From the Online Professional Development for K-12 Teachers - University of Wisconsin: Rubrics for various subjects at various levels:
Cooperative Learning Rubrics
Research Report Rubrics
Writing Rubrics
Math, Art, Science Rubrics
Oral Presentation Rubrics
Rubrics for Primary Grades
Web Page and ePortfolio Rubrics
Video and Multimedia Project Rubrics
...plus a section on Creating Your Rubrics
Logorrhoea or logorrhea (Greek λογορροια, logorrhoia, “word-flux”) is defined as an “excessive flow of words” and, when used medically, refers to incoherent talkativeness that occurs in certain kinds of mental illness, such as mania. The spoken form of logorrhoea (in the non-medical sense) is a kind of verbosity that uses superfluous or fancy words to disguise a useless or simple message as useful or intellectual, and is commonly known as “verbal diarrhea.”So I told my partner and he's just coined a new word (in the title of this post). Take it, use it, spread it around, but link to this blog post when you do, ok?
"...a collection of one-page examples of how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes can be used in interesting settings, including everyday life. The examples are written primarily by scientists and engineers, and are available to teachers, students, and other interested parties via the PUMAS Web Site. Our goal is to capture, for the benefit of pre-college education, the flavor of the vast experience that working scientists have with interesting and practical uses of math and science."
"Our main purpose is to provide valuable solutions for students and young researchers; disseminate additional knowledge, skills and attitudes that are useful in their youth work; communicate within the academic community of scholars, professionals and students from all branches. We share information about scholarships, grants, conferences, study abroad opportunities, exchange and professional training programs and internships all over the world."
"...my first year of teaching, I spent many late nights planning lessons for the following day. During those nights, a single thought gnawed at me: Thousands of other teachers across the country were doing just as I was, and thousands more had done so every year for decades. Yet there was no way for me to fully benefit from the experience of all those who had come before. I’ve created this website to change that....any registered user...can post lesson plans, links, handouts, PowerPoint presentations—virtually anything! And you don’t even have to know HTML. Editing a page is as easy as using a word processor. My vision is that over time, we can develop an extensive library of creative, finely-tuned, engaging, exciting lessons."
"Skypecasts as “large, hosted calls on Skype.” Sound pretty simple. Basically you can create or join a large online conference call with UP TO 100 people. Skypecasts are scheduled to begin and end at a certain time and usually have a certain topic of discussion. The users must download and use Skype in order to join the Skypecast."
"There are many programs out there that already allow users to create online classes, but those cost thousands, and even tens of thousands of dollars to implement. This option is FREE. That price tag is always a big plus for education and their limited resources."
"Overall, I was very impressed with Skypecasts and the potential it possesses in education. Above all else mentioned above, I think it is absolutely necessary to help students understand cultures beyond their own. This technology opens up the way for them to do that, not only through other people’s Skypecasts, but by having students create their own."
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"Working with our library partners, we're expanding access to books that are out of copyright and have become public domain material. Users can search and read these books on Google Book Search like always, but now they can also download and print them to enjoy at their own pace."
"Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, podcasts and blogs could be quite effective tools in e-learning for health professionals in patients, according to a new paper published by BioMed Central. The very interactivity of the technology could prove a boon for professional and patient education, providing that any changes and collaboration is effectively monitored....If effectively deployed, wikis, blogs and podcasts could offer a way to enhance students', clinicans' and patients' learning experiences, and deepen levels of learners' engagement and collaboration within digital learning environments..."
"A FREE system for voice communication on the Web. It allows groups of people such as students and teachers to participate in discussion groups using their computers, using both synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous chat. It is commonly used by schools and universities for providing a 'voice board' for teaching purposes. There are several different ways you can use Gong. All are free and unlimited."
"A complete guide to successful learning using Moodle, focused on course development and delivery and using the best educational practices. Moodle is relatively easy to install and use, but the real challenge is to develop a learning process that leverages its power and maps effectively onto the content established learning situation. This book guides you through meeting that challenge."
"I created this site in October, 2004 as a way to share all of the great resources I am finding in the course of my doctoral research into the social aspects of gaming. ... I wanted to be able to cull the best resources together to... give us all a greater holistic understanding of this emerging area. ... the social/psychological facet of games research ... a repository of resources, both original content and links to all the great stuff scattered all over the Web."
"My name is PatC. I am a former middle school science teacher who now works for Archie Comics. I wanted to let you know about the ESL podcast I am producing on the Archie site. The podcast started out as something for students that I teach once a week (an ESL class) but I am having so much fun doing the podcasts that I am making them available for free to others."
Give your students instant access to the reference material they need for papers and research. Add Answers.com to your classroom, media center and home computers to give you and your students free, instant access to reliable facts, definitions and information on over three million topics.
The most flexible and powerful tool of its kind on the web, use this JavaScript wizard to instantly create, customize, and add pop up or pop under windows to your site! Control precisely the frequency of the window, whether it's once per browser session or any desired period (ie: once every 24 hours). For the uninitiated, a popup refers to a secondary, usually smaller window that loads on top of the main window, and contains a separate HTML document inside of it. To create your own popup, just follow the three simple steps below, and grab the generated code. It's that simple!
The Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Is It Time to Dump Your Desktop?” In it the author reflects on the possibility for businesses to switch to web-based software once it is “good enough” for a big percentage of users. In this article, Ajax 13 was mentioned as one of the companies that is producing online alternatives to Micrsoft's widely used Office software. The appeal that the low cost alternatives have, continues to create a growing threat to the MS Office Suite.
"This study was undertaken to explore the extent to which and ways in which Information and Communication Technologies or ICT (basically global networks of computers and other associated digital devices) have impacted on learning. Instead of looking at learning in formal education and training settings, I have chosen to consider the dynamics of independent self-directed learning, especially that which is undertaken by adults."......"Adult learners are beneficiaries of self-regulation because it allows them to create order out of an often chaotic existence, and it helps them organize time, energies, and resources. This is a vital element as adults seek to balance career, family, travel, goals, dreams, and responsibilities. The following are steps that will help the adult learner build skills needed for self-regulation..."
"This study was undertaken to explore the extent to which and ways in which Information and Communication Technologies or ICT (basically global networks of computers and other associated digital devices) have impacted on learning. Instead of looking at learning in formal education and training settings, I have chosen to consider the dynamics of independent self-directed learning, especially that which is undertaken by adults. "
"Online instructors, particularly those who have recently begun to incorporate online components in their teaching, have good reason to feel concerned about the potential for chat sessions to become less than productive in their courses. However, the protocol of virtual class chatiquette may serve as a helpful tool as they seek to tame the chat beast in their online courses while still ensuring that synchronous communication maintains the immediacy and vitality that is often lacking in asynchronous communication. Although I am still chat room avoidant, these guidelines helped me to overcome my fears and utilize such technology more effectively and productively in my own teaching."
"Now, let me start this diatribe with a brief rant on the importance of asking the right questions. In my mind, it is THE most important skill or ability to have....What Questions Are We Asking? ...My guess is that just as most learning professionals can tell you the problems with the interactivity question, they can similarly suggest lots of much better questions that might be appropriate instead..."
"Blogs and wikis, because they are different spaces, manifest/take advantage of/engage different epistemic and rhetorical possibilities and serve different rhetorical and epistemic ends. They engage different rhetorics: one topical, carved from the inside out; the other chronological, staying on top of things. "
"This Guide Does Not Provide Legal Advice"..."The purpose of this Guide is to provide you with a general roadmap of some of the legal issues specific to podcasting. EFF has produced a very practical and helpful guide for issues related to blogging generally (http://www.eff.org/bloggers/). This Guide is not intended to duplicate efforts by EFF, and in many cases refers you to that guide for where crossover issues are addressed. Our goal is to complement EFF's Bloggers FAQ and address some of the standalone issues that are of primary relevance to podcasters, as opposed to bloggers."
What habits do we need to let go of in order to have true dialogue? When does facilitation draw attention to the process or the moderator rather than furthering the inquiry? How does dialogue emerge from among a group of strangers, and what conditions are the most evocative for true inquiry? What role does individual ego play?
"Online course syllabi serve as platforms upon which to stage, manage, or enhance your course and function as a kind of contract between you and your students. Students will most likely download, print-out and follow your syllabus like a map, using it to chart their progress in your course. It's a good idea to post a downloadable version of your syllabus, preferably in rtf format, in addition to the online version so your students can print it out easily."
The national mental-health strategy highlighted the importance of adult education in promoting positive mental health; the neighbourhood renewal strategy noted the importance of learning for communities seeking to overcome social exclusion. The Wider Benefits of Learning research centre at London University has shown that taking part in learning increases racial tolerance, gives you a better chance of giving up smoking, and prolongs your active life in retirement. All in all, the case for adult learning is a powerful one. On the other hand, public provision for adults has been plummeting .....
Too often policy for adults seems to be made by sewing together what is left once young people's needs are met. ... How much public money should be used to support lifelong learning? How much should individuals pay? And how best can we make sure employers invest in their staff? Adults deserve clear answers - and there is no better time than Adult Learners' Week to secure them.
SecureExam Browser: "A security application that locks down any web-based tool or platform, transforming school specific applications into secure testing vehicles. Like other Securexam applications, Securexam Browser creates a secure test environment by locking down the Windows operating system on the test-taker's laptop or desktop computer, only allowing access to the test application via our secure Internet browser. Giving exams on the internet has never been this easy or secure." Can be used with any testing situation, plus it's one of the WebCT/Blackboard Powerlinks.
Respondus Lockdown Browser: "...a custom browser that creates a secure testing environment within the WebCT and Blackboard e-learning platforms. When students use Respondus LockDown Browser they are unable to print, copy, go to another URL, or access other applications. When an assessment is started, students are locked into it until they submit it for grading."
This resource demonstrates ways you can introduce online voice technologies into your course design and delivery and provide increased flexibility and engagement for learners. It can be used as an individual guide or as a resource for professional development and training sessions. There are three sections:
- Case studies: See how teachers have used online voice tools to provide new learning opportunities for different groups of learners.
- Facilitator guides: Gain an overview of online voice tools and how you can integrate them into teaching and learning. "The facilitator guides have been developed as an introduction to a number of voice tools and to model ways that you can integrate them into your teaching practices."
- Future directions: Explore the future directions of voice online and how it may assist to promote new practices in innovative teaching and learning.
Worksheets, Teaching Tips, Teacher Resources, and Rubrics. "We provide free and easy to use resources for teachers dedicated to improving the education of today's generation of students." FREE access to:
27,000 lesson plans
Teaching tips
6,500 FREE printable worksheets
Games and Downloads
Preformatted rubrics
256,000 reviewed sites
Printable generators
Webquests
"Podictionary is the audio word-a-day. For a couple of minutes Charles Hodgson discusses the unexpected history of words you thought you already knew."There's a cute thing in the top right corner that says, "Wait a minute, I don't want to know about podcasts: An email alternative."
"Delivering fresh and engaging lesson ideas at least weekly! ... The purpose of this site is to accompany a podcast that focuses on using SMART Boards in the classroom. Each episode will feature a lesson, a podcast, and user comments. ... The goal of this podcast to share lesson ideas that use technology to engage students in learning with a focus on SMARTBoard Interactive Whiteboards between educators. It will be a maximum of 20 minutes so that teachers can listen on lunch breaks or recesses as they mark papers or on their way to school in the morning via their iPod."
"Elgg is a hybrid of weblogging, e-portfolios and social networking. It is hoped this combination of features will provide an engaging environment for learners to create their own learning space and then connect to others, forming online communities of learning. ... There are two options to get an Elgg account. You can register for an individual account hosted by Elgg or you can take the system and install it on your own server. Elgg is an open source application. ... Elgg has been developed to serve as a stand alone personal learning landscape or as a complimentary addition to existing learning environments. Elgg has been developed to serve as a stand alone personal learning landscape or as a complimentary addition to existing learning environments. The emphasis with Elgg is very much on the learner."
"Google Page Creator is a free tool that lets you create web pages right in your browser and publish them to the web with one click. There's no software to download and no web designer to hire. The pages you create are hosted on Google servers and are available at http://yourgmailusername.googlepages.com for the world to see."
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to Course Development is designed as a resource for individuals with varying levels of course design experience.
- Individuals new to higher education can use this site to help design their
first classroom based course integrating technology where appropriate.- Experienced instructors, being encouraged to place materials within a
learning management system, can use this site to decipher the differences
between Web-Presence, Web-Enhanced, Web-Centric and Online courses and how to
plan courses for online delivery.- Instructors of online courses, looking for new ideas and ways to improve
their course, can use the site to improve content development by finding sources
for pre-developed content and ideas to improve student centered learning.- Instructional Designers and Instructional Support Staff can use this site as
a reference for themselves or as a resource for the faculty they
support."
"P.G. Schrader, Dongping Zheng, and Michael Young examine how preservice teachers' personal experiences with video games inform their views of gaming in the classroom. They link the results of their study to current literature and conclude that preservice teachers' experiences steer them away from game genres such as massively multiplayer online games and toward using games as rewards. The solution, the authors conclude, is to provide preservice teachers with new experiences in their training programs that make them aware of the educational potential of games in the classroom."
"The Consortium for Scholarship on Teaching and Learning (CoSTL) has been meeting for two years, drawing participants from longer-running informal discussion groups within departments. CoSTL participants, about 25 each week, are mostly math and science faculty with “professor of the practice” titles, who are responsible for teaching but not research. Their research, they say, is on how best to teach undergraduates."
"...easy to use, highly customizable application helps you copy, move, synchronize, rename, and delete files between folders and computers.... digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops.
Most common operations can be performed with just a few clicks of the mouse, and additional customization is available without added complexity. SyncToy can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another. Unlike other applications, SyncToy actually keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder."
"The Graduation Portfolio Workbook focuses on the mandatory core aspects of the six prescribed Portfolio Organizers as well as the student presentation that must be completed by all students planning to graduate. This Workbook was developed for teachers of students with learning challenges to clarify the required core aspects and presentation components. The Graduation Portfolio process encourages students to gather and present evidence of skills, knowledge and competencies that will support a successful transition beyond Grade 12. The authors felt that once students clearly understood the process and became engaged in it, they could confidently proceed to explore choice aspects that best reflect their talents, interests, and abilities.
"This Workbook has been designed as an electronic workbook. ...All the files related to the Graduation portfolio are available for download. To download, click on item in list on the left."
"Forget those dull HTML-based quizzes and surveys. Get the power of Flash to captivate your audience with stunning graphical quizzes and surveys. ViewletACE is the most efficient way to create dynamic, customizable Flash-based surveys and assessments without the need for extensive training and development time."
"Develop your teaching practice using ICT. Here are all the materials you will need to teach a wide range of subject topics using ICT, from planning and preparation to evaluation. Whether you are new to ICT or more experienced, these materials can be used by all teaching professionals."
"Skype is an example of a potentially “disruptive” educational technology tool because it can fundamentally change the teaching and learning environment. ... teaching and learning in the 21st Century can no longer be a traditional experience of “sit and get.” Teachers as well as students must strive to creatively employ technology tools to access, evaluate, synthesize and communicate information. Only by engaging in this active process can “information” from the Internet be translated into “knowledge” in the minds of learners. Classroom teachers can leverage the potential of disruptive technologies like Skype, weblogs, podcasts, or one to one technology immersion initiatives to increase student motivation to communicate with authentic audiences, spend more time on assigned tasks, and develop essential literacy skills needed for vocational and lifetime success in the twenty-first century. Translated, this means increasing student achievement, while simultaneously encouraging students as well as teachers to engage in worthwhile and creative tasks. Twenty-first century educators should aspire for nothing less."
"When you're looking for magazine or journal articles, search engines can be helpful, but other specialized search tools are often a better bet—particularly in the academic, scholarly and sci-tech areas."
"This chapter reviews and critiques the scientific evidence and research methods studying the use of games, simulations, and microworlds as multimedia learning tools. This chapter focuses on interactive educational multimedia, which is distinguished from scripted forms of educational multimedia by the degree to which users participate in and control the multimedia software."
"Works inside Microsoft Outlook to bring up-to-the-minute RSS news feed headlines and Podcast content from your favorite Websites and blogs right into neatly organized Outlook folders. Now you can stay on top of RSS news and your favorite blogs without all the surfing. Attensa for Outlook is the first RSS news reader and news aggregator for Outlook that lets you use a toolbar in your browser of choice, Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer, to easily add and manage RSS news feeds and subscriptions from Websites and blogs. And, it's the only Outlook RSS reader that automatically loads audio Podcast files into iTunes and Windows Media Player playlists."
"A beta release of Respondus LockDown Browser is now available to academic institutions. The browser locks down the testing environment within WebCT and Blackboard so that students are unable to print, copy, go to another URL, or access other applications. When an assessment is started, students are locked into it until it is submitted for grading."
"As might be expected the tips ranged from a single word (Plan! or Practice!) to as many as fifteen separate tips running over 350 words! They also ranged from the simple and obvious to the unusual and subtle. They covered the complete gamut of behavior for an online instructor. We are providing these tips to everybody who is interested in being more effective at doing online synchronous instruction."
"...15 key free or low cost technologies you can to develop e and blended learning for next to nothing. From authoring tools, and from Podcasting to chat rooms, I’ve technologies to get you started. I also show you when and appropriate to use them in your learning programmes."He then goes on to
"...give you over 50 different ideas about technologies in your organisation to start making improve the effectiveness of your learning."
"We contend that the current technical design philosophy of today's Learning Management Systems is substantially retarding progress toward the kind of flexible virtual classrooms that teachers need to provide quality education. In order to have substantial development of specialized teaching tools at an acceptable rate, LMSs need to be designed from the ground up to make development and integration of new tools as easy as possible. In this article, we will make the case that specialized teaching tool development is, in fact, radically slower than it ought to be. We will propose reasons for this evolutionary logjam, suggest LMS design qualities that would break it, and provide guidelines that technical and non-technical stakeholders within an organization can use together to help select an LMS that is designed for a future in which the virtual chairs are unbolted and teachers have control over their teaching environments again."
"If your time is important for about $200 (ed pricing) you can get Captivate which works quite nicely for making high quality flash screen shots with audio (recored live or editied in). ...it seems to work fine and with little effort."Scott Leslie (Ed Tech Post) then tried it and responded:
"Wow - it totally rocks! I installed it, ran it and made my first screen recording in under 5 minutes. Really nice piece of software that truly put all of these others to shame, and Bruce, you were doubly right about it being worth the price just for how easy it makes doing these screen recordings. Really nice piece of software."
"Try our free web site speed test to improve website performance. Enter a URL to calculate page size, composition, and download time. The script calculates the size of individual elements and sums up each type of web page component. Based on these page characteristics the script then offers advice on how to improve page load time. The script incorporates best practices from HCI research into its recommendations."
"CMS doesn’t have to be synonymous with failure. There is no doubt that the right CMS, properly implemented, can offer real benefits to organizations of all sizes. The catch seems to be that it’s not always easy to find the right CMS, let alone a qualified team with the skills needed for a proper implementation. ...With this in mind I offer a few do’s and don’ts that could help you minimize your chances of joining the ranks of those who are unhappy with their CMS."
"...most educators use a variety of tools-including video, e-mail, desktop conferencing, online programs such as WebCT and Blackboard, as well as video conferencing-to teach. Thus, it is no longer acceptable for educators to be technology illiterate. With that in mind, here is a comprehensive listing of the technology skills that every educator should have. Because as computer and associated technologies continue to change and evolve, educators must continue to strive for excellence in their work. Today that includes continued time and effort to maintain and improve their technology skills (as much as some educators do not want to admit)."
"These ebooks may be read on a computer using a simple text editor or viewer. The books are in the 'public domain' and all have been prepared by volunteers."
"In May 1961, JFK said that he was going to put a man on the moon. The idea was unthinkable at the time, but within the decade, the goal was achieved. Google Book Search is our man on the moon initiative. We see a world where all books are online and searchable. How exactly will this be done? How long exactly will it take? We aren't sure, but we're committed to making it happen."When you get there, read their "about" page.
"Ever notice how some Web sites feel great, energetic, fun - you just want to linger to soak up more? And yet other sites are truly repellant. These tips will help you create a truly happening site."
"Wink is a Tutorial and Presentation creation software, primarily aimed at creating tutorials on how to use software (like a tutor for MS-Word/Excel etc). Using Wink you can capture screenshots, add explanations boxes, buttons, titles etc and generate a highly effective tutorial for your users. ...a standard Windows-based UI with drag-and-drop editing makes it very easy to create high quality tutorials/documentation.
It is estimated that Macromedia Flash Player is installed in more than 90% of the PCs. Using Wink you can create content viewable across the web in all these users' desktops. Similar applications sell for hundreds of dollars, while Wink is free with unrivaled features."
101 Great Educational uses for your handheld computer: The article groups the uses under the headings Administrative Applications, Communication and Collaboration Applications, Teaching and Learning Applications.
Getting Started: "Just getting started with handhelds? Here are some of the things that you will need to think about and resources that will help."
"In this article, we take look at the PDA -- where it's been, how it is converging with other devices, and where it's headed. We also examine how PDAs work and give you some pointers on how to select one."
"Teachers rely on best practices, the strategies learned from experienced educators and researchers, so they can use the most effective methods to teach their students. Many components make up a best practice. Some techniques are ageless and withstand the test of time. And some that are new and innovative, like using handheld computers, show great promise."
"Over the past seven or eight years, universities and colleges in the US have been introducing wireless technology into campus life. In the UK and at universities in other countries around the world, pilot projects that started at the end of the 90s are now giving rise to 'wireless ready' learning environments, overcoming the restrictions of hard-wired technology. In the ever-more competitive national and international markets for students, this is a campus facility that universities are increasingly dangling before the eyes of potential freshmen."
"There are ten basic Principles of Learning that, when practiced, help us grow in understanding and make us successful in whatever we attempt to do. These ten basic Principles of Learning are really a series of actions that successful people people can take in their daily lives. In fact, since learning is such an integral part of living, these rules might more appropriately be called the basic principles of a good life."
"...A key weapon in your armoury is low cost scalable technology. Don’t panic! Whilst your budget may not stretch to commissioning a bespoke e-learning programme or buying a learning management system there is a lot you can do to make learning have an impact in your organisation. I review 15 key free or low cost technologies you can start using today to develop e and blended learning for next to nothing. From free LMSs to authoring tools, and from Podcasting to chat rooms, I’ve selected the best technologies to get you started. I also show you when and where it’s most appropriate to use them in your learning programmes. I also give you over 50 different ideas about how you could apply these technologies in your organisation to start making savings immediately and improve the effectiveness of your learning."
