25 Tools for Tutoring

Here's another great list. This one was was sent to me by the folks at onlinecollegecourses.com: http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2012/08/20/25-tools-that-take-tutoring-to-a-new-level/

From the article:

"Like other areas of education, tutoring has seen some radical changes in the past decade courtesy of new and increasingly innovative technologies. Students and their tutors can now interact at any time and from anywhere in the world, and tutors can create and share educational resources with their students in minutes using high-quality and often low-cost online tools. Learn more about some of the websites and resources that are helping to define the new face of tutoring by reading about a few of the best of these new tools that we've collected here."

50 Indispensable EdTech Tools for 2012

Here's a good list of EdTech Tools from the folks at onlinedegrees.org: http://www.onlinedegrees.org/50-indispensable-edtech-tools-for-2012/ Great place to start if you're looking for new tools, or are asked for an up-to-date list with links!

PDF Assignment Builder videos surpass 15,000 views

Both the original PDF Assignment Builder and the newer PDF Assignment Builder 3.0 continue to add new views. In the year that it has been posted, the PDF AB3 has averaged 670 views per month!

The PDF Assignment Builder allows users to cut and paste information from any word processor into Adobe Reader. The field into which the information is pasted is dynamic--it will grow in size to accommodate 100 lines, or 100 pages. Users will be able to save the PDF form and send it to another user. The form will remain writable, editable, printable and savable.

The PDF Assignment Builder 3.0 allows instructors to create question and answer fields, as well as editable Title and Instruction fields. The question fields are numbered automatically, and specific instructions can be entered into the answer fields, and then typed over by students. Before the form is sent to students, the Title, Instruction and Answer fields are "locked" by changing their type to "read only".

Might be time for a new version. Anyone interested in collaborating?

100+ Video Sites Every Educator Should Bookmark

Thanks to Emma Taylor for sending me the link to this great list on accreditedonlinecolleges.com.

One of the gems that stuck out to me right off the bat was YouTube EDU. I will definitely be finding some time to spend there :)

Introduction to the PDF Syllabus Builder

Here is a 3-minute video introduction to the PDF Syllabus Builder.

You can now download version 1.0 of this open-source tool.

5 [very good] Ed-Tech tools for Online Instruction

Great article by Debbie Morrison at the Online Learning Insights blog: http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/5-very-good-ed-tech-tools-for-online-instruction/.

The PDF Course Schedule Builder made the list along with Google Hangouts, Camtasia,
Khan Academy, and Google Docs.

PDF Course Guide Builder: designed for first-time Online Instructors

You've been asked to teach a new online class--now what?

Well, first enjoy this 90-second video introduction to the OAR model: Teaching a new Online Course?

Now, begin identifying the components that will form the foundation for your online course with an open source tool that runs in Adobe Reader: the PDF Course Guide Builder.

Watch a "how to" video.

Download the tool.

Looking for open best practices and resources? Check out GETideas.org

Here's a description from the GETideas.org website:

"This open, online global community for 21st-century education leaders exists to foster Global Education Transformation–the “GET” in GETideas.org–via virtual collaboration and international dialogue, including the sharing of best practices and resources."

I've mostly been checking out their Resource Library, which has videos, case studies, reports and more. I've even added two videos myself :)

• PDF Course Schedule Builder
• PDF Assignment Builder 3

PDF Syllabus Builder at Sloan-C Emerging Technologies for Online Learning

My colleague Max Longhurst and I were thrilled to be have our presentation for Sloan-C's upcoming ET4Online symposium accepted-- PDF Syllabus Builder: Open Source Tool for Online Instructors, Course Developers and Instructional Designers.

We are even more thrilled that we have been asked to submit the PDF Syllabus Builder as an Effective Practice! The Effective Practice award winners will be announced July 21st.

How to develop a Canvas Course in 7 Steps

I've posted a video to YouTube demonstrating a development sequence that uses a design blueprint to create a course in Canvas--the learning management system from Instructure: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVnFpa6fUDQ.


The design blueprint was created with the PDF Course Schedule Builder.

Guest Post on elearningindustry.com Blog

Christopher Pappas invited me to post about the PDF Course Schedule Builder on his blog.

Here's the post: How to create a "design blueprint" with a flexible learning sequence for your online course?

Thanks Christopher!

Adobe Education Team tweets about the PDF Course Schedule Builder

Got a nice surprise today when I learned the Adobe Education Team had tweeted about my posting of the PDF Course Schedule Builder in the Adobe Education Exchange: https://twitter.com/AdobeEdu/status/206083730698280960.

Providing Audio Feedback for Online Assignments with Adobe Acrobat Pro X

Here's a great video by Dr. Kathryn Herbst-Damm, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Nevada State College: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=994JjPHHgiU.

Audio comments can be a great way to bridge the time/space separation inherent in online courses.

PDF Assignment Builder videos approach 12,000 views

Between version 1 and version 3, the PDF Assignment Builder videos have been viewed 11,888 times as of today.

I've had a request for a version that has more than 25 question and answer fields, but it's pretty far down the development queue. Anyone want to collaborate? :)

PDF Course Schedule Builder

The PDF Course Schedule Builder (PDFCSB) is an open-source tool that was developed at the Faculty Center for Teaching (FACT) at Utah State University (USU). The PDFCSB allows instructors to create a schedule for an online course in a native PDF environment--Adobe Reader.

Click here for a "how to" video.

Click here to download the file.