December 22nd, 2008 by Robin Green

Are online high school learning systems a good idea? Who should consider online high school? It’s essential to consider if a student truly needs the flexibility of an online high school. For example young professionals like athletes, actors and musicians who spend much of their time on the road might take high school online.

Young people who tend to be shy and introverted sometimes consider online high school learning systems, but this probably isn’t a good idea. A regular human connection is very important in developing social skills and experiencing the “real world.”

The first year of high school can be tough, and transition from middle school to high school is often a challenge. Change of any kind can be difficult at this sensitive age. But the benefits of attending a face-to-face high school learning system are worth the effort. Additionally, in an online high school students need a great deal of self discipline and motivation–something many young people aren’t quite prepared for.

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November 21st, 2008 by Robin Green

A recent Writers Gateway article describes how creators can develop their courseware systems like a video or computer game. Sound crazy? It may be more feasible and simpler than you imagine. Every game follows a similar pattern that can be emulated in your courseware system. 

All games have a goal and steps to reach it. The player’s challenge is to solve a series of problems and complete the steps quickly and efficiently. 

Students who are asked to conquer levels and solve problems in a game-like format will be more engaged and interested in the course. But how does one actually go about creating a courseware system based on a game model? Start by telling a story.

November 4th, 2008 by Robin Green

Wouldn’t you prefer straight and objective learning material, unshaped and unfiltered by a professor’s personal views? Of course, it’s impossible to achieve 100% objectivity. And good professors foster discussions and reward well-developed arguments, no matter how different their perspectives may be. However, there are always the exceptions who can’t help but let their own biases color their opinions (and grading) of students. 

One advantage many courseware systems have over traditional higher learning system courses is that they avoid professor bias. Students can learn and complete courseware system assignments without having to worry whether or not their work is being unfairly assessed by an opinionated professor. When courseware systems are completed in a self-guided fashion, the only authority is the learner. The learning content becomes the only relevant point, and politics are set aside. 

October 21st, 2008 by Robin Green

When choosing a learning management system for your school or company, you’ll want to make sure its privacy policy is sound. Personal information will probably be asked of all learning management system users. What are the people with access to that data going to do with it? 

Some acceptable purposes for personal information might be products and services provisions, identification and authentication, contact purposes, and services improvement. The revealing of information to third parties should never take place. Of course, if the user is not going to be paying for something, his or her credit card information shouldn’t be requested. 

To secure the privacy of all users, looking into the privacy measures taken by your learning management system choice is of utmost importance. For a secure syndicator, enter Coggno. From now until November 15, Coggno is offering a great promotion: we’ll migrate your content for you, free of charge. 

September 17th, 2008 by Robin Green

Normally, learning content is owned and hosted by an author or institution. When the institution doesn’t own the learning content (e.g. educator’s notes and the learning object) it tends to mediate the content by way of, say, textbooks. Traditionally, it is expected that learners will seek out authors and institutions for the learning content they are interested in.

Maybe learners lack the impetus or knowledge to seek out or efficiently find what they need, or maybe it’s because institutions don’t know how to get out there in learners’ faces. In any case, too often institutions don’t offer their learning content to the appropriate audience. So maybe it’s institutions who more often ought to seek out and entice their learners.

September 12th, 2008 by Robin Green

A few months ago, I spent two days in an alternative school classroom, substitute teaching a Spanish language class. I read the lesson plans, notes for the substitute that outline how the classroom learning system works in general, and what’s on the plate for the day. I had mixed feelings upon finding that this particular learning system was almost completely online—I wouldn’t be exercising the Spanish skills I’d recently accumulated. The good news: in some alternative classrooms, the hardest task is getting the students to concentrate and get engaged in the learning system material. A lot of these students have so much going on at home and in their private lives that it’s an effort for them to focus all their energy on someone talking in front of them for hours. But for students who strongly need a space to feel confident and self-sufficient, online learning systems are vital.

September 11th, 2008 by Robin Green

LMS use in both businesses and schools is on the rise. However, though LMSs are commonly used in universities, the spread of standard use in high schools is relatively sluggish. Why is this the case?

Lack of school funding and proper LMS training for educators are just two of many reasons. But given the benefits that experience with LMS technology provides for learners, and the fact that not all young people end up going to college, it’s important that high schools start start using these collaborative learning softwares.  Doing so will prepare high school students for more education—especially the ones who may not be heading off to college, but will look into online learning or training courses. Having had experience with LMS in the past will make a world of difference.

September 11th, 2008 by Robin Green

Any school teacher working with online learning systems can tell you that among the five top websites they catch students using against the rules in class is Facebook. It’s just one of many sites that distracts not only young students using e-learning systems, but also many adults, who may find themselves idly browsing through their friends’ Facebook photo albums at the office.

For educators in high school classrooms tired of telling students to get off websites like Facebook and focus, is it possible that they could actually use the direction of their students’ attention in their favor? Could Facebook be used by educators as part of their learning system? 

Facebook applications involve not only the users, but those looking to take advantage of the vast audience Facebook draws. The latter is where LMS trainers and educators come in.