Online Learning News - September 2, 2020

Host: Dr. Steve Joordens, Experienced Online Professor and EdTech Developer

Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough, Director of the Advanced Learning Technologies Lab and Co-President & CEO of Cogneeto, a start-up company that specializes in creating pedagogically powerful online assessment tools.

Free webinar for New and Experienced Online Learners!

Thursday, September 10, 2020
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET

In this webinar, first-time and experienced online learners get practical advice on how to be a successful online learner from an experienced online professor and gain insight and perspective from a seasoned online learner.

Based on relevant psychological theory, you learn:

• Theoretical understanding of learning;
• The importance of your study space;
• How to manage distractions and procrastination;
• How to get the most out of your learning;
• The best use of down time; and
• Tips and tricks on how to best prepare for learning on online.

Join Dr. Steve Joordens, a professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough for an interactive one-hour conversation designed to prepare students to succeed in their online courses.

Register Here

Still Time to Register!

A Free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to Help Students Successfully Learn Online

Monday, August 10 to Sunday, September 13, 2020

Contact North | Contact Nord and Athabasca University are offering a massive open online course, Learning to Learn Online (LTLO), to introduce concepts and practices important to successfully learning online. Students can start the course anytime but must complete it no later than September 13, 2020.

LTLO is intended for students who are learning online for the first time or want to improve their approach to online learning, and is also open to teachers or educational professionals who want to support their students in learning online.

For more information and to register visit, http://contactnorth.ltlo.ca/.

Free Webinar!

How to Teach Online Effectively Using Zoom 

Join Contact North | Contact Nord Research Associate, Dr. Ron Owston, on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. for a free webinar focusing on:

• How to use Zoom effectively to engage with and involve students in their learning;
• How to use Zoom, not just to deliver lectures or make one-way presentations to students, but to facilitate small group work, class challenges, and student presentations;
• How to move from talking head to active learning with Zoom;
• How to make learning valuable and successful when teaching via Zoom; and
• What are the “top tips” users have from using Zoom for teaching.

NOTE: A basic knowledge of how to setup and join a Zoom meeting is assumed. If you do not have these skills, visit http://zoom.us to get a free account, or get one from your institution, to familiarize yourself before the session.

Register here 

Supporting Faculty and Students for Success at Universities in Germany and England

Learn how the Media Centre at Technical University Dresden, Germany combines multiple service areas in projects such as: developing a learning platform used in 20 universities in the state of Saxony; offering extensive training and support to lecturers and professors; and undertaking research on topics such as the use of digital mobile technology for workplace learning.

Explore two models that integrate MOOCs into micro-credentials at the University of Leeds in England, one for undergraduate students and the other for graduate learners. In addition, a Pathways to Success induction model supports student beginning online postgraduate degree programs, with skills in community building, navigating campus services and using online tools.

Register Now!
Using Zoom to Teach Online
Training Sessions and Resources

College and university faculty and instructors, literacy and basic skills and training providers are increasingly using Zoom to teach and train. Zoom is fast becoming a learning platform of choice.

Contact North | Contact Nord is offering a series of free, 60-minute live training webinars on how to teach online with Zoom for faculty and instructors, in addition to a variety of resources.

For more information on the sessions,the upcoming schedule and links to register, visit Zoom Training Sessions and Resources.

Updated!
Directory of Educational Technology and Related Education Conferences from Around the World for May to December 2020

You can now search the 43^rd edition of the Educational Technology and Related Education Conferences by Contact North I Contact Nord Research Associate, Clayton R. Wright, updated to include May to December 2020 conferences.

Use three unique search features of the comprehensive directory offered by Contact North I Contact Nord:

• Sort the directory by date, conference name or country
• Filter the results by date or country
• Search for a conference name, country or topic using a keyword search

Search the Directory

Must-Read Books on Online Learning

Must-Read Books on Online Learning features books and articles of interest to those involved in the expansion and improvement of online learning.

Darby, F. and Lang, J.M. (2019). Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Starting from a focus on what students do and why they do it, this book is full of practical and useful advice whatever the subject you are teaching. Learning does not happen (often) by accident – it needs designing and the designs begin and end with what students need to be engaged with and how you as an instructor need to be present (even online and remotely) in that learning. This practical, down to earth book will help focus on what matters most in teaching what matters in your subject. It takes James Lang’s 2016 book Small Teaching to the next level.

Browse all Must-Read Books