Discussions in online classrooms are a different experience for both teachers and students compared to discussions in traditional classrooms. Traditional discussions are synchronous, so they can be guided in real-time. I often compare it to driving a car. Instructors can change the direction, speed up, slow down, or even stop in response to the input Read More
What exactly is a high-quality online course is a question that has held the attention of researchers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs for decades. Many schools have adopted their own set of guidelines, perhaps even templates other methods of making sure instructors have in place what the school leaders believe to be effective practices. Some schools have Read More
It is through emotional reaction that humans make decisions about what deserves attention and which does not. The author of How People Learn 2 observed, “Quite literally, it is neurobiologically impossible to think deeply about or remember information about which one has had no emotion because the healthy brain does not waste energy processing information Read More
When well-designed, these assessments allow for the students to actively participate in the assessment of their work; this both helps them refine the meaning they make of what they studied and it provided them with opportunities to accurately self-assess their work. Because the work is intended for authentic audiences, the students are motivated to seek Read More
Tests can be understood in one of two ways; they are either culminating events or they are gateway events. Most tests administered in classrooms are likely culminating events. At the end of a unit of study, tests are administered to determine the degree to which the information was retained. After the test, the students can Read More
Learning scientists identify several types of goals. Students whose goals are based on mastering the curriculum, being able to use it independently are intrinsically motivated; they are likely to develop deeper learning. If learners are not motivated by mastery, their goals are based in performance which indicates extrinsic motivation. Motivation is also affected by the Read More
I was amazed to encounter some educators recently who did now know what hashtags are… here is the answer I gave them. Hashtags are terms added to tweets that follow a # sign. These can be used to indicate the subject of a Tweet, so that different users can contribute to a topic; users can Read More
Although OER can be used at no financial cost to users, not all materials available at no financial cost are open, and there are costs others than financial that are incurred by users of OER. Consider, for example, G Suite—the cloud-based productivity suite—that is widely used by both consumers and by educational institutions. While users Read More
Cognitive engagement means the learners is thinking about the material they are studying, but it involves more than just practicing retrieval of information. Cognitively engaged learners try to make sense of the material by comparing it to what they already know and resolving differences. They ask questions about what the new information means, and seek Read More
When I was an undergraduate student studying to be a science teacher, one of my goals was to develop scientific literacy in my students. One of my journals from the time records. “I want my students to be able to use science to make decisions.” While I am not exactly sure what I meant by Read More