iNOCAL How to Start an Online Learning Program: A Practical Guide to Key Issues and Policies

This website was created as a public resource to meet a growing need for information on starting online education programs in the United States. The website is sponsored by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and was developed by a project team of experts in the K-12 online education field.

iNOCAL How to Start an Online Learning Program: A Practical Guide to Key Issues and Policies

iNOCAL: International Association for K-12 Online Learning

iNOCAL: International Association for K-12 Online Learning

Inside Higher Ed: U.S. Official No 'Textbook Rebel'

Inside Higher Ed: U.S. Official No 'Textbook Rebel'

Echo360 Opens Grant Program

08/25/11
Echo360 is now accepting applications for its 2011-2012 blended learning grants program. Up to $10,000 will be awarded to a maximum of four successful applicants.

The theme for this year's program is "Breaking New Ground: Outcomes, Retention, and Recruitment," though "all blended learning and lecture capture research topics will be considered," according to information released by the company.

To be successful applications should:
Show a significant and original contribution to the field of blended learning and lecture capture research;
Build upon previous research into lecture capture and blended learning technologies;
Consider the effects of lecture capture and blended learning technologies across entire institutions;
Show an understanding of lecture capture and blended learning within the learning technology field; and
Seek to promote collaboration within and outside the individual institution.

The judging panel will consist of University of Kentucky Senior Associate Dean C. Darrell Jennings, University of Virginia President Emeritus John Casteen III, Murdoch University Associate Professor Rob Phillips, and one member of the Echo360 management team.

"Sponsoring research is critical to the advancement and innovation of the education market," said Echo360 CEO Fred Singer. "As blended learning platforms mature and the applications for the solutions evolve, measuring student and institutional results is essential to understanding the technology’s impact on teaching and learning."

Applications should be submitted in the form of Microsoft Word documents at echo360.com by September 16, 2011. Winners will be determined and notified no later than October 18, according to the company's Web site.

For more information, or to submit an application, visit http://www.echo360.com/

Echo360 Opens Grant Program

Distance Learning Enterprise Architecture Certification Program

The Enterprise Architecture Center Of Excellence (EACOE) is pleased to announce...

Our Distance Learning Enterprise Architecture Certification Program!

October 10-14, 2011

Live Distance Learning

Enterprise Architecture Certification
Designed to be as close to the same learning interaction and experience as face-to-face Certification.
Five-day session held live, begin on Monday and end on Friday.
Accessible anywhere with an internet connection.
Geared towards Live Online Certification, complete with instructor interactions, team "break-out" rooms, case studies, etc.
Same practitioner-led Certification Workshops you would experience at any of our public Workshop locations.
Each Workshop includes the same presentation materials as the face-to-face "standup" Workshops.
Provide feedback and receive Enterprise Architect Certification at the end of the Workshop - the same as our face-to-face Workshop.
NOT an online passive experience.
Certify your entire team Live - custom "private" Workshops can be scheduled as convenient.


For more information about our Distance Learning option and a list of

Frequently Asked Questions, please visit www.EACOE.org

The Enterprise Architecture Center of Excellence (EACOE) is the leading practitioner-based organization for Enterprise Architect Certification.  You come away from our Workshop with not only a practical understanding of Enterprise Architecture, but a full project plan, work breakdown task structure, and quick start tool templates.  Begin your Enterprise Architecture activities right after your leave the Workshop.

Distance Learning Enterprise Architecture Certification Program

**7 Secrets to Massive Traffic with YouTube**

**7 Secrets to Massive Traffic with YouTube**

15 of the First Female Professors in History

15 of the First Female Professors in History

Social Sciences E-Books for free online viewing and/or download

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Social Sciences E-Books for free online viewing and/or download

Campus Technology: Prof: 'Engage Students Through Their Laptops'

By Tim Sohn08/24/11


This fall the University of Michigan will roll out an interactive presentation tool called LectureTools, created by one of its own professors, to more than 4,000 students. The software is designed to keep students engaged during presentations using laptops and smart phones, especially in large lectures.


"The key is to engage students through their laptops or cellphones, so they don't drift off onto social networking sites," said Perry Samson, an atmospheric science professor. "We've shown we can do that."


Samson began LectureTools as a research project at the university with funding from the National Science Foundation in 2005 with the goal of increasing student engagement and participation. LectureTools, the Ann Arbor, MI-based company, was founded in 2010, and the software's new version was developed that year.


Feature of the software include:
The ability to import PowerPoint slide shows;
Interactive questions, which lets students answer inquiries by the teacher via laptop or mobile device;
A variety of question types;
Teacher previews of interactive activity results in real time;
Bookmarking of slides to be reviewed later;
Recording and archiving of student activity during class;
Showing results using graphics to reveal trends; and
Note-taking capabilities for students.


It also offers a student inquiry tool, so students can ask the instructor questions electronically. Answers are shown alongside the presentation anonymously. Through a presentation dashboard, which allows the teacher to keep track of student comprehension, the instructor can also see and respond to incoming questions and interactive activities.


LectureTools is free for instructors, but there is a $14.99 per term cost for students. Other pricing options include $24.99 for two terms or $59.99 for five years.


University of Michigan has three campuses, in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint. Enrollment is about 60,000. LectureTools will be used in about 20 classes to start.


For further information, visit the LectureTools site.


About the Author
Tim Sohn is a 10-year veteran of the news business, having served in capacities from reporter to editor-in-chief, of a variety of publications, including Web sites, daily and weekly newspapers, and consumer and trade magazines. He can be reached at twcsu@aol.com  

Campus Technology: Prof: 'Engage Students Through Their Laptops'

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Major Libraries Join Controversial Project to Publish ‘Orphan’ Books Online

August 24, 2011
Several libraries today pledged to follow the University of Michigan’s lead in making available on their campuses digital copies of books whose copyright holders cannot be found to ask for permission. The libraries jumping in today are the University of California Libraries, and libraries at Cornell, Duke, Emory, and the Johns Hopkins Universities. The Universities of Florida and Wisconsin recently did the same. The libraries are all part of the HathiTrust consortium that places digital copies of books into a shared online repository. At least one publishing official has called the orphan works plan illegal, but the libraries clearly feel they are operating within copyright law.

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Major Libraries Join Controversial Project to Publish ‘Orphan’ Books Online