The Guzman Monthly

April 2015 | Volume 2, Issue 4

Index

• Welcome

• About the author

• News (4 slides)

• Apps & Tools (3 slides)

• Online Learning (3 slides)

• MOOCs

• ADA/SARA

• Faculty Development (2 slides)

• Student Learning (3 slides)

• New Ways of Learning

• Upcoming Movie & TV Trailers

Welcome to the next issue of “The Guzman Monthly”. In this publication I will collect and list some recent articles on higher education issues, online learning best practices, deliver some tools/app suggestions and links to interesting news/videos on the web published in the past month. Planned release schedule is between the last week of the past month and the first full week of the current month.

To view previous newsletters please visit my slideshare page: http://www.slideshare.net/TJtheTiger

My name is Tony Guzman and I serve as the Director of Online Programs at the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Social Work (SSW).

I also oversee the UB SSW Podcast series: inSocialWork®, and the Technology in Social Work Resource Center. Feel free to listen to some of our podcasts and review our resources.

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tguzman/Scoop.it!: http://www.scoop.it/t/the-future-of-higher-education-by-tony-guzman-1Twitter: https://twitter.com/professor_tg

News

Instagram being leveraged by high school students during the admissions process. There are pros and cons here but overall I think it allows students to get a realistic picture of the college they are considering. Thoughts?http://time.com/3762067/college-acceptance-instagram-high-school/

This opinion piece on Forbes shares the disruption that higher education is undergoing by the digital age is similar to the digital age disruption of news media organizations in the past decades. Thoughts?http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/07/16/why-higher-education-cannot-resist-disruptive-change/

How often is your data being shared from your smart phone? This article describes research that may very well surprise you. Smart phone user beware!http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/06/people-are-shocked-shocked-when-they-learn-just-how-much-mobile-data-they-share.aspx

News (cont.)

This Pew Research report shares some interesting data results regarding teens, their use of social media and other technologies. Any surprises?http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

Ellucian acquired Helix Education’s competency-based LMS to add into their product line. Has anyone tried out this LMS?http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/13/ellucian-adds-competency-based-ed-lms.aspx

This opinion piece shares thoughts on why enrollment in masters and professional degrees are currently down. Agree or disagree?http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/04/13/are-masters-degrees-on-their-way-out-alternatives-grow-as-enrollment-fades/

News (cont.)

What is true disruption? This article addresses this term and how it should be identified within higher education.http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/16/disrupting-higher-education.aspx

This article shares some astounding stats for how big data will get even bigger by 2020. No wonder we are creating additional certificates and degrees to tackle big data. Where will it stop?http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/15/internet-of-things-data-to-top-1-6-zettabytes-by-2020.aspx

Going hand-in-hand with my previous post of big data becoming even bigger by 2020, NYU is launching 3 new certificate programs about big data.http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/16/nyu-school-of-engineering-launches-3-online-certificate-programs-for-big-data-skills.aspx

News (cont.)

This article shares initiatives in NY and CA on tackling higher education needs. How will other states tackle this, and what will be done at the federal level?http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/04/15/california-and-n-y-are-thinking-big-on-higher-education-will-the-feds/

This article shares some astonishing facts of where the money is at in higher ed. and certainly shares some concerns for the smaller institutions in the long run. What will higher education look like in the next decade?http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/04/16/rich-colleges-and-universities-are-getting-a-lot-richer-study-finds/

Apps & Tools

Blackboard asking the FCC to expand and clarify what exactly is an emergency message. Any of your institutions using Bb Connect to send out alerts to your student body?http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/03/31/fcc-seeks-comment-on-what-emergency-means-for-school-mass-notifications.aspx

This article helps any iPad 2, or later, owners get more out of their aging mobile devices.http://www.teachthought.com/technology/18-ways-to-make-your-ipad-faster/

This article shares ideas on how to convert your book into an app. What works and when and how to do it.http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/15/book-to-app-replacement-versus-transformation.aspx

Apps & Tools (cont.)

This is a great infographic describing Creative Commons.http://bit.ly/1hFvp09

This infographic is a good start for any parent considering giving their child a smart device and wanting to keep them safe in the online world of today.http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/keep-your-kids-safe-when-theyre-using-a-smartphone/

LinkedIn has purchased Lynda.com. What does this mean for higher education?http://chronicle.com/article/How-LinkedIn-s-Latest-Move/229441/

Apps & Tools (cont.)

For those seeking a proctoring capability for their online courses, this article may hold the answer to your quest.http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/22/proctoru-launches-multifactor-online-student-verification.aspx

This article includes a video tutorial on Screencast-o-matic, a video capture tool that can help you create videos for your students to help them in their learning.http://www.emergingedtech.com/2015/04/3-minute-tech-tool-tutorial-screencastomatic/

This article shares from multiple sources, tutorials on how to use Evernote. Many use this tool already, do you?http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/03/everything-teachers-need-to-know-about-evernote.html

Online Learning

Stephen Downes, one of online education’s forerunners, recently presented a keynote presentation. This page lists his slides and a video recording of the presentation.http://www.downes.ca/presentation/359

This article shares some excellent points on how to prepare to convert your on-ground course to an online course. My addition is realizing that the initial conversion time could be lengthy but will pay off in the long run as you re-teach the course in following semesters.http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/taking-the-leap-moving-from-in-person-to-online-courses/

This article takes a long way around to the question: What purpose do I want this online discussion to serve? What methods are you using in your online discussion boards?http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/youre-asking-the-wrong-question/

Online Learning (cont.)

This article shares the “Save the Last Word for Me” protocol which can be used in online discussion threads dealing with complex subject matter. Anyone using this method in their classes?http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/save-the-last-word-for-me-encouraging-students-to-engage-with-complex-reading-and-each-other-2/

This article shares some great tips on helping your online students cope with group work within your courses. The last tip is extremely important but make sure to be genuine in your encouragement.http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/five-steps-to-improving-online-group-work-assignments/

In honor of Earth Day, this article shares how online degrees can help us be more sustainable.http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/14/online-degrees-show-net-positive-campus-impact.aspx

Online Learning (cont.)

This article shares some excellent tips on how to increase the learning motivation of your online students. How many have you used already? How has it gone?

http://elearningindustry.com/5-tips-to-enhance-motivation-in-elearning

MOOCs

A research draft report shares findings from edX MOOC courses and some findings may surprise you. Thoughts?http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/01/edx-mooc-research-gives-clearer-picture-challenges-assumptions.aspx

edX settles to revamp their MOOC courses over the next year and a half to become fully ADA compliant. This is great news and should have additional ripple effects across online higher education courses.http://chronicle.com/article/edX-to-Improve-Access-to-MOOCs/229059/

This article shares some ideas for those interested in developing a smaller MOOC than usual.http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/20/6-tips-for-creating-a-mini-mooc.aspx

ADA/SARA

This article helps faculty who may be struggling in helping students with ASD within their classroom. Their last tip I think should be one of the first ones to be suggested and implemented. Thoughts?

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-classroom-management/teaching-college-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorders/

Faculty Development

This article addresses the authors perspective on the education landscape of the past 15 years. Interesting reflections. Thoughts?http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/what-we-have-and-havent-learned/

This article addresses the need to strike the right balance between teaching and scholarship. Thoughts?http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/faculty-development/how-teaching-can-inform-scholarship/

This article addresses the three main knowledge domains of teaching and learning. Where do you get most of your knowledge?http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/pedagogical-knowledge-three-worlds-apart/

Faculty Development (cont.)

This article shares about the value of faculty mentoring faculty. Thoughts?

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/faculty-mentoring-faculty-relationships-that-work/

Student Learning

This article and video help us start to discuss student-centered learning and how vastly different this is to the current model used in our K-12 public school systems.http://www.nmefoundation.org/

This article shares some great ideas on how the design of your assignments can dictate the type of student learning that can occur. It shares an example of different writing assignments available in today’s classrooms. Anyone using journals and/or blogs for writing assignments?http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/how-assignment-design-shapes-student-learning/

This blog entry shares some excellent tips to share with your students about how to take efficient class notes.http://blog.remind.com/17-tips-for-effective-note-taking/

Student Learning (cont.)

This article poses the question: When looking to eliminate plagiarism, are we explaining academic integrity sufficiently?http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/promoting-academic-integrity-are-we-doing-enough/

This article shares results from an empirical study conducted with two separate courses and the results may surprise you. Who is using this technique in their courses? How has it gone?http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/helping-students-who-are-performing-poorly/

This article shares some strategies on how faculty can help their students deal with their fears and anxieties in your course.http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/strategies-for-addressing-student-fear-in-the-classroom/

Student Learning (cont.)

This article shares the research conducted to help high school students improve their academic performance after attending online intervention sessions on “growth mindset” and “sense of purpose”.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/29/research-brief-online-interventions-can-improve-student-achievement.aspx

New Ways of Learning

This article shares some ideas on how to increase the level of engagement for your students with active learning techniques.http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/15/engaging-students-with-active-learning.aspx

This article looks at what is in store for the flipped classroom movement.http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/15/where-flipped-learning-research-is-going.aspx

Upcoming Movie & TV Trailers

Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer, Release Date: 5/1/2015http://youtu.be/JAUoeqvedMo

Mad Max: Fury Road Trailer, Release Date: 5/15/2015https://youtu.be/hEJnMQG9ev8

Terminator: Genisys Trailer, Release Date: 7/1/2015https://youtu.be/jNU_jrPxs-0

Full Favorite Trailer playlist on my YouTube channelhttp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp4nJo9D2kEs3McWG18x5UmIcSsVhNjq0

Thanks for checking this monthly newsletter out and hope to see around again next time!