LinkedIn has created an infographic on what it considers to be the 50 Most Influential Education Brands on LinkedIn, as measured by their Content Marketing Score.
The results skew towards institutions in the U.S., with some international representation. Most of the usual suspects are there, but I was surprised to see the Jack Welch Management Institute topping the list.
Anyone in Higher Education could do worse than to download the report, but may disagree with the ranking.
My friend Ted shared some great resources on “Competencies for Online Teaching” with me this week. They are:
I will be digging into these as the year progresses.
Ecamm BT-1
I updated my MacBook Air to OS X El Capitan (OS X 10.11) last week, and subsequently hit two issues.
The first issue was that Outlook would not work. This luckily has been fixed with an adapt from Microsoft.
The second issue is unlikely to be resolved. The Ecamm BT-1 Bluetooth Wireless Webcams that I use with ScreenFlow to record class presentations no longer work after the El Capitan upgrade. Ecamm discontinued the camera several years ago, so I don’t see any options beyond reverting to an earlier version of the OS. There don’t seem to be any viable alternatives yet. The Logitech Broadcaster Wi-Fi Webcam does not have an El Capitan driver, the HuddleCam Air HD is too expensive.
Sigh.
Last week’s Distance Teaching & Learning conference (in Madison, WI) has been storified. Some great resources and discussion. Well worth checking out:
https://storify.com/UWDEPD/2015-distance-teaching-learning-conference
Online Proctoring Providers
A work colleague shared this useful report from Eduventures on Online Proctoring Providers.
I was at The Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning last week. The conference seems to get better each year, and I needed the weekend to think a little deeper about what I saw and heard. This here, is both a prompt and a reminder (so that I don’t forget what I saw, and work on the projects that I want to).
As usual, several of the participants used Twitter for back-channel conversations. This became a useful tool to aggregate comments and resources via the #UWdtl hashtag. Hopefully more participants get onboard next year.
I managed to catch a couple of Speed Sessions Tuesday afternoon, only the last four, but these were helpful. The “speed” part of the speed sessions was hurt a little when presenters had difficulty getting their laptops to work with the HDMI connection to the projector in the room, but luckily those with recalcitrant laptops were able to borrow working MacBooks. Of the four sessions that I saw, Moses Wolfenstein‘s “Finding a Place for Gamification in Learning” was the most entertaining, but Laura Bunte of Stratagem had some very useful formulae and templates to share for projecting the cost of developing online content.
The Conversation Prism
I was lucky enough to see a series of information sessions that met my interests and needs:
Luckily plenty turned up for the session. My presentation notes can be found here.
Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts
I am going to be at the 31st Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning (11th – 13th August, 2015) this year. DEPD Director Les Howles has some great tips for presenters, highlighting do’s and don’ts. This is based upon feedback from conference attendees, and is well worth watching and reading.
The handout has 10 things that a successful presenter should do, and 10 things a successful presenter should not do. Ultimately, your presentation should should provide lots of practical tips and advice. You also want to share “plenty of relevant real-world examples and lessons learned”
Les also shares my bugbear. I hate it when I encounter “session descriptions that don’t match the content presented.”
If you have not done so already, you can register for the conference here:
https://dtlconference.wisc.edu/
(Full disclosure: I am on the 2013-2015 Planning Committee for the conference)
Great Wall of China
I was in China recently (first time!) showing Chinese teachers how online learning is conducted in the U.S. Before leaving for China, I diligently checked on what to pack. I made some good decisions. I made some bad decisions. This post hopefully helps others about to make that long journey to a fascinating country.
My style of presenting and teaching is to use a MacBook Air, recording myself with a BT-1 Bluetooth camera (positioned towards the back of the room) and ScreenFlow.
I was in Beijing in June. Hot and humid. Definitely worth checking the weather before visiting. Chinese culture is not particularly bothered about formal attire, so no need to pack a business suite or dress shoes. For teaching in June, lightweight hot-weather clothing is the way to go:
Chinese airport security is more restrictive than in the U.S., you may be able to bring something into China, but taking it back on the airplane may be more difficult. One of the most useful gadgets I had on the trip (HooToo TripMate Wireless N Portable Travel Router with 6000mAh Battery Charger) was confiscated as I was leaving Beijing Capital International Airport. The reason was that it had a battery that lacked “proper wording” (officially declared capacity). My understanding is you want to have less than 100 watt-hours, and for this to be clearly stated on the device.
Typical Chinese Electrical Outlet
Whilst teaching, I was in typical Chinese classroom. Projectors worked with either VGA or HDMI connections; so having adapters for both was a must (which is where the Cable Matters® Mini DisplayPort to HDMI/DVI/VGA Male to Female 3-in-1 Adapter comes in very useful). Internet speeds could be slower than what I was used to, and WiFi could be slower than a wired connection – this is where bringing my own router and Ethernet cable brought dividends.
Explore Beijing Subway Map
Beijing’s Metro is fantastic (and rapidly expanding). New lines and stations are coming to service. This app helps you navigate, and has maps for each station
Express VPN
A VPN is required in China to access sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google.
Learn Chinese
English is not commonly spoken in China. A phrasebook is essential.
I was in China recently, and towards the end of the trip a Chinese a teacher shared these example of Chinese MOOCs with me. I cannot speak for the quality of the courses, but here they are:
