Emporia State University IDT blog

ESU IDT Alum chosen as week's Top Influencer in LinkedIn Group

2012-01-25T17:06:00.003-06:00

David Swisher, ESU IDT alumnus and Learning Management Systems Coordinator Tabor College was recently chosen as the week's top influencer in the LinkedIn group - Curriculum Development & e-Learning Professionals. In addition, his discussions were on the top of the most popular discussions list. Congratulations to David for making a difference in the world of online and distance learning!

Year of the Dragon!

2012-01-21T22:09:00.000-06:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2012 AECT International Convention - Visit to Louisville

2012-01-16T21:09:00.001-06:00


World's largest baseball bat!

The 2012 AECT International Convention planning team made a short (2 day) site visit to Louisville, KY in December 2011. We made visits to the Muhammad Ali Center, the Louisville Science Center, and marvelous attractions on Museum Row on Main. Prior to our tour of Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, we seized the opportunity to have our photo taken in front of the world’s largest baseball bat. The Galt House Hotel (our convention venue) was beautifully decorated for the holidays. Walking through the hotel and checking-out the rooms needed for our concurrent sessions, panels, roundtables, and poster sessions, brought back many fond memories from our 2009 convention at the Galt House. As a matter of fact, I still remembered many of the rooms and the presenters who used them (shades of Simonides and Method of Loci, I suppose?).

Speaking of rooms, staying at the Galt House also refreshed my memory about the spacious guest rooms in the Galt House. Not only are the guest rooms large (most notably the reasonably-priced suites), but they are also impeccably clean and comfortable. Hint: If you have some additional funds for your stay in Louisville, be sure to pay a little extra for a suite; it’s worth the price.


Hitting a home run with Big Pappi's bat.

On the planning end of things, our 2012 convention planning team (consisting of planners from divisions, affiliates, committees, and other partners) started working the last day of our Jacksonville convention and has already met via Adobe Connect. Division/affiliate descriptions have been updated and the All-Academic proposal submission site is up and running. Soon, I hope you will take some time to prepare and submit a proposal (or two). Doing so will reduce your stress as the March 2 closing date approaches. More importantly, getting your proposals submitted well in advance will reduce MY stress (and high blood pressure) as I wait for all of those last minute submissions. I'm excited about our 2012 convention. Let's knock it out of the park!

AECT President-Elect's Blog: Submission System is LIVE! AECT 2012 Internationa...

2012-01-12T21:46:00.000-06:00

AECT President-Elect's Blog: Submission System is LIVE! AECT 2012 Internationa...: The submission system for AECT 2012 International Convention proposals is now LIVE and accepting your proposals. The gateway to submission...

AECT President-Elect's Blog: Technology Use on the College campus - Online Coll...

2012-01-11T22:03:00.001-06:00

AECT President-Elect's Blog: Technology Use on the College campus - Online Coll...: Technology Use on the College campus - Online Colleges An enlightening infographic based on data from EDUCAUSE, Pew Internet and American ...

Via: Online Colleges Guide

Two IDT students lead team from Olathe North HS to $50,000 Battle of the Brains win!

2011-12-17T21:10:00.001-06:00

IDT students Rhonda Reist and Amy Johnston led a team of students from Olathe North HS to a $50,000 Battle of the Brains win! Congratulations to Rhonda and Amy (and your very bright students!)

By next summer visitors to Science City will be exploring how mechanical power is transformed into energy — by running in giant hamster wheels to generate electricity.

That fun yet educational concept by juniors and seniors at Olathe North High School won top honors at the Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains competition. It also earned them $50,000 and the privilege of seeing their project, “Unplugged,” installed as a working exhibit in Science City at Union Station.

Kansas City Star article and video at - http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/21/3278497/olathe-north-wins-battle-of-the.html

Webinar - A Conversation with the Eminent Scholar about the Secrets of Designing Games for Learning

2011-12-04T23:13:00.000-06:00

Thursday, Dec. 8, Noon (Central)
Dr. James Paul Gee is a Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies
at Arizona State University. He is also a member of National Academy for Education. Professor Gee has published numerous articles and books on the topic of designing games for learning. His recent books “What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy” and “Good Video Games and Good Learning: Collected Essays” are highly acclaimed resources for designers to learn the foundations of game designs.

Sponsored by AECT

Register at https://cc.readytalk.com/r/e9n5mre1h9zx

Developing iPhone and iPad Apps - New IDT class for Spring 2012

2011-11-28T16:14:00.001-06:00

IT 743 XA Developing iPhone and iPad Apps, Spring 2012, 3 credits.

Co-taught by Dr. Dusti Howell (ESU IDT) and Dr. Rob Gibson (ESU TCS)
Enroll today! (This course may be used as an elective for your IDT MS program)

Description below:
In this class we will begin by making adjustments to current apps before creating our own apps. Next, we'll follow step-by-step directions to build simple apps. We will then style an app so that it looks good and users can easily navigate through it. Also, we will learn to use the touch screen, the accelerometer, shortcuts and cheat sheets to create apps the easy way!

NOTE : This class requires users to have an Apple computer running Snow Leopard (OS 10.6) or Lion (OS 10.7). PC computers running Windows OS can not run the Xcode 4 software used in this class. There is a bit of programming involved in this class. Previous knowledge of programming is helpful but not required.
The course book and online videos are fantastic at showing the user step-by-step directions on creating apps.
A few Apple laptops may be loaned to users for this class. Please email Dusti Howell (dhowell@emporia.edu) for more information.

The ESU IDT Dynasty Continues!

2011-11-22T15:14:00.002-06:00

ESU Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) master of science students Michael Stewart and Jason Baker were selected as one of three winning teams in the PacifiCorp international design and development competition, sponsored by Pacific Power and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. With the other two finalist teams, Stewart and Baker presented their winning instructional design and development solution at the November AECT 2011 International Convention in Jacksonville, FL.

The PacifiCorp design and development competition involves having teams of two students design and develop a detailed written solution and oral report in response to a quite complex instructional design case study. During the year-long competition, twelve teams competed in the first round of the competition and 6 teams moved forward to the second round, with three teams being selected as winning finalists. ESU IDT teams have achieved winning finalist status in 4 out of the last 5 years of the competition.

Some history:

2007 - ESU IDT's first team, Sandy Valenti and Steve Harmon - winning finalist team

2009 - ESU IDT team, Liz Ermis and Jennifer Gibson - winning finalist team

2010 - ESU IDT team, Michael Schwind and Rob Ervin - winning finalist team

2011 - ESU IDT team, Jason Baker and Michael Stewart - winning finalist team

All of the ESU IDT faculty and over 15 IDT students and alumni attended the convention in Jacksonville, FL to cheer them on.

Spring 2012 Enrollment begins October 10th - 8 a.m.

2011-10-09T20:19:00.001-06:00

Spring 2012 enrollment begins on October 10, 2011 at 8 a.m.
So, grab your alternate PIN - GR1210 and log into BUZZIN!
Registration information from the Office of Distance Education
Download our spring 2012 course flyer

Start planning now and set those alarms. Classes WILL fill quickly!

ESU IDT team selected for 2011 PacifiCorp finals

2011-09-15T09:23:00.002-06:00

ESU IDT students Michael Stewart and Jason Baker have been selected as one of three winning teams to present at the 2011 AECT PacifiCorp finals at the November AECT International Convention in Jacksonville, FL.

The PacifiCorp design and development competition involves having teams of two students design and develop a detailed written solution and oral report in response to a quite complex instructional design case study. During the year-long competition, twelve teams competed in the first round of the competition and six teams moved forward to the second round, with three teams being selected as winning finalists. A best overall presentation award will be presented to one of the teams after their convention presentation.

All of the ESU IDT faculty and over a dozen IDT students and alumni will be in Jacksonville to cheer them on! Congratulations Michael and Jason!

AECT 2011 Convention - $500 grants available to IDT students!

2011-07-01T15:13:00.000-06:00

IDT students:

Through an ESU Academic Enhancement Grant, I was able to secure $5,000 for up to 10 IDT students (that's $500 per student) to attend this year's AECT International Convention in Jacksonville, FL November 8-12, 2011 - http://www.aect.org/events/jacksonville/

The $500 grants may be used to cover the convention student registration fee and/or travel and accommodations. The awards will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.

All IDT faculty will be presenting at the convention. Dr. Colorado is the president of the Research and Theory Division, and Dr. Eberle is on the Research and Theory Division Board. In addition, Dr. Childress is on the AECT Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and is president-elect designate for AECT. The three finalist teams for the PacifiCorp design and development competition will also be presenting their solutions at the convention.

At the convention, you will get to see (and meet with) many of the folks from your IDT textbooks, including Robert Reiser, David Merrill, John Keller, and Michael Spector, just to name a few. This is THE convention for people in our field who are interested in more than just how-to conferences. Individuals at this conference are actually conducting the research that drives our field.

Details-

https://aectorg.yourwebhosting.com/events/registration/conventionregistration.htm

Student member registration for the conference is $195

Airfare to Jacksonville is currently around $282 (round trip) from Kansas City.

Hotel rates - http://www.aect.org/Events/ConvHotel/

Hyatt Regency - $135/ Single or Double Rooms, plus tax. Triple/Quad $145. (So, if there are 4 in the room, $36.25 per person, per night, plus tax)

(8 in a room, $18.12 per room - but not recommended - and probably not legal :)

You will be reimbursed (up to $500) for conference registration, airfare, and hotel after attending the convention.

If you wish to secure funding, you must -

1. Join AECT as soon as possible (students may join for only $75) and send your membership number to Janet Schneider at idt@emporia.edu Funding will be reserved according to the order received. The $75 AECT membership fee is non-reimbursable.

2. Register for the AECT International Convention no later than September 2, 2011, and send your registration confirmation to Janet Schneider at idt@emporia.edu If you are not registered by September 2, 2011, your funds will be released and awarded to another individual.

No more than 10 students will be guaranteed an award. You must be enrolled in fall 2011 classes to receive your award. I hope you can take advantage of this opportunity!

Dr. Childress

Curtis Bonk

2011-06-01T11:03:00.001-06:00

Speaking at ESU

ESU Commencement 2011

2011-05-14T09:12:00.001-06:00

20110506_001.jpg

2011-05-08T17:22:00.001-06:00

SIDLIT Conference 2011 - Call for Proposals - May 6 deadline

2011-04-22T14:58:00.001-06:00

2011 SIDLIT Conference, August 4-5, 2011 at Johnson County Community College - http://c2conline.org/sidlit/2011

The Technology Horizon: What’s Ahead for Education?
This year's SIDLIT theme focuses on The Horizon Report: 2011 Edition which lists key trends and emerging technologies with an anticipated 1-5 year "time-to-adoption" for education. The report is available at: http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/HR2011.pdf.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The SIDLIT 2011 Steering Committee is now accepting proposals for 50- minute presentations on issues or topics related to distance learning, instructional technology, and adaptive technology.

Presentations related to the five trends listed in the 2011 Horizon Report (Electronic Books, Mobiles, Augmented Reality, Game-based Learning, Gesture-based Learning, and Learning Analytics) will be given priority. Proposals for hands-on training to be offered in a computer lab are welcome. Once logged in and registered, you can submit proposals at http://c2conline.org/node/add/sidlit-session

DEADLINE: May 6, 2011 The SIDLIT Planning Committee will review all proposals and presenters will be contacted by May 12, 2011.

AWARD NOMINATIONS
Innovation in Teaching Award
This award goes to a faculty member who best incorporates creative and innovative teaching strategies in his or her courses, defined as someone who:
Creates student-focused, learning-oriented innovations in technology to facilitate learning.
Demonstrates best practices in online course design including innovative strategies that actively engage students.
Actively pursues avenues for personal continuous improvement to facilitate the uses of technology in online learning.

Outstanding Technical Support Staff Award
This award goes to a support person who best exemplifies customer service and outstanding performance in assisting faculty with the use of technology in instruction, defined as someone who:
Creates an environment for educational technology exploration, innovation, and usage among faculty and students.
Creates an environment of listening to determine the student and faculty needs and requirements for utilizing technology effectively.
Exemplifies customer service in assisting those using instructional technology.
Actively seeks input into the support process to improve the use of instructional technology.

The Jonathan Bacon Outstanding Leadership Award
This award goes to someone who has "pushed the envelope" at any level in support of instructional technology, defined as someone who:
Sets organizational direction or climate to create an innovative, technology-based student-centered learning oriented climate.
Encourages or uses key comparative data and information to track student learning to support operational and strategic decision making for learning innovation
Promotes diverse ideas among faculty and students to enhance a culture of technology usage.
Stays up to date on learning technology innovation and promotes funding streams to support growth to improve student learning.
Please send award nominations to Meg McGranaghan at megmcg@butlercc.edu. DEADLINE: May 6, 2011

IDT students, alumni, and faculty - Featured in Spotlight Magazine and Quest Magazine

2011-04-22T12:29:00.006-06:00

Spotlight ESU Alumni Magazine features -
Curtis Chandler (IDT alum) - Sharing knowledge— Curtis Chandler, Kansas Teacher of the Year

Derrick Richling (IDT alum) - 2010 Outstanding Recent Graduates

Michael Schwind and Rob Ervin (IDT students) - Another prize-winning instructional design

View the entire online version
or download the PDF

Quest ESU Research Magazine features -
Dr. Jane Eberle (IDT faculty) - A Fistful of Robots
Click below to view the entire magazine.

Japanese pop star Hatsune Miku takes the stage -- as a 3-D hologram

2011-04-11T21:47:00.001-06:00

Pop princess Hatsune Miku is storming the music scene.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/11/japanese-pop-star-takes-the-stage-as-a-3-d-hologram.html

Dr. Yong Zhao Lecture - Video

2011-02-25T16:50:00.004-06:00

Dr. Yong Zhao's Jones Distinguished Lecture at Emporia State University on February 23, 2011 was outstanding!

If there is one online video that you choose to view this year, I urge you to view this one - and then share it far and wide.

View the video -

http://mythos2.emporia.edu/esumedia/joneslecture/zhao.wmv

Users will need Windows Media player or WM plugin to view the video. On a Mac, download the Flip for Mac plug-in that works with Quicktime. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx

Call for Presentation Proposals - AECT Convention 2011 - Jacksonville, FL

2011-02-02T21:32:00.004-06:00

Interested in presenting at the 2011 AECT International Convention, November 9 -12, 2011?
YOU can join ESU IDT faculty in sunny Jacksonville, Florida!

Share your expertise and knowledge with your peers, with those new to the field, and with professional practitioners and researchers representing multiple disciplines.

More information at - http://www.aect.org/events/call/

This year’s convention theme is Celebrate 3.0: Design.Learn.Community. The rapid evolution of Web 2.0 technologies has generated a level of communication and interaction never before possible. In response, AECT 2011 seeks to explore the transformational potential that these innovations hold for education, as well as share current research and best practices related to these developments.

Proposals Close – February 15th, midnight (EST), 2011
The review process by divisions and affiliates will be completed within six weeks of the closing date for proposals.

AECT PacifiCorp Competition is Ready - Are you up for it?

2011-02-02T21:04:00.002-06:00

How about continuing the ESU IDT legacy in the PacifiCorp competition?

The AECT/PacifiCorp instructional design and development competition problem is posted and ready for for a solution! http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/archives/2011/PacifiCorp_2011_Problem_Statement.pdf

(The first submission is only 1500 words - that's less than some of you write in Facebook every day!) The deadline for the first round of submissions is April 15, 2011. http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/ Thus far, we have one team. I would love to have MORE than one team represent ESU this year!

Now is a great time to participate in this challenging and skill-developing competition. The problem statement (along with other information about the competition) can be found on the competition website at http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/ Abstracts for Round 1 are 1500 words and outline a proposed solution to the problem. Find a partner and show the world your awesome instructional design skills!

Contact Dr. Childress or Dr. Colorado, if interested.

Dr. Yong Zhao to Visit Emporia State University

2011-01-20T13:40:00.002-06:00

Date:
Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Time:
7 p.m.

Location:
Albert Taylor Hall in Plumb Hall
Emporia State University, Emporia, KS

Born and raised in China and now a professor at the University of Oregon, Zhao bases many of his observations on extensive research and firsthand experience as a student in China and as a parent of children attending school in the United States.

At a time when globalization and technology are dramatically altering the world we live in,
is education reform in the United States headed down the right path? Are schools emphasizing
the knowledge and skills that students need in a global society? Are education
systems in China and other countries really as superior as some people claim?

In this presentation, Dr. Yong Zhao addresses these and other questions.. His unique perspective leads him to conclude that American education is at a crossroads and we need to change course to maintain leadership in a rapidly changing world.

Co-sponsored by ESU Special Events Board, Academic Enhancement Grants,
Phi Delta Kappa, & the Department of Instructional Design & Technology.

http://www.emporia.edu/jones/lecture/11spring-zhao.pdf

Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators

2010-12-08T23:46:00.002-06:00

With China’s debut in international standardized testing, students in Shanghai have surprised experts by outscoring their counterparts in dozens of other countries, in reading as well as in math and science, according to the results of a respected exam.........

Read more below -

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/education/07education.html?_r=1

Self-affirmation exercises

2010-12-07T13:56:00.003-06:00

From Daniel Willingham - http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/achievement-gap/willingham-close-to-a-magic-bu.html

Interview with MIT Physics Professor Walter Lewin

2010-12-07T07:28:00.004-06:00

If a student says "I find physics boring and dull", it simply means only one thing: they had a bad teacher. Any good teacher can turn physics into something absolutelly spectacular. (Walter Lewin)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97oTDANuZco

ESU Video Contest - Win an iPad - Let's go for an IDT sweep of all four categories!

2010-11-30T20:47:00.005-06:00


Want a chance to win an iPad while having fun showing off your Emporia State spirit? ESU's marketing director is coordinating a video contest for contestants to express "What 'Empowered by E' (Empowered by Emporia State) Means to Me." Guidelines and Rules HERE

Prizes

There will be four categories: students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Individuals will be awarded an Apple iPad to the winner in each category. No more than four
iPads will be awarded. Team winners will get restaurant gift
certificates.

Deadline

Submissions will be accepted until February 4, 2011. The winner will be decided by February 11, 2011, at 4 p.m. CST. No more votes will be counted after that
time. Marketing and Media Relations will accept submissions immediately.

How does this work?

The final five selections from each category will be placed on ESU's Facebook where the winner will be decided by the number of "likes" it has received. (Watch this page or buzz-in announcement on Dec 04,
2010 for Facebook URL). In the case of a tie, the Director of Marketing
and Media Relations working with a student group will decide on the Best
in Show video. The winning Best in Show video will be placed on the
homepage of ESU's website by the end of February.

Rules

2 Minute Rule: Your movie may be two minutes long or less. We are using the common timecode standard, so your movie's length must be equal or less than
02:00:00. This limit includes credits and anything else, which might be
included in your final exported file.

Submission: Umair Abbasi, ESU Webmaster, Campus Box 4060. You can also drop them off at Marketing and Media Relations at 005 Plumb Hall in the basement. Please
leave or send the video with your full name, E number, email
address and your phone number.

Editing Software: You can use any editing software as long as you can give us your movie on a DVD or CD in Quicktime format. A minimum resolution of 640 pixels x
360 pixels is needed.

By entering the contest and sending us your video, you are releasing it for any use by Emporia State University.

Copyrighted Music: You are not permitted to include any copywritten music or performance in your movie. You are welcome to create your own music, but remember it
must be original -- copyrighted music performed by you is still
copyrighted and cannot be used without a signed release from you.

ESU logos: You are welcome to use any of the Emporia State logos found here.

Other Copyrights: In addition to the copyright music guidelines above, you are not permitted to use any copyrighted material of any kind in your films.
Please be very careful. Copyrighted material includes but is not limited
to film clips, television clips, audio clips, video game clips, books,
magazines, etc. Even featuring just the image of an item that is
copyrighted (like the cover) can violate the law so please be extremely
cautious to protect yourself.

Nudity is not permitted. Neither is foul language.

Dangerous Behavior: It is absolutely prohibited for any participant to engage in dangerous, reckless, illegal or otherwise negligent behavior in any aspect of the
creation of your movie. Any such behavior will lead to immediate
disqualification from the competition.

Team Members: You are welcome to form a team. However, if your movie wins, you will have to fight with the others over the one iPad. Or we will award you a
restaurant gift certificate so you can all have dinner on us.

Team Restrictions: ESU alumni, faculty, staff, and students enrolled for Spring 2011 at Emporia State University will be the only members allowed to
participate.

Again: Please follow the criteria below:

No profanity. No nudity. No graphic violence. No drug use. No hate speech.

HAVE FUN AND GO HORNETS!

If you have any questions please email: webmaster@emporia.edu

**** 2:00:00 time limit, it will not be judged or screened. ****

Education Conference Calendar

2010-11-28T12:59:00.003-06:00

Looking for a conference to attend or a place to present? Try the education conference calendar.
http://www.theconferencecalendar.com/

Emporia State IDT alumnus selected as 2011 KS Teacher of the Year

2010-11-24T10:57:00.005-06:00

Curtis Chandler (MS in IDT '08) has been named the 2011 Kansas Teacher of the Year. Those of us who have worked with Curtis over the years and have seen his dynamic presentations know exactly why he was honored with this award. Curtis is a model teacher for the integration of technology into the classroom.

Read the article in the Topeka Capital-Journal - http://cjonline.com/news/state/2010-11-20/wamego_man_ks_teacher_of_year

WIBW news (video) - http://wibw.videogenesis.net/watch?v=12976

Bloom's Taxonomy and Web 2.0 Tools

2010-11-18T20:57:00.003-06:00

Thanks to ESU IDT student Jamie H. for sharing this link -
Bloom's Taxonomy and Web 2.0 Tools
Larger image - http://www.usi.edu/distance/bdt.htm

Article about ESU IDT PacifiCorp team

2010-11-18T13:23:00.002-06:00

A nice article about IDT PacifiCorp team members Michael Schwind and Rob Ervin at the ESU web site. Check it out.
http://www.emporia.edu/news/archives/2010/november/ervin_schwind_aect.htm

Library Student Journal - call for manuscripts

2010-11-15T11:33:00.007-06:00

IDT Students! How about publishing some of your scholarly work? See below.
Library Student Journal "especially encourages submissions relating to new technologies and future trends." No, were not in library and information sciences....but, we're close enough....and we know a lot about instructional design, training and new technologies.

*Library Student Journal *(LSJ) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal for the fields of library and information science that is student-run and student-written. * Library Student Journal *seeks to publish the best papers from Library and Information Science (LIS) students worldwide, and to serve as a forum for discussion of LIS education, training, career paths, and future trends. Submissions may cover a wide range of topics, but should always relate to and advance the discussion of LIS topics. This is a rapidly evolving field. As such, LSJ especially encourages submissions relating to new technologies and future trends. Papers submitted to the peer-reviewed section of the journal should advance the existing literature with original ideas or original research.

LSJ recognizes that a complete discussion of LIS education requires a number of perspectives and a variety of formats. Along with articles of a scholarly nature, LSJ will also consider letters to the editors, editorials and opinion pieces, reviews of recent LIS monographs, and informational essays.

For more information about submitting work to LSJ, see information for authors on our website:
http://www.librarystudentjournal.org/index.php/lsj/information/authors

Emporia State IDT team takes TOP honors at PacifiCorp competition

2010-11-06T11:19:00.004-06:00

Again this year, our ESU IDT team was selected as one of the three winning teams and overall winner at the PacifiCorp Design and Development Competition at the 2010 AECT Convention in Anaheim, CA.

Representing Emporia State University's Instructional Design and Technology department, Michael Schwind and teammate Rob Ervin were selected winners in the PacifiCorp design and development competition (which involves having teams of two students design and develop a detailed written solution and oral report in response to a quite complex instructional design case study). During the year-long competition, eleven teams competed in the first round of the
competition and six teams moved forward to the second round, with three teams being selected as winning finalists.

The ESU IDT team of Schwind and Ervin joined the other two winning teams and presented their instructional design solution at the 2010 Association for Education Communications and Technology (AECT) International Convention in Anaheim, CA.

Michael and Rob were awarded the Best Presentation ribbon at the Research and Theory/Design Development luncheon, for having the best overall project and presentation.

All of the IDT faculty were there to cheer-on Michael and Rob during their presentation and to celebrate their victory at the luncheon.

ESU IDT teams have entered the competition three times and have been named a winning finalist three times! For two years in a row, an ESU IDT team has been awarded Best Presentation.

Some history -

2007 - ESU IDT's first team, Sandy Valenti and Steve Harmon are selected as one of the winning finalist teams.

2009 - ESU IDT team, Liz Ermis and Jennifer Gibson are selected as one of the winning finalist teams and are awarded best presentation.

2010 - ESU IDT team, Michael Schwind and Rob Ervin are selected as one of the winning finalist teams and are awarded best presentation.

October 27, 2010 was indeed a proud day in ESU IDT history! Join me in congratulating Michael and Rob on their monumental accomplishment! Better yet, leave them a congratulations comment at our Ning site - http://idtesu.ning.com
on our IDT blog - http://idtesu.blogspot.com or
on our IDT Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/idtesu

IDT Faculty - Excellence Engaged

2010-11-05T11:04:00.009-06:00

Being a university professor involves more than teaching. University professors are also expected to excel in scholarly activity and service. They must produce externally reviewed articles/books, make presentations, and perform professional service. Emporia State University regards scholarly productivity as the primary vehicle for faculty development and enhancing the overall quality of the university. The Instructional Design and Technology Department's growing stature has in part been driven by increased faculty scholarship and its link to quality instruction and service to the discipline. Scholarly activity - presenting and publishing research - is an important component of tenure and promotion, but is also important for personal and professional development, as well.

Below, you will find a link to Excellence Engaged - a 44-page booklet (PDF), that lists faculty and staff research and awards. As you will see in the document, IDT faculty members not only deliver quality instruction, but are also (in my opinion) ESU's most productive faculty in terms of scholarly activity and service. Please take a moment to look over the booklet and pay special attention to the pages that list IDT faculty accomplishments (listed below).

State/National Awards/Recognitions
Page 4

Leadership Positions
Page 10

Externally Reviewed Publications
Pages 34-35 (and page 38)

Download a PDF of the document by visiting http://www.emporia.edu/president/documents/excellence-engaged.pdf

AECT Keynote

2010-10-29T16:49:00.001-06:00

Richard Clark

Emporia State University IDT Wins Best in Show at 2010 Pacificorp Design Competition

2010-10-28T21:32:00.005-06:00

Congratulations to Michael Schwind and Rob Ervin! The Emporia State IDT Team won Best in Show at the 2010 Pacificorp Design Competition at AECT. Two years in a row!

AECT Keynote 2010 Day 2

2010-10-28T17:14:00.001-06:00

Darcey Hardy

AECT Keynote

2010-10-27T19:07:00.001-06:00

Roy Pea - Stanford University

The ROI of online programs

2010-09-29T20:27:00.003-06:00

At my recent presentation (with other ESU online program people) for the Kansas Board of Regents, one of the Regents asked about the return on investment for ESU online programs.
Below is a link to an EDUCAUSE Quarterly article that addresses many of the online return on investment (ROI) issues that face traditionally face-to-face universities like ESU.....more specifically, why brick and mortar universities have difficulty realizing the ROI that online for-profit universities attain; instructors vs. faculty, savings on overhead, etc..

Anyone have some thoughts on this?

http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/ELearningAFinancialandStrategi/157388

Dr. Colorado selected as Phi Delta Kappa Emerging Leader

2010-09-07T10:00:00.011-06:00

Another honor for Dr. Colorado!
Phi Delta Kappa press release below -

ESU Assistant Professor Selected as Emerging Leader

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—Jozenia Colorado, assistant professor of instructional design and technology in the Teachers College at Emporia State University, has been recognized as an Emerging Leader by PDK International, a global association of education professionals. She grew up in Virginia Beach, Va., where she also worked as a computer resource teacher in the Virginia Beach City Public School System.

The PDK Emerging Leader program recognizes top educators under age 40 from around the world for their leadership. A committee made up of PDK’s past Emerging Leaders selected the 20 honorees from a competitive field of applicants, based on their outstanding professional accomplishments.

In addition to being honored at the 2011 PDK International Conference on Innovations in Teaching and Learning, honorees also have the opportunity to be published by PDK, apply for grants, and participate in PDK initiatives.

“Honoring these young leaders is one of PDK’s most important initiatives,” said William J. Bushaw, PDK International’s executive director. “We know the future of education is in good hands with leaders like these making a difference in the lives of our students.”

Colorado has worked in the area of instructional design and technology at various levels of education, including K-12 and higher education. Currently, she teaches online courses for the instructional design and technology master's degree program, as well as traditional on-campus undergraduate classes. Her research interests include the role of learner characteristics in the learning environment, self-regulated learning, social community in the classroom, technology management, issues in distance education, and integrating technology into the K-12 environment. She has presented at local, state, and national conferences.

“Within all levels, I worked with faculty to integrate technology into the learning environment,” she said.

She is a member of the PDK Flint Hills chapter, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, Association for Educational Communications and Technology, and Pi Lambda Theta. She has received several awards, including the 2010 Innovation in Teaching Award from Colleague 2 Colleague (C2C) and the Educause Jane N. Ryland Fellowship Award.

For more information on PDK’s 2010-2011 Class of Emerging Leaders, go to www.pdkemergingleaders.org. Information about PDK International is at www.pdkintl.org.

The Wilderness Downtown

2010-08-31T13:04:00.003-06:00

An example of exciting possibilities of HTML5
http://thewildernessdowntown.com/
You will need the Google Chrome browser to view.

MPATI - Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction

2010-08-25T16:28:00.005-06:00

I just added another section in the History of IDT portion of IT 700 - It's about an interesting initiative back in the 1960's called MPATI - The Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction.

Have you ever heard of MPATI? - The Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction? If you answered NO, read on! If you answered YES, well to be honest, I probably don't believe you, so read on anyway!

The following is from Wikipedia -
Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction. (2009, December 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:12, August 25, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Midwest_Program_on_Airborne_Television_Instruction&oldid=330741975

The Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction (MPATI) was a special broadcasting initiative designed to broadcast educational television programming to schools, especially in areas where local educational television stations are either hard to receive or unavailable.

From 1961 through 1968, MPATI's programming broadcast from two DC-6AB aircraft based at the Purdue University Airport in West Lafayette, Indiana, using a broadcasting technique known as Stratovision.

The undertaking began as a three-year experiment in 1960, with MPATI organizing, producing, and broadcasting instructional television with seed-money from the Ford Foundation. This was a nonprofit organization of educators and television producers that pioneered instructional television for enriching education in public schools throughout the midwest. This was in times prior to the advent of satellite television transmission. By 1963, MPATI moved into its second phase where it relied totally on membership fees but it was never financially stable. MPATI found it difficult to get enough member schools to finance the organization. In its third reorganization, MPATI, unable to meet its expenses through membership fees, ceased producing and broadcasting courses in 1968 and became a tape library.

One of the two aircraft would go aloft for six to eight hours at a time; take up a twenty minute figure-eight station centered over Montpelier, Indiana (35 miles north of Muncie, Indiana) at an altitude of 23,000 feet. From this position the range of transmission was approximately 200 miles in diameter; stations transmission included both Chicago and Detroit metropolitan areas. When on station the plane would reduce speed, and then lower a forty-foot antenna mast which was gyroscopically stabilized so that the antenna always aligned from the aircraft to the center of the earth. This stabilization feature helped to maintain polarization of the signals from these planes. Beam characteristics of the antenna were sharp and reception was optimized by placing the reception antenna as near as practical to the ground and pointing it toward the Montpelier location to minimize multipath canceling and interference.

Programming from the planes was always pre-recorded; program slates, taped classroom instruction and test patterns with canned music were all that was aired from the MPATI planes. Frequently snowy pictures were what students saw from the low power transmitters of KS2XGA or KS2XGD channels 72 and 76 UHF respectively.

The television equipment and transmitters were powered by a gas-turbine electrical power plant in the aft end of the DC-6 fuselage; equipment similar in design to auxiliary power units later jet transport aircraft use for engine starting.

Dr. Colorado makes the Online Emporia Gazette

2010-08-23T12:55:00.006-06:00

That's right, The Emporia Gazette covered Dr. Colorado's C2C award.....er.....uh....here - http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2010/aug/21/briefcase/
So, what was the front page photo? The first place winner of the junior division of the ranch horse competition at the Flint Hills Beef Fest, of course! We know what's important in Emporia! (o.k., they did put her photo in the print edition) Update - a very small photo

Congratulations, Dr. Colorado!

2010-08-12T12:52:00.005-06:00

Join me in congratulating our own Dr. Zeni Colorado on receiving the 2010 Colleague 2 Colleague (C2C) Innovation in Teaching Award at the 11th Annual Summer Institute on Distance Learning and Instructional Technology (SIDLIT) Conference. Several of you were on hand at the conference to see her receive her much-deserved award!

The annual Innovation in Teaching Award is presented by C2C to the faculty member who best incorporates creative and innovative teaching strategies into his/her courses: Creates student-focused, learning-oriented innovations in technology to facilitate learning. Demonstrates best practices in online course design including innovative strategies that actively engage students. Actively pursues avenues for personal continuous improvement to facilitate the uses of technology in online learning.

C2C web site - http://www.c2conline.org/
SIDLIT web site - http://www.c2conline.org/sidlit/sidlit-2010

Moran Congratulates Emporia State University Lady Hornets Basketball

2010-05-20T09:29:00.000-06:00

Spring 2010 Master's Project Videos YouTube Playlist

2010-05-19T14:56:00.003-06:00

If you were not able to see the Spring 2010 Master's Project presentations last Friday, do the next best thing! Check out the videos: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0D440DCCD0FB8401

Spring 2010 IDT Master's Project Presentations

2010-05-19T11:07:00.002-06:00

Photo Slideshow of the Spring 2010 IDT Master's Project Presentations at Emporia State University on Friday, May 14, 2010.

IDT Spring 2010 Online Presentations Recording

2010-05-18T15:04:00.002-06:00

Here is a link to the recording of the IDT Spring 2010 Online Presentations. The recording was started late and there were multiple audio issues. However, most of the movies played fine. Enjoy!

http://element.emporia.edu/p82442930/

IDT - Emporia State University Spring 2010 Commencement

2010-05-16T14:43:00.006-06:00

Go to YouTube to view the widescreen version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7qjKc8o9iw

Global Competition Selects 10 Innovative Digital Media & Learning Projects to Share $1.7 Million

2010-05-12T21:13:00.002-06:00

http://www.kintera.org/cms.asp?id=1010208&campaign_id=134950&tr=y&enString=x&auid=6347806

Ten winners of the MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Competition were announced today in conjunction with the celebration of National Lab Day in Washington, DC, to promote math and science education across the country. The winners will share $1.7 million to use games, mobile phone applications, virtual worlds, and social networks to create the learning labs of the 21st century.

Funded by MacArthur and administered by the virtual network of learning institutions HASTAC, the competition winners include a project to show youth-produced videos on 2,200 Los Angeles city buses; the next generation of a graphical programming language that allows young people to create their own interactive stories, games, and animations; and an online game that teaches kids the environmental impact of their personal choices.

Read the press release ››

Winners of the 2010 competition ››
PDF, 12 pages

College, Inc. - FRONTLINE Documentary

2010-05-05T21:00:00.004-06:00

College, Inc. - A very interesting documentary about for-profit colleges and universities. View the entire program at - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/

Synopsis from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/etc/synopsis.html

In College, Inc., correspondent Martin Smith investigates the promise and explosive growth of the for-profit higher education industry. Through interviews with school executives, government officials, admissions counselors, former students and industry observers, the film explores the tension between the industry -- which says it's helping an underserved student population obtain a quality education and marketable job skills -- and critics who charge the for-profits with churning out worthless degrees that leave students with a mountain of debt.

At the center of it all stands a vulnerable population of potential students, often working adults eager for a university degree to move up the career ladder. FRONTLINE talks to a former staffer at a California-based for-profit university who says she was under pressure to sign up growing numbers of new students. "I didn't realize just how many students we were expected to recruit," says the former enrollment counselor. "They used to tell us, you know, 'Dig deep. Get to their pain. Get to what's bothering them. So, that way, you can convince them that a college degree is going to solve all their problems.'"

Graduates of another for-profit school -- a college nursing program in California -- tell FRONTLINE that they received their diplomas without ever setting foot in a hospital. Graduates at other for-profit schools report being unable to find a job, or make their student loan payments, because their degree was perceived to be of little worth by prospective employers. One woman who enrolled in a for-profit doctorate program in Dallas later learned that the school never acquired the proper accreditation she would need to get the job she trained for. She is now sinking in over $200,000 in student debt.

The biggest player in the for-profit sector is the University of Phoenix -- now the largest college in the U.S. with total enrollment approaching half a million students. Its revenues of almost $4 billion last year, up 25 percent from 2008, have made it a darling of Wall Street. Former top executive of the University of Phoenix Mark DeFusco told FRONTLINE how the company's business-approach to higher education has paid off: "If you think about any business in America, what business would give up two months of business -- just essentially close down?" he asks. "[At the University of Phoenix], people go to school all year round. We start classes every five weeks. We built campuses by a freeway because we figured that's where the people were."

"The education system that was created hundreds of years ago needs to change," says Michael Clifford, a major education entrepreneur who speaks with FRONTLINE. Clifford, a former musician who never attended college, purchases struggling traditional colleges and turns them into for-profit companies. "The big opportunity," he says, "is the inefficiencies of some of the state systems, and the ability to transform schools and academic programs to better meet the needs of the people that need jobs."

"From a business perspective, it's a great story," says Jeffrey Silber, a senior analyst at BMO Capital Markets, the investment banking arm of the Bank of Montreal. "You're serving a market that's been traditionally underserved. ... And it's a very profitable business -- it generates a lot of free cash flow."

And the cash cow of the for-profit education industry is the federal government. Though they enroll 10 percent of all post-secondary students, for-profit schools receive almost a quarter of federal financial aid. But Department of Education figures for 2009 show that 44 percent of the students who defaulted within three years of graduation were from for-profit schools, leading to serious questions about one of the key pillars of the profit degree college movement: that their degrees help students boost their earning power. This is a subject of increasing concern to the Obama administration, which, last month, remade the federal student loan program, and is now proposing changes that may make it harder for the for-profit colleges to qualify.

"One of the ideas the Department of Education has put out there is that in order for a college to be eligible to receive money from student loans, it actually has to show that the education it's providing has enough value in the job market so that students can pay their loans back," says Kevin Carey of the Washington think tank Education Sector. "Now, the for-profit colleges, I think this makes them very nervous," Carey says. "They're worried because they know that many of their members are charging a lot of money; that many of their members have students who are defaulting en masse after they graduate. They're afraid that this rule will cut them out of the program. But in many ways, that's the point."

FRONTLINE also finds that the regulators that oversee university accreditation are looking closer at the for-profits and, in some cases, threatening to withdraw the required accreditation that keeps them eligible for federal student loans. "We've elevated the scrutiny tremendously," says Dr. Sylvia Manning, president of the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits many post-secondary institutions. "It is really inappropriate for accreditation to be purchased the way a taxi license can be purchased. ... When we see any problematic institution being acquired and being changed we put it on a short leash."

UPS Thinks Out of the Box on Driver Training

2010-04-09T15:01:00.002-06:00

Thanks to John D. and Ken M. for sending this!
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/109258/ups-thinks-out-of-the-box?mod=career-leadership

by Jennifer Levitz
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Wall Street Journal

Vexed that some 30% of driver candidates flunk its traditional training, United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) is moving beyond the classroom to ready its rookies for the road.

In the place of books and lectures are videogames, a contraption that simulates walking on ice and an obstacle course around an artificial village.

Based on results so far, the world's largest package-delivery company is convinced that 20-somethings -- the bulk of UPS driver recruits -- respond best to high-tech instruction and a chance to hone skills.

Driver training is crucial for Atlanta-based UPS, which employs 99,000 U.S. drivers and says it will need to hire 25,000 over the next five years to replace retiring Baby Boomers.

Candidates vying for a driver's job, which pays an average of $74,000 annually, now spend one week at Integrad, an 11,500-square-foot, low-slung brick UPS training center 10 miles outside of Washington, D.C. There they move from one station to another practicing the company's "340 Methods," prescribed by UPS industrial engineers to save seconds and improve safety in every task from lifting and loading boxes to selecting a package from a shelf in the truck.

They play a videogame that places them in the driver's seat and has them identify obstacles. They progress from computer simulations to "Clarksville," a village of miniature houses and faux businesses on the property where they drive a real truck and must successfully execute five deliveries in 19 minutes.

So far, the new methods, designed by UPS and researchers from Virginia Tech, are proving successful, UPS says. Of the 1,629 trainees who have completed Integrad since it began as an experiment in 2007, only 10% have failed the training program, which takes a total of six weeks overall and includes 30 days driving a truck in the real world. UPS is known for promoting within, and many driver candidates began as UPS package handlers or other employees.

By getting out of the traditional classroom and using technology and hands-on learning, "we've enhanced the probability of success of these new drivers," says Allen Hill, UPS's senior vice president of human resources. A second Integrad will open in the Chicago area in the summer, and the training methods will eventually go company-wide, he says.

"Are you ready for this? Shake the nerves out! Take a deep breath," cheers Chris Breslin, a graying Integrad instructor, rallying his fresh-faced recruits on a recent day.

As Nick Byrnes, a 23-year-old with a buzz cut and black Ray-Ban sunglasses, drove through Clarksville, a UPS instructor tossed a football in his path. Mr. Byrnes hit the brakes. But then, when he hopped out to deliver a package, instructor Mike Keys sneaked an orange traffic cone in front of the truck.

Mr. Byrnes hopped back in and started up. "Stop! Stop! Ugh!" yelled Mr. Keys. He picked up the cone. "This is a kid who was playing football around your vehicle and went to get his ball."

Mr. Byrnes looked shaken and slapped his forehead. The lesson stuck: At the next stop, he checked for cones.

UPS isn't the only company using new training tools. Food service company Sodexo Inc. has recruited chefs through "Second Life" virtual job fairs and Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) has taught programming techniques through videogames. FedEx Corp. says it, too, has moved toward more hands-on learning in the past five years, although it adds the change wasn't prompted by a high failure rate among trainees.

On a recent day, UPS students at Integrad moved through "kinetic learning" modules. In one corner, they practiced loading and unloading packages from a UPS truck with clear sides, timed by instructors.

UPS allows 15.5 seconds to park a truck and retrieve one package from the cargo, which is arranged in order of delivery.

Over at the "slip and fall" machine, an instructor greased a tiled runway in preparation for a regular drill: Students must carry a 10-pound box down the surface -- while wearing shoes with no real tread. Luckily they wear a safety harness, as most flail around like drunken ice skaters until they are taught to stand straight and take slow baby steps. (This is the one time UPS relents on its rule that drivers walk at a "brisk pace," or 2.5 paces per second.)

In another corner, Rich Gossman, at 37 the oldest in the group, was slumped at a videogame that tests recruits' ability to find sales leads for UPS, something today's drivers are expected to do. The game puts his avatar in rooms where he has to identify competitors' packages.

Mr. Gossman, a married father, works overnight at a UPS warehouse, unloading packages for $12.50 an hour. Being a UPS driver appeals to him because of the pay and job security.

"This has been the most stressful week of my life," he said. But as he played the game Mr. Gossman got a pat on the back from UPS supervisor, Peggy Emmart. "I saw you identify that competitor package," she said.

"I saw that FedEx package and went, click, let's get 'em," said Mr. Gossman.

Trainees must pay attention to detail and appearance and work as a team. Students whose brown uniforms aren't ironed properly -- hanger creases are forbidden -- lose points for their teams, as does any trainee caught without his keys. UPS requires drivers to wear keys on their ring fingers to avoid wasting time searching for them.

"Raise your hands," Mr. Breslin ordered one group. Five jingling pairs of hands went up. "Good job," he said, clapping. "See how easy it is to bond with your keys?"

8 Big Mistakes Online Students Make

2010-03-25T20:57:00.012-06:00

A good article from U.S. News and World Report (Thanks to Tod M. for sending this)

8 Big Mistakes Online Students Make by Kim Clark

Posted March 25, 2010

Teachers of online courses say students often fall victim to these common mistakes, which can cost them lots of money and hurt their academic records:

1. Not checking out the school. Since most employers and others colleges won't accept the credits, it's a waste of time and money to choose an unaccredited school. Verify a college's accreditation with the federal government. Checking with prospective employers or your current one to see what online colleges have served their workers well is a great way to find respected online schools. Finally, students just starting out with online courses may need lots of technical and academic support, so they will be happier if they opt for colleges that staff help lines when they are likely to be doing their homework—which often means nights and weekends.

2. Signing up for a course without budgeting at least 10 hours a week of study every week the course is in session—with no vacations! While online students save time on commuting, they spend much more time reading and studying, says Charlotte Babb, a Spartanburg, S.C., writer who has taught English and communications classes online and at two bricks-and-mortar campuses. It's better to find out the work expectations before you sign the tuition check, rather than be swamped when it is too late. Be warned: Many online courses require students to post thoughtful, well-written comments at least twice a day, at least four days a week. Some of Babb's University of Phoenix courses are so compressed that in the first week, students have to write a 700-word essay and complete five grammar quizzes. The rest of the five-work term is similarly loaded with papers and quizzes. Don't think, as one of her students did, that you can skate by while taking a long-planned honeymoon in the middle of the course. The newlywed got a zero for that week, Babb remembers. Students who want an A often spend 15 to 20 hours a week on the class, or about 100 hours over a five-week course, she says. The good news, she notes, is that some of the time can be broken up into 10-minute blocks at convenient intervals: before breakfast, during lunch, or even while waiting in line at the supermarket, if your school offers good phone apps.

3. Being unrealistic about your learning style. Do you do everything at the last minute? Do you need face-to-face interaction? Do you retain more by listening and watching someone talk than by reading? If so, online courses are probably a bad option. Nick Delzotto, a Honolulu teacher who has taught online and regular classes, says students who need lots of social support and are looking for a classic college experience will be much happier in a traditional college environment. Online courses work best for those who are very self-disciplined and can absorb lots of information by reading online.

4. Committing to an online course without first ensuring your technology matches the school's. Students with dial-up or slow Internet connections or with only limited access to computers are more likely to have trouble doing their assignments on time. And many online schools require students to turn in assignments in Microsoft Word or Excel formats.

5. Not checking out the teacher. "If they haven't taught online before, drop," jokes Babb. Teaching online is very different from teaching a standard course, and it can take teachers a few courses to learn the tricks, she says.

6. Taking on too much too soon. Ted Smith, a California geologist who has taught courses at traditional colleges and at three online colleges, suggests anyone making the switch to online schooling start with just one easy course—ideally, an online course on "how to succeed in an online course." "I have seen too many students sign up for a full load the first time and quickly become overwhelmed by the workload, technology challenges, or both," Smith says.

7. Thinking that since it is an online course, it is OK to "copy and paste." Smith says most of the reputable online schools and teachers use anticheating software such as Turnitin.com and can easily catch cheaters.

8. Being unprepared or unwilling to cooperate with a virtual team. Many online courses require students to connect electronically with other students and prepare joint projects. Students who put things off until the last minute or don't cooperate often cause problems for such teams, Babb notes. Working with a virtual team is part of the education. "Learning to resolve and prevent these difficulties is a valuable skill in an employee."

ESU to launch dual degree program with China

2010-03-23T19:31:00.003-06:00

Big news from the Emporia State University IDT department! We're headed to China!
IDT will be the first program from ESU in this program and one of the first graduate programs in the country for the AASCU-CCIEE program (at least that's how I understand it).
This also means that there may soon be opportunities for IDT students in the US to travel to China for the summer - How cool is that?

From - http://www.emporia.edu/news/archives/2010/march/china_exchange.htm

Emporia State University will be one of 17 public universities in the United States participating in a program aimed at creating dual degree opportunities with selected universities in China. When ESU’s participation begins in 2011, the Sino-American 1+2+1 Dual Degree Program will bring Chinese students to the ESU campus for two years of their college experience, as well as offer students and faculty from ESU opportunities to study in China.

Early last year, ESU applied to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the China Center for International Educational Exchange (CCIEE) to join the program hosted by these two organizations.

“We’re pleased that the mission of our institution as well as the outstanding quality of our academic programs helped us receive favorable consideration,” said Dr. James Williams, ESU’s vice president for strategic partnerships and associate provost for enrollment management.

The partnership with AACSU and CCIEE will allow ESU to connect with new higher education institutions in China, identifying students who will participate in the exchange program. Chinese students will spend the first year of their college education in their native country as ESU identifies the courses needed during their second and third years on the Emporia campus. The students will spend the final year of their coursework back in their native country.

“The program helps us identify and target students at universities in China to come here to ESU, and in turn, gives our students the opportunity to experience education in China,” said Harry Imbeau, director of international education at ESU.

Imbeau’s position will expand to include direct responsibility for coordination of ESU’s interests in the 1+2+1 program. He will work directly with CCIEE to extend opportunities for faculty exchange and academic research above and beyond the student exchange opportunities.

Additionally, ESU will work directly within the context of the AASCU/CCIEE program to develop opportunities to expand the high quality graduate education programs ESU offers.

“As we initially sought entry into the partnership program, we were interested in working with AASCU and CCIEE to offer a dual graduate degree,” Williams said.

“Faculty interest on campus to coordinate this type of dual degree has been very high and this seemed liked the perfect opportunity to explore this new opportunity,” Williams continued, adding that both AASCU and CCIEE were very interested in the idea and have embraced the concept as part of the partnership.

As plans are being finalized, ESU officials hope that faculty in the university’s Instructional Design and Technology graduate program will begin instructing students in a dual graduate degree program.

“IDT faculty and the leadership of the Teachers College have been very supportive and excited about this opportunity,” said Dr. Tes Mehring, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are excited about expanding the opportunities for both our domestic students and students in China to participate in this outstanding learning opportunity.”

Imbeau, Williams, and Dr. Marcus Childress, chair of ESU’s instructional design and technology department, will travel to China in mid-June to participate in the 10th anniversary celebration of the AASCU/CCIEE 1+2+1 program as well as meet with colleagues from selected institutions to iron out details of both the undergraduate and graduate opportunities.

Over the last five years, ESU has worked hard to develop a greater international presence, said Dr. Michael R. Lane, president. “This new opportunity is recognition that ESU is an institution that provides outstanding opportunities for our students and faculty to gain a global perspective. I am pleased with both the diversity these programs bring to our campus and our community as well as the resources they provide to supplement campus-based programs,” Lane continued.

“This is an example of how ESU creates high quality learning opportunities for faculty, staff and students as well as opportunities for members of the Emporia community,” Lane said.

Imbeau, Williams and Childress will continue to work with faculty, staff and the community to create a successful experience for all.

Ermis Lecture Recording

2010-02-10T11:48:00.002-06:00

Here is a link to last night's guest lecture. Thank you everyone who made it! And thanks again, Liz for speaking with the IDT Community!

http://element.emporia.edu/p89797000/

Seventh Annual Survey of Online Learning

2010-02-03T15:12:00.001-06:00

Just Released: The seventh annual Sloan Survey of Online Learning reveals that online enrollment rose by nearly 17 percent from a year earlier. The survey, a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group, the College Board and the Sloan Consortium, is the leading barometer of online learning in the United States. Using results from more than 2,500 colleges and universities nationwide, the report finds approximately 4.6 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2008.

The complete report, “Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009” is available here.

Augmented Reality

2010-02-02T11:39:00.001-06:00

O.K. folks, this is pretty cool! And Dr. Eberle promises me that there are some decent educational/training applications for this!
An augmented reality map of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - http://www.harrypotter3d.com/
You will need to print the map and follow the directions at the site (need a Mac/PC and webcam).

More about this marker-based technology at - http://www.vizworld.com/2010/01/augmented-reality-map-wizarding-world-harry-potter/
And here's an interesting application for the retail clothing world - http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/23/zugaras-augmented-reality-dressing-room-is-great-if-you-dont-care-how-your-clothes-fit/

I will post this at our IDT Ning site and we can talk about it more! - http://idtesu.ning.com

Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning

2010-01-28T16:54:00.003-06:00

Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning
A study of online learning from the US Dept. of Education (released June 2009)

Download from -

http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

UNC-Charlotte has a nice (and succinct) overview of the study - http://teaching.uncc.edu/ctl-blog/effectiveness-online-learning

Abstract:

A systematic search of the research literature from 1996 through July 2008 identified more than a thousand empirical studies of online learning. Analysts screened these studies to find those that (a) contrasted an online to a face-to-face condition, (b) measured student learning outcomes, (c) used a rigorous research design, and (d) provided adequate information to calculate an effect size. As a result of this screening, 51 independent effects were identified that could be subjected to meta-analysis. The meta-analysis found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction. The difference between student outcomes for online and face-to-face classes-measured as the difference between treatment and control means, divided by the pooled standard deviation-was larger in those studies contrasting conditions that blended elements of online and face-to-face instruction with conditions taught entirely face-to-face. Analysts noted that these blended conditions often included additional learning time and instructional elements not received by students in control conditions. This finding suggests that the positive effects associated with blended learning should not be attributed to the media, per se. An unexpected finding was the small number of rigorous published studies contrasting online and face-to-face learning conditions for K-12 students. In light of this small corpus, caution is required in generalizing to the K-12 population because the results are derived for the most part from studies in other settings (e.g., medical training, higher education).

2010 Horizon Report

2010-01-27T22:57:00.002-06:00

The 2010 Horizon Report is now available -
http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2010/ (.pdf also available at this site)

The annual Horizon Report describes the continuing work of the NMC’s Horizon Project, a research-oriented effort that seeks to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have considerable impact on teaching, learning, and creative expression within higher education.

Six technologies to watch -

Mobile computing
Open content
Electronic books
Simple augmented reality
Gesture based computing
Visual data analysis

AECT Elections - Now in progress - until Feb. 26

2010-01-23T13:58:00.004-06:00

I want to encourage all IDT students/alumni who are members of The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) to login and vote. Elections will be open until February 26, 2010.

Remember, AECT members can join as many divisions as desired (at no cost) and may vote in any of the division elections. ESU IDT alumnus, Enilda Romero is on the ballot for the Research and Theory Division Graduate Student Board representative. Currently, Dr. Colorado is president-elect of the Research and Theory Division and Dr. Childress is a past-president of the division and current AECT board representative and AECT executive committee member.

Not a member, yet? The $50 Student Membership comes with all Member Benefits, including free online access to many publications, such as The Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology (Third edition) - 928 pages (quite a deal!) and a one-year subscription to TechTrends For Leaders in Education and Training, and other member-only benefits.

IDT Webinar - ID in Higher Ed. - Feb. 9th 8-9p.m. (Central)

2010-01-21T20:08:00.006-06:00

IDT webinars are BACK!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 from 8pm to 9pm (Central)

Elizabeth Ermis, Instructional Technologist at Guilford College in North Carolina will be discussing the role of instructional design in her position. Liz is also a recent graduate of the IDT program and one member of the winning team of the 2009 Pacificorp Instructional Design competition sponsored through the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

Go to - http://element.emporia.edu/it800sp10/

Those who have not yet used Adobe Connect Pro, sometime before the start time, visit http://element.emporia.edu/common/help/en/support/startmain.htm and follow the instructions in steps 1 and 2 (under Create Meetings). Install the Adobe Acrobat Connect Add-in for Windows or Macintosh Operating Systems. The Acrobat Connect Add-in allows you to share your screen and upload files to meetings. Test your computer to make sure that you are set up with all of the tools you will need to participate in the meeting.

Before the webinar is due to begin, direct your browser to http://element.emporia.edu/it800sp10/

Enter the room with your login and password (your ESU/Blackboard login and password) - if you are a current ESU student/faculty/staff member

Enter as a Guest - if you are an ESU alum. or guest (or if you have any difficulty logging in with your ESU login)

AECT 2010 Call for Proposals

2010-01-21T13:26:00.002-06:00

Come join Instructional Design and Technology faculty and fellow students at the 2010 AECT Convention! The Call for Proposals is now available! You can access it by going to the following link: http://www.aect.org/events/call/

Recording of Online Presentations Now Available

2009-12-22T14:56:00.004-06:00

Here is a link to the recording of the Fall 2009 Online Master's Presentations. The recording starts a few minutes into the introductions. Congratulations Graduates!

Enjoy!

http://element.emporia.edu/p59373492/

2009 ESU Winter Commencement Featuring IDT Graduates

2009-12-19T22:18:00.001-06:00

Fall 2009 Master's Project Presentations

2009-12-19T22:14:00.004-06:00

More coverage of ESU IDT's PacifiCorp team

2009-11-17T16:24:00.002-06:00

The Emporia Gazette had a nice article about Liz and Jennifer's prize-winning solution for the AECT-PacifiCorp competition. Check out the .pdf of the article at - http://www.emporia.edu/idt/pacificorp/2009/Gazette_11-14-09_6.pdf

Leonard Marcus Lecture - Leonard Marcus - 11/18-19 - Visual Literacy/Children's Books

2009-11-04T16:14:00.003-06:00

For those of you who are interested in visual literacy and/or children's books (and who are in the Emporia, KS area - or who are insanely rich and would like to fly in especially for this event)

More information - http://www.emporia.edu/jones/lecture.htm

Flyer - http://www.emporia.edu/jones/jdl09-marcus.pdf

The Jones Distinguished Lecture Series at Emporia State University and the ESU Archives are proud to present children's book historian and author, Leonard Marcus, at ESU on Wednesday and Thursday, November 18 and 19, 2009. Mr. Marcus will present a lecture titled "A New Deal for the Nursery: Golden Books and the Democratization of American Children's Book Publishing." The lecture will take place at 7:00 p.m. November 18 in the Kanza Room, Memorial Union, ESU. Preceding the lecture, Mr. Marcus will be the guest at a reception from 6:00 to 6:50 p.m. in the Flint Hills Room of the Memorial Union. Books will be available for sale during this time, and a book signing and refreshments will be available immediately following the lecture. On November 19 at 3:00 p.m., Mr. Marcus will present a lecture for educators, librarians, and students titled "Minders of Make-Believe: or, Children's Book History in Ten Giant Steps from the New England Primer to Harry Potter." This lecture will be held in Visser Hall 330, ESU. In addition, a special exhibit of original Caldecott-winning artwork from the ESU Archives' May Massee collection will be featured beginning November 18. The exhibit will take place in the May Massee Gallery, 3rd floor, William Allen White Library, ESU. All events are free of charge, and everyone is cordially invited to enjoy a glimpse of children's book publishing history.

Big news from the AECT-PacifiCorp ID Competition

2009-11-03T11:25:00.004-06:00

Big news about the AECT - PacifiCorp international instructional design and development competition.... and something else to shout from the mountain tops!

Representing Emporia State University's Instructional Design and Technology department, Liz Ermis and her teammate Jennifer Gibson were recently selected as finalists in the PacifiCorp design and development competition (which involves having teams of two students design and develop a detailed written solution and oral report in response to a quite complex instructional design case study).

They joined the other finalist teams and presented their instructional design solution on October 28, 2009 at the 2009 AECT International Convention in Louisville, KY. Being selected as a finalist team basically means that they are winners in the competition, along with the other two teams.

To top it all off, Liz and Jennifer were awarded the Best Presentation Award (grand prize award) at the Research and Theory/Design Development luncheon, for having the best overall project and presentation. Emporia State was the talk of the conference. (I think this puts to rest some folks' concerns about the quality and rigor of online programs, don't you? :)

Here's more info. from the competition website.
http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/
General guidelines.
http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/General_Guidelines.htm
The problem statement that they addressed is here.
http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/2009_Problem_Statement.htm

IDT Faculty and Students Attend AECT

2009-10-28T06:01:00.008-06:00

Several IDT Faculty and Students are attending the Association of Educational Communications and Technology Conference this week in Louisville, KY. Congratulations to IDT Students Elizabeth Ermis and Jennifer Gibson who were among the three finalists for the Pacificorp Instructional Design Competition and were set to present on Wednesday.

Stay Tuned for More News and Pictures from IDT at AECT 2009!

Sec. of Ed. Duncan recognizes ESU's Teachers College as one of the best

2009-10-22T11:15:00.005-06:00

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan just finished October 22, 2009 speech at Columbia's Teachers College. Of special note is his mention of Emporia State University's Teachers College:

At Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas, home of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, the Teachers College is the crown jewel of the school. Roughly 80 percent of students are supervised by full-time education faculty instead of adjuncts-and all elementary education professors are in the public schools every day. Senior year is a 100 percent field-based program in Emporia's public schools, where student teachers do everything from assisting with grading to sitting in on parent-teacher conferences.

Full text is available at - http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2009/10/10222009.html

I am happy to see that The Teachers College finally has been recognized for its outstanding work. This is a great day for ESU, The Teachers College, and the Instructional Design and Technology Department!

ESU Presentations at SIDLIT 2009

2009-06-22T14:00:00.001-06:00

Below is a list of ESU presentations (lead presenter names) at this year's SIDLIT 2009 Conference. I also know that several IDT individuals are co-presenters. (Note to those students/alumni listing other organizations as their affiliation - Once ESU IDT, Always ESU IDT :)

Emporia State University Presentations at SIDLIT 2009
*- ESU IDT Faculty/Student/Alum. #- ESU Staff

Delivering Custom Apps Using Rapid Application Frameworks
Aaron Sumner*

100 Ways You Can Use Google (besides Searching)
Marziah Karch*

Twitter, Tumblr, Yammer, Huh? - How to Navigate Massive Information Streams and Have a Life
Marziah Karch*

Tweaching: Teaching and Learning in 140 Characters or Less
Stephanie Gerald*

Tired of Long, Boring PowerPoint Presentations? Try Pecha Kucha!
Marcus Childress*

Captivate 4 Essentials
Terry Dicken*

Community Outside the Online Classroom
Dan Spurgin*

Digital Storytelling: How to Bring Your Stories to Life
Tracy Newman*

Using WordPress as a Content Management System
Yvonne Ballester#

Social eLearning? Social Networking Meets eLearning
Rob Gibson#

The eLearning Institute: Combining Faculty and Academic Support Expertise to Develop Online Faculty
Jozenia Colorado*

Demographics, Self-Regulated Learning Characteristics and Academic Performance of Online Graduate Students
Jozenia Colorado*

iTunes U and You: Implementing Podcasting at Your School
Rob Gibson#

Second Life Build Charades
Marziah Karch*

WolframAlpha math engine

2009-06-12T10:21:00.002-06:00

A realy cool math engine - http://www.wolframalpha.com/ A great learning tool. Some math professors/instructors will hate this. What do you think?

Japan tests cell phones to stop pandemics

2009-06-09T10:32:00.000-06:00

A few years ago, there was a small simulation about virus transmissions that could be conducted with Palm handhelds. This takes it to another level - those brilliant Japanese!

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=59117

2009-01-30T12:34:00.004-06:00

2009 Horizon Report on emerging technologies

2009-01-30T12:34:00.001-06:00

Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years.

http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/CSD5612.pdf

The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). The areas of emerging technology cited for 2009 are:
• Mobiles (i.e., mobile devices)
• Cloud computing
• Geo-everything (i.e., geo-tagging)
• The personal web
• Semantic-aware applications
• Smart objects
Each section of the report provides live Web links to examples and additional readings.

So this is how they do it!

2008-05-13T09:52:00.002-06:00

An interesting article from The Chronicle detailing how the RIAA uses Limewire to detect music pirates.

How it does it: The RIAA explains how it catches alleged music pirates

Simroid - robotic dental patient

2007-11-28T20:44:00.000-06:00

Very cool.....and a little bit creepy! Be sure to watch the video.

From http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/11/simroid-dentistry-in-the-uncanny-valley-video/

Simroid, a robotic dental patient with an eerily realistic appearance, has been spotted at the 2007 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo. Designed primarily as a training tool for dentists, the fembot patient can follow spoken instructions, closely monitor a dentist’s performance during mock treatments, and react in a human-like way to mouth pain. Because Simroid’s realistic appearance and behavior motivate people to treat her like a human being, as opposed to an object, she helps dental trainees learn how to better communicate with patients.

Is this the end of cursive writing?

2007-11-15T12:25:00.001-06:00

An article from The Christian Science Monitor - Is this the end of cursive writing?
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1114/p13s01-legn.htm
What do you think?

C.L. Lindsay - Legal expert on Facebook/MySpace

2007-11-02T10:43:00.000-06:00

Think no one sees those pictures you posted on Myspace or Facebook? Think again! Come see C.L. Lindsay - the Facebook Guy - Thursday, November 8th, 7:00 pm, 072 Science Hall, on the ESU Campus.

C.L Lindsay is a lawyer who will show you how easy it is to find the information you have been trying to hide.

More information about C.L. Lindsay at http://www.bass-schuler.com/cllindsay.php4

Sponsored by UAC Talks and Topics Committee.

Congratulations to Steve and Sandy - PacifiCorp Finalists!

2007-11-01T15:54:00.000-06:00

I just got back from the AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology) International Conference in Anaheim, CA. As finalists for the PacifiCorp Instructional Design Competition, IDT students Steve Harmon and Sandy Valenti did a masterful job of presenting their solution.

The competition involved having teams of two students design and develop a detailed written solution and presentation/report in response to a quite complex instructional design case study. The other two finalist teams were from Florida State and Virginia Tech. Here's a press release from the 2006 competition (the 2007 press release isn't out yet, and I couldn't wait to announce this). A pretty good brief explanation - The only thing that changed this year is that the conference was in Anaheim, CA this (instead of Dallas) and that it DIDN'T include a scholarship :( They did get really nice plaques, free conference registration, and recognition at the Research and Theory/Design and Development luncheon, though. http://www.rockymtnpower.net/Press_Release/Press_Release62964.html

More information from the competition website.

http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/

General guidelines.

http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/guidelines/guidelines.htm

The problem statement that they addressed is here.

http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/problemstatement.htm

This really is a tremendous accomplishment for Steve, Sandy, and all of ESU IDT!

ESU IDT - Busy with presentations

2007-10-18T22:40:00.000-06:00

Next week will be a busy conference presentation week for ESU IDT students and faculty -

EDUCAUSE (Seattle) - http://www.educause.edu/e07

IDT student Stephanie Gerald will be presenting a seminar on Tues.

http://www.educause.edu/E07/Program/11073?Product_Code=E07/SEM10A

IDT faculty member Dr. Colorado will be presenting on Wed.

http://www.educause.edu/E07/Program/11073?Product_Code=E07/PS042

AECT (Anaheim) - http://www.aect.org/events/Anaheim/

IDT students Steve Harmon and Sandy Valenti will be presenting their ID solution for the PacifiCorp Design Competition finals on Thurs.

I will be accompanying Steve and Sandy to help them accept their award at the banquet! :)

IBM Lotus Symphony - Free software suite

2007-09-28T10:25:00.000-06:00

From IBM Releases Office Desktop Software at No Charge to Foster Collaboration and Innovation

NEW YORK, September 18, 2007 - IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced IBM Lotus Symphony, a suite of free software tools for creating and sharing documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Beginning today at http://www.ibm.com/software/lotus/symphony , business, academic, governmental and consumer users alike can download this enterprise-grade office software, which is the same tool inside some of IBM's most popular collaboration products, such as the recently released Lotus Notes 8. In addition, these tools can be used to seamlessly extend a business process or custom application to create dynamic composite applications.

There are three core applications that make up the Lotus Symphony tools: Lotus Symphony Documents, Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets and Lotus Symphony Presentations. These intuitive software tools, which support Windows and Linux desktops, are designed to handle the majority of office productivity tasks that workers typically perform. Lotus Symphony supports multiple file formats including Microsoft Office and Open Document Format (ODF), and also can output content in PDF format.

JOBS!

2007-09-01T19:53:00.000-06:00

Two position announcements for you -

1) Coordinator of Learning Technology, Cowley College (SSEC - Wichita)

and

2) Learning Consultant, LSI Corporation (within Global Education Services) - Wichita, KS

____________________________________________________

1) Coordinator of Learning Technology, Cowley College (SSEC - Wichita):

This position requires a Bachelor degree, with a Master's degree in Instructional Technology or Design, or a Master's in another subject plus experience in Instructional Design for LMS preferred. It also requires two years of professional experience working with hands-on online course development, including teaching or support; professional experience developing and delivering face-to-face and online training materials; knowledge of current technologies; instructional technologies; online LMS systems; various microcomputer software packages (including information processing, database management, spreadsheet analysis and graphics); instructional design techniques and procedures; be able to develop instructional materials; be able to diagnose microcomputer and other technology and software programs; be able interpret user and owner manuals in layperson's terms; be able to identify advantages and limitations of using various technologies for instructional and other purposes; be able to communicate effectively orally and in writing; and establish cooperative working relationships with persons contacted in the course of performing assigned duties.

For more information, please contact Janice Neagle at 620/441-5214 or Neagle@cowley.edu or Julie Rorabaugh at 316-554-2776 or rorabaughj@cowley.edu

2) Learning Consultant, LSI Corporation (within Global Education Services) - Wichita, KS

Define and assign resources and lead project team to implement training in support of global education services objectives. Requires a solid understanding of the OEM partners and their resellers. Assist content developers in creation of course objectives, identifying resources and developing final materials. Serve as single point of contact for classroom and web-based courses and moderate and facilitate webcast sessions and classroom sessions based on partners and/or project assignments. Develop advertising and promotional programs related to training. Prepare evaluation reports, analyze data, and implement improvements. Edit the Learning Management System as required.

Responsible for coordinating, facilitating, scheduling and marketing the sales training program to meet the needs of LSI Sales Force, Partner sales, OEM sales, and marketing personnel. Required to work with Marketing and Sales teams to remain current on LSI products and technology. Will travel as required to execute training on special projects and attend meetings.

http://lsilogic.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=2381&CurrentPage=1

2007 Horizon Report

2007-06-14T09:26:00.000-06:00

Another good report on new learning technologies. Thanks to IDT alum Barbara Cline for sending it to me!

http://www.nmc.org/horizon/2007/report

7 Things You Should Know About...

2007-06-13T14:49:00.000-06:00

Nice, short 2-page information briefs on emerging learning technologies like Wikis, Facebook, Digital Storytelling, Creative Commons, Blogs, YouTube, Google Earth, Wikipedia, Clickers, Virtual Worlds, Mashups....you name it.

Check them out - http://www.educause.edu/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutSeries/7495

The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative's (ELI's) 7 Things You Should Know About... series provides concise information on emerging learning technologies and related practices. Each brief focuses on a single technology or practice:

What is it?
Who's doing it?
How does it work?
Why is it significant?
What are the downsides?
Where is it going?
What are the implications for teaching and learning?

The Technology Penalty

2007-04-12T09:48:00.000-06:00

You have no doubt noticed that in educational technology there is a "technology penalty."

Where others can prepare a lesson, unit, training module, or lecture and then spend minimal time updating the information or skills presented - educational technologists, such as, the IDT faculty, also have to keep updating the technology/computer side of things.

New software versions come out that must be learned. New computer operating systems like OSX and Vista require more time to be spent. Then the actual work that was previously completed has to be redone to fit the new software or systems.

We often fall into the "don't change" mode because of the extra time required. But we do change and a great deal of that precious commodity is spent again - time!

Finally, someone has written about this in a readable succinct manner. Dr. Royal Van Horn, professor of education at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville, wrote Technology: The Technology Penalty in the Phi Delta Kappan journal. You can find this article at http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v87/k0605van.htm.

Another Apple White Paper - Innovation in Education

2007-04-05T16:23:00.000-06:00

Apple has another white paper available for download - Innovation in Education
Enter your contact information and it will take you to a download link. The paper discusses the advantages of using the Apple's new Intel-based Mac computers.

Rob Curley at ESU - April 6, 2007

2007-04-02T13:19:00.000-06:00

Rob Curley, Vice-President, Product Development, Washington Post/Newsweek (and ESU alumnus) will be on campus on April 6, 2007. His speaking schedule is below.

Sessions are free and open to the public.

To quote Dr. Jim Stephens (ESU School of Business), "His ideas go beyond newspapers to all virtual communication, to the future of electronic communication, and raises issues about how communities share information."

His bio. can be found at

http://robcurley.com/robs-bio/

2007 Entrepreneurial Distinguished Lecturer

Rob Curley
Vice-President, Product Development, Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive

9:00-11:00 a.m. Presentation, 118 Visser Hall,
"Creating interactive newspaper sites and advertising models that make them profitable ."
Open to the campus and Emporia community

1:00-2:00 p.m. Information technology issues related to interactive newspapers and the skill set and mental attitude needed to operate in this changing communication process..
Cremer Hall, Roe R. Cross Room

2:30:3:30 p.m. Social and communication issues related to interactive communication and the impact on new forms of electronic communication have on people and society.
Cremer Hall, Roe R. Cross Room

Using Palm devices with Vista?

2007-04-02T10:03:00.000-06:00

Interested in using Palm devices with Vista? I found this.
Looks like what you need to know.

At this point, moving to Pocket PC might be the best solution for use with Vista? - at least until Palm does some development (with apologies to Dr. Foyle and Dr. Kasnic).

iPod in Education: The Potential for Teaching and Learning

2007-03-30T16:04:00.000-06:00

Apple has a 13-page white paper available for download - iPod in Education: The Potential for Teaching and Learning. Enter your contact information and it will take you to a download link. The paper discusses the use of iPods and podcasting for teaching and learning.

Academic Achievement Award applications due April 2, 2007

2007-02-22T17:39:00.001-06:00

Thinking about going back to school, full-time? Want to hang with the coolest professors at Emporia State? Looking to live the leisure life of a campus-based college student?
How would you like a full-time graduate assistantship, here on the beautiful ESU campus? Plus, an additional stipend? If so, read on!

Last year, Sandra Valenti was our first-ever IDT student to be awarded the prestigious Academic Achievement Award! You could be next! If you think you qualify and would be willing to be on-campus next year, download the following AAA application form and send it to me by April 2, 2007.
http://www.emporia.edu/grad/docs/aaaapp2.pdf

The AAA assistantship would involve overseeing the daily operations and maintenance of our IDT PC and Mac computer labs, in addition to assisting IDT professors with teaching our many on-campus pre-service instructional technology courses. The AAA awarded graduate assistantship comes with a tuition waiver and pays a whopping $6,752 for the academic year (working 20 hours per week)! Wait, that's not all! You also get an additional stipend on top of all of this!

The application is pretty simple:
A typed statement not to exceed one page on specific research interests and/or career goals. (I can work with you on this, if needed)
You already have transcripts on file with us, so you don't have to worry about those.
You need 3 recommendations, so you might have to get one more, in addition to what you sent with your IDT application.

Come on, you know you want to do it! Re-live those animal house experiences from your undergraduate days (BYOT - bring your own toga)!
Contact Dr. Childress, if interested!

More about Academic Achievement Awards:

Academic Achievement Awards (AAA) are awarded annually for a total of ten awards. AAA's are special graduate assistantships that are available on a competitive basis to graduate students with outstanding academic records. Recipients of the AAA are automatically awarded a full-time assistantship with an additional stipend. Applications must be nominated and ranked by their major department. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic record, application letter, recommendations, and department rankings.

Call for presenters! 2007 ESU Research and Creativity Forum

2007-02-13T14:30:00.000-06:00

Here's an opportunity for you to show the ESU campus some of the outstanding things that you are doing!

The Office of Graduate Studies and Research is sponsoring the annual research and creativity forum on Thursday, April 12, beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the Colonial Ballroom, on the ESU campus.

The poster session will be held from 1:30-4:00 with the awards ceremony beginning at 3:15. The posters will be judged by three faculty members - criteria are included on the second page of this announcement. Awards, in the form of travel funds, will be given for the best faculty poster and the best student poster ($500 for the faculty award and $300 for the student award). ALL POSTERS ARE WELCOME! You don't have to submit a competitive poster.

If you would like to exhibit a poster, please complete this form http://www.emporia.edu/research/documents/Poster-invite_001.pdf and return it, along with a brief abstract, to Pam Fillmore via email by Friday, March 16. The abstracts will appear in the printed program.

POSTERS may be computer-based. They don't have to be on a POSTER.

Those of you who presented your master's projects in December should consider this. And, those of you who are in the process of your doing master's project now might want to consider this, too! And, I think MANY of the projects that ALL of you are doing (possibly part of one of our classes) would be great for this. It will look really nice on your resume :)

***A special note to those of you who are at a distance: We are aware that this is a campus-based program and that it excludes you from participation. A real bummer! Hopefully in the future, online/web-based posters for this forum will be a reality. I will keep fighting the fight on your behalf!

Once again, you can download the announcement/proposal form, here:

http://www.emporia.edu/research/documents/Poster-invite_001.pdf

Deadline - Friday, March 16

Please an email to me mchildre@emporia.edu , if you are interested or have any questions. If you should decide to submit a poster session, please cc: me on your email/attached form to Pam Fillmore fillmorp@emporia.edu

I hope you will join us in this celebration and exhibition of research and graduate studies at ESU!

(Unfortunately, I won't be able to present or be there for this one; the first one that I have missed! I will be presenting at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in Chicago) However, I am sure that my IDT faculty colleagues will be at the forum to support you!

Dr. Childress

Seymour Papert update

2007-01-26T18:30:00.000-06:00

According to VietnamNet, Seymour Paper has been discharged from his Boston hospital and is recovering. This is great news!
Read more at:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2007/01/656865/

Have you signed the Get Well Seymour! card at MIT?
http://papert.media.mit.edu/

The top 10 ed-tech stories of 2006

2006-12-21T11:39:00.000-06:00

The editors of eSchool News highlight the ten most significant educational technology stories of the past year.

Part 1

Part 2

Seymour Papert injured in Hanoi

2006-12-08T10:47:00.000-06:00

Some sad news from the Boston Globe. I have always admired Seymour Papert and his work. He is a great man. I hope he can pull through.

December 7, 2006

Seymour Papert, a professor emeritus at MIT who is one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence and an authority on how computers can help children learn, was seriously injured after being struck by a motorbike in Hanoi, where he was attending a conference.

The accident on Tuesday left Papert, 78, in a coma. He underwent brain surgery at French Hospital, hospital officials said.

He was struck while crossing a street near his hotel, Hoang Xuan Lan of Hanoi Technology University, told the Associated Press. The university is hosting the conference.

A native of South Africa, Papert worked with renowned researcher Jean Piaget and helped develop the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Marvin Minsky. Their book, "Perceptrons," is considered one of the seminal works on the topic. Papert also helped create Logo, a programming language used to teach computer science.

Since retiring, Papert, who lives in Maine, has been adviser to the MIT Media Lab's international One Laptop Per Child project.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/07/mit_figure_struck_injured_in_hanoi/

What's a widget?

2006-11-28T20:51:00.000-06:00

I just got this question in my email. I thought - why don't I just post it here on the blog! Instead of Ask Jeeves, we'll call this Ask Dr. C.

I've been seeing a variety of things talking about
"Widgets" but am not clear on what exactly a Widget is and what its
purpose is. Can you help?

The definition from Taco Widgets: Simply put, a widget is a little mini-application that can provide information, functionality, or even a little bit of fun right on your desktop. http://www.tacowidgets.com/home/widget.html

Widgets run through Dashboard on Macs (hit F12 on a Mac running OS X 10.4), A great collection can be found here - http://www.widgetgallery.com/
I just LOVE this site; lots of FUN and useful widgets!

(o.k., they can work in Windows XP, too - but, they don't look as cool)
They can also be plug-ins for web browsers - The Google Gadget page http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open

Welcome to the IDT blog!

2006-11-28T09:36:00.000-06:00

Here it is, folks! The IDT blog! Check back often or subscribe to the Atom feed (similar to RSS) to be notified of new posts by IDT faculty.

Although I created it a week or so ago, we have been in testing mode. But now we are open for business. Be sure to check out the previous posts, below. And by all means, feel free to make comments on the posts! Enjoy!

Podcast Mania??

2006-11-24T19:24:00.000-06:00

Result of Podcast survey
Gleaned from the Kansas City Star, Nov. 24

A growing number of Americans are listening to podcasts but very few do so every day.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project said this week that 12% of Internet users havd downloaded a podcast, up from 7% earlier this year.

However, only about 1% said they do so on a typical day...unchanged from earlier. The rest do so less frequently, perhaps only once.

Link to the PDF (4 pages) http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Podcasting.pdf

Everyone clear on Web 2.0 talk?

2006-11-11T16:47:00.000-06:00

Just what is Web 2.0?

I found a good definition at Wikipedia, and although not mentioned here, it is frequently called the Read/Write Web, considering the "original" web, now labeled Web 1.0, being pretty much one way. The quick definition is here, but the link to the full article contains much more info:

Web 2.0

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O'Reilly Media in 2004^[1], refers to a supposed second-generation of Internet-based services—such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies—that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. O'Reilly Media, in collaboration with MediaLive International, used the phrase as a title for a series of conferences and since 2004 it has become a popular (though ill-defined and often criticized) buzzword amongst certain technical and marketing communities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

10-20-30 rule

2006-11-11T12:54:00.000-06:00

The 20 and 30 part of the rule is excellent. I'm not sure I agree with the 10 slide only part. In 20 minutes, 10 slides might get tiresome to the viewer. It would seem that when the presentation is moving along, and the speaker is talking and not reading the slides, more slides could be effective.

New Sloan report on increases in Online Learning

2006-11-11T10:19:00.000-06:00

New Sloan report on increases in Online Learning
From the Chronicle of Higher Education Wired Campus Blog

Ever Upward

The Sloan Consortium released a new report (27 pages) today highlighting continued growth in online education. There are no signs that enrollment in online programs will plateau, according to the report, titled Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006. Students, especially older ones, are still attracted to the convenience of completing their degrees over the Internet.

The report, based on a survey of 2,200 colleges, found that nearly 3.2 million students took at least one online course in the fall of 2005, up from 2.3 million the previous year. Even the rate of increase is going up, the report says. And a good majority of chief academic officers believe the quality of online education is equal or superior to the quality of traditional instruction.