>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> WHAT'S NEW AT FUTURE-U <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
                    Tips and Tools for 
        Technology-Enriched Teaching and Learning 
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Volume 1, Number 3                          December 2000
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>>>>>> CONTENTS <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In This Issue:

1.	Two Great New Communication Tools: PageSeeder and HumanClick
2.	Enroll now! Become a Power Instructor in the e-classroom. 
        There's more to e-learning than the software.
3.	Win a $50 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com
4.	Letters to the Editor: Assessment Tools/Quiz Generators


>>>>>> TOOL <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

1.	*Two Great New Communication Tools*

Vendors of tools for e-learning often invite FutureU to check 
out their new products. They know we're always on the lookout 
for great new tools that make e-learning better. PageSeeder 
and HumanClick are two of the best new ideas we've seen for 
communication between instructors and learners, and among 
learners in a team project. We don't get paid for saying so. 
We just want you to know about these products.

>>>>From Australia: A *PageSeeder* is a tiny marker (called a 
"seed") you can place anywhere on a Web page. The reader 
clicks on the seed to leave a comment or question about a 
specific sentence, paragraph, or topic. You might place 
PageSeeders throughout the course materials you post for 
discussion. You might use them to co-edit Web reports with 
colleagues, eliminating the need to keep downloading and 
uploading comments until everyone's had their say. 

We've prepared a demo site using some FutureU pages so you can 
try PageSeeder on your own. Check out the FutureU pages at 
http://ps.pageseeder.com/ps/topic/t2. For demos of other 
possible uses for PageSeeder, including e-publishing, 
collaborative development of documents, and e-learning 
lessons, visit http://ps.pageseeder.com/ps/topic/ps/demos . To 
try PageSeeder yourself, visit 
http://ps.pageseeder.com/ps/topic/ps/hosting . You may also be 
interested in a PageSeeder "interactive" paper currently 
evolving at 
http://ps.pageseeder.com/ps/jg/papers/teachers/teachers.pshtml
It's hosted by educator Greg Webb and is entitled "Why 
Teachers Don't Share Resources, And What We Can Do About It." 

>>>>From Israel: *HumanClick* alerts you with a bell when 
someone clicks on one of your Web pages. A chat window pops up 
where you and the visitor can converse. The visitor can start 
the chat by clicking on the "HumanClick" logo or you can break 
the ice by "speaking up" first. This is a great tool for 
online office hours. You might create an "Office Hours" Web 
page with a logo that says, "Click here for a live person," 
whenever you are at your desk with your computer turned on. 
Or, when your computer is turned off, your page will 
automatically say, "Click here to leave a message." You can 
even set the function to say, "Back in 5 minutes!" Check out 
HumanClick at http://www.humanclick.com.


>>>>>> FutureU E-COURSES<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

2.	Enroll now! Become a Power Instructor in the e-classroom. 
        There's more to e-learning than the software.

For instructors new to interactive/collaborative e-learning or 
who want to fine tune their skills and understanding of the 
process, FutureU offers self-paced and facilitated training on 
the Web. Three instructor-led e-courses are scheduled for 
early 2001. Enroll today:

"Help Your Students Succeed at E-Learning." The more you 
know about Internet research, online collaboration, and other 
aspects of e-learning, the better prepared you'll be to help 
your students. This short course covers everything they need 
to know. 2 weeks, about 5 hours/week. Instructor 
Supported/Asynchronous. Includes a 1-year license for Volume 1 
of FutureU's Faculty Web Book ($50 retail) and a 1-year 
membership in FutureU's virtual community for online-
educators. 
Course Number: ECF001a 
Course Price: $150 

++Click here for details: 
++http://www.futureu.com/academic/teaching/ecourse-ecf001a.html
++Click here to register: 
++http://www.futureu.com/academic/teaching/calendar.html
------

"Plan and Create a Technology-Enriched Course." No software 
vendor will teach you all you need to know about e-learning. 
Let experienced FutureU facilitators prepare you to help 
students succeed online [ECF001a], lead you through the four 
phases of online course development, and help you unfold your 
course in a way that really inspires interaction. 6 weeks, 
about 5 hours/week, Instructor Supported/Asynchronous. 
Includes a 1-year license for Volumes 1 and 2 of FutureU's 
Faculty Web Book ($150 retail) and a 1-year membership in 
FutureU's virtual community for online educators. 

Course Number: ECF001c
Course Price: $450. 

++Click here for details: 
++http://www.futureu.com/academic/teaching/ecourse-ecf001c.html
++Click here to register: 
++http://www.futureu.com/academic/teaching/calendar.html
------

The above courses are based on a self-paced, Web-based 
textbook also sold separately and described at 
http://www.futureu.com/estore/about_wbook_faculty.html
======
 
"The Bargain Hunter's Guide to Building a Course Web Site." 
Learn about free and low-cost Web page builders, quiz 
generators, communication software and other easy tools that 
can help you get the job done--without learning HTML, without 
using complicated course management software, without relying 
on overworked techies at your school, and without paying a 
bundle. 4 weeks, about 5 hours/week. Instructor 
Supported/Asynchronous. Includes a 1-year membership in 
FutureU's virtual community for online-educators. 

Course Number: ECF001b
Course Price: $300.

++Click here for detailed description: 
++http://www.futureu.com/academic/teaching/ecourse-ecf001b.html
++Click here to register: 
++http://www.futureu.com/services/calendar.html


>>>>>> SURVEY <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

3.	Win a $50 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com

Answer five easy questions about e-learning and become 
eligible for a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com. It's 
simple, it's free, it's at 
http://www.futureu.com/5easyquestions/


>>>>>> LETTERS TO THE EDITOR <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

At 12:15 PM 7/20/2000 +1000, you wrote:
I am looking for an online quiz or survey tool that could be
incorporated into a "Mentoring Online" course.
This would sit right at the front of the course as a 
precursor to learning how to be an effective online mentor.

Carole McCulloch
Instructional Designer / WebCT Provider Administrator
Wodonga Institute of TAFE
Victoria, Australia

Dear Ms. McCulloch,

Our Readiness Assessments are usually part of our consulting 
services. However, there are many Web-based survey products
available such as EasySurvey and WebSurveyor. The best quiz 
generator we know of is HotPotatoes from Half-Baked Software 
found at http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/halfbaked/ 

And then, of course, there is the self-test and quiz generators 
that are a part of WebCT.

We can consult with you about the questions we use in our 
Readiness Assessments. If that interests you, let me know. In 
the meantime, you may want to check out North Carolina Public 
Schools Info Web where they've developed an extensive battery 
of questions for high school students, located at 
http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/accountability/testing/testing/ 

Hope this helps.

claude

P.S. You can learn more about these resources and many others
buy signing up for "Bargain Hunter's Guide to Building a Course
Web Site" (http://www.futureu.com/academic/teaching/ecourse-ecf001b.html)
or by visiting the Resources page in FutureU's virtual community 
for online educators at http://www.futureu.net

------------------------------------------------------------



Join your peers in discussion here.

-*FutureU Catalog

Learn about FutureU's other products and services for 
e-learning at http://www.futureu.com/

-*FutureU E-Store

To register for any of our e-courses or to order the FutureU 
Student eBook ("Make the Most of Learning Online") or Faculty 
eBook ("Make the Most of Teaching Online"), visit our e-store 
at http://www.futureu.com/estore/

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