Learning Online Info » Web 2.0

5 Reasons Why Educators and Students Need to Use Google+

Guest Blogger — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:25:06 +0000

Since its inception, tech experts have raved about Google+, the social media platform that some predict has the goods to take down leading social networking site Facebook. Although Facebook still reigns supreme and Google+ is still in the midst of growing momentum, the rookie social media site is still a strong contender in changing the way users interact with one another — especially when it comes to the world of education. To learn why Google+ is the better social media platform to help engage educators with their students of all ages, continue reading below.

1. Less Privacy Issues
While some instructors decide to “friend” students on Facebook so that they can more easily share class updates as well as give assignment deadline reminders and provide supplemental educational materials like news links and videos, the truth is that the privacy lines are too blurry on Facebook—you want your students to see some of your statues that pertain to school assignments but not the ones that deal with your personal life. The sentiments are vice versa with your students. It’s just uncomfortable getting a deeper look into a student’s or teacher’s “outside” life. While some instructors choose to create separate accounts in order to resolve this issue — one for personal use and one for professional use — it’s just too much work. Google+ however allows users to separate people into “circles.” These circles easily allow users to choose what can and cannot be seen between people. So for example, teachers can put all of their students in the circle appropriately labeled “students” or “Geography 1:00 p.m.” for example, and you don’t have to worry about cross contaminating info or letting inappropriate material seep through.

2. No Age Restrictions
Currently Facebook has an age limit restriction—only those who are 13 years or older can apply for an account. While the age restriction is understandable (too many child predators lurk cyber space) because there is no age limitation on Google+ even those who teach elementary can use the social media site to enhance their student’s education—it’s just important that educators instruct their students from adding strangers.

3. No Limitations
While Twitter can also be a very engaging social media site to utilize, the problem is that users are limited to their character use—even in direct messages, users have to send multiple messages if they go over 140 characters. This can become quite troublesome if a student asks an instructor to explain a problem in greater detail for example. However, with Google+ there is no such limitation and both students and teachers can ask questions, give responses and leave comments without having to short change themselves. This option is also idea for introverted students—those who may be too shy to ask additional questions in the classroom but need help once they’re at home doing assignments on their own.

4. Provides Archived Material
Google+ also trumps Twitter because old information is easy to retrieve and access again. Unless a student or teacher “favorites” a tweet, it can be hard to go back and look for a tweet that was posted two weeks ago since it gets buried underneath the myriad of other tweets on the timeline. Google+ is organized and is easy to bring up again since everything is marked by dates.

5. Provides Opportunity for Remote Parent-Teacher Conferences
Last but not least, sometimes parents who have late night meetings can’t leave their desks to attend their child’s open house. Sometimes parents without transportation can’t make it to a much-needed parent-teacher conference. Sometimes students who are taking online classes don’t have the time to drive to a brick-and-mortar campus that may be hundreds of miles away to have a conference with their teacher or professor. Google+’s neat “hangout” feature however paves the way for group video chat capabilities so that important “meetings” and “conferences” are more convenient and can take place over the internet instead of in person.

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online colleges, online degrees etc. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

5 Reasons Why Educators and Students Need to Use Google+ is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.

Online Tools Help History Research Come Alive

Guest Blogger — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:31:17 +0000

Much has been made about technology’s ability to better facilitate a wide range of educational opportunities. With the advent of tablet computers in classrooms, ever-growing internet resources, and cloud computing platforms that help school administrators go wireless, there are boundless instruction possibilities when it comes to making use of new technological advances. This applies just as much to the second grader as it does to the graduate student, to the person learning to be a lawyer as to the person taking radiography courses, for instance.

Despite its wide educational applicability, however, technology in the classrooms is usually just touted for its uses in several major areas: math, science, and elementary education. While these areas offer some very clear and practical ways for new technology to be used, they overshadow other educational subjects that have, in recent years, been benefiting just as significantly.

History is one such subject, particularly in the realm of research. While historical research was once a venture confined to dusty archives and under-funded historical societies, it is now an increasingly digitized business. And, in the process, it has become far more convenient, accessible, and reliable, too.

This has mainly happened alongside a growth in online historical archives. Documents and files that were once almost impossible to access are now readily available online. These days, researchers can easily pull up century-old census data or court cases online. Such information is not just more convenient to find, but it is also easy to use: by being searchable, a researcher can look for a particular person or case without having to scroll through hundreds of pages and files.

The digital ability to conduct a search also has positive implications for other aspects of historical research. For example, with a growing number of secondary sources digitized online thanks to Google Books, the historian can search an appealing book for a specific keyword. If the keyword does not show up then the book can be quickly discarded. What once might have taken several hours can now be accomplished in a matter of minutes.

Furthermore, technology helps reduce research time by combining a collection of relevant databases. The area of genealogy provides an appropriate example; while public records, birth certificates, and marriage licenses were once all separate entities – entities that had to be examined one at a time – there are now websites that draw information from all relevant sources to create the most comprehensive genealogical picture of a person possible. And with Web 2.0 tools like Evernote, Scrible or Zotero, the tasks of annotating, collecting, citing or organizing the ongoing research are even more facilitated.

The influence on technological advancements cannot be overemphasized on any level, and history is no exception. By making it easier to learn from and interact with historical documents, students can gain a greater appreciate for the subject – and, at the same time, for the study of the past.

Online Tools Help History Research Come Alive is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.

Three Valuable Web Tools for Improved Online Learning

Guest Blogger — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 23:47:49 +0000

As the web continues to evolve and mature, the tools that expand humanity’s options for learning and knowledge grow exponentially. If you think back just 15 short years, answering a quick question about the world required cracking open a dusty old encyclopedia. There was a 50/50 chance that the information it contained was still correct, and you could never rely on encyclopedias to learn about new or breaking information.

Today, to learn something new, we simply Google it or check with others on Twitter, Facebook, Quora, etc. Rarely, when we need a quick answer, do we pull a book off the shelf. These online tools and communities are becoming so efficient at distributing fresh, quality information, that society has completely changed its go-to sources for knowledge.

What I’d like to share today are three online tools that are real game-changers in terms of learning and enhancing your knowledge. These websites span areas such as English grammar, foreign languages, and computer literacy. Whether you use them independently, or as an enhancement to existing online learning you may already be taking, diving into each of these tools can be very valuable for gaining insight and experience into specific topics.

Grammar Improvement

The first tool that is a regular go-to for me is Grammarly. Grammarly is a spelling, grammar, and plagiarism tool all rolled up into a single interface. In terms of usability, it couldn’t be simpler. Simply paste text into the window and click ‘start’. What you get back is the standard spelling and grammar issues, but also rich information on your writing style, tips for improvement, and very advanced reporting on your work. With online learning, this is a great tool to be your final ‘proof reader’ before submitting a document.

Language Learning

Have you heard of LiveMocha? Imagine a social network like Facebook, except instead of connecting with friends, you are connecting with people who want to communicate in other languages.

For example, lets say you speak English but are learning Spanish. The rate at which you learn the new language would skyrocket if you were continually communicating with someone who spoke Spanish fluently. Now, there is very likely someone out there who speaks Spanish fluently, and is trying to learn English. Doesn’t it make all the sense in the world for you both to work on your language learning together?

This is the basic premise behind LiveMocha. In addition to connecting people who want to help each other improve their learning of a second language, there are also training modules, games, and other tools that help you learn faster than just a textbook and translation dictionary.

Online Training Courses

There’s nothing like a good video training course when you are trying to learn something technical. While lectures and labs help, sometimes you just really need to see someone else do it (and have a rewind button handy!). More and more people are using Lynda.com to learn and become proficient with a wide-range of technical skills. From Excel and Photoshop to PHP coding and database development, if you are trying to learn something technical, there is a very good chance that Lynda.com has a course that will help you along your way.

These tools are just three that we feel breathe new life into the options for learning a skill. The days of encyclopedias, textbooks, and lectures being the only way to learn are long gone. These great social and rich-media technologies are empowering students to learn in new and innovative ways that didn’t exist just a few short years ago!

Brian Patterson is a web and IT consultant, passionate about new and innovative technologies. From working with federal agencies on large enterprise applications, to small businesses with small websites, his experience has run the gamut in the IT world. Brian is a partner at MangoCo, an web consulting agency.

Three Valuable Web Tools for Improved Online Learning is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.

What Studies say about Social Media in Higher Education

Guest Blogger — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 23:48:53 +0000

Are college professors using social media? Social Media in Higher Education, a study performed by Pearson, which includes a survey of 1000 college professors, showed that four out of five professors use social media. A little more than half use podcasts, video, wikis, and blogs for their classes. About 30% use social networks to communicate with their students, and almost 25% of the professors had four or more accounts on social networks.

However, just 10 to 12 percent of the professors ask students to use social media tools to create something or post comments. Jeff Seaman, co-director of the Babson Survey Research Group, which performed the study with Pearson and New Marketing Labs, stated “At the moment it’s used primarily as another information resource.”

Among the professors surveyed, the most widely used social media service is Facebook. However, YouTube was the most commonly used social media service to communicate with students. Also, 25% of the professors disagreed or strongly disagreed with the idea that social networks are valuable for communicating with students.

An objective of the Association for Social Media and Higher Education is to create a community for sharing information, tools, learning, and ideas by bringing together social media practitioners, higher education officials, and scholars. The organization recommends utilizing social media to create communities of learning and multidisciplinary collaboration in colleges and universities.

A study entitled “Social Media and College Admissions: Higher-Ed Beats Business in Adoption of New Tools for Third Year,” performed by Dr. Nora Gamin Barnes, Ph.D., found that 95% of colleges and universities utilized at least one form of social media to recruit prospective students. The study also indicated that colleges and universities are ahead of major businesses regarding the use of social media. The study showed that 51% of colleges and universities admissions offices have a blog for their school while just 22% of Fortune 500 companies have a corporate blog and 42% of the Inc. 500 companies have a corporate blog. The report also showed that 46% of colleges and universities use online videos to provide virtual tours of their campuses, virtual visits to dorms, and sample lectures from faculty members.

Social media has worked its way into higher education. However, in the classrooms it is primarily used as an information source and not in an active way (e.g. students tweeting in class). Perhaps things will change in the future as the younger generation, which has grown up with social media, return to college classrooms as professors.

This is a guest post from Brian Jenkins, who has been writing for BrainTrack.com since 2008. He contributes articles about a variety of college and career topics.

image credits: © Maigi | Dreamstime.com

What Studies say about Social Media in Higher Education is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.

Facebook for Online Courses – How Good (or Bad) is It?

Guest Blogger — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 06:58:58 +0000

This is a guest post contributed by Carrie Oakley, who writes on the topic of online colleges . Carrie welcomes your comments here or at her email id: carrie.oakley1983(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

It’s the single biggest phenomenon that has completely changed lives; it is so important that it has a starring role in a movie; and good or bad, it’s here to stay and improve some lives even as it ruins others. At the end of the day, Facebook is just another technological wonder, one that has taken the world by storm and which, for all the criticism it gets, still manages to be the most addictive and most populous social network today (it has over 500 million users, more than the population of most countries in the world – the exceptions are China and India).

Every business that wants to be recognized and flourish is on Facebook, so it’s no surprise that most online schools are setting up shop here too. It’s the best way to seek publicity and spread the word that they’re in the business of offering online degrees, diplomas and certificates for those who are interested. As with any aspect of Facebook, the profiles of online schools too have their pros and cons.

On the plus side:

They educate people about the options and opportunities that abound on the Internet.
They offer alternatives to expensive on-campus education that most often involves massive changes in your personal life.
They allow you to learn from the comfort of your home.

But on the downside:

Many schools could be just taking you for a ride – the degrees they offer may not be accredited or they may just take your money and not offer you anything substantial in return. To avoid getting scammed, check out the reputation of the school before you sign up and before you send any money.
You could end up wasting time on Facebook instead of spending time on your lessons; what with the many distractions that this site offers, it’s so easy to lose track of time.
You don’t get to meet and socialize with your classmates (others who have signed up for the course) in real life – all your interaction is of the virtual kind and this could sometimes make online education a lonely activity.

Perhaps one big advantage that Facebook offers when it comes to online courses is that you can immediately flag profiles that seem like scams and which have dubious reputations. This way, you not only avoid getting cheated, you also save others from the same fate.

Facebook for Online Courses – How Good (or Bad) is It? is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.

Top Web 2.0 Tools for Learning for the New School Year

Guest Blogger — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:28:22 +0000

This guest post is contributed by Roger Elmore, who writes on the topics of hospitality management degree. He welcomes your comments here or at his email Id: rogerelmore24 @gmail.com.

The list of cutely, cleverly and sometimes oddly spelled Web 2.0 apps for learning continues to grow, making it easier but also more confusing to find online tools to help you learn and excel as a student. With so many choices, it can be hard to figure out where to focus and what tools and ideas are really worth your time. To decide what tools you need, you first need to figure out what you need help with as a student and what you can do to become more productive, efficient and successful. Here are a few suggestions both for the bigger picture and for the apps you can use that can help you ensure a school year that’s both academically satisfying and technologically savvy.

Productivity and Organization

You’ll go a lot further as a student if you stay organized and learn new ways to be productive. You’ll also have more time to relax and enjoy your downtime, making it a win-win to pursue some web tools that can help you master your skills. Your first step can be to get a great calendar and options like 30 Boxes and Google Calendar can be a great way to start. You’ll also need to hook up your computer or phone with a to-do list and many students find Remember the Milk and Todoist to be helpful. And why not have access to your term paper wherever you go with an online word processor like Google Docs or Zoho Office? It could save you time and stress.

Research

Few students can avoid having to write several long and sometimes difficult papers throughout their college careers. You can help improve the quality of the papers you write by improving the quality of the research material you use– something Web 2.0 is all about helping you to do. Instead of doing your research on Wikipedia, use Web 2.0 tools like WorldCAT and Google Scholar that give you higher quality, more academic results. Try out EasyBib or OttoBib to help make sure that your citations are clear and correctly written no matter the format you’re using. Firefox users can get all these functions in one with the amazing research plug-in Zotero.

Studying and Learning

Why limit your online education to what you learn in class? There are plenty of tools and resources out there to help you keep learning about new topics or to expand your knowledge of existing ones. Signing up for educational RSS feeds and podcasts can be a great way to supplement class materials. You can also look for study guides and helpful study tools on SparkNotes and College-Cram. Additionally, if you’re looking for ways to organize your thoughts for papers and tests, you’ll find mind mapping tools aplenty, with Bubbl.us and Mindomo being good choices.

Socialization

Even for online students, a big part of education is socializing with other students. Whether you’re looking for feedback, help with homework or friendships, there are a number of Web 2.0 tools that can make keeping in touch with classmates and professors easier than ever. While most students will be familiar with sites like Facebook, others might not have tried more educationally focused sites like where you can share notes and talk about class like NoteCentric. There are also no shortage of social bookmarking sites like delicious and Clipmarks that let you share research and fun links.

While this is by no means an exhaustive list of the newest and best Web 2.0 apps for learning, it’s a great place to start. Better yet, most of these programs won’t cost you a thing to try out and could help make this school year your best yet.

Top Web 2.0 Tools for Learning for the New School Year is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.

Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds Conference

Jorge Goncalves — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:17:28 +0000

1st Global Conference Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds (Call for Papers), 20th–22nd March 2011, Prague, Czech Republic. The aim of this conference will be to examine formal and informal learning in virtual worlds in an attempt to critique both its essential characteristics and its future possibilities. Teachers of all levels, university faculty, virtual world players, researchers, and others interested in what happens in virtual worlds and what it means for us as humans are invited to participate.

Being such a broad topic, Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds defies a definitive list of sub-topics. The following list is indicative of some of the topics covered:

Skill development in MMORPGs
Online communities, formal and informal
Case studies of experimental projects
Art of building a virtual persona
Emerging technologies within Higher Education
International technology challenges
Blended Learning approaches
Metrics and assessment in virtual worlds
New forms of testing in virtual worlds
Organizational issues/strategies in Virtual education

300 word abstracts should be submitted by 1st October 2010.

Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds Conference is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.

Twitter for Online Students

Guest Blogger — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:46:47 +0000

This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online college courses. She welcomes your comments here or at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.

Online students are connected to their homework, campus services, professors and classmates via their distance learning university, but there are other tools that can enrich their learning experience and make them feel even more included and engaged in their education. Twitter is an easy, remote-access tool that facilitates research, directs students to primary resources and interviews, and can even act as a project management system, all while allowing students free, independent access to self-directed exploration. While some students may use Twitter and other social networking sites as an extracurricular – or purely social – outlet, others can restrict their use and their friends or followers list to include only the people and organizations that are relevant to their education. English majors may wish to follow other professors on Twitter, as well as journals, newspapers, authors, word or reference sites, and other literature or language enthusiasts. Every time that student logs on to Twitter, then, he or she will be invited to all sorts of conversations, debates and collaborations that bring classroom-learned concepts into the real world. This sort of experiential education is catching on rapidly in distance learning and vocational schools, and is even gaining more traction on traditional campuses. And while Twitter is an Internet tool, it’s hardly passive: you could even call it hands-on training for participating in the workplace and valuable practice for formulating arguments and figuring out solutions to real problems.

There are lots of Twitter apps and tools that have been developed to streamline the experience, but if you overload on these, you’ll just clutter up your Twitter feed and make it more complicated. Use one tool – either a desktop client or an e-mail integration tool to keep Twitter close at hand without distracting you. Another useful tool you should start with is a directory for finding the people you want to connect with via Twitter. A popular, effective directory is WeFollow, which lets you search by keyword so that your follow list only includes users who will be of value to you and your research.

As an online student, Twitter can be an extremely significant partner, helping you with research for specific projects or to just learn more about the field you’re studying in general. With a tool like Tweetree, you can even display conversations in context, creating an automatic mind map or brainstorming illustration to organize your thoughts and papers. You can also collaborate with study partners in your own class if you want to share Twitter links and resources with them. Tools like Hoot Suite help groups keep track of messages and group members, track assignments, add notes, and organize outlines, quotes, links, and more.

If you’re already on Twitter for social networking, create a new account just for academics and career building. Limit your followers and follow list to people who won’t distract you from your work but who will educate you on the field and welcome your opinions and discussion. Share links and ideas, and be respectful, remembering that Twitter can be another extension of your online learning experience.

Twitter for Online Students is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.

Wiki Walkthrough: Wikis FAQs answered by TeachersFirst (with examples)

Jorge Goncalves — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:49:33 +0000

TeachersFirst Wiki Walkthrough: The path starts with the basic What in the world is a wiki? and continues with Who uses wikis? and What is the difference between a wiki and a blog? For teachers is important to know So how do I use wikis with my class(es)? or What benefits are there from student wiki participation? Some examples can be seen on the wiki walk through some sample wikis. We can even play with some wiki tools on the Which wiki tool will you use? section. A visit to the TeachersFirst wiki is also recommended. Here we can find more ideas on how to use a wiki as a learning tool.

TeachersFirst is offering two free meetings at OK2Ask Guided Wiki Walk, today and July 29 at either 3 pm or 6 pm Eastern time both days (with a little homework in between).

Wiki Walkthrough: Wikis FAQs answered by TeachersFirst (with examples) is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.

Assessment of Students Web 2.0 Authoring

Jorge Goncalves — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:42:17 +0000

Students as Web 2.0 authors: Implications for assessment design and conduct by Kathleen Gray, Celia Thompson, Judithe Sheard, Rosemary Clerehan, Margaret Hamilton, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, Vol. 26, 105-122 (2010). Abstract: Students now have at their disposal a range of Web 2.0 authoring forms such as audio and video podcasting, blogging, social bookmarking, social networking, virtual world activities and wiki writing. Many university educators are interested in enabling students to demonstrate their learning by creating content in these forms. However, the design and conduct of assessment for such student-created content is not straightforward. Based upon a review of current literature and examples in the public domain, this paper identifies key challenges for academic assessment that arise from students’ use of Web 2.0 authoring forms. We describe and analyse selected cases where academics have set assessable student Web 2.0 activities in a range of fields of study, noting especially the inter-relationship of learning objectives, assessment tasks and marking criteria. We make recommendations for practice, research and understanding to strengthen educational quality and academic integrity in the use of Web 2.0 authoring forms for assessable student learning.

From the conclusion: Advancing the assessment of student Web 2.0 authoring requires a degree of collegial consensus and a level of academic peer review that are not yet in place. Attempts at assessing student Web 2.0 authoring in higher education may founder if they merely replicate existing practices in new forms. Suggestions for using specific Web 2.0 authoring forms innovatively for assessment purposes are scattered too widely across refereed and ephemeral literature, and may be tied too closely to an individual educator’s style or experience, to be helpful to an academic community or institution trying to achieve system-wide improvements. A project currently in progress aims to address this situation by sharing academics’ approaches to educational effectiveness and principled conduct in this area of assessment. Continue reading this interesting article.

Assessment of Students Web 2.0 Authoring is a post from Learning Online Info, a blog dedicated to the world of e-learning and the emerging learning technologies.