coComments related to ChristyInsDesign

I think one of the challenges

2009-10-20T03:01:50.903+02:00

I think one of the challenges of developing effective online learning is creating something that learners can't just "click through"; if learners can do that, then it's our fault for creating something crappy. That isn't a function of online learning though; I certainly daydreamed through lectures in classrooms, just going through the motions in the physical equivalent of clicking next. Edheads is one of my all-time favorite examples of e-learning. No way are you just "clicking through" this content without learning something. Sleep Disorder Relief is a very different kind of project-based learning example. Here's a collection of e-learning examples (some links may no longer work, since that post is two years old). And here's another collection and a third set of free e-learning. With all those examples, you certainly should be able to see how your work stacks up. If you have experience but no degree, then you should be able to create a portfolio of your work. As you probably saw in that discussion about certificates and degrees, many employers are more interested in your portfolio than your formal credentials. The job market is really rough right now though, so I think it can be a challenge even for people with great experience and degrees. As for carpel tunnel, I'm afraid I have no suggestions. I spend about 10 hours a day at the computer but have never had that issue.

Hello, I just wanted to “thank

2009-10-20T03:01:30.903+02:00

Hello, I just wanted to “thank you” so much for your blog!! It has been VERY helpful to reassure me that I am moving in the right direction towards ID. I am a contract trainer that has noticed that often in the areas where I teach there are either not any or non adaquate materials to speak to what the participants need to be able to understand the concepts for the training. While I do not believe that online training is the only way to go (because often folks just “click thru” with out actually learning or retaining any information.) I do know that with programs like Captivate and Dreamweaver one can easily see the education possibilities! I wish that there was a site that I could go to to see some actual examples of what ID looks like. For example something more than just power points but a place where I can go to compare to what I am currently able to do as compared to other IDs out there. If you know of a place please let me know! :~) Also I read about your post about certification as opposted to a degree. I am wondering about that as well because I am was asked recently if I hold any ID degrees and I do not. I just have always done ID, so I too am wodering if one has the experience what are some options? Oh’ one more thing what to do about the dreaded “carpel tunnel” I am open for suggestions. Thanks again! ~Tara

My experience agrees with you

2009-10-20T03:01:20.903+02:00

My experience agrees with you on both points!

September 30th, 2007 in IT 675

2009-10-20T03:01:10.903+02:00

September 30th, 2007 in IT 6750 After reading Christy Tucker’s post on the skills needed for IT and D, I find myself in agreement. It is my understanding that one

Jane, your point about differe

2009-10-06T14:46:47.715+02:00

Jane, your point about different strokes rings true, and I liked your observation (I think in last week’s #lrnchat) that Twitter “moves at the speed of Jane.” I’m feeling like I’m getting more out of Twitter now that I’m connected to more people (as Sue suggested), although I still feel like the tool has been overhyped. But, I’m getting enough out of it to justify the time I’m spending with it right now, and that’s good enough.As for LinkedIn, I do actually subscribe to the RSS feeds for Q&A for a couple of categories. Most of the time I skim through them very quickly. Once in a while a good question pops up, and I’ve had some good discussions. But the signal-to-noise ratio there is probably worse than on Twitter (assuming you follow good people). I can’t knock LinkedIn too much though; my husband and I saved at least $1000 due to some advice through a question I asked. It worked for me as a source of information in that instance. As a whole, I think this tool is probably better how Tony Karrer uses it though: as a way to find people.You’ve got me thinking a bit about Ira Socol’s Toolbelt Theory. In that post, he talks primarily about assistive technology, but I think the ideas can apply to everyone of any ability. Everyone should learn how to look at a task and choose an appropriate tool–not just learning professionals, not just people with disabilities, but everyone. Everyone needs to learn, so everyone needs to learn how to select and use these tools.On the flip side of that, when we develop learning, we should give enough flexibility that people can use the tools of their preference. I feel like that’s an area where I have a lot of room for growth in my own design.

Different strokes, maybe. For

2009-09-12T07:57:15.008+02:00

Different strokes, maybe. For instance, while I love Twitter, and have found lots of really smart bears there, I don’t get much from LinkedIn at all. Questions are often thinly-veiled marketing tricks, or posted by people who PLEASE tell me are not really in the training business (“How do I make someone’s behavior change? I only have 90 minutes and will be lecturing in an auditorium to 300 people. Thanks!”)While the dedicated learning professional will buck up and learn to leverage whatever tool best meets the needs of learners, it’s likely that we will all each continue to have our own preferences and likes.

Cathy, I completely agree. Thi

2009-08-19T01:07:42.301+02:00

Cathy, I completely agree. This is an example of what Twitter can do in terms of news. User-generated content is better than the traditional media sources for getting content out of Iran (partly because of Iran blocking all the traditional media). The new media is too scattered to block as simply as the traditional media, unless Iran completely shuts down the internet there.

Finally a use for Twitter that

2009-07-25T18:18:09.594+02:00

Finally a use for Twitter that I can believe in: Twitter is playing an important role in getting news out of Iran. Twitterers like @persiankiwi are getting reports out of Tehran while the phones and other media are blocked. I’ve been following the Iran-related hashtags all day and will continue tomorrow.

of Twitter. Here’s the convers

2009-07-01T11:28:36.887+02:00

of Twitter. Here’s the conversation so far so I can try to continue it here: Me: Just read your blog, Twitter is different due to searchability, reaching masses, and being

and not confirmed. School-sho

2009-06-19T12:49:34.172+02:00

and not confirmed. School-shopping online is even harder than school-shopping in person. This post addresses some of the fears about virtual

This is a great story to hear

2009-06-16T06:07:24.486+02:00

This is a great story to hear how someone made this work in an environment that didn’t really support it. I’ve seen several discussions online recently about this topic and just shared your story with a group on LinkedIn because I think others will find it useful.

Sorry Christy I'm really not w

2009-06-07T04:39:04.180+02:00

Sorry Christy I'm really not well and I should have said that my response relating to business was relating to how Cathy talked about "business-building effects".

Here is my take on things.

2009-06-07T00:14:15.101+02:00

Here is my take on things. In terms of blog readership I accept that technology now means that people who more preferred methods of communication. By providing a range of options to people to read your blog you are catering their preferences. For example, my readers can choose whether they wish to read my blogs by email, RSS, links in twitter or from Facebook. Facebook has been interesting as it surprised me the number that prefer to read and comment solely within Facebook. But it shouldn't because since that is where many less tech savvy feel comfortable. In terms of business I think you need to take a really long approach to its effectiveness. I should also probably say if that was my sole reason for using Twitter perhaps I might go crazy. However I enjoy using twitter and I enjoy the relationships I make with people on twitter. From a business aspect twitter (and Facebook) are important for providing support for our users. Educators, and others, know that they can send me @replies and get near instantaneous assistance with their problems, regardless of which blogging platform they use or what technology question they are asking, or if I can't help I will know who can help.

Hello Christy, As a new blogge

2009-06-06T21:12:21.410+02:00

Hello Christy, As a new blogger, I have found Twitter very useful. However, I have found Twitter extremely useful in other ways as well, but this was not until about 2 months of using Twitter. One of the most incredible tools are hashtags. I subscribe to hashtags like edtech. Now everyday I am current on the latest technologies and various opinions. My husband is even impressed with how much information I have gained before he knows about it. Also, the information is easily read through my feeder. I scan the info and can quickly gather information, real applications, and general opinions on technology like Bling. As a blogger, I find this a better way of keeping current on information for my readers. Also, I can act as a reporter. Recently, I attended a webinar with an author and the participants used hashtags to provide information on the event. Afterwards, I just typed in the hashtag into Twitter search and found various opinions and recaps on the event. Moreover, twittering the event raised the participant numbers significantly. Aside from the search and hashtags is the ability to quickly connect with others in your field and share information. I have connected with educators from all over the world in such a short time. Now we are connecting our classrooms. I have learned various new apps to help my students. I have found several valuable websites from others that I easily bookmark with Delicious. I have also been able to join ning communities and learn the edtech language, such as moodle, nings, and VLE. A month ago I did not know what any of this meant and I do not know how I would have discovered the lingo and current technologies of my career field through other avenues as quickly as Twitter. I could go on and on, but I’ll quit now. Great post!

I could try to show you the st

2009-06-06T17:29:00.025+02:00

I could try to show you the stats by running a simple survey but would first have to design the survey to ensure that it wasn't biased. In terms of readers portion that use email will depend on your audience. 21 % of my readers on The Edublogger subscribe by email compared to 6 % of readers on my personal blog. You might be surprised and perhaps some of your readers that use email are on twitter. Actually twitter's downtime hasn't been that bad lately. People have been saying for a long time that twitter was on it way out yet has out lasted and out performed all other microblogging solutions.

Show me the stats that back yo

2009-06-06T16:43:58.791+02:00

Show me the stats that back you up on the trend and I’ll be more convinced. 20% of my subscribers are still reading via email; I think Twitter as a company will be bankrupt before those people join. They have no business model, make no money, and have absurd amounts of downtime. Microblogging as a trend will long outlast Twitter.

Technology is changing fast th

2009-06-06T16:21:28.175+02:00

Technology is changing fast that anything is possible. Leaving Feed readers isn't a fad unfortunately with educators it is a reality. Many educators they prefer links in twitter as their source of blog post and news. I agree your subscriber numbers are excellent and I enjoy reading your blog. With twitter I'm just giving you my feedback based on 2 years of using twitter (for supporting my own learning and other educators).

Don't get me wrong I don't nec

2009-06-06T15:49:05.939+02:00

Don't get me wrong I don't necessarily care about the numbers of readers I have. Although I do like to have my posts read and the more comments I get the greater learning I achieve. Similarly with the more response and greater diversity of responses on twitter the more learning and innovation I gain. It is more that there has been a shift by people from Feed readers to reading posts this way. While your audience mightn't be doing it yet if they follow trends of others than you will see it happening. It is also important to point out the reason why I follow so many on twitter has absolutely nothing to do with my blogging and everything to do with my work. My role with Edublogs is to support our users and support the educational community; I will follow back any legitimate person who follows me. But you will also notice that I rarely choose to follow a person without them first following me.

My growth in feed subscribers

2009-06-06T15:44:02.314+02:00

My growth in feed subscribers has been linear for some time; Twitter isn’t affecting that one bit. And to be perfectly honest, I think this is a fad that will be gone in 5 years–probably in 2. So I’m not worried about it. I think the trend of people leaving feed readers for Twitter–if it even is a trend, which I’m not convinced of–is a blip, not a long term shift. Where that’s happening at all, it’s on the absolute bleeding edge where people feel they need to have the most current tools and be trendy. It won’t be sustainable. I guess we’ll see in two years who’s right, huh?If I wanted exponential growth instead of linear I’d be doing a lot of things differently. But 500-600 subscribers is a nice number; I have more people reading my stuff than I could read in turn. 500-600 is enough that I get comments and have good discussions but I can manage what happens here on top of my regular day job. 500-600 puts me comfortably as a C-list blogger, which is a good place to be.

If I was really concerned abou

2009-06-06T15:25:19.385+02:00

If I was really concerned about my blog numbers, I would have joined Twitter previously. But in the e-learning space, I’ve only heard of one person dropping their feed reader entirely for Twitter. Since most of my learners aren’t using Twitter, and that’s part of my audience too, I’m not going to lose them that way. Heck, many of them are still subscribing by email, and I’m OK with that. But my subscriber numbers have still been slowly increasing over the last six months even as I’ve been sporadic in posting, so I’m not losing ground. I’m not trying to break records, so I honestly don’t care if I expand my reach as far as possible or not. Let’s be honest here–if I want more subscribers and views, my time would be better spent posting more regularly than being on Twitter. In terms of value added for my readers, posting would clearly be the higher priority. Besides, how much I personally learn from blogging is not particularly affected by whether the 0.5% of people who read only via Twitter links read my posts or not.I also know that if I was a freelancer or looking for work that I would have joined Twitter much sooner. Because I’m happy in my job and don’t have as much pressure to connect and be visible, Twitter hasn’t been really urgent for me. I could see the value for someone in that situation, but it doesn’t apply to me.So basically for me it boils down to “Yes, I know I can get more subscribers and promote myself with Twitter. I just don’t care because I’m not here for the numbers.”

It is always fascinating to wa

2009-06-06T15:06:36.456+02:00

It is always fascinating to watch new people getting into twitter. For me I got twitter reasonably quick; but I've seen others struggle with it. What I will say is as a blogger I strongly recommend that you do work hard on getting use to twitter because whether we like it or not a large portion of our audience now reads links to post from Twitter and don't use Feed readers :( .

I am using Tweetdeck, which is

2009-06-06T14:34:59.244+02:00

I am using Tweetdeck, which is definitely helping. And I’ve been sort of gradually adding people that I already know through my blog to follow. Maybe that’s part of it too; I haven’t really interacted with too many new people yet because I’ve stayed within that comfort zone of people I know.I’ve seen lots of the demos, so I know that works. I know I’m not at the stage where I’d get good answers b/c I don’t have enough people. I’ll shoot for 100-200 and see what I think then; that may be more the number I need. I feel like two weeks isn’t quite enough to “get” Twitter anyway, so I’ll keep plugging along.

Well part of what you will cur

2009-06-06T14:19:10.638+02:00

Well part of what you will currently be missing relates to how many people you are following on twitter. At present you are following 40 people. Which is excellent in terms of an intimate conversation however you will find it a long time between those conversations. So you might not actually get the true power of twitter. Now my twitter network is considerably larger the conversations less intimate but in terms of finding information and getting assistance I will always achieve it faster than most other people. Please feel free to ask me to do a demonstration. Give me a question that you would like answered, but it has to be something that they want to answer, and I will ask my network. PS I'm not saying you have to follow an extremely large number. In fact I totally advise against that with all new people. Following between 100-200 people is a nice number for new people and make sure you are using a good Twitter application like Twhirl or Tweetdeck that makes it easier to follow the conversations faster.

@Virginia, I wonder if
2009-03-26T15:06:25.203+01:00
@Virginia, I wonder if California’s recent ruling (now dismissed, as I understand it) that homeschooling parents needed to be certified is indicative of things to come.As far as master teachers developing curriculum, that’s not that far from having Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and instructional designers develop online courses at the higher ed level. Developing quality online content is hard, and it does make sense to separate the content development from the teaching. However, the facilitators in that higher ed model still have the same qualifications they would normally. Their job is much more about individual relationships and feedback than developing content; having all the content done for them means they have more time to spend on each student.At the K-12 level, perhaps we could actually end up with three levels of people:Content developers: master teachers, SMEs, instructional designers Teachers: people who guide, coach, assess, provide individual adaptations Classroom managers: people who are physically present while students are online, provide technical supportContent developers could work from anywhere. Teachers could be both online and face-to-face, probably in some combination of the two. Classroom managers (maybe with some better title) would mostly be there for the child care piece of the equation, but could also maybe do technical support. You’d need some sort of certification for that, but probably not a full teacher certification.Interesting ideas–there’s just so many combinations of methods and media possible.

Good catch JC! I guess I didn’

2009-03-08T03:55:44.169+01:00

Good catch JC! I guess I didn’t really look at it, and I should have before leaving the comment here. Thanks for being alert! I’ll edit the comment above so that hopefully no one will get caught.

Hello Christy,I thought you mi

2008-12-31T18:23:16.234+01:00

Hello Christy,I thought you might like to see how some K-12 teachers and organizations are making use of the virtual classroom. We often fear the unknow the most, so perhaps this will help!Check out some of our case studies under the K-12 category: http://www.elluminate.com/sales/casestudies/ For example, NYC Special Needs District 75 used the online environment for a successful debate competition. Along with online instruction, virtual schools use the virtual classroom for office hours, tutoring, help desk, virtual field trips, professional development, and more.Also, we have a free 3-person/location virtual room you can use to try out this type of environment. You can sign up at http://www.getvroom.com. You should also know that many of our customers find that a blended approach, combining onsite and online learning works well for them. With educational technology, I think we are only limited by our imaginations!- Beth, Elluminate Goddess of Communication

The website listed above appea

2008-11-28T02:44:03.852+01:00

The website listed above appears to be a scam itself, don’t you love when scam artist promote their site stating it is not a scam. If you hold your cursor over every link on his/her page you will see pay per click links…hmmm I guess that is another method of earning an income while at home.

Thanks for the comment. That’s

2008-10-29T11:49:44.390+01:00

Thanks for the comment. That’s a really good point about freelance work, regardless of whether it’s telecommute or not. I know a number of people who are successful in contract work like you describe, but being realistic about the finances getting started is important. The taxes for freelancers are another place where people get caught. I know one consultant who didn’t realize that she would owe employment taxes once she became self-employed; that was a huge sum of money that she had not planned for at all. She ended up needing a loan to pay off her taxes. I’m not sure how it is outside the US, but it’s a significant concern here.

@Mimi, While I think online le

2008-10-07T22:40:07.265+02:00

@Mimi, While I think online learning can still be structured so it isn’t learner-centered, I agree that usually the student is “driving” the learning more online than in traditional classrooms. Anything that promotes learner engagement has to be a benefit.@Ken, I hadn’t heard the stat about student-teacher ratios for home schooling, but I suppose I’m not surprised. Home schooling does seem much more about individualized instruction, and that means lower ratios. For my own crystal ball gazing, I’ll predict that we’ll end up with a diversification of education. It isn’t going to be one-size-fits-all anymore; it’s going to be a bunch of choices and blends that each individual plays with to find the right mix. Offering choices like that simply hasn’t been economical in the past, but online learning makes it possible.So far, we’ve been talking mostly about high school here. What about younger grades? A good point was raised in Physical Schools, Technology, and Childcare: a major growth in online K-8 education would result in a child care crisis. High school students can be unsupervised during the day, but middle and elementary school students? Is there a way to disconnect the school system’s child care from the education to allow online learning for younger grades?

I have been telecommuting for

2008-09-29T21:55:24.928+02:00

I have been telecommuting for the past 9 months with a company that supports online training for AT&T. I really enjoyed working from home and will search for other contracts that allow this form of employment. I have to mention on small set back though; if you do not have a savings account with 2 plus months worth of income, do not agree to one of these positions!! It can take up to five months to get paid for contract work. Make sure you read the contract before taking the position. Also, you may have to invest in programs and products required to complete the project…(o:

Thanks for this information. I

2008-07-25T01:31:32.946+02:00

Thanks for this information. I, too, am looking for a telecommute opportunity. I find that it is difficult convincing recruiters and clients that it is possible.

Kia ora tatou! Hello everyo

2008-07-15T01:56:58.296+02:00
Kia ora tatou! Hello everyone! There are a lot of assumptions being made about the future of online learning. One is that home-schooled online learners won't need as many teachers as other systems of learning - False. Current statistics show that present practices in teaching home-schooled online-learners using available technologies require a greater teacher-student ratio (by far) for educational effectiveness. Home-schoolers also require attentive supervision, and that can't be done by an online teacher. The jury is still out on the effectiveness of home-schooling for some learners because of the general quality of supervision some learners receive. A blended approach to learning means that, whether it takes place at home or in a 'traditional' classroom, online-learning is only a part of the learning activities available for participation by the learner. I think (I'm crystal-ball gazing here :-) that the learning of the future is likely to be more of a blended type, mixed for and suited to the learner, whether at home or 'in class'. Ka kite Catcha later from Middle-earth

For 200 years the American edu

2008-07-15T01:56:38.296+02:00
For 200 years the American educational system has remained largely the same, to its shame and to the detriment of the children. With online learning comes a truly re-invented way to educate. The most advantageous aspect of online learning is the fact that the student is “driving.” When the student controls the pace, the content, the length of time spent and what he/she chooses to learn, he/she is much more engaged. With engagement comes mastery. With mastery, comes true education!Mimi Rothschild Founder and CEO, Learning By Grace, Inc. http://www.LearningByGrace.org

@Virginia Yonkers, the alterna

2008-07-15T01:56:28.296+02:00
@Virginia Yonkers, the alternative high school idea makes a lot of sense to me. Students who aren’t successful in traditional schools need other options, and online can be one of those. I hadn’t thought about the possibility of alternative schedules with online or blended learning, but it’s an interesting idea. I know of several districts with year-round school, although I don’t know if they are augmenting with online.It may very well be that the infrastructure improvements simply skip over the physical high schools and happen elsewhere. Nothing in what we’re talking about here really requires that the physical buildings have better infrastructures, as long as teachers and students have it at home or available elsewhere. The Colorado school gives students loaner computers and printers and provides a stipend for Internet access. That would go a long way for many students. @Virginia Walz, I’m very glad you found me! The cost of gas is definitely a factor that is becoming a tipping point for online schools. I’ve heard that many community colleges are seeing a big jump in online courses due to the cost of gas. That student population is going to be more sensitive to the economics than traditional undergrads, I suppose. But K-12 school districts have to be affected by gas prices, and I can see this becoming a factor for them too.I’m sure there will continue to be some need for face-to-face learning and programs. Sports will still happen even if PE classes are online; people want those teams. The same goes for music groups (although I suppose with some advanced web conferencing, long distance practice would be possible…hmmm). Maybe those teams, bands, orchestras, and choirs will all be community groups outside the schools though.Thank you both for sharing your ideas–I’d completely missed the connection between online and alternate schedules, so I really appreciate your perspectives.

I believe that there will be t

2008-07-15T01:56:18.296+02:00
I believe that there will be two types of online learning in high schools. I foresee a growing trend towards homeschooling and “alternative highschools” especially in poorly performing, dangerous school districts. This is already the trend in some areas of the country. In this case, students will take their courses from home, then have the opportunities to interact with others outside of their homes in “learning communities” where there will be field trips and other social/learning activities with larger groups.More likely, however, I see school districts downsizing their buildings (as they become more expensive to run or populations grow in selected areas and the building becomes too small to accommodate the population) and going to a compressed or year round schedule. I know of a few schools that are already doing this. These schools will use blended learning, augmenting the compressed face to face time with online activities/learning. I know of one school in Hawaii, for example that is on a 3-1 schedule year round (3 weeks of school, one week off). Another school I heard about has 3 week modules so at the end of every 9 weeks is a 3 week vacation. This would mean that students might “lose” some schooling during that time so they augment the classes during the 3 weeks off. Finally, many schools in urban areas have morning, afternoon, and night sessions. These could then be augmented with online sessions so there is the requisite number of teacher contact hours.I see the main problem with online high schools is access to technology. I think 2019 is a bit premature unless there is parallel funding for infrastructure and student access.

Honestly, I’m not sure how it

2008-07-15T01:56:08.296+02:00
Honestly, I’m not sure how it will work out. My guess is that it will be a combination: some teachers will work only online, some will do face-to-face and online, and some will work only face-to-face. Some courses may be offered in a blended online/face-to-face format. In general, I agree with the idea that more skills = more opportunities, so if you have the skills to teach in either environment you’ll be better off for choices. I doubt we’ll ever get to the point where there are no jobs for face-to-face classrooms, at least not in our lifetimes. After all, online college is booming, but plenty of professors still teach in physical classrooms. In higher ed, online learning has focused mostly on reaching adult students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to go to college due to work and other commitments. This means more students are in college, and effectively adds to the total number of teaching jobs at that level. High school is a different audience though. You don’t have a large population of high school students who aren’t able to attend, not in the US or UK anyway. Online education may initially work best as a flexible option for teenage parents or students who need an alternative setting. If that’s the case, then it may increase the total number of jobs at the high school level slightly. I don’t think that’s going to be as significant at the high school level though. If online does grow as much at the high school level as predicted, I think some of that has to be a direct competition for face-to-face classrooms. In that situation, I would expect that the number of face-to-face jobs would drop.A lot of changes have to fall into place for that prediction to be accurate. I’m sure there will be growth in this area, but I’m not convinced it will be as fast as they say. I think keeping a pulse on the changes is a good idea; that will let you watch how things unfold in the next few years. If the next two or three years do show the kind of exponential growth they predict, I’d start investing some serious time to improving my technology skills. Of course, I think learning technology skills is valuable anyway.

Hey, thanks for your email. O

2008-07-15T01:55:48.296+02:00
Hey, thanks for your email. Ok, so, not willing to teach online may hamper my job opp. I agree with that, but does that mean that most teachers will be required to teach some online courses in addition to face to face OR does that mean that there won’t be as many jobs in the classroom?

Good luck with your search. Ke

2008-06-21T15:19:36.956+02:00
Good luck with your search. Keep me posted on how things are going. I know that many people are interested in finding jobs where they can work from home at least part of the time, so I’m sure that others would enjoy reading about your experiences.

This is the sort of job I want

2008-05-19T05:07:40.966+02:00
This is the sort of job I want but not sure if it will materialise. Thanks for information - I'll keep looking. cheers Sarah

Christy, I’ve been reading and

2008-01-29T21:06:54.842+01:00
Christy, I’ve been reading and puzzling a lot about what this article (by John Seely Brown and Richard P Adler) calls open education. Inquiry-based seems to be going in that direction.And certainly doing more (or different) thing with technology than you could without makes sense. I’ve recently read accounts that students who use blogs (to report on their work and comment on the work of others) write more and produce better results — presumably because of the interaction, the differing points of view, etc.Having taught high school many years ago, and having had school-age children, I do wonder how to address the risk/reward tradeoffs. Not to say that current elementary and secondary education in the U.S. is working all that well — more to wonder (without a hint of an answer) how willing as a parent I’d be to experiment with the education of my children.

You’re right about the efficie

2008-01-29T17:27:09.063+01:00
You’re right about the efficiency and consistency. That might be what some schools try to do, but it isn’t that consistent in real life.This article is one of the readings for a MS science methodology course I’m developing; the participants in the course will be MS science teachers. It’s one of about 5 readings for that topic looking at change in education. There are examples of inquiry-based science and effective technology throughout, so I guess we are already sort of doing what you suggested.My SME (Subject Matter Expert) for this course found this video of an activity using Google Earth to learn in ways that wouldn’t be possible without the technology. I love examples like this that aren’t just about doing the same things with technology as you could do without it, but about doing more. Is this more of what you had in mind?

Sorry if I seemed overly harsh

2008-01-29T16:40:34.503+01:00
Sorry if I seemed overly harsh. Sometimes the starting facet of an analogy (railroads and Romans) gets overemphasized, and its details detract from ending facet (institutional inertia). Other examples are the endless stories about Inuit words for snow, or all those frogs slowly boiling to death.Jukes’ argument about education has some merit, though I disagree that “we have an educational model that can produce students with the same efficiency and consistency as Henry Ford was producing Model Ts.” (Maybe that’s a quibble about “can.”) I don’t think even the schools in Fairfax County VA, where my children went, are all that efficient or consistent.One thought might be to highlight two or three examples of actual learning taking place as a result of some change to the classroom paradigm. Assuming you were talking to educators or parents, the starting point would be the grabber (”eighth grade astronomers observe stars by computer”), with details to show how the setting and the instructor/facilitator helped create the conditions in which learning happened.

Sorry if I seemed overly harsh

2008-01-29T16:25:02.983+01:00
Sorry if I seemed overly harsh. Sometimes the starting facet of an analogy (railroads and Romans) gets overemphasized, and its details detract from ending facet (institutional inertia). Other examples are the endless stories about Inuit words for snow, or all those frogs slowly boiling to death.Jukes’ argument about education has some merit, though I disagree that “we have an educational model that can produce students with the same efficiency and consistency as Henry Ford was producing Model Ts.” (Maybe that’s a quibble about “can.”) I don’t think even the schools in Fairfax County VA, where my children went, are all that efficient or consistent.One thought might be to highlight two or three examples of actual learning taking place as a result of some change to the classroom paradigm. Assuming you were talking to educators or parents, the starting point would be the grabber (”eighth grade astronomers observe stars by computer”), with details to show how the setting and the instructor/facilitator helped create the conditions in which learning happened.

Dave, thanks for pointing out

2008-01-29T15:53:59.943+01:00
Dave, thanks for pointing out the Snopes article. The opening of the Snopes article is a bit less harsh than you: “This is one of those items that - although wrong in many of its details - isn’t exactly false in an overall sense and is perhaps more fairly labeled as ‘True, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons.’” It definitely oversimplifies the history of railroad tracks and the role of the Civil War.The paper airplane analogy is quite vivid though too, and makes the same point.The core concept of TTWWADI still seems quite valid for education reform though. Is there a better analogy than the train track one to make that point, one that doesn’t require oversimplifying history?

Christy, while Ian has some po

2008-01-29T15:15:54.685+01:00
Christy, while Ian has some points to make, the railroad-gauge analogy is a myth, as Snopes among other sites points out.

I shared it with everyone on m

2008-01-29T15:15:47.185+01:00
I shared it with everyone on my team too. The SME for one of my courses found it; we’re using it as an assigned reading for a topic on changing schools. The examples in that article are so good at making the point and shaking up expectations.

Thanks for sharing the Ian Juk

2008-01-29T15:15:39.685+01:00
Thanks for sharing the Ian Jukes article. I’m passing it along because it’s so well argued and written.

Christy, while Ian has some po

2008-01-29T15:01:20.120+01:00
Christy, while Ian has some points to make, the railroad-gauge analogy is a myth, as Snopes among other sites points out. Varying railroad gauges were widespread in the U.S. throughout the 19th century. In Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow, Dee Brown describes "compromise cars," rolling stock with wide wheels intended to run between lines with slightly differing gauges.

I shared it with everyone on m

2008-01-29T15:01:00.120+01:00
I shared it with everyone on my team too. The SME for one of my courses found it; we’re using it as an assigned reading for a topic on changing schools. The examples in that article are so good at making the point and shaking up expectations.

Thanks for sharing the Ian Juk

2008-01-29T15:00:50.120+01:00
Thanks for sharing the Ian Jukes article. I’m passing it along because it’s so well argued and written.

I think one of the challenges

2009-10-20T03:01:50.903+02:00
I think one of the challenges of developing effective online learning is creating something that learners can't just "click through"; if learners can do that, then it's our fault for creating something crappy. That isn't a function of online learning though; I certainly daydreamed through lectures in classrooms, just going through the motions in the physical equivalent of clicking next. Edheads is one of my all-time favorite examples of e-learning. No way are you just "clicking through" this content without learning something. Sleep Disorder Relief is a very different kind of project-based learning example. Here's a collection of e-learning examples (some links may no longer work, since that post is two years old). And here's another collection and a third set of free e-learning. With all those examples, you certainly should be able to see how your work stacks up. If you have experience but no degree, then you should be able to create a portfolio of your work. As you probably saw in that discussion about certificates and degrees, many employers are more interested in your portfolio than your formal credentials. The job market is really rough right now though, so I think it can be a challenge even for people with great experience and degrees. As for carpel tunnel, I'm afraid I have no suggestions. I spend about 10 hours a day at the computer but have never had that issue.

Hello, I just wanted to “thank

2009-10-20T03:01:30.903+02:00
Hello, I just wanted to “thank you” so much for your blog!! It has been VERY helpful to reassure me that I am moving in the right direction towards ID. I am a contract trainer that has noticed that often in the areas where I teach there are either not any or non adaquate materials to speak to what the participants need to be able to understand the concepts for the training. While I do not believe that online training is the only way to go (because often folks just “click thru” with out actually learning or retaining any information.) I do know that with programs like Captivate and Dreamweaver one can easily see the education possibilities! I wish that there was a site that I could go to to see some actual examples of what ID looks like. For example something more than just power points but a place where I can go to compare to what I am currently able to do as compared to other IDs out there. If you know of a place please let me know! :~) Also I read about your post about certification as opposted to a degree. I am wondering about that as well because I am was asked recently if I hold any ID degrees and I do not. I just have always done ID, so I too am wodering if one has the experience what are some options? Oh’ one more thing what to do about the dreaded “carpel tunnel” I am open for suggestions. Thanks again! ~Tara

My experience agrees with you

2009-10-20T03:01:20.903+02:00
My experience agrees with you on both points!

September 30th, 2007 in IT 675

2009-10-20T03:01:10.903+02:00
September 30th, 2007 in IT 6750 After reading Christy Tucker’s post on the skills needed for IT and D, I find myself in agreement. It is my understanding that one

Jane, your point about differe

2009-10-06T14:46:47.715+02:00
Jane, your point about different strokes rings true, and I liked your observation (I think in last week’s #lrnchat) that Twitter “moves at the speed of Jane.” I’m feeling like I’m getting more out of Twitter now that I’m connected to more people (as Sue suggested), although I still feel like the tool has been overhyped. But, I’m getting enough out of it to justify the time I’m spending with it right now, and that’s good enough.As for LinkedIn, I do actually subscribe to the RSS feeds for Q&A for a couple of categories. Most of the time I skim through them very quickly. Once in a while a good question pops up, and I’ve had some good discussions. But the signal-to-noise ratio there is probably worse than on Twitter (assuming you follow good people). I can’t knock LinkedIn too much though; my husband and I saved at least $1000 due to some advice through a question I asked. It worked for me as a source of information in that instance. As a whole, I think this tool is probably better how Tony Karrer uses it though: as a way to find people.You’ve got me thinking a bit about Ira Socol’s Toolbelt Theory. In that post, he talks primarily about assistive technology, but I think the ideas can apply to everyone of any ability. Everyone should learn how to look at a task and choose an appropriate tool–not just learning professionals, not just people with disabilities, but everyone. Everyone needs to learn, so everyone needs to learn how to select and use these tools.On the flip side of that, when we develop learning, we should give enough flexibility that people can use the tools of their preference. I feel like that’s an area where I have a lot of room for growth in my own design.

Different strokes, maybe. For

2009-09-12T07:57:15.008+02:00
Different strokes, maybe. For instance, while I love Twitter, and have found lots of really smart bears there, I don’t get much from LinkedIn at all. Questions are often thinly-veiled marketing tricks, or posted by people who PLEASE tell me are not really in the training business (“How do I make someone’s behavior change? I only have 90 minutes and will be lecturing in an auditorium to 300 people. Thanks!”)While the dedicated learning professional will buck up and learn to leverage whatever tool best meets the needs of learners, it’s likely that we will all each continue to have our own preferences and likes.

Cathy, I completely agree. Thi

2009-08-19T01:07:42.301+02:00
Cathy, I completely agree. This is an example of what Twitter can do in terms of news. User-generated content is better than the traditional media sources for getting content out of Iran (partly because of Iran blocking all the traditional media). The new media is too scattered to block as simply as the traditional media, unless Iran completely shuts down the internet there.

Finally a use for Twitter that

2009-07-25T18:18:09.594+02:00
Finally a use for Twitter that I can believe in: Twitter is playing an important role in getting news out of Iran. Twitterers like @persiankiwi are getting reports out of Tehran while the phones and other media are blocked. I’ve been following the Iran-related hashtags all day and will continue tomorrow.

of Twitter. Here’s the convers

2009-07-01T11:28:36.887+02:00
of Twitter. Here’s the conversation so far so I can try to continue it here: Me: Just read your blog, Twitter is different due to searchability, reaching masses, and being

and not confirmed. School-sho

2009-06-19T12:49:34.172+02:00
and not confirmed. School-shopping online is even harder than school-shopping in person. This post addresses some of the fears about virtual

This is a great story to hear

2009-06-16T06:07:24.486+02:00
This is a great story to hear how someone made this work in an environment that didn’t really support it. I’ve seen several discussions online recently about this topic and just shared your story with a group on LinkedIn because I think others will find it useful.

Sorry Christy I'm really not w

2009-06-07T04:39:04.180+02:00
Sorry Christy I'm really not well and I should have said that my response relating to business was relating to how Cathy talked about "business-building effects".

Here is my take on things.

2009-06-07T00:14:15.101+02:00
Here is my take on things. In terms of blog readership I accept that technology now means that people who more preferred methods of communication. By providing a range of options to people to read your blog you are catering their preferences. For example, my readers can choose whether they wish to read my blogs by email, RSS, links in twitter or from Facebook. Facebook has been interesting as it surprised me the number that prefer to read and comment solely within Facebook. But it shouldn't because since that is where many less tech savvy feel comfortable. In terms of business I think you need to take a really long approach to its effectiveness. I should also probably say if that was my sole reason for using Twitter perhaps I might go crazy. However I enjoy using twitter and I enjoy the relationships I make with people on twitter. From a business aspect twitter (and Facebook) are important for providing support for our users. Educators, and others, know that they can send me @replies and get near instantaneous assistance with their problems, regardless of which blogging platform they use or what technology question they are asking, or if I can't help I will know who can help.

Hello Christy, As a new blogge

2009-06-06T21:12:21.410+02:00
Hello Christy, As a new blogger, I have found Twitter very useful. However, I have found Twitter extremely useful in other ways as well, but this was not until about 2 months of using Twitter. One of the most incredible tools are hashtags. I subscribe to hashtags like edtech. Now everyday I am current on the latest technologies and various opinions. My husband is even impressed with how much information I have gained before he knows about it. Also, the information is easily read through my feeder. I scan the info and can quickly gather information, real applications, and general opinions on technology like Bling. As a blogger, I find this a better way of keeping current on information for my readers. Also, I can act as a reporter. Recently, I attended a webinar with an author and the participants used hashtags to provide information on the event. Afterwards, I just typed in the hashtag into Twitter search and found various opinions and recaps on the event. Moreover, twittering the event raised the participant numbers significantly. Aside from the search and hashtags is the ability to quickly connect with others in your field and share information. I have connected with educators from all over the world in such a short time. Now we are connecting our classrooms. I have learned various new apps to help my students. I have found several valuable websites from others that I easily bookmark with Delicious. I have also been able to join ning communities and learn the edtech language, such as moodle, nings, and VLE. A month ago I did not know what any of this meant and I do not know how I would have discovered the lingo and current technologies of my career field through other avenues as quickly as Twitter. I could go on and on, but I’ll quit now. Great post!

I could try to show you the st

2009-06-06T17:29:00.025+02:00
I could try to show you the stats by running a simple survey but would first have to design the survey to ensure that it wasn't biased. In terms of readers portion that use email will depend on your audience. 21 % of my readers on The Edublogger subscribe by email compared to 6 % of readers on my personal blog. You might be surprised and perhaps some of your readers that use email are on twitter. Actually twitter's downtime hasn't been that bad lately. People have been saying for a long time that twitter was on it way out yet has out lasted and out performed all other microblogging solutions.

Show me the stats that back yo

2009-06-06T16:43:58.791+02:00
Show me the stats that back you up on the trend and I’ll be more convinced. 20% of my subscribers are still reading via email; I think Twitter as a company will be bankrupt before those people join. They have no business model, make no money, and have absurd amounts of downtime. Microblogging as a trend will long outlast Twitter.

Technology is changing fast th

2009-06-06T16:21:28.175+02:00
Technology is changing fast that anything is possible. Leaving Feed readers isn't a fad unfortunately with educators it is a reality. Many educators they prefer links in twitter as their source of blog post and news. I agree your subscriber numbers are excellent and I enjoy reading your blog. With twitter I'm just giving you my feedback based on 2 years of using twitter (for supporting my own learning and other educators).

Don't get me wrong I don't nec

2009-06-06T15:49:05.939+02:00
Don't get me wrong I don't necessarily care about the numbers of readers I have. Although I do like to have my posts read and the more comments I get the greater learning I achieve. Similarly with the more response and greater diversity of responses on twitter the more learning and innovation I gain. It is more that there has been a shift by people from Feed readers to reading posts this way. While your audience mightn't be doing it yet if they follow trends of others than you will see it happening. It is also important to point out the reason why I follow so many on twitter has absolutely nothing to do with my blogging and everything to do with my work. My role with Edublogs is to support our users and support the educational community; I will follow back any legitimate person who follows me. But you will also notice that I rarely choose to follow a person without them first following me.

My growth in feed subscribers

2009-06-06T15:44:02.314+02:00
My growth in feed subscribers has been linear for some time; Twitter isn’t affecting that one bit. And to be perfectly honest, I think this is a fad that will be gone in 5 years–probably in 2. So I’m not worried about it. I think the trend of people leaving feed readers for Twitter–if it even is a trend, which I’m not convinced of–is a blip, not a long term shift. Where that’s happening at all, it’s on the absolute bleeding edge where people feel they need to have the most current tools and be trendy. It won’t be sustainable. I guess we’ll see in two years who’s right, huh?If I wanted exponential growth instead of linear I’d be doing a lot of things differently. But 500-600 subscribers is a nice number; I have more people reading my stuff than I could read in turn. 500-600 is enough that I get comments and have good discussions but I can manage what happens here on top of my regular day job. 500-600 puts me comfortably as a C-list blogger, which is a good place to be.

If I was really concerned abou

2009-06-06T15:25:19.385+02:00
If I was really concerned about my blog numbers, I would have joined Twitter previously. But in the e-learning space, I’ve only heard of one person dropping their feed reader entirely for Twitter. Since most of my learners aren’t using Twitter, and that’s part of my audience too, I’m not going to lose them that way. Heck, many of them are still subscribing by email, and I’m OK with that. But my subscriber numbers have still been slowly increasing over the last six months even as I’ve been sporadic in posting, so I’m not losing ground. I’m not trying to break records, so I honestly don’t care if I expand my reach as far as possible or not. Let’s be honest here–if I want more subscribers and views, my time would be better spent posting more regularly than being on Twitter. In terms of value added for my readers, posting would clearly be the higher priority. Besides, how much I personally learn from blogging is not particularly affected by whether the 0.5% of people who read only via Twitter links read my posts or not.I also know that if I was a freelancer or looking for work that I would have joined Twitter much sooner. Because I’m happy in my job and don’t have as much pressure to connect and be visible, Twitter hasn’t been really urgent for me. I could see the value for someone in that situation, but it doesn’t apply to me.So basically for me it boils down to “Yes, I know I can get more subscribers and promote myself with Twitter. I just don’t care because I’m not here for the numbers.”

It is always fascinating to wa

2009-06-06T15:06:36.456+02:00
It is always fascinating to watch new people getting into twitter. For me I got twitter reasonably quick; but I've seen others struggle with it. What I will say is as a blogger I strongly recommend that you do work hard on getting use to twitter because whether we like it or not a large portion of our audience now reads links to post from Twitter and don't use Feed readers :( .

I am using Tweetdeck, which is

2009-06-06T14:34:59.244+02:00
I am using Tweetdeck, which is definitely helping. And I’ve been sort of gradually adding people that I already know through my blog to follow. Maybe that’s part of it too; I haven’t really interacted with too many new people yet because I’ve stayed within that comfort zone of people I know.I’ve seen lots of the demos, so I know that works. I know I’m not at the stage where I’d get good answers b/c I don’t have enough people. I’ll shoot for 100-200 and see what I think then; that may be more the number I need. I feel like two weeks isn’t quite enough to “get” Twitter anyway, so I’ll keep plugging along.

Well part of what you will cur

2009-06-06T14:19:10.638+02:00
Well part of what you will currently be missing relates to how many people you are following on twitter. At present you are following 40 people. Which is excellent in terms of an intimate conversation however you will find it a long time between those conversations. So you might not actually get the true power of twitter. Now my twitter network is considerably larger the conversations less intimate but in terms of finding information and getting assistance I will always achieve it faster than most other people. Please feel free to ask me to do a demonstration. Give me a question that you would like answered, but it has to be something that they want to answer, and I will ask my network. PS I'm not saying you have to follow an extremely large number. In fact I totally advise against that with all new people. Following between 100-200 people is a nice number for new people and make sure you are using a good Twitter application like Twhirl or Tweetdeck that makes it easier to follow the conversations faster.

@Virginia, I wonder if
2009-03-26T15:06:25.203+01:00
@Virginia, I wonder if California’s recent ruling (now dismissed, as I understand it) that homeschooling parents needed to be certified is indicative of things to come.As far as master teachers developing curriculum, that’s not that far from having Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and instructional designers develop online courses at the higher ed level. Developing quality online content is hard, and it does make sense to separate the content development from the teaching. However, the facilitators in that higher ed model still have the same qualifications they would normally. Their job is much more about individual relationships and feedback than developing content; having all the content done for them means they have more time to spend on each student.At the K-12 level, perhaps we could actually end up with three levels of people:Content developers: master teachers, SMEs, instructional designers Teachers: people who guide, coach, assess, provide individual adaptations Classroom managers: people who are physically present while students are online, provide technical supportContent developers could work from anywhere. Teachers could be both online and face-to-face, probably in some combination of the two. Classroom managers (maybe with some better title) would mostly be there for the child care piece of the equation, but could also maybe do technical support. You’d need some sort of certification for that, but probably not a full teacher certification.Interesting ideas–there’s just so many combinations of methods and media possible.

Good catch JC! I guess I didn’

2009-03-08T03:55:44.169+01:00
Good catch JC! I guess I didn’t really look at it, and I should have before leaving the comment here. Thanks for being alert! I’ll edit the comment above so that hopefully no one will get caught.

Hello Christy,I thought you mi

2008-12-31T18:23:16.234+01:00
Hello Christy,I thought you might like to see how some K-12 teachers and organizations are making use of the virtual classroom. We often fear the unknow the most, so perhaps this will help!Check out some of our case studies under the K-12 category: http://www.elluminate.com/sales/casestudies/ For example, NYC Special Needs District 75 used the online environment for a successful debate competition. Along with online instruction, virtual schools use the virtual classroom for office hours, tutoring, help desk, virtual field trips, professional development, and more.Also, we have a free 3-person/location virtual room you can use to try out this type of environment. You can sign up at http://www.getvroom.com. You should also know that many of our customers find that a blended approach, combining onsite and online learning works well for them. With educational technology, I think we are only limited by our imaginations!- Beth, Elluminate Goddess of Communication

The website listed above appea

2008-11-28T02:44:03.852+01:00
The website listed above appears to be a scam itself, don’t you love when scam artist promote their site stating it is not a scam. If you hold your cursor over every link on his/her page you will see pay per click links…hmmm I guess that is another method of earning an income while at home.

Thanks for the comment. That’s

2008-10-29T11:49:44.390+01:00
Thanks for the comment. That’s a really good point about freelance work, regardless of whether it’s telecommute or not. I know a number of people who are successful in contract work like you describe, but being realistic about the finances getting started is important. The taxes for freelancers are another place where people get caught. I know one consultant who didn’t realize that she would owe employment taxes once she became self-employed; that was a huge sum of money that she had not planned for at all. She ended up needing a loan to pay off her taxes. I’m not sure how it is outside the US, but it’s a significant concern here.

@Mimi, While I think online le

2008-10-07T22:40:07.265+02:00
@Mimi, While I think online learning can still be structured so it isn’t learner-centered, I agree that usually the student is “driving” the learning more online than in traditional classrooms. Anything that promotes learner engagement has to be a benefit.@Ken, I hadn’t heard the stat about student-teacher ratios for home schooling, but I suppose I’m not surprised. Home schooling does seem much more about individualized instruction, and that means lower ratios. For my own crystal ball gazing, I’ll predict that we’ll end up with a diversification of education. It isn’t going to be one-size-fits-all anymore; it’s going to be a bunch of choices and blends that each individual plays with to find the right mix. Offering choices like that simply hasn’t been economical in the past, but online learning makes it possible.So far, we’ve been talking mostly about high school here. What about younger grades? A good point was raised in Physical Schools, Technology, and Childcare: a major growth in online K-8 education would result in a child care crisis. High school students can be unsupervised during the day, but middle and elementary school students? Is there a way to disconnect the school system’s child care from the education to allow online learning for younger grades?

I have been telecommuting for

2008-09-29T21:55:24.928+02:00
I have been telecommuting for the past 9 months with a company that supports online training for AT&T. I really enjoyed working from home and will search for other contracts that allow this form of employment. I have to mention on small set back though; if you do not have a savings account with 2 plus months worth of income, do not agree to one of these positions!! It can take up to five months to get paid for contract work. Make sure you read the contract before taking the position. Also, you may have to invest in programs and products required to complete the project…(o:

Thanks for this information. I

2008-07-25T01:31:32.946+02:00
Thanks for this information. I, too, am looking for a telecommute opportunity. I find that it is difficult convincing recruiters and clients that it is possible.

Kia ora tatou! Hello everyo

2008-07-15T01:56:58.296+02:00
Kia ora tatou! Hello everyone! There are a lot of assumptions being made about the future of online learning. One is that home-schooled online learners won't need as many teachers as other systems of learning - False. Current statistics show that present practices in teaching home-schooled online-learners using available technologies require a greater teacher-student ratio (by far) for educational effectiveness. Home-schoolers also require attentive supervision, and that can't be done by an online teacher. The jury is still out on the effectiveness of home-schooling for some learners because of the general quality of supervision some learners receive. A blended approach to learning means that, whether it takes place at home or in a 'traditional' classroom, online-learning is only a part of the learning activities available for participation by the learner. I think (I'm crystal-ball gazing here :-) that the learning of the future is likely to be more of a blended type, mixed for and suited to the learner, whether at home or 'in class'. Ka kite Catcha later from Middle-earth

For 200 years the American edu

2008-07-15T01:56:38.296+02:00
For 200 years the American educational system has remained largely the same, to its shame and to the detriment of the children. With online learning comes a truly re-invented way to educate. The most advantageous aspect of online learning is the fact that the student is “driving.” When the student controls the pace, the content, the length of time spent and what he/she chooses to learn, he/she is much more engaged. With engagement comes mastery. With mastery, comes true education!Mimi Rothschild Founder and CEO, Learning By Grace, Inc. http://www.LearningByGrace.org

@Virginia Yonkers, the alterna

2008-07-15T01:56:28.296+02:00
@Virginia Yonkers, the alternative high school idea makes a lot of sense to me. Students who aren’t successful in traditional schools need other options, and online can be one of those. I hadn’t thought about the possibility of alternative schedules with online or blended learning, but it’s an interesting idea. I know of several districts with year-round school, although I don’t know if they are augmenting with online.It may very well be that the infrastructure improvements simply skip over the physical high schools and happen elsewhere. Nothing in what we’re talking about here really requires that the physical buildings have better infrastructures, as long as teachers and students have it at home or available elsewhere. The Colorado school gives students loaner computers and printers and provides a stipend for Internet access. That would go a long way for many students. @Virginia Walz, I’m very glad you found me! The cost of gas is definitely a factor that is becoming a tipping point for online schools. I’ve heard that many community colleges are seeing a big jump in online courses due to the cost of gas. That student population is going to be more sensitive to the economics than traditional undergrads, I suppose. But K-12 school districts have to be affected by gas prices, and I can see this becoming a factor for them too.I’m sure there will continue to be some need for face-to-face learning and programs. Sports will still happen even if PE classes are online; people want those teams. The same goes for music groups (although I suppose with some advanced web conferencing, long distance practice would be possible…hmmm). Maybe those teams, bands, orchestras, and choirs will all be community groups outside the schools though.Thank you both for sharing your ideas–I’d completely missed the connection between online and alternate schedules, so I really appreciate your perspectives.

I believe that there will be t

2008-07-15T01:56:18.296+02:00
I believe that there will be two types of online learning in high schools. I foresee a growing trend towards homeschooling and “alternative highschools” especially in poorly performing, dangerous school districts. This is already the trend in some areas of the country. In this case, students will take their courses from home, then have the opportunities to interact with others outside of their homes in “learning communities” where there will be field trips and other social/learning activities with larger groups.More likely, however, I see school districts downsizing their buildings (as they become more expensive to run or populations grow in selected areas and the building becomes too small to accommodate the population) and going to a compressed or year round schedule. I know of a few schools that are already doing this. These schools will use blended learning, augmenting the compressed face to face time with online activities/learning. I know of one school in Hawaii, for example that is on a 3-1 schedule year round (3 weeks of school, one week off). Another school I heard about has 3 week modules so at the end of every 9 weeks is a 3 week vacation. This would mean that students might “lose” some schooling during that time so they augment the classes during the 3 weeks off. Finally, many schools in urban areas have morning, afternoon, and night sessions. These could then be augmented with online sessions so there is the requisite number of teacher contact hours.I see the main problem with online high schools is access to technology. I think 2019 is a bit premature unless there is parallel funding for infrastructure and student access.

Honestly, I’m not sure how it

2008-07-15T01:56:08.296+02:00
Honestly, I’m not sure how it will work out. My guess is that it will be a combination: some teachers will work only online, some will do face-to-face and online, and some will work only face-to-face. Some courses may be offered in a blended online/face-to-face format. In general, I agree with the idea that more skills = more opportunities, so if you have the skills to teach in either environment you’ll be better off for choices. I doubt we’ll ever get to the point where there are no jobs for face-to-face classrooms, at least not in our lifetimes. After all, online college is booming, but plenty of professors still teach in physical classrooms. In higher ed, online learning has focused mostly on reaching adult students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to go to college due to work and other commitments. This means more students are in college, and effectively adds to the total number of teaching jobs at that level. High school is a different audience though. You don’t have a large population of high school students who aren’t able to attend, not in the US or UK anyway. Online education may initially work best as a flexible option for teenage parents or students who need an alternative setting. If that’s the case, then it may increase the total number of jobs at the high school level slightly. I don’t think that’s going to be as significant at the high school level though. If online does grow as much at the high school level as predicted, I think some of that has to be a direct competition for face-to-face classrooms. In that situation, I would expect that the number of face-to-face jobs would drop.A lot of changes have to fall into place for that prediction to be accurate. I’m sure there will be growth in this area, but I’m not convinced it will be as fast as they say. I think keeping a pulse on the changes is a good idea; that will let you watch how things unfold in the next few years. If the next two or three years do show the kind of exponential growth they predict, I’d start investing some serious time to improving my technology skills. Of course, I think learning technology skills is valuable anyway.

Hey, thanks for your email. O

2008-07-15T01:55:48.296+02:00
Hey, thanks for your email. Ok, so, not willing to teach online may hamper my job opp. I agree with that, but does that mean that most teachers will be required to teach some online courses in addition to face to face OR does that mean that there won’t be as many jobs in the classroom?

Good luck with your search. Ke

2008-06-21T15:19:36.956+02:00
Good luck with your search. Keep me posted on how things are going. I know that many people are interested in finding jobs where they can work from home at least part of the time, so I’m sure that others would enjoy reading about your experiences.

This is the sort of job I want

2008-05-19T05:07:40.966+02:00
This is the sort of job I want but not sure if it will materialise. Thanks for information - I'll keep looking. cheers Sarah

Christy, I’ve been reading and

2008-01-29T21:06:54.842+01:00
Christy, I’ve been reading and puzzling a lot about what this article (by John Seely Brown and Richard P Adler) calls open education. Inquiry-based seems to be going in that direction.And certainly doing more (or different) thing with technology than you could without makes sense. I’ve recently read accounts that students who use blogs (to report on their work and comment on the work of others) write more and produce better results — presumably because of the interaction, the differing points of view, etc.Having taught high school many years ago, and having had school-age children, I do wonder how to address the risk/reward tradeoffs. Not to say that current elementary and secondary education in the U.S. is working all that well — more to wonder (without a hint of an answer) how willing as a parent I’d be to experiment with the education of my children.

You’re right about the efficie

2008-01-29T17:27:09.063+01:00
You’re right about the efficiency and consistency. That might be what some schools try to do, but it isn’t that consistent in real life.This article is one of the readings for a MS science methodology course I’m developing; the participants in the course will be MS science teachers. It’s one of about 5 readings for that topic looking at change in education. There are examples of inquiry-based science and effective technology throughout, so I guess we are already sort of doing what you suggested.My SME (Subject Matter Expert) for this course found this video of an activity using Google Earth to learn in ways that wouldn’t be possible without the technology. I love examples like this that aren’t just about doing the same things with technology as you could do without it, but about doing more. Is this more of what you had in mind?

Sorry if I seemed overly harsh

2008-01-29T16:40:34.503+01:00
Sorry if I seemed overly harsh. Sometimes the starting facet of an analogy (railroads and Romans) gets overemphasized, and its details detract from ending facet (institutional inertia). Other examples are the endless stories about Inuit words for snow, or all those frogs slowly boiling to death.Jukes’ argument about education has some merit, though I disagree that “we have an educational model that can produce students with the same efficiency and consistency as Henry Ford was producing Model Ts.” (Maybe that’s a quibble about “can.”) I don’t think even the schools in Fairfax County VA, where my children went, are all that efficient or consistent.One thought might be to highlight two or three examples of actual learning taking place as a result of some change to the classroom paradigm. Assuming you were talking to educators or parents, the starting point would be the grabber (”eighth grade astronomers observe stars by computer”), with details to show how the setting and the instructor/facilitator helped create the conditions in which learning happened.

Sorry if I seemed overly harsh

2008-01-29T16:25:02.983+01:00
Sorry if I seemed overly harsh. Sometimes the starting facet of an analogy (railroads and Romans) gets overemphasized, and its details detract from ending facet (institutional inertia). Other examples are the endless stories about Inuit words for snow, or all those frogs slowly boiling to death.Jukes’ argument about education has some merit, though I disagree that “we have an educational model that can produce students with the same efficiency and consistency as Henry Ford was producing Model Ts.” (Maybe that’s a quibble about “can.”) I don’t think even the schools in Fairfax County VA, where my children went, are all that efficient or consistent.One thought might be to highlight two or three examples of actual learning taking place as a result of some change to the classroom paradigm. Assuming you were talking to educators or parents, the starting point would be the grabber (”eighth grade astronomers observe stars by computer”), with details to show how the setting and the instructor/facilitator helped create the conditions in which learning happened.

Dave, thanks for pointing out

2008-01-29T15:53:59.943+01:00
Dave, thanks for pointing out the Snopes article. The opening of the Snopes article is a bit less harsh than you: “This is one of those items that - although wrong in many of its details - isn’t exactly false in an overall sense and is perhaps more fairly labeled as ‘True, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons.’” It definitely oversimplifies the history of railroad tracks and the role of the Civil War.The paper airplane analogy is quite vivid though too, and makes the same point.The core concept of TTWWADI still seems quite valid for education reform though. Is there a better analogy than the train track one to make that point, one that doesn’t require oversimplifying history?

Christy, while Ian has some po

2008-01-29T15:15:54.685+01:00
Christy, while Ian has some points to make, the railroad-gauge analogy is a myth, as Snopes among other sites points out.

I shared it with everyone on m

2008-01-29T15:15:47.185+01:00
I shared it with everyone on my team too. The SME for one of my courses found it; we’re using it as an assigned reading for a topic on changing schools. The examples in that article are so good at making the point and shaking up expectations.

Thanks for sharing the Ian Juk

2008-01-29T15:15:39.685+01:00
Thanks for sharing the Ian Jukes article. I’m passing it along because it’s so well argued and written.

Christy, while Ian has some po

2008-01-29T15:01:20.120+01:00
Christy, while Ian has some points to make, the railroad-gauge analogy is a myth, as Snopes among other sites points out. Varying railroad gauges were widespread in the U.S. throughout the 19th century. In Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow, Dee Brown describes "compromise cars," rolling stock with wide wheels intended to run between lines with slightly differing gauges.

I shared it with everyone on m

2008-01-29T15:01:00.120+01:00
I shared it with everyone on my team too. The SME for one of my courses found it; we’re using it as an assigned reading for a topic on changing schools. The examples in that article are so good at making the point and shaking up expectations.

Thanks for sharing the Ian Juk

2008-01-29T15:00:50.120+01:00
Thanks for sharing the Ian Jukes article. I’m passing it along because it’s so well argued and written.