Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Ethical Computer Behavior ??

FCW’s story, Group says kids should learn cybersecurity discusses the release of a report from the Cyber Security Industry Alliance called Teaching Children Cyber Security and Ethics. The report calls for the creation of a national program (like “Just Say No” or "No Child Left Behind") to promote cyber security awareness among kids in schools.

I don’t think the states would stand for yet another unfounded mandate, so I don’t think this is a viable proposal, though it does raise a red flag about cybersecurity and kids.

Nevertheless, Susan Miller said, my hackles were initially up over the idea that the government was going to set a standard for ethical computer behavior. But then, I remembered a story a friend told me. She was taking an ethics class (might have even been computer ethics) at a community college, and the instructor posed a hypothetical question: If you were a contractor working on the computer system at the Department of Motor Vehicles and had access to individual driving records, would it be ok to look up (not change, just view) your friends’ records? Almost all the students said yes. And what was worse, they didn’t see the problem with that. A victimless crime.

So maybe we do need some ethics foisted upon us.

In my (limited) experience says Susan Miller, I’ve found government workers have pretty high ethical standards -- use of computers, communication with vendors, accepting lunches, etc. This heightened ethical sense may be because there are very clear rules about what’s permissible and what’s not. Or it may be the result of working in a job that’s under scrutiny from Congress, watchdog groups, taxpayers.

What’s your experience?

Monday, July 25, 2005

The Statistics on the Average American Internet User's Knowledge.

The average American user is not sure what podcasting is, what RSS feed does, or what the term "phishing" means while using the internet. If you are into statistics, yes statistics, then check out what else the PEW/INTERNET discovered in their July 2005 survey...

Closing in on the Digital Divide?

LANGKAWI, June 17 (Bernama) -- Chipmaker company, Intel Corporation is looking at wiring up to 300 universities in the Asia Pacific under its Mobile Initiative for Learning in Education (MILE) programme by end of next year, its director for Southeast Asia, Peter Chong said Friday.

He said that this was part of Intel's vision to "tune-up" the whole group of Asia population into a 'digital Asia's community' in the future (getting people to embrace information communications technology (ICT) and bridge the digital gap).

"The plan is to move Asia into a digital knowledge-based society," he told reporters at the Intel's Media Day.

"We want to transform the traditional boundary-limited university campuses into roaming, all access research libraries, allowing students and lecturers a more flexible learning and teaching environment," he said.

Friday, July 22, 2005

Web Links for Writers

A web site loaded with categorized links from Writers' Resources, Source-Based Writing, Documentation Guides - All Styles, and Essay Writings for your review. Definately, no writer's block here! http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/English/writing.html

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Technology in Education

If put to more productive use, educational technology will live up to the transformational dreams of its loudest promoters. Essays by Lowell Monke and Frederick M. Hess, both former teachers, explore the distance between today’s pedagogies and the classroom of tomorrow—and ask how to bridge the gap.

Monday, July 11, 2005

Constructivism and the Five E's

It is up to the teacher to facilitate the constructivistic learning process. The structure of the learning environment should promote opportunities and events that encourage and support the building of understanding.

Classroom Management

Elements of classroom management vary. Since many professors teach for years without encountering some of the management instances we discuss here, our intent is to move beyond identification of classroom problems to suggest preventative strategies and practical solutions. For some faculty, teaching comes quite naturally and the notion of management in the classroom is irrelevant. But situations within the classroom do occasionally occur that lead us to seek out advice in order to maintain the learning environment for students not to mention our personal sanity.

Classroom Assessment Techniques

"Classroom Assessment is a simple method faculty can use to collect feedback, early and often, on how well their students are learning what they are being taught. The purpose of classroom assessment is to provide faculty and students with information and insights needed to improve teaching effectiveness and learning quality. College instructors use feedback gleaned through Classroom Assessment to inform adjustments in their teaching. Faculty also share feedback with students, using it to help them improve their learning strategies and study habits in order to become more independent, successful learners.... Classroom Assessment is one method of inquiry within the framework of Classroom Research, a broader approach to improving teaching and learning."

Case Method Website: Introduction and Welcome

We are always looking for a new and improved venue to enhance student learning. Why not use a "Case Study?" For our purposes, a "case" is a text that typically describes a real-life situation, giving information but not analysis (see further Case Learning, Case Discussion, Student Guidelines for Case Discussions in the How to Teach with Cases section of this site). Teaching with cases involves a model of facilitating a discussion in which the students develop analyses of the situation, often through collaborative work, role playing, and intensive discussion, debate, and dialogue. Case teaching is familiar to those who have worked or studied in professional schools such as law or business, but it is a relatively recent innovation in more standard social science disciplines, where a small but growing number of faculty across the U.S. have been working to popularize it as a pedagogical option.

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Demonstrating Transformation in eLearning

Demonstrating Transformation: A step by step guide to e-learning, inspection and self assessment for colleges and providers of adult education and training. Look here for advice and guidance on inspection and e-learning from an inspector’s point of view, checklists for nominees and 10 new case studies demonstrating good practice across the sector. Also available is the new interactive version of the NLN ILT self-assessment tool, which can be used to reflect on how far colleges or individual teams have come in their use of information and learning technologies.

Webquest Toolkit

The Community Learning ResourceTeam has developed an online toolkit that will guide you through the process of learning about and building your own Webquest. Read about Webquests below, then visit the toolkit, where you can go through the Webquest process step-by-step, create your own Webquest using the template of your choice, then save it on our website for use with learners anywhere, anytime. The toolkit also includes links to a range of live and different Webquests aimed at giving you a better understanding on each of the stages and how to present them. The Webquest toolkit opens your classroom to a more dynamic approach to learning for your students.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Teaching Models

"Teaching models prescribe tested steps and procedures to effectively generate desired outcomes. In general, models can be classified along a continuum from instructor-directed, to student-instructor negotiated, to student-directed"

Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning

Engagement Theory: "Engagement theory has emerged from the authors' experiences teaching in electronic and distance education environments (see Shneiderman, 1994,1998; Shneiderman et al, 1995; Kearsley, 1997). The fundamental idea underlying engagement theory is that students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks. While in principle, such engagement could occur without the use of technology, we believe that technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise. So engagement theory is intended to be a conceptual framework for technology-based learning and teaching"

Criteria and Standards Used in Evaluating Web-Based Instruction and Delivery Guidelines

The Electronic Learning Institute has developed six broad criteria that encompass 96 quality process standards used in evaluating online instruction and delivery. The criteria are: Flexibility of learner interaction and communication with faculty, peers, and course materials; Attention to detail in the course and its materials; Attention to detail in the web design; Detailed faculty communication to learners; Clear timelines and due dates; and Creating a sense of collaborative teamwork and 'groupness'. Is this something you would uses for your curriculum?

eEducators

20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have

During the last 15 years, we in education have moved at light speed in the area of educational technology. Whether you are involved in higher ed, secondary ed, elementary ed, or special ed, all of us find it difficult to catch up, keep up, and put up with fast-moving computer-based technology. Not since the introduction of the blackboard have we seen a piece of equipment make such a difference in how we teach. Today, not only do we use computers, but we also have laptops, wireless laptops, and tablet PCs. Do you have the updated skills needed?