When asked the question, 'Think of the best teacher you ever had. What did that teacher do to make you consider him or her your best teacher?' the answers are never 'My best teacher gave us lots of worksheets to do, ' or 'My best teacher covered a lot of material.' Instead, typical answers range from the teachers who challenged, to the teachers who cared and the teachers who loved their subjects. Babbage calls those teachers 'extreme teachers, ' whose ultimate goal for students is 'extreme learning'. In the 'extreme learning' classroom, the students and the teacher create learning experiences which connect the real-life knowledge, talents, and interests of students with what needs to be learned today in the standards-based school curriculum. School becomes relevant to the outside world, and working harder to learn at school becomes important, beneficial, and meaningful. Babbage uses anecdotes, both his own and hypothetical, to demonstrate 'extreme learning'. He shows the disparity between training and understanding, where students are trained in standards, but they begin to truly understand the real-life application. 'Extreme learning' creates a partnership between teacher and student, where all learn and improve from each othe

A volume in Perspectives in Instructional Technology and Distance Education Series Editors: Charles Schlosser and Michael Simonson Nova Southeastern University Real-Life Distance Education: Case Studies in Practice documents and discusses the experiences of those who have implemented distance learning as a solution to "real-life" problems and provides guidance to assist readers in their understanding and analysis of distance learning. This approach allows readers to develop analytic and problem solving skills. The variety of different situations within the individual case studies allows readers to apply their knowledge to new and unique situations and to explore solutions to complex issues. The book is useful as a primary or supplementary text in programs of educational technology, instructional design, learning sciences, human resource development, curriculum & instruction, media & technology or higher education.

Education has been progressing at a rapid pace ever since educators have been able to harness the power of mobile technology. Open-access learning techniques provide more students with the opportunity to engage in educational opportunities that may have been previously restricted. Empowering Learners with Mobile Open-Access Learning Initiatives is an authoritative reference source that offers an engaging look at how mobile technologies are aiding educators in providing new, innovative ways to enhance student learning experiences. Featuring relevant topics such as switch access technology, digital portfolios, dual enrollment students, and place conscious education, this is a reliable resource for academicians, educators, students, and practitioners that are interested in studying recent mobile education advancements.

Over the last decade, the field of distance education (and e-learning) has substantially strengthened and assumed a more international scope. There has been an impressive growth in the conceptual, empirical and experiential foundations of the field. Trends and Issues in Distance Education: International Perspectives (2nd Ed) captures a representative snapshot of the breadth of current global trends and issues in distance education theory, research, and practice. Through 21 chapters (from over 30 international authors), the book documents new developments in distance education scholarship and practice, presenting a diverse set of viewpoints on the trends and issues affecting this increasingly central discipline. The book is for researchers, practitioners, and students. Chapters speak to the many creative ways in which distance education addresses learning and human development needs around the world. They focus on distance education in dissimilar settings that extend beyond the limitations of the dominating paradigms of the highly developed economies. Contributing authors touch upon conceptual as well as practical issues. They critically reflect on both large- and small-scale distance education initiatives, discussing the use of everything from the most advanced technologies (e.g., 3-D computing) to the most rudimentary technologies (e.g., wind-up radios).

To some in academia, Massive Open Online Courses are a paradigm shift in online education, while others perceive them as a threat to traditional styles of pedagogy. In this regard, the time-honored model of the university lecture is seen as being a potential casualty of the rise of MOOCs. Macro-Level Learning through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): Strategies and Predictions for the Future provides insight into the emerging phenomenon of MOOCs as a design manual for the course designer with a collection of chapters that deal with all facets of the MOOC debate. Industry training developers, corporate trainers, educators, post graduate students, and others will benefit from the information provided in this book.

Hardbound. Telematics in Education provides readers with an exciting examination of the use of computer based communication technologies within education. Discussion ranges from whether new forms of teaching and learning involving telematics can replace existing methods, to how far collaborative learning can take place through telematics.The authors consider the possible implications for psychological and organisational issues in education and how an increased use of telematics could radically alter the relationship between education and society.

This book will be a practical guide to developing and implementing online courses. It is based on a model now in use at Paris Junior College in Paris, TX which has often resulted in retention rates of over 90%. It will be a comprehensive practitioner's guide including information on retention and multimedia support. This book will be a guide to anyone who may wish to teach online in any subject area at any level. The book provides actual examples of problems and solutions concerning online courses and also includes examples of supporting documents. Through a supporting Web site, the book will include actual examples of multimedia support now in use The book might also be used in graduate classes as a curriculum development guide. Readers would use the book as a guide as they actually create online courses. This would take most of the guess work out of course creation and provide a solid foundation for distance learning programs. The book provides a simple yet effective approach to online learning. It uses a model that has been proven to be effective with retention rates to support the contention. It provides information on a retention study and multimedia support as well, two areas that have not been addressed very often to this point.

Two maths coaches who have spearheaded the transition to remote learning in their district have distilled their experience of what works into a guide for teaching maths from a distance. Filled with ready-to-use strategies, this QRG in the new set of Strategies for Distance Learning Guides is organised by 4 priorities: mathematical identity growth mindset reasoning and problem-solving engaging activities Samantha Bennet and Alaina Barkley show how to incorporate routines into online learning that support these priorities, from connecting with students, to supporting their learning with games and problem-solving tasks, to assessing their work. Each 8.5" x 11" multi-panel guide is laminated for extra durability and 3-hole-punched for binder storage.

Ourselves, the fourth volume of Charlotte Mason's Classic Homeschooling Series, is a character curriculum book written directly to children. Book I, Self-Knowledge, is for elementary school students; Book II, Self-Direction, is for older students. Self-Knowledge discusses our human desires and appetites; the "helpers" in our minds, such as intellect, sense of beauty, imagination, and reason; the ways in which we feel and express love for others, including sympathy, kindness, generosity, gratitude, courage, loyalty, and humilty; and truth, justice, and integrity; and ends by encourages children to develop the habit of being useful. Self-Direction is an in-depth discussion of the conscience and virtues such as temperance, chastity, fortitude, and prudence; the will and self-control; and the soul and its capacities, such as prayer, thanksgiving, faith, and praise. Charlotte Mason was a late nineteenth-century British educator whose ideas were far ahead of her time. She believed that children are born persons worthy of respect, rather than blank slates, and that it was better to feed their growing minds with living literature and vital ideas and knowledge, rather than dry facts and knowledge filtered and pre-digested by the teacher. Her method of education, still used by some private schools and many homeschooling families, is gentle and flexible, especially with younger children, and includes first-hand exposure to great and noble ideas through books in each school subject, conveying wonder and arousing curiosity, and through reflection upon great art, music, and poetry; nature observation as the primary means of early science teaching; use of manipulatives and real-life application to understand mathematical concepts and learning to reason, rather than rote memorization and working endless sums; and an emphasis on character and on cultivating and maintaining good personal habits. Schooling is teacher-directed, not child-led, but school time should be short enough to allow students free time to play and to pursue their own worthy interests such as handicrafts. Traditional Charlotte Mason schooling is firmly based on Christianity, although the method is also used successfully by secular families and families of other religions.

In Strategies for Classroom Management, K-6 Wilson describes how she instilled more discipline, raised the academic standards of her students, and restored values that had been lost the classroom. She also details methods for promoting an atmosphere in which students not only succeed academically but are eager to do their best, while concentrating on the basic values of respect, responsibility, consideration, and sensitivity. Wilson's path allows teachers to maintain excellence in academic achievement and student behavior while avoiding the hazards of societal change. Parents, teachers, teacher trainers, students, and even the general public will benefit from the insight and guidance in Strategies for Classroom Management, K-6.

Learning Theory and Online Technologies offers a powerful overview of the current state of online learning, the foundations of its historical roots and growth, and a framework for distinguishing between the major approaches to online learning. It addresses pedagogy (how to design an effective online environment for learning), evaluation (how to know that students are learning), and history (how past research can guide successful online teaching and learning outcomes). An ideal textbook for undergraduate Education and Communication programs as well as Educational Technology Masters, Ph.D., and Certificate programs, Learning Theory and Online Technologies provides a synthesis of the key advances in online education learning theory and the key frameworks of research, and clearly links theory and research to successful learning practice. This revised second edition updates data on digital media adoption globally, adds a new chapter on connectivism as a learning theory, and updates the chapter on online collaborative learning, renaming the theory as collaborativism and considering the challenges that arise with the growth of artificial intelligence.

This book considers several aspects of providing quality education at a distance: Quality of systems that support online learning, quality support infrastructure, quality of technical access and support, materials distribution; issues in each of these areas are considered. It contains the papers presented at the working conference of Working Group 3.6 (Distance Education) of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP Geelong, Australia, Feb. 2003).

While online courses are said to be beneficial and many reputable brick and mortar higher education institutions are now offering undergraduate and graduate programs online, there is still ongoing debate on issues related to credibility and acceptability. There is some reluctance to teach online and to admit and hire students who have enrolled in online programs. Given these concerns, it is essential that educators in online communities continue to share the significant learning experiences and outcomes that occur in online classrooms and highlight pedagogical practices used by online instructors to make their courses and programs comparable to those offered face-to-face. The Handbook of Research on Creating Meaningful Experiences in Online Courses is a comprehensive research book that examines the quality of courses in higher education that are offered exclusively online and details strategies and practices used by online instructors to create meaningful teaching and learning experiences in online courses. Featuring a range of topics such as gamification, professional development, and learning outcomes, this book is ideal for academicians, researchers, educators, administrators, instructional designers, curriculum developers, higher education faculty, and students.

This QRG in the new set of Strategies for Distance Learning Guides explains how to get your students to engage with you, with the content, and with each other during online learning. It is all about bridging "transactional distance"-psychological rather than physical-in the onscreen environment, by using carefully crafted lesson design and teaching strategies. Written by an expert in instructional design, this guide is packed with ideas and tips across grade levels, to help: create community facilitate interactions adjust assessment Replete with examples and suggested tools, this QRG is an indispensable resource for teachers grappling with how to keep students motivated when learning from a distance. Each 8.5" x 11" multi-panel guide is laminated for extra durability and 3-hole-punched for binder storage.

School Education, the third volume of Charlotte Mason's Homeschooling Series, consists of thoughts about the teaching and curriculum of children aged 9-12, either at school or at home. She suggests that parents should practice what she calls "masterly inactivity"-not neglectful or permissive parenting, but simply allowing children to work things out for themselves, do things for themselves, learn from their own mistakes, and to have time for free play, and space for spontaneity. Charlotte Mason education uses "living books" instead of dry textbooks; in this book, she discusses what kinds of books to look for in each subject, and how to use them to teach children to love knowledge and become real readers and lifelong learners. Charlotte Mason was a late nineteenth-century British educator whose ideas were far ahead of her time. She believed that children are born persons worthy of respect, rather than blank slates, and that it was better to feed their growing minds with living literature and vital ideas and knowledge, rather than dry facts and knowledge filtered and pre-digested by the teacher. Her method of education, still used by some private schools and many homeschooling families, is gentle and flexible, especially with younger children, and includes first-hand exposure to great and noble ideas through books in each school subject, conveying wonder and arousing curiosity, and through reflection upon great art, music, and poetry; nature observation as the primary means of early science teaching; use of manipulatives and real-life application to understand mathematical concepts and learning to reason, rather than rote memorization and working endless sums; and an emphasis on character and on cultivating and maintaining good personal habits. Schooling is teacher-directed, not child-led, but school time should be short enough to allow students free time to play and to pursue their own worthy interests such as handicrafts. Traditional Charlotte Mason schooling is firmly based on Christianity, although the method is also used successfully by secular families and families of other religions.

The Design, Experience and Practice of Networked Learning

Edited by: Vivien Hodgson, Maarten de Laat, David McConnell and Thomas Ryberg

"This book brings together a wealth of new research that opens up the meaning of connectivity as embodied and promised in the term networked learning . Chapters explore how contexts, groups and environments can be connected rather than just learners; how messy, unexpected and emergent connections can be made rather than structured and predefined ones; and how technology connects us to learning and each other, but also shapes our identity. These exciting new perspectives ask us to look again at what we are connecting and to revel in new and emergent possibilities arising from the interplay of social actors, contexts, technologies, and learning."

"Caroline Haythornthwaite, University of British Columbia"

"Despite creating fundamentally new educational economics and greatly increasing access - teaching and learning in networks is a tricky business. These chapters illuminate the complex interactions amongst tools, pedagogy, educational institutions and personal net presences helping us design and redesign our own networks. In the process, they take (or extract) network theory from the practice of real teaching and learning contexts, making this collection an important contribution to Networked Learning."

"Terry Anderson, Athabasca University"

"What kinds of learning can social networking platforms really enable? Digging well beneath the hype, this book provides a timely, incisive analysis of why and how learning emerges (or fails to) in networked spaces. The editors do a fine job in guiding the reader through the rich array of theories and methods for tackling this question, and the diverse contexts in which networked learning is now being studied. This is a book for reflective practitioners as well as academics: the book's close attention to the political, pedagogical and organisational complexity of effective practice, and the lived experience of educators and learners, helps explain why networked learning has such disruptive potential but equally, why it draws resistance from the establishment."

"Simon Buckingham Shum, The Open University"

"The networked learning conference, a biannual institution since 1998, celebrates its 14th year in this volume. Here a range of studies, reflecting networked learning experiments across Europe and other global contexts, show important shifts away from a conservative tradition of e-learning research and unpeel dilemmas of promoting learning as an elusive practice in virtual environments. The authors point towards important futures in online learning research, where notions of knowledge, connectivity and community become increasingly elastic, and engagements slide across material and virtual domains in new practices whose emergence is increasingly difficult to apprehend."

""

"Tara Fenwick University of Stirling."

The chapters in this volume explore new and innovative ways of thinking about the nature of networked learning and its pedagogical values and beliefs. They pose a challenge to us to reflect on what we thought networked learning was 15 year ago, where it is today and where it is likely to be headed.

Each chapter brings a particular perspective to the themes of design, experience and practice of networked learning, the chosen focus of the book. The chapters in the book embrace a wide field of educational areas including those of higher education, informal learning, work-based learning, continuing professional development, academic staff development, and management learning.

The Design, Experience and Practice of Networked Learning will prove indispensable reading for researchers, teachers, consultants, and instructional designers in higher and continuing education; for those involved in staff and educational development, and for those studying post graduate qualifications in learning and teaching.

This, the second volume in the Springer Book Series on Researching Networked Learning, is based on a selection of papers presented at the 2012 Networked Learning Conference held in Maastricht, The Netherlands."

From the family that brought you the Lena in the Spotlight series and the popular For Girls Like You magazine comes Ansley's Big Bake Off, book one in the Daniels Sisters series. This realistic fiction story of family, friendship, and the challenges that so many young girls face each day growing up will appeal to girls 8-12 looking to express their talents and individuality alongside their faith. In this fun, relatable, and inspirational story, Ansley and her family move to a new city to seek a fresh start after the death of their mother. Once there, Ansley finds comfort in things she loves-family, friends, gymnastics, and most of all baking! She even gets the chance to enter a bake off at the fair. But her dreams of taking home the trophy and being on TV are threatened by strong competition: Taylor, a mean girl from her new school. With the loving and prayerful support of her family, Ansley knows she has a real shot at winning. But with Taylor in the mix, will Ansley be able to rise to the occasion? Ansley's Big Bake Off: Features diverse characters Is an engaging read for girls ages 8-12 Is an addition to the Faithgirlz brand Is a perfect birthday gift from parents and grandparents to tween girls, and is great for Spring Break and summer vacation reading Is written by girls for girls If you enjoy Ansley's Big Bake Off, check out the other books in the Daniels Sisters series of middle grade fiction: Ashton's Dancing Dreams Amber's Song

This book posits the idea that networked learning is the one new paradigm in learning theory that has resulted from the introduction of digital and networked technologies. It sets out, in a single volume, a critical review of the main ideas and then articulates the case for adopting a networked learning perspective in a variety of educational settings. This book fills a gap in the literature on networked learning. Although there are several edited volumes in the field there is no other monograph makes the academic case and provides the academic context for networked learning. This volume accomplishes three main goals. First, it assists researchers and practitioners in acquainting themselves with the field. Second, it provides resources for reference and guidance to those not well acquainted with the field. Finally and most powerfully, it also allows for the consolidation of a field that is truly multidisciplinary in a way that maintains coherence and consistency.

The development of online learning environments has enhanced the availability of educational opportunities for students. By implementing effective curriculum strategies, this ensures proper quality and instruction in online settings. The Handbook of Research on Writing and Composing in the Age of MOOCs is a critical reference source that overviews the current state of larger scale online courses and the latest competencies for teaching writing online. Featuring comprehensive coverage across a range of perspectives on teaching in virtual classrooms, such as MOOC delivery models, digital participation, and user-centered instructional design, this book is ideal for educators, professionals, practitioners, academics, and researchers interested in the latest material on writing and composition strategies for online classrooms. Topics Covered: Critical Thinking Skills Digital Participation Discussion Board Forums Gender Considerations MOOC Delivery Models Students with Disabilities User-Centered Instructional Design Video Usage Writing Program Administrators

Parents and Children consists of a collection of 26 articles from the original Parent's Review magazines to encourage and instruct parents. Topics include The Family; Parents as Rulers; Parents as Inspirers; Parents as Schoolmasters; The Culture of Character; Parents as Instructors in Religion; Faith and Duty (a secular writer has useful suggestions for using myths and stories to teach morals; along with the Bible, these can give examples of noble characters to emulate); Parents' Concern to Give the Heroic Impulse; Is It Possible?; Discipline; Sensations and Feelings Educable by Parents; What is Truth? (Dealing with Lying); Show Cause Why; A Scheme Of Educational Theory; A Catechism of Educational Theory; Whence and Whither; The Great Recognition Required of Parents; and The Eternal Child. Charlotte Mason was a late nineteenth-century British educator whose ideas were far ahead of her time. She believed that children are born persons worthy of respect, rather than blank slates, and that it was better to feed their growing minds with living literature and vital ideas and knowledge, rather than dry facts and knowledge filtered and pre-digested by the teacher. Her method of education, still used by some private schools and many homeschooling families, is gentle and flexible, especially with younger children, and includes first-hand exposure to great and noble ideas through books in each school subject, conveying wonder and arousing curiosity, and through reflection upon great art, music, and poetry; nature observation as the primary means of early science teaching; use of manipulatives and real-life application to understand mathematical concepts and learning to reason, rather than rote memorization and working endless sums; and an emphasis on character and on cultivating and maintaining good personal habits. Schooling is teacher-directed, not child-led, but school time should be short enough to allow students free time to play and to pursue their own worthy interests such as handicrafts. Traditional Charlotte Mason schooling is firmly based on Christianity, although the method is also used successfully by secular families and families of other religions.