Online courses directory (119)

Ready to explore web-based tools to ignite student engagement in your K-12 classroom? This course examines various web tools and teaches the basics for integrating them into the classroom. Each week we will explore different instructional methods and utilize emerging technology tools to develop presentations, posters, binders, stories, and scavenger hunts. We will investigate the uses and good practices for both teacher-led and student-driven activities through the use of free web-based tools like Prezi, Animoto, Glogster, and many more.

Ready to explore Web-based tools to ignite student engagement in your K-12 classroom? This course examines various Web tools, reasons for using these tools in the classroom, and encourages you to experiment with the tools. Each week we will explore different instructional methods and utilize emerging technology to develop presentations, posters, organization tools, stories, and scavenger hunts. We will investigate uses and good practices for both teacher-led and student-driven activities through the use of free Web-based tools like Prezi, Wordle, Padlet, Voki, and more!

Students want to know their instructor. This challenges online faculty to integrate technologies, such as avatars, video, and social media, to introduce their digital personalities and enhance learners’ experiences. This is called “humanizing,” which, according to DuCharme-Hansen, Dupin-Bryant, 2005 “reduces the psychological distance between the students and the instructor.” As online learning initiatives continue to expand, so does the need to leverage new learning technology to ensure students feel connected and engaged with the instructor and the course material. Course Objectives: Learn how to integrate educational technology tools into an online course with an emphasis on technology that can create an instructor presence or increase personal interaction. Share insights and suggestions about how to “humanize” online courses by maximizing the use of flexible educational technology tools. Demonstrate how technology-facilitated interactions can make instructors and learners more "real" online and how this correlates with student learning and retention. DuCharme-Hanson, R. and Dupin-Bryant, P. (2005). Course Planning for Online Adult Learners. Tech Trends March/April 49 (2), 31-39.

This course will provide a generally non-technical introduction to learning analytics and how they are being deployed in various contexts in the education field. Additionally, the tools and methods, ethics and privacy, and systemic impact of analytics will be explored, presenting a broad overview of the current state and possible future directions of the field. Capturing and analyzing data has changed how decisions are made and resources are allocated in the fields of business, journalism, government, military, and intelligence. Through better use of data, leaders are able to plan and enact strategies with greater clarity and confidence. Data is a value point that drives increased organizational efficiency and a competitive advantage. Analytics provide new insight and actionable intelligence. Companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Google, and Amazon are investing heavily in technologies and techniques to help individuals and organizations make sense of and unlock the value within big data. In education, the use of data and analytics to improve learning is referred to as learning analytics. Software companies, researchers, educators, and university leaders are starting to recognize the value of data in improving not only teaching and learning, but the entire education industry. The growth of online learning and open online courses generates new sources of data for researchers and educators to better understand the learning experience.

Why do so many schools use letter grades? Where did they come from? What do they tell us and fail to tell us about the learners? What is the relationship between letter grades, student learning, and assessment? This six-week course will allow participants to carefully consider the history, benefits, limitations, and alternatives to using letter grades in learning environments. It will include reflection about the role of formative and summative assessment, strategies for leveraging technology for assessment, as well as exploration of authentic and alternative assessments. Other topics will include peer assessment, badges, self-assessment, and a variety of feedback sources in learning environments. As a way to develop a deeper understanding of the subject, participants will experiment with different forms of assessment and examine a variety of real world examples of learning organizations that do not use letter grades. This course is designed for individuals who aspire to work in a variety of learning organizations. Prior knowledge about curriculum development and designing lessons or learning experiences is helpful, but not required. Students will have an opportunity to earn digital badges in this course.

In spite of growing interest in analytics in education, most states / provinces / countries have not yet developed a systemic approach to learning analytics. Small-scale analytics projects in learning settings are helpful in advancing learning research, but do not provide the value of a systemic and strategic focus. Many interventions, such as alert systems, recommender systems, or student success systems, require cross-departmental and system-wide approaches. This online learning analytics symposium (#LAS13) will review how various institutions and regions around the world are planning and preparing for integrated and systems-wide learning analytics deployment.

College instructors who have ever thought of creating a book should rush to sign up for this no-tuition course. In less than 24 hours, spread over a few weeks, they can learn the pros and cons of peer reviews, how to write and publish a book while teaching a full load, and how to have a book on the shelves -- or better yet on iPhones -- in less than a month. Students in the course will create a book and be exposed to industry leaders and great depth of materials at a fraction of their retail costs. Our expert, Mitchell Levy, is recognized on LinkedIn as the first thought leader architect in the world. As an entrepreneur, publisher, author, and trainer, he’ll bring a number of perspectives to this topic and will facilitate two fun, interactive sessions each week with guests and examples. This course is sponsored by SoftChalk, AcademicPub, and Open Doors Group. Required materials: Title: Rapid Book Publishing by THiNKaha Publisher: AcademicPub Ordering Link: http://www.academicpub.com/rapidbookpublishing.html Ebook $47.95. This book will expire one year from date of purchase and will be accessible for an additional year after that date. Black and White Softcover: $69.71 Color SoftCover: $114.75

In this course, we will actively explore a powerful framework, Reading Apprenticeship©—described in the book, Reading for Understanding. Through video clips, readings and practice, this course provides snapshots of a proven approach to helping readers use and master a set of powerful literacy tools that will help them enjoy and understand high-quality, complex texts in and beyond school. This course is for: - Educators interested in deepening literacy with innovative, proven strategies - Teachers (K-16) supporting readers in any content area - Administrators, curriculum specialists, and teacher leaders looking for literacy professional learning that will support their schools in meeting Common Core State Standards Learn more about the Reading Apprenticeship at WestEd

This course covers the major legal issues facing academic administrators with regard to today's college students. Topics include: admissions; financial aid; student activities; intercollegiate athletics, academic standing, probation, and dismissal; alcohol and drugs; student-to-student harassment, discrimination, hazing, and violence; physical, mental, and learning disabilities; privacy rights; intellectual property matters, including music downloading, file sharing, and related copyright concerns. Required materials: Handbook for Student Law for Higher Education Administrators 2d ed., by James Ottavio Castagnera Paperback and hardback editions available from Amazon. Approximate cost: $40 There is no ebook available for this text.

Are you a life long learner? Do you like comic books? Do you think it would be interesting to discuss social issues using comic books as a lens? Are you an educator looking for different methods to present your material? If so, this course is for you! From the creator of Gender Through Comic Books (aka the SuperMOOC), this six month course will examine current social issues through comic books while understanding how popular culture is shaped by it's surroundings. We will read a variety of comic books including Scalped, Daredevil, Swamp Thing, and many more. While reading these books we will examine topics such as social inequality, the environment, government intervention, addiction, and information privacy. Using lectures, live interviews with academics and comic book professionals, discussion boards, and readings, we will learn about social issues and how they are presented in comic books and the impact that those books have had on the issues whether large or small scale. This will be more than a class - it's a formation of a community.

In this course we will explore more than 300 digital tools used to teach English as a second or foreign language. After an introduction to task-based learning, participants will have the opportunity to evaluate a wealth of Web-based and non Web-based digital tools, design digital tasks, explore authentic assessment tasks, and develop task-based lesson plans and a digital task-based syllabus. Due to the collaborative nature of this course, participants will be expected to contribute to the list of digital tools discussed throughout the course. By the end of the course, students will be highly aware of the wide range of digital tools available and will have a deep resource bank of digital-tasks to choose from when developing task-based lessons within their own language courses. Students should be interested in implementing task-based language teaching and digital tools in their language classrooms.

Join us on an exploration to uncover new technology tools to connect your classroom and students to the Common Core. Plug in with other teachers in this six-week course where you will use technology to communicate and collaborate with students and colleagues. Each week you'll experience new technology tools and explore ways these tools can support Common Core standards and help you plan and create engaging student activities. A course certificate may be earned for completing assignment tasks.

This course focuses on the application of theoretical approaches to the strategic management of technology and innovation. Concepts, tools, and process will be explored through lectures, readings, team activities, and case study applications. Major topics include: The importance of technological innovation Dynamics of technological change Factors affecting technological innovation and adoption Organizational strategy and strategic management in the face of rapid technological change At the end of the course you will be able to: Identify how technological innovation impacts individuals, businesses, and society as a whole Explain how technology changes and evolves Identify the key factors affecting technological innovation and adoption Explain how organizations develop and manage strategies Explain the fundamental dynamics of technological innovation in an organizational setting Explain how to develop and implement organizational strategies for technological innovation

What is cheating? Do students do it more online than in traditional face-to-face courses? How do students cheat online and what strategies are instructors and institutions using to minimize it? How can course design and instructor/facilitator behavior impact student attitudes about cheating and academic honesty? What philosophical and psychological factors can inform our thinking about the subject? These are some of the many questions that will be explored in this course. Participants in this eight-week open course will examine philosophical and psychological perspectives on cheating; consider instructor, institutional, and student perspectives on cheating; learn about specific strategies and practices used by students to cheat in online courses; and develop a plan for cultivating a culture of honesty, integrity, and accountability in online courses. The end goal of the course is for participants to gain a deeper understanding of cheating in online courses.

This course is designed to prepare Saylor’s consulting educators to build K-12 subject courses that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects and Mathematics.  You will begin this course by gaining an overview of what the set of Common Core State Standards is, why Saylor is focused on developing courses around the Common Core State Standards, and the main benchmarks for ensuring that a course is compliant with the Common Core State Standards.  In unit 2 of this course, you will look at the Common Core State Standards in detail and identify key takeaways from them.  In unit 3 of this course, you will explore how to develop content that meets the Common Core State Standards and how to integrate the standards through the development of learning assignments based on specific texts and activities.  In unit 4 of this course, you will take a look at the different assessment strategies often used for Common Core…

Sixth-grade Language Arts marks a turning point for you in your academic career. After developing and practicing the skills necessary to develop a strong foundation for your success at the elementary level, you are now ready to embark on the next step in your journey as a reader and writer. Based on the Common Core State Standards, this course will help you grow as a reader and writer of both literary and informational text. You will read a number of complex, thematically related narratives, short stories, extended informational texts, and nonfiction articles. You will learn to analyze these varied texts, to identify key ideas and details, to compare and contrast major text elements, and to distinguish between those claims supported by evidence and those that are not. You will then try your hand at writing your own arguments and supporting them with research-based evidence, and you will work to improve your writing by taking it through the steps of the writing process. In your own life, these reading and wr…

Eighth-grade English Language Arts will provide you with a strong foundation for high school. Grounded in Common Core State Standards, the content of this course emphasizes critical reading, writing, and thinking. You will read and analyze high-quality literary and informational texts. You will write original texts in multiple genres. Language and its conventions will be emphasized throughout, and opportunities to examine the spoken word will be provided as well. Whether you choose to pursue higher education or the world of work, or both, you will be expected to have certain basic skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. While you probably won’t be expected to write a poem on command, you will have to be able to express yourself clearly when you write and speak. This course includes challenging material which will help you build the skills you need to begin high school. As you progress through your remaining years as a student, you will continue to add and build upon the skills and knowledge yo…

English II is the second in a sequence of English courses for high school students. These courses seek to give you the necessary reading, writing, thinking, and research skills to find success in college or the workplace. As the second course, English II challenges you to look deeper within a text for its meaning and provide thoughtful, analytical, and persuasive responses. You will be expected to build literary analysis from the texts as well as outside sources of knowledge. You will first learn to dissect a text for varied levels of meaning, how to interpret this meaning with a critical eye, and how to look beyond the text for its relevance. You will then be expected to read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts of different lengths, complexities, and genres, and respond to them through questions, annotations, independent research, and essay writing. Texts and assignments will gradually increase in rigor, challenging you to improve the efficacy and complexity of your analysis and writing skills. Bec…

English III, American Literature, explores the literature of America from the narratives of the early colonists to the foundational documents of our forefathers, and the literature of our modern times. In English III, you will gain a firm grasp of the various literary periods throughout American history as well as the ability to analyze different genres and styles of notable American authors. As you progress through the course, you will gain an appreciation for American literature and an understanding of how the literature of the day acted as a reflection of the historical period from which it evolved. This course will also give you the opportunity to hone your own writing skills as you identify the characteristics of effective writing for a variety of different purposes and audiences.

Eighth-grade English Language Arts will provide you with a strong foundation for high school. Grounded in Common Core State Standards, the content of this course emphasizes critical reading, writing, and thinking. You will read and analyze high-quality literary and informational texts. You will write original texts in multiple genres. Language and its conventions will be emphasized throughout, and opportunities to examine the spoken word will be provided as well. Whether you choose to pursue higher education or the world of work, or both, you will be expected to have certain basic skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. While you probably won