Getting the Most from Online Learning

A comprehensive look at the promise and potential of online learning In our digital age, students have dramatically new learning needs and must be prepared for the idea economy of the future. In Getting Smart, well-known global education expert Tom Vander Ark examines the facets of educational innovation in the United States and abroad. Vander Ark makes a convincing case for a blend of online and onsite learning, shares inspiring stories of schools and programs that effectively offer «personal digital learning» opportunities, and discusses what we need to do to remake our schools into «smart schools.» Examines the innovation-driven world, discusses how to combine online and onsite learning, and reviews «smart tools» for learning Investigates the lives of learning professionals, outlines the new employment bargain, examines online universities and «smart schools» Makes the case for smart capital, advocates for policies that create better learning, studies smart cultures

This is an essential resource for anyone designing or facilitating online learning. It introduces an easy, practical model (R2D2: read, reflect, display, and do) that will show online educators how to deliver content in ways that benefit all types of learners (visual, auditory, observational, and kinesthetic) from a wide variety of backgrounds and skill levels. With a solid theoretical foundation and concrete guidance and examples, this book can be used as a handy reference, a professional guidebook, or a course text. The authors intend for it to help online instructors and instructional designers as well as those contemplating such positions design, develop, and deliver learner-centered online instruction. Empowering Online Learning has 25 unique activities for each phase of the R2D2 model as well as summary tables helping you pick and choose what to use whenever you need it. Each activity lists a description, skills addressed, advice, variations, cost, risk, and time index, and much more. This title is loaded with current information about emerging technologies (e.g., simulations, podcasts, wikis, blogs) and the Web 2.0. With a useful model, more than 100 online activities, the latest information on emerging technologies, hundreds of quickly accessible Web resources, and relevance to all types and ages of learners–Empowering Online Learning is a book whose time has come.

Completely expanded and updated, Live it Up Without Outliving Your Money! Second Edition is the financial roadmap that people are looking for. Based on the author's experience in the financial services sector since the mid-1960s, including more than 30 years as an investment advisor and money manager, this plain-talking book gives readers simple strategies to add between $1,000 and $10,000 to their monthly income in retirement, and without taking any of the dumb risks of the past. This reliable resource motivates readers to take the first steps to change their financial situation; presents multiple strategies for withdrawing money during retirement; and exposes the marketing tricks perpetrated by financial institutions. This book also includes added focus on newer issues such as ETFs, REITs, estate planning, IRA withdrawals, and updated allocation strategies. Live it Up Without Outliving Your Money! : • Allows readers to tailor a financial plan for retirement that takes into account the amount of risk they’re willing to tolerate • Provides multiple strategies for withdrawing money once in retirement while also building an estate for children and other survivors • Exposes the marketing tricks and emotional ploys perpetrated by financial institutions and the personal finance media that keep investors from making the best decisions – and provide real-world examples of these deceptions • Motivates readers to take the first steps to change their financial situation, which is the most difficult part of the strategy • Includes a dozen worksheets to help readers grapple with retirement planning

Building Online Learning Communities further explores the development of virtual classroom environments that foster a sense of community and empower students to take charge of their learning to successfully achieve learning outcomes. This is the second edition of the groundbreaking book by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt and has been completely updated and expanded to include the most current information on effective online course development and delivery. A practical, hands-on guide, this resource is filled with illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses. The authors offer proven strategies for handling challenges that include: Engaging students in the formation of an online learning community. Establishing a sense of presence online. Maximizing participation. Developing effective courses that include collaboration and reflection. Assessing student performance. Written for faculty in any distance learning environment, this revised edition is based on the authors many years of work in faculty development for online teaching as well as their extensive personal experience as faculty in online distance education. Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt share insights designed to guide readers through the steps of online course design and delivery.

Identify the best online program for you Get organized to succeed at learning at a distance Be the best learner you can be Get your best education online Whether you're a college student, adult learner, or professional in continuing education, some—and sometimes all—of your learning will happen in a virtual classroom. This book is your friendly guide to the fast-growing possibilities of this world, from choosing the right course and mastering the software to polishing up your online communication and study skills. Whatever you want from your study experience—school success, professional development, or just pursuing your passion—this is your road map to online educational success! Inside… Find the right course for you Prep successfully for classes Manage time online Apply for study funding Transfer credits Master the software Get the right hardware Develop online etiquette

Update the visual design of your course in pedagogically sound ways Visual Design for Online Learning spotlights the role that visual elements play in the online learning environment. Written for both new and experienced instructors, the book guides you in adding pedagogically relevant visual design elements that contribute to effective learning practices. The text builds upon three conceptual frameworks: active learning, multiple intelligences, and universal design for learning. This resource explores critical issues such as copyright, technology tools, and accessibility and includes examples from top Blackboard practitioners which are applicable to any LMS. Ultimately, the author guides you in developing effective visual elements that will support your teaching goals while reinforcing the learning materials you share with your students. There has been a steady increase of over 10% in online enrollment for higher education institutions since 2002, yet the visual look of online courses has not changed significantly in the last ten years. Adapting to the needs of students within online classes is critical to guiding your students toward success—and the right visual elements can play an integral role in your students' ability to learn and retain the information they need to thrive in their chosen programs. In fact, visual elements have been shown to increase student participation, engagement, and success in an online course. Leverage the best practices employed by exemplary Blackboard practitioners Explore three foundational conceptual frameworks: active learning, multiple intelligences, and universal design for learning Increase student retention and success Visual Design for Online Learning is an essential reference for all online educators—both new and experienced.

This volume presents models, methods, and strategies that facilitate and promote learning within online environments.Arguing that success in online environments is dependent on the role of autonomy in order to create sustained and enduring learners, the introductory chapter presents current research and identifies ways through which autonomous learning is established within the learning environment. Contributors demonstrate how quality online programs are made up of a «blend» of technology, pedogogy, organization, strategy, and vision; explore the concept of online social presence as a significant factor in improving instructional effectiveness and contributing to a feeling of community among learners; and offer strategies for instructors facing the new challenges and opportunities of the online educational experience. Two chapters examine master's level online programming by exploring a model through which the design template for one such program was built and presenting the actual experiences students who completed master's degrees online. Editor Steven R. Aragon joins his colleagues to make the case that instructional designers need ways to support quality teaching and learning within online environments that take into account the variability in student learning styles, provide external motivation for the isolated students, and build community, collaboration, and communications among learners. Finally, contributors from the field analyze the impact that online technology is having on training and development initiatives of business and industry and demonstrate how current trends have cultivated an environment open to online learning. This is the 100th issue of the Jossey Bass series New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.

If you need quick, targeted baseline knowledge about using technology for teaching and learning, Making Sense of Online Learning is for you. This practical, no-nonsense primer will help you understand how online learning technologies work and how they fit into your organization. You’ll gain a working knowledge of important topics such as design, infrastructure, and evaluation and the confidence to make informed decisions that will help your learners and organization thrive. Since information about online learning changes at Internet speed, the book is supported with a dedicated Web site (www.learningpeaks.com/msoll/) filled with up-to-the-minute suggestions for tools and resources.

Employ cognitive theory in the classroom every day Research into how we learn has opened the door for utilizing cognitive theory to facilitate better student learning. But that's easier said than done. Many books about cognitive theory introduce radical but impractical theories, failing to make the connection to the classroom. In Small Teaching, James Lang presents a strategy for improving student learning with a series of modest but powerful changes that make a big difference—many of which can be put into practice in a single class period. These strategies are designed to bridge the chasm between primary research and the classroom environment in a way that can be implemented by any faculty in any discipline, and even integrated into pre-existing teaching techniques. Learn, for example: How does one become good at retrieving knowledge from memory? How does making predictions now help us learn in the future? How do instructors instill fixed or growth mindsets in their students? Each chapter introduces a basic concept in cognitive theory, explains when and how it should be employed, and provides firm examples of how the intervention has been or could be used in a variety of disciplines. Small teaching techniques include brief classroom or online learning activities, one-time interventions, and small modifications in course design or communication with students.

An innovative communication method for making change happen in any organization Getting Change Right presents a new view of leadership communication that says change doesn't flow top-down, bottom-up, or sideways, but inside-out. This is how change spreads through a complex system successfully-the other options are force or failure. Based on years of experience with organizations around the world, change expert Kahan presents a new model of communication, one that moves from a transactional view of information exchange to a collaborative construction of shared understanding. When the right people are having the right conversations and interactions, then they act in concert even though the situations they confront independently are impossible to predict or coordinate. This dynamic practitioner's guide to implementing change Presents the innovative co-creation communication model for creating change Reveals how communicating with a company's most valuable players is at the heart of organizational change Draws on the author's wealth of experience with Fortune 100 companies, leading government agencies, and associations Getting Change Right offers business insights and field-tested, practical techniques that can be put to work immediately.