Reviews (2)

A Complete Introduction on Using and Managing Moodle.
A Complete Introduction on Using and Managing Moodle.
An excellent introduction to Moodle
Whether you are a teacher or a site administrator, you will find this book to be an indispensible companion during your first school year using Moodle -- and probably long afterward.I was fortunate to start teaching with Moodle around the time this book came out.When I scanned the table of contents, I was dismayed to discover that approximately half of the book seemed to have nothing to do with me.After all, teachers don't install, configure, or extend Moodle, and teachers (at least at my school) can't create new courses or course categories.As it turned out, I couldn't have been more wrong.As teachers, we are profoundly affected by the decisions made by our Moodle administrators during Moodle setup, as well as the procedures they use to administer the system.Inevitably, we come to realize that we cannot avoid knowing the information in chapters 2, 3, 7, and 9.Fortunately, the author's explanations are clear and do not require a technical background.He illustrates everything using an example site called "Wilderness Skills" which carries through the book.
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Subjects:  1. Distance Education & Learning    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Internet - Web Site Design    5. Internet   

Reviews (4)

Review of Teaching and Learning at a Distance
This is an excellent book. The authors know their business. The writing is clear and easy to follow. I particularly like the pratical information provided by the authors and their examples. There is also a chapter on copyright and applications. The book covers a brief history of Distance Ed which shows how this educational platform has grown.
A good introduction
I use this book as my text in The Foundations of Distance Education and Training course I teach at the University of Phoenix. It has recently been updated and in the past 4 years of teaching this class, not a single student has complained about the book (somewhat unusual).

Distance Education Fieldbook
Of great value to students, educators, managers as well as developers of the technology and learning interaction channels.Read more

Subjects:  1. Distance Education & Learning    2. Distance education    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Education / Distance Education & Learning   

Reviews (3)

Outstanding Work on the Science of Learning
This is one of the best books I have read on how students learn. Mayer's cognitive model, while limited to visual and auditory channels, provides a wealth of possibilities for maximizing the retention and understanding of information by students. Mayer practices what he preaches and writes a compelling, easy-to-understanding, summary of his ten years of research on the subject. The most important part of the book is that Mayer backs up his statements with data from the classroom. I can think of no other book that can make that claim. Like another reviewer said, if it doesn't change the way you teach or think about teaching, it should!

Will Change Your Teaching!
This is a fantastic book!It has a very nice discussion and a summary of the relevant research documenting that students learn best with multimedia presentations (pictures and words).The research results and guidelines for designing figures and computer-based materials will change the way you teach forever, or at least should! As a University Geology Professor, this book has truely been an inspiration to my teaching and writing.The only drawback is that it is a little repetitive, but not enough to detract from the great message contained within.

Good research and a good read
This is a very well presented description of Mayer's research on whether people learn betterusing multimedia (as opposed to just reading text). He describes the tests he and colleagues have performed to see how much learners are able to remember (retention) and how much learned information they can apply to new situations (transfer), and presents the results in manner that is relatively easy to understand (you have to know a little something about statistics, but not too much). The number of subjects tested is small, and Mayer is sure to point that out - but the basic research should lay groundwork for others to conduct similar tests on larger groups. The design principles Mayer puts forth (e.g. "contiguity") are very much in keeping with the general principles of good visual design (esposed by design notables such as Robin Williams (not the actor)). It's both a good read and good research. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer-assisted instruction    2. Computers & Technology    3. Distance Education & Learning    4. Education / Teaching    5. General    6. Interactive multimedia    7. Learning Styles    8. Psychology    9. Cognition & cognitive psychology    10. Computer-aided learning (CAL)    11. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Reviews (2)

Best of it's subject
I am an instructional designer of online learning and in an effort to implement discussions in the courses I create, I ordered four books on discussion-based online learning. This book was by far the most comprehensive, balanced, and useful book of the four. While reading the book, I was immediately able to implement the strategies outlined in the book, and justify my reasons for implementing groups/discussions to the college instructors teaching the courses I create. I think that this book is valuable to anyone creating and supporting online learning: instructors, professors, instructional designers, trainers, and training managers. I even copied several pages of the book that justify online learning as a whole for my director.

Getting Beyond the Technology to Constructivist Learning
Dr. Bender offers a well balanced view of online discussion as a teaching tool in asynchronous education. Clear, concise, practical and well documented concepts and applications fill this easily read textbook.The last section of the book provides a wonderful overview of the hot buttons on assessment in the online environment.Regardless of whether you are already implementing online discussion or if you are just considering online discussion as a new tool to add to your arsenal, you will find helpful insight in this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer-assisted instruction    2. Computers & Technology    3. Distance Education & Learning    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Education, Higher    7. Higher    8. Internet in higher education    9. Social aspects    10. Education / Higher    11. Higher & further education    12. Open learning & distance education   

Reviews (3)

Worth the read
I found the book to be a good read and had a lot of interesting things to say and good examples of activities for online participants.
a useful guide for distance learning
This book is ideal for the professor or instructor who is providing instruction through distance learning. For online instruction to be successful, students cannot just sit and absorb content passively. The online professor/instructor must encourage an engaged learning environment, which is described by the authors as an environment based on constructivist principles and problems-based learning.
Wonderful guide :)
This book is appropriate to me. I am relatively new to the online learning enviroment and at last I found individual and collaborative activities focused on constructivism and problem-base learning. This activities are a wonderful guide to move learners gradually from traditional rol until they become more self directed. Many books on the topic of online instruction offer innovation and they only present lecture-based approach. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers & Technology    2. Distance Education & Learning    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Higher    6. Education / Higher    7. Educational resources & technology    8. Teaching skills & techniques   

Reviews (154)

Excellent resource...
After reading through zillions of homeschool books and websites-this book finally gave me what I feel is a great base to start from and recommends some other great books that I cannot wait to get.
This book changed my life
As a SAHM with 8 children (college sophomore down to 2 yrs), I'd considered homeschooling now and again. I'd never felt compelled to actually begin homeschooling, however, until now.One of my children had to withdraw from public school (health issues), and thus began my real search for an appropriate curriculum.I read a number of books detailing different philosophies, but this was the first one that when I read it, I felt that I couldn't possibly send my children back to public school.
great reference
this book is a great reference for home schooling
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Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Education, Humanistic    4. General    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Home Schooling    7. Humanistic Education    8. Parent Participation    9. United States    10. Open learning & distance education   

Reviews (15)

Perfect Crash Course on Web-Based Training
If you are new to web-based training, stepping into a new web-based instructional design position, have been teaching or developing web-based training but suspect that there is a better way to do it, or you simply want to establish a solid foundation in building engaging online learning envrionments, this book must be on your shelf.I am a higher education instructional design consultant and I find this book to be an excellent ongoing resource.Not only is it full of specific and practical tips, but the content is organized into dozens of useful tables and charts.Chapter 6, "Activate Learning" is an especially useful chapter, providing lists of potential learning activities and explaining some of the reasons to choose one learning activity over another.
Long on tips. Weak on theory.
This book contains a collection of web design tips which are in the main useful but not earth shattering.Where the book fell down, for me at least, was in the area of theory. It is weak here, and that can be a major problem if you want to conduct a scientific evaluation of the work using the umpteen heuristics suggested by the author.I doubt that there is enough information in the text to adequately help one frame an evaluation of a course, let alone put one together. Excellent e-learning overview
I am a corporate trainer who seeks to convert much of his highly successful classroom-based training to the Web.This book was EXACTLY what I was looking for and met my very demanding criteria for a 'how-to' book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult & Continuing Education    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Networks    4. Computer-assisted instruction    5. Computers    6. Computers & Technology    7. Distance Education & Learning    8. Education / Teaching    9. Employee Training And Development    10. Employees    11. Interactive & Multimedia    12. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning    13. Training    14. Training of    15. World Wide Web    16. Computer aided design (CAD)    17. Computer-aided learning (CAL)    18. Computers / Internet / General    19. World Wide Web (WWW)   

Reviews (2)

Project Managing E-Learning
This book gets five stars for providing e-learning leaders a first class project management guide.Bill uses his years of IT project management experience to provide readers with solid skills and know-how to better manage risk, deadlines, roles, client satisfaction, and learning.As a project manager of both corporate and academic e-learning, I see the need for a commitment to this discipline on a daily basis..... My favorite chapter is number 10.In this chapter he details what to document in advance in a Statement of Work. This book is worth twice the price if it helps your next project be more successful! Jon Aleckson, CEO,...

Ensino à Distância
� um livro que abarca os aspectos b�sicos de como desenvolver um Site para Ensino � Dist�ncia. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics / Training    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Business & Economics    6. Business & Economics / General    7. Computer network resources    8. Computer-assisted instruction    9. Distance Education & Learning    10. Employee Training And Development    11. Employees    12. Project management    13. Training   

Reviews (1)

Excellent book for virtual teachers
Are you entering the world of virtual education?This book can give you clear information on how to design your courses, how to analyse the work of your students, how to grade forum's participation and what mistakes you must avoid.A great introduction for all teachers who are interested in active pedagogy and collaborative learning! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult & Continuing Education    2. College students    3. Computer-Aided Instruction (General)    4. Computer-assisted instruction    5. Computers & Technology    6. Distance Education    7. Distance Education & Learning    8. Education    9. Education / Teaching    10. Internet - General    11. United States    12. Computer-aided learning (CAL)    13. Education / General   

Subjects:  1. Administration    2. Distance Education & Learning    3. Distance education    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Internet in higher education    7. Planning   

Reviews (3)

Moore and Kearsley - Dist. Ed A Systems View (2nd Edition)
Second Edition (2005). Fantastic book. Very well written, loaded with useful info. On a par with Simonson's Teaching and Learning at a Distance (maybe better). Highly recommend.

Broad summary
Perhaps this book was written for policy-makers.It's not very specific about curriculum design nor technology, if that's what you are looking for. It does a pretty job of citing other research and case-studies ofimplementation.It also seems to state a lot of "basics": like"The study guide should do more than merely present subject matter. Itshould contain directions and guidance for the students..." (page 79). This doesn't seem very insightful nor specific to distance education.

This is a MUST for distance educators!
"Distance Education: A Systems View" is a wonderful book for novices and seasoned professionals. It offers a board and deep foundation for the design, development, and delivery of distance education programs. There is a balance between conceptual and theoretical information, and a wealth ofpractical advice. It is written in easy to understand language, presents interesting case studies, and provides a solid bibliography ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Distance Education & Learning    2. Distance education    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. United States    6. Education / General    7. Educational resources & technology    8. Organization & management of education   

Reviews (1)

This one covers all of the bases.
This is a comprehensive, easy-read that brings every aspect of online curriculum development into focus before it marches into the details of practical, successful class management. Through it all, Lynnette's constant thread is defining the role of the teacher in creating an online community that works. She is an excellent guide. Whether your target is an online class or a curriculum, read this one. For the technically challenged, it covers all the tools. For the technology-savy, it draws attention to the human element. Even if you're already involved with online education, you'll find fresh ideas here. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers & Technology    2. Curricula    3. Design    4. Distance Education & Learning    5. Education    6. Education / Teaching    7. Education, Higher    8. Educational Software    9. Effect of technological innova    10. Effect of technological innovations on    11. Instructional systems    12. Internet in higher education    13. Curriculum planning & development    14. Internet    15. Open learning & distance education   

Reviews (10)

Not enough tips
I was hoping to start teaching online groups and needed some practical tips to get me started. I estimated that I would need 183 practical tips before I could start. I knew 22 good tips already - 4 of those appeared in here so it was effectively 143 tips + 22 tips leaving me at 165 tips - 18 short of my target! If they write a book called '161 Practical Tips for Teaching Online Groups: Essentials of Web-Based Education' (with none I know already) then we might be talking. Verdict: short of the mark.

Good resource
This little book does exactly what the title says.The authors give tips -- some common and some not so common - to help teachers involved in online learning.It is a great little reference.

Not exactly what I had expected....
If you are looking for specific distance education methodologies and techniques you might want to look elsewhere, but if all you are looking for are general distance education concepts put into a book- then this is for you. I thought that the tips were similar to something you might get in a "Thought of the Day" email, some interesting concepts with very little substance. Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer-assisted instruction    2. Computers - Other Applications    3. Education    4. Education / Distance Education & Learning    5. Education / Higher    6. Educational Software    7. Internet in education    8. World Wide Web    9. Distance Education & Learning    10. Distance education    11. Higher   

Reviews (4)

Great Book.Helped me outline my research paper
I found this book to be a useful introduction to creating a virtual classroom.I am a student studying instructional technology and it has helped me put together the outline for my research paper.The book is nottechnical, nor is it a guide for online curriculum.What it does isdiscusses at an introductory level the tools of creating an onlineclassroom. Good overview for beginners
I found that the text filled in some blank spots around what I already know.It also provided a good outline not necessarily for the technical side of things, but more from a theoretical approach.It answers thequestions that begin with, "Why?"

for a project
I want this book for my project ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aids & Devices    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computer-Aided Instruction (General)    4. Computers - Other Applications    5. Distance Education    6. Distance Education & Learning    7. Education    8. Educational Software    9. Internet - General    10. Internet in education    11. United States    12. World Wide Web    13. Business & Management    14. Computer-aided learning (CAL)    15. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    16. Internet    17. Project management   

Subjects:  1. Computer-assisted instruction    2. Computers & Technology    3. Distance Education & Learning    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Education, Higher    7. Group work in education    8. Higher    9. Computer-aided learning (CAL)   

Reviews (1)

Great resource book!
I really love the content of this book.It is a great resource for my numerous online courses.
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Subjects:  1. Computers & Technology    2. Distance Education & Learning    3. Education / Teaching    4. Teaching Methods & Materials - General   

Reviews (12)

Interested in VCoPs? Buy this book!
This book is methodologically sound AND useful. Suggestions and advices are backed up by literature, it's not just the usual collection of "expert opinions". By the same token, suggestions and advices are sound and practical, not just impractical "erudite hypotheses". Perfect for pracademics!

It applies to virtual communities of practice
The material in this book can be applied to increase the productivity of virtual communities of practice. It is a book I recommend to those who make a living in the world of knowledge management.

Everything you need to consider for asynchronous learning
I have found this book to be very helpful if you are REALLY interested in doing asynchronous work online.The authors are leading edge thinkers about this subject who have earned themselves a place in the world consulting to people who want to do this.The problem is that many, many people only THINK they know what asynchronous learning is and until you actually experience it you won't know.Can't know something until you learn it.Rena and Keith have done a very good job of showing you EVERYTHING you need to know to get the job done.You can use it like a menu, take what you want and leave the rest alone.They spend a good deal of time trying to get people to understand the TRUE nature of an asynchronous world.They are sincerely at the leading edge.I think I know what leading edge is, I think I'm there experiencing true asynchronous learning now at the renowned Fielding Institute.Good book for your reference.You may not need all of it NOW but you will soon! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult & Continuing Education    2. College teaching    3. Computer-assisted instruction    4. Computers & Technology    5. Data processing    6. Distance Education    7. Education    8. Education / Teaching    9. Experimental Methods    10. Methods Of Instruction And Study In Higher Education    11. Non-Formal Education    12. United States    13. Adult education    14. Computer-aided learning (CAL)    15. Education / General    16. Open learning & distance education    17. Teaching skills & techniques   

Reviews (9)

Exactly What We Needed for a Large, Global Corporation
As a large, global corporation, we have over 15 learning development factories scattered around the world, including India and China.Lee and Owens comprehensive textbook provided just the right amount of information we needed to bring our large, diverse learning development population to a common level of understanding.If one could have only one instructional design textbook, I highly recommend this one.The organization is suberb and the forms contained on the CD are perfect for corporate use.Great book!Every ID should have this book on his or her bookshelf.

An indispensable roadmap
Multimedia-Based Instructional Design is a roadmap, a AAA TripTik?, to guide you on the complex journey from assessing the need for media-based instruction to the final evaluation and analysis of your results. Terrific guide
This is an easy to read guide that is extremely helpful.I disagree that this was written by acedemics with no practical experience- there is loads of practical up to date information. I would strongly reccomend the book to anyone needing a strong grasp on the subject and practical examples. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer-Aided Instruction (General)    4. Computer-assisted instruction    5. Computers    6. Design    7. Distance Education & Learning    8. Employee Training And Development    9. Employees    10. Human Resources & Personnel Management    11. Instructional systems    12. Interactive & Multimedia    13. Planning    14. Training    15. Training of    16. Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management    17. Business & Management    18. Industrial or vocational training    19. Internet    20. Personnel & human resources management   

Subjects:  1. Computer-assisted instruction    2. Computers    3. Computers & Technology    4. Distance Education & Learning    5. Distance education    6. Education    7. Education / Teaching    8. Internet - General    9. Web-based instruction    10. Computer-aided learning (CAL)    11. Education / Computers & Technology   

Subjects:  1. Computer-assisted instruction    2. Distance Education & Learning    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Education, Higher    6. Employees    7. Handbooks, manuals, etc    8. Higher    9. Internet - General    10. Internet in education    11. Training    12. Training of    13. Education / Computers & Technology    14. Internet    15. Open learning & distance education