From the intricacies of open access research to the psychology of PowerPoint presentations: here is a round-up of the topics that have caught the imagination of the TEL team at Bristol this week.
I found this short video an interesting introduction to the challenges facing open access research. As a student who relies heavily on up to date research articles and journals I know well the frustration of being unable to access research articles, but as the video highlights the academic community first needs to overcome the complications of making research freely available. (Jilly)
I was also interested to read Brian Kelly’s Top Ten Tips on how to make your open access research visible online, which outlines some approaches to address the issue of making open access research known and available outside of the institution and the ‘traditional’ academic journal. (Jilly)
These are the top 100 tools for learning are voted for by 582 education professionals worldwide. Tools include those used for sharing and collaborating in research as well as in teaching and learning – the list offers some interesting insights into the tools which are most favoured; illustrating that it is not always the newest or most complex technologies which are preferred. The full list is available here. (Roger)
The Pearson Project allows academics to ‘pick and mix’ open educational resources, chapters from existing textbooks and published research, and their own uploaded content to create e-textbooks customised for their own courses and students. The cost is calculated on the basis of the non-open content. I think this is an interesting way of both enhancing convenience for students and creating personalised learning materials. (Jilly)
What would you like to see included in a new open course on Technology Enhanced Learning? Now’s your chance to vote – The Open Course in Technology Enhanced Learning (OCTEL) are seeking input from teachers. (Roger)
This video from Ericsson on The Future of Learning – Networked Society offers a summary of a number of interesting ideas about the future direction of education. (Joe)
This brief summary of some research on psychological principles applied to PowerPoint (or go straight to read the full paper) – interesting that people found it relatively easy to spot bad PowerPoint when there’s still so much of it around. (Suzi)
