Category Archives: Course

Two free early childhood MOOCs starting soon

Posted on October 1, 2013 | 1 comment

Two early childhood-related MOOCs (massive open online courses) start in October. Which should you choose?

MOOCs are free web-based courses designed for large numbers of participants. Anyone wanting to take a MOOC simply goes to the website and signs up. Typical MOOCs comprise video lectures, readings, quizzes and exchanges with instructors and fellow participants in online forums.

Here are the two MOOCS of interest to us:

O2S_Logo1. Early Childhood Education by Gowrie Victoria on www.open2study.com. Gowrie Victoria have been the Australian specialists in early childhood education since 1939. MOOC provider open2study, which is run by the Australian Open University, launched in April 2013 and currently has 28 courses on offer. The Early Childhood Education MOOC returns on 14 Oct 2013 for 4 weeks, and requires 2-4 hours of study per week. It gives an introduction to the many aspects of child development and explores how to support infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers during this critical stage of life. The course is aimed at anyone with an interest in early childhood education, including families and carers.
The syllabus is:
Week 1: The world of the child
Week 2: Belonging
Week 3: Being
Week 4: Becoming

coursera-logo-nobg2. Effective Classroom Interactions: Supporting Young Children’s Development by the University of Virginia on www.coursera.org. Coursera is the biggest player in the global MOOC movement, offering 368 courses from 83 institutions to over 4 million students so far. This course was developed specifically for teachers already working with preschool children and focusses on one area in particular – emotional support. The course begins on 22 Oct 2013 for 4 weeks, and requires 2-3 hours of study each week.
The syllabus is:
Week 1: Creating Emotionally Supportive Classrooms
Week 2: Building Positive Relationships with Children – The dimension of Positive Climate
Week 3: Providing Individualized Support to Young Children – The dimension of Teacher Sensitivity
Week 4: Supporting Children’s Independence and Sense of Self – The dimension of Regard for Child Perspectives

Which should you choose?
The open2study course has run twice previously. It achieved an 88% rating from it’s students and has a higher completion rate than usual. I appreciate their manageable class sizes and find their badge awards fun! I’ve looked over the shoulders of two friends doing Coursera and seen impressive content but huge numbers of learners, which sometimes appear overwhelming. I’d conclude that if you’re new to the subject or to online learning, open2study is a good place to start. However, if you want more of a challenge and to be part of a global community, go for Coursera. Whatever your choice, now is a good time to try out MOOC study as this method of learning appears to be here to stay.

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Parental mental health and families by SCIE

Posted on July 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

Parental mental health and families

The Parental mental health and families eLearning package from the UK’s Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) sets out all the key relationships, linkages and systems that need to be understood in parental mental health and families work. The materials look at the ways current organisational structures may not be working for families affected by parental mental ill health and what changes might be beneficial. In a unique move, the material asks the professionals to step into parents shoes to try and understand some of the difficulties and frustrations they may experience. This package comprises eight modules:

  1. Introducing the family model
  2. Think child, think parent and think family
  3. Working together with parents
  4. Working together with professionals
  5. Care planning and review
  6. Interventions
  7. Managing complexity and leading practice
  8. Communicating with families

Each module is about 20-30 minutes long. They include glossaries, references, transcripts, learning records and links to extra resources. Adobe Flash Player is required on your computer. The interactive modules provide accurate information in an engaging way, and the references and links to extra resources allow the learning to be extended far beyond the original module.
Link: www.scie.org.uk/publications/elearning/parentalmentalhealthandfamilies/index.asp
Use of this resource, and import of the resource into learning management systems, for educational purposes is freely permitted. A SCORM version is offered for free download and use in a virtual learning environment (VLE).

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Autistic Spectrum: Free e-learning modules

Posted on April 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

3492401705_0fe96f78c5_qInterested in studying the Autism Spectrum from your own home? Here are three free options from reputable institutions.

Autism Spectrum Disorders by the Geneva Centre for Autism in Canada
These are an attractive suite of nine free modules aimed at parents and those working with school-age children and young people. They are well-structured with learning outcomes, quizzes, audio, video and printable handouts. The modules are delivered through a Moodle VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) and are available in both English and French.
The only aspect I’d question is the simple requirement to enrol, which I hope doesn’t deter any users from these excellent resources.
Link: http://elearning.autism.net/
I’d recommend that beginners take one of these Geneva Centre modules prior to embarking on either of the following two modules from the OU or MIT.

The autistic spectrum: from theory to practice by The UK’s Open University
This 20-hour module is also delivered through a Moodle VLE platform, but is pitched at intermediate level – equivelent to the second year of a Bachelors degree. It is well-structured with learning outcomes and seven activities, comprising mostly text and diagrams rather than audio or video.
The whole module can be downloaded for offline use, and the Open University’s LabSpace allows you to adapt the module to your particular requirements and then share it with others.
Link: http://labspace.open.ac.uk/DSE232_1_2.0

Autism Theory and Technology by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA
This is MIT’s eight week long module as delivered in Spring 2011 at graduate/masters level. As indicated by the title, it explores the use of state-of-the-art technologies alongside Autism.
In contrast to the two Moodle VLE-based modules above, this module was designed for classroom delivery and participation. It comprises a single two-hour lecture video, syllabus and readings, but there is no interaction if you’re studying alone as there are no quizzes or tests. All the module materials can all be downloaded for offline use.
Link: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/media-arts-and-sciences/mas-771-autism-theory-and-technology-spring-2011/index.htm

Creative Commons Licence All three of the above are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.  Ribbon by Beverly & Pack

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