Blog Posts, Articles, and Reports To Read: January 2012

• “Strategies for Blog-Powered Instruction“
• “Scoop This: A Comprehensive Guide to Scoop.it for Content Curation“
• “Sloan-C’s Definition of ‘Online Course’ May Be Out of Sync with Reality“

Blog Posts, Articles, and Reports To Read: September 2011

• “What Students Don’t Know“
• “The 7 Cs of Effective Communication in Your Online Course“
• “Online Learning Idea Book – Top 10“
• “A practical guide to creating quizzes: part 5“
• “Amazon’s Kindle Fire; At $199, finally a viable college tablet“
• “Kindle Fire: New Amazon Tablet Fires a Shot at Apple iPad“
• “Why the Kindle Fire is No iPad Killer“
• “How The Amazon Kindle Fire Fits Into Education“

Blog Posts, Articles, and Reports To Read: August 2011

• “Proving a Learner’s Plagiarism“
• “Emerging Trends in LMS / Ed Tech Market“
• “Another Look at the Weaknesses of Online Learning“
• “Teaching with the Cloud“
• “The Promise Of 3D Learning“
• “Are MOOCs the Future of Online Learning?“

Blog Posts, Articles, and Reports To Read: June 2011

• “In Search of Future-Focused Learning Technologies“
• “Designing With A PowerPoint Grid“
• “Creating Effective Responses to Student Discussion Postings“
• “Types of Questions for On-Line Discussion“
• “YouTube across the Disciplines: A Review of the Literature“
• OpenSimulator: School Quick Start Guide
• “Why Twitter Needs Channels“
• Web 2.0 Tools in Education: A Quick Guide
• “The Future of E-Learning Is More Growth“
• “Putting Online Learning Statistics in Perspective“

eduMOOC

I learned a new acronym this week:  MOOC.  A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Class.  I received  a notice through the Sloan-C listserv about eduMOOC, “a Massive Open Online Class (MOOC) on ‘Online Learning Today…and Tomorrow’” sponsored by The Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois Springfield.  I’ve registered for eduMOOC, which “will begin June 27, 2011 and run for eight weeks. It is totally open, free, and collaborative. It can be totally asynchronous, or those attending can join in weekly panel discussions with experts in various aspects of the topic.”

Blog Posts, Articles, and Reports To Read: May 2011

• “Desire2Learn Product Updates“
• “The best bookmarking tools right now“
• “10 Ways to Use NYTimes.com for Research“
• “Online Education for Instructional Designers: Picking the Right Program“
• “A-Z Web Tools“
• “Landing Online Teaching Jobs“
• “Search Engines List by Types of Searches“
• “The Psychology of Color in Web Design“
• “HTML E-Mail: Text Font Readability Study“
• “12 Things to Do After You’ve Written a New Blog Post“

Tips for Succeeding in Online Classes

I started teaching online courses ten years ago this spring, and I’ve completed graduate-level classes and other training online as well.  Based on my experience, I’ve assembled a list of tips to help students succeed in online classes:

• log in and start working the first day
• print out the syllabus, particularly the instructor’s contact information and the course schedule
• get the textbook and start reading it before the class starts
• do not call your instructor by his or her first name unless you are specifically invited to do so
• check the e-mail account where you get messages from the instructor at least every other day
• put the department, course number, and section number at the beginning of the subject line of every e-mail message you send to the instructor
• include previous messages when you reply to an e-mail message
• allow at least 24 hours (or whatever amount of time is stated in the syllabus) for your instructor to respond to e-mail or phone messages
• follow instructions for assignments and exams carefully and exactly (If needed, make a checklist or print the instructions.)
• reread the instructions and the syllabus before you e-mail the instructor to ask a question
• submit all assignments and take all exams at least 24 hours before they are due
• post more in the discussions than is required
• read all of the instructor’s post in the discussion
• read all announcements
• double check your grammar and spelling before you submit any assignments or exams
• remember that the policies, instructions, and deadlines apply to you and that you are responsible for knowing, following, and meeting them (You are not an exception unless you have been granted accommodations because of the Americans with Disabilities Act.)
• treat your instructor and classmates respectfully

A lot of these tips can be applied to or adjusted for face-to-face and blended classes too.

Blog Posts, Articles, and Reports To Read: February 2011

• The Horizon Report (2011 edition)
• “Secret of Voynich Manuscript, an Ancient Book Written in ‘Alien’ Code, Partly Revealed“
• “Getting The Most Out Of Your LMS“
• “Online Education: A Waste of Time?“

Blog Posts, Articles, and Reports To Read: December 3, 2010

• “The 10 Biggest Myths About Synchronous Online Teaching“
• “Getting Started With Mobile Learning“
• “Detecting Academic Dishonesty Online“
• “Online Learning: The Answer For What Ails Higher Ed“
• “The Rise of Online Colleges and Online Education“

Blog Posts, Articles, and Reports To Read: November 19, 2010

• “Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010“
• “Teaching Online Professors … Online“
• “E-learning: The future of education?“
• “The Shadow Scholar“