Design

Self-directed Learning Skills

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How do teachers, parents, paraprofessionals and other working with children help those students develop self-directed learning [SDL] skills? How can we help students plan for and reach their potential?  I built and co-facilitate this course [within Moodle] to teach the skills necessary for developing 21st century habits of mind.

Participants learn to:

  • Negotiate student learning contracts
  • Teach independent thinking skills
  • Motivate and empower students
  • Become fabulous coaches
  • Build an ePortfolio

There is so much more to learn by participating in this course.  Come hear me and Meg Robbins give a one-hour presentation: Motivating students to becoming self-directed learners. MassCUE 2011.

Why Inforgraphics Matter

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The Value of Data Visualization makes a compelling case for how infographics exploit visual clues like color, size, and graphic orientation to help us understand complex stories. Naturally, they use infographics to do it. Think about visual clues when creating instructional design.

The Value of Data Visualization from Column Five on Vimeo.

Designing Online Learning

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When I am designing an online course, I use lots of check lists and charts to help guide me. Then,  when reading an articles on Three Keys That Make Good Interaction Design Great, these words stood out to me:

  • Optimizing: Making daily activities more efficient
  • Engaging: Capturing attention, creating delight and delivering meaning
  • Empowering: Enabling people to go beyond their limits
  • Expressing: Encouraging self expression and/or creativity
  • Connecting: Facilitating communication between people and communities
  • Disrupting: Re-imagining completely an existing product or service by creating new behaviors, usages or markets.

Hello, this list can be used to double check an online course.  Are these being represented in the course I’m designing? Why can’t a check list, like this one, be used to help create some dynamic online design?  I say “Yes it can!”

Art Costa Quote

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“What was once educationally significant, but difficult to measure, has been replaced by what is insignificant and easy to measure.

So now we test how well we have taught what we do not value.”

Art Costa, professor emeritus at Cal State Fullerton