ClassTools.net - Free Flash for Online Teaching

So it has been quite a few months since I was last inspired enough to talk about something on this blog. However, I was going through my list of new Twitter followers today (again, something I have not done in a few months) and found http://twitter.com/russeltarr, who is a history teacher in Toulouse, France, and who developed the ClassTools.net website. According to Russel:

• Classtools.net provides free, customisable flash templates to embed into blogs, wikis and websites. There is no signup, no passwords, no charges...

This is very cool for anyone who teaches online or has a class website. Russel has created 17 templates that are available for teachers to fill in the blanks and images. Some are interactive games, others are fill in the blanks. Students can save their work, which is saved for 12 months on the Classtools.net website.

As an example, the Venn Diagram template allows the teacher to fill in as much of the diagram as they want -- they could be questions, for example -- and provide instructions in a side box. Students can enter their name, then follow the directions to create their own venn diagram. They can then save this online and both print it out and copy and save or send the URL for later access and revisions.


The current 17 templates are:

• Arcade Game Generator!
• Flashcard Generator
• Countdown Timer
• Random Name Picker
• Dustbin Game
• Post It
• Diamond 9
• Fishbone (Ishikawa)
• Venn Diagram
• Animated Book
• Timeline
• Lights Out
• Target
• Hamburger
• Living Graph
• Learning Cycle
• Jigsaw Diagram
• Priority Chart
• Source Analyser

Note that the results all have Google ads on the right, and an advertisement for classes offered by the sites author on the bottom.

This is a very useful teaching tool that I plan to try out in my online classes.

Top 5 Quiz Generators for Online Educators

Top 5 Quiz Generators for Online Educators

Building out quizzes for both traditional and online classes can be a time-consuming chore. Luckily, there are now many online "generators" being designed that take much of the work out of online test taking. If you need to create a simple online test, look to the five user-friendly tools below.

1. Exam Builder – With this exam generator, you can create an online test in a Web browser, and then publish it in one click. You can customize each test for online registration and individual retests, plus the site provides an analysis on how your students scored as a whole.

2. Quiz Center – Brought to you by the Discovery Channel, this easy tool will allow you to create, publish and grade quizzes online. This generator is very flexible and, perhaps even more importantly, is free of charge. Teachers should find this tool useful at both the K-12 and college level.

3. Easy Test Maker – Here, you can create a host of different tests at no charge. Your answer options will include multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, short answer, true or false and more. This robust tool includes a spell check function, as well, which comes in very handy for those of us creating tests late at night.

4. Charles Kelly's Online Quiz Generator – This multiple choice test generator is very popular amongst tech-savvy college instructors. It allows you a lot of freedom in terms of formatting the data.

5. JavaScript QuizMaker – As the name suggests, this is a quiz generator that provides JavaScript that you can cut and paste into your own Web page. If you are operating your own classroom site, this can be an easy way to host a test on your page.

The above tools have proven to be very useful and popular amongst online instructors. Although more complex tools do exist, most teachers are looking for easy-to-use generators to maximize their productivity. These resources will certainly save you time and make online test taking easier on your students.

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This post is by guest blogger, Heather Johnson. Heather Johnson is a regular commentator on the subject of top online universities. She welcomes your feedback and potential job inquiries at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

Top eLearning Tools - - Survey Results

The Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, in Somerset, England has an ongoing survey in which they are asking eLearning professionals to list their "Top 10 Tools." This is being compiled in a Top 100 Tools website.

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed in the list. First, I was surprised to see Firefox topping the list and Google Search in the #3 spot, and wondered how people are using Firefox and Google Search in their teaching assignments. I was also surprised to see and Microsoft Word on the list, but then realized that these are not Web 2.0 tools.

However, when you click on the tool to see the comments made by the respondents, you quickly learn that these are actually the Top 10 personal productivity tools of the respondents. In that sense, I basically agree with the list. It is not, however, as useful readers of this blog as I had initially hoped. Though, it does give some insight into the views of the eLearning and tech support people that those of us who are teaching online occasionally come into contact with.

AND - The survey is still open so you can add your own votes and comments on your "Top 10 Tools." So go to the Top 100 Tools list and cast your votes.

Below is a list of the top 15 tools (as of when I am posting this blog, it will likely change over time). I have highlighted in Bold/Red the ones that I consider the most obvious teaching tools that you can build an online class assignments around. (This does not include tools where you are just teaching students how to use the technology, like Powerpoint, Word, Audacity and others would be.)

1 Firefox
2 del.icio.us
3 Google Search
4 Gmail
5 Google Reader + Skype
7 PowerPoint
8 Blogger + WordPress
10 Bloglines
11 Google Docs & Spreadsheets
12 Word
13 iGoogle + Audacity
15 Dreamweaver + flickr + Ning + Wikispace

Teaching With Web 2.0 - conference paper

Click on the title above, or try here, to download the MS Word file for a paper titled:

Social Software in Tourism, Event Management and Tourism Education

that I recently presented at the 3rd Tourism Outlook Conference in conjunction with the Global Events Congress II, 16-18 July 2007, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Event Management section is rather weak, as I added that mostly for the conference theme. In addition, I wrote this for the conference proceedings, so there are no references cited. I mostly just wanted to get it out for people to see and use. A more formal version will be submitted to an journal some day (which means it would not be out for a couple of years).

The core of the paper recounts my experiment and experience using Web 2.o teaching tools in an online class on Sustainable Tourism in the Spring 2007 semester at Northern Arizona University.

Using Social Software in Online and Hybrid Classes

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This is the Audio and Powerpoint of the presentation that I gave today about my experience using social software (blogs, wikis, podcasts, and website creation) in an online class this last semester.

The audio is located on my Geography for Travelers podcast. The Powerpoint slides are hosted for viewing and downloading at: http://www.slideshare.net/alew/

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Note that this version of the Powerpoint presentation is slightly different from the audio file. There are a couple of slides at the start and at the end that were not in the presentation when the audio was recorded, and there is one slide at the end that I mention (very briefly) that is not in the slidecast. --- Long story....

Theory and Practice of Online Learning

Theory and Practice of Online Learning - Free eBook from Athabasca University.

Here is the TOC (table of contents), because practice really works best when supported by theory:

Part 1 • Role and Function of Theory in Online Education Development and Delivery

1 Foundations of Educational Theory for Online Learning - Mohamed Ally
2 Toward a Theory of Online Learning - Terry Anderson
3 Value Chain Analysis: A Strategic Approach to Online Learning - Fathi Elloumi

Part 2 • Infrastructure and Support for Content Development

4 Developing an Infrastructure for Online Learning - Alan Davis
5 Technologies of Online Learning (e-Learning) - Rory McGreal & Michael Elliott
6 Media Characteristics and Online Learning Technology - Patrick J. Fahy

Part 3 • Design and Development of Online Courses

7 The Development of Online Courses - Dean Caplan
8 Developing Team Skills and Accomplishing Team Projects Online - Deborah C. Hurst & Janice Thomas
9 Copyright Issues in Online Courses: A Moment in Time - Lori-Ann Claerhout
10 Value Added—The Editor in Design and Development of Online Courses - Jan Thiessen & Vince Ambrock

Part 4 • Delivery, Quality Control, and Student Support of Online Courses

11 Teaching in an Online Learning Context - Terry Anderson
12 Call Centers in Distance Education - Andrew Woudstra, Colleen Huber, & Kerri Michalczuk
13 Supporting Asynchronous Discussions among Online Learners - Joram Ngwenya, David Annand & Eric Wang
14 Library Support for Online Learners: e-Resources, e-Services, and the Human Factors - Kay Johnson, Houda Trabelsi, & Tony Tin
15 Supporting the Online Learner - Judith A. Hughes
16 The Quality Dilemma in Online Education - Nancy K. Parker

This book is released under the Creative Commons copyright (attribution, noncommercial, no derivatives).