- Faculty Training for the Angel Learning Management System - required for those planning to teach an online course
- Log in to Angel Learning Management System
Journals and Other Publications
Innovate Journal of Online Education
http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php
According to Innovate's Web site, "Innovate is an open access, bimonthly, peer-reviewed online periodical (ISSN 1552-3233) published by the Fischler School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University. The journal focuses on the creative use of information technology (IT) to enhance educational processes in academic, commercial, and governmental settings. Our basic assumption is that innovative uses of technology in one sector can inform innovative uses of technology in each of the other sectors."
The Journal of Educators Online
JEO's publication indicates that the journal is "an online, double-blind, refereed journal by and for instructors, administrators, policy-makers, staff, students, and those interested in the development, delivery, and management of online courses in the Arts, Business, Education, Engineering, Medicine, and Sciences."
Pointers & Clickers: ION's Technology Tip of the Month
http://www.ion.illinois.edu/Resources/pointersclickers/pindex.asp
The Illinois Online Network (ION) provides an article that describes one technology tip each month for instructors who teach in the online environment. The articles are practical, usually non-technical, and sometimes quite fun. For example, one article deals with why ice breakers are important in an online class and offers links to other articles that provide various ice breakers.
Training
ION free "Making the Virtual Classroom a Reality" (MVCR) courses
http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/courses/aboutmvcr
Faculty who have not yet taught a fully online course for Richland are now required by the college to take the MVCR "Online Learning: An Overview" course before they can teach an online course for Richland. "OLO" is an online course sponsored by the Illinois Online Network (ION) and is completely FREE to any full- or part-time faculty at consortium-member schools--which is any Illinois community college, including Richland. Other optional courses are available, including "Technology Tools for Online Learning," "Student Assessment in Online Courses," "Instructional Design for Online Course Development," and "Encouraging Communication in Online Courses," among others. These courses may also be taken for graduate credit (you must pay tuition) through UIS if full-time faculty wish to apply the hours toward salary advancement (please remember to get the courses pre-approved). Faculty may also take a series of these courses to earn their Master Online Teacher certificate. Currently, three faculty members at Richland hold an MOT--John Cordulack, Kristi Palmer, and Kris Muschal. Taking these courses not only makes you a better online instructor, but also improves your in-class instruction--just ask any of the faculty who have taken the courses. Each class requires approximately 8-10 hours of work per week, but the time is well worth it. Visit the MVCR Web site for more information about the MVCR program. A complete schedule of upcoming classes is available on the MVCR Schedule page.
ION free monthly Webinars
http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/institutes/webinars/monthly/upcomingevents.asp
Each month, the Illinois Online Network sponsors a FREE monthly Webinar. For a description of the current Webinar and a list of upcoming sessions, go to the ION Monthly Webinar site. To attend a Webinar, register in the upper right corner (or, if you are already registered with ION, just login).
UMUC-Verizon Virtual Resource Site for Teaching with Technology
http://www.umuc.edu/virtualteaching/vt_home.html
This site is an excellent FREE training site that "consists of two modules, and each explores key issues in developing and teaching online courses with the use of technology." Module 1 provides information about the selection and use of various Web-based media, such as text, audio, video, still images, animated graphics, applets, and scripts, to accomplish a number of different learning strategies. Each strategy is linked to examples from different disciplines; information about the different technologies employed follows each example and users may also begin to navigate Module 1 by exploring the technologies. The object of Module 1 is to assist faculty in creating and using various media in ways appropriate for their students' learning experience. Module 2 focuses on delivery. This module features faculty interviews about realities and successful practices in online course delivery. Particular attention is paid to ways of encouraging interactivity as a key influence on students' learning styles. Module 2 also provides specific strategies for managing the use of technology in research assignments, small group projects, discussions, and other activities that foster interaction. There is a gallery of links to important related resources. Lastly, instructors wishing to put teaching strategies into a conceptual context may review extensive information on using a systems approach to course design. Module 2 helps faculty use some of the materials presented in Module 1.
Online Learning Websites
ILCCO Online Assessment System for Internet Students (OASIS)
http://www.ilcco.net/ILCCO/index.cfm?page=oasis
Illinois Community Colleges Online (ILCCO) provides The Online Assessment System for Internet Students (OASIS), which is a FREE "online readiness assessment designed for students either considering an online course or currently enrolled in an online course. It provides students with the ability to check their computers for compatibility with the most popular course delivery tools and services, presents tutorials to train students how to use particular pieces of software based on the actual course(s) in which they have enrolled, and evaluates student readiness and learning styles." The most helpful part of this site is the learning styles survey, which tells students what their four learning styles are and things they can do to improve their learning in an online course based on their individual learning styles. Students have to complete a very simple registration form in order to be able to participate in the surveys and software tutorials. Register yourself and check out this site!
ION Online Education Overview: Glossary of Terms
http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/overview/glossary.asp
Not sure what asynchronous communication is? Stymied by F2F? Uncertain whether synergy is something you really want in your classroom? ION offers a brief "Glossary of Terms" to help you understand the acronyms and definitions you're sure to find in e-learning literature.
Technology Tools
Trillian
Students love to communicate via instant messaging--it's quick and easy, informal, and when they are panicking and need an answer right away and the teacher is available, communicating in this fashion can help reduce or relieve the student's panic immediately. But which instant messaging program do you choose? AIM (AOL Instant Messaging)? MSN (Microsoft Network)? Yahoo? ICQ? Now, you can have all of these and more and only have to use one instant messaging program to house them all--Cerulean Studio's Trillian Basic. This easy-to-use freeware is a great tool for combining your instant messaging accounts. Click on Trillian Basic to download and install the current version of this free software.
AVG Anti-Virus Free
This FREE anti-virus software program is rated highly by PC Magazine, who writes that "it does what an antivirus app should: It scans files on access, on demand, and on schedule. It also scans e-mail, both incoming and outgoing. According to Grisoft, it's totally Vista-ready." Make sure you have an anti-virus program with updated virus definitions running on your computer, especially if you are teaching online. We're covered here at the college, but if you need an anti-virus program at home, consider this program. You might even pass the word along to your students, many of whom don't have a lot of money to spend on anti-virus programs.
LibriVox: Acoustical Liberation of Books in the Public Domain
Want to incorporate an audiobook into your classroom? LibriVox may be just the site for you. According to the site, "LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. There are several options for listening. The first step is to get the mp3 or ogg files into your own computer." The catalog can be searched by category, genre, title, author, or other information. Files are easy to download, and some are available through streaming audio.
NoodleBib
The Noodle Tools home page indicates that "NoodleBib is a fully-integrated note-taking and documentation program which is anchored in the best practices of academic research and inquiry learning. Known as the most comprehensive and accurate MLA- and APA-style bibliography composer on the Web, NoodleBib now includes a note-taking component which enables you to extract, organize and synthesize information that you find during the research process." Using the Web site's database, you can input source information and the program formats the information in MLA for you--and you can even upload the list to a Word file to create your Works Cited page! Additionally, you can create notecards for each source. Each notecard you create has three tabs--Quotation, Paraphrase, and My Ideas, making notetaking a more reflective process. Individual subscriptions are available for $4 for 3 months, $6 for 6 months, or $8 for 12 months.
AltaVista's Babel Fish Translation
http://babelfish.altavista.com
Do your students ever need to translate foreign phrases? Look no further than AltaVista's Babel Fish Translation engine, which translates from several foreign languages into English or from English into one of several foreign languages. Students (or instructors!) can type a foreign word or phrase to be translated or can even translate a Web page. The translator isn't great at translating idioms, but you can at least get the gist of the meaning. The translation is completely FREE and can even be added to your Web site.
Microsoft Fix-It Solutions Page
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_fixit_main#tab2
Over 100 automated problem solvers for Microsoft products and programs.
