The American Public School System

Carol Brown (bcarol83@gmail.com) has just informed me about another infographics entitled "American Public School System" (http://www.onlinecollege.org/american-public-school-system)

I have checked up this website and found it to be very informative. The website addresses the following four areas:

1. How countries do in Mathematics (e.g. China is ranked #1; USA is ranked #30; UK is ranked #27)
2. How countries do in Reading (e.g. China is ranked #1; USA is ranked #14; UK is ranked #19)
3. How countries do in Science (e.g. China is ranked #1; USA is ranked #20; UK is ranked #14)
4. What makes a school successful? (Many elements contribute to a successful school, where success is often defined by student performance levels as well as their enjoyment of the learning environment.)

Personally, I found the fourth topic on "What makes a school successful?" to be the most valuable topic.

Once again, thank you, Carol, for alerting me to this interesting article.

The Digital Classroom

Corrine Smith (corrinesmith89@gmail.com) has just informed me about an interesting article entitled "The Digital Classroom" (http://www.onlineuniversities.com/digital-classroom).

This article covers the following topics:

1. Textbooks vs eBooks
2. A Look at Rentals
3. A Detailed Look at Tablets
4. Reinventing the textbook
5. How classrooms are changing

This article is presented in the form of infographics. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_graphics), "Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics present complex information quickly and clearly,[1] such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. With an information graphic, computer scientists, mathematicians, and statisticians develop and communicate concepts using a single symbol to process information."

I think you all will enjoy reading this article.

Thank you, Corrine.

Docebo LMS on the cloud

It is interesting to know that more LMSs are now available on the cloud. The latest to join in the the Docebo LMS (www.docebo.com). This is the Version 5.0 of their Docebo LMS.

According to their latest news, the company even allow users to create 5 user accounts for free. With that users can also upload many free courses.

Docebo is an open source e-learning platform "with no licence fees, for supplying, certifying and managing training activity in various contexts, including:

• Sales and post sales
• Procedural technique and software use
• Security, privacy and ethical codes
• Foreign languages
• Soft skills and courses for new employees" (quoted from their website).

I think this Docebo is worth trying out!

A Guide to the Evaluation of E-learning

I have just come across this useful guide to the evaluation of e-learning. It is actually a handbook under the Evaluate Europe Handbook Series Volume 2. Its editor is Graham Attwell. You can download the PDF version from this link:

http://www.pontydysgu.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/eva_europe_vol2_prefinal.pdf

Why do I find it useful?

I find this handbook useful because it gives a good coverage of the different evaluation models that can be used to evaluate e-learning. The six models mentioned in this handbook are:

1. Objectives oriented
2. Management oriented
3. Consumer oriented
4. Learning oriented
5. Expert oriented and
6. Naturalistic & participant oriented

These are due to the work done by FitzPatrick et al and Van der Knapp.

Other than that, the rest of the contents are also worth reading.

The contents are:

1. Introduction – why do we need new models and tools for the evaluation of e-learning.

2. Evaluating e-learning – what does the literature tell us?

3. A Framework for the evaluation of e-learning

4. Models and theories of evaluation

5. Models and tools for the evaluation
of e-learning – an overview.

6. The SPEAK model and tool

7. Tool for the evaluation of the effectiveness of e-learning
programmes in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

8. Models and tools for evaluation of e-learning in
higher vocational education

9. Policy model and tool

10. A management oriented approach to the
evaluation of e-learning

11. Individual learning model and tool

New Documents from ADL Group on SCORM

The ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) Initiative has come out with two useful documents on SCORM:

1. SCORM User Guide for Instructional Designers
http://www.adlnet.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/SCORM_Users_Guide_for_ISDs.pdf

2. SCORM User Guide for Programmers
http://www.adlnet.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/SCORM_Users_Guide_for_Programmers.pdf

I think these two documents will help accelerate the wider acceptance and understanding of the SCORM specification.

Regards

Kin Chew

10 Techniques to Increase Student Interactivity

Dr. Joel Gendelman listed ten techniques which he felt that would encourage student interactivity in any training sessions. The ten techniques he recommended are as follows:

1. Planted Questions

2. They do the Work

3. Intelligent Interruptions

4. Explain it to a 3rd Grader

5. They do the Work

6. Once again with Feeling

7. Fill in the blanks

8. Complete the Process Diagram

9. Where is it?

10. Create a Job Aid

For more details on these recommendations, please go to his website at:

http://www.trainingindustry.com/blog/blog-entries/ten-techniques-for-increasing-interactivity.aspx)

Elearning learning website

I have just found out about this wonderful website on elearning which contains much information about e-learning:

http://www.elearninglearning.com/

The following is a short list of the interesting articles found on this website:

1. Two Software Tools for Creating Simulations
2. Exception handling is complex work
3. The people behind Easygenerator: Kseniya Kobrum
4. SAP to buy SuccessFactors: Major Shift in Talent Management Market

Other articles include the following:

1. Setting the Mood: Top Tips for Adding Stock Music to Your E-Learning
2. Re-Recruitment and Re-Engagement
3. Twelve Ways to Add Value to Open Source LMS Systems
4. Slow Learning – #change11
5. To Really Drive Enterprise 2.0 Forward We Need A Behaviour Change
6. The unscience of evaluation