Ok, you are proud of yourself for opening that Facebook account. You are ready to intearact with your clients, your students, and your business prospects…A week passes by, then another, then a month or more, and no one seems to notice your wisdom, your wit, and your cool images… What’s up? Continue reading
Have you ever thought how the rapid increase of tablets and smart phones and our shrinking attention spans will shape the future of learning? Continue reading
Today’s “Hot Topics Wednesdays” episode is devoted to learner autonomy. We all know that development of learner autonomy is important in any educational setting. However, in distance learning it becomes crucial. How do we make our learners more autonomous? How do we maximize connection and minimize isolation? Continue reading
Did you notice how the title almost rhymes? Ha ha! I just did! Today’s “Hot Topics Wednesdays” episode deals with a very important issue in distance learning- the role of the teacher online. In the last couple of years we have seen a huge shift from the “sage on the stage” -type of learning with teacher-centered classrooms that did not work online, to a more recent ” a guide on the side” approach. However, in this post, Dr. LaGanza and I argue that “the guide one the side” Continue reading
Drum roll please… FINALLY I am excited to present to you a new book, “The Golden Climate in Distance Learning” that I co-authored with Dr. LaGanza.
If you are just considering teaching online or if you already teach online but feel stressed out and overwhelmed- this book will help you become successful in this environment. The book can help to improve your online interactions, even if you’re not a teacher. Who knows, one day you might have to teach online? Continue reading
You have probably heard of a new “hot” social network called Pinterest. Yes, one more social network… I know, it might seem overwhelming but this one you just cannot afford to miss! Pinteres is one of the fastest growing sites whose unique visitors increased by 155% in just 1 (!) month, from December 2011 to January 2012; and it continues dominating the web! Continue reading
When I was a little girl, like any child, I would get super excited before my birthday. It was always a very special day – a day when I felt really spoiled, and really special. My mom used to buy me candies or bake Russian cookies so I could take them to school and share them with my friends. I remember my friends’ eyes and faces would light up with joy showing me how much these little sweets meant to them. I couldn’t wait to get to school with my plate full of these delicious cheer bombs sprinkled with love and excitement. Continue reading
We have the attention span of a goldfish…
We stop listening to a voicemessage after 10 seconds…
As trainers, teachers or business owners we are constantly fighting for people’s attention online, trying to find ways to make our information stand out. In the context of a webinar, capturing and maintaining people’s attention is a HUGE challenge. Continue reading
In our attempts to create more connections in distance learning, we try to experiment with different forms of media, and video seems to be one of the best tools for creating engagement online. However, research shows that people are extremely distracted when watching videos on the web, especially when it has the “Talking Head” syndrome and is designed for TV broadcasting rather than online experience. Continue reading
Click the picture above to view the video
Many of us start to realize that social media has an enormous potential on our businesses and our teaching. However, “pushing content” onto your reader is no longer enough as people are hungry for human connection (despite the fact that we are on the Internet 24/7 and are linked to hundreds of thousands of people all the time). Continue reading