Draw MD - A Free App with Lots of Possibilities - Find it in MERLOT

I spent time finishing triages for contributions to MERLOT (http://www.merlot.org)  this week.  I discovered some amazing apps.  Draw MD is one - http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=906206

Actually Draw MD is many apps.  It has anatomical images that the user can modify to teach others. While it was designed to assist physicians to teach patients, it has possibilities for all health science educators and students. The user can draw on the image, add text, and use "stamps."  The video from YouTube shown below provides an example using a urology image.  The final image can be saved or emailed.  Instructors might want to create images to use in slide presentations for lectures.  Students might create images to share what they understand about disorders. 

Greetings from New Delhi, India

Greetings from New Delhi, India.  I am here for the Indian Cancer Congress (ICC), which begins in the morning.  My nursing colleague, Savitri, and I have two appointment to meet with Indian nursing colleagues today.  We look forward to meeting others at the ICC pre-conference for nurses tomorrow. 

We are continuing to develop the Indian Cancer Portal at http://oercindia.merlot.org.  Your contribution and suggestions to improve the website are welcome. 

MERLOT OERC (Open Education Resources for Cancer) Portal in Development - OERC India

MERLOT is partnering with physicians and nurses in the country of India to develop a portal for cancer resources.  The website, still in development, is online at http://oercindia.merlot.org/index.html

I and several of my colleagues representing OERC will participate in the Indian Cancer Congress 2013 from November 20-24. As of today,  2700 attendees who have signed up for the Congress. On November 20, I will provide a pre-conference 90 minute hands-on workshop on the MERLOT OERC India portal.  I will also participate in two of the nursing oncology pre-conference sessions.

I look forward to meeting representatives from the Ministry of Health, nursing faculty, and students during the stay in New Delhi.  

There will be have a table at the conference to share information about MERLOT, OERC, and INCTR (International Network for Cancer Training and Research).

If any of the readers for this blog are interested in MERLOT or cancer and open education resources or OERC India, please:

• Join MERLOT
• Search for learning resources
• Contribute new learning resources
• Create Personal Collections
• Make comments about learning resources

The New MERLOT II (Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching)

Recently, the staff at MERLOT introduced a new website and it is amazing!  Take a few minutes to explore at http://www.merlot.org
A screen shot of the new MERLOT, MERLOT II is below.  

If you are not a member, please join!  Membership is free.  It allows you to collaborate with others who have similar interests, create Personal Collections, and the ability to use the Content Builder.  The Content Builder allows you to build learning resources that are hosted on the MERLOT servers.

Consider adding new learning resources to MERLOT.  Those resources might be something you created or have found on the web created by someone else.

In preparation for the trip to India for the Indian Cancer Congress 2013, we are adding learning content related to India and cancer to MERLOT.

1st Indian Cancer Congress and MERLOT

I received confirmation last week that I am invited to attend the 1st Indian Cancer Congress (http://indiancancercongress2013.org/) to be held in New Delhi, India during November.  I will be representing MERLOT and conducting a workshop November 20th on MERLOT open education resources (OER) for cancer.  It is an exciting opportunity to network with oncology physicians and nurses from India.  I hope to have the opportunity to visit Indian schools of nursing and cancer treatment centers in addition to representing MERLOT at the Cancer Congress.  My ultimate goals for the trip are to assist oncology healthcare providers to:

• Use and contribute open education cancer learning resources specific to cancer care in India to MERLOT.
• Network using MERLOT. 
• Develop Personal Collections.
• Participate in the MERLOT peer review process.

I appreciate the many followers of my blog who are located in India.  I invite them to make suggestions regarding the visit this November.  

MERLOT Open Education Resources for Cancer - OERC

MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching) has a portal populated with open education resources specifically for cancer at http://oerc.merlot.org/.

Quoted from the website:

The OERC’s portal is open and free for everyone around the world to use to:

• Find free, open, and online educational and training resources.  We will be “recommending the best” and “linking to the rest” of materials that could meet your interdisciplinary needs.
• Contribute to the global digital library of cancer resources so everyone worldwide can have the best and latest information.
• Develop and lead the social networks needed to bring individuals out of isolation and into a supportive community.
• Participate in online community conversations with cancer researchers, physicians, healthcare professionals, and others working in cancer education to freely share experiences and expertise.

The portal is designed for all people interested in cancer types, treatment, care, and prevention.  MERLOT seeks new contributions and about the portal. Please feel free to email me with suggestions and comments.

iSpring PowerPoint Converter

I am always looking for media creation solutions for teaching.  One of our faculty members had mentioned in the last faculty meeting that she was using iSpring to convert her PowerPoint slides with audio to Flash for her courses.  I looked a the software, but it appeared that I had to purchase it.  Another faculty member shared that there was a free version for educators.  I did a search and found that iSpring provides a free license after completing a form at http://www.ispringsolutions.com/ispring_free_license_request.html  
The software is available for Russian and French languages.

iSpring sent me an email with the download link and the registration code.  After I downloaded the software I was prompted to open PowerPoint.  iSpring was a new PowerPoint menu tab.  The PowerPoint iSpring Free menu has four sections:

• Publish - Quick Publish & Publish
• Insert - Quiz, Flash, & YouTube
• About - Update, About, Upgrade to Pro
• Follow Us - Facebook

When I clicked the Quiz icon, a pop-up message indicated that I could download free Quiz software.  The Flash icon opened a Windows browse menu - to find and insert a Flash animation.  The YouTube icon opened a window for entering a URL.  I am looking forward to exploring the use of the software.   It may a a fantastic tool to create learning resources for MERLOT (http://www.merlot.org ).

New Issue of MERLOT JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Available

Mark Lee, the Editor for JOLT (Journal for Online Learning and Teaching) posted an email notice about the latest issue.  The email notification is below.

Vol. 8, No. 3 of the MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT at http://jolt.merlot.org/) has been published and is available online. The papers in this issue are listed below. Vol. 8, No. 4 is expected to be released in the coming weeks, and on-time publication of the journal will resume with Vol. 9. No. 1 in March 2013. 

As you may already know, Vol. 9, No. 2, the June 2013 issue, will be a themed special issue on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The guest editors for that special issue are George Siemens (Athabasca University), Valerie Irvine (University of Victoria), and Jillianne Code (University of Victoria).

JOLT VOL. 8, NO. 3 CONTENTS

Research Papers

Student Moderators in Asynchronous Online Discussion: A Question of Questions

Daniel Zingaro

Online MBA Asynchronous Discussion Workload and Value Perceptions for Instructors and Learners: Working Toward an Integrated Educational Model for Professional Adults

Zvi Goldman

Evaluating Program Effectiveness for an Online Elementary Education Cohort

Cindy A. Dell

Student Assessment in Online Learning: Challenges and Effective Practices

Lorna R. Kearns

Case Studies

How a Mobile Social Media Game Can Enhance the Educational Experience

Salvatore Parise and Eliana Crosina

An Exploratory Study on the Use of VoiceThread in a Business Policy Course

Marjorie Chan and Prasanthi Pallapu

Position Paper

It's Showtime: Using Movies to Teach Leadership in Online Courses

Maureen Hannay and Rosemary Venne

Free Webinar - 6th Annual Sloan-C/MERLOT Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium (ET4Online)

Join a free webinar on February 27^th at 3pm (ET) to learn about the full complement of 60 presentations offered for virtual attendees during the 6th Annual Sloan-C/MERLOT Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium (ET4Online). The webinar will include an overview of the conference, program content for sessions being streamed live from the onsite conference in Las Vegas, registration information, and an overview of how to access the live stream sessions plus view the on-demand recordings post-conference.bit.ly/WJr2es 

MERLOT Spring Newsletter

The spring issue of the Grapevine, the official newsletter for MERLOT (multimedia educational resources for learning and online teaching) is available at http://grapevine.merlot.org/#events

The editor, Cathy Swift, does a phenomenal job with the newsletter which includes news, features, updates, and numbers. 

Translator Add-On for Safari

I have been triaging health sciences learning resources for MERLOT this morning using the Safari web browser on the Mac.  I noted that several of the recent additions were written in Hebrew and Spanish.  Since I did not have the Chrome web browser open, I decided to explore the translator add-on for Safari.  To get the translator go to Safari > Preferences > Extensions > Get Extensions.  Type translator is the search menu and then click on the install button.  After the translator is installed, it will show up as an icon in the URL address menu.  See the screen shot below that shows the gray icon labeled Word.

I used it to translate a neuroanatomy learning resource.  The translator auto-detects the language used for the website.  The translation to English was excellent!  Unfortunately, the translator does not work on website with PDF files.

Call for Papers - 6th Annual Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium

Dear Readers:

As a track chair for the 6th Annual Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium (April 9-11, - Planet Hollywood Resort- Las Vegas), I would like to bring to your attention our Call for Presentations and invite you to submit a proposal. The Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium, a joint Symposium of Sloan Consortium and MERLOT, is designed to bring together individuals interested in the review and evaluation of online teaching and learning technologies. Proposals for presentations must be submitted by December 10, 2012 at http://sloanconsortium.org/conference/2013/et4online/call-for-presentations .

The ET4Online Symposium offers you an opportunity to study best practices, understand applications, discover new technologies, and connect to others who share a love for and belief in the promise of educational technology.  In 2012 the symposium developed a new mission statement designed to emphasize the innovation and invention that is the focus of the conference: A conference devoted to the emerging and innovative uses of technology designed to improve teaching and learning online.  Symposium tracks highlight and demonstrate research, application and effective practices and noteworthy technological tools in the following areas:

·         Learning Spaces and Communities

·         Open and Accessible Learning  

·         Evidence-based Learning  

·         Faculty and Student Development

·         Innovative Media and Tools

Faculty, students, instructional designers, instructional technologists and academic administrators are encouraged to submit proposals which are engaging, informative and interactive. These sessions can be targeted to all attendees or beginners, intermediates, or experts.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for this conference, plan to join us for our FREE webinar “Five Tips on How to Submit a Successful Conference Proposal”.  The goal of this webinar is to assist you in submitting a successful abstract to the Call for Presentations.

November 29, 2012 - 3:00pm - 4:00pm (Eastern Time)

For today’s educator, selection as a conference presenter is often required in order to attend a conference. For every online learning conference, educators submit and conference committees evaluate hundreds of proposals in order to create a robust program for conference attendees. The number of proposals accepted for a conference depends on program size, topics covered and quality of abstracts submitted. Join this free webinar to learn from experts on the Sloan Consortium and MERLOT Conference Team what they are looking for in proposal submissions. Topics covered will include the importance of topic selection, what reviewers look for in a proposal submission, and tips from track chairs on how final selections are made.  Please login or register to sign up for this webinar.

MOOCS - JOLT Call for Papers and Controversy from Minnesota Outlawing MOOCS

There is a call for papers for  MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT).  Have copied the information below.

The MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT at http://jolt.merlot.org/) has just released a Call for Papers for a special issue on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), to be published in Summer (June) 2013. The Guest Editors of the special issue are George Siemens (Athabasca University), Valerie Irvine (University of Victoria), and  Jillianne Code (University of Victoria).

Proposals in the form of extended abstracts (500 words) are due on November 15, 2012, with full manuscripts due on January 31, 2013.

The full Call for Papers is available at the following URL:

http://jolt.merlot.org/jolt_moocs_cfp.pdf

Conversely, the state of Minnesota does not allow for the use of MOOCS in education.   

Read the Washington Post article outlining the details at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/college-inc/post/is-minnesota-cracking-down-on-moocs/2012/10/19/aecde79e-1a18-11e2-aa6f-3b636fecb829_blog.html 

There is an interesting editorial online at http://www.mndaily.com/2012/10/22/moocs-will-never-replace-traditional-higher-ed 

MERLOT Health Science Peer Review

We need additional health science volunteers to peer review online learning resources for MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching).  Because of a visionary initiative by the Tennessee Board of Regents, hundreds of free health mobile apps are being added to MERLOT for peer review.  Examples include the CDC and WebMD mobile apps.  We have learning resources for review in a variety of languages, including Hebrew, Spanish, and French.   If you are interested in assisting with peer review, you can sign up for training at http://taste.merlot.org/peerreviewer.html .  Please share this email with others who are interested.

MERLOT is a free database with online learning resources for all disciplines.  It includes a federated search engine that allows users to search other databases with online learning resources.  All that is required is for the user to create a login and password.

MERLOT Mobile App - Contribute an App to MERLOT

MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching) needs your help.  We need for users to add mobile apps along with a brief description to the MERLOT database.  Of course, as a healthcare provider, I am especially interested in health related mobile apps. MERLOT is free for all users.  Just create a login and password to access the resources. 

As of today, there are over 106,000 members from all over the world.

The timing is important because of the release of the MERLOT app for the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android phones (as well as the iPad and iPod touch).  A view of the MERLOT app is  noted below.

MERLOT Mobile Apps to Search for Online Learning Resources

MERLOT (multimedia educational resources for learning and teaching online) now has mobile apps for the iOS (iPad, iPod Touch, & iPhone) as well as Android devices!!  Download the app from the mobile app store so that you can search for online learning resources.  It is a fantastic app!!  If you want to search from a laptop or desktop computer, go to http://www.merlot.org.  MERLOT is includes a translator so that all of the learning resources are available to the international community.

I am the Health Sciences Editorial Board editor.  If you are interested in learning more about MERLOT or if you are interested in assisting with the peer review process, please contact me at jeanne.sewell@gmail.com.

MERLOT Winter 2012 Issue Newsletter Posted

The MERLOT Grapevine, a quarterly newsletter, is now available.  It has information about the 2012  5th Annual International Symposium for Emerging Technologies for Online Learning , an announcement of a new editor for JOLT (the MERLOT journal), MERLOT Content Builder, and more.  It is a great resource if you are interested in online learning.

5th Annual International Symposium for Emerging Technologies for Online Learning - Call for Papers

This is reminder that there is a call for papers for the  5th Annual International Symposium for Emerging Technologies for Online Learning scheduled for July 25-27, 2012 at the The Venetian | Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The deadline for submission is March 5th.  Early bird registration ends on May 25th. The conference is sponsored by MERLOT and the Sloan Consortium. 

The information below is from the Sloan Consortium website:

"A conference devoted to the emerging and innovative uses of technology designed to improve teaching and learning online." Tracks for this year’s conference (click to learn more) include:

• Digital learning Environments & Communities; 
• Accessible Learning for All; 
• Evidence-based Learning and Reflection; 
• Learning And Data Analytics; 
• Faculty and Student Development; and 
• Innovation in Media and Tools. 

Woven into the conference program and offered within the structure of the tracks will be special emerging technologies, sandbox, leadership, and STEM sessions."

It is a fantastic conference that showcases faculty innovation for emerging technologies in online learning.

Transnational Distance Learning and Marketing Opportunities for Universities

I co-authored a chapter with Lynn Aaron and Laura Franklin in 2011 for a book entitled, Transnational Distance Learning and Marketing Opportunities for Universities.  The book was edited by Bob Hogan.  Our chapter was titled, Open Educational Resources and the Impact of MERLOT on Transnational Education. The book was just released by IGI Global Publishers.

The most interesting part of my research for the book related to people who have Internet access via mobile devices (primarily cell phones), but who live "off the grid" meaning that they do not have electricity.  Although there was no electricity, there was cellular service access.  According to Cisco, as of 2010, there were 48 million people in 32 countries using mobile devices, but who had no electricity (p. 179). How?  

• Pay for charge stations where the user takes the phone to a shop that charges the phone for a small fee, for example $0.25 USD
• A charger attached to a bicycle wheel spokes which transforms the energy from the turning wheel to power a“smart charger”
• A device placed in a shoe that captures the energy when a person walks or runs 
• Solar charges for mobile phones

Cisco. (2011). Cisco visual networking index: Global mobile data traffic forecast, 2010-2015.
Cisco issued an update to the growth of networking in 2014.  
Cisco (2014, June 10). Cisco visual networking index:  Forecast and methodology, 2013-1018.  It provides an insight into how Internet use is rapidly increasing around the world. 

MERLOT/ Sloan C - Emerging Technologies for Online Learning Call for Proposals

The call for proposals is now open for the Emerging Technologies for Online Learning Conference that is sponsored by MERLOT and Sloan Consortium.  The conference will be held July 25-27, 2012 at

The Venetian | Palazzo Resort - Las Vegas, Nevada.

The conference is always an outstanding one!

For more information, go to http://sloanconsortium.org/conference/2012/et4online/welcome 

This year I will be reviewing papers for the Faculty and Student Development track.
The tracks are:

Track

Digital Learning Environments & Communities

Accessible Learning for All

Evidence-based Learning and Reflection

Learning And Data Analytics

Faculty and Student Development

Innovation in Media and Tools