Educational Resource List

http://www.globalgridforlearning.com/

At the heart of our strategy is the Global Grid for Learning platform and library that makes it easy for educators to search and download over a million education resources in a variety of formats from thousands of content sources worldwide through common software applications.

Disclosure: The post author works for Cambridge University Press at the time of posting. The opinions expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my employer. This blog is not sponsored nor endorsed by my employer.

http://www.myspanishlab.com/

From the website: “MySpanishLab™ was developed to address the specific needs of language instructors. The complexity of the Elementary Spanish course (many components, lots of homework/assessment, the four skills, etc.) requires solutions to complex problems – but, solutions which simplify and enrich the experience of students and instructors. The following walkthrough highlights just a few of these important issues along with MySpanishLab solutions!”

http://www.epsilen.com/Epsilen/Public/Home.aspx

From the website: “Epsilen places social networking and ePortfolios at the center of global eLearning, creating a new environment for the next generation of learners and professionals. Epsilen goes beyond other popular networking sites, connecting peers and enabling meaningful knowledge and object exchanges.”

The New York Times Knowledge Network uses their platform.

http://www.odlaa.org/events/2005conf/ref/ODLAA2005Lowe.pdf

Abstract: “Explanatory graphics are increasingly pervasive in online and other electronic learning environments. Static and animated graphics are especially attractive to those producing resources for the international education context. While use of a specific written or spoken verbal language may be an impediment to learning, graphics are widely regarded as universally accessible. They also have the potential to address aspects of learning that are particularly challenging for open and distance education. Traditional approaches based largely on textual information can be poorly suited to the learning of subject matter that is intrinsically visual in nature. Further, for content dealing with change over time (such as processes and procedures), static forms of information may be ill-matched to the learning task. In contrast, animated graphics offer a very direct way to explain topics that are both highly visual and intrinsically dynamic. Animations can be regarded as a way to overcome previous limitations inherent in open and distance learning. One possibility is that courses previously requiring a significant on-campus component for aspects involving processes and procedures could instead now be presented largely online. Current practice in online learning suggests that conventional wisdom assumes animated graphics to be intrinsically superior to both text and static graphics for the presentation of dynamic subject matter. However, quite contrary evidence is emerging from recent research on learning from animations. This paper examines the perceptual and cognitive challenges faced by learners when they interact with animations and presents research-based recommendations for improving the design quality and educational effectiveness of dynamic visualisations.”

Design recommendations (pp. 4-5):

• “a clear distinction should be drawn between possible affective and cognitive functions of animation in supporting learning (Lowe & Schnotz, in press)” : Don’t let the flashiness of animations distract the student from what should be noticed.
• “key aspects of the subject matter need to be portrayed in such a way that the learner’s attention is specifically directed towards them as required” : Don’t assume the student knows which part of the animation they should be looking at.
• Realistic animations are not always appropriate. The history of educational illustration shows that “Simplification and the gradual build up of information” is a useful feature.
• “animations should not be expected to function effectively in isolation” : Including audio narrative can be particularly helpful

http://www.longmanenglishinteractive.com

From the website: “Longman English Interactive is a four-level video-based, integrated-skills program that includes over 100 hours of instruction per level. The program provides presentation and practice in grammar, speaking, listening, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, and writing.”

http://www.cambridgescp.com/page.php?p=clc%5Etop%5Ehome

Online materials for students and teachers of Latin.

Disclosure: The post author works for Cambridge University Press at the time of posting. The opinions expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my employer. This blog is not sponsored nor endorsed by my employer.

http://www.angellearning.com/products/lms/whats_new/default.html

From the website: “ANGEL LMS 7.3 offers a host of new features designed to enhance the teaching and learning experience for faculty and students, simplify LMS administration, and ease integration of the LMS into the enterprise. With a primary focus on usability, ANGEL LMS 7.3’s many updates make it even easier to use. As always, the ANGEL user community was heavily involved in the design of new and updated program elements, a hallmark of the ANGEL Learning development process.”

http://www.macmillanenglishcampus.com/

From the website: “The concept behind the Macmillan English Campus is that language learning can be greatly enhanced by an effective combination of face-to-face teaching and online support materials.”

http://education.jimmyr.com/

http://dir.yahoo.com/Education/

List of educational information, materials, and programs provided by “Yahoo!”.