The future, facilitating online, and interactivity: eLearning Watch has it all

Richard Elliott has done it again :-) I must admit that every month when his resource, the eLearning Watch (which you can subscribe to here), pops into my inbox I see it as a treat to be savoured. I always find something from the variety of emerging trends, events, resources, and tools that is of real value to me and my professional learning.
I'd like to highlight the following from this month's eLearning Watch:
Facilitating online: A course leaders guide (a .pdf file), which, Richard observes, a "lot of work has gone into producing...., and a very useful resource it is. Lots of ideas and suggestions to ensure the online experience for the student and tutor alike is productive and of value". I was particularly taken with the descriptive principles of arriving, conversing, facilitating, creating and applying for participants. In addition, the rubric, which has descriptors for beginning, intermediate and expert facilitators, is well thought out with skills for the facilitator, rather than the focus being on what the facilitator 'does' to the participants.

The second resource is a video. The description from the site reads: "On January 24-26, 2012, one hundred distinguished thought leaders from all over the world were invited to come together in Austin to mark the tenth anniversary of the NMC Horizon Project with a very special convocation and retreat. Over its decade of work, the Horizon Project has grown to the point that it may very well be producing the single most important body of research into emerging technology within the world of education. With more than one million downloads and 27 translations in the past ten years, the NMC Horizon Report series provides the higher education, K-12, and museum communities across the globe a key strategic technology planning tool that is continuously refreshed and updated. The following videos from the retreat were taken of the speakers' six minute thought pieces."



The third resource has a range of science resources for students and teachers that Richard describes as follows: "There is a reasonable list of links to a range of interactive resources relating to science for all ages. The web site also has sets of links to other sites containing interactives, grouped into a half a dozen high level academic subject areas. All worth exploring for that gem that will make a difference to your student's learning".



Thanks, as always, Richard - and I look forward to April's gems.