Institutions of higher learning are providing access to free and low-cost open resources to support students with prior college-level learning during every step of their educational journey. This unconventional approach to education removes traditional barriers to college credit by placing learners in an open environment, which encourages accessibility to higher education and fosters independent and critical thinking. By providing learners with free resources, more learners have the resources needed to be successful in college. Prior learning assessment is an excellent way for students to demonstrate the skills and knowledge gained throughout the course of their lives. By developing a portfolio of artifacts that support prior learning outside of the classroom, learners reduce the time and money needed to complete a degree. Open educational resources, prior learning assessment, and competency-based learning offer the potential to provide access to higher education to those who may not have the opportunity to earn a college degree. As the costs of higher education continue to rise, these flexible, open approaches to learning can bridge the equity gap and provide more opportunity to earn a college degree. Enhancing Higher Education Accessibility Through Open Education and Prior Learning provides a comprehensive resource book on open resources and prior learning in order to provide access and equity to higher education. The chapters pull together resources and case studies that exemplify alternative means to higher education. Highlighted topics within this book include remote e-learning, online fundraising, smart learning and assessments, effective learning, and faculty mentorship. This book is essential for curriculum designers; administrators; policymakers; government executives; professors and instructors in higher education; students; researchers in adult education, competency-based education, social justice, and open educational resources; and practitioners interested in open educational resources and accessibility in higher education.

In Online Predators, An Internet Insurgency: A Field Manual for Teaching and Parenting in the Digital Arena Jeffrey A. Lee brings his ten plus years' experience in the fight against online child exploitation to bear in an easy to follow guide for all with a stake in the life of a child. This book equips parents, guardians, extended family, and educational professionals with practical strategies to help keep kids safe in a technology connected world. Instead of focusing on ever changing technology, Lee proposes a key fundamental change in the fight against online predation-to develop an insatiable curiosity about their child's online life, then get in the front lines and stay there.

The Standards for Mathematical Practice are written in clear, concise language. Even so, to interpret them and visualize what they mean for your teaching practice isn't always easy. In this practical, easy-to-read book, Mike Flynn provides teachers with a clear and deep sense of these standards and shares ideas on how best to implement them in K-2 classrooms. Each chapter is dedicated to a different practice. Using examples from his own teaching and vignettes from many other K-2 teachers, Mike does the following: Invites you to break the cycle of teaching math procedurally Demonstrates what it means for children to understand-not just do-math Explores what it looks like when young children embrace the important behaviors espoused by the practices The book's extensive collection of stories from K-2 classroom provides readers with glimpses of classroom dialogue, teacher reflections, and examples of student work. Focus questions at the beginning of each vignette help you analyze the examples and encourage further reflection. Beyond Answers is a wonderful resource that can be used by individual teachers, study groups, professional development staff, and in math methods courses.

Rural life is more complex than it is perhaps credited. This edited volume explores several themes that highlight such complexities, particularly in terms of what they imply for rural teaching and learning. These themes include the geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic diversity within and across rural communities; the notion that rurality is not a deficit but rather a context; and the array of novel and interesting ways to build upon rural assets and overcome challenges so that rural students are not afforded fewer educational opportunities simply by virtue of their zip code. More practically, this book offers counsel for readers who may be interested in learning more about rural circumstances so that they can make informed and responsive decisions about policies and programs targeting rural students, educators, and schools.

Educational technologies have revolutionized the learning and teaching environments. Offline/online applications and social media have changed the conventional learning and teaching habits and competencies. In terms of learners, it has been empirically proven that the use of educational technologies in the classroom make learning easier and more enjoyable. On the other hand, it also poses threats to students such as cyberbullying and online addiction. While exploiting the opportunities of technological use in the classroom, educators must also remain vigilant and formulate ways to overcome the challenges and risks brought by technology. Enriching Teaching and Learning Environments With Contemporary Technologies is an essential research publication that aims to present exemplary practices of technology use and their management in pedagogical purposes in learning and teaching environments. The book also analyzes problems that may arise and develops policies on educational technologies and the exploitation of technology with pedagogical purposes as part of the discussion to solve these challenges. Featuring a wide range of topics such as augmented reality, mass media, and religious education, this book is ideal for educators who want to use technology in class, educational administrators who have responsibilities for developing policies on educational technologies and managing the use of them, and researchers who want to carry out a deep investigation into the subject. Additionally, educational software developers, academicians, instructional designers, curriculum developers, education professionals, and students will also benefit from the research contained within the book.