My brain starting hurting during this session as Barry, in rapid fire fashion, identified the various free tools one could use to create everything from Moodles to Vodcasts. While I can appreciate Barry's creativity and the hours he must devote to exploring online resources, I wondered if we are not creating a new form of trash: e-litter? Doug

Web 2.0 Tools

No one can totally agree on what Web 2.0 means, but most acknowledge that it includes free tools that you can use to enhance your online course. Barry Dahl from Lake Superior College has amassed a great deal of these together and demonstrated examples during a "whirlwind" presentation. Here is a link to his resources (Web 2.0 Tools). Barry has a "top 12" in this site which may or may be of use to you. Linc

Podcasting??

One of the major issues raised repeatedly during the conference focused on what was driving our use of new technologies. Do we use the new "toys" because they are available or do we wrestle with whether those tools really enhance the teaching/learning process? Dr. Patrick Jackson explored this issue regarding the use of podcasting lecture/content materials for students to upload and listen to at their convenience. He emphasized the "what" and "why" questions relative to the technology before going on to the "how" of podcasting. You can access his slide presentation and/or podcast of his session by going to http://www.kittenboo.com/blog/ . I appreciated his focus, however I wonder if we sometimes defend our pedagogical methods because we are trying to convince ourselves that our motives are "pure" consequently justifying our use of every new bell and whistle, not necessarily because it is appropriate but because we are fascinated by novelty and innovative technologies? Doug

Behind the Times?

I was expecting BMCC's distance education technology to not stack up well against the several hundred participants that carried lap-tops and who had cell-phones stuck to their ears. I figured we weren't at the bottom, but probably were at least a bit below the mean-line.

As expected, there is a great deal of variety in online and distance technologies employed between and within colleges and universities. Interestingly, many presenters were trying to come up with inexpensive additions to web pages and blogs they themselves had created. I remember a discussion about how you can add "chat" to your course, that discussion threads are a neat tool, adding photos and tests can be daunting...etc. All the while I am thinking "e-college lets me do that." In fact, one instructor from an urban Washington community college wondered what we used. When we replied "e-college," she said "I wish we could afford that. How do you pay for it?" Technologically speaking we seem to be ahead of many other institutions in providing a framework (e-college) that provides many of the tools participants were asking about.

There are some up-and-coming technologies. Blogs and podcasting are trends. Above this level are a few self-described "alpha-types" that are trying prototype gizmos. One presenter seemed buried in his 100+ blogs while lamenting the lack of more efficient programs to sort, save and query posts.

While listening to presenters share their hints, tips and "best practices" of teaching online, I gained perspective of BMCC's place in using distance technology. We are well above the bar. Linc