1. Google Apps for Education– “Google Apps Education Edition is a free suite of hosted communication & collaboration applications designed for schools and universities.” The suite includes apps to help teachers communicate (Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Talk) and collaborate (Google Docs, Google Sites, Google Groups, and Google Video).

2. Evernote– Evernote is a great tool to save ideas, things you see during the school day, and important information. Teachers and administrators can use this app from their smartphones to create a note on a student or class, clip a web page to look at later, take a photo, grab a screen shot, or save an audio file. Evernote is a wonderful tool that can help busy teachers easily capture important information and quickly organize it. I access Evernote from my smartphone during the school day to organize my thoughts and record important school-related information. When I get a chance to sit down at my desk (and I have a little more time to think),  I access Evernote from my desktop to update and further organize the information I captured with my smartphone.

3. Basecamp– Basecamp is a terrific project management application. Users can easily share files, assign tasks, organize information, and manage deadlines. Basecamp is a wonderful tool for site administrators, department chairs, or site committees.

4. Dimdim– This app enables users to easily screen share. Users can deliver presentations online, share videos, or other types of interactive information. The best part of Dimdim is that it is 100% browser-based and, therefore, doesn’t require instillation or downloading of software. Dimdim is a great way for teachers and administrators to share information, host online meetings, and participate in professional development activities.

5. Mindmeister– Mindmeister is a mind-mapping tool that can help educators design, organize, and share complex ideas. Mindmeister is a great tool to map and design curriculum, organize department strategies, or outline a district policy. Another similar app I use on my smartphone is Thinking Space. Although it’s not quite as good as Mindmeister, I like being able to access the tool on my smartphone while I’m meeting with teachers, sharing ideas, or organizing my thoughts (on the run!).

Follow me on Twitter!

• Take time to fill out your profile and add a picture. People like to see who they are communicating with and knowing some information about you will help them identify with you.
• Share the items that are capturing your attention. Be sure to add links (use URL shorteners) so that people can learn more.
• Don’t be shy about sharing information about your institution and your student’s successes. Be sensitive to privacy and how your post will reflect upon you and your school.
• Use hashtags to keep up with what other’s are doing. Twitter can provide a virtual classroom for your professional development, as well as identifying tools and techniques other teachers are using.
• Remember that like email, not every tweet needs to be read. There are just too many.

If you implement even two or three of these ideas, you will be ahead in the game. Most people don’t realize that twitter is much more than a Facebook status update. The ability to scan trends and search for hashtags is very powerful. Additionally, people get stuck tweeting in either work mode or personal mode, but don’t really balance the two. Strive for a strategy of balance.

In my next Twitter article, I will look at ways to connect via Twitter. Feel free to share your comments and ideas.

The study, entitled Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, involved a rigorous evaluation of more than a thousand recent studies of online learning. Of the collection of empirical studies examined, the research team identified forty-six studies that could be subjected to meta-analysis. The meta-analysis involved examining the conclusions of the various studies in order to construct a general conclusion (composite estimate) regarding online learning.

The research analysis is based around four important questions:

1. “How does the effectiveness of online learning compare with that of face-to-face instruction?”
2. “Does supplementing face-to-face instruction with online instruction enhance learning?”
3. “What practices are associated with more effective online learning?”
4. “What conditions influence the effectiveness of online learning?”

Not only are all four questions very interesting but they are the sorts of questions commonly asked by educators when considering the efficacy of online learning.

In terms of the effectiveness of online learning compared to face-to-face instruction, the study found that “students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.”

The study also found that blended learning measurably enhanced student learning as compared with instruction solely based on face-to-face interaction. Moreover, it found that the effectiveness of online learning programs seems “quite broad across different content and learning types.”

The study identified three important best practices related to online instruction:

1. “Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learner reflection.” The study seems to indicate that online learning environments improve student learning when students are able to manipulate instruction based on their particular learning needs or when the online curriculum provides learning mechanisms that trigger student reflection or self monitoring of learning.
2. Online learning is more effective when the curriculum includes blended learning elements (e.g., face-to-face interaction, online collaboration, independent practice, etc.).
3. Effective online learning environments include a variety of learning activities. The simple inclusion of online learning activities such as video or online quizzes do not necessarily improve student learning. Although these sorts of instructional activities are often recommended by educators, the study was not able to find a significant connection between the activities and improved student achievement.

Although the authors of the study determined that blended learning measurably increased student learning, they were not willing to simply attribute the higher achievement to the instructional approach itself.

It’s also interesting to note that the study concluded that time on task is more beneficial to learning in an online environment than in a face-to-face environment.  This seems to confirm what many educators already know: Online learning activities enable teachers to effectively differentiate instruction and tailor learning to meet individual student needs. It seems to make sense, then, that online learning can be highly effective because it enables educators to design instruction that addresses the specific learning needs of students, provide more efficient and individualized student remediation, and individualize instruction based on student aptitude, different learning styles, and interests.

The study did acknowledge that the implications of the its findings are limited and more research regarding online learning is needed. Moreover, the implications for K-12 are very limited due to the small sample of k-12 based research analyzed in the study.

Nevertheless, the study’s analysis is very important. As many schools today face difficult economic challenges, blended learning programs may provide a more efficient and cost effective way to deliver instruction. At the classroom level, blended learning seems to offer important advantages over traditional face-to-face instruction. Perhaps the most important advantage is improved use of instructional time. By utilizing effective blended learning practices, teachers can better maximize limited instructional time while providing interesting and meaningful student-centered learning activities.

Homework excuses

Fake it till you make it. That’s the idea behind corrupted-files.com. Deadlines have always been a part of the education experience. For many it has meant late night cram sessions fueled by plenty of Red Bull. As technology became more integrated into our daily lives, enterprising individuals brought SparkNotes and essay mills online. For procrastinating students this offered a hope for redemption. For teachers at best it represented superficial learning and at its worst, downright plagiarism. The battle has evolved yet again.

Currently, for $4.95, Corrupted-Files offers students the choice of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files that will not open. The idea is that by the time the professor realizes the file cannot be opened, the student will have time to complete the actual assignment and submit the real work. Thus allowing the student to literally “fake it till they make it”. Marc Beja at Chronicle.com wrote an enlightening piece about this service.

While the site advises against using their service and suggests that the student should “just tell the truth”, it rings rather hollow. Submitting a corrupted file to gain additional time is dishonest. Plagiarism would technically exist as the student is turning in someone else’s work. Finally, further conversations with the instructor, regarding the corrupt file, would probably be tainted with additional dishonesty.

It appears that this tact could work in most academic settings. With heavy workloads and large class-sizes, most teachers find themselves behind in their grading, at some point in a semester. This can often mean that documents are not inspected for a couple of days after their receipt. Additionally, teachers occasionally receive corrupted files, making it difficult to distinguish bogus from genuine. Without a standard system for assignments submitted online, a loophole is created.

Four Guidelines For Authenticating Online Assignments:

1. Check the file immediately upon receipt. Notify the student immediately that a replacement file is needed for any corrupt file.
2. Instruct the students that corrupt files are THEIR responsibility. Check your sent box and open the attached file to verify that the document is functional.
3. In situations where a corrupt file is discovered, use the properties feature to discover when the file was created. A ten page paper created twenty minutes before the assignment deadline is a red flag. Realize that a tech savvy student can circumvent this technique.
4. Finally, if necessary, require a hardcopy submission.

Click the following link to receive our FREE guide Online Assignments: 3 Tools For Creating and Authenticating Online Assignments.

Edmomdo 2.0

Twitter has brought the concept of micro-blogging to the attention of much of the world. The recent Iranian election drama that played out on a world stage, certainly would not have been possible without Twitter. Facebook and Friendfeed have also jumped into the instant update arena to keep up and provide interesting options themselves. In a previous article, I outlined the idea behind micro-blogging and some of the complaints associated with it.

In today’s article, I want to take a look at a great way to develop a light-weight, easy to use, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

While Twitter is lean and sticks to it’s singular purpose (the 140 character post), there are some challenges to using it in an academic setting. Enter Edmodo.

Edmodo is built in a lightweight fashion without all the bells and whistles of a traditional learning management system (lms) and that is really its charm. It is designed like a teacher would design a simple learning environment. Like Twitter, it contains a micro-blogging interface to allow a feed of messages to be sent and viewed. Unlike Twitter, because Edmodo was designed for use on the Web, it doesn’t use the annoying #, @, etc. While this may be appreciated by many, it brings attention to a rather large drawback of Edmodo. Currently you can receive notifications (the 140 character posts) via email, Twitter, or SMS, however, you can’t publish to your feed via SMS. This negates the huge benefit of using a cell phone. Hopefully this will be included in the near future.

As privacy is one of the major concerns in education, unlike Twitter, Edmodo is based around groups. A teacher creates groups along with an access key for their students. This is an obvious benefit for the classroom and ensures easy collaboration with the necessary privacy for those involved. This group feature is pivotal for the remaining features to function appropriately.

Assignments can be created with due dates. In addition, files can be attached to the assignments. This can be very beneficial if a specific format or template is to be used. As is expected, students can reply to complete the assignment, attach a file, or add a hyperlink in their reply. The last option is great if a blog or Wiki contains the product of their assignment. A calendar provides event notification for the group and due dates for assignments. Grades can be attached to the submitted assignments and in version 3.0 a gradebook is scheduled to be introduced.

Links to interesting or important websites and files can easily be distributed to group members. Furthermore, Edmodo provides a nice storage area for these that can be easily filtered as the list becomes longer. An additional feature of Edmodo, is the ability to create public pages. These are pages that can viewed by the general public and not just group members. In addition, public pages provide the ability for a user to subscribe to their RSS feed. The value of public pages will become more apparent as I discuss possible uses for Edmodo.

Here are several obvious and some not so obvious benefits and uses for Edmodo:

• Allows students to receive and submit assignments online (a core concept of the VLE)
• Privately allows teacher to student and student to student communication. Thereby creating a more collaborative learning environment.
• Provides an easy way to share necessary files and important or interesting links.
• Provides a clear class calendar. No more guesswork as to when assignments are due and what has been assigned.
• Groups can be used for clubs and teams, not just classes.
• Public pages are perfect for letting parents see class assignments, due dates, etc. No more questions about not having homework. Furthermore, if the parent subscribes to the RSS feed, they don’t even have to visit the Web page again, the information is delivered to their email inbox.
• Collaborative tool for teachers as well as professional development. Edmodo minimizes the isolation that teaching all day in the classroom can create.
• Major school news, events, sports, emergency announcements, etc. can be easily sent to all parents and students (Twitter may have an advantage here).

Here are some potential pitfalls or areas that should be addressed:

• Students still forget their passwords. While these can be reset, it distracts from teaching. What about integrating Facebook Connect or OpenID?
• Greater amount of work and time spent in front of the computer for the teacher. In the beginning, the time required to set up a group and create the required content can be rather large.
• No two way SMS posting! See early comments in the article.
• Quizzes or tests are not supported in version 2.0 but are scheduled to arrive in version 3.0.
• New semester or school year requires any information with a date to be either re-created or best-case scenario edited to be appropriate.
• Illegal file sharing, ethics issues involving cheating, etc.

With it’s great privacy features, collaborative tools, micro-blogging, and ability to connect, Edmodo is rapidly becoming one of my favorite tools for creating a VLE. Teachers should strongly consider adding it to their technology toolbox. As always, I appreciate your feedback. Let me know how you are using Edmodo or what tools you use to accomplish these activities.

• @ONE Project – Tech Training for teachers. Free or low cost.
• Edmodo – Edmodo is a private communication platform built for teachers and students.
• MERLOT – Developing & delivering online courses portal (includes curriculum and course materials).
• JING – FREE screencapture and recording tool
• Zoho – FREE online office suite / collaboration suite
• Google apps – FREE online office / collaboration suite
• Shmoop– Free study guides and teacher resources
• VoiceThread– Powerful tool to talk about and share images, documents, and videos.
• Mind42. com – Free browser-based collaborative mind mapping

Feel free to send us any suggestions…

Edbuzz welcomes your participation in this endeavor. Therefore, your insight and opinions are always welcome.

Site Credit (Editors and Hosts):

Daryll Johnson	Daryll Johnson is a social science and technology teacher and has been teaching middle and high school classes for nearly 12 years. He has built two learning management systems, designed and taught online courses, and is a co-founder of Campus Point Learning, LLC.
Shawn Roner	Shawn Roner is currently the principal of a High School in the San Diego area. A former social science teacher, he has been involved in teaching and administration for 12 years. He has helped spearhead the use of online instruction and is a co-founder of Campus Point Learning, LLC.