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Rating: 
Summary: E-Learning as Next Killer Application
Review: "You CAN Teach Online!" provides easy-to-follow examples of pedagogical techniques, and tools that will be useful for faculty interested in developing online courses in the traditional and online classrooms. Throughout the text, numerous technical drawings, charts, graphs, and photographs are displayed to illustrate the very latest in educational technology. Just as every writer needs an editor, a field expert needs structure for building a good educational course. The book follows its own advice in layout and avails to the reader a website with lots of goodies to download (free!).
Rating:
Summary: Practical Information, Helpful tips and tricks
Review: Finally a practical, useful book covering both the background materials and basic information needed to select a delivery system, develop a course, and conduct a class at a college level. Moore, Winograd and Lange combine to present materials that are not biased toward one publisher or delivery system. They share details on many of the major players in the field, and permit the reader to apply the the lessons learned to developing their own course to be delivered via F2F or distance education. Emphasis is given to helping the faculty member personalize the online learning experience for the student. Various teaching styles are discussed and hints for applying web enhanced experiences are given. Appropriate attention is given to the task of translating content of the course to an online mode. Hints and tips are included for creating syllabus, assingments, discussion questions and other tools that will increase interactivity. Once the course is "designed", they step the reader through many of the details and mechancis of actually converting the materials to online format. Time is taken to help the reader realize that once the course is created, the real work is ready to begin. Implementation includes conducting the class utilizing the designed materials and making any modfications and/or changes that are necessary as the semester progresses. Tips include maintaining a schedule throughout the week, and providing rich, rapid feeback to the students. Evaluation techniques are discussed with the idea of being able to improve the course materials, format and schedule in the future. This book provides a number of checklists and tables that will be valuable tools for the reader. The companion website is a valuable list of resources and hyperlinks that provide hours and hours of fun.
Rating:
Summary: Practical Information, Helpful tips and tricks
Review: Finally a practical, useful book covering both the background materials and basic information needed to select a delivery system, develop a course, and conduct a class at a college level. Moore, Winograd and Lange combine to present materials that are not biased toward one publisher or delivery system. They share details on many of the major players in the field, and permit the reader to apply the the lessons learned to developing their own course to be delivered via F2F or distance education. Emphasis is given to helping the faculty member personalize the online learning experience for the student. Various teaching styles are discussed and hints for applying web enhanced experiences are given. Appropriate attention is given to the task of translating content of the course to an online mode. Hints and tips are included for creating syllabus, assingments, discussion questions and other tools that will increase interactivity. Once the course is "designed", they step the reader through many of the details and mechancis of actually converting the materials to online format. Time is taken to help the reader realize that once the course is created, the real work is ready to begin. Implementation includes conducting the class utilizing the designed materials and making any modfications and/or changes that are necessary as the semester progresses. Tips include maintaining a schedule throughout the week, and providing rich, rapid feeback to the students. Evaluation techniques are discussed with the idea of being able to improve the course materials, format and schedule in the future. This book provides a number of checklists and tables that will be valuable tools for the reader. The companion website is a valuable list of resources and hyperlinks that provide hours and hours of fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Talks about Teaching First!
Review: Finally, a book about online teaching that actually talks about TEACHING! It sets the context in education pedagogy and then gives the practical suggestions. Now teachers will have something to work from, other than just the mechanics of the technology. This will launch them on a successful TEACHING experience and better student retention. A web site comes with the book, but not all the references in the book are on the web site and some of the links on the site are broken. Still for those of you thinking of teaching online, the book is written in a language that you can understand - one of teaching and learning.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Enough Hands On!
Review: This book was more touchy-feely to me than practical. I have taught extensively in the past, and do not need a book that gives me fundamental pedagogical skills -- I already possess them. I was looking for a book that would assist me in converting a course from face-to-face to online. This book has an extensive section on the technologies required to teach online, which will be helpful to those who have never used computer before; to me, it was a waste of space. There is no discussion of merits of different instructional design methodologies, and not a lot of concrete examples of how to teach online. This is a very light book, and I wouldn't use it anywhere except possibly to familiarize upper management with the logistics of online teaching. For those teachers/professors/instructors/educators who are going to be on the front lines of online education, you can give this book a pass.
Rating:
Summary: Not Enough Hands On!
Review: This book was more touchy-feely to me than practical. I have taught extensively in the past, and do not need a book that gives me fundamental pedagogical skills -- I already possess them. I was looking for a book that would assist me in converting a course from face-to-face to online. This book has an extensive section on the technologies required to teach online, which will be helpful to those who have never used computer before; to me, it was a waste of space. There is no discussion of merits of different instructional design methodologies, and not a lot of concrete examples of how to teach online. This is a very light book, and I wouldn't use it anywhere except possibly to familiarize upper management with the logistics of online teaching. For those teachers/professors/instructors/educators who are going to be on the front lines of online education, you can give this book a pass.
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