Are you looking for some fun and learning this summer? How about joining me at Camp? (May 10, 2012)

The Social Learning Centre , established by Jane Hart of C4LPT fame, is conducting an online Summer Camp for 5 weeks from July 16 to August 17.

“Each Monday a set of background readings and an activity or two will be provided. Group members will share their work in a private group space with other participants. The facilitators will comment on discussions and engage with participants. Mid-week, Jane and/or Harold will host a live one hour open conversation (virtual coffee) to discuss the theme of the week and provide more context. Guests may be invited to share their expertise.” ( http://sociallearningcentre.co.uk/ )

OTAN Workshops Wiki (February 13, 2012)

This wiki presents materials from many of the OTAN workshops. To find a workshop, just look in the left sidebar of the website. Once you find the correct one, just click the title:

• An Online Presence for Teachers
• Demo Page
• Google Tools and Apps for Adult Education
• Moodle - Customizing your Course and Gradebook
• Movie Maker
• No. California CATESOL 2009
• Notes on CATESOL Workshop on ePortfolios
• OTAN_for_Teachers
• Using Web Sites to Teach Math

Click on this link: http://otanworkshops.wikispaces.com/

Launch of Course: TECH570 Fundamentals of Virtual Teaching by PBS TeacherLine (February 1, 2012)

In February, PBS TeacherLine is scheduled to launch a six-week course designed to introduce teachers to the "critical knowledge, strategies, and techniques to support student achievement in an online learning environment." PBS senior vice president of education, Rob Lippincott stated: "As millions of families opt for the flexibility and convenience of virtual learning, teachers are faced with the challenge of adapting their instruction to the dynamics of online teaching."

Do you agree?

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/01/25/pbs-teacherline-to-launch-course-on-virtual-teaching.aspx

No Place in Class for Digital Illiterates (December 20, 2011)

While the digital generation may be "tech-comfy", they are often far from being "tech-savvy". This is where teachers come in; taking advantage of their comfort levels with technologies, we can help them towards a realization of what "connectedness" can do in terms of their knowledge, education and preparedness to enter a workplace where they are studying for jobs that don't yet exist.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/dec/06/teaching-digital-literacy

How Technology Can Improve Learner-Centered Teaching (December 6, 2011)

Technology for the sake of technology is never good. As the late Steve Jobs said, “Start with the customer experience and work backward to the technology.” If students are our ‘customer’, what experience do we need to create that increases the potential for learning? Here are some ways.

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/how-technology-can-improve-learner-centered-teaching/

What would you like in a mobile app? (November 11, 2011)

If you could create the ideal mobile app for learning, what would it look like? Speak Up - Project Tomorrow asked this question to students and received over 200,000 responses. T.H.E. editors sifted through the entries and came up with 15 that vividly speak to the power of mobile technologies to transport the learning experience. Two of specific interest: My Teacher Match, which matches students and teachers based on learning styles and When I Grow Up, which in an online career app with career path information (pp. 20 – 24).

In addition, T.H.E. article, “Apps I Have Loved,” provides mobile app preferences educational IT executives have found helpful on the job. Of particular note is an app used in Texas, School Objects, the provides a web-based means of creating, submitting, and monitoring professional development and appraisal progress, mirroring official state reports (pp. 26 – 28).

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/1105/journal_20111112/index.php#/20

Academic Tweeting (November 11, 2011)

The London School of Economics and Political Science asked readers of their blog and their Twitter followers to submit tips and examples for academic tweeting, to accompany the guide on using Twitter in university research, teaching and impact activities that they launched in late August. Here are some of the best suggestions.

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2011/09/30/academic-tweeting-your-suggestions-and-tips-collected/

Report: Federal action needed to expand digital learning (August 15, 2011)

As schools increasingly embrace digital learning, a new report says more federal action is needed to encourage the effective use of educational technology. Click here to read more.

Integrating Cell Phones Into Lessons (June 27, 2011)

Click here to continue reading.

35 Ways Social Media Can Make Your Life Easier(April 26, 2011)

It's bound to be difficult to conceive of using social networks and online tools in your instruction without first seeing how they can benefit you. This list of 35 ways to use social media to make your life easier can help you help your learners make the most of the resources that are at their fingertips through social media. Maybe you'll see some potential classroom or homework activities in this list.

Here are a few highlights to get you excited for social networking:

• When my sister’s computer died a few weeks ago, I mentioned it on Twitter and a number of people offered computer advice both for fixing the problem and for purchasing a new laptop.
• One of my Facebook friends was recently selling her changing table. She posted a picture on Facebook and within a few hours, someone had replied, as one of their friends was pregnant and interesting in buying. It’s much easier than selling items on eBay or Craigslist.
• When I was apartment hunting, I made sure to mention it often using social media. Some people responded with apartment listings they had found that might work for me.
• Twitter usually explodes with news of something important happening, even before major news sites have stories online. If you aren’t near a TV or radio, it’s often the best way to stay up-to-date.
• Want to pass the time while waiting at the doctor’s office? There are always links to some interesting reads on Facebook or Twitter.
• Many stores offer coupons just for checking in with a location-based app. I’m always down for saving money.

Check out the rest of the 35 uses for social media at this link.

Webcams in the Classroom (February 8, 2011)

LiteracyLink's Online Management System to expire (October 1, 2010)

Adult Educators:

Good news and bad news.

Bad news first. On October 1st, Virginia's license for LiteracyLink's Online Management System (OMS) will expire. If you have a virtual classroom on the LiteracyLink.com site, you will no longer be able to access it. After reviewing the usage data for the online components of the GED Connection and Workplace Essential Skills programs, we have concluded that it would not be cost effective to renew the license. The data shows that in the past year, 1838 learners in Virginia used LiteracyLink.com to study, but only 140 of those were in our virtual classrooms. Luckily, our learners can still log into the site and study online. We just won't be able to track their progress or offer feedback through the site's management system.

GOOD NEWS:

The GED Connection Teacher's Guides still provide one of the best frameworks for lesson planning a GED teacher could ask for. Please keep using them. Where online lessons are recommended, you can still suggest that your learners work through that material on their own time as part of their own reflective supplement, or offer them another online program. If your program wants to be trained in the LiteracyLink material and receive Teacher's Guides, please let us know. We still have the GED Connection broadcast license, so keep referring learners to the streaming videos at eLearnVA.com (registering with eLearnVA is not required), and they can still watch episodes OnDemand if they have digital cable from Cox, Comcast, or Charter Media.

Since the current GED test is going to be here to stay for at least another 3-5 years, publishers like KET are having to shelve their plans to unveil completely new material for a new test. In the meantime, they will be tasked with revising their 2002 curricula to better hold learners' attention and to reflect our evolving understanding of the GED test. I recently attended a GED planning meeting at the KET headquarters, and I am happy to report that they're taking steps to improve their online offerings to make the material as engaging as possible. We may want to invest in the management system again when that happens.

We understand that the expiration of the virtual classrooms will have an effect on some of your classes. If you would like to discuss your learners' online preparation options, please contact me at jkguard@vcu.edu. There are other online sites that serve a similar purpose, and there are always new innovations in online GED instruction afoot.

Retired teachers use technology to improve instruction (September 16, 2010)

Two retired educators who never dreamed of computers in the classroom when they started out, are now helping Forrest County teachers to incorporate the latest technology tools into their lesson plans.

"Paper and pencil are outdated," said Debbie Rigby, 56, a 30-year teacher, who retired three years ago.

"Technology is the way the world is," said Yvonne Green, 54, a teacher of 27 years, who also retired three years ago. "Every student has a laptop in Japan."

Click here to read more.

U. of Oklahoma develops iPad application that will go live in July (July 6, 2010)

The iPad, a touch-screen tablet computer, launched on April 3 in the U.S. The OU IT store has sold about 350 iPads since then and store employees anticipate selling another 350 before school starts in August.

OU officials say the iPad application is designed to improve efficiencies through technology and will allow the university's regents to opt for mobile delivery of agendas and supporting materials, which often can be hundreds of pages long.

OU's IT staff also plans this fall to make the university's course management system available to students in a mobile format. When that is done, students who own an iPad or iPhone will be able to use those devices to check assignments and grades, submit homework or participate in discussions.

Kentucky offers cloud-based software to 700,000 school users (June 7, 2010)

In what state officials are calling one of the largest and fastest-ever deployments of cloud computing in the world, the Kentucky Department of Education has chosen Microsoft’s Live@edu service to bring 21st-century communication and collaboration tools to more than 700,000 students, faculty, and staff statewide.

The cloud-based service, in which the software is hosted on Microsoft’s servers and delivered to users via the internet, already has been rolled out to more than half a million users, officials said—and they expect the project will save them about $6.3 million in operating costs over four years by not having to install or maintain the software themselves.

To read more click here.

A National Online Library of Professional Development Resources (May 12, 2010)

Across states, national organizations, and technical assistance investments, an extensive amount of professional development material is availalbe. This library provides local educators with easy access to an array of resources that can be used or customzed to meet their needs.

While the resources are mainly geared to the K-12 population, many of the topics included are applicable to the adult education population. Some of the topics covered are: assistive technology, employment, project-based learning, career education, self-advocacy, conflict resolution, technology, transition to work, universal design, and many more.

To check out what is available, go to: http://www.learningport.us/

Virginia Education Wizard Website (April 27, 2010)

This website helps you find the right career, pick the best college, helps you figure out financial aid, and so much more.

For more information be sure to check the site out: https://www.vawizard.org/vccs/Main.action

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: 77 million people used library computers and Internet access in past year (March 24, 2010)

This national report from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a first of its kind, states that nearly 1/3 of Americans rely on library computers for employment, health, and education. Low-income adults are more likely to rely on the public library as their sole access to computers and the Internet than any other income group. Overall, 44 percent of people living below the federal poverty line used computers and the Internet at their public libraries.

Americans across all age groups reported they used library computers and Internet access. Teenagers are the most active users. Half of the nation’s 14- to 18-year-olds reported that they used a library computer during the past year, typically to do school homework.

The use of library technology had significant impact in four critical areas: employment, education, health, and making community connections. In the last 12 months:

• 40 percent of library computer users (an estimated 30 million people) received help with career needs. Among these users, 75 percent reported they searched for a job online. Half of these users filled out an online application or submitted a resume.
• 37 percent focused on health issues. The vast majority of these users (82 percent) logged on to learn about a disease, illness, or medical condition. One-third of these users sought out doctors or health care providers. Of these, about half followed up by making appointments for care.
• 42 percent received help with educational needs. Among these users, 37 percent (an estimated 12 million students) used their local library computer to do homework for a class.
• Library computers linked patrons to their government, communities, and civic organizations. Sixty-percent of users – 43.3 million people – used a library’s computer resources to connect with others.

Click here to read the summary http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/opportunity-for-all-library-compuer-use-study-100325.aspx and here to read the full report http://cis.washington.edu/usimpact/ .

The National Educational Technology Plan (March 11, 2010)

The draft National Education Technology Plan (NETP) was released March 5, 2010. It provides the context and vision for how information and communication technologies can help transform American education. The plan provides a set of concrete goals to inform state and local educational technology plans, as well as recommendations to inspire research, development, and innovation.

You can download the Plan at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/index.html. Adult education is specifically mentioned on pages 20 and 21 (print)/36 and 37 (pdf).

You may read an overview of the plan at: http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/2009/11/30/national-educational-technology-plan/

Free e-book available on Assistive Technology (March 2, 2010)

Atomic Learning s free ebook entitled Integrate Assistive Technology in General Education: A Quick Reference Guide is intended for any teacher or administrator seeking to level their classrooms for all students. The ebook covers the necessary steps for implementing assistive technology, such as creating a common vision, understanding the roles of each participant, developing key skills, providing ongoing support and understanding how it all ultimately impacts students. While this e-book is written for the K-12 population, the steps are applicable to the adult education arena.

To download the free e-book, go to: http://al.atomiclearning.com/integrating_at_ebook/?THEBIGDEALBOOK=634029512083249045

The Adult ESL Video Project releases the first two videos (March 2, 2010)

The Adult ESL Training Video Project shows classes and teachers in action, demonstrating a variety of teaching approaches. The videos can be used for training by individuals, organizations that offer adult ESL programs, and educational institutions. Filming of the first two videos took place in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Alexandria, Virginia, during October 2009. Six more videos will follow later in 2010. The project team includes ESL consultants Betsy Parrish and MaryAnn Florez, with video production by Federico Muchnik.

The first two videos in the series:

• Lesson Planning for Life Skills, with Betsy Lindeman Wong of Alexandria, Virginia, who guides beginning level learners through highly structured to open-ended activities, showing the progression of a life-skills lesson in talking on the telephone.
• Building Literacy with Adult Emergent Readers, with Andrea Echelberger of Saint Paul, Minnesota, who works with a Whole-Part-Whole approach to teaching literacy, using a learner-generated story of a shared experience and demonstrating activities to develop beginning literacy skills.

To view the videos, go to: http://www.newamericanhorizons.org/training-videos.