Instructional Designing

Zoho Notebook – An Online Weightless Notebook A powerful tool for creating, collecting, and sharing information

2010-01-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Imagine yourself carrying a notebook or a folder of contents where ever you go! You need not do that any more. You can simply have a Zoho Notebook. You can access the Notebook by using a Zoho/ gmail/ yahoo account. Zoho Notebook is completely free to use.

What is Zoho Notebook?

It is an online web application tool offered by Zoho (www.zoho.com). It allows a user to create notebook(s) which can be filled with various different types of content. A notebook is like a folder in which we can create pages, sections

What type of content can be filled[a1] in the Notebook?

Word documents and excel sheets can be created in Zoho and also can be added(uploaded) from web or your PC
Text, URL, HTML , RSS feed, presentations can be added
Files can be uploaded from internet or your own PC
audio and video can be recorded on Zoho itself and can be added, shared or published
Images can be uploaded
Drawings can be created

What can you do in Zoho Notebook?

Organise the content in a logical format by making different notebooks.
Add multiple pages within a notebook
Share an entire notebook, individual pages, or specific objects (such as images)
Offer either editing or read-only privileges while sharing with others
Publish notebooks and pages i.e. offer it to all online users
Integrate with other Zoho Applications like Zoho Writer, Sheet, Show and Chat
Restore deleted notebooks from the Trash bin
Print notebook pages
Find notebooks or pages with the help of search engine in the Not
The following is a snapshot of the GUI of Zoho Notebook
Web page added as a page in a Notebook
What’s in it for me?

Teachers can:

· organize lesson plans that involve multiple web components

· organize material based on week, semester, or subject

· select only the parts of a website that s/he would like to use for their students

· share their notebook with their students possibly in a computer lab

Students can:

· get simple instruction or examples from their teacher

· take notes on Notebooks during the lectures and use these notes to review

· work on group projects by sharing each other’s notebooks.

· organize most of their assignments

· use the notebook for collecting and storing relevant references from the web

Want to take a tour?

View the following demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfJFBcF_6cE&feature=player_embedded#t=11

If you want to have a online Notebook, then visit the website http://notebook.zoho.com today !!!

PODCAST

2010-01-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

A podcast is an audio or video file that is delivered via an RSS feed. For more information on RSS feed refer to the blog post on RSS feed in this blog. For some years since its inception a podcast used to be an audio file. Later it also took the form of a video file. A video podcast is called a vodcast. A podcast is also called “an audio blog”. Most of the times, a podcast is a MP3 file, which can be downloaded to a PC or MP3 player via the internet. Once the files are downloaded, a podcast can be listened to any number of times
The term podcast originated from the words “iPod” and “broadcast”. Podcast is also considered a backronym; it stands for “Personal On Demand broadcast". The idea of podcast originated from radio and television broadcast through which information was delivered to the end users. The difference between the podcast and broadcast is that podcast customizes the information as per the user’s interest.
Most of the podcasts are free. All that we need is a podcatcher or podaggregator. A podcatcher is application software that downloads and organizes podcasts. Some of the most popular and free podcatcher applications are Juice and Doppler. These tools get the audio file from the feed and automatically transfers it to your MP3 player (either on your PC or to the plugged in MP3 player). You can also download a single podcast of your choice without subscribing to the feeds.

How to download a podcast to your MP3 player?

Step 1:
Find the podcast you want to download by using a traditional or podcast specific search engine.

Step 2:
Copy the URL (Web address) of the podcast you want from the address bar of your Web browser. This URL is obtained by clicking on XML or RSS feed icons.
Step 3:
Paste the URL into your podcatching program (such as iTunes/Juice/Dopppler) to subscribe.

Step 4:
Allow the program to download the podcast.

Step 5:
Sync the podcast to your MP3 player i.e. connect your player to the PC with the cable of the MP3 player or it can also be played on the PC itself Transfer the file and listen at your own leisure.

Once you have subscribed, the podcasts get downloaded automatically the next time you connect the MP3 player.

Podcasting in learning:

• Lectures – Lectures can be recorded and saved as a podcast, and later listened to at our leisure.
• Stories - Storytelling for children or the visually-impaired.
• Music - Band promotional clips
• Talk Shows interviews - Industry or organizational news, investor news, sportscasts, news coverage and commentaries.
• Training - Instructional materials.

Now no more waiting for your favourite radio/TV shows. Download a podcast and listen whenever you want.

Learning through Videos

2010-01-11T04:42:00.001-08:00

The arrival of broadband has given easy access to people across globe to use videos for educational purposes. The use of videos in education can enhance learning process to a great extent. Learning through videos is a great way of providing individualized study.

Some of the advantages of learning through videos are as follows:-
It allows us to learn in our own style and at our own pace.
We can watch the video as often as we want.
It provides visual images which motivate us and help us in better learning.
It also provides motivation to get started through a difficult topic.

We can consider following tips while we learn through videos:-
· Make sure that when we watch the video we are in a comfortable position.
· We can have a paper and pencil ready which will be of great help to take notes.
· We can ensure that we have allotted enough time to view the video so that it helps us in better understanding and retention of the content.

Youtube is one of the website which has largest collection of videos on the Internet. These videos are free to use and can be viewed immediately without downloading any software.

The link to this site - http://www.youtube.com/.
There are various other useful websites for video such as:-
· Geo tube - http://geovideos.fliggo.com/
· Student tube – http://studenttube.boostcast.com/
· Teacher tube- www.teachertube.com

So why not start incorporating videos in our learning process!

Social bookmarking

2010-01-11T04:41:00.000-08:00

Do you spend a lot of time on the web looking for information? Has it been difficult for you to organize your resources? Have you ever felt bad that you are unable to send an important link to your friend because you did not carry it in your pen drive? Don’t Worry, Social Bookmarking is here.
Social bookmarking is online storage of websites wherein the users can create, collect and share their bookmarks (website or URL) on a specific topic. Instead of saving them to your web browser, like Internet explorer or Mozilla firefox you can save them to the web. As your bookmarks are online, you can easily share them either with public or it can be shared only with specified people or groups.
The first thing you will need to do to get started with social bookmarking is to decide on a social bookmarking website. There are many choices like del.icio.us (now called Delicious), Simpy, Digg, Jumptags, Blinklist etc. The URLs of these sites are as follows:
· http://delicious.com/ (del.icio.us)
· http://www.simpy.com/ (Simpy)
· http://digg.com/ (Digg)
· http://www.jumptags.com/ (Jumptags)
· http://blinklist.com/ (Blinklist)
Once you have picked a social bookmarking site, you will have to install a button onto your browser to make it easy to use. The site should provide a tutorial on installing the button either after you sign up or in their help section.
As Instructional Designer we can use social bookmarking to organize, share our web resources and also to find what others are bookmarking on the topic of Instructional Design. This will enable us to broaden our horizon in the field of Instructional Design.
So, start exploring and using social bookmarking and we are sure it will be very helpful to you!!!
To read more about Social Bookmarking, visit:
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x66lV7GOcNU

PODCAST

2010-01-11T03:59:00.001-08:00

The term podcast originated from the words “iPod” and “broadcast”. Podcast is also considered a backronym; it stands for “Personal On Demand broadcast". The idea of podcast originated from radio and television broadcast through which information was delivered to the end users. The difference between the podcast and broadcast is that podcast customizes the information as per the user’s interest.

Most of the podcasts are free. All that we need is a podcatcher or podaggregator. A podcatcher is application software that downloads and organizes podcasts. Some of the most popular and free podcatcher applications are Juice and Doppler. These tools get the audio file from the feed and automatically transfers it to your MP3 player (either on your PC or to the plugged in MP3 player). You can also download a single podcast of your choice without subscribing to the feeds.

How to download a podcast to your MP3 player?

Step 1:

Find the podcast you want to download by using a traditional or podcast specific search engine.

Step 2:

Copy the URL (Web address) of the podcast you want from the address bar of your Web browser. This URL is obtained by clicking on XML or RSS feed icons.

Step 3:

Paste the URL into your podcatching program (such as iTunes/Juice/Dopppler) to subscribe.

Step 4:

Allow the program to download the podcast.

Step 5:

Sync the podcast to your MP3 player i.e. connect your player to the PC with the cable of the MP3 player or it can also be played on the PC itself Transfer the file and listen at your own leisure.

Once you have subscribed, the podcasts get downloaded automatically the next time you connect the MP3 player.

Podcasting in learning:

· Lectures – Lectures can be recorded and saved as a podcast, and later listened to at our leisure.

· Stories - Storytelling for children or the visually-impaired.

· Music - Band promotional clips

· Talk Shows interviews - Industry or organizational news, investor news, sportscasts, news coverage and commentaries.

· Training - Instructional materials.

Now no more waiting for your favourite radio/TV shows. Download a podcast and listen whenever you want.

Enhancing Multiple Intelligences through Technology

2010-01-11T03:36:00.000-08:00

As we all know, Dr.Howard Gardner came up with the theory of Multiple Intelligences. Each individual has all the intelligences but one is more dominant than another. Teachers are trying to target these intelligences to make learning more effective through technology.

Following is the list of intelligences and examples of different technologies that can be used to target those intelligences:

Linguistic: Word games, electronic libraries, crossword games, language translators can help children enhance linguistic intelligence.

Web resources:
Word Central
Puzzlemaker
Cryptogram Creator
Interactive Puzzles
Logical-Mathematical: Strategy games, Math skill tutorials, logic games, problem solving games help in enhancing mathematical intelligence.

Web resources:
Kaboose
Fun Brain
Eduplace (Math and Science)
Mastermind
Visual/Spatial: Paint programs (Photopaint, Microsoft paint), Spreadsheet programs which allow children to see charts, maps or diagrams
Web resources:
Brain Pop (web-based movies)
National Gallery of Art for Kids
Brain Connection (optical illusions)
KidsDomain (crafts)

Musical: Program that helps learner to learn through music. Technology tools such as, sound and music files, audio CDs and DVDs, interactive tools with audio elements help in enhancing learning.
Web resources:
Music Smart": What Kids May Enjoy
Math & Music
Music LP & Resources
Music & Science
Bodily-Kinesthetic: Technology tools such as keyboard, mouse, joystick and other devices for movement helps in enhancing kinesthetic intelligence.
Web resources:
Game Central Station (Database of games)
PE Central
Fantasy Sports
Build it Yourself Toy Laboratory
Interpersonal: E-mail, Discussion Groups help teachers to interact with each other and share their views and ideas through internet.An example of a discussion group provider.www.googlegroups.com
Web resources:
ePals
Safe E-mail
Time for Kids
Quests (MayaQuests)
Intrapersonal: Developing multimedia portfolio (demonstrating individual work and progress), Individual Games etc help students to "think about their thinking" through writing, diagramming, or recording ideas.
Web resources:
What Makes You Who You Are
Values - Making Choices for Life
"Self Smart": What Kids May Enjoy
Brain Cogs
Naturalistic: Virtual Field Trips to National Parks, Landmarks and other areas of nature-related interest, Online Dissections etc help teachers to make students interact best with the environment.
Web resources:
"Nature Smart": What Kids May Enjoy
Ani's Rocket Ride
Younger Students
Info about animals & live web cams

There are lots of resources available on the internet. For more information about multiple intelligences and technology refer to
http://www.casacanada.com/multech.htm
http://lth3.k12.il.us/rhampton/mi/MI%20&%20Technology.htm#Naturalist

Introduction to EtherPad

2010-01-11T03:32:00.000-08:00

EtherPad is a web-based word processor that allows people to work together in real time.It allows many people to work on a document at the same time. The changes made by any one person in the document are seen by all the members automatically. EtherPad is a collaborative tool which helps users to work online synchronously as well as asynchronously.
Some of the features are:
ü Multi-person Editing allows more than 5 people to work together and edit a document at the same time.
ü Exporting and Importing files of different formats such as html, doc and pdf.
ü Chat enables all the users to discuss while editing.
ü Colour Coding allows every individual to choose their own colour. The text inserted by users appears highlighted in the colour that they have chosen. This makes it easy to identify the contributions of each member.
ü Pad Sharing allows the creator of the pad to share the pad with others. Pad sharing is of two types: Public and Team. In public pad sharing, anyone in the world can access and edit using the unique web address. Team pad sharing provides an additional security feature of password protection.
ü Updates can be viewed instantly.
ü Time slider is one of the best features of EtherPad. It records all the changes made in the document by all the members. The changes can be played back for review. While reviewing one can pause at any moment and download the document in different formats such as html, doc and pdf.
ü Saved revisions keep track of the versions of the document and enable users to view the different versions.
EtherPad has some educational implications:
v Students can work collaboratively on group assignments from different locations.
v allows group discussion for sharing ideas and knowledge.
v It enhances team work.
v It can help increase the quality of work.
v It can help in active learning.
v It can help teachers engage all the learners.
For more information about EtherPad click on the following link: www.etherpad.com

2009-12-30T00:04:00.000-08:00

Online Degree a Boon

Online degree courses can be described as a boon in today’s competitive world. Benefits of online degree are numerous. Online degrees are counted as realistic mode of improving the career profile. Benefits of online degree become even more time saving for those who are working full-time.

Advantages of online learning

Mode of communication: One gets the opportunity to work synchronously as well as asynchronously with their group members.

Flexibility: The online courses save your time. It gives the students the privilege to participate from any place, may be from their home or place of work.

Access: Online courses serve those students who live in distant places and can not attend regular classes.

Choice: Online courses offer the students varied choices regarding subjects and courses. online courses are very specific, task related courses catering to the working crowd

Realization of the advantages of the web: It is only through the websites the study materials are provided to the students. Students interact and improve their understanding about the study material through websites. It is over the Internet the courses are taught to the students. This helps in broadening the horizon with internet

Collaborative: The instructor and the students communicate online. The online degree courses enhance collaborative learning that uses the interactive style. This improves understanding and This makes learners responsible for their own learning

To sum up, online degree courses provides more scope regarding diversity of opinion as everyone gets a chance for interacting. In online courses, students get more time to think and present their comments unlike the traditional classes frame it differently. Online degrees have proven as a boon to employers of recent times as it gives them the opportunity to learn and work at the same time.

Link for online courses in India.

http://www.smartdegrees.com/

Concept mapping- A critical learning strategy

2009-12-30T00:01:00.001-08:00

Concept mapping- A critical learning strategy

The term ‘Concept mapping’ has been known to all of us. But little do we know that their origin lies in David Ausubel's theories about the psychology of learning from the 1960s. Concept maps were born out of the constructivist theory of learning, which holds that the learner constructs or builds his/her own knowledge, as opposed to the previous notion of knowledge as something that was acquired through direct transfer from books or experts.

In the constructivist theory of learning, information can be acquired, but knowledge is pieced together only through the incorporation of new information or ideas into the framework of the learner’s existing knowledge (Cheek, 1992).

The objective of making a concept map is to represent the relationships between concepts. A visual map is created which helps students to understand the connections between concepts.

Joseph D. Novak describes concept maps as: "Tools for organizing and representing knowledge. They include concepts, usually enclosed in circles or boxes of some type, and relationships between concepts or propositions, indicated by a connecting line between two concepts".

The concept map is an effective teaching tool that can be fun, interactive, and effective. It can be used in a variety of settings. It is an innovative teaching and learning tool that engages the learner and prepares the learner for future decision-making in a complex and diverse environment.

Concept maps allow the learners to

(1) See the connections between ideas they already have,

(2) Connect new ideas to knowledge that they already have, and

(3) Organize ideas in a logical but not rigid structure that allows future information or viewpoints to be included.

Unless there is understanding, we may only commit unassimilated data to short-term memory and no meaningful learning will occur. Meaningful learning is most likely to occur when information is presented in a potentially meaningful way and the learner is encouraged to link new ideas to the old (All & Havens, 1997). Concept mapping is an effective teaching and learning method for promoting critical thinking. It is an excellent way to evaluate students' critical thinking because it is a visual representation of our thinking.

Following are some useful links which will help us in creating different concept maps.

SmartDraw (http://www.smartdraw.com/specials/flowchart.asp)
Concept Draw (http://www.conceptdraw.com/en/products/mindmap/main.php)
SMART Ideas (http://www.smarttech.com/products/smartideas/index.asp)
Inspiration (http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/Inspiration/index.cfm)
Knowledge Manager (http://www.knowledgemanager.us/KM-KnowledgeManager-eng.htm)

What is RSS feed?

2009-12-29T02:13:00.000-08:00

URL: http://rss.softwaregarden.com/aboutrss.html

Have you wondered what this icon represents? It is the logo of RSS feed.
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication".

Have you subscribed to any website for regular email notifications? Due to this our inbox gets cluttered with unorganized notifications form various sites. The solution to this problem is RSS feed.

RSS feed is available on almost all websites, weblogs, forums and other similar sites. Sites providing this feature send alerts about current updates. These updates include a list of headlines, update notices and sometimes content. It sends these updates to a wide number of people who have subscribed to this feed. In order to get RSS feed alerts the user needs to download the program software called "RSS aggregators", also known as RSS Channel or RSS Reader. This software provides a list of notifications commonly known as RSS feed (XML format). The list has the title, description and link to the website. The list of updates is organized in a chronological order with the latest updates on the top.

Watch these videos to understand how to subscribe to RSS feed.
http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&source=hp&q=what+is+RSS+feed&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=d0inSobINJXW7AO7rbWpBg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-use-rss-feeds

-Chandrani Dasgupta, Parul Goradia, Srilakshmi Nair

Exploring Wisc- Online

2009-12-29T02:10:00.001-08:00

Wisconsin Online resource center
URL : http://www.wisc-online.com/default.asp

Learning Objects (LO) refer to a large collection of various kinds of programming objects available online. These objects are designed by Instructional Designers ,Graphic designers, SME’s and others. Each learning object deals with a single concept. It generally has three components, learning objectives, a unit of instruction, teaching those objectives (as you have written learning objectives earlier), and the unit of assessment that measures the learning objective. Some of the LO repositories are found freely available online for use, reuse and reference.

We came across such a learning objects repository, called Wisconsin Online Resource Center. The repository provides multiple facilities such as viewing the objects, sharing link of each learning objects for free. Any user may create a Wisc-Online hosted web page at no cost. The repository allows the faculty to convert their learning content into learning objects with the help of the tools and processes; which is frequently updated.

To access this repository the visitor is expected to sign up. All the facilities are available free of cost unless you want to purchase the learning objects.

Hope you will have a nice time exploring the repository.

- Chandrani Dasgupta, Parul Goradia, Srilakshmi Nair

Competencies of E-moderators in Online Learning Environment

2008-12-22T22:51:00.000-08:00

In an Online Learning Environment, understanding the learners becomes a very intricate task. More than often it is difficult for the instructors of an online course to know in advance which learners will need help and which of them would sail through the course easily. The solution to this problem is ‘Contingent e-moderating’.

E-moderators must be thorough with the various aspects of the online environment. They should have the capacity to understand their learners quickly and well enough, as this will help them to be good facilitators. They must have the capacity to bring the learners - coming from various backgrounds, together and make them comfortable with the teaching-learning environment. They should be able to make use of various strategies according to their learners needs. Another aspect of efficient e-moderating is that e-moderators should be very sensitive towards online relationships - instructor-learner and learner-learner. The ability to build trust among the learners should come naturally to them.

The e-moderators must be well-versed with their content and the use of various softwares. They should be able to make use of a wide range of approaches, from structured etivities to freewheeling discussions which could help learners to explore ideas, develop arguments, promote valuable threads etc. They should be able to create links between various features of learning programmes, introduce online resources without diverting participants from interaction. They should be open to criticism as well as suggestions from the learners.

They should have strong determination as well as motivation towards their work. Hence, they should act as a catalyst and continuously keep improvising on their skills to foster interaction among participants and hence enhance the teaching-learning process. The ability to adapt to new teaching contexts, methods, audiences as well as their roles is more than often a challenging, but surely an interesting task.

About e-learningPulse.com

2008-12-22T22:33:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

I recently came across a site eLearningPulse.com which is an online community for instructional designers, graphic designers, software developers, etc. This site provides free resources to the eLearning development community. Resources include varied topics from keyboard shortcuts, effective powerpoint presentations, how to use wikis, etc. to templates, storyboard, rapid e-learning, engaging interactions for e-learning, etc. and more. Besides this, there are features like news, discussion forums, job postings, etc. which make the site interesting. The e-learning polls feature allows the user to cast his/her vote regarding any topic. The registration is free for users.

The menu bar consists of options – home, news, forums, videos, jobs, widgets and about. There are archives to access previous articles. The discussion forum is informative. I came to know about the term “edupunk” while surfing. This word is coined by Jim Groom, an “instructional technologist” at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. Edupunk is a D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) attitude towards education. I found the article interesting. Currently there is free access given by the developers of the community. Do visit the site, I am sure you will find it informative if not useful.

Hooked onto – TANGLER!

2008-12-22T03:23:00.000-08:00

For most of us who were asked to work on Discussion Forums, the biggest problem was finding a suitable one. After much scouting, I discovered a rather interesting forum called Tangler. This is a modern and easy to use forum with several features that come as a pleasant surprise to those finding it difficult to maneuver on the internet. A few simple & “easy-to-understand” sequences of steps allow a new user to set up an new discussion forum in minutes. The fact that there are over 1000 discussions to their credit makes Tangler an increasing popular option. It can be made a public or private discussion depending on the requirement of the user. User profiles allow each discussion participant to create a colorful and socially interesting façade.

Two of the key features that caught my fancy (and for very obvious reason were overused) were the synchronous element of communication facilitated by an online chat and the link embedding to other sites.

The synchronous chat is overwhelmingly popular with the modern generation that thrives off IMs. All members of a given discussion forum can chat with one another easily without needing to download any software or device. Moreover, this chat is made more interesting with a set of emoticons. The discussion forum will indicate all members that are online at any given time.

Tangler allows any user to copy the link to a required discussion forum and have it pasted in other blogs, social networks and websites. This is again a oncoming trend, that facilitates access to an unrelated site. Clearly cross referencing only got easier.

Additionally, Tangler can be customized to suit not just the whims & fancies of the user but also reflect the nature of the discussion by allowing theme selection as well as custom display. All of this and more can be discovered by any user with minimum knowledge and awareness of internet and computer related information. Discussion only became more interesting eh?

Google Alerts and Google Translate

2008-12-22T03:18:00.000-08:00

Google Alerts

Google alert alerts you about new information regarding the subject area in which you are interested. It updates your knowledge and ultimately you. Google alert helps to alert you about latest news regarding specific subject you are interested in, about new uploaded web pages, what are blogs and what they have, which are the group of that particular subject.

Google alert searches the latest information in all areas (web, news, blogs, group, etc) based on your choice of query or topic) and mails you all updates in your Gmail account for that you don’t have to create new account. You just have to create alerts of the subject of your interest.

Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

monitoring a developing news story

keeping current on a competitor or industry

getting the latest on a celebrity or event

keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams

How to create Google alert: - Google > More > Even More > Google Alert

Once you enter in to Google alert you can define the topic on which you want your alert, how often you want alert and your email ID where you will get your alert and types of alert like video, web, comprehensive etc;

Google Translate

Google Translate is a one of the applications of Google. It helps to translate text as well as Web pages. Google has developed their own statistical translation system for the language pairs on Google translate. Google translate has four main options translate and web, translated search, Dictionary and tools.

Translate and web: - Translate and Web is again categorized into two options as a Translate text and Translate a web page. Translate text translates the text written or pasted in the given box where as translate a web page translates a whole web page once we past the address of link into given box.

Translated search: - It gives you already translated websites.

Dictionary:-Translate the meaning of words, gives related words and also provide web definition.

Tools: - Which has different options like gadget, Google toolbar which need to be downloaded. After creating Gadget you will get automatic translate. And after downloading Google toolbar, you just take mouse pointer over an English word, and the Word Translator displays that word's meaning in your own language.

How to create Google translate: - Google > More > Even More > Google translate

Google translate helps when someone wants information on particular topic and that information is available in other language.

Google SMS channels

2008-12-22T03:08:00.000-08:00

Google SMS Channel

Google SMS Channels is a service that enables channels/groups to send SMS. It's a free service that enables user to get premium content published by Google publishing partners, Google popular products (Google News, Blogger and Google Groups) and websites with RSS/Atom support for free. This Channel can be operated using mobile as well as website.

SMS Channels allows user to create their own channel(s) to publish content that other users can subscribe to. It is also possible to create groups over SMS to communicate with your friends, family, and co-workers. When you post a message to your channel; all the members of your channel get the message forwarded at the same time for free. SMS tariff charges may apply when you configure the service or publish to a channel using a mobile phone. User will be charged the standard tariff charged by their mobile operator when they send a message. The message is treated as a single message even though the message might be reaching multiple users. It has Character limit of about 145 characters for every SMS.

User can use the service by going to the Google SMS Channels site or via mobile phone. On the web you can sign up using your Google account. You'll have to put your phone number while signing up. They will send a verification code via SMS to your phone. You'll have to insert the verification code you received to complete the sign up process. If you want to keep your information open for everyone then you can keep your channel open for everyone otherwise it will be restricted to the user to whom you have send invitation. Complete privacy is maintained.

You can subscribe sms channel through this site http://labs.google.co.in/ .

This application is really useful; MET-CA -07 batch is using this for sending common announcements and notices.

SCAMPER Technique for Tthinking Creatively

2008-12-22T01:11:00.000-08:00

SCAMPER is a strategy that can be used to assist students to generate new or alternative ideas. It is a tool to support creative, divergent thinking. SCAMPER is an acronym for: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify/magnify/minify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Rearrange which can be applied as an stimuli to make you think differently.

S- Substitute the components, materials, and people. In this already existing idea or product will be substituted with some other idea or material.

C - Combine – In this you combine or mix two ideas, purpose or properties of some object. Use all possible combination's.

A - Adapt - alter, change function, use part of another element according to the objective or its value.

M - Modify - increase or reduce in scale, change shape, modify some attributes (e.g. colour).

P - Put to another use. A particular idea, object which is generated it could be used for some other use.

E - Eliminate - Remove elements, simplify, reduce to core functionality or its value in purpose.

R - Rearrange – It is to rearrange the components or interchange some components or interchange the sequence.

EXAMPLE 1:

I want to invent a new type of pen.

Substitute - ink with iron, nib with knife
Combine - writing with cutting, holding with opening
Adapt - pen top as container
Modify - body to be flexible
Put to other uses - use to write on wood
Eliminate - clip by using velcro
Rearrange - nib to fold outwards

Practical Methodology
1)It is not necessary to use all the steps in SCAMPER.
2)Steps can be selected and combined in a variety of ways to match your teaching intentions

Active learning games – What are they?

2008-12-22T00:54:00.000-08:00

What does the word ‘games’ get to your mind - fun, excitement, full of life? Have you ever pondered on the thought of including games in learning which will make the learning active as well as interesting and effective?

Active learning refers to involving the students in various activities for the purpose of learning. It is where the instructor strives to create a learning environment in which the student can learn to restructure the new information and their prior knowledge into new knowledge about the content and to practice using it. This is usually done by involving students in many activities during the course of instruction for the retention of learning.

Active learning methods engage students directly in thinking and problem solving activities.

There are many methods of active learning viz. small-group discussions, demonstrations, debates, concept questions. But the one method that we will be discussing in this article is using games as an active learning method.

According to Caillois (1961) ‘a game as an activity that is voluntary and enjoyable, separate from the real world, uncertain, unproductive (in that the activity does not produce any goods of external value) and governed by rules.’

Active learning games can be included both in a face to face as well as a virtual environment. Games if included while instructing makes learning more fun and this can be incorporated in both the settings mentioned above.

Playing games in a face to face environment helps the students to socialize with other students. But now this can be experienced in a virtual environment also where the instructor can plan games in such a way that students are involved in supporting their team members or helping their team members to win the game.

Many types of games can be included while teaching in today’s times. Games like word game, puzzles, logic games, strategy games, board games and many more can be incorporated in a lesson. Also online educational games which are freely available on the World Wide Web can be incorporated in a virtual as well as a face to face environment (for a variety in learning).

Games today are being recognized for their universal appeal and ability to involve learners in concepts that are otherwise difficult to teach. Teachers and learners alike appreciate the effectiveness of games to overcome apparent barriers to learning. Thus, active learning games are a good way to make concepts clear as well as interesting.

To know more about the research that supports active learning games you can visit the link below.

http://strategic.mit.edu/PDF_archive/3%20Refereed%20Conference/3_57_CDIO_active_learning.pdf

Constructivist Strategies for Online Learning Environment

2008-12-22T00:17:00.000-08:00

Online learning is an approach to learning that gives learners flexibility in terms of time, place and pace of learning. It is interesting to know that with the growing influence of technology, the actual process of learning is undergoing a paradigm shift. Learners today have a choice over the process of learning and sharing knowledge - in person, by exchanging printed or electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate in real time and through other chatting ways, despite being separated by geographical boundaries. Thanks to virtual classrooms that is a concept which is now taken more seriously by universities, institutions and corporates world-over!
Constructivist approaches blended with technology have been instrumental in helping learners in the online learning environment. The online learners are essentially engaged in real world or authentic tasks that are anchored in a situation depending on their context and performance setting. This greatly enables the adult learners to construct personal meaning from their experiences. They are also exposed to a variety of teaching methods/environment which requires communication with other individuals despite being separated geographically. Group work, collaborative efforts, reflective thinking, introspection, exploratory learning, etc finally make them self-directed individuals.
Constructivist strategies can be broadly classified into exploratory strategies, dialogic strategies and supportive strategies. Exploratory strategies include problem-solving strategies, role-playing, hypothesis generation and exploration. Dialogic strategies are those that extensively use dialogue in them. Articulation, reflection, multiple perspectives and collaboration and social learning come under the umbrella of dialogic strategies. Modeling and explaining, coaching and scaffolding are strategies that come under supportive strategies. These strategies promote teaching that involves some kind of a back and forth transaction between the instructor and the learner or between learners, over traditional teaching. In such a context, learners actively construct their own knowledge. They get more involved in the process of learning whereby they realize the importance of taking responsibility of their knowledge. All the constructivist strategies help in promoting self-directed learning, which is a strategy in itself. (Source: Online Learning, Concepts, Strategies and Application - Nada Dabbagh, Brenda Bannan-Ritland, Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall, 2005)

It is a process in which learners take the initiative with or without help from others to analyze their learning needs, state learning goals, identify resources for learning, choose and implement learning strategies and most importantly evaluate the learning outcomes. Along with this the learner also learns to use the task strategies – rehearsing and memorizing, organizing and transforming; help seeking and time planning and management. The online environment is ruled by the fact that the learner and the facilitator are separated geographically and the effects of this constraint can be overcome by making the learners self-directed individuals.

What is LCMS?

2008-12-20T04:29:00.000-08:00

LCMS stands for Learning Content Management System. LCMS is a multi-user environment. The main objective of LCMS is to create, store, reuse, manage, and deliver digital learning content or Learning Objects (LOs) from a repository. The primary target users of LCMS are content developers, Instructional Designers (IDs) and Project Managers (PMs).

LCMS provides authoring tools to create new LOs for the repository. Authoring packages use templates and storyboards which do not require technical knowledge. So it is easier for one who doesn’t have technical knowledge to create LOs with the help of authoring packages.

In LCMS, LOs can be assemble and consolidate into lengthier learning paths or learning experiences that are personalized to a learner's profile. Delivery of content or LO is done to the learner at the right time.

LCMS provides a facility of using same content across various courses and curriculums. So only once content can be created and used according to course’s requirement. Content can be tagged so that one can search according to topic’s name.

In LCMS, one can create test questions. Administration of test is done i.e. the system can deliver the test to learners and also prescribe learning based on performance.

LCMS helps to manage learners profile and course catalogues. It offers synchronous as well as asynchronous communications i.e. chat as well as email.

Google Docs as a Teaching-Learning Tool:

2008-12-16T02:03:00.000-08:00

Google docs is a tool that can be used very conveniently by various users. It is like a separate google account which looks after your mails and other data extremely well. I used this tool for a few assignments and I felt it was the most convenient mode for communicating with various people for work purposes.

What makes it the best and the most comfortable tool to be used, is its various features. It segregates your assignments and data; date wise. You can put your data under various folders. For example, If you tag one of your data under the name of “assignment”, a Box with the name “assignment” will appear next to that document.

It also allows you to customize the appearance of the folder name.

The most convenient facility provided by this tool is that you have the facility to share you power point presentations, excel sheets and word documents. You can easily publish them for the rest of members to view it. If you add your colleagues or other members as collaborators, they can also view the same presentation, spreadsheet or word document. It helps you work on the same stuff from different places.

The excel sheet also provides you with the facility to chat with your collaborators, hence making discussion easy and worthwhile. There is a separate icon for excel sheet, PowerPoint and word documents provided, therefore making the documents easily identifiable. Important documents can be ticked with a star next to it.

The chat and the document sharing facility made it very easy for me to coordinate with my group members to complete the work assigned. Below given are the steps that need to be followed to enter into Google Docs.

We all are use to the interface of G mail. Once we sign in with our gmail ids, there is an option of “more” on the top left hand side corner of the interface. Once that option is clicked, we can click on the “even more” option. There will be several tools or features listed, that are provided by google. There will be an icon of Docs and Spreadsheets. A click on it will lead you to your google docs inbox. It is simple to use and very convenient.

I found it very simple to use yet very systematic and thought of sharing it with others.

Below is the image of what a google docs inbox looks like:

What is the Need of Web evaluation in educational field?

2008-12-15T23:28:00.000-08:00

We can not imagine today’s world without computers. Computers have become an integral part of our lives. More and more people use internet to gather information. The number of resources available via internet is immense and it continues to grow at a staggering rate. Hobber’s internet Timeline reports that the internet has been doubling in size about every year, growing at a rate of 10% to 15% a month.

In today’s world there are no geographical separations and there are no borders, and all people are encouraged to participate and contribute drawing on their experiences and resources. In cyberspace actions and reactions are essentially instantaneous, and this is why the internet is so gratified and attractive. There are some positive and negative aspects of internet which has great impact on our society.

In education teachers, students, researchers all use website information to enhance their knowledge. The online world is quickly becoming a source of primary information for both teachers and students. “If it is on the internet, it is true …” is a phrase that can be terribly troubling to educators. All information available on the website is not always authentic. Students and teachers should critically evaluate web pages for authenticity, applicability, authorship, bias and usability. With more than 350 million documents available on the web alone, finding relevant information online can be daunting. Therefore, the ability to critically evaluate information is an invaluable skill should be taught to each individual.

Latest Technology in Education

2008-02-08T01:55:00.000-08:00

Appropriately used-- interactively and with guidance, technology has become an effective tool for development of teaching- learning. It has become a tool for the development of higher order thinking skills.

Teachers can use multimedia technology to give more colorful, stimulating lectures. It has also been found that the technology can be used to stimulate and develop writing skills, collaborate with peers in foreign countries. Also it helps pedagogically as well as Andragogically.

New technologies like Podcasting, Blogging, MessageBoards, Videoconferencing are some of the effective tools in the process of teaching-learning.

Following is a link of Video while teaching-learning.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4626309785121822560&q=elearning&total=1212&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=9 =0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=9

Learning Object

2008-02-08T01:53:00.000-08:00

Learning objects are digital or non-digital resources, uniquely identified and meta-tagged that can provide content to support learning.

They are usually provided in a multimedia format and may consist of any one or a combination of the components like sound, graphic, text, video and animation. Learning objects are often interactive.

They are reusable, meaning that the same learning object can be used in multiple contexts for multiple purposes.

The main idea of 'learning objects' is to break educational content down into small chunks that can be reused in various learning environments, in the spirit of object-oriented programming.

Career In Instructinal Design

2008-02-08T01:23:00.000-08:00

In India, career as an instructional designer is booming at the moment. But few question marks still remain about this budding area. It is the science of designing instructions for learners, such that it leads to maximum knowledge transfer. Instructional Designers mainly work in the e-learning industry. Corporate training, Online courses, web-based training (WBT), Computer-based training (CBT) are some of the areas where Instructional designer’s role is becoming vital, nowadays.

Following is a list of institutes that offer training in Instructional Design (ID) in India.

SNDT University (Mumbai)
Symbiosis University (Pune)
University of Pune
Wavelength (Delhi)
4c Learning (Bangalore)
TechnoPoint
IDSkills
Tenable Learning Solutions (Hyderabad)

Career prospects
Every e-learning company is almost screaming they need IDs! An ID can grow to be a manager and then eventually a consultant. Usually the hierarchy is like Instructional Design Analyst (IDA), Instructional Design Lead (IDL), Sr. Instructional Design Lead (IDL), and Instructional Design Manager (IDM), but this differs from organization to organization.

An ID at the entry level can earn anything between Rs 10,000-15,000, and can fetch upto Rs 1 lakh a month as per increase in experience and skills. Few companies in this field are Tata Interactive, Accenture, NIIT, Sify, Aptech, Lionbridge, IL&FS ETS etc.
In India there is abundant of job opportunities since companies from West find here the ability and talent to design Instructions effectively.

India will continue to be an attractive option as a partner for companies looking for Business Process Outsourcing. The low costs and the large number of people knowing the English language do help. The field of Instructional Design is an exacting and a demanding one.

Trends in Instructional Designing

2008-01-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

Today Instructional designing is a well-known field and has great opportunities. Nowadays there are changes in the way the training and education is delivered. In today’s era the spotlight is more on learners then on teachers. Instructional Designers are expected to plan and design proper and systematic delivery of instructions to the learners. There are very few Instructional designers available in India, though the trend is changing slowly. More and more people are moving towards the field of instructional designing. This post will probe in to the latest trend in Instructional Designing so do keep looking through this blog.

Teaching strategies, methods and models

2008-01-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

Teaching someone is a challenge which teachers always face in their field. To achieve this challenge successfully and to find more satisfaction in teaching, a teacher can use different strategies. A teacher can be more powerful and thoughtful in their teaching. There are many strategies which a teacher can use to help a learner to retain it in a better way and for a longer period. Strategies like collaborative learning, giving students a case study, teaching them through stories, giving them some games like jigsaw puzzles and many more can be added in this list. Strategies which are included here are for face to face learning but nowadays classrooms are going virtual, teachers are replaced by instructors and so strategies are also used for online learning. In this section you can share some new and different strategies which can be used in face to face teaching as well as online teaching. There are many teaching models and strategies given by reputed psychologists which can also be shared in this section. This section will assist you with new strategies and teaching models which will enhance your teaching.

Book Shelf

2008-01-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

An instructor always needs to refer to different books which can help in providing knowledge in his/her field of interest. There are many books available online which can be read by downloading the same. In this section the links of online books can be provided which will be helpful to the instructors in their field. You are free to provide the names and authors of books which are related to the feild of instructional designing and essential for instructional designers to read.

2008-01-13T01:16:00.000-08:00

Importance of Workshops on Adult Education

When we think about adult education, we often picture out the students schooled yearly at the age of late 60’s or 50’s. Capping with their white hairs, all of them seriously listened to their instructor’s discussion. Often sometimes, this myth is true. Persons who stop their school at the early age and don’t have the right time continuing it during his/her youthful days is considered adult in education when they think of continuing it during his/her present age. Though there are significant reasons, why these people have not inclined their education they still have many chances to continue it. Age doesn’t matter when it comes to education;

Sometimes, we ought to think that individuals with their late age who have not continue their education are those who have not done good in their school before, some maybe true but oftentimes not. Others think that adult education is good only for those who have really not reach their high school or college level which is definitely wrong. There are professionals who involved themselves in classes as their second course, some involved thru it because they need the education for their business or jobs purposes. Most of the instructors of adult education are also at their age level since they can interact with each other professionally.

The workshops are conducted for those adults who are more eager to learn new technologies and things.

Considering the fact that these people are more mature about their environment, there would be a good give and take relationship happen between the educator and the adult students since they both know the surroundings around them, they have a lot of learning from their previous experiences and it would be a good factor when they share it in the workshop with regards to their discussion. One good advantage of conducting workshop on adults because they are more serious than those youthful age, they share what they know in a professional way and answer questions in a serious way.

The workshop conducted on the adults are related to the introducing emerging technologies , theories and systems to them and whatever learning they get, they applied it to their every day leisure or applied it planning to venture their own business. Whatever they learned from the workshopl they used it in so many good ways. Much good if the adult student is professional in his current life and just taking the workshop because he/she just wanted to enhance more his knowledge and to learn new trend in life, these people have much more knowledge and are expected to have more shares in workshop and participation. Adult ones were sometimes ashamed going back to school because of their late age but for workshop they are always ready to learn .

Evaluation Strategies

2008-01-05T23:58:00.000-08:00

Evaluation should be planned well in advance and together with the training or course design and planning. It should meet the needs of the target audience. Evaluation should be planned at every step or level in order to meet the prescribed objectives. Assessment tools are required to guide students, teachers, professionals in setting appropriate goals and objectives.

Proper methods and strategies need to be adopted to ensure that effective evaluation is carried out. This blog will tackle issues realated when evaluating. It will also discuss the strategies and methods you can adopt when planning. It will serve as a practical guide on monitoring and evaluating programs.

Misconceptions about Instructional Design

2008-01-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

Instructional Design has been growing at a phenomenal rate in India. Many elearning companies are seeking well bred Instructional Designers. But to a lay man Instructional design is nothing more that designing instruction. Is that what it really is? This posting will take care of all the misconceptions one has about Instructional Design. It will look at the Instructional Design process, strategies involved and many more related news and trends on Instructional Design. So watch this blog!!

Online Learning

2008-01-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

Why is learning turning to e? Well for one thing the internet is a platform for everything. The resources available is phenomenal. You can shop online, watch movies, search and even play online. So why should learning be left in the classroom? To be able to reach anyone and everyone and share a wealth of information at any convenient time is the main crux of Online learning. But is online learning all that it is cracked up to be? Well yes here we will discuss how to get the most out of your online experiences. The latest trends and e-learning delivery strategies that have come about in recent years. Stay tuned to this post for its surely going to keep you hooked.

2008-01-04T22:17:00.000-08:00

Need for Resaerch in ID

"Educational research is a careful and critical inquiry or examination in seeking facts or principles of educational problems"

According to J.W Best research is an intellectual activity which brings to light new knowledge or correct previous errors and misconceptions and adda in an orderly way to the existing corpus of knowledge"

The term 'research and scientific methods' are often used synonymously and research is considerd to be more formal, systematic intensive process of carrying on the scientific method of analysis.

Some Connotation Of Research

Research - A Genuine desire to obtain more information.
C.C Crawford University of southern california writes that "Research is simply a systematic and refined technique of thinking, employing specialised tool,instruments , and procedures in order to obtain adequate solution of a problem than would be possible under ordinary means it starts with a problem , collects data or fact,analyze these critically and reaches decision based on the actual evidence.

Research -A method of critical thinking
Research constitutes a method for discovery of truth which is really a method for the discovery of truth which is really a method of critical thinking.It comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions, collecting , organising,and evaluating Data, making deduction and reaching conclusion, and at last testing the conclusion to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.

Better Utilization of Research Findings

There is much that the social scientist have to do by way of establishing research traditions and helping create expertise in different disciplines. The generation of knowledge in different in different areas of development is bound to induce a climate favourable to the utilization of research.
In particular , attempts have to be made to establish a closer link between the user and the researcher.This will bring about an appreciation of the kinds of research that could be useful to the user and also result in better formulation of research problems, in addition to helping the social scientists to gain credibility in the eyes of the users.