Pennsylvania Distance Learning Association Conference and North-East Learning Unconference

The Padla conference on Nov 13th 2013 was unique. It catered to industry, corporate and higher education folks in the North-East Tri-State area. I attended five sessions. The one that I learned a lot from was on Twitter. I liked it because I had always imagined Twitter to be a medium for the famous or even infamous. The argument in my mind was why would someone be interested in a random person's tweets. However, now that I have started tweeting I believe otherwise. It can be used as a social media instrument to increase awareness. It can also be used to enable students to build a community of learners or form groups based on their interests. A faculty member can add people in groups and create a class or community and request participants to tweet. Faculty might prefer to use twitter as an instrument to foster discussion in place of or maybe in addition to their LMS online discussion forums. I do look forward to the North-East unconference to know more about badges and gamification of knowledge.

Virginia Rocket Launch and Technology

At 7:30 p.m. last night  a rocket blasted  into space from Wallops Island, Va., carrying a record 29 satellites, including one developed at a high school in northern Virginia.  Sky watchers up and down the East Coast could catch a glimpse of this event.  Skies were forecast to be clear with diminishing winds and the launch did proceed. The satellite developed by Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., known as TJ3Sat, is one of 28 miniature “CubeSats” or nanosatellites that are part of the mission. TJ3Sat is the first satellite to be built and tested by high school students, according to Orbital Sciences, the project’s corporate sponsor as well as the developer of the Minotaur rocket, boosting the various satellites into orbit.

One of the most intriguing features of this rocket launch news is that it will provide humanity an opportunity to send and receive texts. Apparently there is new technology that will also allow for sending sound across to earth while in orbit.  I feel like saying to the young folks "beware you don't know who is listening" it could be your parents. Jokes apart I believe this is an age of younger folks to showcase their strides in science and technology. I believe strongly that in a couple of years down the road humans on earth will be able to buy a ticket to get on 'something' to visit the moon.

Online course development

 For those who do not believe in online education baby steps seem to work the best. A blended learning model assists faculty in their preliminary planning to put their course or courses online. Once you can figure out how to creatively adapt your syllabus  for meeting students online it is easier for them to conceive of it as a legitimate way of connecting with students. Students today use their social media tools to communicate. Most it not all are almost always consuming online information. They read, write, communicate and talk through multiple online modes.  If faculty want to connect acknowledging this fact helps in making changes and adapting new teaching styles that are technology inclusive.

Learning and Memory and Flipped Classroom.

I just realized the other day that it takes a lot of thinking to know how brain processes information. There are great strategies such as association and frame-working that help you retain things in your long term memory. It was interesting to note that a lot of students prefer to solve difficult problems in class instead of going over simpler problems that are repeated for the benefit of the whole class. This made me think that a flipped classroom model could work in this scenario. Students could be asked to read and process information at home and come to class to solve problems or solve the difficult problems that they could not tackle by themselves.

Random Acts of Kindness

Random acts of kindness should always be reciprocated. If not with the same person then with others who require them. I was very surprised that a youngster offered to pay my bill at a take out place on campus. It was genuinely kind and I appreciated the gesture. He was a kind young man. I did have the money but if I did not it was nice of him to offer to cover my bill of three dollars and fifty cents.

Passhe Virtual Presentation 2013

The last Passhe Virtual presentation I attended was on seven online strategies to help support online learning in a Higher Education environment. I liked this presentation as it gave helpful tips and strategies to assist facult in implementing online learning.

Google Hangouts, Global Village and the Earth

I absolutely love and adore the connectivity that one feels with virtual online meetings through Google Hangouts. I like it a lot because you can video chat simultaneously with ten people. You do not need any plug ins or any type of connections. It is one instant technology gratification one step ahead of Skype. I also love vonage and its whole brand of international connections appeal. When you really want to hear your mom's voice who is milions of miles away I would most definately opt for the Vonage line as  I can hear and talk to her and all of my loved ones to my hearts content without worrying about additional international calling bills.  Also, the power of positive technology is that you can and you should always use technology to better equip yourself and the earth to connect and become global. Hmm this makes me wonder I don't have time this weekend to write on carbon footprint but something has to be done regarding the environment too. More on that later.