Alice and Kev
Digital storytelling using the Sims 3, telling the tale of a homeless father and daughter. Really great emotional work with both the images and the writing.
Best Online Collaboration Tools 2009 - Robin Good's Collaborative Map - MindMeister Mind Map
Mind map of online collaboration tools
HOW TO: Create Custom Twitter Backgrounds
Directions on how to create a custom Twitter background, including dimensions needed
The Effect of Recessions on Employer/Employee Relations
I've felt for a while that job security was a myth; this backs up that general feeling and shows how the workplace and employment has changed since the 80s.
5 Common Visual Design Mistakes - The Rapid eLearning Blog
Common visual design mistakes made by instructional designers, plus links and resources for further reading.
1. Not Considering the Impact of the Visual Design
2. Lack of Unity
3. Graphics Don’t Match
4. Confusing Use of Contrast
5. Misuse of Fonts
25 Photoshop Tutorials for Creating 3D Text Effects | Vandelay Design Blog
Lots of inspiration and how tos for 3D text effects in Photoshop
Clive on Learning: It's not enough to be a professional, you also have to act like one
Good points on acting like real professionals, not just "order takers" when developing training/learning
<p>You wouldn't hire an interior designer only to inform.them that you've already chosen all the colour schemes and furnishings; you wouldn't engage an accountant and then explain to them the way you wanted them to process your figures; you wouldn't employ a fitness trainer and then tell them what to include in your workout; you wouldn't buy a dog and then insist on doing all the barking.</p> <p>So why, then, do we continue to encounter situations in which line managers tell the guys from l&d exactly what they want in terms of learning interventions, with the expectation that the they'll simply take those instructions and run. </p>
New accessibility features in Firefox 3.5 « Marco’s accessibility blog
New features include support for text attributes, spell check, and HTML 5 video/audio
New Literacy in the Web 2.0 World
Presentation on now technology changes what it means to be literate.
"'Literacy' as in the 'new literacy' is a metaphor for essential abilities required today to shape and communicate meanings, develop oneself, and participate in society."
Meta-Analysis Shows Online Learning Better, Blended Even Better
According to a meta-analysis by the US Department of Education, face-to-face courses are less effective than online and blended learning. They caution against viewing this as simply a matter of the medium though. It's the changes in what online and blended learning allow (like opportunities for collaboration) that are likely making the difference.
Direct link to PDF: http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf
The meta-analysis findings do not support simply putting an existing course online, but they do support redesigning instruction to incorporate additional learning opportunities online.
News: U.S. Push for Free Online Courses - Inside Higher Ed
The Obama administration is pushing for creating free online courses at the high school/community college level, focusing on basic skills and job training. Some sort of examination/assessment is also possible, plus the idea of mixing free and paid courses at community colleges to reduce the cost of tuition.
Bonk said that administration's ideas about open courses are consistent with the "convergence" he sees taking place in online learning. There is a growing belief that for many kinds of courses, there are best providers whose work can be made available online, there are large numbers of students who could benefit from those courses, and those who might benefit don't necessarily have a lot of money.
The 6 Levels of Engagement in Online Conversations | Lateral Action
A framework for thinking about the depth and value of online conversations. It's easy to have mindless, shallow conversations; it takes more work and creativity to have relevant conversations that show who you really are.
A Good Way to Change a Corporate Culture - Peter Bregman - HarvardBusiness.org
A story about changing an organizational culture through stories. The stories we tell show what's important; telling new stories shows new priorities.
The eLearning Coach » Blog Archive » 10 Qualities of the Ideal Instructional Designer
Recognizing that most instructional designers don't have a degree in the field, this post argues that it's less important for IDs to have a degree than to be "self-didacts" interested in learning about everything on their own. This also includes a list of 10 qualities of instructional designers.
Education - Change.org: Pharmer's Market: The Cost of Producing "Successful" Students
A comparison of standardized schooling with industrial agriculture and the effects of the obsession on productivity in both environments
In standardized environments, students with a high tolerance for monotony and the ability to repress their curious gene are deemed the fittest of the bunch.
It seems that despite (or maybe because of) our fetish with productivity, many of humanity's most pressing issues seem to be getting worse. The unnatural selection playing out in schools creates what every educational institution's mission statement pledges against: the creation of uncritical, passive, challenge-averse individuals, unwilling and unable to tackle the challenges of the 21st-century.
A Collection of Photo Effects - Online Photo Editor
Browser-based image editing for special effects including a motivational poster, water reflection, film strip, and text collage.
Lifehacker - Five Best Online Image Editors - Image Editing
Five online applications for editing images: Sumo Paint, Photoshop Express, Pixlr, Picnik, & Aviary Phoenix. All have at least some free options, although premium accounts are required for some features.
Accessibility tools, web developer tools, wizards and markup generators | Accessify
Create accessible forms, YouTube captions, skip nav links, etc.
SpeEdChange: Refusing Free, Depriving Students
Why do schools refuse to use free and open source software options, even when those options would improve accessibility for students? Ignorance? Fear? Politics? Probably some combination of all three.
If an electrician was too afraid of electricity to touch a wire, he'd be an electrician no more. So if an educator is afraid of the information and communication technologies of his/her age, then he/she can no longer be an "educator" in any meaningful way.
elearningpost » Review: What every intranet team should know
Recommendation for a book on intranet redesign--a project our team is going to take on shortly
CamStudio - Free Screen Recording Software
Open source software for screencasts with audio. Exports to swf or avi.
PR Tactics and The Strategist Online
Twitter tips for PR/marketing
10 Ways Universities Share Information Using Social Media
Social media approaches for universities. Nothing earth-shattering here, but includes real examples for each of the ideas listed
rheingold's brainstorms: The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online
Tips for hosts of online conversations. Applies to online facilitators too.
Obviously Scrub Google Redirect Links for Greasemonkey
You can't copy links from Google search results unless you open them in a new tab...unless you use something like this
2¢ Worth » Why did Google Make this Harder
I was just trying to figure out how to get a news feed from Google today and was stumped. Google changed the interface and no longer provides a direct link, but you can manually create the feed.
You just have to manually rewrite the search URL, adding “<i>&output=rss</i>“.
What is social media? A simple social media map « Donald H Taylor
5-minute slidecast on different types of social media, comparing content-focused and people-focused tools
Social Collider
Visualize connections in conversations on Twitter. Search for a user, tag, or trends. Tweets that generate conversation appear as spirals as they bounce around between people, so perhaps someone with lots of spirals would be someone who generates lots of conversation rather than just talking at people.
edtechpost - PLE Diagrams
Collection of diagrams showing PLEs--lots of different ideas here
22 Why Reasons People Go Online: Which is Your Blog Connecting With?
Why do people go online? The most popular category is learning: educating yourself, doing research, or keeping informed. Fun reasons like passing time and being entertained as well as socializing also ranked high.