Through the whole, sometimes long and painful process, it‘s easy for parents to become impatient with emerging readers. We want our children to feel comfortable and successful when they read, and to love reading. So when kids struggle to sound out every word on a page, insist on reading books that aren’t the “right fit” […]
Some Reading Tips for Parents
Even if your child is motivated to read, supporting her with a variety of ways and options will keep her momentum going. Here are 7 tips to open up the wonderful world of reading for your child. Reading Tip for Parents: What’s “Just Right”? Children feel confident and competent when they read books that are […]
What is Phonics and how to learn to read?
Many parents of beginning readers have heard about phonics, and many have questions. What does my child’s teacher really mean when she talks about phonics? Does my child need to learn phonics to learn to read? Is phonics most effective if taught at a certain age? How can I tell if my child’s teacher teaches […]
Design Can Inprove eLearning and reading Comprehension
Does reading comprehension suffer when learners switch from paper to screens? This question has been studied from multiple angles, with varied findings. There’s no definitive answer, but for eLearning professionals, a better question might be: How can eLearning design maximize learning potential and mitigate potential barriers to comprehension? Anyone considering implementing eLearning—or converting existing training […]
A Letter To Senator Regarding Betsy DeVos
Dear Senator Grassley, I’m a public school teacher in Iowa. I have even voted for you a couple of times (although in honesty I didn’t vote for you this time around.) There was a time when you were considered a moderate. There was a time when Iowa was a state that took some pride in […]
Moodle’s Newest Version Will Provide Clients with Improved Capabilities And User Tour Feature
Moodle, the world’s most widely used learning management system (LMS), has announced that the Moodle 3.2 release is scheduled for November 28. eThink Education, a certified Moodle partner, announced that the new features and fixes of Moodle 3.2—including notable improvements to theme and navigation, updated API and LTI, and the addition of a customizable User Tour […]
Sometimes We May Have to Deliver Bad Training
How many speeding tickets have you gotten? I’ve been slapped with four, but it has been 10 years since my last ticket. I guess you could chalk it up to those crazy days of youth-filled exuberance. Or maybe I was just being stupid and irresponsible, when you consider that speeding was a contributing factor in […]
Without Glasses, You Couldn’t Read This Content
Most people think of blindness as the only visual disability, but limited vision can also make access to eLearning and other online content challenging. Reduced vision may worsen with age, and it can affect anyone. This article addresses visual disabilities, which are included in the “P” of POUR (discussed in “Accessibility from the Ground Up: […]
Writing a Good RFP
We’ve all heard the phrase caveat emptor (buyer beware), but too often we ignore it when selecting an eLearning vendor. One way to protect yourself is to write a solid request for proposal (RFP). An RFP is an invitation to the vendor to propose work according to criteria youset. Most RFPs contain three sections: 1) […]
Alan’s Books on Educational Technology provide ample inspiration and extensive practical tips
Alan November’s thought-provoking books on educational technology provide ample inspiration and extensive practical tips supported by engaging stories for transforming education. Readers will appreciate his well-organized, easy-to-follow approach, and will be moved to apply his principles to their own classrooms and schools straight away. Educators at every level and ability will find meaning in November’s […]