths shape up combined with increased "stop and frisk" policies. Just as networks like Twitter and Facebook can be used to create art and topple governments, it turns out that they are Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-5402182093990961752011-08-11T09:36:00.000-07:002011-08-11T09:45:49.581-07:00Making Sense of Public DomainAs more material becomes identified by governments, libraries, museums, and other institutions as "public domain," instructors and administrators will need help in understanding what is out there and the significance of some of the archives. They will also need help in learning how to use them effectively. This is where The Public Domain Review comes in. "Public domain" is any work that is not Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-60436078734981497722011-08-10T16:33:00.000-07:002011-08-10T17:03:05.524-07:003 Reasons Why OERs are Better Than "Free"I see a lot of emails, Tweets, and blog postings that include free materials from both corporations and individuals included in lists of "open education resources" or OERs. I always have to let people know that I am not anti-corporate: I am using a corporately produced computer and posting to a corporate blog. So why so picky about licensing? Because open licenses mean sustainability. We have a Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-1809200139229397442011-08-03T09:44:00.000-07:002011-08-03T09:57:09.675-07:00Hewlett Packard Funds University of the People Research StudentsImage via WikipediaHP is funding research projects with the University of the People, a tuition free open university. I am not sure about your end of the internet, but I haven't see much out there about this story. This is going to be one of the most significant stories in open learning of the year. There was a story about it at the Chronicle of Higher Ed. Long after the "real" colleges finish Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-86775020085040748752011-07-29T12:00:00.000-07:002011-07-29T12:13:27.661-07:00OERs: Creating Assignments with Public Domain DocumentsImage via WikipediaWhile working on the Kaleidoscope Project (assisting faculty at eight colleges develop courses that implement open education resources or open textbooks), I have run into interesting instructional design challenges with creating assignments using materials that were written a hundred years ago. Typically, instructors will take assignments out of a teacher's edition of a Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-82122553363609847262011-07-24T10:00:00.000-07:002011-07-24T12:09:23.719-07:00Jacques Tati: The Art of NOT Managing Technological ChangeImage via WikipediaI just watched Jacques Tati's "Play Time" this weekend. I have been a fan of his ever since my dad took all of my brothers and I to a theater in Seattle one summer while there was a double feature of "Hulot's Holiday" and a Buster Keaton film. There was something about the man that we found almost uncontrollably funny. I thought for a number of years that it was because we wereGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-72779613124609043732011-07-22T15:33:00.000-07:002011-07-22T15:35:44.122-07:00Finding Creative Commons Videos on YouTubeWe are in the middle of helping faculty develop courses for a grant that requires that all of the content be openly licensed: Creative Commons or public domain. YouTube is making it easier to find such content:
The "Filter & Explore" link lets you find content that is licensed as Creative Commons as well as find content that is closed captioned.
Related articlesYouTube Now Supports Creative Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-56192678938621766532011-07-20T13:22:00.000-07:002011-07-20T13:22:56.700-07:0012 Sources of Creative Commons or Public Domain ImagesImage via Wikipedia
The search for quality images continues... We have faculty who are creating course materials and in some cases, replacing Fair Use images with public domain or Creative Commons licensed images. There are still some holes in our image searches. The links here are my most recent suggestions but I know that some of these are older than others and besides Wikipedia and advanced Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-35421987547615239552011-07-16T10:23:00.000-07:002011-10-11T11:32:55.526-07:00California Distance Education ReportImage via WikipediaThe Academic Affairs division of the California Community College's Chancellor's office came out with their latest Distance Education Report. They have been doing these every two years since 2002. It give the breakdown on how many students are taking DE classes, demographics, and learning mode. We stack up pretty well with how things are going nationally - California seems to Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-15353481352975554282011-07-08T16:19:00.000-07:002011-07-08T17:38:29.456-07:00OERs and the Next Stage of Open Textbooks
By rubyblossom. via FlickrThere are some exciting things happening in the world of open education resources and open textbooks. I have worked in the recent past on projects that create or find open education resources, participated in presentations on open textbooks, and this latest project feels like the next step in all of this. I am working as a consultant (instructional design) on the Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-52547656680775783202011-06-28T14:43:00.000-07:002011-06-28T14:48:27.797-07:00Cave of Forgotten DreamsImage via WikipediaI know this is not a movie review blog, but this is not really a movie review. I am on "vacation" in Chicago this week and one of the things I like to do on vacation is catch up on movies. German movie director Werner Herzog has shown up in this blog previously for his "Rogue Film School" and here in Chicago, I finally got around to seeing "Cave of Forgotten Dreams." There are Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-55823097214019259302011-06-15T16:41:00.000-07:002011-06-15T17:27:32.121-07:00Wikis - More than Text and ContextImage via WikipediaPresenter(s):
Amber Evans (Virgina Tech)
M. Aaron Bond (Virginia Tech)
Karen Swenson (Virginia Tech)
Description: Dr. Karen Swenson, a 2010 Teaching With Sakai Innovation Award finalist, uses the Sakai wiki with her students to "think about important issues presented through works of speculative fiction," but has found there is even more to her students than the wiki reveals. Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-75840683756699301332011-06-15T13:43:00.000-07:002011-06-15T13:45:01.588-07:00Supporting Our Vets: Creating a community hub with SakaiCollege of the Redwood's Barry Tucker, the Student Development Advisor for Distance Education and Veterans students, has created a unique project site for supporting veterans at College of the Redwoods. This project site is not only used to send out information to students who are eligible for veteran's benefits, but is also a site for collaborating with the veteran's advisor at the local state Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-72552328724786656522011-06-15T12:05:00.000-07:002011-06-15T17:30:14.613-07:00The Needs and Frustrations of Teaching Staff Using Vula at UCTImage via WikipediaIn this presentation I am going to explore the common themes as they appear in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 staff surveys. I will be analyzing the comments on the annual staff survey using Nivo to establish the common complaints and likes/dislikes and determine how this issue relates to the use of Sakai at UCT. I will link this to the debate regarding online teaching and learning atGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-329403675293605822011-06-15T11:34:00.000-07:002011-07-27T06:55:53.607-07:00Infrastructure Strategies for Success Behind the UofF's Sakai ImplementationImage via WikipediaI am interested in this session because I want to get an idea about how much work it takes to support Sakai on a large scale. The change management process and support are critical issues for us. I need to know how to talk about our issues with Sakai to support vendors like rSmart, Unicon, and Longsight. I am discovering over this last year that I need to really get under the Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-83115068690149183342011-06-14T15:10:00.000-07:002011-06-15T17:34:45.613-07:00Faculty Development: It is more than technology training!Image via WikipediaI am interested in this because we have a lot of issues around professional development at College of the Redwoods.
At Hopkins, Denille works in a graduate engineering program. The teachers are adjunct. She has 9 on staff. Previously, they had outsourced instructional design, used WebCT, and had no pedagogy instruction. No targeted faculty development. They created 30-35 Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-63695233519059573622011-06-14T14:13:00.000-07:002011-06-14T14:13:45.723-07:00Sakai Open Academic EnvironmentDavid Goodrum, Sakai OAE Steering Group Member, Indiana University Alan Marks, Director, Sakai Foundation presented on the Sakai OAE. The presentation on Sakai OAE (formerly known as Sakai 3). There are nine main partners - Cambridge, Charles Stuart, AAr, Georgia Tech, Berkeley, Stanford, Indiana, Michigan, and New York universities. Started in 2010 and are now ready for a 1.0 release for 6.31.11Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-49250720432144347792011-06-14T13:16:00.000-07:002011-06-14T13:16:04.312-07:00DE 101: Preparing students for online learning
Geoff Cain (College of the Redwoods)
Barry Tucker (College of the Redwoods)
Description: College of the Redwoods offers its students "DE 101" a free, two-week, fully online seminar on how to take an online class and be a successful online student. In this seminar, students learn about Sakai and how to use other online tools such as MyCR email and TurnItIn.com. The course covers the tools in Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-48120343197982295072011-06-14T10:40:00.000-07:002011-06-14T10:40:32.669-07:00Open Syllabus and SakaiThere is a syllabus tool in Sakai, but it is generally just a static document. There is no semantic or tool integration. There is a need for a tool to organise all the resources in one place. This sounds like the concept around Moodle. All of the information, lessons, assessments are linked to one page. This new tool allows for greater flexibility in editing and provides a single page to deliver Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-55329235855610055632011-06-14T09:28:00.000-07:002011-06-14T10:08:48.054-07:00Sakai 2011 Conference KeynoteThese are basically my personal notes of the presentations. These notes are not transcriptions but notes that I found interesting or useful.
Katzuo Yana spoke a little about about what is happening in the Sakai community in Japan. They call their project Ja-Sakai ("Ja" stands for Japan but also means "go for it!") in Japanese. He talked about the fact that despite all of the earthquake and Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-2589943830844954962011-06-09T14:01:00.000-07:002011-06-10T07:19:34.203-07:00World Newspaper MapImage via WikipediaI used to teach English 101 and a big component of my classes were international newspapers. We would select international papers to follow and link to them on a blog or a wiki to use it as a central resource for the class. We would have loved to have had the Newspaper Map. This is a world map with links to hundreds of newspapers sorted by languages. It also links to Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-47181703792077734312011-06-05T17:38:00.000-07:002011-06-05T17:44:25.431-07:00How to Outsource Your Business FailuresThere are a few clues as to why business in the United States is in the condition that it is in. There are Savings & Loan people in jail, and a bunch more that ought to be. And then there are the crooks in training. I was looking at Freelancer which is a very interesting concept. Businesses post jobs and freelancers then bid. I clicked on "ghostwriters" and lo and behold there is an advert for Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-48966112995017466902011-06-03T20:34:00.000-07:002011-06-03T20:34:27.116-07:00Google Music: Bask in the market socialist sunshine!Image via WikipediaAs you are probably aware, I am a big fan of Google. I have been using and writing about their products from very early on. In fact, this blog was acquired by Google way back when. They are a real conundrum for me at times; they represent the best of what I think companies should be and yet they are still corporate; they are not a foundation or an open source organization, but Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-13937056810002954652011-05-26T18:59:00.000-07:002011-05-26T19:06:15.936-07:00Hubris 2.0: OERs, Publishers, and Federal MoneyImage via WikipediaIn "Publishers Criticize Federal Investment in Open Education Resources" a nice little article in the Chronicle of Higher Ed this week, Blackboard lets us know that the sky is falling because of government funding of open education resources (OER) and open textbooks. You know you are doing something right when Blackboard crawls out of its shell to look around, blink, and then Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-87782966911043457532011-05-24T18:12:00.000-07:002011-05-24T18:22:40.832-07:00How I Survived the End of the WorldImage via WikipediaI thought I had seen it all. I survived "The Late Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsey. He was sure the Soviet Union and other countries that no longer exist were going to invade Israel in the 70s (or 80s, or 90s...). I survived the 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse, that was the Y2K bug. I survived the last Second Coming that Harold Camping predicted in 1994. And once again, I Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-41108790235689173472011-05-18T16:47:00.000-07:002011-05-18T18:16:19.147-07:00Tegrity: The future of distance learning is just learning.Image via WikipediaI was asked recently about the future of distance learning. Because of my experiences here at College of the Redwoods, I thought immediately of Lenin's analysis of Marx's stateless communism: the "withering away of the state." That is the idea that the very concept of a state, and the process that creates a state, contains its own dissolution. Whether or not we agree with that,Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-53190666621397071432011-05-06T14:50:00.000-07:002011-05-06T15:05:51.910-07:00You've Got Mail: Old models of learning are new againImage via WikipediaDespite the growth of broad-band internet and the increases of online learning, the correspondence model of distance education is still going. According to Wikipedia, distance education dates to around 1728 when an advertisement in the Boston Gazette announced that "Caleb Philips, Teacher of the new method of Short Hand" would offer weekly lessons through the mail. The Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-40117916824927868102011-05-01T12:46:00.000-07:002011-05-01T12:46:45.390-07:00Peru: Access to the internet is a fundamental human rightImage via Wikipedia
This is what we should really be talking about when we are still addressing issues of "digital divide." The full Peruvian House approved a bill that declares as a fundamental right and free unrestricted access to the services of Internet . The same proposal provides for the massification of broadband service, especially in rural areas and places of preferential social Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-49163978586793797512011-04-27T16:56:00.000-07:002011-04-27T16:57:22.764-07:00CR receives $100,000 grant from Next Generation Learning ChallengesImage by Al_HikesAZ via Flickr
We are pretty excited about this grant. This is the press release from Paul DeMark's office here at College of the Redwoods:
College of the Redwoods announced that it has been awarded part of a $750,000 grant from Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) as a member of the Kaleidoscope Project.
Designed and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates and William & Flora Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-34589111418509779742011-04-20T13:29:00.000-07:002011-04-20T13:31:40.396-07:00OERs and Money: The revolution will happen without you.Image via Wikipedia"On the one hand, information wants to be expensive because it's so valuable. The right information in the right place just changes your life. On the other hand, information wants to be free because the cost of getting it out is getting lower and lower all of the time. So you have these two fighting against each other." -- Stewart Brand.
I ran across this quote while perusing Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-90361299851767653972011-04-14T12:50:00.000-07:002011-04-14T12:59:53.214-07:00Why the Library is No Substitute for the InternetMy apologies to many of the fine librarians I know who have really kept up on the changing world of networked knowledge and the internet. The image at the left was posted by Xeni Jardin from Joe Sabia at BoingBoing. It is a sign on a shelf in his public library in Milford, Connecticut. (Click on the image to see the whole arguments.) It is a shame that the gate-keepers of knowledge are so little Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-45880478039524516392011-04-08T20:04:00.000-07:002011-04-09T07:56:12.150-07:00New Education Technology Changes EverythingImage via WikipediaI am reading a book on a "new" educational technology. Everything in the book is hauntingly familiar. We have heard these warnings about technology and education before. Its "...importance as an instrument of instruction in the common school, has been insisted on in every periodical on education which I have seen, either of this country or Europe; as well as in almost every Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-65174233226045050262011-04-06T07:05:00.000-07:002011-04-06T07:05:32.989-07:00Spotlight on Innovation: Attacking High Text Costs While Improving Outcomes
Spotlight On Innovation:
Attacking High Text Costs While Improving Outcomes
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2011
Time: 3:30 pm ET / 12:30 pm PT
Duration: 50 minutes followed by a live Q&A sessionAs the high cost of college texts negatively impacts student retention and outcomes, what actions can faculty and institutions take to reverse this trend?
Register now Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-9945048483984699292011-04-05T11:54:00.000-07:002011-04-05T12:11:48.864-07:00Diversity Matters: Read the KoranImage via WikipediaI have been home sick lately with a ferocious cold. Unfortunately, this has lead to watching CNN and MSNBC far too much and one of the really frightening things to watch is news being interpreted by some of the people least likely to understand what they are reporting on. I am frightened by the lack of liberal arts education in the public sphere and the media. Okay, so you get Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-46828922106977758922011-03-22T14:06:00.000-07:002011-03-22T15:13:12.362-07:00Open Textbooks: The College Student Speaks OutTuesday, April 5, 2011
2:00-3:00 PM EST / 11:00AM-Noon PST
Moderator: Nicole Allen
Textbook Advocate for the Student PIRGs and Director of the Make Textbooks Affordable campaign.
In the national debate surrounding textbook affordability and adoption, the student voice often goes unheard. Join Nicole Allen, the national Textbook Advocate for the Student Public Interest Research Groups (Student Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-43187167064203736762011-03-19T09:56:00.000-07:002011-03-19T09:56:06.089-07:00OER: The Myth of Commercial Textbook ReliabilityImage via WikipediaAn "OER" is an open education resource and the most common example is an open textbook. An open textbook is a book, most often electronic, that is licensed in a way that allows re-use, repurposing, editing, and republishing. One of the main advantages in an open textbook, apart from the fact that they are free, is that open textbooks can be edited by the instructor. Some "open"Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-68708517803053208872011-03-18T10:02:00.000-07:002011-03-18T10:15:35.848-07:008 Open Source Project Management ToolsImage via WikipediaOne of the consequences of a depressed economy in a college work environment is the pursuit of and reliance on more grants. And multiple grants means that project management is all the more important. I will be looking at open source project management tools over this weekend and I am specifically looking for scalable software that can be used by a worker in a one-person Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-88142162942742724442011-03-13T10:01:00.000-07:002011-03-13T14:49:52.401-07:00The Japanese Earthquake: New Roles for Social MediaImage via WikipediaI think we should all be getting now how important social media has become in politics (Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Wisconsin, etc.) and in natural disasters such as Haiti and now with Japan. The earthquake and tsunami are terrible disasters and my focus on social media is in no way meant to trivialize them, on the contrary, social media will be an important component in the Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-38222077794566284382011-03-10T13:02:00.000-08:002011-03-10T13:25:54.770-08:00Catching Up or Leading the WayImage by David Warlick via FlickrYong Zhao presented on education today in CCC Confer (Elluminate! Live) on Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization. Yong Zhao is currently Presidential Chair and Associate Dean for Global Education, College of Education at the University of Oregon, where he also serves as the director of the Center for Advanced Technology in Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-47290355471449724172011-03-09T08:29:00.000-08:002011-12-05T10:17:06.611-08:00Net Generation MythImage by John Biehler via FlickrThe ETC blog has an interesting post by Jan Schwartz on the net gen myth. The article talks about Prensky and Tapscott's research which Marc Bullen, in a presentation to the British Columbia Institute of Technology found to be mighty thin - small samples and biased. What is the Net Generation myth? By accident of birth, all those born after a certain year, somehowGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-13143773687280677622011-03-04T18:36:00.000-08:002011-03-06T16:17:17.961-08:00Smarthistory: a Kickstarter success storyImage via WikipediaI was really glad to see that people have stepped up and supported Smarthistory - this is a really amazing site that needs and deserves our support. Their Kickstarter page is here, but PLEASE contribute; this is an incredible project that can really promote art history and online education, and despite reaching their financial goals, we have to think about on-going support. Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-49603050362588056222011-03-02T08:32:00.000-08:002011-03-02T08:34:24.371-08:00OER Africa: Course Development HandbookImage via WikipediaI am currently reading Santosh Panda's textbook Handbook on In-House Style for Course Development. This would be recommended reading for new course developers or distance education admins who are new to the field or need to develop a systematic course development program
with new staff. I am always on the look-out for possible training materials for new instructional Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-36188290512004586182011-02-25T12:53:00.000-08:002011-02-25T12:53:25.218-08:00Brainstorming: order from chaosImage by MikeOliveri via FlickrBrainstorming is a method for rapidly gathering ideas from a group. These ideas can help individuals in the group solve problems and discover solutions. Brainstorming sessions allow members to express their ideas and creativity, and to discover connections between ideas and participants. There are marginalized voices in your class or organization that have somethingGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-91042352809791821192011-02-24T16:59:00.000-08:002011-02-24T17:04:29.779-08:00Jing: ADA Compliance and New MediaImage via WikipediaJing's pro version now includes the ability to add captions. I want to congratulate them on that. No, I want to send them an award or something. I owe them all a College of the Redwoods keyring at the next conference I go to. We use Jing a lot in my department. Jing is a great screen capture tool that captures images and videos of what you are doing on the screen and allows youGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-2066933123214411502011-02-22T13:41:00.000-08:002011-02-22T17:24:09.877-08:00OER University: history in the makingImage via Wikipedia
I am in an exciting meeting today on the OER university. There were a few dozen participating in New Zealand and 47 virtual participants. If you are not familiar with this concept OERs are "open education resources." There are many opportunities to take open courses or utilize open course materials and we are currently looking for ways to give students credit for that learningGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-8859707367798606992011-02-22T12:38:00.000-08:002011-02-22T12:38:49.409-08:00The Instructional Designer's ToolkitImage via WikipediaI have watched instructional designers from top-notch universities loaded down with the latest theories completely flounder when faced with the realities of the work. With instructional designers, I look for two things: a portfolio and any teaching/tutoring experience. I am not looking for a 3-d, animated Flash portfolio of Whizbang 2.0 - I am looking for a collection of Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-17928339240600843062011-02-17T14:02:00.000-08:002011-02-17T14:48:06.269-08:00Watson for $200: What is a semantic wunderkind? Getty Images via @daylife
I am only somewhat impressed by Watson but to be fair, Watson is only seven years old.The most interesting thing about it is that it represents some real milestones for the semantic web.I also like that they are running the machine on Linux. Like most young people, Watson only understood questions once they were texted to "him." The newspapers fatuously report that Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-51677774013830741492011-02-16T08:14:00.000-08:002011-02-16T08:14:24.941-08:00Towards an OER University: Free learning for all students worldwideImage via Wikipedia
This is from Cable Green's blog:
Universities in Australia, Canada and New Zealand are hoping to achieve "a quantum shift" in higher education access by launching an "OER university". (article)
Concept is: http://wikieducator.org/OER_University
There is an open meeting (all are invited) on Feb 22: Noon – 8:00pm (pacific). If you can’t make it to New Zealand … join the meeting Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-78470132621058856492011-02-15T12:57:00.000-08:002011-02-15T13:07:38.246-08:00PLNs: The Power of Personal Learning NetworksImage by catspyjamasnz via FlickrWhat is a PLN? I am not talking about the Polish Zloty but "personal learning networks" - the collection of links, tools, and people on the internet we use to support our teaching and learning. I have been reading some critical literature on "personal learning networks." We are seeing now the formalized study and analysis of informal learning networks (see some ofGeoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-40308406266785007562011-02-11T12:56:00.000-08:002011-02-11T14:07:47.093-08:00Egypt: The Revolution Will Be TwitterizedImage by Brooklyn Museum via FlickrOnce again, the power of social media and networks has toppled a government. There is nothing superficial about tweeting 140 characters. There is nothing "weak" about the weak ties and connections in Facebook or other social networks. Events in Egypt, Iran and elsewhere have shown that these networks are worth learning and knowing about. It is interesting that Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-82167554890359074912011-02-09T12:43:00.000-08:002011-02-09T12:43:13.891-08:00CTE Conference: Are you ready for distance education?The Distance Education Dept. at College of the Redwoods presented at the Career & Technical Education Conference hosted by CR. We love this conference because it is our chance to meet folks from the high schools, local businesses, and other colleges as well as the friendly faces of our college faculty. Our presentation was called "Are You Ready for Distance Learning?" This question has taken on Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-39078537725061680632011-02-07T12:41:00.000-08:002011-02-07T13:06:12.382-08:00Student Privacy and FacebookImage via WikipediaThe Student PIRGs has come out with a guide for controlling your information on Facebook. This has come at a really good time because College of the Redwoods is expanding its presence on Facebook and other social networks. Understanding the benefits and the risks is equally important. We will have to review this frequently to keep up with how quickly Facebook can change.Social Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438385.post-23146331106372103422011-02-04T11:43:00.000-08:002011-02-04T11:59:12.740-08:00Courses at the Free Technology AcademyImage via WikipediaI was looking for training materials for open texts and open software in general and I found this in Europe. Their classes are a little pricey but their texts are open licensed (e.g. Introduction to Free Software & Gnu & Linux Basic).
"The lack of high quality educational trajectories based on Free Software and Open Standards is often mentioned as one of the factors that slow Geoff Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997344068009095701noreply@blogger.com0