BP10-Comment to Karol

Follow this link to my comments on Karol's blog.

WORDLE

Karol is featuring the Web 2.0 tool - WORDLE.  It is a great Language Arts motivator for students!

BP9-Comment to Trina

Follow this link to my comments on Trina's blog.

PlanbookEdu-one of the featured pages of this tool that Trina found!

Trina has found a Web 2.0 tool entitled PlanbookEdu that enables teachers to develop lesson plans (via pre-made templates found in the program or through templates of their own creation), and share these plans through the convenience of cloud storage.  The free version has many features and for a nominal fee, the advanced version is available.  It is definitely a versatile tool.

BP8-Startups

The Web 2.0 tool I have chosen for this post is entitled Startups.

Web 2.0 Tool - Startup - Home Page

It is a free tool that primarily focuses on anyone who is trying to start up his or her own business.  The tool has gradually branched into offering assistance for small business owners who have start-up business questions.  A wiki ‘conversation’ page allows users to post their business question and receive answers from those in business fields who are members of the wiki, thus providing guidance and support.  

Screenshot of Startups Wiki page

This user-generated content makes the tool seem quite friendly.  The site also contains links to articles of interest.  Additionally, there is also a link to a recently produced YouTube business start-up video. The user can keep up with current posts through links to "Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, Delicious, Stumbleupon, and Google Bookmarks".

It appears that the latest update to this tool was completed on 12/29/09.  This does make me question whether the tool is as up-to-date as it could possibly be for users. 

I have chosen this tool for one basic reason.  My Action Research Project deals with adult learners who are pursuing their undergraduate degree.  These learners are encountering a job market that is highly competitive.  Many of these adult learners are trying to brush up on forgotten skills while honing in on new skills that will aid their job searches once they receive their undergraduate degree.  The idea of starting up their own business is one that I believe can help these adult learners/students with their job search.  No, it is not an easy task to accomplish. A versatile tool such as Startups does provide needed guidance.  

Overall, the Startups.com website provides business entrepreneurs valuable information, links out, and a forum for questions.

Reading-Post 2

Knowledge provides the key to the world you hold in your hands - Creative Commons Photo

This time in EBSCO Host’s scholarly peer reviewed articles, I searched ‘adult learners in today’s technological world’ and retrieved over one million articles.  After two advanced searches using the key words, “elearning” and “instructional design", I narrowed the relevant articles to a manageable 13.   These articles contain many interesting findings!  Below, I have shared a few of them.

Cook, R. (2008). Combining quality and expediency with action research in elearning instructional design. Journal of Educators Online, 2, 1-34. Retrieved from

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=51&hid=105&sid=b982b455-e30f-4848-8d6a-90683afcd595%40sessionmgr11

Interesting article.  The author has conducted research focusing on the obstacles that surround the actual company/school/business when striving for success using technology.  It appears the author has also “embedded action research in electronic instructional design” (Cook, 2008) for this study to give important feedback to the developer.  This article might prove beneficial to the writer’s AR project as the project focuses on instructional design and e-learning.

Eberle, J. H. (2009). Heutagogy: What your mother didn’t tell you about pedagogy and the conceptual age. National Social Science Journal, 28(2), 181-188. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=57&hid=10&sid=b982b455-e30f-4848-8d6a-90683afcd595%40sessionmgr11

This article contains a cross-reference of ideas pertaining to andragogy, pedagogy, and heutagogy, “the study of self-directed learning”. (Eberle, 2006).  It concentrates on the advantages that e-learning offers to the adult learner.  For this writer’s AR project, it appears to contain a wealth of valuable information.

Silver-Pacuilla, H. (2008). Access and benefits: Assistive technology in adult literacy. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50.2.4, 114-125. doi:10.1588

This article focuses on development of adult learners skills – particularly adult literacy - through assistance and support using technology.  It appears to present concrete research and a methodical approach for tackling a portion of the ‘fear of technology’ issue and may prove to be supportive of this writer’s AR project.  It also appears to include research conducted using multiple intelligence theory, which, again, may prove useful to this writer’s final AR project.

Stewart, J.A, & Alexander, G. (2006). Virtual action learning: Experiences from a study of an sme e-learning programme. Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2, 141 159, doi: 10.1080/14767330600885854

This article shares results gathered in a project that investigated both workshops in a face-to-face situation and in a virtual learning environment. The results of their research may be beneficial to this writer’s AR project in that the e-learning and instructional design projects this AR project references also target both types of demographics.

BP7-OMM-BRIO

This is a Web 2.0 tool entitled BRIO.  It is a versatile, FREE tool that enables web conferencing on both the MAC and PC platforms.

Music for this video was created using iLife Sound Effects, :58, Daydream

BP-6-Comment to Melissa

Follow this link to my comments on Melissa Lodhi's blog.

Melissa has found a Web 2.0 tool (Edmodo) for her classroom with mobile access, among other features, that is incredible!  Thanks for sharing!

BP_5-Comment to Curt

Follow this link to my post on Curt Isakson's blog

The ischoolband tool Curt has found appears to have great capabilities for organizing, in Curt's words, "syllabuses, pictures, parent information sheets, and media that include actual mp3 files and videos."  I particularly like the email generator feature!