Online Learning
News
Week of December 8, 14
Below is a collection of news items about online learning and resources that can support
online learning that were gathered the week beginning December 8, 14.
More Information about online learning and online learning material can be found at
www.milearnsonline.org
The information below is divided into key areas so that you will be able to choose what you are interested in
and more efficiently distribute information to your constituents. Each section is clickable taking you to the
section you have chosen. The sections include:
Moodle –These are items about Moodle. The items are about the technical changes in Moodle, general
learning about things related to Moodle and how to learn about using Moodle.
Policy – These are items about questions and process about online learning policies. These can include
legal issues, education and online learning direction.
Instruction – These are items that help implement online learning instruction and management.
Moodle

New Feature in the Plugins Database: Playing Favorites - The Plugin Database at Moodle.org has
been improved through new policies like “adopt a plugin” and peer review which has cleared the
backlog and helped to streamline the process of plugins being released at Moodle.org for download (or
direct download and installation on your site).
http://www.moodlenews.com/2014/new-feature-in-the-plugins-database-playing-favorites/

New Moodle Merchandise, Just in Time for the Holidays - Moodle.org’s Cafepress store was recently
replaced with a new Zazzle store full of new designs and products. While you can still get some sweet
tshirts (new designs), you can now also get phone cases, bags, hoodies, flasks, coasters, mugs and
much more. http://www.moodlenews.com/2014/new-feature-in-the-plugins-database-playing-favorites/

Responsive BCU Theme available to use on your site (2.7) - The Birmingham City University theme ,
maintained and Jez H and Mike Grant has been released for download and includes some very cool
features for a Moodle 2.7 site. From the restyled home page with a slider and course cards to a
pervasive messages notification in the header the theme delivers usability and enhancements.
http://www.moodlenews.com/2014/responsive-bcu-theme-available-to-use-on-your-site-2-7/
Policy/Futures

On School Leadership: Mindsets for Visionary Leaders by Bonnie Lathram - We recently interviewed
Michael Soguero, Director of Professional Development at Eagle Rock Professional Development
Center. Michael Soguero has been the director of professional development at Eagle Rock since the
summer of 2006, working with schools and organizations around the country to increase high school
engagement. Michael is the former principal of Bronx Guild High School in New York.
http://gettingsmart.com/2014/12/school-leadership-mindsets-visionary-leaders/

2014 Innovating Pedagogy Report - The Open University are pleased to announce 2014's Innovating
Pedagogy report, the third innovation report in its series released by The OU.
Download the 2014 Innovating Pedagogy Report
The annual Innovating Pedagogy report explores new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for
an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation. Produced by the
Institute of Educational Technology at The Open University, the report identifies ten educational terms,
theories and practices that have the potential to provoke major shifts in educational practice in the near
future.
http://www.openuniversity.edu/news/news/2014-innovating-pedagogy-report

Ed-Tech Implementation Without Supports Cannot Stand by Tom Vander Ark with guest blogger Rob
Dickson - Much like the three little pigs, a "straw house" implementation cannot withstand the elements
around it. Successful ed-tech implementations share several commonalities when you peel back to the
core of the project.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2014/12/edtech_implementation_without_supports_can
not_stand.html
Instruction

Free MIT Videos Connect Tough STEM Topics to Real World - MIT has gone into the movie-making
business to help engineering students understand how the concepts they're learning about in class
apply to the real world. The university's Teaching & Learning Laboratory has produced 47 "STEM
Concept Videos," all of which have Creative Commons licenses and are freely available on the school's
Web site as well as through its OpenCourseWare site.
http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/12/03/free-mit-videos-connect-tough-stem-topics-to-realworld.aspx

70 Top Sources Of Free eLearning Courses - Two years ago we featured Julie DeNeen’s (@jdeneen4)
50 Top Sources Of Free eLearning Courses on Getting Smart. Since, we’ve seen platforms enhance,
accessibility skyrocket, and course content flourish. With the recent conclusion of our 2nd Annual Smart
Lists we updated this blockbuster of free and open resources with 20 additional platforms and sites. Let
the learning begin.
http://gettingsmart.com/2014/12/70-top-sources-free-elearning-courses/

Blended Learning Is About More Than Technology by Michael B. Horn & Heather Staker - Battles
between different philosophical camps in education are nothing new. Whether it's knowledge vs. skills,
memorization vs. project-based learning, small schools vs. comprehensive ones, the debates in
education are often framed as a choice between "either-ors." From John Dewey to Chester E. Finn Jr.,
countless education researchers have documented the fallacies in these dichotomies and the dangers
of being too beholden to an "-ism," as Dewey wrote.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/12/10/blended-learning-is-about-more-thantechnology.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mrss&cmp=RSSFEED&utm_reader=feedly

How (Not) to Design a MOOC: Course Design Scenarios From Four xMOOCs by Debbie Morrison This post examines four MOOCs completed as a student then de-briefed from a course design
perspective—I share insights into what worked and what didn’t for the purpose of helping educators
create better online learning experiences.
http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/how-not-to-design-a-mooc-course-designscenarios-from-four-xmoocs/

Online instruction, e-learning, and student satisfaction: A three year study by Michele T. Cole, Daniel J.
Shelley, Louis B. Swartz -This article presents the results of a three-year study of graduate and
undergraduate students’ level of satisfaction with online instruction at one university. The study
expands on earlier research into student satisfaction with e-learning. Researchers conducted a series
of surveys over eight academic terms. Five hundred and fifty-three students participated in the study.
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1748
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