Good Bacterium

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MicroSCoPE: A Close Look at What's Happening in the SCoPE Community
January, 2006
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In This Issue
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1. Mark Your Calendars
2. Activity Recap
3. SCoPE SIGs
4. PeriSCoPE
5. KnowTIPS 2006 Conference
6. Learning Partnership Call for Nominations
7. About SCoPE
8. About MicroSCoPE

1. Mark Your Calendars
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* Seminar "Panda Walks Into a Bar" begins January 17th
Facilitator: Sandra McKenzie
Ah humour! Where would we be without it? Everybody loves a slapstick pratfall, a clever joke, an apt pun, or a witty rejoinder. We all remember the teacher who finally got through to us by making us laugh. Humour is a global trait of human beings. But how do we use humour in the online environment? What do we need to consider? How do we judge if an audience is going to be accepting of our use of humour?

Join us for this 3-week discussion to explore the effective use of humour in online courses.
...more <http://scope.lidc.sfu.ca/mod/forum/view.php?id=105>

* Communal Book Project Question and Answer Session, January 18th, 11:30 a.m.
Facilitator: Sandy Hirtz
Are you interested in contributing to a "how to book" for instructors learning to design online courses? Attend this Question and Answer session to learn more about the communal book project.

Click on the link below on January 18th before 11:30 a.m. (Pacific) to enter the Elluminate live online meeting room:
<https://www.elluminate.com/mtg.jnlp?password=347803081>

* Check the SCoPE calendar for a full list of events that will be of interest to members. <http://scope.lidc.sfu.ca/calendar/view.php?view=upcoming>

2. Activity Recap
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* WebCT and Blackboard Merger: Implications and Moving Forward: November 21-December 4, 2005
Facilitator: Liz Wallace
What will happen when the two superpowers of proprietory learning management systems join forces? This 2-week seminar allowed us to scratch the surface on this complex topic! The discussions reinforced that the breaking news has directed the attention of educators and administrators toward open source solutions. As a follow up, SCoPE members may wish to consider submitting a manuscript to the Innovate Journal of Online Education special issue on open-source software (OSS). Topics include: (1) developments in open-source programs around the world, (2) challenges related to the development, deployment, and adoption of open source programs, including how specific software is being used, (3) the advantages and disadvantages of open source and proprietary systems, and (5) the future of the OSS movement.
...submission guidelines <http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=submit>
...archive of SCoPE seminar <http://scope.lidc.sfu.ca/mod/forum/view.php?id=147>

3. SCoPE SIGs
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* Communal Book Project
Sandy Hirtz and David Harper invite you to participate in their book project coordinated through the BCcampus eLearning Marketplace and Expo Online Community. This book will be a practical guide for faculty with an emphasis on demonstrating exciting opportunities offered by new technologies and outlining step-by-step how you can use the Internet to improve the educational quality of your teaching.
...more <http://scope.lidc.sfu.ca/course/view.php?id=16>

SCoPE Special Interest Groups provide venues for ongoing communication and sharing of resources based on common interests. Would your group like to request a SIG related to education research and practice? Contact Sylvia Currie <scurrie@sfu.ca>.

4. PeriSCoPE
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SCoPE members are busy elsewhere:

Curtis Bonk's book, Handbook of Blended Learning: Global Perspectives, Local Designs, co-authored with Charles R. Graham, is now available through Pfieffer Publishers. It offers practical advice and examples for implementing blended learning practices in a variety of settings.

John Smith, Nancy White, Susanne Nyrop, and Alice McGillivray are busy up front and behind the scenes at the Web 2.0 and Communities of Practice conference, ongoing throughout the month of January. Congratulations to Cyprien Lomas who received a free pass to the conference by responding first to the offer through SCoPE!
...more <http://www.cpsquare.org/News/archives/000060.html>

Kate Britt (aka Pink Flamingo) maintains a resource site for Educators. It leads to many practical articles and tutorials, as well and showcases exciting new tools and possibilities.
...more <http://www.ibritt.com/resources/>

5. KnowTIPS 2006 Conference
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SCoPE is an organizing partner for the 2nd annual KnowTIPS conference. The conference is designed to engage participants in discussions about the practical aspects of working online in any setting. The response to our call for proposals has been terrific! Here is a preview:

- Technologies for Communities, with Etienne Wenger, Nancy White, and John Smith
- Collaborative eLearning: Feedback and Assessment, with Janet Salmons
- Open Networked Learning, with Leigh Blackall
- Games and Sims, with Rod Corbett
- Social Software: Going Beyond LMS Systems for eLearning, with Terry Anderson
- Facilitating Deepened Online Learning, with Sarah Haavind and Marsha West
- Web Annotation to Enhance Online Discussions, with Cindy Xin
- Memorization, with Bruno Vernier
- Training Practitioners Online to be Online Practitioners, with Kate Anthony
- The Attic, with Shula Klinger
- Using Moodle, with Robera Neault and Deirdre Pickerell
- Game of Games: A Tool for Transformation, with Angelo John Lewis

Please spread the word and consider volunteering to help plan or assist during the conference. It's great experience!
...more <http://knowtips.ca>

6. Learning Partnership Call for Nominations
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The Learning Partnership is accepting nominations for the 2006 National Technology Innovation Awards. Nominated projects should focus on the innovative and creative use of technology and include areas such as blended learning environments, knowledge transfer, organizational learning, professional development and/or the needs of special education students. Nominees may include teachers, professors, media specialists, technology specialists, technology directors or other innovative educators. Projects must have been in progress during the last 12 months and have made a measurable impact on student learning and achievement. Nominations must include a multimedia component and be submitted by February 17, 2006. Guidelines and nomination forms are available at <http://tlp.td01.com/innovation_2006/>

7. About SCoPE
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SCoPE, supported by the Learning and Instructional Development Centre at Simon Fraser University, brings together individuals who share an interest in education research and practice, and offers opportunities for dialogue across disciplines, geographical borders, professions, levels of expertise, and education sectors. We organize seminars, events, and ways for practitioners to connect. Membership is free and open to the public.

Self-register at <http://scope.lidc.sfu.ca>

8. About MicroSCoPE
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SCoPE members receive MicroSCoPE issues automatically. If you prefer to read MicroSCoPE on the website or via RSS, manage your subscription here <http://scope.lidc.sfu.ca/mod/forum/view.php?f=5>.

MicroSCoPE is prepared by Sylvia Currie, Community Coordinator <scurrie@sfu.ca>.

Please spread the word about SCoPE. Distribute this newsletter!

This week's Bloggingheads.tv episode features philosopher Joshua Knobe and psychologist Elizabeth Spelke discussing the cognitive abilities of infants.

Here are some more clips of the "diavlog" in addition to the one you can view on the ScienceBlogs home page.

What do you think of this week's Bloggingheads feature?