ASU, (alt^I) -

IDEAL

Sam — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 19:43:46 -0700

IDEAL (Integrated Data to Enhance Arizona's Learning), an online, personalized, lifelong learning environment available to every Arizona K-12 student and certified teacher. Through a partnership between the Arizona Department of Education and alt^I, The Applied Learning Technologies Institute at Arizona State University, over 1 million K-12 students and 58,000 teachers receive IDEAL accounts, providing customized access to education and information--forever.

CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION

Resources offered by IDEAL include:

An on-demand library of over 3,000 educational video titles, streamed to the user's computer desktop
Interactive multimedia, standards-based math lessons
Downloadable lessons from across the curriculum, including Fine Arts, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and PE/Health
Links to educator-reviewed web sites indexed by subject

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

IDEAL connects teachers with development courses and materials for career advancement.

How-To Center

Teacher development materials covering everything from how to use popular software applications in the classroom, to creating lessons with primary sources, to using digital cameras and troubleshooting computer problems.

ADE Reference Library

Searchable online database of trade books aligned to the Arizona Academic Standards by grade level, subject area, strand, concept, and/or students' reading levels.

Recipes4Success

Interactive lessons to help you learn software applications such as PowerPoint, iMovie, and Photoshop

Course Catalog

Online professional development courses from ASSET, the George Lucas Educational Foundation, Intel Foundation, PBS TeacherLine, TEAMS, and Thirteen Ed Online. Graduate credit is available for specific courses.

ASSESSMENT

· Formative Assessments

IDEAL gives teachers access to the Formative Assessment Test Item Bank, to provide:

o Insight on students' strengths and conceptual errors in relation to specific course concepts

o Guidance to improve student understanding

o A means of monitoring progress in learning

o Diagnostic information concerning students' understanding of concepts

o Feedback to the instructor about the effectiveness of instructional activities

· Arizona Schools Improvement Plans

o IDEAL streamlines the implementation of state-required assessment and accountability with intuitive online tools for composing and submitting Arizona Schools Improvement Plans (ASIP).

Among the features we've got planned for future roll-out is parental access to student performance data, helping parents be active partners in their child's education. IDEAL recognizes that participation from every member of the Arizona educational enterprise -- administrator, teacher, student, and parent -- is necessary to give our students the best educations possible, and IDEAL will continue to build on its current offerings to achieve this goal.

ASU iTunes U - Version 1.0

admin — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 11:02:01 -0700

Through a partnership with Apple Inc., ASU has established an innovative platform to facilitate ASU podcast production and delivery. Our primary efforts involve developing ASU at iTunes U, where ASU podcast content will be stored and distributed using the iTunes U infrastructure.

ASU on iTunes U is both a repository and support mechanism for ASU podcasting efforts--assembled together into a single, easy to access location. This will enhance individual programming, and will work to generate exposure to individual programs that will benefit from being listed as part of a larger collective, maximizing and leveraging ASU content in conjunction with Apple and iTunes U. ASU iTunes U will utilize ASU’s authentification system and Apple’s repository of educational podcasts, blended into a unified cohesive space.

Podcasting has emerged as a viable means of developing and distributing instructionally sound programming that may facilitate on-line education and/or enhance blended classroom experiences. The ASU Applied Learning Technologies Institute (alt^I) has been actively engaged in exploring this new media space for some time, particularly as it relates to sound instruction facilitated by technology. We are encouraged about the possibilities that will certainly emerge as podcasting continues to be utilized in various applications throughout the ASU community, and we look forward to working with faculty, researchers, and other departments to continue and further develop research in these new media and approaches, and to help drive and guide their use and refinement in higher education.

Applied Learning Technologies Institute

eekhout — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 13:17:38 -0700

The Arizona State University, University Technology Office, Applied Learning Technologies Institute (alt^I ) is dedicated to the advancement of higher education through research, collaboration, and action. The Institute brings together faculty, researchers, students, and professionals, working hand in hand with programmers, engineers, designers, and support staff, toward a common goal; ensuring the success of all learners.

Recognizing that insight, flexibility and contact are essential to the development and continuous refinement of an effective learning environment, alt^I functions in concert with the University Technology Office to enable a use inspired, research supported mechanism for innovation. At our core, alt^I is comprised of colleagues from a wide spectrum of backgrounds and experiences, from instructional designers to server-side programmers, graphic artists to applied researchers, gifted students to exceptional faculty and instructors, and a variety of hybrid talent in between. alt^I is an intentionally eclectic mix of expertise, experience, and perspective.

Our approach balances the need for stability and reliability with a strategic emphasis on research, development, and innovation. We recognize the importance of attention to accessibility, individual differences, social and cultural awareness and ultimately, our responsibility toward enhancing and enabling lifelong learning.

alt^I is comprised of six core, interrelated and integrated units:

Research and Community Outreach; ensures and enables an environment in which the educational impact of technology is continuously explored, evaluated, discussed, disseminated and ultimately, applied.
Learning Technologies; assists instructors with the effective integration of technology into learning environments.
New Media Studio; produces and supports high quality and relevant digital media that advances the goals of excellence, access and impact, and the overall vision for the New American University.
Distributed learning; extending the educational environment across a continuum of technology supported instruction in the classroom, blended with Internet, and accessible at a distance.
Technology Integration; responsible for the development and integration of new technology solutions with the ASU Learning Platform.
Media Distribution Systems; provides design, implementation and support for the storage, delivery, and distribution of digital media assets; ensuring and enabling aresearch-based, responsive, dynamic and robust Learning Platform.

We believe that a large institution is indeed able to establish a responsible and responsive, nimble and stable, approach to technology innovation, integration, and support. alt^I serves as a direct-connect, high-touch, collaborative entree to real-life application of technology in education. Most importantly, alt^I represents a collaborative effort among faculty, students, researchers, and the community.

Welcome to alt^I

^Sam