The unfortunate reputation of online education today is one of little or no effort on the professor's part and little or no learning on the student's part. A missing element in much online education is the kind of mutual engagement between student and instructor that provides not only a higher level of learning but also lasting character formation within the student. Character Formation in Online Education stems from author Joanne Jung's years of experience teaching online courses with the aim of improving the teaching environment for professors and the learning environment for students. By replicating, customizing, and incorporating the best and most effective practices of what a great professor does in on-campus classes, reimagined for an online delivery system, Jung shows how a higher level of learning and transformation can be achieved through online learning communities. Handy and practical, this user-friendly book provides guidance, helpful tools, and effective suggestions for growing learning communities in online courses that are marked by character growth in students-the kind of growth that is central to the mission of Christian higher education.

Equally grounded in the research and the practical applications developed by the authors over a number of years, this book shows how virtual learning environments could represent the future of higher education. As academics begin to use environments such as Second Life to reach a broader student audience, this volume offers the distance-learning community (administrators, faculty, and students) a different, yet successful, approach to delivering content over the Internet through 3D virtual learning environments that have the potential to transform higher education. Covering a broad spectrum of frameworks, from commercial multiplayer video games to online learning, the book shows just how powerful these environments can be in the arena of education, and concludes that data-driven practice will ensure almost universal take-up, even among those currently unwilling to use V-learning. The authors provide numerous practical examples of distance learning in its current state of development, as well as making informed predictions about how future environments might evolve. This much-needed book is right at the cutting edge of its subject, and comes at a time when research in both educational gaming and distance learning are converging.

An Introduction to Distance Education is a comprehensive look at the field of distance education, outlining current theories, practices, and goals that are essential to effective design, delivery, and navigation. As an alternative pedagogical approach, distance education is posited to meet the evolving demands for access, affordability, and quality in higher education. This fully revised and updated second edition reviews the history of distance education while addressing its current influence on the education sector. Utilizing a student-guided approach, chapters offer pedagogical features to engage and support the teaching and learning process, including: questions for reflection, review, and discussion: students can use these questions as triggers for further thoughts related to the topic. Instructors can use these questions for classroom and online discussion key quotations: strategically placed throughout the text, these points act as a springboard for further reflection and classroom discussion concept definitions: central concepts discussed in the text are defined for students at the end of each chapter. Driven by seminal contributors who are researching and shaping our understanding and practice of distance education today, An Introduction to Distance Education offers a solid foundation from which to explore and develop new approaches to designing and implementing online courses.

In The Berenstain Bears Patience, Please! Brother, Sister, and Honey jump at the chance to have their own gardens. Buying seeds, using shovels, and making signs are all very exciting. They even imagine the flowers and veggies that will fill their plots of land. But when the growing part takes longer than expected, Brother and Sister Bear get frustrated and start to complain. Mama and Papa must remind the cubs that waiting, watering, and being patient are part of having a healthy garden. And, being patient is a virtue in all of life. This fun, new book in the popular Zonderkidz Living Lights series-beloved by parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren alike-will quickly earn a prime spot on your child's bookshelf. But not for long! Your child will want to read along with you again and again as the kid-friendly text and easy-to-read, easy-to-remember Scripture verses teach valuable life lessons, encourage discussion, and take you down memory lane with each subsequent reading. Parents and grandparents looking for a Bible-based, read aloud story that encourages faith in Jesus and instills a love of reading in their children and grandchildren need look no further than the newest book in the Living Lights series-The Berenstain Bears Patience, Please!

Join Fiona the hippo, the adorable internet sensation from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, as she and her friends take a train ride at the zoo! Fiona wants to visit the new baby red panda, but it is so far! What better way to get around the zoo than the fun and fast zoo train. Young readers will enjoy learning more about Fiona and her friends in this Level One I Can Read about the little hippo that has captured hearts around the world with her inspiring story and plucky personality. Fiona's Train Ride?is: An endearing animal book that's a perfect gift from parents and grandparents? A sweet story about friendship and trying new things A?Level One I Can Read story geared for children just learning to read Perfect for back-to-school reading, summer reading, birthday gifts, and holiday?gift-giving Created?by New York Times bestselling artist Richard Cowdrey of Fiona the Hippo; A?Very Fiona Christmas; Fiona, It's Bedtime; Legend of the Candy Cane; Bad?Dog, Marley; and A Very Marley Christmas fame? Fiona's Train Ride?is one title in an I Can Read series that focuses on Fiona the hippo. Other titles include:?Meet Fiona, Fiona Saves the Day, Fantastic Fiona, Fiona and the Rainy Day,?and?Fiona Goes to School.

Best Practices in Designing Courses with Open Educational Resources is a practical guide that assists faculty and institutions looking to adopt and implement open educational resources (OER) and to foster meaningful, effective learning experiences through the course design process. Chapters loaded with tips, case examples, and guidance from practitioners advise readers through each step necessary for sustainable OER initiatives, from preliminary planning and course redesign through teaching, learning, and faculty development. Written by two authors with direct experience in training higher education professionals to use OER, this is a comprehensive resource for faculty, instructional designers, course developers, librarians, information technologists, and administrators hoping to rethink and refresh their curricula by moving beyond traditional textbooks. An authors' website expands the book with resources, templates, and examples of implementation models, including faculty development workshop OER materials that can be adopted by readers.

Student disengagement from school is a trending concern, and many schools have turned their attention to independent study programmes as a way to nurture student motivation and creativity. But where to begin? Geraldine Woods offers a practical, step-by-step guide based on her experience designing and directing the much-admired independent study programme at the Horace Mann School. Under the supervision of teachers, students embark on a remarkable variety of projects and become teachers themselves, conducting seminars with their peers along the way to preparing their final product-which could as easily be an interactive website or musical composition as a research paper. Woods' book details the nuts and bolts of the approach and shows how to customise it for a variety of age groups, budgets and curricular requirements. It is a gift to all educators-including homeschooling parents-who want to give students the freedom to pursue their interests.

Discover how to transform your professional development and become a truly connected educator with user-generated learning This book shows educators how to enhance their professional learning using practical tools, strategies, and online resources. With beginner-friendly, real-world examples and simple steps to get started, the author shows how to harness information from physical and virtual communities and become a lifelong learner in the digital age.

Professional Learning in the Digital Age features:

In-depth explanations of curation, reflection, and contribution
Guest appearances from digitally connected educators
Simple to-do lists to help you get started
Handy appendices with resources for further learning, and so much more
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