INFOgraphic | Gamification

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What is Gamification?	Gamification enhances the student learning experience by incorporating gaming elements into instructional materials.
How is gamification different than game-based learning?	In gamification, you apply gaming mechanisms that encourage and stimulate students to learn. On the other hand, in game-based learning, students learn from playing games. Gamification essentially is about encouraging a behavior from your students while game-based learning is about presenting content in a game format.
Where is gamification used?	Gamification is used in any area that uses e-learning and training to teach. So, gamification can be used on any audience that is learning a concept. Common examples can be found in education, healthcare, IT training, sports, law, and government.
When should you use gamification?	It depends on the audience and the subject matter. Use gamification techniques to motivate, challenge and engage students. Also use gamification techniques to help students track their progress and to reward them for progress AND completion.
How can you easily use gamification?	Letter grades, points and kudos are the easiest form of gamification. Incorporating gamification involves creating any reward system that encourages students to do an action.

  

References

Davis, V. (2014). Gamification in Education. Edutopia. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/gamification-in-education-vicki-davis. Retrieved 20 October 2014. 

Gamification vs. Game-Based eLearning: Can You Tell the Difference? ELearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/gamification-vs-game-based-elearning-can-you-tell-the-difference. Retrieved 20 October 2015.

Isaacs, S. (2015). The Difference Between Gamification and Game-Based Learning. ASCD in Service. http://inservice.ascd.org/the-difference-between-gamification-and-game-based-learning/. Retrieved 20 October 2014

The Difference Between Gamification and Game-Based Learning. TeachThought. http://teachthought.com/learning/difference-gamification-game-based-learning/ Retrieved 20 October 2014.

INFOgraphic | Learning about learning theories

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So, what is the big deal about learning theories?

If you are a teacher, course writer, instructional designer, technology coordinator, why should you care about learning theories? The answer is that theory is what grounds your work.  It is the why behind what we do. Having knowledge of learning theories is equivalent to putting more tools in your toolbox. So, be proactive and learn as much as you can about the various learning theories listed below.

INFOgraphic | What are instructional technology people talking about?

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Being a technology and information consultant as well as a teacher affords me the opportunity to work alongside of many in the world of instructional technology. Instructional Technology (I.T.) people talk about learning, design and technology. So, what topics are they talking about?

Technology Website Review | EdShelf.com

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Keeping you update with education resources around the Web!

What do you get when you cross Amazon's user recommender system with educational technologies? If you guessed EdShelf, then you are CORRECT!

Are MOOCs a Successful Education Model ?

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A few years ago, I wrote an article on MOOCs and online education. MOOCs were seen as the wave of the distance learning future but what happened to that notion? 

Using Video (Pt. 2) | FREE Online Video Repositories for Higher Education

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Do you know what OER is? OER stands for open educational resources which means that the resources are accessible to anyone and are completely free. I have been consulting in this space for awhile now and will write on this topic at a later time.

In this post, I'd like to continue the series on the "Use of Video in Online Courses" by sharing some great OER video repositories in education. These repositories contain loads of educational/instructional videos that you can use in your online courses.

Using Video (Pt. 1) | 5 Types of Video Assignments for Online Courses

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Over the past decade, the use of video has increasingly become a great option for creating engaging learning activities for students in all types of courses. The use of videos are prevalent in blended courses, self-paced courses and in online in higher education. Many instructional videos are now available in the public domain that can be used in online courses. Teachers also have the option of creating their own videos to use in their course assignments. Some of the most common questions I hear from teachers involve how to create compelling video-based assignments that will enhance their students' learning experience. Here's how I look at it:

Integrating Technology in Your Online Courses with the SAMR model

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Source: http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2014/11/28/SAMRLearningAssessment.pdf

The other day, I was reading about the SAMR model for integrating technology. I'm currently revamping a class and developing another class using this model as a loose guideline for my efforts. As you probably already know, modifying an existing course requires you to rethink every part of a course and its activities. For an established course, this process can be a really time-consuming one. For online courses which depend greatly on technology for enhancing students' learning experience, the process of redesigning a course can be even more involved.

I find that something like the SAMR model can offer a "litmus" test with multiple levels to help you modify and redo learning activities. Using a visual representation of the SAMR model can be helpful when going through your process.  The key in using the SAMR model is to ask yourself HOW are students learning the content. If they are learning in basically the same way, then the design is an augmentation or substitution level. On the other hand, if students are learning in a deeper way, then the design is a redefinition or modification.

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:

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:

FREE IMAGES for your Online Content

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If you are developing an online course or presentation, then you know that good pictures are worth their weight in gold! Whether you are developing content for a company or on your own, there is always a need for images that won't break the piggy bank are paramount. Luckily, there are TONS of free, professional-grade images available for your use. Here's a short list of some sites for free images.

Technologies that Promote Social Learning in Online Courses (Part 3)

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This is the third post in a series about technologies that promote social learning. The first post covered using discussion forums and the second post covered using wikis for social learning in online courses. So to recap, social learning is comprised of three situations -

* students helping one another learn
* students inspiring and motivating each other
* students teaching each other

Research on student success in online environments, clearly shows that students who learn socially increase their chances of success. We are the facilitators and course designers of the learning space that students find themselves in. To that end, how can we create online learning environments that encourage social learning? In this third and final post, I will talk about YET ANOTHER TECHNOLOGY for online course activities that promote social learning.

Technologies that Promote Social Learning in Online Courses (Part 2)

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This is the second post in a series about technologies that promote social learning. The first post covered using discussion forums to encourage social learning in online courses. So to recap, what exactly is social learning? Basically, it is comprised of three situations - 

* students helping one another learn

* students inspiring and motivating each other
* students teaching each other

Research on student success in the online environment, clearly shows that students who learn socially increase their chances of success. We are the facilitators and course designers of the learning space that students find themselves in. To that end, how can we create online learning environments that encourage social learning? In this second post, I will talk about ANOTHER TECHNOLOGY for online courses that promotes social learning.

Technologies that Promote Social Learning in Online Courses (Part 1)

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I'm sure you've heard the phrase "social learning" being tossed around in the online education discourse for quite sometime. What exactly is social learning? Basically, it is comprised of three situations - 

* students helping one another learn

* students inspiring and motivating each other
* students teaching each other

In the online environment, we are the facilitators and the course designers of the learning space that students find themselves in. To that end, how can we create online learning environments that encourage social learning? In this post, I will talk about the MOST POPULAR course activity that promotes social learning and is the easiest to implement in courses.

4 Types of Student Behaviors in Online Discussion Forums (Part 2)

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In Part 1 of this series, I talked about the behaviors I observed from my students in my weekly discussion forums. I identified four behaviors of my online students, namely - leaders, reactors, lurkers and slackers. So, as I ponder my students' behaviors online, I ask the question: Why do they behave this way? I used to think that student behavior in my online forums was mostly determined by their personalities. From my dissertation research and research "in the classroom", I've found that student behavior online has more to do with their motivation than with their offline personalities.  For instance, many of my "leader" students have told me that they are really shy in person. So, what makes them assume the "leader" behavior in the discussion forums?  Interesting.  I've continually looked at what motivates my students to participate in my courses (in particular, the weekly discussion forums) and how their participation affects their overall learning experience in my courses. Here's what I think. 

4 Types of Student Behaviors in Online Discussion Forums (Part 1)

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For my dissertation research, I studied the behaviors of users in online communities for 8 years.  I conducted a series of "ethnographic" studies on communities in which people shared career advice, shared personal stories, supported each other through hard times and tried new technologies together. I found that these learning communities provided support and enrichment opportunities for the participants. While teaching online, I've realized that the discussion forums in my courses have provided my students with the same opportunities as those participants I studied all those years ago.

Technology Strategies for the Visual Learner

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When I was a student, my mathematics and computer courses required mostly analytical approaches to process information. The problem for me was that I was very visually-oriented. So, to compensate, I had to use many visual techniques and strategies to help me understand what the major concepts of a topic were, how they fit together and how they were related to other topics.  For instance, like most visual learners, I was uncomfortable learning topics sequentially. So, I had to develop my own systems for organizing information so that I could recall it whenever I needed to.