A government study comparing student learning from online courses to learning from face-to-face classroom courses, found that online might be slightly better — with some caveats based on the different dimensions of the two types of learning experiences.  Here are some of the findings that struck me as the most interesting.  Emphases in the original.

• Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction. . . .  Interpretations of this result, however, should take into consideration the fact that online and face-to-face conditions generally differed on multiple dimensions, including the amount of time that learners spent on task.  The advantages observed for online learning conditions therefore may be the product of aspects of those treatment conditions other than the instructional delivery medium per se.
• Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction. . . .  [T]he observed advantage for online learning in general, and blended learning conditions in particular, is not necessarily rooted in the media used per se and may reflect differences in content, pedagogy and learning time.
• Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online learning.
• Elements such as video or online quizzes do not appear to influence the amount that students learn in online classes. The research does not support the use of some frequently recommended online learning practices.  Inclusion of more media in an online application does not appear to enhance learning.  The practice of providing online quizzes does not seem to be more effective than other tactics such as assigning homework.

(U.S. Department of Education, 2009)

http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

The future of test-based educational accountability / edited by Katherine E. Ryan and Lorrie A. Shepard
Call Number: LB 3051 .F88x 2008

Collaborative action research : developing professional learning communities / edited by Stephen P. Gordon ; foreword by Emily F. Calhoun
Call Number: LB 1028.24 .C655 2008

Practical action research : a collection of articles / Richard A. Schmuck, editor
Call Number: LB 1028.24 .P73 2009

Actually, all education is self-education. A teacher is only a guide, to point out the way, and no school, no matter how excellent, can give you education. What you receive is like the outlines in a child’s coloring book. You must fill in the colors yourself.

— Louis L’Amour

* Deadline: April 15, 2009 *

Congress in the Classroom is a national, award-winning education program now in its 17th year. Developed and sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional Center, the workshop is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on teaching about Congress.

We designed Congress in the Classroom for high school or middle school teachers who teach U.S. history, government, civics, political science, or social studies. Forty teachers will be selected in 2009 to take part in the program. All online applications must be received by no later than April 15, 2009. We will notify individuals of our decisions by April 30, 2009.

Although the workshop will feature a variety of sessions, the 2009 program will focus on two themes: (1) developments in the 111th Congress, and (2) new resources for teaching about Congress. The workshop consists of two types of sessions: those that focus on recent research and scholarship about Congress (and don’t always have an immediate application in the classroom) and those geared to specific ways to teach students about the federal legislature.

Throughout the program, you will work with subject matter experts as well as colleagues from across the nation. This combination of firsthand knowledge and peer-to-peer interaction will give you new ideas, materials, and a professionally enriching experience.

“Until now so much of what I did in my class on Congress was straight theory-this is what the Constitution says,” noted one of our teachers. “Now I can use these activities and illustrations to help get my students involved in the class and at the very least their community but hopefully in the federal government. This workshop has given me a way to help them see how relevant my class is and what they can do to help make changes in society.”

The 2009 workshop will be held Monday, July 27 – Thursday, July 30, at Embassy Suites, East Peoria, Illinois.

The program is certified by the Illinois State Board of Education for up to 22 Continuing Education Units. The program also is endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies.

Participants are responsible for (1) a non-refundable $155 registration fee (required to confirm acceptance after notice of selection) and (2) transportation to and from Peoria, Illinois. Many school districts will pay all or a portion of these costs.

The Center pays for three nights lodging at the headquarters hotel (providing a single room for each participant), workshop materials, local transportation, all but three meals, and presenter honoraria and expenses. The Center spends between $30,000 and $35,000 to host the program each year.

What follows are the sessions planned for the 2009 edition of Congress in the Classroom®. Please re-visit the site for changes as the program develops.

* The View from Capitol Hill

Aaron Schock, freshman member of the House of Representatives from Illinois’s 18th congressional district INVITED

* Congressional Insight

A team-oriented, highly interactive simulation of a Congress member’s first term CONFIRMED

* The Ten Most Important Things to Know About the U.S. House of Representatives Raymond Smock, Director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies, Shepherd University and former Historian of the House CONFIRMED

* The Ten Most Important Things to Know About the U.S. Senate Betty K. Koed, Assistant Historian, U.S. Senate Historical Office CONFIRMED

* How We Developed the Art and History Sections of the New Capitol Visitor Center Maria Marable-Bunch and Carol Beebe, Public Programs Division, Capitol Visitor Center CONFIRMED

* Resources for Teachers from the House of Representatives Kathleen Johnson, Historical Publications Specialist, Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives CONFIRMED

* Teaching with Primary Sources: The Library of Congress’s Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program Cindy Rich, Project Director, Teaching with Primary Sources, Eastern Illinois University CONFIRMED

* What Do Our Students See When They Look at Congress?

Jeffrey Bernstein, Department of Political Science, Eastern Michigan University CONFIRMED

* The Congressional Glossary Project

Michael Kirby, FedNet CONFIRMED

* Evaluating the New President: What Factors Account for Success in the Oval Office?

Frank H. Mackaman, The Dirksen Congressional Center CONFIRMED

* How to Get Your Point Across to Congress Members Stephanie Vance, Advocacy Associates, Washington, DC CONFIRMED

* The Influence of the Internet on Political Information and Engagement Julie Barko Germany, Director, Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet, The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management CONFIRMED

* Setting Up a Congressional Office

Congressional Management Foundation INVITED

Take a look at The Dirksen Center Web site – http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm — to see what participants say about the program.

* Registration *

If you are interested in registering for the Congress in the Classroom® 2009 workshop, you can complete an online registration form found at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/programs_CiCapplication.htm.

Policy discourses, gender, and education : constructing women’s status / Elizabeth J. Allan
ISBN: 9780415381680 (hardback : alk. paper)
Call Number: LC 212 .A45 2008

Gender and education : an encyclopedia / edited by Barbara J. Bank ; Sara Delamont and Catherine Marshall, associate editors
ISBN: 9780313333439 (set : alk. paper)
Call Number: Social Science Reference LC 213 .G425 2007

Here are two new interesting sites for academics:

Academia.edu is a “tree of academics around the world” that helps

academics keep track of new people and papers in their field: http://

www.academia.edu/

Citeulike is is a free service to help you to store, organise and

share the scholarly papers you are reading. When you see a paper on

the web that interests you, you can click one button and have it

added to your personal library. CiteULike automatically extracts the

citation details, so there’s no need to type them in yourself. It all

works from within your web browser so there’s no need to install any

software. Because your library is stored on the server, you can

access it from any computer with an Internet connection.

www.citeulike.org

Making science curriculum matter : wisdom for the Reform road ahead/ Barbara Brauner Berns, Judith Opert Sandler, editors
Call Number: LB 1585.3 .M357 2009

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) invites you to look at our newest practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom.

This guide provides five concrete recommendations for promoting positive student behavior in elementary schools.

Designed for elementary school educators and school- and district-level administrators, the guide offers prevention, implementation, and schoolwide strategies that can be used to reduce problematic behavior that interferes with the ability of students to attend to and engage fully in instructional activities.

Access the Guide HERE

Show teachers all the thematic lessons and units in the “Curriculum” section dealing with poverty, world hunger, human rights, and ethnic discrimination. Finally, don’t forget to try out some of the great educational online games—especially Against All Odds (a simulation that will let kids experience what it’s like to be a refugee) and Stop Disasters (a disaster simulation), which are perfect for middle school kids. ]]> http://lib.byu.edu/sites/education/2008/12/12/united-nations-cyberschoolbus/feed/ 0