Elixir and Merlot

Merlot has a great new resource for teachers: Elixr http://elixr.merlot.org/ From 2006 to 2010 the program was funded by FIPSI. The Case studies deal with faculy concerns about teaching with technology.

Death by Power Point

This video is a satire on the problems of Power Point but it also contains good tips on how to more effectively use the software.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpvgfmEU2Ck
Don McMillan: Life After Death by PowerPoint.

New Ways to Learn in 2011

Eleven new ways to learn in 2011 are explored in this eLearning Coach article. http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning2-0/11-ways-to-learn-in-2011/

Among the suggestions are "Learn to Focus" (the free book is located at http://theelearningcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/01/FocusFree.pdf

I especially liked "Explore the World's Museums" and "Soothe Your Inner Geek." Web site references are included in the article.

Indicators of Instructor Presence Rated highly by students

In the latest issue of JOLT (Vol. 6, No. 4, December 2010) the article "The Indicators of Instructor Presence that are Important to Students
in Online Courses" by Sheridan and Kelly notes a study that found online students "While the students generally placed high value on communication and the instructor’s responsiveness, they did not place as much importance on synchronous or face-to-face communication. Participating in synchronous chat sessions had the third lowest rating of importance across all of the rated items, but it also had one of the highest variabilities, suggesting that it was very important to a least a few of the students. Based on a significant negative correlation between the number of online courses taken and the importance of chat sessions, the value that students place on this form of communication may wane as they acquire more online course experience." This finding is significant because some institutions are now requiring online teaching to hold mandatory synchronous sessions.
http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no4/sheridan_1210.pdf