alt^I - Applied Learning Technologies Institute

UPSI, A New Vision of Learning

dotguy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:13:07 +0000

University Public Schools, Inc., in affiliation with Arizona State University and in partnership with Phoenix Elementary School District #1, invites you to experience a New Vision for Learning.

A brief introduction by the Phoenix Community Alliance will take place in the school foyer at 4:00 pm. Students of the new University Public School Phoenix will provide guided tours until 6:00 pm.

735 East Fillmore Street

Google Reader, Bundles

dotguy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:42:06 +0000

Several weeks ago, as part of a continuing effort to improve the functionality and usefulness of Google Reader, Google introduced a new feature, the news “bundle”.

These bundles are essentially a collection of RSS feeds collected and organized by individual users. Nice. The initial launch highlighted the expertise of user created bundles as a means of perhaps curating or editing a vast amount of knowledge on the web. Early bundles included items of interest from the editors of web publications such as TechCrunch and Lifehacker, as well as individual editors of merit including Arianna Huffington and Chris Anderson. The list of available bundles to browse has since grown significantly and is now quite varied covering a wide range of topics and interests. True, the argument of the validity of a news “editor” in these modern times is certainly up for debate. However, one still may find such bundled news feed lists useful, if at least as a starting point of exploration and discovery.

The next step may be to create your own news feed bundles, either as a means of organizing individual reading or perhaps sharing with others. Bundles might be created to support class reading, research groups, political action committees, churches, clubs, and more. Any way one might organize a folder of local information would make a reasonable category to organize a Google Reader bundle.

The process of creating a feed bundle is fairly easy, and is presently available within Google Reader via the “Browse for stuff” / “Discover and search for feeds” function.

We created an alt^I “reading list” bundle on “Education and Technology” which is available as a Google Reader link as well as standard OMPL file that can be imported into any modern RSS reader.

Catch Google Wave at Educause

Maker Faire Africa (2009)

dotguy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:05:38 +0000

We had the pleasure of accompanying the ASU Global Resolve team this past summer on a number of work and research expeditions in Ghana, Africa. The “Maker” spirit is alive and well in throughout the country, and is especially evident in Suame Magazine industrial region in Kumasi which would truly make the Mother of Invention proud.

Maker Faire Africa, 2009

Maker Faire Africa (MFA) 2009 took place this year in August in Accra, the capital of Ghana. MFA is billed as “a celebration of African ingenuity, innovation and invention” which as we learned is often a way of life for many in Ghana. MFA will be happening again in Kenya in 2010, and they are currently accepting sponsorship opportunities.

The work of ASU Global Resolve is well aligned with this same Maker approach in that they strive to “develop sustainable technologies and programs in the areas of energy, clean water, and local economic development…” blending innovation, resourcefulness, and entrepreneurship at all levels.

No related posts.

Intel 3-D Vision for Underwater Robots

dotguy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:22:36 +0000

This video, produced by Intel, features the experimental 3-D vision system used by Carl Hayden High School’s “Falcon Team 842″ during this year’s National Underwater Robotics Challenge (NURC) in Chandler, AZ.

We’ve supported the live web casting of NURC for the last few years. It is always an excellent event and exciting to witness first hand the competition and the challenges as they unfold throughout the night.

Mount Terror: Fire Under the Ice

ASU and Dublin City University Partnership

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:59:19 +0000

Dublin City University and Arizona State University to be lead academic partners in major global education initiative with world’s oldest publisher

Dublin City University and Arizona State University have been appointed as the lead academic partners in the Global Grid for Learning, a concept developed by Dr Theo Lynn, from DCU’s Business School. The project is a global online education initiative to connect a billion digital content resources to education worldwide. Dr. Theo Lynn (DCU) and Dr. Sam DiGangi (ASU) will act as Principal Investigators for Global Grid for Learning.

‘Global Grid for Learning’ will enable teachers move beyond the confines of a text book and overhead projectors and delve deep into the world of digital learning, providing engaging lessons and enabling the classroom to come alive with knowledge.

It will mean teachers in primary, secondary and third level colleges will have access to one of the largest digital learning repositories in the world. They will have access to new teaching resources from thousands of sources, both professional and peer-generated, at their fingertips.

Global Grid for Learning comprises two services, one free and one commercial, the former, www.globalgridforlearning.org, being operated by the lead academic partners and the latter, www.globalgridforlearning.com, by Cambridge University Press. All academic research for both services will be coordinated by Arizona State University and Dublin City University.

Some of the world’s leading content providers and technology companies have already committed to the initiative including Encyclopaedia Britannica, Reuters, Corbis, Bridgeman Education, Intel® Skoool, Microsoft, SMART Technologies, Scran, The Learning Federation and many others. All of the content is copyright cleared, making it legal to use. For the first time teachers and lecturers will not be isolated when it comes to preparing material for their lessons. Global Grid for Learning is also a collaborative project with contributions by teachers for teachers.

“Our participation in Global Grid for Learning represents the type of collaboration envisaged by the transatlantic strategic alliance already existing between ASU and DCU,” says Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, President of Dublin City University. “This agreement with Cambridge University Press reflects the global intent of the Dublin City University and incorporates industry engagement, research projects, academic exchanges, and new approaches to education.”

“As a department of the University of Cambridge, our purpose at the Press is to further the University’s objective of advancing learning knowledge and research worldwide,” says John Tuttle, Managing Director, New Directions Group. “ASU and DCU share our commitment to this purpose, the wider global education community and the role technology can play in bridging the digital divide”.

Dr. Sam DiGangi, Associate Vice President and director of ASU’s Applied Learning Technologies Institute (alt^I ) said: “Global Grid for Learning brings virtually over a billion educational resources to educators and students. Through the collaboration among ASU, DCU, and Cambridge, these resources will be made readily accessible, easily consumable, and directly relevant. This cross-disciplinary partnership moves beyond associating resources with standards and objectives to developing new ways in which users can assemble resources, create knowledge, share and refine instructional approaches.”

Dr. Theo Lynn, Deputy Director of DCU’s Learning, Innovation and Knowledge Research Centre said: “Global Grid for Learning provides a platform for bringing the open content movement and the commercial publishing industry together to provide universal, affordable and equitable access to education content. Furthermore, it provides researchers, initially in Ireland and Arizona, with the opportunity to work with large source of global primary data to inform education, ICT and business research.”

For Further Information:
Dr Theo Lynn (01-7006873) theo.lynn@dcu.ie

Dr Samuel DiGangi (1-480-965-2047) sam@asu.edu

Catch Google Wave at Educause

dotguy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:23:54 +0000

Kudos to Sarah “Intellagirl” Robbins (intellagirl@googlewave.com) for putting together an excellent Wave collection for this year’s Educause 2009 Conference happening now in Denver, Colorado. The collection is an excellent best practice example of an early application of the new Google Wave technology. It includes a wave for every day of the conference listing each session, as well as a “Educause 2009 Master Wave” that links to each of the individual days. Participants are encouraged to ‘reply’ in the wave with individual notes, relevant links, and feedback for each session.

“In an effort to organize some collaborative notes and backchannel using Wave, I’ve created a public wave for each main time slot of the Denver conference. Each session in the time slot has its own post. Just reply to the post about the session you attend to chat with other Wavers in the session or to post public notes to share.”

So far, everyone seems to be playing nice and the collective intelligence of the attendees is compiling up fairly well. This is a good idea and appears to be being well executed by all. Nice job!

http://www.intellagirl.com

[Update: "EDUCAUSE: 7 Things You Should Know About Google Wave" PDF]

Google Reader, Bundles

IDEAL, Arizona’s eLearning Platform

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:42:22 +0000

IDEAL (Integrated Data to Enhance Arizona Learning) is a comprehensive learning platform designed to provide educational stakeholders with a rich library of professional and curriculum resources, collaboration tools for immediate access to peers, professional development courses, and just in time learning resources.

Developed as a partnership between the Arizona Department of Education and the Applied Learning Technologies Institute at Arizona State University IDEAL offers:

equitable access to resources for all educational stakeholders
an open environment for innovation, and
space for collaboration between all educational stakeholders.

The goal of IDEAL is to improve academic performance and prepare students for success in the 21st century.

Curriculum Resources

Educational videos; Online tutorials; Content aligned to state standards

Professional Development

High quality facilitated and self-paced courses; Registration and tracking tools; Co-development opportunities

Collaboration

Interactive applications and tools ; Educational interest communities; Content sharing

School Improvement

Arizona School Improvement Plan; Rubrics for school improvement; Resource collection

http://ideal.azed.gov

Aligning Resources to Improve Science Education

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:13:00 +0000

ARISE (Aligning Resources to Improve Science Education) targets middle school science teachers who are
out of field and in high need districts; with this program we would extend it to all Title 1 Schools as well.
The purpose of ARISE is to produce more highly qualified middle school teachers in every sense. ARISE is
therefore not just AEPA preparation, though successful AEPA completion is one of the goals. All required
elements of the program are online, so that teachers in rural and outlying areas may participate fully.
However, teachers in the program may also take face-to-face ASU courses, at any of the ASU campuses, as
electives. Additionally, teachers may take online professional development courses and/or work towards a
Master’s degree in science education.

Goals:

Create highly qualified, appropriately certified middle school science teachers in all Title 1 schools.
Provide accessible, high quality, online graduate science education courses.
Provide timely support through online resources and ongoing peer mentoring.

Program Components:

Innovative and effective AEPA preparation materials
Two ASU online graduate courses
High quality professional development courses
Online collaborative environments concentrated on coaching and facilitation of peer mentoring
Collaborative environment

Program Evaluation:

The alt^I research team will implement an initial needs assessment as well as formative and summative
evaluation techniques of ELL/SEI professional development, support and resources. These assessment
and evaluation strategies will gather and analyze data to improve the program, establish and ensure

Program Cost:

The Applied Learning Technologies Institute (alt^I) is dedicated to the advancement of P-20 education
through, research, collaboration, and action. We are committed to providing tools and resources relevant
to both ARRA and your specific needs.
Costing models differ depending on district/school size and specific services provided. For information on
implementation contact:

Sandra Sutton Andrews PhD. • 949-981-3802
sandra@asu.edu

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:03:14 +0000

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive, research-based approach to increasing
student achievement through enhancing classroom climate. PBIS centers on proactive prevention of
student behavior problems and promoting social and learning goals. PBIS can be implemented at a variety
of levels including individual students, small groups, and school-wide.

PBIS Goals

Reduce discipline referrals
Reduce suspensions
Save instructional time
Save administrative time
Improve school climate
Increase staff satisfaction

Program Benefits:

Clearly defined behavioral expectations
Teaching desired behaviors/skills
Focusing on positive behaviors
Changing systems
Altering the environment
Providing a continuum of supports
Functional assessment
Data-based decision making
Improved student behavior

Program Components:

Assess school-wide behavior management system
Setting up data collection systems
Developing and implementing of setting-specific management strategies
Integration of current resources and strategies
Understanding and managing of individual student behavior
Developing positive student expectations and rules
Conducting site-based training for staff, students, and parents

Program Evaluation:

The alt^I research team will also implement formative and summative assessment and to gather and
analyze data to improve the program, ensure sustainability, and determine and report overall project
outcomes and impact.

Program Cost:

Applied Learning Technologies Institute (alt^i) is dedicated to the advancement of P-20 education through,
research, collaboration, and action. We are committed to providing tools and resources relevant to both
ARRA and your specific needs. Costing models differ depending on district/school size and specific services
provided.

Contact:

For information on implementation contact:
Yadira Flores
480-884-1653
Yadira.Flores@asu.edu

http://www.pbisaz.org/

Photo by SimonDoggett

Conexiones

admin — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:18:20 +0000

Through Conexiones, the Applied Learning Technologies Institute (alt^I), offers an after school program that engages the whole child through a blended focus on technology, media literacy, the arts, and communication skills, making learning relevant and exciting, and leading to improved student achievement. Creating technology-infused educational spaces for young learners, ensuring equitable access.

Goals:

Establish a bridge between schools and the university and encourage traditionally under served students to plan for post-secondary education
Create technology-infused educational spaces for young learners, ensuring equitable access.
Improve student achievement through engaging activities, family involvement and meaningful relationships

Program Evaluation:

The alt^I research team implements formative and summative assessments to gather and analyze data to improve the program and determine and report overall project outcomes and impact.