Nov 10, 2009 0
Want to fail big time? Want to announce to the world that you plan to teach online, then fall flat on your face? Here’s how.
Want to make sure you don’t stand a change of succeeding with you’re new online course? Try to create it entirely from scratch rather than converting a course that already exists.
Mar 1, 2009 0
I want to try an experiment in this posting. I”ve replaced my usual narrative approach with bullet points. Let me know how you like that.
Feb 28, 2009 0
In the previous post (Get Organized!) I mentioned the ADDIE model for instructional design. For many, ADDIE is overly simplistic and doesn’t provide guidance for every part of a teaching/learning experience in the online learning environment. But that’s ok, because its just a guide. It’s up to each of us to make sure that we provide the structure, content, and instructor time with learners that is needed to meet the learning objectives of the curriculum, the course and the individual learner. No model will account the complexities of every situation we might encounter.
But for the purposes of talking about how to build your course online, which is what this blog and accompanying website are all about a simple model to help us organize our efforts is all that’s really needed.
That’s why I came up with the 4 Ds. First, I needed to organize my own thinking and Read the rest of this entry »
Feb 15, 2009 0
This will be a short post. Taking up where we left off in the last post (”5. What have I got inside, in the way of physical energy, ideas, knowledge, skills that I could use to generate some income?”)…The first thing to do is start thinking about what you know in an organized way. There is a kind of thinking process you go through, no matter what you’re trying to do, the starts with opening up to possibility. Then comes paying attention to everything around you that is even remotely related to what you’re thinking about. Then comes narrowing down your thinking to something you can focus on and try to accomplish.
I’m a big fan of mnemonics and tricks for remembering, so, after studying what professionals call the “Design Cycle” process I came up with what I call the 4 Ds: Discovery, Design, Development, Delivery.
Feb 1, 2009 0
This is another, and probably huge, part of your non-financial assets. What can you do or what do you know that someone else would be willing to pay good money for?
What does it take to sell what you know? Well that’s what the whole “Build Your Course Online” project is about.
First of all, Gail and I know a lot about this. So when we got to question number 5, Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 18, 2009 0
Most of us have friends and many of us also have fans, people who really admire us for some fool reason or another. Get together with your friends and fans and brainstorm ideas about how to help each other through this slump. It could be to work together on any of the ideas we’ve already discussed. But open up to possibility and think outside of the box.
Think about a “community trust.” Back in the 70’s when the oil embargo had such a big impact on the economy, my friends and I got together and created just that.
What we used it for was tools, equipment and recreational gear. We pooled what we had, took an inventory, sold off Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 10, 2009 0
One non-money form of income is traditional barter? What have I got to offer to someone else for something they’ve got that I need?
There’s a great example for this one, and one that you don’t have to declare as income and pay taxes on: Do you drive your car to work? Have you ever looked at the other cars on the road as you’re driving? How many of them have more than one person in them? Does someone you know drive the same or a close to the same route to and from work? Then why don’t you think Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 8, 2009 0
Even if you owe more than you own, why not use this as a good moment to simplify life by getting rid of some of those things you’ve spent money on that don’t really get that much use or that you have tired of and just won’t miss if they disappeared. You’ll be able to use the money you make for which ever wheel is squeaking the loudest.
Think about organizing a garage/yard sale or a church flea market. They can be fun and sometimes you can actually Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 6, 2009 0
Start making a list of what you own and what you owe. Find out if you’re lucky enough to own more than you owe. If so, you may be able to sell something. Download Chapter 5, “Financial and Non-Financial Resources” from Finding Goodwork at http://www.buildyourcourseonline.net/articles/chapter05_financial_non-financial_resources.pdf to help you Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 1, 2009 0
There’s a lot to be nervous about right now, what with the economy in dire straights and layoffs increasing every week. But the real truth for any of us is that we only have ourselves to solve these difficulties. Ain’t nobody gonna bail any of us out. And even if they did, they’d be using our own
money to do it.
So I say, why not get organized and get started on your own bailout. The same bailout we’ve been using for time eternal: self-reliance and mutual aid.
The fist thing each of us has to do is take a personal inventory by answering these five simple questions:
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