for inquiring minds

Free-range learning

  • Exploring and learning at ETUG’s 2017 Spring Jam

    Just back (actually it’s been nearly two weeks!) from a challenging, fun exploration of ideas, innovations, edtech stories and design practices at UBC Okanagan (a sunny, stormy beautiful campus in Kelowna). Another ETUG event that introduced me to new people and projects and left me with lots to think about and new ideas of my…

  • How to learn more effectively

    There’s been a lot of interest in recent neuro-scientific research, particularly research related to different aspects of learning and memory. As educators, we’re always trying to find better ways to help our students learn (and ourselves as well). While popular science articles have highlighted many of the significant changes in our understanding of how the brain…

  • Connecting With Open Learning ’17

    As I browse the cloud, some things just seem to jump out at me – I saw an invitation to a cMOOC with the name Gardner Campbell attached to it. Well, I participated in an interesting cMOOC a couple of years ago called Connected Courses and had the opportunity to hear Gardner Campbell and others…

  • 5 steps to a better Course Introduction video

    I thought I’d share some lessons I’ve learned over the last couple of years about making better course introduction videos – I picked 5 for 2 reasons: “5” is a manageable number for busy web browsers “5” forces me to share the most important (and potentially most useful) lessons. (Note:  an a bonus for me…

  • An appy ending inspires renewed focus on openness

    So much for end of the year reflective posts – I’ve been in full-immersion workshop development since Christmas and then digging out from under a nasty cold – so here’s my mid January “looking back – looking forward” post for 2017! I’ve always been curious about and involved (at some level) in open practices –…

  • Shift and Share in a CapU Design Sprint

    “Have you done a Boot Camp? Are you interested in doing a boot camp for instructors who have an assigned course in January 2017 – who may not have done any course development or real planning yet?”  The message came through in late November from a former colleague of mine, Laurie Prange-Martin – now working at…

  • Always look in gift horse’s mouth

    I’m really looking forward to exploring new apps during the #12appsBC event (coming up F-A-S-T-!). I have the enviable position this year of being able to “peek behind the curtain” and see the apps that our enthusiastic, experienced edtechs and educator teams are preparing for you. I see a few I’ve tried, I see a…

  • You better watch out…12Apps is coming to town

    I made a wish last year, just before Christmas (see the end of my Dec 20th, 2015 blog post http://educomm.ca/appy-holiday-fun), and it looks like it’s coming true! BC is going to throw it’s own 12Apps of Christmas event (#12AppsBC)- yay!!! Thanks to my ETUG (and BCcampus) colleagues, Leva Lee and Clint Lalonde,  and the rapidly…

  • Fail tales and scarey stories at 2016 Fall ETUG event

    Bravo to all who shared their “fail tales” and embraced and faced the edtech horrors we’ve created or participated in, over the past few years.  The theme for this year’s ETUG Fall Workshop was:  “Little (work)Shop of Horrors” and the juxtaposition with Halloween resulted in lots of colourful (?) language, metaphors, decorations and costumes. It…

  • Exploring feedback for FLO

    What exactly do we mean by “constructive” feedback? Do we actually model the behaviours we ask students to demonstrate? Do we provide clear explanations of what we expect? Do we provide constructive feedback when the students’ feedback is weak, superficial, slapdash? Do we scaffold our learners so they can consciously build and flex their critical…

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