Teaching, Learning & Technology in Higher Education : Online Learning

Making Live (Synchronous) Distance Learning Come Alive - Georgia Tech and DyKnow

jgvanides — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:08:00 GMT

Ask anyone who has attended an online webinar presentation, a live "broadcast lecture", or viewed a lecture that has been video podcast, and chances are they were multitasking - big time. Let's face it: Without actually engaging the audience, a lecture is highly ineffective - and if it's an online, non-interactive lecture, it's like watching a television show - minus the entertainment value of advertising.

Thankfully, innovation in instruction and technology is changing the equation, as is the case at Georgia Tech Savannah...

...(read more)

Beyond Video Chat - Making Conference Presentations via HP Virtual Rooms

jgvanides — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:12:00 GMT

Let's face it - there are more conferences on the planet than one can possibly attend. While I always appreciate the opportunity to participate and share stories about "Re-Imagining the Classroom", I simply cannot be traveling all the time. So I have recently tried using HP Virtual Rooms - and it's a whole lot of fun!...

...(read more)

Education Talk-show in Second Life? You bet! ISTE Eduverse archive treasures...

jgvanides — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:14:00 GMT

In our ongoing quest to find ways to share the expertise of innovative educators, we have been collaborating with ISTE in the use of Second Life as a professional networking venue. The education talk show, "ISTE Eduverse Talks" has just completed its 8^th episode - and each one is worth watching...

...(read more)

What is "e-Learning"?

jgvanides — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:57:00 GMT

It happens every time - a word becomes part of the popular lexicon and it becomes so generalized or over-used that its very definition becomes unclear. I am no Historian of Words nor am I a Linguist, but let me at least share with you how I think about "e-Learning"...

...(read more)

When is Second Life Better than a Classroom?

jgvanides — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:46:00 GMT

The team at ISTE.org have convinced me that Second Life is a great venue for short "face"-to-"face" professional meetings when you can't travel to meet face-to-face. But lately I've been asking myself, "When is SL better than a classroom for students?" One answer seems to be "immersive simulations" that can't (or shouldn't!) be done in real life. Here's an example...

...(read more)

Math/Science Online Poster Session in Second Life - June 11th 6pm SLT

jgvanides — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:52:00 GMT

Back by popular demand, next Thursday, June 11, 6:00 pm-7:00 pm SLT (6:00 pm-7:00 pm Pacific Time) is another virtual poster session in Second Life, this time focused on science & math Education...

...(read more)

Enhancing "Live" Distance Learning with Classroom Presenter

jgvanides — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:03:00 GMT

Live classroom interaction is an instructional model that is often missing in synchronous online presentations. Richard Anderson, University of Washington, shows us how he brings graphical interaction into an online course that is broadcast synchronously to three sites - one of which is a world away... ...(read more)

Webcam Video Conferencing - Be a Presenter at the Conference They Won't Send You To

jgvanides — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:36:00 GMT

We're all experiencing the challenge of too many conferences plus not enough time and funds to get us there. But with free webcam video conferencing, we can still participate. Take, for example, the Vassar College presentation at the Educause Learning Initiative meeting last month......(read more)

Online Learning is NOT Online Reading

jgvanides — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:39:00 GMT

Online learning is no longer in its infancy - but many students are still complaining about the QUALITY of the learning experience. I am happy to report that this need NOT be the case for courses we are teaching or are about to teach. But, we have to be intentional about the re-design of the learning experience. In most cases, we may have to re-design our courses from the ground up. The payback is a fantastic course that students rave about - and one that is much more fun to teach......(read more)

Free Stanford Engineering Course Content Now Available

jgvanides — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:38:00 GMT

It's exciting to see the growing availability of free, high quality course content. The latest news is from Stanford University, offering engineering course videos and course materials.......(read more)

The Answer is “Yes” – Talking Heads Do Matter (sometimes)

jgvanides — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:27:00 GMT

I have to admit I really enjoyed participating in the WIPTE conference, even though I didn’t travel to Purdue. Joining the conference by webcam video conferencing worked – and I answered one of my long-standing questions about whether “talking head” video streaming for online learning matters… ...(read more)

Hurricane Evacuation - Eckerd College Responds with Online Learning

jgvanides — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:04:00 GMT

Hurricane season is nothing new - but having a "course continuity plan" in the case of a hurricane evacuation is something that is new to me. Just last month, Hurricane Faye caused a short-term evacuation of students from Eckerd College, leading to an interesting experiment in remote instruction... ...(read more)

Jim's 2nd Life Epiphany

jgvanides — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:26:00 GMT

Having recently exposed my newbie-ness regarding 2nd Life (see "Questions from a Second Life Newbie") , I am pleased to give you an update. After participating in the Second Life Education Community Conference hosted on ISTE Island (with streaming content live from Tampa, Florida), I have to say I'm finally internalizing the value and the implications of 2nd life as a venue for professional networking......(read more)

Why I'm Looking Forward to the Future of Learning & Technology

jgvanides — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:03:00 GMT

I was recently asked by a school district to describe "the future of technology and learning". It's a great question, even though we all know we should distrust anyone who says they have THE answer. However, there are enough clues and innovations in the works today that I can honestly say I am excited about what the Future of Learning could look like......(read more)

Questions from a 2nd Life Newbie

jgvanides — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:33:00 GMT

Lately I've been laughing to myself. The joke goes something like this: A sociologist, an anthropologist, and an engineer walk into a virtual bar in 2nd Life. The bartender says, "_______". The only problem is I haven't decided on what the punch line is - yet......(read more)