There are gender wars, and then there are casualties. It wasn’t until 2011 that the behemoth toymaker LEGO acknowledged girls’ desire to build with bricks, even though the company had long before made a seemingly effortless pivot to co-branding, video games, and major motion pictures. So it’s little wonder that girls face all-too-real obstacles when […]
Read moreCategory: Technology
Mobiles and eBooks will be a big deal in higher education by the end of the year, predicts a panel of 42 experts in education, technology, and business in a new report jointly released by a consortium and association related to higher education. These predictions are gathered in the “2011 Horizon Report,” released today.
Also, coming soon, these experts predict that by 2014, augmented reality and game-based learning will be important. And by 2016, they predict students will often use gestures to interact with computers, and that learning analytics will be common.
IDEA presented and demonstrated “Concept Maps for Online Exhibits” at the 2010 Museums and the Web Conference, April 13-17 in Denver. Concept maps are a useful component of online exhibits, as they help meet the needs of multiple learning styles and provide an innovative way to visualize information. SpicyNodes’ radial mapping engine improves upon previous
We’ve just launched a new blog for SpicyNodes, our new concept mapping tool. In that blog, we’ll follow news about the SpicyNodes project development and use, as well as a broader view about concept mapping, mind mapping, and related ways to visualize information.
Interactivity helps explain why the sky is blue. Problem Some subjects are naturally difficult to teach, while others are perceived as tedious. Teaching through the use of static text and images leads to a passive learning experience that doesn’t engage students. As a result, students’ attentions wane and the information isn’t assimilated. Solution Introduce
Bridging the information gap one step at a time. Problem Increasing access to information for hard-to-reach populations is critical to enabling them to overcome obstacles to education and development. Solution Although the distribution and implementation of information technology is a complex effort happening on many fronts, there are many success stories from which individuals and
Properly implementing learning technologies benefits teacher and student alike. Problem: It’s difficult to avoid the pitfalls inherent in implementing technology-assisted learning. Solution: Clarify the goals and objectives of an online education program prior to its implementation, and ensure that quality is not compromised. Discussion: The temptation to think of technology-assisted learning as an inherently good
Enriching teacher-student communication with online tools. Problem: The limitations of classroom teaching are too constricting. Time and resources don’t stretch far enough, and the quality of your interaction with students is too dependent on the mood of the classroom at the moment you are together. Solution: There are many potential tradeoffs and pitfalls to online
Enhancing the learning experience by correctly using online tools. Problem: Although classroom teaching has its limitations, you are concerned that online teaching sacrifices quality or that it provides refuge for underperformers. Solution: Tap into resources that allow educators to measure their current skills and competencies against those related to successful online teaching in order to
Expense of web design
May 2nd, 2006 by IDEA
Separating a site’s design from its content makes a re-design less costly. Problem It’s expensive to pay for the services of a web designer, and doubly expensive if you decide to change the site’s design at some point during the site’s life cycle. Solution Separate a website’s content, design, and structure, so the design can