Resources and Ideas for the Distance Educator

by Roger Hiemstra

 

3d imaging and distance learning – Lehigh University’s use of the University of Michigan’s electron microscopy equipment for distance learning purposes -- http://science.internet2.edu/remote.html

 

Mobile devices and technology -- http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Sep_05/article04.htm

 

Digital Natives – Digital Immigrants – young people raised on the web, with mobile devices, on video games, etc. and thought to have developed different cognitive; started basically from Marc Prensky’s work -- http://tinyurl.com/65gej7h

 

Reusable learning objects (RLOs) – an intoduction to RLOs at http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/56/07879649/0787964956.pdf

 

Vancouver Web Design Company - A web development service for online business and e-commerce -- http://www.centauria.com

 

Web 2.0 – sort of a “modernizing” of the “original” Web that began to emerge with discussions and observations of how the Web has been developing in the past five years -- http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

 

AcademicInfo: Subject Guides & Online Degrees, is an good online education resource center with extensive subject guides and distance learning information

 

Mobile learning – various efforts to learn or promote learning via a variety of handheld devices such as iPods, Microsoft’s Zune, etc. – aimed at younger people mainly -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2940936.stm

 

Information overload and text interpretation – text interpretation tools are becoming available but it remains a big challenge -- http://www.ahessc.ac.uk/image-text-interpretation

 

Instructional design issues and resources for distance learning – the University of Wisconsin Distance Education Clearinghouse and the archives of the annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning provide many related resources -- http://www.uwex.edu/disted/ and information on the annual conference on distance teaching and learning he online journal of distance education administration -- http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/index.cfm

 

Distance education and learning administration – the online journal of distance learning administration -- http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/

 

Learning effectiveness/assessment -- http://www.netnet.org/instructors/design/assessment.htm and using learning contracts -- /tlchap8.html

 

Cost benefit analysis - cost effectiveness issues and demonstrating the economic value of distance learning investments have long been a topic of interest – here is a resource that gives some guidance: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/distance-learning/distance-education-measuring-the-benefits-and-costs/

 

Learning theory/research and distance education – various resources exist that provide insight specific research results, links, or guidelines: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl and http://www.educationatlas.com/distance-learning-research.html

 

Distance education teacher training and preparation – here is a source to initiate some thinking on this topic: http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer42/bower42.html

 

Working with hard to reach or learners on the margin through distance education – see the resources suggested through the American Distance Education Consortium and a companion National Science Foundation supported project: http://www.adec.edu/about.html and http://www.adec.edu/nsf/index.html

 

Participation, retention, and student dropouts – important issues that concern distance educators – here are some potential resources: http://www.ed.psu.edu/acsde/deos/deosnews/deosnews13_5.pdf ; http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter84/nash84.htm ; http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring71/mccracken71.html ; and http://kn.open.ac.uk/public/index.cfm?wpid=1886

 

Promoting critical thinking skills and abilities – learner attributes desired by distance education teachers – here are some related resources: http://www.trainingplace.com/loq/strategies.htm ; http://itdl.org/Journal/Jun_05/article02.htm ; http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/NOV02_Issue/article03.html ; and http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/MAY01_Issue/article02.html

 

Finding ways to maintain learning integrity in distance education is a constant concern – delimiting student cheating, plagiarism, and dishonesty are part of this concern – here are some resources that may initiate some thinking on the topic: http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer72/rowe72.html and http://www.ccsf.edu/Library/plag.html

 

How the Internet is changing self-directed learning; this relates to some research with which I was involved

 

elearnspace - last but not least, the work of George Siemens about learning, networks, knowledge, technology, and community is a must read

 

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July 1, 2012

 

If you have some ideas, suggestions, questions, or related resource tips related to the topics shown above, or if you would just would like to converse with me, feel free to send an electronic message.