Authors: Irene Kwan, Joseph Fong, Fion Chan, Jim Ngan
Distance learning and life-long studying have become popular in Hong Kong. To better balance the time allocation between job and study, students have to plan their study carefully. They need a full picture of the course material, the course schedule, course interactions and guidelines for such planning. We adopt practical advice, methodologies and techniques to develop a web-based mind learning system with mind scheduling and mind mapping. Mind scheduling provides the administrator, instructor and student with the scheduling methods underlying the principles of the mind and schedule paradigms, which offers a good way of time management in a semester. Mind mapping consists of a map tile, which holds the subject the map by filling in the thoughts the user may have about the subject, describing that thought in more detail. Thus, course leaders, lecturers, administrators and students can collaboratively use this system anytime and anywhere to supplement classroom learning for better coherence between students and lecturers.
By Will R. from WebLogged-Ed
So we had our last tablet PC pilot training group today, and I'm incredibly happy to say it was every bit as good as the one last week, if not better. The 15 teachers in the room were really doing serious brainwork, thinking about how the tablet can change their practice, and they shared all sorts of great ideas. And like last week, I learned a great deal and saw even more potential in the tool. Makes me really yearn for the classroom, I must say."
Read More at:
http://www.weblogg-ed.com/2005/08/25#a3913
Anne Bartlett-Bragg and James Farmer
Abstract
Since early 2001 several institutions and many individual teachers have incorporated blogging into their online pedagogical strategies. During this time, weblog (blog) publishing technologies have evolved towards accessibility and ease of use and the technological barriers preventing adoption have dissolved. Blogs and their associated technologies are arguably heralding the most significant technological development in online teaching and learning since the introduction of enterprise level Learning Management Systems (LMS).
This development is all the more significant as a result of the communication dynamics inherent within blog technologies. Whereas an LMS stores and presents all information on a centralised and hierarchical basis, bound within the subject and the organisation, blogs are distributed, aggregated, open and independent. Through the use of blogs, it is suggested that teachers and learners are becoming empowered, motivated, reflective and connected practitioners in new knowledge environments. The balance between individualised and centralised technologies is restored.
The application of weblogs in an education setting will, at best, have a limited impact if due consideration of these developing communication dynamics are ignored. This paper includes a brief review of some of the institutional and individual blog projects that are taking place in higher education. In doing so it examines the different types of blog environments that are being used in terms of their communication dynamics and subsequent impact upon teachers, learners and pedagogy. Further, a more detailed examination is made of the use of blogs in teaching and learning in courses at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). In light of these studies and examination, possible approaches to implementing blogs in institutional settings are outlined in the form of an alternative Online Learning Environment. In addition, a study to be undertaken in 2006 examining the impact of blogs on teaching and learning at Deakin University will be described.
http://incsub.org/blog/2005/blogs-anywhere-high-fidelity-online-communication
Handhelds in Healthcare:
"Skinner, Ben. Handheld computers in health care: resources to get you started
Quality in Primary Care 2005; 13:113-117"
NLM Technical Bulletin, May-June 2005, RSS Feeds Available from PubMed
p ubMed offers RSS 2.0 (Really Simple Syndication) feeds. RSS is a Web standard for the delivery of news and other frequently updated content provided by Web sites. An RSS reader is required to use this service on your computer and retrieve new items from PubMed. There are numerous RSS readers from which to choose and many are available to download free from the Web. Different RSS readers behave and display data differently. The following is an example of the process for setting up an RSS feed. Not all readers will behave the same way."
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/mj05/mj05_rss.html
"Jack Vinson provides a nice summary of what I had to say last week about personal knowledge management in his class on knowledge management. It's a notion that I am continuing to explore. Another cut at finding an answer to the question that I find intriguing in my newest column at Enterprise Systems Journal. I try to build an argument that it is in each of our selfish, best, interests to develop and adhere to a strategy for personal knowledge managemment. "
http://www.mcgeesmusings.net/2005/05/26.html#a4627
Electronic portfolios (also referred to as eportfolios or webfolios) are gaining recognition as a valuable tool for learners, instructors, and academic organizations. Bold proclamations laud webfolios as “higher education’s new “got to have it” tool – the show-and-tell platform of the millennium” (Cohen and Hibbitts, 2004), and as a tool that “may have the most significant effect on education since the introduction of formal schooling” (Love, McKean, and Gathercoal, 2004). Laying aside new-technology hype and enthusiasm, eportfolios can best be viewed as a reactionary response to fundamental shifts in learning, teaching, technology, and learner needs in a climate where learning is no longer perceived as confined to formal education."
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/eportfolios.htm
People are capturing and storing an ever-increasing amount of digital information about or for themselves, including emails, documents, articles, portfolios of work, digital images, and audio and video recordings. Computer processing, storage, and software tools available to individuals are increasing in power, volume, and ease of use, year on year. Many issues arise from this more informal and increasingly empowered landscape of personal collection, dissemination, and digital memory, which will have major future impacts. This article provides a commentary on current research and emerging services in this area and discusses potential implications for individuals, libraries and their institutions."
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/june05/beagrie/06beagrie.html
The Comprehensive Guide to Creating Accessible Multimedia for e-learning
This web site provides you with a comprehensive resource on issues relating to multimedia, e-learning and accessibility. Whether you're new to e-learning, want to know more about specific accessibility issues, or are an expert multimedia developer, we believe you'll find information relevant to your needs."
http://www.skillsforaccess.org.uk/
A review of Sakai 2.0 on EduTools.
http://www.edutools.info/course/productinfo/detail.jsp?id=262
"QuizImages are interactive objects that teach ideas in a visual context. These activities help students learn and practice visual thinking skills, such as reading maps and graphs and finding visual metaphors in works of art. "
http://engage.doit.wisc.edu/tools/QuizImage/
"ConceptTutors are "just-in-time" windows that open from existing webpages to teach concepts. We like to think of ConceptTutors as glossaries on steroids. They support various media types (images, audio, and animations), and their design is based on best practices for learning concepts. Effective concept learning is accomplished by including the concept definition, examples and non-examples, contextual information, and quizzing.
ConceptTutors include the four elements above in an interactive tab format.
The ConceptTutor authoring tool is very easy to use. Its intuitive design is delivered in a Macromedia Flash environment that leads authors through a very simple ConceptTutor creation process. The ConceptTutor author behaves and includes elements common to most authoring environments, including functions like Save, Preview, Publish, and Edit."
http://engage.doit.wisc.edu/tools/ConceptTutor/
By sleslie on The Rest
Just one of those things that I stumbled across through a dedicated Google search feed; Hieraki is an open source, Ruby-based (hence the reason you've probably never heard of it; many who try Ruby seem to rave about it but it never seems to gain traction versus its competitors) wiki-like system that structures pages by 'Chapters' and sub-sections to assist with collaborative book authoring. Someone has even tried building a 'learning object repository' named Noc on top of it. Not an endorsement, just a pointer to an interesting experiment.
University of Minnesota is implementing ePortfolio in a major way. Other colleges and universities are in various stages, some starting with pilot projects. This article discusses how this new tool fit into the lives of students and faculty."
http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?ID=CSD3966
E-portfolios are a valuable learning and assessment tool. An e-portfolio is a digitized collection of artifacts including demonstrations, resources, and accomplishments that represent an individual, group, or institution. This collection can be comprised of text-based, graphic, or multimedia elements archived on a Web site or on other electronic media such as a CD-ROM or DVD. An e-portfolio is more than a simple collection—it can also serve as an administrative tool to manage and organize work created with different applications and to control who can see the work. E-portfolios encourage personal reflection and often involve the exchange of ideas and feedback.
Three types of e-portfolios are described in this report: student e-portfolios, teaching e-portfolios, and institutional e-portfolios. E-portfolios can support student advisement, career preparation, and credential documentation; the sharing of teaching philosophies and practices; department and program self-studies; and institutional and program accreditation processes. This report defines and categorizes e-portfolios, offers examples of higher education e-portfolio implementations, reviews e-portfolio technology, and addresses adoption issues.
http://www.educause.edu/content.asp?page_id=666&ID=ELI3001%20&bhcp=1