Looking at authentic eLearning

As you consider the context and design of your learning experiences, what key questions are you continually asking yourself?  What are the elements of authentic task design?

What form might it take?  Could problem-based learning work for you? Or a case study? (Here's another) If you are thinking web quest, make sure you know what a real web quest is!
Take a look at some of these examples of online learning and reflect on how they match the criteria for authentic eLearning design.  How do they make it happen?
Mysteries of Harris Burdick

Funds for pipeline project

Primary Science Mystery


Please don't underestimate the importance of questions! 
Question your design decisions - is it authentic?  is it a problem without a simple solution? are ICTs integral and being used purposefully? are students collaborating? etc etc etc
And of course embed questions throughout the learning experiences - why do you think? what if? what are the possibilities?
A couple of great resources for developing those questions:

Bloom's Question Starters

Socratic Questioning




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Mobile Technologies

Part 1: Exploring ideas
As much as we teachers enjoy creating individualised resources for our classes, let's not forget that there are many great ideas out there that we can tap into.
In terms of understanding the potential of, and making the most of mobile devices, here are just three sites you might like to explore:
http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/mobile-learning/
http://www.ipads4teaching.net/ipads-in-the-classroom.html
http://louiseduncan.global2.vic.edu.au/

Choose one of these OR one you have come across yourself to explore with a colleague.  What is of value?  What are the issues? What tips or ideas are of particular value to your context?    


Part 2: Exploring tools
Work with a colleague to explore 1 or 2 of the apps or in-built tools on a mobile device.  Yes, actually get in there and use it.  Make something!  Consider how you could use it in your context.  Be prepared to share :)