Micro Lectures

Mar 082009
 

Here is a format of teaching & learning that I will consider for my next online course (likely Fall 2009). Take a look at the micro-lecture format that is being used at San Juan College in New Mexico. It has been recently covered by the Chronicle of Higher Education and Open Education.

The designer of the format, David Penrose, insists that in online education “tiny bursts can teach just as well as traditional lectures when paired with assignments and discussions.” The microlecture format begins with a podcast that introduces a few key terms or a critical concept, then immediately turns the learning environment over to the students.

To be continued.

Social Learning & Sharing

Feb 042009
 

The learning continues in EC&I 831, and since I haven’t had much time to blog, I though I’d offer a 2-for-1 post with links to the most recent presentations for the course.

On January 27, I offered a session on the Age of Social Learning. The full Elluminate session is found here, and my slide deck is available below.

Social Learning – Updated January 2009
View more presentations from courosa. (tags: social learning)

And, last night, we were very lucky to have had Dean Shareski join us as he presented “How to Be Lazy and Still Get Paid” aka “The Value of Sharing”. The recorded Elluminate session for Dean’s presentation is available here, and his slides are available below.

How to be Lazy and Still get Paid

I really want to thank Dean for his excellent presentation last night. The participants (registered students & everyone else) have expressed gratitude for Dean’s time and wisdom on the topic.

The above presentations work well together, as do the concepts of social learning and sharing. These are ideas, when implemented, that have enormous potential for changing the shape of (online) learning. And, I’m happy to say that these are ideas that continue to shape the courses I teach and that support my ongoing belief in the power of open education.

Interactive Video Object Manipulation

Nov 282008
 

Dan Goldman recently posted a video on Interactive Video Manipulation, a new technology being developed. This has great possibilities, and the demo is very impressive.


Interactive Video Object Manipulation from Dan Goldman on Vimeo.

I can’t wait until I get to play with a consumer version.

This demo illustrates our research to bring interactivity to video editing: Our system analyzes videos using computer vision techniques, enabling interactive annotation, browsing, and even drag-and-drop composition of new still images using video footage. This is a joint research project of Adobe and the University of Washington.

Networked Student – The Video

Nov 282008
 

With a style borrowed from the Common Craft videos, Wendy Drexler has put together an excellent video depicting what she calls the networked student. This is a terrific description of how networked learning may look for an individual student. Thanks Wendy for your obvious hard work on this concept and video!

More info:

The Networked Student was inspired by CCK08, a Connectivism course offered by George Siemens and Stephen Downes during fall 2008. It depicts an actual project completed by Wendy Drexler’s high school students. The Networked Student concept map was inspired by Alec Couros’ Networked Teacher. I hope that teachers will use it to help their colleagues, parents, and students understand networked learning in the 21st century.

Days With My Father – Digital Story

Jul 232008
 

Photographer Phillip Toledano, who I remember from his Phone Sex: The Book series, has put together a very personal series of photographs with his (then) 97-year old father who suffers dementia. This series is as beautiful as it is powerful, and is a wonderful example of digital storytelling.

Phillip Toledano - Days with My Father

via Josh Spear.

Draft of Article: Open, Connected, Social

Jun 262008
 

I will be leaving to Greece shortly to attend ICICTE in Corfu. The following is an early draft of a paper I wrote for the conference that outlines some of the processes and early feedback I received regarding a graduate course I recently taught, EC&I 831.

Comments are welcome and encouraged. Keep in mind that this is an early draft and there are likely many errors. It was a paper written a while ago BEFORE I had much of the new data in (which I am working through right now). I have only shared it at this point as I enjoy making my writing processes as transparent as my teaching.

Exemplar of Digital Story & Design

Jun 122008
 

Beau Bergeron, a graphic designer, created this presentation which was then projected onto his shirt. This is a great example of a digital story, and demonstrates and points to important elements of design.

Design Coding Rap

Mar 292008
 

The Poetic Prophet (AKA The SEO Rapper) is back with another marketing rap. This time he describes how web standards and proper design can affect the ranking and conversion of pages on your site.

Now I want to see Shareski rap something related to Design Matters. Seriously.

How To Improve Your Online Video

Feb 182008
 

Izzy Hyman recently released Izzy Video #79, Improve Your Online Video under a Creative Commons license. I’m a fan of the Izzy Video Show and this would be a useful clip for teachers talking to students about the basics of good video production.

Video thumbnail. Click to play
Click To Play

Also, I have recently added a WordPress plugin called Riffly to this blog. This will allow you to add video or audio comments in response to these posts. I would love to have someone try it out.

Dean Shareski On Educational Design

Oct 272007
 

Dean Shareski, educational technology guru and fellow Saskatchewanite, recently prepared a digital keynote for the Flat Classroom Project.

In the keynote, Dean touts the importance of design in education, especially that related to the creation of multimedia. Key points covered include planning, imagery, simplicity, constraints and significance, and Dean borrows from Dan Pink’s “Whole New Mind”, one of my favorite new reads.

The content is great, but the most important piece here is how Dean pulled it off. He walks the talk. I see so many faculty members and teachers talking about one thing, but doing another (e.g., Direct teaching about how to create a constructivist classroom). Dean has developed a well designed, well-articulated, informative, humourous and personal presentation here. For my students in ECMP 355 or involved in the Digital Internship Project, be sure to pay attention.