Four Ways to Keep Students’ Attention

Well, in HE we can learn something from the kindergarten classroom too!  And of course, from brain research. This article describes 4 techniques to use in the classroom to get student attention:

  1. Incorporate emotions into our classrooms to increase attention and tell stories (or use TED talks).
  2. Do the why work (and use concept maps to explain connection of ideas!).
  3. Create a device-free zone
  4. Rest and digest

 

 

Where Open Textbooks Are Used

I hope you have a chance to explore other OER publications I have on my diigo collection. This article states that educators did not fully embrace the OER concept and often are not even aware of them.

Only 6.6 percent of faculty members are “very aware” of open educational resources, a survey found, and many say they can’t locate such materials in their disciplines, although their use in introductory courses is on the rise. Are you among the 6.6?

Read the full report here.

Turnitin on Melania Trump’s Speech

Well, we use Turnitin to check for potential plagiarism in student papers. And Turnitin recently  ran the originality report for Melania Trump’s  speech at the Republican National Convention. Curious to know what was found? read here. And this article here just confirms what was flagged by the software.

And do not forget to use Turnitin in your courses this academic year! Information about this program is available at my.nu.edu.kz (under Turnitin).

Horizon Report App Makes Higher Ed Trend Data More Accessible

New Media Consortium developed an app “transforms the NMC Horizon Report: 2016 Higher Education Edition from a static, 56-page PDF into an engaging tool complete with video and embedded links.

“The interactive features really set this apart from the traditional PDF and certainly print or web,” said Lorenzo Vallone, senior vice president of the company that designed the app, in an interview with EdScoop.

The new design allows policymakers and college and university faculty to drill down into the report findings, which include a list of the six technology trends impacting higher education.”

More here.

The app is available in the Google Play store or on iTunes, where it’s available for smartphones and tablets.

Flipped Learning Global Initiative Launches Worldwide Radio

From “THE Journal“:

The Flipped Learning Global Initiative (FLGI) announced in July 2016 the launch of a radio channel dedicated to delivering insight on flipped classroom next practices. The channel will feature FLGI’s worldwide coalition of expert teachers, researchers, technologists, professional development providers and education leaders.

“We’re excited about the expanding Flipped Learning Radio to serve the entire global community. The on-demand programing will make it easier for flipped learning practitioners to stay on top of the latest research, practical insights, and best practices,” said Jon Bergmann, co-founder of flipped learning, in news release.

Programming for Flipped Learning Worldwide Radio will be streamed on the FLIG site, syndicated on BAM Radio Network and available as podcasts on iTunes.