CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-18 03:10:56 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Congrats again to our #winners  at the Philly EdTech "Teacher Tank" last night, +FastFig !!  Great work, tough competition - #phillyedtech   #edtech   #philly  

2013-05-16 01:22:05 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Is it a good thing that over 90% of students drop out of MOOCs?  Are MOOCs basically the Darwinization of higher education?  Are MOOCs like a Google search algorithm for filtering and sorting out the top students?  

Keith Devlin, professor at Stanford and the "Math Guy" on NPR who has taught a MOOC on math,  argues so:
http://devlinsangle.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-darwinization-of-higher-education.html

"MOOC education is survival of the fittest. Every student is just one insignificant datapoint while the course is running. Do well, do poorly, struggle, drop out - no one notices. But when the MOOC algorithm calculates the final ranking, the relatively few who score near the top become very, very visible. Globally, talent recruiting is a $130BN industry (Forbes.com, 2.12.12). It's "Google search for people" in action."

More of histho... more »

2013-05-16 01:20:08 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Design Thinking: Training Yourself to Be More Creative

In this webinar Professor Bill Burnett gives you a taste of what will be taught during the Innovation Masters Series course being held this June 19 -21, 2013 and December 11 - 13, 2013 at Stanford University.

Presented by the Innovation Masters Series: Design Thinking and the Art of Innovation course: http://scpd.stanford.edu/design/

2013-05-15 17:06:30 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I am going to ask something out of curiosity.  Is there anyone here with an undergraduate degree completed 5+ years ago that regrets it now?

2013-05-13 18:25:23 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Yikes another 2U defection.  http://www.wiredacademic.com/2013/05/exclusive-update-university-of-rochester-withdrew-from-semester-online-in-feb-joined-coursera/    Interesting .  MOOCs and 2U are totally different animals....as is the whole Semester Online concept.

2013-05-13 18:21:46 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

+Phil Hill did you see this?

2013-05-11 20:03:34 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

"In order for students to get the most value from their study sessions, you’ll need to help them come up with a different set of strategies. You can do so by holding a review session and asking students to form potential study groups (it’s up to them if they want to meet as a group more often). Give the groups tasks like these: 1) For three minutes everybody reviews their notes and lists five things they think will be on the test and then for five minutes they share lists and create a group list of the items most often mentioned. During the exam debrief, students revisit their list of things they expected to see on the exam. Were those things on the exam? 2) Everybody takes three minutes and writes a question about some content they don’t understand or wish they understood better. The group devotes a specified amount of time to each question, looking for relevant content in their notes and thetext.... more »

2013-05-11 15:46:38 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

I know the alternatives, I know it is not what we are supposed to say now.  But this, despite other options, is what I personally believe will continue to be true in the future.....at least the future that we and even our children will have.

2013-05-10 20:18:53 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

h/t to +Michelle Pacansky-Brock  - just found this via her link.  The whole site is helpful.

2013-05-10 12:03:40 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 2 +1s)

Not usually a fan of synchronous (live) online learning except in certain situations - but if you must these are decent tips...

2013-05-09 19:00:34 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

just found this post from +Lisa M Lane and i'm wondering. Shouldn't the ideal #MOOC   combine all 3 aspects? They're complementary, aren't they? I would even go as far as saying that covering adequately only one of the aspects makes for a poorer/limiting experience.

2013-05-09 18:59:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Autism Expressed wins the Educational Services of America award!! http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/54516-south-philly-high-teacher-wins-20k-for-ed-tech-startup?Itemid=1&linktype=hp_featured

2013-05-09 01:44:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

2013-05-09 01:45:54 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Elizabeth Warren's first stand-alone bill as Senator is awesome and provocative.

Senator Warren announced today that she's proposing a bill that will make it so students going to college can borrow at the same rate that Wall Street does. 

It's a bill that calls attention to the wild disparity between how Wall Street is treated and how the rest of us are, and Senator Warren's proposal is wild enough (0.75% for student loans!) to wake up the politicians who want to keep the status quo.

Even if the bill doesn't pass, by playing such a strong hand right at the outset Elizabeth Warren has already changed the discussion that's sure to ensue when student loan rates jump to 6.8% on July 1st. After Elizabeth Warren's call today for 0.75%, 6.8% seems totally unacceptable. That is how to lead. 

"If those rates are good enoughf... more »

2013-05-08 23:58:40 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Keep an eye on Michele - with a wonderful education startup company that won a grant at the Penn/GSE Miliken Foundation Education Startup Competition today!  We are so proud (she is a card carrying member - ok, without a card - of our Philly EdTech Meetup group) - great product, great need, great person (and teacher) who reached for her dream :)   #philly #edtech  Congrats +Michele McKeone!!  +MaryBeth Hertz 

2013-05-07 19:26:50 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Some highly-requested improvements to Hangouts On Air

Have you ever missed the beginning of a live Hangout On Air and wanted to rewind? How about viewing and sharing your recording right after your broadcast, versus waiting for "processing…"? Today we're launching these, and two other features, to improve your Hangouts On Air experience: 

- Rewind live broadcasts. Regardless when you start watching, you can always go back to the beginning.

- Access recordings immediately after your broadcast. Once you're no longer On Air, your recording will be waiting for you on YouTube.

- Watch higher quality Hangouts On Air on the go. If you're tuning in from your mobile device, you'll notice better-looking video.

- Start live broadcasts without having to refresh. When you visit a page with a Hangout OnAi... more »

2013-05-07 19:15:33 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"Who needs massive new classroom buildings and dorms if the future of education will be mostly digital?
On the other hand, how do you avoid under-building?
How do you plan for the future if you don’t know what it looks like?
What are the most important factors are in deciding how many and what type of physical facilities a campus really needs and can reasonably expect to need in the decades to come?
What must college and university leaders consider when updating a campus Master Plan?
How to get to facilities (including research spaces) being more flexible in accommodating a multitude of different classroom applications (e.g., labs, lectures, etc.)?
How to factor in the future likelihood of widespread hybrid/online-only classes on space?
What are some examples of campus’ facilities plans that have taken at least some of the above factors into account?"

2013-05-07 19:12:37 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I don't think this is true for me - anyone else?

2013-05-07 19:10:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"It’s interesting how predictable we can often be.

And it’s maybe more interesting that such predictability continues to surprise us.

The same character traits, insecurities, financial circumstances, and past experiences that led you to your spouse, your decision to have children, or your career choice as an educator also led you to your Android smartphone (instead of the iPhone), teaching at a university (rather than elementary school), and to pinterest (rather than facebook).

And these same patterns can be easily used to predict tendencies in the classroom, too. Well, maybe not easily.

None of this implies that the palm-reading here is accurate; whether or not it’s true matters less than the self-realization that you’re a wonderfully unique, complex, and yet fairly predictable human being whose patterns can probably be seen a mile away by anyonepaying ... more »

2013-05-07 19:08:14 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

"The basic assignment, also called the 3-2-1, has three requirements:

Requirement 1: Students read what is assigned, then choose and describe the three most important aspects (concepts, issues, factual information, etc.) of the reading, justifying their choices.

Requirement 2: Students identify two aspects of the reading they don’t understand, and briefly discuss why these confusing aspects interfered with their general understanding of the reading. Although students may identify more than two confusing elements, they must put them in priority order and limit themselves to the two most important ones. Students seldom understand everything in a reading and, knowing that they must complete this part of the assignment, will reflect on their level of understanding of all the reading’s content.

Requirement 3: Students pose a question to the text’s author, the answer towhich... more »

2013-05-03 13:25:30 (7 comments, 3 reshares, 4 +1s)

" “Over the last decade, as the literature on the Millennial student has proliferated, it has proven that opinions beget opinions. A scrutiny of the references of a majority of publications and presentations indicates that the ideas being espoused are fundamentally opinions based on observation and perception as well as on student personal satisfaction and preference surveys rather than on evidence-based research methodologies.” (pp. 215-216) They point out that many of the surveys documenting a set of Millennial student characteristics have been done at one or two institutions with populations not always representative of the larger student population. The Millennial cohort includes students from various races, religions, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds."  Right!  And even within those various backgrounds, they are STILL not the same.

2013-05-03 13:22:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"Scenario #1: Blended Professional Development [More Likely]
Scenario #2: Online-Only Professional Development [Less Likely]"

2013-05-03 13:20:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"As the student body becomes increasingly diverse, it’s important to have faculty incorporate multicultural design into their courses regardless of discipline. Although it may not seem that all disciplines lend themselves to including multiculturalism as a learning goal, consider how Christine Stanley and Mathew Ouellett frame the issue."

2013-05-02 13:18:50 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

This was surely coming....

2013-05-01 14:23:28 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

2013-05-01 14:22:51 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Despite the recent wave of faculty pushback on online education (caused in large part by hype over MOOCs), here is a reminder of why we're not going back to the old status quo.

2013-04-30 13:47:39 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 5 +1s)

Interesting, I thought this was a done deal.

2013-04-28 20:25:07 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 5 +1s)

Great site - I've never seen it before.  Collaboration between MIT and K12, looks really useful.

2013-04-28 20:20:39 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Anyone on a MOOC diet, forget that this article has that word in it - it makes a point worth thinking about .....

2013-04-28 04:11:00 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

2013-04-27 13:05:16 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

Some have been around forever, some are newer - always useful.

2013-04-27 12:58:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

There's an old Wendy's training video in here that is classic - pre-cursor to e-learning.

2013-04-22 16:03:06 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Love this article - "amplified individuals" - great articulation as well - <<We live in a world in which amplified individuals — people empowered by technologies and the collective intelligence of their social networks — can do things that previously only a large organization could. Indeed, they can do some things that no organization could do before. For better and worse, this is the world in which weekend software hackers can disrupt large software firms, and rapidly orchestrated social movements can bring down governments.>>

2013-04-21 23:41:28 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

2013-04-20 19:25:45 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Helpful - can be hard enough to read and comprehend technical content, let alone discuss.  Good ideas here.

2013-04-20 19:14:47 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

OER research.  A short read.  +Domi Enders 

2013-04-20 18:57:19 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

<<This core aspect of education in the new culture of learning presents a model for understanding learning in the face of rapid change. Teachers no longer need to scramble to provide the latest up-to-date information to students because the students themselves are taking an active role in helping to create and mold it, particularly in areas of social information.>>  Overall great article from +Hybrid Pedagogy 

2013-04-18 14:10:57 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

I have a visual of exactly what this meeting looked like :)  Ah, it is just not easy.

2013-04-18 04:08:18 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Another excellent post by +Michael Feldstein .  Attn +Domi Enders 

2013-04-18 03:59:23 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

These workshops typically run approximately four hours and focus on Bloom’s Taxonomy, including the following topics:
Moving multiple-choice exams beyond memorization, using Bloom’s Taxonomy
Creating a philosophy of teaching statement
Teaching Generation WTF

Somewhat surprised to see the last phrase in FF, one of my favorites.

2013-04-18 03:20:44 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

I'm a big fan of cohorts for learning.  Now would we call this a CoP cohort, +Kimberly Hayworth and +Laura Gibbs ?  Learning circle?  I think of cohorts a bit differently.....but it's all good.

2013-04-18 02:41:59 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

This came through on HackerNews - and I thought it was a joke at first.  But not!  A new dimension in CBE/Prior Learning Assessment.  Of course I was thinking college credit b/c of our discussions but still funny.  +MaryBeth Hertz +Laura Gibbs +Phil Hill +George Station +Justin Schwamm +Matthew McGuire  etc :)

2013-04-17 16:59:34 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Everyone get this from Sebastian?  +George Station +Laura Gibbs +Phil Hill +Don Inbody +Matthew McGuire and gang...

SJSU Plus Summer Enrollment Now Open

Hello fellow Udacians,

We’re excited to announce that as of today, in partnership with San Jose State University, we are extending our for-credit pilot this summer—and adding really cool classes to the mix. Anyone that enrolls and completes these pilot courses will get SJSU credit—credit from a California State University school that transfers into most major US colleges and universities! For just $150, you’ll get transferable college credit in key general education subject areas such as:

Intro to Programming
Intro to Psychology
Elementary Statistics
College Algebra
Thanks for helping us broaden education beyond the brick walls of traditional institutions. Know someone that wouldbenefit from ... more »

2013-04-17 09:40:39 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation
Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/alignment.html

2013-04-16 01:33:45 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Watch my good friend and advisor Dominic Mentor at last year's TEDx - really an expert in mLearning (he teaches it at TC.)  Connectivity is so powerful - some basic principles here but a reminder of m-principles and their importance.   #mlearning   #mobile   #edtech  

2013-04-13 05:57:23 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Favorite new publication....

2013-04-13 02:40:03 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

<<The failure of online education programs is not logistical, nor political, nor economic: it’s cultural, rooted in our perspectives and biases about how learning happens and how the internet works (these things too often seen in opposition). For learning to change drastically -- a trajectory suggested but not yet realized by the rise of MOOCs -- teaching must change drastically. And in order for that to happen, we must conceive of the activity of teaching, as an occupation and preoccupation, in entirely new and unexpected ways.>>

2013-04-13 02:37:22 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

So true.  Are these really the early days of online education?

2013-04-10 13:21:56 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

+Audrey Watters right up front :)  Great list.

2013-04-10 02:39:50 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

The Learning Registry: Building a Foundation for Learning Resource Analytics
Marie Bienkowski
SRI International 

LAK 13 
https://learn.canvas.net/courses/33/wiki/live-sessions-and-guest-speakers
http://lakconference2013.wordpress.com/program
http://www.slideshare.net/marbienk/learning-registry-presio-2013-0404-bienkowskiwnotes
http://youtu.be/cqVjVwiLJ4w?t=7m42s

(Thanks to +Cathleen Galas  for sharing the link to this presentation.)

Data is shared in the open for Aggregation, Amplification and Analysis

LR is a distributed system that permits sharing of metadata about learning resources…developed through an open community process that engages learning resource creators, publishers, curators and consumers.

http://youtu.be/cqVjVwiLJ4w?t=8m42s
LR Store-and-Forward data exchange and network upon which diverseuser ... more »