Tag Archives: education
Good Principles for a Successful Semester
As we embark on another academic year, I think it’s important to consider how we can create the best environment for learning. In 1987, Chickering and Gamson put forth a brief article titled Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. This document has become a touchstone for educators and instructional designers over the past [...]
Can Purdue Have a Better Course Management System?
Purdue University has hosted and supported the current central course management system (CMS, sometimes known as a learning management system or LMS), Blackboard (formerly WebCT) Vista since 2004. Fall 2011 begins a welcome change to the new version of Blackboard’s CMS, Blackboard Learn (version 9.1). Although Blackboard Learn 9 was released in April 2010, Purdue [...]
A Game-Changer for Wireless Communications
A true marvel of ingenuity is about to hit the market and it will have a profound effect on mobile communications. See what “lightradio” is all about!!
Raptivity: Create Quick E-Learning Modules
The Raptivity software allows for the instructor to publish interactive modules in Flash (SWF file format). You can track completion status, score, and responses for each interactivity because Raptivity creates SCORM compliant modules. Additionally all 35 of the interaction with the Essentials packet meet Section 508 Guidelines for accessibility.
Drowning in Data? SharePoint Calendar to the Rescue!
Data Nightmares I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have trouble keeping up data. I have plenty of it, but my past experience has been to keep it in a multitude of places, including on post-it notes, in emails, on a page in one of my tablets, etc. The trouble is, when I’m asked for [...]
Some Thoughts on an Anniversary
Today is the 42nd anniversary of what is probably the most important computer technology demo ever delivered – Dr. Douglas Engelbart’s December 9, 1968 demonstration at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco. This legendary presentation has been dubbed The Mother of All Demos and presented for the first time anywhere the computer mouse, [...]
You Could Learn a Lot From a Caveman!
I wonder how many of you stumble through life as I do, with a vague sense that you are out of touch with the world and that the modern world we have constructed for ourselves requires us to live in unnatural ways. These thoughts came into focus when I read a provocative article by Joan [...]
An Education Timeline: Brave New World!
Education Futures has published a very interesting timeline of education encompassing the years 1657 through 2045. I love futurism, so I’m going to focus on their predictions for the years 2012 – 2045, which I have reproduced below. The author points out that this is intended to be a rather edgy conversation starter, not necessarily [...]
Instructional Technology Grants Showcase: INSITE
INSITE stands for the International Network of Students Investigating Technology for Education. This project is the brain-child of Dr. Timothy J. Newby, an instructor in the college of Education here at Purdue University. As a selected project for one of the TLT Instructional Grants, Dr. Newby worked with our student developers Mike Chaten and Bryan [...]
Morning Musings: DynamicBooks Looks Familiar
Announced yesterday, from Macmillan a new rollout called DynamicBooks looks to change the landscape of e-books for the education realm. Macmillan looks to be targeting the Higher Ed. sect first with lures of lower text prices, and compatibility with hot devices (iPad, iPhone, and Desktop). However, the real draw or allure of DynamicBooks is the [...]