Kevin C,. MBA graduate from Everest University Online, tells us about his experiences with Everest.

For more information about an online MBA from Everest University Online, visit us at EverestOnline.edu

Education To Go (ed2go), the industry leader in online learning for over ten years, provides the highest-quality online continuing education courses that are affordable and easy to use through a network of over 1,800 top Colleges and Universities.

http://www.ed2go.com/affiliate/

Interesting…

“For example, in focus groups, students consistently say that colleges should eliminate online orientation, which they criticize as “impersonal,” but they reliably applaud online tutoring. Why? It is difficult for a virtual orientation to create a genuine sense of connection to a college. For example, a virtual tour shows a campus in a way students taking on-campus courses will never use it: Students will never eat in a virtual cafeteria or park in a virtual parking lot.
Online tutoring, however, is simply another mechanism for delivering the same service provided by face-to-face tutoring. It involves a one-on-one connection with a real person, facilitated by technology. Students do the same work (revisions to a paper, for example) that they would do if they were meeting their tutors in person.”

http://www.ccsse.org/publications/national_report_2009/CCSSE09_execsum.pdf

Here is the wordle and abstract for my completed research project!

Abstract

This report examines factors associated with implementation of online learning tools in Sydney region high schools. Past studies have shown that schools can be identified as operating at a certain level of use – ranging from non-use, through stages such as entry, and adaptation, arriving at transformation – when a focus on technology shifts to a focus on the learner. This report highlights several factors affecting the use of online learning tools in Sydney high schools, including systemic factors such as institutional support, as well as micro factors such as teacher capability.  After questionnaires and interviews conducted with computer coordinators, it was found that immediate school factors such as school support, time and training were perceived as being more important than broader DET level factors.

Now, you can get a credit in history by saving America! Of course, it is a video game and not a real plot against the US.  But the credits you earn are for real!

That’s the new course that le Florida Virtual School put online recently.  This web-based public school has already offered more than 90 online courses.

American History – Conspiracy Code Game!

Eddie Flash and Libby Whitetree, two students in high-tech Coverton City, have to unravel a large plot against American History led by Conspiracy Inc., a corrupt corporation which is modifying the past archives in order to rule the future.

They collect clues, play mini-games to enhance what they have learned, they fight enemies and they reestablish the historical truth in the city archives…

By doing so, they “strengthen higher-order thinking, written communication, problem-solving, and collaborative skills through:

1. Playing engaging concept practice games
2. Responding to a variety of question types
3. Writing assignments and essays
4. Completing authentic game-based assessments
5. Participating in discussion-based assessments

Students test their knowledge during in-game challenges, engage in student-to-student collaborations and discussions, exchange information with peers (similar to group projects), and eventually use their knowledge to complete culminating mission assessments, each step eliciting a higher-order analysis of the material.“

Did the instructors role vanished ?

Not at all! They monitor, coach and advice student through a web-based friendly interface, through emails, online conferences, telephone calls and instant messaging.

They provide feedback, encourage peer collaboration, check logbooks, and so on.

The Research Base

The game is developed in collaboration with 360Ed, a well-known game development company and the University of Central Florida.  The  team focused on the balance between fun and academic requirements.

“The 12 principles of brain-based learning set forth by the Caine Institute were settled upon as Conspiracy Code’s educational design foundation, influencing both pedagogical and entertainment decisions. In developing the curriculum, findings from Le Tellier’s work on how to strengthen/build long-term memory were also incorporated. The curriculum design team applied rigorous guidelines to ensure the academic integrity of Conspiracy Code, as well as integrate and balance the educational and entertaining aspects of the game in order to ensure it remained both effective and engaging.”

Find more – including a demo – on the Florida Virtual School Website.

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The jacaranda bloom that heralds the approaching end of the university semester has now come and gone. I have completed my research report, which has found that school-based factors, such as school support and the level of committed innovators – affect schools’ uptake of online learning more than DET-level factors. So this means that DET should try to help schools with more training and release time to help teachers innovate with technology in the classroom.

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/sangphotography/4092092951

The following stats were taken from the iNACOL website and are current as of November 2009, demonstrating some of the research and trends relating to online learning.

• K-12 online learning is a new field consisting of an estimated $300 million market, which is growing at an estimated annual pace of 30% annually.
• 45 of the 50 states, plus Washington D.C., have a state virtual school or online initiative, full-time online schools, or both.
• 24 states, as well as Washington, DC, have statewide full-time online schools.
• Many virtual schools show annual growth rates between 20 and 45%.
• 35 states have state virtual schools or state-led online programs.
• As of January 2007, there were 173 virtual charter schools serving 92,235 students in 18 states.
• 57% of public secondary schools in the U.S. provide access to students for online learning.
• 72% of school districts with distance education programs planned to expand online offerings in the coming year.
• 14.2 million computers were available for classroom use in the nation’s schools as of the 2005-2006 school year. That works out to one computer for every four students.

Jane Park has posted, on the blog “Opinions of Open,” a recap of a Peer-to-Peer University meeting in Berlin. From the post:

I think in the end that is the crux of P2PU, that it’s made up of and run by volunteers–people who are willing to risk their time and effort to realize a vision that may not be realizable.

Cathy Anderson has a new post giving her thoughts on OER. The post discusses social networking, OER reuse and other related issues. Note that some of the repositories listed in the post are free, but not necessarily permissively licensed. From the post:

I have often heard the statement made…there is no evidence or research that demonstrates that any institution uses OER for development of a course much less a program. There is also no research demonstrating whether or not individuals use OER to facilitate their informal learning and whether or not they have sought to have that learning validated. I have yet to delve into any research so am not certain whether or not these observation are credible or not.

OSHA requires at a minimum that an Emergency Action Plan include:

• Procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency;
• Procedures for emergency evacuation, including type of evacuation and exit route assignments;
• Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate;
• Procedures to be followed by employees performing rescue or medical duties; and
• The name or job title of every employee who may be contacted by employees who need more information about the plan or an explanation of their duties under the plan.
• Employee Alarm system. An employer must have and maintain an employee alarm system. The employee alarm system must use a distinctive signal for each purpose and comply with the requirements in 1910.165.
• Training. An employer must designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of other employees.
• Review of Emergency Action Plan. An employer must review the emergency action plan with each employee covered by the plan:

1. When the plan is developed or the employee is assigned initially to a job;
2. When the employee’s responsibilities under the plan change;
3. and when the plan is changed.

www.osha.gov

YouTrainOnline.com offers “Means of Egress, Emergency Action Plans and Fire Protection Plans” as part of our OSHA – 10 Hour General Industry Outreach Training Program. Successful completion of this interactive online course results in the participant receiving their U.S. OSHA 10-Hour General Industry wallet card, which has no expiration date. It can be taken at the student’s pace, is available 24/7.

OSHA created the Outreach Training Program for the purpose of expanding the knowledge base of employers and employees across the country relative to their standards and guidelines, thereby enhancing safety and health in the American workforce.

Today, I’m going to give a brief “peak” at YouTrainOnline’s Industrial Skills Library because it has so much to offer in the way of continuing education for all industries. There are 57 packages (more than one individual course) to browse and over four-hundred  individual one hour courses. This is a large library, so please have a little patience while it loads. Click onto the course titles for a full description of each course.

• 100 Safety (45 courses)
• 200 Industrial Maintenance (82 courses)
• 400 Industrial Electricity (45 courses)
• 500 Power Generation & Alternative Energy Options (101 courses)
• 600 Industrial Instrumentation (55 courses)
• 800 Machine shop (27 courses)

Safety Courses:

Course titles cover: PPE, Hearing & Noise, ladder safety, first aid, CPR, machine guarding, power & handtool safety, electrical safety, confined space safety, lockout/tagout program, hazmat safety, HAZWOPER  Regulation Overview; just to name a few.

Industrial Technologies Curriculum: (303.0  hrs.)

Contains the following courses: safety (24 courses), Behavior Based Safety Programs – Basic Design & Basic Concepts, Hazardous Material Procedures, Confined Space Procedures, Hot Work Procdures, Working priciples of Simple Machines, Hand Tools I & II, Portable Power Tools, Torque Wrenches, Intro to Belt Drive Maintenance (8 courses), Intro to Bearings (6 courses), Intro to Gear Drives (3 courses), Lubrication Selection/Management/Analysis, Pipe & Pipe Fitting symbols, Pipe Joining Methods, Intro to Chain Drives/Maintenance & Troubleshooting, Intro to Valves and Their Components (12 courses), Intro to Centrifugal Pumps, Heat Exchanger Theory, Compressed Air Systems, Intro to Hydraulics, Vibration Introduction, Boiler Tube Repair (6 courses), Electron Theory (5 courses), Alternating Current, AC Induction Motors/Generators/Theory/troubleshooting/maintenance/overhaul, Intro to Motor Controls, Transformer Basics, Wire & Cable Management, Energy Conversion, System Turbine Basics, Steam Turbine Design, etc…this list contains about 1/2 of all the courses that are included in this package. For the full course listing go to the Industrial Library, scroll to the Industrial Technologies Curriculum and click.

Test Equipment Package: (8 hours)

This Package includes the following courses: Multimeters, Oscilloscopes, Power Supplies, Signal Generators, Thermometers & Calibrators, Manometers, Pressure and Vacuum Calibrators, Megohmmeters.

This is a very small look into YouTrainOnline’s Industrial Skills Course Library. We are an approved CEU provider of online continuing education courses. Our focus is on providing relevant, up-to-date, fully accredited education to our customers. Powered by 360Training.

eLearning Coach is a website that provides useful information to instructors and course designers on instructional design. It’s an interview with Karl Kapp. A knowledge broker who consults for small companies, schools and professional organizations on effwctive learning. This interview with the eLearning Coach is an excellent discussion on mapping learning technologies to needs of the learner: The Future Of Learning Design http://bit.ly/4BzuQO

IS there an end to education?…For me it’s a never ending process!!!

Often I feel overwhelmed when I get a chance to learn something new..It gives me a feeling of great satisfaction, a feeling of how much there is for me to learn, and how less time I have at my disposal. As I bury myself in books and articles it brings me motivation to learn more. It brings a freshness around me and I’ am sure there will be more people out there who experience the same joy and enthusiasm as me. For me learning is a never ending process. I love to learn beyond my knowledge of expertise; in subjects I have never explored, because there is so rich matter out there yet to be discovered by me.

There has been a dramatic change in how we learn about new things with the invention of WWW. This year we completed 40 years of internet and I still can’t imagine what more can be done with it. This week I stumbled on a article on TIME magazine “50 best websites of 2009″ and found www.academicearth.org a very great website to learn beyond the realms of classroom. It has huge collection of lectures from professors of many universities, spread across fields. And, you have no boundary on which subject you want to learn. It provides an opportunity for people who want to learn. It’s a gem for people who want to know a little more than there books.It has opened the gates of several universities for students across the globe, who can’t attend classes.

So Keep Learning. Because that’s the only treasure you have!!!

Today, I’m featuring YouTrainOnline.com’s OSHA -10 Hour General Industry Outreach Training Program. Accepted by OSHA, Course Provider is 360Training.com.

Background: U.S. OSHA created the Outreach Training Program for the purpose of expanding the knowledge base of employers and employees across the country relative to their standards and guidelines, thereby enhancing safety and health in the American workplace.

10 – Hour G.I. course description: U.S. OSHA requires four specific topics be included in every 10-Hr. program, with an additional six hours of elective topics. The four required topics are, (one hour each):

1. Introduction to the OSH Act, OSHA, Enforcement and Record keeping,
2. Walking -Working Surfaces,
3. Means of Egress, Emergency Action Plans and Fire Protection Plans,
4. Electrical Safety.

The six elective topics included in this program (running one-half hour to one and one-half hours in length each) are:

1. Hazardous Materials,
2. Personal Protective Equipment,
3. Machinery and Machine Guarding,
4. Safety & Health Programs,
5. Hazard Communication,
6. Hazardous Substances and Industrial Hygiene.

Successful completion of this course will result in the participant recieving their U.S. OSHA 10-Hour General Industry wallet card, which has no expiration date.

Prerequisites: None

Course Duration: Minimum 10 Hours

Objectives: Upon completion, each student will be able to:

1. Locate OSHA Standards & references applicable to the 10 topics listed above.
2. Gain a familiarity with the various elements in the sup-parts listed above.
3. Gain the knowledge to create or enhance a site-specific facility safety and health program.

Type of Course: This course is an online, interactive program which can be taken at the student’s pace and convenience. It is available online 24/7 and will be an active available program for six months from the date of registration.

Evaluation: This U.S. OSHA 10-Hr. G.I. Outreach program contains 10 topic modules, each with its own lessons. Each module includes lesson quizzes to test the student’s comprehension of the material just presented. There is a final quiz at the end of each module which requires each student to attain at least 70% minimum correct requirement. At the time of completion, the student will be able to download and print a 350Training certificate indicating successful completion of the course, and for continuing education credit purposes. In addition, the student will recieve their U.S. OSHA 10-Hr. G.I. wallet card from their OTIEC in the mail.

Demo Clip

Please feel free to comment or ask questions!

By Stephanie Weaver

On Sunday, October 25 WMA held a pre-conference workshop at San Diego’s Museum of Photographic Arts called “Getting Comfortable with Visitor Comfort.” The goal of the workshop was to help participants and the museum assess how the museum’s experience met visitors’ comfort needs, and therefore was an experience they might want to repeat. The facilitators (in alpha order) were Paul Gabriel, Vivian Haga, Beth Katz, Steve Tokar, and myself. We were extremely fortunate to have Kenshi Westover with us, an amazing videographer and editor, as well as Joaquin Ortiz from the museum staff. During the workshop they shot a total of 6 hours of video, which Kenshi is editing down into segments.

This first segment is about entrances and exits. The workshop participants were each given cards with roles to play, and sent out into the museum with very little priming to see how the museum experience worked for them in this role. Roles varied from temporary physical conditions, like pregnancy, to learning differences like dyslexia.

In the video, you’ll see the participants identified by name and then the role they were playing.

Short article with common-sense advice about powerpoints online. Stay tuned for “Classroom 2.0″ this Spring: one of our focuses will be narrated ppt’s.

Designing PowerPoint Presentations for the Online Classroom – DE Oracle @ UMUC

Posted using ShareThis

Wytze Koopal has tweeted about the launch of Free Technology Academy. The courses can viewed and taken freely, but teaching support will only be provided to enrolled students. From the announcement:

The Free Technology Academy opens its doors to students. The registration process for the first 2 courses has already started. The courses currently open are “The concepts of Free Software and Open Standards” and “The GNU/Linux Operating System”. These courses will start on January 25th, 2010.

“Michelle” has a new post recapping a recent talk by Martin Weller titled “OER and a Pedagogy of Abundance.” From the post:

Shared exploration and collaboration works well with the “guide on the side” metaphor, where you have subject expert mentors who help create “paths” through the sea of content, providing an intelligent information filter.

More from Martin Weller.

Electrician CE Course and State Requirements:

Alaska: Electrical Administrators are required to take 8 hours of continuing education per category every two years, based on the current state adopted codes. Electrical Journeyman are required to take 16 hrs of continuing education every two years, of which at least eight hours must be based on the current codes and eight hours may be “industry related.”

Arkansas: All licensed electricians are required to take 8 hours of continuing education every code change, the hours must consist of NEC Code Updates.

Delaware: Electricians must complete 10 hours of continuing education (min 5hrs NEC code) every 2 years on June 30th (even years).

Florida: Fourteen hours board approved continuing education each biennium prior to renewal period for both certified and registered contractors is required. One hour must be in workplace safety, one hour must be in business practice, one hour must be in worker’s compensation, one hour must be on an Advanced Module of the FL Building Code. One hour must be specifially related to laws and rules regulationg the contstruction industry (effective 9/1/2007).

Idaho: Each Master and Journeyman electrician with a license expiration date of July 31, 2005 or later must provide 24 hours of continuing education, 16 of which must be on the 2005 code changes, in order to renew their licenses.

Montana: All licensees are required to complete 16 hours of continuing education (8 hrs of NEC Code, and 8 hours industry specific). Renewal period is July 15th every even year. Next renewal is July 15th, 2010.

New Mexico: The Construction Industries Commission, at its January 18th, 2008 meeting approved the adoption of the 2008 New Mexico Electrical Code (NMEC) which adopts and amends teh 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) as the minimum electrical code for the State of New Mexico. Te effective date for enforcement is July 1st, 2008. Any project that is permitted after July 1st, 2008, shall comply with the 2008 NMEC and 2008 NEC.

North Carolina: All Electricians in North Carolina must complete either 4 or 8 hours depending on classification, of Continuing Education every year, half of which can be done online. We can certainly help you with that portion!

Oklahoma: There are no present requirements for this industry. YouTrainOnline.com does however offer NEC 2008 Code Update for Oklahoma, a 6 hour course. Click here for Demo.

Oregon: There are no present requirements for this industry. YouTrainOnline.com does offer ten Electrician CE packages, five 4.0 hour courses and the OSHA 10  Hour General Industry Outreach Training Program (for all states, not just Oregon). Please click here for Electrical Fundamentals Demo.

Texas:  Important Information About Continuing Education Requirements  for the following Electrician License Types; Master Electrician, Journeyman Electrician, Master Sign Electrician, Journeyman Sign Electrician, Maintenance Electrician, Residential Electrician: To renew the listed electrician licenses Title 8, Occupations code, Chapter 1305, Section 168 required the completion of 4 hours of TDLR -approved continuing education (CE) courses during the term of the current license. The required hours must cover the National Electrical Code (NEC) and Texas state electrician laws and rules. Courses may be delivered in many different formats including the Internet and traditional classroom. Note: Apprentice Electricians, Electrical Contractors, and Electrical Sign Contractors are not required to have continuing education for their license renewals. For more info please visit www.license.state.tx.us/electricians/elecce.htm

Vermont: All licensed electricians must complete 15 hrs of board approved Continuing Education every 3 years.Vermont Dept of Public Safety.

Washington: All electricians must complete 24 hrs of Continuing Education with a minimum of 8 hours on Code Changes. As of Jan. 1st,  2005, 4 hrs of the CE must be on the currently adopted Revised Code of Washington and its related Administrative Code (WAC).

Wisconsin: There are no present requirements for this industry. YouTrainOnline.com offers a 4.0 hr Electrical Fundamentals Course, Lockout/Tag Out basics, Electrical Safety and NFPA 70E.