Blended Learning new approch for eLearning driven Teaching

Blended Learning is the new approach for eLearning driven education. eLearning in its original form was not highly popular in education sector, but was very well used in corporate sector. The modifications needed to make eLearning popular in traditional education sector can be adapted by blended learning approach.
When I say blended learning it consist of Face-to-face (F2F), Self learning, Real Time interactive online learning environment (OLE), Work books, Projects and collaborative learning.

F2F - Face to face is all time most favorite mode of teaching and will dominate in future also.

Self Learning - Includes eLearning with Multimedia interactive contents, Video based contents, Documents (Reports, white papers, PDF documents, Drawings, Images, Research papers, Electronic Worksheets, project plans...), eBooks, Knowledge Management Portals just to name a few.

OLE - Online Learning Environment will give the basic feature of real time interactive video. Various applications like WebEx, DimDim, Interwise, BlackBoard and many more will ensure this. The quality of Service and features will depends on the bandwidth and type of classroom (There are various types of online classrooms).

Workbooks - they will be used for knowledge check and ability to pally the concepts learned to apply in specified realistic scenario. Ability to understand and apply will be tested in this mode.

Projects - Very important part of teaching learning process where ability to apply understanding in business or real time application will be tested. Student will go through the entire life cycle of application/product. This cycle will start from conceptualisation till prototype if not beyond that.

Collaborative Learning - This is one of the most preferred learning approach for young learners of current time. This includes Blogs, wiki, Forums, chat rooms, mail groups, Net Meetings, virtual laboratories, virtual group meetings and many more. This can be done in peer-to-peer, one to many and even many-to-many.

I am aware there is lot to know more still lets start with this basic understanding of blended learning approach. The proportion of these methods can very right from 0 % to even 100% depending on Subject Matter, Learners and learning objectives defined.

So it is simple make a right blend of these methods to suit your most effetive delivery and that's it -- its a blended learning model. Is it not simple? Try and see the magic... it works.

Online Learning Environment, handy tool for teachers

One of the concern for every teacher to go online is the amount of flexibility and utilities in traditional classroom delivery. Online learning provides you the host of utilities to deliver as effective class as you can if not better. Lets us see the features of Online Learning Environment.
It provides you presentation space where you can present your contents in any media format say word, adobe, excel worksheets, power point presentations, image browsers, Video players... just to name few. Whiteboard is a feature where you has a black/white board online. You can use multiple colours, draw, write and even you can ask learners to participate from where ever they are. Truly collaborative medium. You can erase others contributions merge print and so on... even more flexibility then our traditional board.

Other features like video windows, chat facility, document shearing application shearing, desktop shearing, poll facility, Emotional icons for effective easy and quick communication. Audio chat is also integrated. I am sure you don't need anything more then this. You have challange in operating this classroom you can ask for moderator and make you life easy.

I am convinced that this classroom provides me great feature rich experience. The only issue is about comfort level and that come by practice. So start looking at them using them. You have many of them available like CISCO CLE, Apple Learning environment, DIMDIM, Interwise, Blackboard ... So let set go and get the grand experience of online learning environments.

Software Tools for Academics and Researchers

MIT has done significant work in this area and they are assisting teachers and research community to use that effectively. Software Tools for Academics and Researchers was always a demand and individuals or and small institutions could not take up such projects on their own. Now we have an option to use them effectively in some specific domain.

I know you are excited to know which domains they are. Which are the tools?...

Not to worry I will not take much time but give you link. You check it yourself

http://mit.edu/star/

I really enjoyed it. I am sure you will. Please use it and share your experience with the rest of the world of teachers and educators. All the best.

Search engines for reasearchin education

The search engine should be first to discuss as it will become integral part of our life tomorrow. Doing reasearch is now far eaiser then earlier times. World is connected and full of knowledge. There are various types of search engines Generral, Context based Serch Engines and many more.
There are context based search engines, Datameshups like Google data meshups and Yahoo pipes, Federal search engines. All of them a decent job of comming closer to our expactations. I am sure they will successed to our wims and facies to give us better services in times to come. They are very large in numbers. I will give few.

www.google.com
www.ask.com
www.bing.com
www.altavista.com
www.hotbot.com

I think they will become our knowledge lifeline. Are you getting familier with them?

Teaching resources is time consuming... No way

Making teaching effetive depends on degree of interactivity. Making additional activities, aids for effetive teching is time consuming. When I say resources it means presentations, documents, posters, games, case studies, videos, images, graphics, animations, simulators, audios, activity sheets, worksheets, quizzes, posters, eBooks ... I could remember few. Well now the world is full of resources. Many good teachers have developed them tested them and made available to you.

You wish to create and feel that you need support to make them good. Well even that support is available. So why are you still thinking start using these services as well as readymade resources available for your subjects just go to search engines and boil the ocean to get your demand. Look at to these few links

http://www.playkidsgames.com/
http://www.funmaths.com/
http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl
http://www.shelfari.com/
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/ict/contents.htm
Video www.jumpcut.com
Picture www.splashup.com
Sketches www.sketchcast.com
Slide presentations www.slideshare.net

Global sky eyes to see world in real time...

The ICT world and technology has created tremendous possibilities to see the world in real time mode on your computer. Now you have global eyes. We now see locations in real time mode sitting anywhere at any time real 24 X 7 and anywhere in the world* currently few specified locations. Its matter of time that we can get even /images from Satellite cameras with high resolution at your PC or mobile. The real use of this done in education will make our learners suitable for the challenging world they will face. We can now even have progression for these cameras for very long time such as 15-20 years. Showing skyline, development of the city, Environmental effects and so on. I know one website

http://www.earthcam.com/

You will find many of such to see the world with global sky eyes. Now you can also see the sky with similar sites who give you telescope view on your PC. Do you really need anything more to teach better? Try and see the world and sky and share with your teaching. You will see the magic happens... share with me once it happens .. all the best.

Virtual Laboractories used in education

There are many virtual laboratories at the disposal of teacher who can effectively use it during his delivery of lectures as well as complementary supplementary learning aids. There are virtual laboratories like iLab initiative by MIT. There are offline interactive contents for engineering education by companies like BRAINVISA under the title of "Edubytes". There might be many more. One classic one if for Chemistry http://www.virtlab.com/main.aspx .

I believe that this helps us by many ways. Students with slow learning can take advantages, students with more inquisitiveness can take advantage and teachers can use it as interactive more visually expressive teaching aid. There are many applications which give you models sometimes models are with 3D graphical user representation for better understanding. This also saves high cost of software, Hardware, need for expertise...

Just click and start... Found interesting? Start using it it will develop further.