Higher Education – Page 14

Collaboration, Higher Education, K-12, Open Education

Get Creative (Commons)

July 27, 2009May 31, 2019 Laura Pasquini

cclogolarge

is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright.

[They] provide free licenses and other legal tools to mark creative work with the freedom the creator wants it to carry, so others can share, remix, use commercially, or any combination thereof.

Creative Commons (CC) is quite relevant for all faculty & instructors who put together online course materials for students. It allows for content, such as images, videos, writing and music, to be shared freely and some access rights to the intellectual property. As classrooms expand and more material is shared openly, it is important for educators to be aware of how to use Creative Commons, and the implications for teaching & learning. Here are a few videos that best explain CC.

If you look at the Content Directories of CC is utilized by many companies, and even educational institutions. Some faculty started to challenge the traditional methods of research collection and how intellectual property is shared with others. One faculty shares how to encourage this open education movement in a publication called – Open Doors and Open Minds.

The recent development and contribution from Creative Commons is the DiscoverEd search engine, which provides accessible searches for open educational resources. This allows educators to access and share teaching and learning materials in an effective, easy way.

The question is… Wanna Work Together?

Higher Education, Learning Technologies, Open Education

LMS/LCMS Review

June 5, 2009 Laura Pasquini

There are many Learning Management Systems (LMS) software that are available to purchase or as open-source content to best support online learning environments. I am currently exploring a few different options for a piece I am researching/writing about. I welcome any contributions to this topic: experience, recommendations, research, reviews, etc.

One of the first few LMS systems I used as a student was Blackboard. Often higher education institutions prefer to purchase commercial software for a university-wide learning platform. Other platforms include: WebCT, Angel, PeopleSoft (now owned by Oracle), Confluence, etc. These domains assure assistance and ‘security’ for the university, however how do faculty, staff & students optimize these learning environments.

In my later years of work & education, I have been introduced to open-source LMS platforms like Moodle. There seems to be a bit more flexibility in sharing information, opening up the classroom broadly and engaging learning.

Other LMS/LCMS platforms to review:

Inquisiq
SyberWorks
ClickCourse
Other from this Product List: http://www.edutools.info/item_list.jsp?pj=4=

Here are a few reviews & articles for various LMS:

A critical examination of Blackboard’s e-learning environment by Stephanie J. Coopman
LMS Review Update
WebCT & Blackboard Resources for Educators
LMS Selection Presentation by Tony Karrer, eLearning Technology Blog
Learning Management Systems 360 Report by the eLearning Guild
382 Tips for on the Selection of an LMS or LCMS by the eLearning Guild
E-Learning Readiness Assessment Questions by Karl M. Kapp
Creating Your E-Learning Strategy by Pam Pervenanze, LearnSource- Connecting Companies with Quality Learning Solutions and Pinneast, CeleXx’s Performance Media Group
LMS Selection by E-Learning Engineer

I am interested in expanding this list for both commercial and open-source LMS/LCMS platforms. Please share any that you have liked (or disliked), and why.

Higher Education, Open Education

Where Is the Open Education Movement Going?

May 19, 2009May 19, 2009 Laura Pasquini

This question was posed as the central topic of today’s EDUCAUSE web seminar (May 19, 2009) – Where Is the Open Education Movement Going? hosted by Brian Lamb & David Wiley.

Much of the session focused around:

Open Educational Resources
Open Content
Open Access
Openness

For those of you who missed the presentation, you are able to access the Educause web seminar archive for the slides or recording of the online event. This session was also a good prelude for the Open Education Conference which will be held in Vancouver, BC August 12-14, 2009.

lowres_chasmposter

Great comments from the online chat in the session today. Here are a few messages that resonated with me:

Can’t we set up private areas as well as shareable areas in our online learning environments? Both can be useful.

Many faculty are online and don’t realize the extent possibly

Old School Traditional Professors Unite–you have nothing to lose but your chains. 🙂

A lot depends on the way the activities are integrated, and whether the teacher walks the walk him- or herself.

More converstations to follow on Twitter – #opened09

Higher Education, Learning Technologies, web 2.0

Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World

May 18, 2009May 18, 2009 Laura Pasquini

The Higher Education Academy and JISC have recently (May 12, 2009) published a new Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World report (also available as a PDF), which examines the projected future trends in the use of technology in higher education.

The group was created in February 2008 to conduct independent research and review policy implications for higher education, specifically around the experience and expectations of learners and the increase of emerging technologies.

higher ed

Flickr photo by jrodgers

The HE in a Web 2.0 World report analyzes the use of web 2.0 technologies at colleges & universities in the UK, with regards to the digital divide and information literacy. It is clear that various institutions are utilizing online resources in various ways to support learning and engagement.

Issues that will continue to prompt change in higher ed include:

Tradition
Environmental factors
Diversity in the learner population
A richer educational experience
Practice in schools
Open source materials and online universities
Skills development