Mobile Learning. A Handbook for Developers, Educators, and Learners

A practical, real-world introduction to AWS tools and concepts Amazon Web Services for Mobile Developers: Building Apps with AWS presents a professional view of cloud computing and AWS for experienced iOS/Android developers and technical/solution architects. Cloud computing is a rapidly expanding ecosystem, and working professionals need a practical resource to bring them up-to-date on tools that are rapidly becoming indispensable; this book helps expand your skill set by introducing you to AWS offerings that can make your job easier, with a focus on real-world application. Author and mobile applications developer Abhishek Mishra shows you how to create IAM accounts and try out some of the most popular services, including EC2, Lambda, Mobile Analytics, Device Farm, and more. You'll build a chat application in both Swift (iOS) and Java (Andoid), running completely off AWS Infrastructure to explore SDK installation, Xcode, Cognito authentication, DynamoDB, Amazon SNA Notifications, and other useful tools. By actually using the tools as you learn about them, you develop a more intuitive understanding that feels less like a shift and more like a streamlined integration. If you have prior experience with Swift or Java and a solid knowledge of web services, this book can help you quickly take your skills to the next level with a practical approach to learning that translates easily into real-world use. Understand the key concepts of AWS as applied to both iOS and Android developers Explore major AWS offerings for mobile developers, including DynamoDB, RDS, EC2, SNS, Cognito, and more Learn what people are talking about when they use buzzwords like PaaS, IaaS, SaaS, and APaaS Work through explanations by building apps that tie into the AWS ecosystem Any job is easier with the right tools, and Amazon Web Services for Mobile Developers: Building Apps with AWS gets you acquainted with an ever-expanding toolkit for mobile app development.

A unique resource to help software developers create a desirable user experience Today, top-flight software must feature a desirable user experience. This one-of-a-kind book creates a design process specifically for software, making it easy for developers who lack design background to create that compelling user experience. Appealing to both tech-savvy designers and creative-minded technologists, it establishes a hybrid discipline that will produce first-rate software. Illustrated in full color, it shows how to plan and visualize the design to create software that works on every level. Today's software demands attention to the quality of the user experience; this book guides you through a practical design process to achieve that goal Approaches the mechanics of design with a process inspired by art and science Avoids the abstract and moves step by step through techniques you can put to use immediately Covers planning your design, tested methods, how to visualize like a designer, psychology of design, and how to create software that developers will appreciate Explores such elements as choosing the right typeface and managing interactivity Design for Software: A Playbook for Developers brings the art of good design together with the science of software development to create programs with pizazz.

Praise for Social Media for Educators «At last, a book that provides a straightforward discussion of the pedagogical reasons to use social media, and how to effectively use the tools to enhance learning experiences. A practical must-have!»—Rita-Marie Conrad, instructional strategist and technologist, Duke University School of Nursing; coauthor, Engaging the Online Learner and The Online Teaching Survival Guide «This insightful and in-depth exploration effectively makes a case for embracing the best characteristics of social media to foster deeper learning experiences, promote collaboration, and provide timely feedback. This book is a can't-miss for educators.»—Amy M. Collier, associate director for technology and teaching, Center for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University «Thought about using social media in your online courses but don't know where to begin? Joosten's comprehensive hands-on book describes step-by-step how social media can add richness to your course content and have a positive impact on student outcomes.» —Rosemary Lehman and Simone Concei??o, eInterface; coauthors, Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching and Managing Online Instructor Workload «Many faculty are hesitant to incorporate social media into their teaching for fear that it will be a distraction or too time consuming. Tanya Joosten has done a remarkable job outlining the benefits—and considerations—of doing so. Faculty who read this book will be able to make informed, educated decisions about the best approach to take.» —John Dolan, director, digital media and pedagogy, College of the Liberal Arts, Penn State University Social Media for Educators This is a down-to-earth resource filled with strategies for designing learning activities that work toward specific outcomes. It illustrates the ways in which social media will improve learning and contains case studies that clearly demonstrate social media's ability to: Increase communication and interactivity in a course Facilitate engaging learning activities Enhance students' satisfaction, learning, and performance

Praise for Facilitating Group Learning «In this engaging and accessible book, George Lakey draws on a lifetime's experience to provide a highly practical resource to anyone seeking to understand and respond to the complexities of group work. The book will be invaluable to anyone trying to effect social change through groups while striving to stay simultaneously sane and employed.»—Stephen D. Brookfield, Distinguished University Professor, University of St. Thomas «I've been working with forms of direct education for many decades, and I found new ideas and inspirations in every chapter. For anyone involved in teaching, training, sharing skills, or leading groups, this book is an invaluable resource!»—Starhawk, author, The Earth Path, Dreaming the Dark, and Webs of Power «George Lakey has inspired our union to engage in education in a way that challenges us to redefine social justice and equality in new and exciting ways. This book helps us to continue our journey to touch the souls of union members.»—Denis Lemelin, national president, Canadian Union of Postal Workers «Facilitating Group Learning will ease the way of all who venture into the white waters of facilitation. George clarifies the most basic, complex, and nagging challenges of facilitation, while honoring the realities of individual and social power dynamics and providing real-life examples from the path of continued growth and mastery. A rare gift!»—Niyonu D. Spann, founding president, TRV Consulting and Beyond Diversity 101 «This book is a must-read for people who teach adults of any age, no matter what the subject, and care about doing it in ways that yield deep and abiding learning. Wonderfully well-written and rich with psychological and spiritual insights as well as practical strategies, it represents the fruits of a lifetime of transformational teaching and learning by one of the foremost adult educators of our time.»—Parker J. Palmer, author, The Courage to Teach, Let Your Life Speak, and The Heart of Higher Education

What every special education teacher needs to know to survive and thrive A Survival Guide for New Special Educators provides relevant, practical information for new special education teachers across a broad range of topic areas. Drawing on the latest research on special educator effectiveness and retention, this comprehensive, go-to resource addresses the most pressing needs of novice instructors, resource teachers, and inclusion specialists. Offers research-based, classroom-tested strategies for working with a variety of special needs students Covers everything from preparing for the new school year to behavior management, customizing curriculum, creating effective IEPs, and more Billingsley and Brownell are noted experts in special educator training and support This highly practical book is filled with checklists, forms, and tools that special educators can use every day to help ensure that all special needs students get the rich, rewarding education they deserve.

The third edition of this classic resource is a comprehensive source of information, strategies, and activities for working with learning disabled students. The book offers special educators, classroom teachers, and parents a wealth of new and proven suggestions and ready-to-use materials for helping LD students of all ages learn and perform at their fullest potential.

Discover the strategies, tools, and technologies necessary for developing successful mobile learning programs In the modern, rapidly-expanding mobile learning environment, only clear guidelines and state-of-the-art technologies will stand up to the challenges that lie ahead. With a smart focus that combines a proven process with all-important strategies and practical applications, Mastering Mobile Learning stands as the most modern, comprehensive resource on the subject. It also features unique technical content previously unavailable among the literature of the mobile learning field. This book will help you turn concept into reality. This book will show you best practices for obtaining and providing educational, training, and professional development content on devices like smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Trainers, educators, designers, instructional technologists, workplace learning professionals, and HR professionals will learn how mobile learning differs from other forms of e-learning, and will be introduced to the challenges and—more importantly—the advantages of mobile learning strategies and technologies for 21st century business environments. The book provides: An overview of mobile learning, including evolving definitions and reasons for executives to embrace this approach A discussion of the business drivers of mobile learning, advice for creating a mobile learning content strategy, and easy ways to inexpensively launch mobile learning Valuable tips on how to use unique affordances of mobile devices to better serve your learners while they are on the go Information on the ROI of mobile learning, using mobile devices as research tools, and why training in mobile development is critical An overview of the technical aspects of the design and development of mobile learning Written by experts in this burgeoning field, Mastering Mobile Learning provides a roadmap for creating the most effective learning content, strategies, and applications possible.

Everything you need to get running with IaaS for Amazon Web Services Modern businesses rely on Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)—a setup in which someone else foots the bill to create application environments—and developers are expected to know how to write both platform-specific and IaaS-supported applications. If you're a developer who writes desktop and web applications but have little-to-no experience with cloud development, this book is an essential tool in getting started in the IaaS environment with Amazon Web Services. In Amazon Web Services For Developers For Dummies, you'll quickly and easily get up to speed on which language or platform will work best to meet a specific need, how to work with management consoles, ways you'll interact with services at the command line, how to create applications with the AWS API, and so much more. Assess development options to produce the kind of result that's actually needed Use the simplest approach to accomplish any given task Automate tasks using something as simple as the batch processing features offered by most platforms Create example applications using JavaScript, Python, and R Discover how to use the XML files that appear in the management console to fine tune your configuration Making sense of Amazon Web Services doesn't have to be as difficult as it seems—and this book shows you how.

The second edition of Effective Grading—the book that has become a classic in the field—provides a proven hands-on guide for evaluating student work and offers an in-depth examination of the link between teaching and grading. Authors Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson explain that grades are not isolated artifacts but part of a process that, when integrated with course objectives, provides rich information about student learning, as well as being a tool for learning itself. The authors show how the grading process can be used for broader assessment objectives, such as curriculum and institutional assessment. This thoroughly revised and updated edition includes a wealth of new material including: Expanded integration of the use of technology and online teaching A sample syllabus with goals, outcomes, and criteria for student work New developments in assessment for grant-funded projects Additional information on grading group work, portfolios, and service-learning experiences New strategies for aligning tests and assignments with learning goals Current thought on assessment in departments and general education, using classroom work for program assessments, and using assessment data systematically to «close the loop» Material on using the best of classroom assessment to foster institutional assessment New case examples from colleges and universities, including community colleges «When the first edition of Effective Grading came out, it quickly became the go-to book on evaluating student learning. This second edition, especially with its extension into evaluating the learning goals of departments and general education programs, will make it even more valuable for everyone working to improve teaching and learning in higher education.» —L. Dee Fink, author, Creating Significant Learning Experiences «Informed by encounters with hundreds of faculty in their workshops, these two accomplished teachers, assessors, and faculty developers have created another essential text. Current faculty, as well as graduate students who aspire to teach in college, will carry this edition in a briefcase for quick reference to scores of examples of classroom teaching and assessment techniques and ways to use students' classroom work in demonstrating departmental and institutional effectiveness.» —Trudy W. Banta, author, Designing Effective Assessment