Finally, my attempt to do instructional blogging has put into action. I used WordPress to build a course blog for teaching of Software Engineering. My minimal expectation is a place for me to archive the teaching and learning of the course and to support student learning during the course of study (September 2006 to May 2007). After the course, it can also be an archive for reference and sharing with others. Beside that, I wish my instructional blogging on the course will be a way to extend learning outside of the classroom.

If you are also interested in instructional blogging, here is a good website: Instructional Blogging Best Practices and Case Studies by Learning Technologies Center of University of Arizona.

I had a look at the Chinese translation version of Laurence Steinberg’s The Ten Basic Principles of Good Parenting when I was in Taiwan on July 2005. After reading the book for around one hour in a bookshop, I found the ten principles of good parenting convincing. So I bought it and read the whole book.

I do not like the Chinese title of the book. It does not truely reflect the contents of the book. I prefer to a direct translation of “ten basic principles of good parenting.”

Here are the ten basic principles for sharing and for my easy reviewing on the Web. (more…)

How to Make Your Speaking Easier and More Effective. This is a tip sheet published by Office of Educational Development of University of California, Berkeley. It is very concise (about 3 pages) and the tips offered are useful and convincing.

In this resource web: Teaching Resources and Publications, there are a handful of publications and tip sheets for classroom teaching. You may find something useful if you are a high-school or university teacher. For example, I also find this useful: Ten Ways to Make Your Teaching More Effective.

Instructional Blogging: Promoting Interactivity, Student-Centered Learning, and Peer Input. I found this article useful and will have a detailed read. I am planning to build a blog particularly for the teaching of one of my course.

This article was originally published in Innovate (http://www.innovateonline.info/) as: Glogoff, S. 2005. Instructional blogging: Promoting interactivity, student-centered learning, and peer input. Innovate 1 (5).

Seven Principles of Effective Teaching: A Practical Lens for Evaluating Online Courses. Via Peter LeCornu: Learning, Knowledge & Technology, this article draws upon seven general principles of good teaching and then applies these to the online teaching.

Principle 1: Good Practice Encourages Student-Faculty Contact

Principle 2: Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students

Principle 3: Good Practice Encourages Active Learning

Principle 4: Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback

Principle 5: Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task

Principle 6: Good Practice Communicates High Expectations

Principle 7: Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

(more…)

Bruffee, Kenneth. “Collaborative Learning and the ‘Conversation of Mankind.’” College English 46.7 (November 1984): 635-52.

In this article: Bruffee points out:

Collaborative learning assumes instead that knowledge is a consensus among the members of a community of knowledgeable peers — something people construct by talking together and reaching agreement.

This statement causes me to think many things about my teaching and my learning.