Padlet!

Ah yes...we all used Padlet during COVID, but many of us (certainly me) have stopped using Padlet now that we are F2F again. But Padlet still works great, for example:

• Video Discussion Board where the students post one relevant video for a topic, for example ozone & global warming.
• Or, do the same with figures.
• There is also a Video Recorder where they could record a brief video of themselves talking into the camera.

Unfortunately, the free version of Padlet is limited to just 3 'padlets'...not sure how you could in-practice use that for daily teaching.

The Teacher’s Guide to Tech (2025)

The Teacher’s Guide to Tech (2025) is now available!

Common Sense Education

Common Sense Education is a large non-profit 'dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.'

There are lot's of players in that space directly or indirectly promoting some kind of agenda, so be careful! That being said, they seem to offer good educational materials related to digital citizenship and Edtech.

The Four Laws of Learning

 All the usual caveats apply, but the 4 Laws of Learning (and How to Follow Them) is very helpful, for example for new college/university faculty who may have never had any training in pedagogy.

Mrs. Brainmocker

http://hackeducation.com/2020/06/21/imaginary

Push-Button Education

This is not new, but timely right now: The Ed-Tech Imaginary

Online Talking

Here are some good tips and resources on how to give an online talk. Or simply an online lecture:

• http://www.katharinehayhoe.com/wp2016/faqs/#video-setup
• https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/status/1245761110948622336

Geography Treasure Hunts and Quizzes

Not a big fan myself, but many people seem to enjoy these: try Geography Treasure Hunts (by Esri) and Quizzity.

Teaching with Zoom

Not entirely sure why, but Zoom is the hip thing right now, but there are plenty of good and maybe better alternatives (e.g. Google Hangouts). Still - here are some useful resources for teaching with Zoom.

• How to teach online with Zoom: Complete Introduction @ https://youtu.be/lvndgRlOH1w

Climate activities for at-home learning

These look fun: Climate activities for at-home learning. Plus can be extended to K-12.

Reusable Learning Objects

Reusable Learning Objects (or RLOs) are a new and hip term in the world of online and flipped learning = narrated PowerPoint lectures 'enhanced' with interactive features and assessment tools. Lame.

• Example 1
• Example 2

How to Learn Data Science - Free!

Free and online - here is a learning path for Data Science.

Video vs. Written Student Feedback

This study has generated considerable interest: Could Video Feedback Replace the Red Pen? More discussion on Profhacker and GeoEd Track.

John Sperling (University of Phoenix founder)

Marketplace ran an interesting piece about John Sperling, the founder of the University of Phoenix, who died recently at the age of 93.

CMS or LMS?

On one side you have the big-boys: Vista, Blackboard, Moodle, etc. - those are great if you want to run an online course and need all the tracking and assessment tools they provide. But what if all you want is a fun, easy-to-use, and intuitive shared space to exchange ideas, sources, and maybe some files with and among your students? You could go Facebook or Google+, but that creates a weird mixing between your private and professional life. Here are several options for light-weight course managements systems:

• Yammer. The basic version is free, the interface looks almost identical to Facebook, and everything is hosted somewhere in the cloud - no downloads or configurations.
• Podio. The Lite version for up to 5 people is free, above that it's $9 per person per month.
• Basecamp. Commercial, web-based product similar to Yammer. No free option!
• Commons In A Box. This is a great option, but requires a WordPress installation on your own server.
• Wordpress. Use as-is or with plug-ins (see Commons In A Box).
• Drupal. Very popular, but requires your own server to run (real or virtual).
• Entrada. Also very popular, but as with Drupal needs its own server.
• Google Classroom. Part of Google's Apps for Education - looks promising and here are the first impressions from ProfHacker.
• Schoology. This looks like a great option as well.

So...get friendly with your IT folks, use Yammer, convince your college admins to invest in a Basecamp package, or just commit to going Google!

MOOC Completion Rates

Obviously, MOOC completion rates are terrible. Precisely how terrible is something that no MOOC provider or university wants us to know...enter MoocMoocher and her attempt to compile and synthesize MOOC completion rates.

For an interesting take on the future (or lack thereof?) of MOOCs - have a look at Joshua Kim's comparison between MOOCs and netbooks.

Cloud and Server GIS

This looks like a great course: GEOG 897C Cloud and Server GIS (PennState Department of Geography). Run ArcGIS Server on Amazon EC2, run GeoServer, Google Fusion Tables, ArcGIS Online, and more.

Virtual Fieldwork

Reality is overrated! Plus, it is expensive to take students off-campus and into the field - plus consider the liability. Even better: don't build actual lab facilities - implement a Bring-Your-Own-Device policy on your campus and use virtual labs. And - the Millenials love gaming - so why not use that in teaching? Finally - who needs a campus - let's go fully virtual! Here are some options:

• Virtual Fieldwork
• Virtual Labs: Chemistry and Biology
• Educational Gaming: SIMCITY
• Virtual Campus: Second Life

I'm sure there are many more...

The Future of Education (and Technology)

This video is worth watching (also available via YouTube) - a nice summary of what is wrong with the way we teach and learn today. Predictably, MOOCs are presented as one solution...I still don't see that until I get an answer to the fundamental question: who pays for the MOOC and the associated overhead?

What's a MOOC anyways?

The answer is pretty simple: a MOOC has to be massive = have so many students taking it that it becomes impossible, as an instructor, to actually interact with students in a meaningful way. In other words: a MOOC that's not actually massive is just an online course with bad pedagogy. I'm therefore not surprised to see the Big-3 LMS providers trying to get into the MOOC game. What does that mean? Just another excuse for college and university administrators to raise the enrollment numbers for online courses by claiming they are MOOCs.