ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ Ja n u a ry 2003 / 9 IN T E R N E T R E S O U R C E S Educational technology A guide to resources on the Web by Betz¡ L. Bateman O f particular interest to a cad em ic librar­ians is the field o f educational te ch n o l­ ogy. As educators themselves, they have been using technology for quite som e time to edu­ cate faculty, staff, and students in information literacy. College and university librarians have also expanded their roles and have enhan ced the faculty-librarian relationship by providing faculty support in the use o f educational tech­ nology. (For example, TWIST: Teaching with In­ novative Style and Technology at the University o f Iow a is a team o f librarians that collaborates with faculty in the creation o f course Web sites.1) Finally, as providers o f resources to those in edu­ cation and business departments, sites geared to­ ward the K - 12 and adult education or vocational training communities may also b e o f interest. But, what is meant exactly by the term e d u ­ c a t io n a l t e c h n o lo g y ? A lso c a lle d in s tr u c ­ t io n a l te c h n o lo g y , it re fe rs to th e u s e o f tech n olog y to support or provide education. Many are currently focu sing o n “e-learn in g ” o r “o n lin e e d u ca tio n ,” but th ese are actually su bsets. Educational tech n o lo g y ca n also be u sed in th e classroo m and is not lim ited to distan ce learning o r th e Web. Systems used by places o f higher learning that autom ate administrative tasks, su ch as course enrollment, may also b e referred to as educational technology, but the sites selected fo r this guide m ainly p resent b e st p ractices, research articles, and how -tos for those with pedagogical goals. O w nership o f the site w as ta k en into a c ­ count— it is my op in ion that the site’s ow ners or sponsors do not harm the content they pro­ vide. T h e se sites also provide up-to-date co n ­ tent, som e o f w hich is provided without a sub­ scription or membership dues. G e t t in g s t a r t e d in e d u c a t io n a l te c h n o lo g y These sites provide information for those who w ou ld like to learn m ore ab o u t ed u cational technology in general. However, seasoned us­ ers o f technology to enhance learning may also find them useful. • eLear n M agazine: E d u ca tio n a n d T e c h ­ n o lo g y i n P e rs p e c tiv e . Published by the As­ sociation for Computing Machinery, this online periodical focuses on online education or educa­ tion disseminated via the Web. There is a section o f articles on e-learning basics as well as tutorials on specific uses o f technology, for example, the use o f threaded discussion boards. These tutorials will not, however, teach you how to implement the technology, i.e., write the code for a discus­ sion board, but they will provide the framework for how to plan and use these technologies in education. A ccess: http://www.elearnmag.org/. • ERIC C le a rin g H ou se o n I n fo rm a tio n T e c h n o l o g y : E d u c a t i o n a l T e c h n o l o g y . A b o u t th e a u th or B etz¡ L. Batem an is a W eb d e v e lo p e r a t th e Case W e ste rn R e s e rv e U n iv e rsity 's S c h o o l o f M e d ic in e , e-m a il: bib12@po. cwru. edu http://www.elearnmag.org/ 10 / C&RL News ■ January 2003 This great metasite, part o f a larger one de­ voted to computing in general, provides links to associations, journals, and discussion groups in the field. In addition, educational technol­ ogy is defined and an ERIC Digest on educa­ tional technology, written by Donald P. Ely, founding director of the ERIC Clearing House, provides an excellent primer on the subject. A ccess: http://ericit.org/educationalteclinology. shtml. • UMUC— V e riz o n V irtu a l R e s o u r c e S ite f o r T e a c h in g w ith T e c h n o lo g y . This site, cre ated by the University o f Maryland University College, contains two online mod­ ules to teach faculty how to implement tech­ nology into their teaching. Module 1 provides a great introduction to the various w ays in which the Web can be used in education. Un­ der the “Technologies” heading, specific types are given according to their ea se o f use. E x­ amples of their use can b e found by clicking on the heading “Teaching/Learning Activities.” Module 2 builds on the information about the different types o f technologies and provides realistic ways to plan and implement their use. This Web site is very easy to navigate and won an honorable mention in a Web design contest. A ccess: http://www.umuc.edu/virtualteaching/ • W eb B a s e d L e a rn in g R e s o u r c e Li­ b ra ry . The content for this large list o f links is written by Robert H. Jackson, assistant dean for technology and director o f distance educa­ tion at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Three pages o f information are provided, one on general resources that defines what Web- based learning is. The second page covers soft­ ware tools such as Blackboard, while the third page provides links to distance learning places online, e.g., places to get an online degree. A c c e ss : http://www.knowledgeability.biz/ w eblearning/. G en eral o rg a n iza tio n s and p u b lication s These sites cater to all educators using educational technology, including K-12 teachers, higher edu­ cation faculty, and vocational training. • AACE: A s s o c ia tio n f o r th e A d v a n ce ­ m e n t o f C o m p u t i n g i n E d u c a t i o n . Founded in 1981, this nonprofit organization has been publishing numerous journals in the field, including the In terna tio n a lJ o u r n a l on E- L eam in g and the Jo u r n a l o f In teractive L earn in g R esearch . Two publications are included on the Web site for free: CITE (C on tem p orary Issu es in T echnology a n d T each er E d u cation ) and E d u ca­ tion al Technology Review, which contains descrip­ tive and opinion articles. This organization also sponsors three conferences every year and has a g eneral d iscussion list called EDUTECH. A ccess: http://www.aace.org/. • AECT: A s s o c ia tio n f o r E d u c a tio n a l C o m m u n i c a t i o n s a n d T e c h n o l o g y . Around since 1923, this organization has kept up with the times. M embers can join on e or more o f several divisions, including Design and Development and Research and Theory. AECT publishes E d u ca tion al T echnology R esearch a n d D ev elop m en t, which is only available by sub­ scription, but several publications are avail­ able for free online, including the current issue of T ech Trends, a magazine focusing on the prac­ tical application o f technology in education, and some occasion al papers. A ccess: http:// www.aect.org/. • CIT In fo b its . An electro n ic service o f the University o f North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Center for Instructional Technology, this site provides current awareness in the field of edu­ cational technology. Each month CIT’s infor­ m ation resou rces consultant provides b rief synopses on som e o f the latest educational technology advancements and issues. A ccess: http://w w w .unc.edu/cit/infobits/. • C o n v e rg e m ag azin e. Supported by ad­ vertising, this trade publication provides free subscriptions to the print version and free ac­ cess to the online version. The C on verge edito­ rial staff works with vendors to produce spe­ cial publications highlighting the use o f these technologies in education. In addition, C onverge has two free e-m ail newsletters. Both called Tech n ology R oun du p, one is geared toward the K -1 2 com m unity and the oth er fo cu se s on postsecondary education. A ccess: http://www. convergemag.com. http://ericit.org/educationalteclinology http://www.umuc.edu/virtualteaching/ http://www.knowledgeability.biz/ http://www.aace.org/ http://www.aect.org/ http://www.unc.edu/cit/infobits/ http://www C&RL News ■ January 2003 / 11 • O nlin e L earn in g U pdate. Blogs are of­ ten used as personal diaries and diatribes on esoteric subjects, but they can also be used for disseminating information “pearls” to specific communities. This blog, updated daily by Ray Schroeder, director o f the office o f techn o l­ ogy-enhanced learning at the University o f Il- linois-Springfield, culls the latest news on edu­ cational technology from such sources as the C h ron icle o f H igher E du cation . Also included are how -to articles and calls for papers and pre­ sentations. Why peruse the many information sources available w hen som eone else has al­ ready done so? This site is a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest in educational tech ­ nology. A ccess: http://people.uis.edu/rschrl/ onlinelearning/blogger.html. • T.H.E. J o u r n a l Technological Horizons in Education is a privately held publishing and services company and the T.H.E. Journal is the main Web site for this company. This magazine publishes articles on both administrative and educational uses o f technology. Through the T.H.E. Institute, users ca n take professional development courses online. Three e-mail news­ letters can also be found at this site. A ccess: http://www. thejournal. com. • T h e T e c h n o lo g y S o u rc e . Since O cto­ ber 2001, this peer-reviewed bimonthly online journal has b e en published by the Michigan Virtual University. It has a couple o f unique features in that each article contains a link to related articles from the journal and a link to a discussion forum on the article. Each issue has op in ion articles, ca se studies, re­ ports on faculty and staff d ev el­ opm ent, reviews o f to o ls o f th e trade, and spotlight sites on the Web. T he homepage contains the most recent issue, and archived articles are available at the bottom o f the page and are organized by topic and date. A ccess: http://ts.mivu.org/. • U .S. D e p a r tm e n t o f E d u c a tio n O f­ f ic e o f E d u c a tio n a l T e c h n o lo g y (O ET ). From the OET site, you will have easy access to numerous programs sponsored by the U.S. government, divided by topics such as “Digital Divide” and ”Distance Learning.” Federal grants for educational technology initiatives are given as well as governmental reports and conferences. Access: http://www.ed.gov/Technology/. Higher e d u catio n site s • EDUCAUSE: T r a n s f o r m in g E d u c a ­ t io n T h r o u g h I n f o r m a t i o n T e c h n o l o ­ gies. More than 1, 800 co lleges and universi­ ties are m em bers o f this nonprofit organiza­ tion. At the Web site, you will find an Effec­ tive Practices and Solutions (EPS) database and access to the peer-review ed publication E d u cau se Q uarterly and the bimonthly magazine E d u c a u seR eview . Also, the Educause Informa­ tion Resources Library includes campus docu­ ments such as policies, RFPs, and conference papers. A ccess: :http://www.educause.edu/. • M ERLOT TW O . Part o f the larg er MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and O nline T eachin g) site that provides peer-review ed exam ples o f online ed ucation, MERLOT TW O (T each in g Well Online) presents a peer-reviewed collection of materials on how to engage in online educa­ tion effectively. Brow se the co llection using such terms as “Instructional Material D esign” and “Selecting T ech n o lo gy .” A cce ss : http:// www.merlot.org/Home.po?discipline=TWO. • NYU C e n te r fo r O nline L earn in g an d P e d a g o g y . Everyone seem s to b e creating on line learning now, but how ca n you do it right? This site presents a model for develop­ ing online learning using sound educational theories and design practices. Under the head­ ing “Pedagogy” a review o f several pedagogi­ cal theories are presented w hile under “Ap­ plied Pedagogy,” is a tutorial on how to incor­ porate these theories into online education. A ccess: http://www.nyucolp.org/. • S y lla b u s : T e c h n o lo g y f o r H ig h e r E d u c a tio n . Covering both administrative and educational uses o f technology in postsecond­ ary education, this free magazine is published by the commercial company 101 Communica­ tions. All content, as well as subscription in­ form ation for the print version and archives o f past issues, is available online. You can also learn about the S y llabu s conferences and sub­ http://people.uis.edu/rschrl/ http://www http://ts.mivu.org/ http://www.ed.gov/Technology/ http://www.educause.edu/ http://www.merlot.org/Home.po?discipline=TWO http://www.nyucolp.org/ 1 2 1 C&RL News ■ January 2003 s c r ib e to th e ir e-m ail n e w sle tte r. A c c e s s : http://www.syllabus.com. • TLT G r o u p . T h e n o n p ro fit T ea ch in g , Learning, and Technology group provides in­ formation resources and services to institutions o f higher learning to help them implement in­ form ation techn ologies to en h an ce learning. Under “Resources,” case studies and workshop materials o n topics such as collaboration and distance education are provided. Learn about the different programs available for purchase su ch as the Flashlight program w h ich is d e ­ signed to aid in the evaluation and assessment o f ed u ca tio n a l te c h n o lo g y . A c c e s s : http:// www.tltgroup.org/. K -1 2 s ite s • A m e r i c a n S c h o o l B o a r d J o u r n a l (A SBJ). In the past, ASBJ published a supple­ ment called E lectron ic School. Though this supple­ m ent is n o lo n g er b e in g p ro d u ced , you can brow se past issues and still get the latest infor­ mation on the use o f technology in K -1 2 edu­ c a tio n b y click in g o n th e lin k “a s b j.c o m in- d e p th .” T h e r e y ou w ill find c o n te n t b y c a t­ egory, on e being “school technology.” A ccess: http://www.asbj.com /. • N e tw o rk o f R e g io n a l T e c h n o lo g y in E d u c a ti o n C o n s o r t i a ( R *TE C ). T h e s e 10 R*TEC s, fu n d ed b y th e U .S. D ep a rtm en t o f Education, are designed to help the K -1 2 com ­ m unity su ccessfu lly im p lem en t ed u catio nal technologies, especially in underserved popu­ lations. At this site, there is a current informa­ tion aw areness tool, a research repository, in­ formation on grant opportunities, and links to the W eb sites o f ea ch R*TEC. A c c e ss : http:// rtec.org/. • P r e p a r i n g T o m o r r o w ’s T e a c h e r s t o U s e T e c h n o l o g y . In stitu tio n s o f h ig h e r learning have b e e n receiving grants from the U.S. Departm ent o f Education to ed ucate the educators in the instructional uses o f technol­ ogy. This W eb site presents the p ro jects that have be en developed under “Stories and Strat­ e g ie s .” In fo rm ation o n grants is a lso given. A cce ss : http://www.pt3.org/. E-train in g s ite s • D e s ig n in g W e b -b a s e d T r a in i n g . A com panion site to the b o o k o f the same name by W illiam Horton, h e re you w ill find tools and templates to use in the design o f an online course. Learn how to create organized, easily accessible W eb-based courses, implem ent ac­ tive-learning principles, and increase learner mo­ tivation. A c c e ss : http://www.designingwbt. co m/. • T h e e L e a r n in g G u ild . S p o n so re d by three service and consu lting com panies, this W eb site provides a gathering place for devel­ opers and managers o f online education initia­ tives in the business sector. Through free mem­ bership, users can get access to the eL e a rn in g D ev elop ers’ J o u r n a l and discounts on professional developm ent courses. An extensive and orga­ nized resources section provides links to other W eb sites. A ccess: http://www.elearningguild. com/. Note 1. For m ore information about the Univer­ sity o f Iow a Libraries, TW IST: T eaching with Innovative Style and Technology, visit http:// twist.lib.uiowa.edu/. ■ http://www.syllabus.com http://www.tltgroup.org/ http://www.asbj.com/ http://www.pt3.org/ http://www.designingwbt http://www.eleamingguild