Archive for March, 2007
March 31st, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
OpenSourceCMS. ‘The idea behind creating opensourceCMS revolved around the need to have a place where one could completely test content management systems in one place, before taking the time to install one. No one wants to install a CMS only to find it lacked key features or functions you need. Also, you may find a CMS you didn’t know about and realize it was exactly what you needed.
This site was created with one goal in mind. To give you the opportunity to “try out” some of the best php/mysql based free and open source software systems in the world. You are welcome to be the administrator of any CMS system here, allowing you to decide which system best suits your needs. You should also visit CMS Training Videos for more in depth video tutorials for many of these systems.
The administrator username and password is given for every system and each system is deleted and re-installed every two hours. This allows you to to add and delete content, change the way things look, basically be the admin of any CMS system here without fear of breaking anything.’
OpenSourceFund.org. ‘OpenSourceFund is a private organization associated with The Open Source Collective, Inc. OSF offers monetary, and/or other means of support for the betterment of open source CMS’s. OSF provides funding mainly for add-ons, modules, templates/themes, components, blocks, etc. to be coded and released to the public under the GNU/GPL license. Preference is given to developers that extend the functionality of any of the systems listed at opensourceCMS.com.’
March 31st, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
The Horizon Report. ‘The 2007 Horizon Report is now available. The 2007 edition is a collaboration between The New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), an EDUCAUSE program. The 2007 Horizon Report, just as has been the case with previous editions of the report, highlights six technologies that the underlying research suggests will become very important to higher education over the next one to five years.
A central focus of the discussion of each technology is its relevance for teaching, learning, and creative expression. Live weblinks to example applications are provided in each section, as well as to additional readings.’
Download The 2007 Horizon Report (PDF, 285 KB)
The Horizon Project Wiki
New Media Consortium. The New Media Consortium (NMC) is an international 501(c)3 not-for-profit consortium of nearly 200 leading colleges, universities, museums, corporations, and other learning-focused organizations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies. The consortium serves as a catalyst for the development of new applications of technology to support learning and creative expression, and sponsors programs and activities designed to stimulate innovation, encourage collaboration, and recognize excellence among its member institutions.’
EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). ‘Learning is at the center of higher education. It is an essential part of the mission of all colleges and universities. The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) is a community of higher education institutions and organizations committed to advancing learning through IT innovation.’
March 29th, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
Insight - Observatory for New Technologies and Education. ‘Insight is a service focusing on e-learning in schools in Europe. It is provided by European Schoolnet (EUN) in collaboration with its consortium members. We publish news and analysis on e-learning policies, school innovation and information communication technology (ICT) in education.
Insight is for national, regional and local e-learning policy makers and shapers. It is for people working in educational school boards, for parents and anybody working in national or international organisations interested in e-learning.
The Insight portal provides services such as the library, specially selected links by editors and a scenario building tool on e-portfolio use.’
Highlights: Thematic Dossiers, Insight Reports, Library, e-Portfolio Scenarios and Insight Blog.
European Schoolnet (EUN) - The Gateway to Education in Europe
March 27th, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
OpenLearn 2007 Conference - Researching Open Content in Education, 30-31 October 2007, Milton Keynes, UK. ‘This conference recognises the research challenge alongside the business challenge of providing, using and sustaining free and open resources and invites contributions and participation from those who are interested in how to research open content and what the findings are from those working in this challenging area.
Conference participation will be over two days near The Open University in Milton Keynes. There will be no charge for attendance with priority for registration given to those responding to the call for papers. Selected papers will be developed for publication in a special issue of the Journal of Interactive Media in Education.’
The call for papers has just opened. The four main themes are:
- Research agenda;
- Sustainability;
- User Experience;
- Software and Tools.
OpenLearn 2007 Conference Flyer (PDF, 685 KB)
March 27th, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
Exploring the Mechanisms for Assuring Quality of e-Learning Courses in UK Higher Education Institutions, Magdalena Jara and Harvey Mellar, European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning (EURODL), March, 2007. Abstract: This paper reports on a research study aimed at understanding how dual mode higher education institutions in the UK approach the application of their internal quality assurance procedures to their online courses in order to allow them to assure and enhance their quality. The research strategy aimed to identify whether the procedures implemented were capturing the aspects that characterise online courses. A case study approach allowed an examination of the procedures as well as the features of the courses under study. The results indicate that the specific quality assurance procedures most affected by the online modality were module evaluations, student representation and team meetings.
The “E†- Empowering Learners: Myths and Realities in Learner-Orientated eLearning Quality, Ulf-Daniel Ehlers, eLearning Papers, January, 2007. The article describes the concept of learner-orientated quality development. Learner quality concepts are introduced as the reference point for negotiation processes between the stakeholders in a quality development process. (PDF, 137 KB)
Use and Dissemination of Quality Approaches in European e-Learning, A Study by the European Quality Observatory, 2005. (PDF, 770 KB)
Quality in European E-Learning: Designing Tools and Frameworks for Tomorrows Quality Development, European Quality Observatory, Workshop Proceedings, August, 2004. (PDF, 1.2 MB)
March 27th, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
blinc - Blended Learning Institutions’ Cooperative. ‘blinc is the umbrella organisation of a transnational network for developers, experts and users of Blended Learning products and services (e.g. courses, modules, learning objects). The blinc cooperative has been developed in the framework of the “eL3″ project funded by the EU.
blinc is an exchange instrument for producers and users of blended learning and offers a platform for exchange of know-how and experiences and the dissemination, marketing and distribution of their services and products.’
Blended Learning Literature Database - More than 75 articles about blended learning issues. Full-text search available.
blinc Publications
Web Based Tools for Evaluation and Planning of Blended Learning. ‘Assessment and evaluation instruments are made available as online or offline tools for blended learning practitioners and have already been introduced in several other European projects and courses after the eL3 project lifetime.’
Ask an expert how to make a difference with blended learning (Deadline: 10 Apr 2007). What is blended learning? How can one benefit from it? Is it suitable for my organisation? For everything you have ever wanted to know about blended learning, ask Tim Scholze, the chairman of Blended Learning Institutions’ Cooperative (blinc).
eLearningPapers: Successful Blended Learning Projects in 2006: Experiences in different formal, non-formal and informal learning environments, by Tim Scholze and Sabine Wiemann (PDF, 577 KB)
March 26th, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
Emerging technologies for learning. ‘These publications consider how emerging technologies may impact on education in the medium term. They are not intended to be a comprehensive review of educational technologies, but offer some highlights across the broad spectrum of developments and trends. They highlight some of the possibilities that are developing and the potential for technology to transform our ways of working, learning and interacting over the next three to five years.’
Emerging Technologies for Learning - Volume 1, 2006 (PDF, 1.3 MB)
Emerging Technologies for Learning - Volume 2, 2007 (PDF, 3 MB). Article Summaries.
Discussion: Emerging Technologies Forum
March 26th, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
QuestGarden is an online authoring tool, community and hosting service that is designed to make it easier and quicker to create a high quality WebQuest. No knowledge of web editing or uploading is required. Prompts, guides and examples are provided for each step of the process. Images, worksheets and other documents can easily be attached or embedded in the WebQuest, and users have complete control over the appearance of the final lesson. QuestGarden is modeled after a community garden with all the resources needed to bring great WebQuests to life. Users are encouraged to comment on each others’ work, to share links and images, and to build new WebQuests on existing ones.’
SDSU WebQuest Search Page. ‘Since 1996, San Diego State University has maintained a database of example WebQuests. This database is kept up to date and weeded out when a link goes bad (as volunteer time permits). As of this writing, the database contains over 2500 WebQuests. You can search for any string of characters in the Title, Description, Author name or URL.’
WebQuest Portal. ‘News and views about the WebQuest model, a constructivist lesson format used widely around the world.’
The WebQuest Page at San Diego State University
March 26th, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
TeacherTube. ‘Started in January 2007, TeacherTube is an online media property for people to watch and share Education videos worldwide through a Web experience for everyone.
Anyone can watch videos on TeacherTube. People can see first-hand accounts of great messages from people who care most about education. Video clip sharing on TeacherTube is a new way to expand to a broader audience as more people turn to the internet for more information, not only can they hear you (radio), but know they see you (TeacherTube.com). TeacherTube is helping teachers and students get more out of education all over the world via video sharing.’
TeacherTube Blog
March 23rd, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
Engines for Education. ‘Engines for Education is a nonprofit organization founded by Roger Schank, whose goal is to radically change our notions of school. John Adams said that education should teach people how to live or how to make a living. Our schools do neither. They teach how to pass tests about meaningless knowledge that never comes up in real life. The goal of Engines for Education is to provide an alternative.’
Hyperbook on Educational Reform. ‘Engines for Education is a “hyper-book” written by Roger Schank, Director of ILS, and Chip Cleary, a graduate student of Dr. Schank, about what’s wrong with the education system, how to reform it, and especially, about the role of educational technology in that reform.’
VISTA (Virtual International Science & Technology Academy) Project. ‘The Virtual International Science & Technology Academy will ultimately be a wide range of virtual technology - and science-focussed year-length high school curricula designed so that students can experience real choice, try out careers before leaving school, and learn life skills (how to be an informed patient, how the medical system works, etc.) in an exciting learning environment.’
March 17th, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN). ‘A smart network for the professional community, a professional community for smart learning. EDEN, the European Distance and E-Learning Network, established in 1991, is an international educational association open to institutions and individuals dealing with e-learning, open and distance education. Proving versatile expertise, the Association embraces all levels of formal and non-formal education and training. EDEN is a not-for-profit organisation, registered as a limited Company under English law.’
EDEN 15th Anniversary Pages: Notabilities Who Were With Us. ‘A selection of keynote speakers and speeches of EDEN Conferences and Workshops.’
EDEN Annual Conference 2007: New Learning 2.0 ? - Emerging digital territories, Developing continuities, New divides, 3 - 16 June, Naples, Italy.
March 17th, 2007 by Jorge Goncalves
European Association for Distance Learning (EADL). ‘The EADL is the European association of schools, institutions and individuals working in correspondence and distance education. With members from over 20 European countries, the Association is a representative forum for the exchange of information and ideas on current practice and developments in the expanding field of distance learning. Nearly all member states of the European Community are represented in the EADL. But the EADL has also members in Norway, Russia, Switzerland and Turkey. With 5,000 different courses the members of the EADL work with more than 2,5 million students all over Europe.’
Knowledge sharing with Joop van Schie. ‘A wealth of information and the results of numerous research projects in the fields of distance and e-learning are available on the Internet. With the help of Joop van Schie, active as an eContent-delivery expert for the Dutch Kennisnet and for Albeda College (FE) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, the R&D Committee aims to select the best and most useful items from this vast quantity, and make them easily available on this website. This will save members long searches for the content they want, and, the chaff having been separated from the wheat, will give them items of high quality and relevance. The aim is to make readily available information that really matters and that is immediately useful to the work of distance learning providers. At this stage the project is obviously still in its infancy. All members are invited to contribute to its success.’
EADL Conference 2007 - Distance Learning in the Digital Age, 23 - 25 May, Dublin, Ireland. ‘Distance Learning and Digital Applications are evolving closer ties on a daily basis so the conference will address issues on new internet trends in Distance Learning, in Mobile learning, Internet marketing and advertising, and in on-line communications.’
