In these unprecedented times, many of us are finding creative ways to communicate and collaborate. From preschoolers participating in circle time to seniors enjoying time with family and friends through video-calls, social distancing is now the norm. Disruptions in our work lives and in our personal lives are causing us to think outside the box. Online communication has been around for decades. Now, the methods that are a staple in the business world and in online instruction are quickly being adapted to bring us closer together.

We will explore the State University of New York’s “Exploring Emerging Technologies for Lifelong Learning and Success” (#EmTechMOOC). This Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) targeted toward a diverse group of learners, including college students, faculty, and anyone from across the globe with an interest to learn how to use freely-available established and emerging technologies to succeed in today’s rapidly changing environment.

Visit the project website to learn more: http://suny.edu/emtech 

#EmTechMOOC is easily incorporated as part of faculty professional development programming, within specific courses as learning and supplemental activities, and as part of personal professional development for learners of all types.

Join me for a tour of Spanish-language learning at Escape where you will find authentic language learning opportunities in a virtual world. While strolling through the plaza or investigating the old pyramid, you will encounter learning objects and non-playing characters.  Learning objects take students through the process of attaining knowledge, practicing that knowledge and finally assessing that knowledge in an engaging and innovative format.  Built on the OpenSimulator platform, Escape immerses students in an environment that inspires self, student-to-student and student-to-instructor learning.

Currently, Escape features over 25 spaces designed to simulate real-world locations commonly found in a Spanish-speaking town.  Embedded within these spaces are 200 learning activities focusing on beginning Spanish culture, grammar and vocabulary.  All of the activities provide visual and audio feedback to further engage students.  Each contextual space includes amble opportunities for role-play and advanced language practice.  Finally, The Casa de la Cultura features exhibitions covering a variety of cultural topics.

Spanish Language Learning at Escape is a collaboration between a college language faculty member and a private language instructor in Mexico.  For more information and a peek inside, visit:  http://jtabraham.org/escape.  To visit, hypergrid from your favorite OpenSim to: login.digiworldz.com:8002:escape.

When educators and their students are fearful or troubled, it is a challenge to teach and even harder to learn. Helping students get comfortable and stay focused in 2020 required building a strong community. Here is what we did at Virtual Harmony to develop our skills and celebrate life. This session features the joys of informal learning and playful spaces that strengthen the spirit. Share your stories during the session.

With many colleges conducting classes remotely and/or fully online, quality course design and setup has become all-the-more important towards supporting student success. Why? Effective design is paramount to a well-crafted college course, with Inside Higher Ed indicating that “a clear, consistent structure” is one of the four key strategies essential towards facilitating a productive e-learning experience for learners.

In this workshop, you'll learn about 7 key instructional design practices that are simple to grasp and make a big difference for your students. In turn, these approaches can positively impact course design, interaction, assessment, accessibility, and equity/culturally responsive teaching.

My project is in line with the concept of lifelong learning, which constitutes one of the key elements of the Japanese Constitution, Basic Education Act.  Lifelong learning is the backbone of the democratic society in Japan, thereby making it a vital part of every adult’s life. It is thought that every citizen must keep learning and developing his/her skills to add value to society.

I have chosen the topic of ESL (English as a Second Language) Training for Business Consultants due to the following reasons: 1) I believe business consultants have a huge impact on the society as a whole by providing their services to various business across all industries, so giving them a chance to take my course could have a positive impact on many people as a chain reaction; 2) I work for a consulting firm and therefore I see that business consultants need very specific vocabulary and content in English in order to take their skills to the next level but such courses are not widely available in regular ESL schools.

The course is quite short, as it is a mini-online course, but I am planning on building further modules to extend it. The content is centered around IT and how new trends in IT impact infrastructure as well as job market, healthcare and manufacturing. Again, this is not a business consulting course, it’s an ESL course for business consultants.

A sample five-week online course created for my LTEC 632 class. The undergraduate-level course focuses on the various ways in which the fields of sports, business, and media overlap.

Music can improve one's focus to an optimal relaxed-alert state for learning anything. It can be health-giving for lowering blood pressure, increasing energy, and moving more.

According to the Alzheimer's Foundation, worldwide it is estimated that 50 million people have dementia, and it will triple by 2050. In the U.S. more than 5 million have Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, it is projected to reach nearly 14 million.

Protecting memory abilities during an epidemic of dementia is of critical importance.

Musical Memory is for adult learners interested in memory, health, and learning tools. It is for teachers, health care workers, caregivers, and all who are curious and value music. The course builds on the learners' experience to engage their own memory interests. No formal music training is needed. The course includes resources, activities, tools, and studies.

Developing emotional intelligence (EI) has become a necessity for corporate leaders and business schools. Higher EI in corporations have shown increased productivity and team performance (Ackerman, 2021). Furthermore, becoming emotionally intelligent can have a positive impact on individuals mental health (Ciarrochi, 2000). For Generation Z students whose lives are built upon technology and having a virtual presence, the need to develop EI has evolved to include virtual environments. Exploring one’s emotions in virtual settings can minimize mental fatigue or stress (Ciarrochi, 2000). Additionally, exploring self-awareness, self-perception, and social-perception in virtual settings can lead to improved communications, increased engagement, while minimizing stress levels. Over the past year, transitioning to remote work and online learning, as a result of Covid, has negatively impacted Generation Z students who were unable to celebrate significant milestones such as prom, high school graduation, and their 18th birthday in which they become adults. Therefore, the need to create a safe space for undergraduate students to become emotionally intelligent inspired the creation of this course.

Becoming Emotionally Intelligent in Virtual Environments (DH101-a) is a 1-credit online course designed to help first-year UHM students explore their own emotions as they work towards becoming emotionally intelligent . The purpose is to inform students of the four domains of emotional intelligences and create a safe environment to allow learners to self-reflect, share, and improve their online interactions. This session will discuss the learning objectives, learning technology and activities, and the overall development process used to create this online course.

IBM estimates that bad data costs the United States approximately $3.1 trillion dollars every year. Data analytics is trending for all types of accounting professionals, including external auditors, internal auditors, financial planners, CFO’s, and finance leaders. According to a recent survey by one of the four largest accounting firms named PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), 85% of surveyed CEO’s located worldwide said that they place a high value on data analytics and using digital technologies for a competitive advantage.This online course is an introduction to data analytics and will help with the development and enhancement of data analytic skills including identifying questions surrounding big data, becoming familiar with the data, and using data for forecasting and predictive analytics. This is a one credit elective course delivered synchronously and asynchronously over 5 weeks that is used to aid students who are pursuing careers that require a knowledge of data analytics.

This is a summer online course for students entering geometry class at McKinley High School. Students may take this course before entering the full year of geometry to prepare them with some necessary math skills required in geometry. This course will cover the first quarter geometry skills.