FREE Technology Training for Online Teachers

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In a recent post about closing the digital skills gap in higher education, I mentioned ways that you could do this in your courses. The great thing is that while you are improving your students' technical skillsets, your own technical skillsets are also improved. So it is a win-win situation for you and your students.  Now, if you've been reading this blog for a bit, then you know that I am a technology consultant and teach math, business and computer courses online. Okay, I know what you are thinking. Since I'm a "computer teacher" and run a computer consultancy, updating my OWN technical skillsets comes easy. The question is what help is available for teachers who are NOT very tech savvy?

So, if you are not very tech, how can you update your own technical skillsets to keep up with your students and with the online education landscape? I work with many teachers on these very questions and aim to help where I can through my consultancy and by writing this blog.  In this post, I want to discuss some FREE and EASY ways that ALL teachers can update their technical skillsets to close their own digital skills gap and those gaps that their students may have.

5 Easy Ways to Bridge the Digital Skills Gap in Higher Education

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Recently, GROVO (a learning technology company) released a report on the digital skills gap in teachers and students in higher education. The report accurately points out 3 types of digital skills gaps that exist.

--> The first is a "generational gap" between college teachers and the students they teach.
--> The second is a "technological skills gap" in what college teachers know and what they should know.
--> The third is a "inequality gap" that describes the various levels of digital skills between students in college.

While the generational, technological and inequality gaps are presented differently in the GROVO report, I believe that they can be addressed by the way that we teach our students using technology. For instance, in my computer courses, the digital skills gap between different students is filled naturally by the content of the course. In all of my courses, I make a point to bridge the digital gaps between students AND between me and my students.

In requiring my students to use technology in my courses, I can continue to learn and update my own digital skills at the same time. In this article, I share 5 ways that I address the digital skills gaps in my classes:

REPORT: The New LMS: What should it do?

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Image by Pixabay. Keeping you update with education research around the Web!

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently teamed up with EDUCAUSE to identify gaps between current LMS tools and the needs of future learners. In a research report entitled "The Next General Digital Environment" they found that new LMS tools will need to be made more like "lego blocks". There is a need for highly customizable learning environments as opposed to standardized learning management systems. The KEY DIMENSIONS of the "New LMS" discussed in the report released by Educause are:

1) Interoperability and Integration - The ability to operate with different types of  plugins and external tools.

2) Personalization - The ability to allow learners to customize their own learning experiences and pathways.

3) Analytics, Advising and Learning Assessment - The ability to produce "actionable information" and support different assessment approaches specifically in competency-based education.

4) Collaboration - The ability to allow learners to collaborate inside and outside the learning environment.

5) Accessibility and Universal Design - The ability to enable ALL learners and instructors to access content and learning assets.

Read the full report at:
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3035.pdf

Cloud-Based AUDIO TOOLS

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--> Do you need narration for an online course or presentation?

--> Need to edit a podcast or interview for your next project?

--> Want to include a personalized message to your students on your website?

If you need to a program to create quick audio files or to edit an audio file that you already have, then don't worry. Luckily, there are plenty free and easy programs available online for your use. 




First, here's some essential facts about AUDIO that you need to know followed by a short list of some sites for creating and editing audio files:

NEWS: 3PlayMedia's Webinar on Video Captioning

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Keeping you update with education research around the Web!

This presentation on captioning for video was a particularly good one!  One interesting study quoted by 3Play Media was the University of Wisconsin found that 50% of their students were actually repurposing video transcripts as study guides. I did not know this but think this is a great idea. It goes to the fact that students are customizing their own pathways to learning. I am working on an upcoming article about this trend in education.

If you missed the webinar, not to worry. I've grabbed the link to 3PlayMedia's website on the notes for you.

Click HERE to view the slideshow.

Free VIDEO-CONFERENCING Tools

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One of the elements missing from online courses is real-time interaction.  Luckily, there are some ways to get around this. There are free, and easy programs available online for your use. First, here are some essential facts about VIDEO CONFERENCING followed by a short list of some sites that offer video conferencing options: