# Edge of Learning

> Expanding the possibilities for education


## Posts

- [Soundbytes Newsletter](https://edgeoflearning.com/soundbytes-newsletter/): Sometimes I think the only reason I’m surviving this moment in education is because I taught for decades before generative AI arrived. I have a strong internal compass for what real student thinking looks like. I know what typical math “show your work” looks like, what typical middle school writing usually contains, and the difference between “I tried my best” and “ChatGPT tried its best.” I cannot imagine being a brand-new teacher today and coming into this cold, with no mental archive to lean on. But if you are trying to navigate this, know you’re not alone. I’ve started writing […]
- [Equitable Assessment in Mathematics](https://edgeoflearning.com/equitable-assessment-in-math/): In this IMACC presentation, I highlighted the significant negative impact of traditional assessment strategies, such as exams focused heavily on memorization, on students’ success and their interest in pursuing careers in STEM fields. The use of such assessments in mathematics can be discouraging, particularly as it leads many to avoid further studies in these areas due to negative experiences. I argued that these conventional methods might be contributing to a decline in students choosing STEM careers. I then discussed the necessity for equity in mathematical assessments. I proposed that assessments should be designed with the goal of optimizing learning, rather […]
- [Teaching Tech and Society to Middle Schoolers](https://edgeoflearning.com/teaching-tech-and-society-to-middle-schoolers/): “Nobody saw that one coming!” My career has taken all sorts of twists and turns, but this last one was unexpected, even for me. Losing Steam It’s fun and rewarding to build software, but it also means you’re absorbing all the pain of your product’s deficiencies from customers, sales, customer support, and execs. Releases have about a minute of celebration before the wave of new “why didn’t you build this” suggestions and complaints start to roll in. It is hard to feel that you are always failing your stakeholders, even when you’re delivering successes. (Side note: There should be Product […]
- [Student Surprises About Technology](https://edgeoflearning.com/student-surprises-about-technology/): Recently, I was interviewed on Episode 469 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Bonni and I discussed the use of video-based curriculum in material sciences, active learning sets, and the importance of teaching skills for future generations. In addition, the episode covers recommendations for technologies like Chat GPT and practical methods for screening YouTube videos, misinformation online, and the bias in Google search results. This episode also includes insights into my teaching experiences with K-12 students and the interesting subject area of technology and its history. Here is my favorite excerpt from the interview… Student Surprises about Technology Bonni: […]
- [Your New Teaching Superpower: AI Tools](https://edgeoflearning.com/your-new-teaching-superpower-ai-tools/): After using AI like ChatGPT for a full semester, here is a selection of my top 12 uses for leveraging AI as your new teaching superpower. 1. Write Missing Textbook Sections Tips: When there are required teaching objectives that are not actually in the text you use, you can use it to write this text. Tell it the reading level and purpose of the text. Write text for 1-2 objectives at a time. Write scenarios to teach the objectives and include these in the text. 2. Help Students Study for Exams Tips: Teach students to use ChatGPT to study for […]
- [Your Body is Just a Spaceship](https://edgeoflearning.com/your-body-is-just-a-spaceship/): In 2016, a body-image coach (Summer Innanen) told me to just start thinking about my body as “the spaceship that carries around my intellect and soul.” This, combined with other practices she taught me, helped me to finally make peace with having a “spaceship” that wasn’t the shiniest one in the fleet and would never would be. I’ve learned that my body is just my spaceship, and if it gets my brain where I want to go and lets my soul do all the things I want to do, I should be satisfied with that. Then in 2021, I read […]
- [Organizing Card Sorts](https://edgeoflearning.com/organizing-card-sorts/): In order to use more active learning in the classroom, I use a lot of curriculum card sorts and games. It can take a little bit of time to cut out these activities and so it’s important to have some kind of strategy to organize card sorts so that the time investment is worth it. After all, you only want to do the prep work once for a classroom set and then be able to use them over and over for years. Here are some of my tricks for organizing this stuff and the materials I use for activities such […]
- [Fixing Remote Work: The Fondue Story and Pair Tasking](https://edgeoflearning.com/fixing-remote-work-pair-tasking/): I have been a remote worker for almost a decade. I like the flexibility and I hate commuting. But there’s always been this nagging feeling that there is something missing from remote work. And it took a pot of fondue for me to figure out what it was. The Story of the Fondue Pot A few weeks ago one of the programmers that worked for me at Coursetune came to visit on a snowboarding trip and he brought us some fondue from Switzerland. So one night we had a little fondue party and we used a double boiler to make […]
- [Use ChatGPT to Create Engaging Video Lessons](https://edgeoflearning.com/use-chatgpt-to-create-engaging-video-lessons/): Teachers: Finding the right video to use in the classroom and preparing activities about it can be really time consuming. But ChatGPT can help with this too!
- [Future Trends Forum: ChatGPT and Curriculum](https://edgeoflearning.com/future-trends-forum-chatgpt-and-curriculum/): We had a lively discussion about the larger impacts of ChatGPT on curriculum, reading, and the very nature of what we teach.
- [Teachers: Treat ChatGPT as an Ally, Not an Enemy](https://edgeoflearning.com/teachers-treat-chatgpt-as-an-ally-not-an-enemy/): ChatGPT is like having a brilliant college student as your teaching assistant, book-smart and a self-starter but with limited practical experience. Although it makes mistakes, coaching it and giving feedback helps ChatGPT learn and improve. From creating matching activities and skits to generating math problems and grading essays, ChatGPT can be an invaluable asset to teachers. Don't miss the chance to try ChatGPT for yourself ��� watch the video and get started today!
- [Why use Microsoft Word with blind math students?](https://edgeoflearning.com/why-use-microsoft-word-with-blind-math-students/): How do you write mathematical documents like problem sets, quizzes, and tests so that a student that is blind will be able to use a screenreader to hear the documents? There are many (many!) screenreaders now, and this is always a bit of a moving target, but the safest bet for mainstream math courses seems to be to use Microsoft Word and either the built-in Microsoft Equation Editor or the add-in MathType. Last fall I performed a little experiment. I took the exact same problem set of three fairly simple math problems and had a screenreader (in this case, Microsoft […]
- [Podcasts to Educate about Poverty, Racism, and Socioeconomic Inequality](https://edgeoflearning.com/podcasts-to-educate-about-poverty-racism-and-socioeconomic-inequality/): I want to take a moment to recommend a few excellent podcasts in support of #blacklivesmatter and to help educate about systematic poverty, racism, and inequality in the U.S. I’m sure there are other great podcasts I’ve missed out on. If you have any to recommend, please shoot me an email at busynessgirl on gmail. As educators, I think we owe it to our students to go learn more about the issues of the day. I find podcasts have been an excellent way to learn more about all topics I am not familiar with. You can listen while you hike, […]
- [The Impact of Smartphones on Curriculum](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-impact-of-smartphones-on-curriculum/): The iPhone was released in 2007 and by the end of 2019, 81% of U.S. adults owned a Smartphone. Consider the implications. 81% of U.S. adults can look up what something means, the date when something happened, or the mathematical formula they need for calculating a solution – and they can do that with a device they carry with them all the time. 81% of adults carry a calculator, a dictionary, and a search engine for articles, books, and journals on them all the time. 61% of adults turn to YouTube when they want to learn how to do something they have not […]
- [Make Space for Innovation in Curriculum](https://edgeoflearning.com/make-space-for-innovation-in-curriculum/): For the last decade the learning analytics movement has pushed institutions to pay much closer attention to outcomes data, and most schools have made solid strides. We have various “nudging” plans and alert systems that closely monitor attendance-type data and ongoing success criteria (like assignment grades). And that’s great! Most institutions have improved graduation and retention rates with this type of data. However, I think we are running out of this “low hanging fruit” of data to monitor. We’ve mined it as much as we can. There is no choice now but to consider improvement of our curriculum to affect […]
- [Remote Teaching Best Practices](https://edgeoflearning.com/remote-teaching-best-practices/): Many colleges are suddenly faced with moving classes to a remote format this week. As I’ve been doing remote teaching and synchronous virtual teaching for almost a decade, I was asked to share some best practices during 2020. Below are the recordings. Best Practices for Remote Teaching with Dr. Maria Andersen Suppose you suddenly have to teach from home for several weeks. Or rather, several students are suddenly quarantined at home and cannot attend class. Shifting to remote teaching can be easier with the tips you’ll learn in this session. In fact, you might even find that teaching remotely has […]
- [GITW Relevant Graphs for your Class](https://edgeoflearning.com/gitw-relevant-graphs-for-your-class/): In the last decade, as a result of the Internet and the rise of Smartphones and other digital trackers, the world has become flush with data. Data means graphs. Significant, relevant, real-world graphs.  And yet, in most math courses, students only see the graphs they find in their textbooks. These graphs are, for the most part, graphs constructed to teach math. How many real world situations do you know of that are modeled by the graph y=3x-5 ? Twenty years ago, there were valid excuses for us using contrived graphs. It was actually difficult to find real world data and […]
- [These are a Few of my Favorite Graphs](https://edgeoflearning.com/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-graphs/): I’ve been collecting graphs at GraphsInTheWorld for about a year now, and I put together a little “celebration of graphs” song for the AMATYC Conference. If you have 4 minutes, you can celebrate the graphs with me. AMATYC 2019 Ignite: These are a Few of my Favorite Graphs  
- [Facing the Future of Technology and Learning](https://edgeoflearning.com/facing-the-future-of-technology-and-learning/): In the last decade, technologies like adaptive learning, smartphones, learning analytics, OER, and MOOCs have been chipping away at the corners of traditional education. In the near future we’ll be dealing with even more disruptive technologies like bots and artificial intelligence. Technology-enhanced learning is here to stay and it is altering formal education, like it or not. This is a guide to successfully navigating and thriving in this new world and preparing yourself, your students, and your institution for what is to come. I left the ESIL Lens slides out of the uploaded slidedeck, but there is lots of information […]
- [Data Privacy Deep Dive: Facebook and Google](https://edgeoflearning.com/data-privacy-deep-dive-facebook-and-google/): Last summer and again this fall I am teaching Business Ethics online for a community college. In the summer we took a dive into privacy policies at companies through Facebook’s recent escapades. If you haven’t dug into these issues, the resources in this post provide a good primer. Facebook Privacy Blunders If you haven’t seen the Frontline documentary, you can watch it online on YouTube. It’s good enough for an evening movie. Make some popcorn and recruit family or friends to join you. The Facebook Dilemma, Part 1 The Facebook Dilemma, Part 2 There’s also this great (long) read from […]
- [Grammar Correction Hotkeys for Faster Grading](https://edgeoflearning.com/grammar-correction-hotkeys-for-faster-grading/): I hate being inefficient. I mean, I hate it with a passion! So when I found myself doing the same set of keystrokes over and over and over to correct spelling and grammar in written responses, I knew I had to find a faster way. I know you can create Macros in Office programs to cut back on the number of keystrokes, so I went looking for something similar that could work in a browser. A former student (thanks Cameron!) tipped me off to AutoHotKey and TextExpander and I’m pleased to report that I’ve gotten them both to work! Creating […]
- [Spicing up those Introduction Posts in Online Courses](https://edgeoflearning.com/spicing-up-those-introduction-posts-in-online-courses/): Most online courses have an “Introduce Yourself” post. I imagine that these posts get pretty boring for online students, so I try to make the intro more related to the class. I’m not a huge fan of “post once reply twice discussions,” but intro discussions do kind of lend themselves to this format. Here are a couple examples. “Set of Me” For a math class, we will discuss sets and functions fairly early on. Another very high priority in an online math class is that students immediately learn how to take a picture with their phone and upload it to […]
- [Battle of the (free) Digital Whiteboarding Tools](https://edgeoflearning.com/battle-of-the-free-digital-whiteboarding-tools/): tldr; See the comparison and who won. Many years ago (2012), in a state far, far away (Michigan), I compiled a comparison chart of six whiteboarding tools for synchronous communication in classes where you really need to share written work (e.g. math, chemistry, physics, economics, engineering, etc). Well, I think every one of those tools is now defunct (many were based on Flash and didn’t survive its demise). I wanted to find a new tool to use when working with online math students that need synchronous help. There are some digital whiteboard tools in platforms like Collaborate, but the functionality […]
- [Should we ask students to subscribe to a newspaper?](https://edgeoflearning.com/should-we-ask-students-to-subscribe-to-a-newspaper/): Every day, I find articles in the newspaper that relate to my Business Ethics course and the real-world cases they are doing. So much so, that I’m considering using a newspaper in lieu of a textbook (there’s an OER textbook). I can’t seem to get access to current articles through the library (only old ones) and students can’t “browse” the current issues from the library, they have to search for specific issues. That’s not ideal. Let me start by explaining what I read and how I read it. Personally, I like the New York Times Today’s Paper App. It’s actually […]
- [How to Leave Voice-to-text Feedback in D2L Brightspace](https://edgeoflearning.com/how-to-leave-voice-to-text-feedback-in-d2l-brightspace/): I’ve been teaching a Business Ethics course online this summer, which has honestly been the most fun I’ve had teaching in a while. It’s always refreshing to teach something new! In addition to a new class, it’s also my first time as an instructor in D2L Brightspace. So I’m also experiencing the joys and challenges of learning the ins and out of Brightspace from that side (I’ve experienced it from the student side). The Business Ethics course has a ton of quizzes with written responses. In a previous version of the course I was given to work off of, the […]
- [Some Basic HTML Tips For When Your LMS Makes You Nuts](https://edgeoflearning.com/some-basic-html-tips-for-when-your-lms-makes-you-nuts/): Some Basic HTML Tips HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language; it is the computer code of web pages. Many editors in blogs, wikis, online learning systems like Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle, and Blackboard have WYSIWYG editors. WYSIWYG stands for “what you see is what you get.” Most digital editors have an icon panel at the top with standard formatting tools. The location of the tools varies slightly from platform to platform (a few examples from common Learning Management Systems, or LMS’s, are below). In most online editors, there is an option to switch back and forth from WYSIWYG to HTML. When […]
- [5 Awesome Hotkey Keyboard Shortcuts You Probably Don't Know](https://edgeoflearning.com/5-awesome-hotkey-keyboard-shortcuts-you-probably-dont-know/): Every once in a while I produce a new list of all the great keyboard hotkeys for Windows and Mac. Here are a few of my favorites and a link to the full document: Standard Hotkey Keyboard Shortcuts 1. In case you’re one of those folks who has been copying and pasting to a text editor between sites and documents, did you know you can paste without formatting? This means losing all the behind-the-scenes HTML code, font formatting, size formatting, etc. Windows: CTRL-SHIFT-V Mac: CTRL-SHIFT-OPT-V (crazy combo, but I probably use it 50 times a day) 2. Do you know […]
- [Web Browser Basics](https://edgeoflearning.com/web-browser-basics/): Web Browser Basics There are several web browsers in use at any given time. Here are the main ones in use on desktops and laptops as of April 2019 in order based on highest popularity. Reference: https://www.statista.com/statistics/272697/market-share-desktop-internet-browser-usa/ Across all devices (phones, tablets, desktops, laptops), Apple Safari moves up to be the second-most popular browser. This is important to remember, because iPads and iPhones will open websites in Safari by default. In general, most web-based products work the best in Chrome, since almost all developers optimize for Chrome first. Why sign in to the browser? If you sign in to the […]
- [Tips for Getting the Right Screencast Conditions](https://edgeoflearning.com/tips-for-getting-the-right-screencast-conditions/): It is unlikely that you’ll land on the perfect screencasting conditions, cadence, and language on your first try. You should plan to take a half-day just to nail all the conditions before recording a bunch of videos. Don’t believe me? Watch me setting up a new system for screencasting in Learning to Screencast – Training Videos. Here are some things to consider: Minimize Ambient Noise – find a quiet place with a door that closes, minimal outside noise, preferably carpeted for less echo. Sometimes people (no joke) create a screencasting studio in the backseat of their car. Optimize Microphone  – you […]
- [Clawing Your Way Back to Your Life - Inbox Pause](https://edgeoflearning.com/clawing-your-way-back-to-your-life-inbox-pause/): I’ve been trying to be less email reactive for the past six months, but it’s been hard. I am painfully aware that constantly checking email throughout the day is destroying my productivity, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop. The email just keeps falling from the sky into my brain. About a month ago, I finally took the radical step of paying money to have my work email stopped except at three points during the day: 8am, 11am, 2pm, and 5pm. The email literally does not come through to my inbox – not on my phone, not […]
- [Learning to Screencast - Training Videos](https://edgeoflearning.com/learning-to-screencast-training-videos/): I’ve just set up a new Microsoft Surface, and as a learning exercise, I recorded every attempt in my journey to get a high-quality video with the right amount of description and the least amount of ambient noise. If you screencast, or want to start screencasting lessons, I think you can learn a lot from each attempt and what did or did not go right. Ready? You can either view the videos directly from Youtube: Full Playlist of Screencasting Attempts or read the descriptions of each attempt and watch the videos below. You’ll definitely want the captioning on either way, as I’ve […]
- [Strategies for Giving Tests with Desmos Graphing Calculator](https://edgeoflearning.com/strategies-for-giving-tests-with-desmos-graphing-calculator/): Many of us (and our students) have fallen in love with the Desmos Graphing Calculator. Two question I get asked a lot are “I love it, but how on earth do I give proctored tests with it?” and “How do I make sure the tests are secure when I have multiple sections?” You might think this is an insurmountable obstacle, but Desmos is actually used on many state assessments now. And while no strategy for any test is completely foolproof from cheating, there are some strategies that might help you get over the hump and to a complete learning and […]
- [Contemporary Algebra Collection (new resources 2/4/2019)](https://edgeoflearning.com/contemporary-algebra-collection-new-resources-2-4-2019/): The Contemporary Algebra Collection now contains 28 activities spread from basic math to exponential functions. All of these activities are based on contemporary examples from the world (e.g. Snapchat, Facebook, Amazon, Spotify, tourism, apps, etc). All the activity links now point to Google Docs that will maintain their “freshness” over time. Whenever I update an activity, the published version will also automatically update at the same link. By publishing the activities as Google Docs, I hope this makes them easier for you to modify activities if you want a slightly different wording or conceptual focus. The collection has also moved […]
- [Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast about ESIL Lens](https://edgeoflearning.com/teaching-in-higher-ed-podcast-about-esil-lens/): Back in December, I joined Bonni Stachowiak for an episode of Teaching in Higher Ed specifically to discuss the ESIL Lens. You can find the podcast here: “A New Lens to Support Learning Outcomes” The podcast gave me time to expand more on the reasoning behind the ESIL Lens. In a nutshell, There has been a tremendous shift in information access that has taken place in the last decade as Smartphones penetrated the consumer market. This shift requires us to rethink our learning objectives in education, and the depth we expect “knowledge” to be remembered and applied. If you haven’t […]
- [Add Graphs In The World to Courses](https://edgeoflearning.com/add-graphs-in-the-world-to-courses/): Now you can add Graphs in the World to your courses in the LMS! Create a new “page” in your course. Open the editor on that page. Go to the HTML Editor on that page. Paste the following text and then save the page: <iframe width=”750″ height=”1400″ src=”https://www.inoreader.com/stream/user/1004872044/tag/GraphsInTheWorld/view/html?cs=m” frameborder=”0″ tabindex=”-1″></iframe> When you’re finished, you should get a page that looks something like this. There are other ways to subscribe to Graphs In the World: RSS Feed: https://rsshub.app/instagram/user/graphsintheworld Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graphsintheworld/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graphsintheworld/ Thanks to Martin Brinkman for posting directions on turning any Instagram account into an RSS feed. Thanks to Laura Gibbs for […]
- [ESIL: A Learning Lens for the Digital Age](https://edgeoflearning.com/esil-a-learning-lens-for-the-digital-age/): In the early 90’s, most people had three reasonable choices for looking up the information you did not know: a book or journal you owned, the notes you took in class, or a library. In all of these cases, you had to physically move yourself to the location where the information source was stored. The best bet to be able to state information quickly was to know the information yourself. Given that we are humans, let’s assume the accuracy of all the information we hold in our heads is (at best) 80%. In the later 90’s and early 00’s, the […]
- [Bringing the Real World to Your Math Class Every Day](https://edgeoflearning.com/bringing-the-real-world-to-your-math-class-every-day/): I’ve been spending the first 5-10 minutes of every 2-hour math class discussing graphs in the news with my students. I’ll give you a few examples of what came up naturally week by week: Lots of social media graphs: Slope of the adoption rates for new users, the DAU (daily active users) and MAU (monthly active users) over time, and comparison of the adoption of new features in different platforms (Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) Tech industry: Growth of Amazon, Facebook, and Google, rise in employees at these companies, and comparison the money spent on Black Friday in the U.S. […]
- [Taking the Algebra Out of College Algebra](https://edgeoflearning.com/taking-the-algebra-out-of-college-algebra/): Today’s talk from AMATYC was “Taking the Algebra Out of College Algebra” (to lessen the heretical title slightly I will tell you I’m advocating for taking *some* of the algebra out of College Algebra). The goal of the talk is to help faculty redevelop a math program so that it de-emphasizes algebraic manipulation can be daunting. Faculty will leave this talk with both a vision for the nirvana they want (the long-term goal) and small, executable steps they can take right now to work towards that goal. I meant to record the audio for the talk but I completely spaced […]
- [Understand in learning objectives - it's the forest, not the trees](https://edgeoflearning.com/understand-in-learning-objectives-its-the-forest-not-the-trees/): If you’re a faculty member, you can probably tell me all about the first time an instructional designer said to you “You can’t use the word ‘understand’ in a learning objective.” And it probably made you mad. The oft-cited reason to avoid “understand” is because “You can’t measure it.” And this is where I’d like to take issue with Instructional Design 101.  Can you always measure an “understand” learning objective? No. Can you sometimes measure an “understand” learning objective? Yes. And it really comes down to the definition you use. understand: mental comprehension of a topic understand: demonstrated comprehension of […]
- [Reimagining Calculus Keynote](https://edgeoflearning.com/reimagining-calculus-keynote/): Yesterday I gave the keynote at the Reimagining Calculus Conference held at Stevens Institute of Technology. I was able to record the audio/slides from my laptop. So if you want to revisit the talk or share it with colleagues, you can. This may very well be the talk remembered for “Maria blowing up factoring” (a bit controversial) and the themes from the talk were revisited throughout the day in the other talks and panel.
- [Group Exploration in Math](https://edgeoflearning.com/group-exploration-in-math/): I am often asked how to get learners to spend more time “exploring” in their learning rather than just recalling or responding to specific prompts for information. Exploration of the learning space is particularly important because learners find the interesting nooks and crannies of the concepts that they would not otherwise discover. Let me share an example. Yesterday in class we needed to spend more time on exponential functions. I began class by displaying a graph of y=2^x and asking the class specific questions like “The graph of an exponential function has an asymptote, where is it?” Only to receive […]
- [Adjuncts shouldn't have to fix a broken system](https://edgeoflearning.com/adjuncts-shouldnt-have-to-fix-a-broken-system/): For 10 years I taught as a full-time professor at a community college. My loads were between 4-4-0 and 5-5-4, depending on the year. Typically I had 2-4 preps each semester. With a PhD and two Master’s degrees my hourly wage was somewhere around $40/hr if I truly worked a 40-hour week and I received health care and retirement benefits on top of that. Realistically, benefits probably made my hourly wage more like $60/hr, but then working 60-hour weeks brought it back to about $40/hr. I left academia in 2012 to pursue a career in the corporate world, and now […]
- [Expectations About Studying and Syllabi](https://edgeoflearning.com/expectations-about-studying-and-syllabi/): Recently we’ve seen more attention paid to self-regulated learning as it pertains to student success, especially for at-risk college students (especially first-year students). At least we are starting to recognize the serious contribution of the student in efforts at retention and learning. Anyways, I digress. Self-regulated learning (or SRL) involves students evaluating what they know, deciding what they need to learn, choosing strategies to bridge that gap, and then … actually using those strategies. Unfortunately, there seems to be a KAP (knowledge attitude practice) gap that is between students and their best intentions towards success. I found this dissertation, A Qualitative Inquiry Into […]
- [The "Please Grade Early" Option](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-please-grade-early-option/): This semester I am more mindful than ever that some of my students are in extremely stressful circumstances. Between the normal stresses students face (family health issues, paying for college, etc), I also have students who are refugees, who have family members that might be deported, international students wondering if they will be sent back home soon, and LGTBQ students worried about their safety and place in society. Some students can take the stress of an exam on top of all of this, and for others its the tipping point to really being overcome with anxiety. Because I’m an adjunct […]
- [100 Technology Skills for Today's Workforce](https://edgeoflearning.com/100-technology-skills-for-todays-workforce/): As the “growth” of AI becomes mainstream conversation, we hear more and more about the need to prepare students to be relevant in an increasingly knowledge-based economy. It’s not the facts we teach in school that are important, it’s the skills and ability to think and solve problems. If we want college graduates to enter the workforce being functional and valued workers, we have to make sure they also learn some digital skills as part of their college experience. There is no avoiding digital skills in today’s workplace. Most of our students “use” technology (smartphones, social media, and laptops), and […]
- [Learning at Scale Slides from ICTCM](https://edgeoflearning.com/learning-at-scale-slides-from-ictcm/): Learning at Scale: Using Research To Improve Learning Practices and Technology for Teaching Math In the last 5 years, there has been a rise in what we might call “large-scale digital learning experiments.”  These take the form of centralized courses, vendor-created courseware, online homework systems, MOOCs, and free-range learning platforms. If we mine the research, successes, and failures coming out of these experiments, what can we discover about designing better digital learning experiences and technology for the learning of mathematics? Learning at Scale: Using Research To Improve Learning Practices and Technology for Teaching Math from Maria Andersen  
- [Elaborations for Creative Thinking in STEM](https://edgeoflearning.com/elaborations-for-creative-thinking-in-stem/): As I watch the proliferation of digital learning platforms, particularly in STEM education (where there are lots of objective-type problems), I am excited by the increased focus on learning and adaptivity but also a little uneasy. For the most part the motivations to “go digital” are pure – increase access to courses that students need, provide help that is more tailored to each student, give immediate feedback, provide more practice if the student wants it, and let students move at their own pace. My worry is that math and science students aren’t getting anything but highly-structured problems. Every problem that a computer […]
- [Better to be Frustrated than Bored](https://edgeoflearning.com/better-to-be-frustrated-than-bored/): For all of you who have taught students, you know that one of the rewards is seeing the “Aha moments” that students experience. One of the downsides (to instructors) of teaching online is that it is hard to “see” the reward of the “aha” in the same fulfilling way. The reason we should care about the aha moments that students experience is that this kind of moment is tied closely to an emotional feeling. And memories with emotional attachments tend to be stronger (more memorable) than ones with no emotional attachment. But have you ever stopped to think about what […]
- [Video of AMATYC Keynote](https://edgeoflearning.com/video-of-amatyc-keynote/): Here is the video of the AMATYC Keynote, Learning Math is Not a Spectator Sport.  
- [Celebrate the Errors in Math Practice](https://edgeoflearning.com/celebrate-the-errors-in-math-practice/): Dear math students, As you work through your mathematics practice, I’m going to challenge you to embrace making errors in an entirely new way.  Many students believe that every problem in math homework should be perfectly constructed with no errors. It might look something like this:   But when it’s time to study after the initial problem run-through, what does this perfectly constructed problem say? Does it coach you on remembering how you struggled? Does it remind you where you made an error? No. When you make an error as you’re working a problem, please don’t erase it from the face of the earth. […]
- [The Deliberate Practice Experiment](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-deliberate-practice-experiment/): For some inspiration to try a more active approach to learning, I thought I would share a short video from Dr. Carl Wieman, who is a Nobel Laureate, a physicist, and more recently a researcher in learning science. Wieman has designed and run some very elegant experiments to demonstrate the effects of active learning techniques. Consider this one: What happens if you run two classes for a week with the same learning objectives, the same time in class, and the same assessment. Prior to the experiment, you take care to ensure that the student makeup and performance is very similar up […]
- [Write an Operating System for Your Brain](https://edgeoflearning.com/write-an-operating-system-for-your-brain/): Let’s face it. We all have to interact with organizations and systems of relationships in which we might not “fit” perfectly. We can choose to stay and try to thrive, or leave and find another path. Both are valid options. If you are choosing to stay, you will likely have to make minor (or sometimes major) tweaks to how you interact and function within that system. It is unreasonable to expect a system with thousands of employees or a family with 4 people in it to all change and adapt to you when you are unwilling to make changes to adapt […]
- [To Focus on Learning, Use Words Not Section Numbers](https://edgeoflearning.com/to-focus-on-learning-use-words-not-section-numbers/): Since many faculty are now approaching that time when syllabi get written and course shells get built, let’s focus on a very simple change that can increase student attention to learning the vocabulary and learning objectives/goals associated with the subject. Take examine your syllabus, schedule, and course shell looking for places where you could have written the name of the course, the topics, or the learning objectives in words, but didn’t do it. When schedules and other course materials are passed out without any reference to the vocabulary of the subject, you are missing a great chance to put that vocabulary and learning objectives/goals front and […]
- [The Four Processors: A Neogeneralist Problem?](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-four-processors-a-neogeneralist-problem/): My husband has been joking for years that my brain has 4 processors. He says I can’t relax unless at least 3 processors are turned off, but that’s not an easy thing to do. When one processor can’t solve the problem it is stuck on, my brain brings up the next-most-interesting processor and begins working on that problem instead. Often, I wake up at 5am to find that one processor has kicked out a solution to a problem and then it is impossible to go back to sleep. Sometimes I can’t sleep because the processors are occupied with such interesting problems […]
- [Clickety Click Click: Awful Measures for Learning](https://edgeoflearning.com/clickety-click-click-awful-measures-for-learning/): I feel a little inspired by Sam Ford’s post The Year We Talk About Our Awful Metrics. Ford writes about the need for change in metrics of online media publications, but we could just as easily be discussing the metrics of learning management systems, ed-tech vendor platforms, and institutional analytics. Ford argues that we need to “get serious” about better forms of measurement in 2017. As long as we are measuring metrics with little meaning, we aren’t really improving learning. Let me give you a few examples to illustrate the similar problems in education. Page Clicks As in, how many pages of […]
- [The Importance of Findability for Learners](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-importance-of-findability-for-learners/): How do you feel when you go to find information on a website, and you just can’t find it? This happens to me all the time when I want to find out what some new ed-tech wonder product does, and I visit the website and can’t see any screenshots, any descriptions, or any videos of the product in action. I find it incredibly frustrating and this story generally ends by me giving up on even signing up for a trial. The same thing happens to students when they go to find information and it is buried in a non-sensical place. […]
- [Learners Need to Focus on Errors](https://edgeoflearning.com/learners-need-to-focus-on-errors/): Let’s move on to the excellent article It’s Not How Much; It’s How: Characteristics of Practice Behavior and Retention of Performance Skills, by Duke et al. (2009), which is another dive into analyzing what leads to good retention of learning in music education.  Just to be different, I’ll start with the conclusion, and then circle around to the study construction. “The results showed that the strategies employed during practice were more determinative of performance quality at retention than was how much or how long the pianists practiced” 17 students (advanced piano performance students) were given a 3-measure passage from a difficult Concerto to learn. […]
- [Learning Math is Not a Spectator Sport](https://edgeoflearning.com/learning-math-is-not-a-spectator-sport/): In November, I gave the keynote at the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) Conference in Denver. I have given versions of this talk that are not specific for mathematics, but I don’t have recordings of those. I promise that the math in this talk is not inaccessible and is used more for examples than a framework for the talk. In other words, don’t let the word “math” scare you away. The alternate version of the talk is “Learning is Not a Spectator Sport.” The first half of the video is the awards ceremony, so I’ve directed the embed […]
- [Why high contextual interference?](https://edgeoflearning.com/why-high-contextual-interference/): This week I followed a hunch and, with the help of a friend who is a music educator, dug into some additional research around this idea of blocked and random practice. In music there are a few goals to achieve with any passage of music: can you play a passage accurately by itself? can you play the passage in the larger context of the piece? can you play the passage to tempo? can you play the passage with the right expression? Think about these goals in your own subject area and see if you can find a similar set of […]
- [Recorded Webinar: Teaching Math in 2020](https://edgeoflearning.com/recorded-webinar-teaching-math-in-2020/): Just realized I never shared this webinar video from 2014 (you know, back when 2020 still seemed pretty far away). What Does Teaching Math look like in 2020? With every new iteration of technology, we create a generation of students whose primary media “language” for learning and interacting with the world is different than the one before it. In the last 5 years, technologies like free online videos, personalized learning software, and mobile devices, have been chipping away at the corners of education and traditional teaching. Technology-enhanced learning is here to stay, and it will alter the face of education, […]
- [Strategies for Escaping the Echo Chamber](https://edgeoflearning.com/strategies-for-escaping-the-echo-chamber/): After the 2016 U.S. election ended, we all got a rude awakening to just how bad the echo chambers and filter bubbles have gotten. Our social networks are streams of one-sided news stories. News outlets are increasingly biased. Viral fake news spreads like wildfire and the implications are scary. In light of recent events, I decided to make a conscious effort to escape from the echo chambers and redesign my consumption of news to try to get a better sense for what is a reflection of true reality and what is not. In case you find yourself in the same situation and would like […]
- [Why Random Practice is Important](https://edgeoflearning.com/why-random-practice-is-important/): As educators, we often find ourselves in the uncomfortable position of trying to explain why students don’t seem to have learned what we know we’ve taught them. Economics instructors ask math instructors, “How come these students who have taken College Algebra still don’t understand slope?” Science teachers ask English instructors, “How come students still don’t understand basic grammar rules when they write in my science class?” The key here is to understand that students aren’t learning skills in a way that helps them to transfer the skills to new situations – the learners have compartmentalized the skill to a particular domain […]
- [Lean in to the Discomfort](https://edgeoflearning.com/lean-in-to-the-discomfort/): When you walk in to a room full of people, choose someone who seems the most different from you (on the surface) or the person that seems the “scariest” to start a conversation with. Start there. Lean in to the Discomfort of having that awkward first conversation. In all likelihood, you DO have something in common with the person – seek to find it. If you always start with the conversation that you perceive to be the most difficult one to have, you will, over time, reduce your own fear of talking to strangers. About 90% of an iceberg is […]
- [AMATYC Keynote Notes: Durable Learning](https://edgeoflearning.com/amatyc-keynote-notes-durable-learning/): In the 2016 AMATYC keynote, I covered three main themes: Interaction & Impasse Challenge & Curiosity Durable Learning (this post) Here are references and resources for Durable Learning: What is durable learning? The learning design practices that make learning “stick” over the long-term. These include (but are not limited to) spaced repetition, knowledge retrieval, interleaving, and varied practice. A really good book on the subject of durable learning is “Make It Stick” by Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel. We also took a dive into some cognitive science and again, there is a fantastic, easy-to-read book I recommend “Cognitive Development and Learning in Instructional […]
- [AMATYC Keynote Notes: Challenge and Curiosity](https://edgeoflearning.com/amatyc-keynote-notes-challenge-and-curiosity/): In the 2016 AMATYC keynote, I covered three main themes: Interaction & Impasse (last post) Challenge & Curiosity (this post) Durable Learning Here are references and resources for Challenge & Curiosity: First, I have to point you to one of my favorite books on the subject, A Theory of Fun for Game Design, by Raph Koster. Quote from Game Design: “How do I get somebody to learn something that is long and difficult and takes a lot of commitment, but get them to learn it well?” – James Gee How do players learn a game?  They give it a try They push […]
- [AMATYC Keynote Notes: Interaction and Impasse](https://edgeoflearning.com/amatyc-keynote-notes-interaction-and-impasse/): Thursday I had the honor of providing the opening keynote for the AMATYC Conference in Denver, “Learning Math is Not a Spectator Sport.” I expect the video of the talk will be available to share next week, and rather than provide the slides (124 mostly stick-figure drawings), I’ll point you to some resources that will likely give you the information you’re looking for between now and when the full presentation becomes available. We covered three main themes: Interaction & Impasse (this post) Challenge & Curiosity Durable Learning I’ll provide resources for each of these categories, starting with Interaction and Impasse, […]
- [Steal Back Your Time and Accomplish Your Goals](https://edgeoflearning.com/steal-back-your-time-and-accomplish-your-goals/): I began a “sabbatical” from regular work-for-someone-else life about a month ago. I work from home. I have a startup. I want to accept just enough work to get by financially (but not more than that). I want to achieve that some kind of illusion of work-life balance. I want to exercise more. I have several passion projects that I’ve wanted to spend time on for a very very long time. If you’ve ever had a period of time like this (or if you just work remotely), you know that finding some kind of structure to your hours, days, weeks, and projects can […]
- [Demo with a Magnifying Glass for MacBooks](https://edgeoflearning.com/demo-with-a-magnifying-glass-for-macbooks/): If you own a Mac and do software demonstrations or do presentations for people, you might want to learn this nifty trick for enabling a magnifying glass that can follow your cursor. It’s incredibly useful when you need to magnify just a small section of the screen for a brief moment (magnify the URL, the icon you’re clicking on, the code you’re examining). Here are the steps to locating and turning on the magnifying glass that follows your cursor in macOS Sierra: Find the Zoom preferences window: Go to System Preferences Select Accessibility Select the “Zoom” section To make a […]
- [Learning from Human Tutoring](https://edgeoflearning.com/learning-from-human-tutoring/): One of my favorite journal articles from the last few years is Learning from Human Tutoring by Michelene T.H. Chi, Stephanie A. Siler, Heisawn Jeong, Takashi Yamauchi, and Robert G. Hausmann (published in Cognitive Science, 2001). It’s an incredibly well-designed study and the article was originally passed to me by a friend who also found it to be insightful. The premise of the study is to try to learn why human tutoring is so effective by examining three hypotheses: Is it because the tutor is so knowledgeable and knows how to instruct? (T-hypothesis) Is it because the student has more self-corrective behavior and constructive […]
- [Interdisciplinary Courseware to the Rescue?](https://edgeoflearning.com/interdisciplinary-courseware-to-the-rescue/): In the midst of all the bling of media-rich, adaptive, personalized, [insert-buzzword-here] digital products, there is a lurking underlying problem:   Teaching the same 100-yr old curriculum via innovative digital methods is not solving the real learning problems. #DLNchat #needbetter — Maria H. Andersen (@busynessgirl) October 11, 2016 The general education curriculum in higher education has barely changed. Today’s world is cross-disciplinary, culturally diverse, and team-oriented. There is almost no problem that can be solved in a silo content area with a team of one. We need new cross-disciplinary curriculum. We need courses that are more engaging and reflective of today’s real […]
- [Why prototype a digital course?](https://edgeoflearning.com/why-prototype-a-digital-course/): Very few of us would buy an unbuilt home without at least viewing a model home that conveys the look and feel of the interior and exterior of the rest of the community. We should be unwilling to build (or buy) an entire course (a “row” of units, modules, chapters, or weeks of content) without seeing at least one “model unit” first. In the software world, a low-fidelity prototype is used to give the look and feel of a future product. With this prototype there is some hand-waving (mockups) to explain away missing functionality and potential users are asked how they would […]
- [Instructional Design for Vocabulary in Higher Ed](https://edgeoflearning.com/instructional-design-for-vocabulary-in-higher-ed/): Part I: Tiers of Vocabulary and General Education In many courses in higher education, we have a need for the students to learn a new set of vocabulary. Vocabulary words can be broken into three tiers (the following are the definitions from Bringing Words to Life, Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, 2013): Tier One: Words typically found in oral language. Tier Two: Wide-ranging words of high utility for literate language users. Tier Three: Words limited to a specific domain. While there are three (simple) tiers of vocabulary, and these are often depicted in a pyramid or a cake with three levels, […]
- [What should K-12 teachers be learning about technology?](https://edgeoflearning.com/what-should-k-12-teachers-be-learning-about-technology/): A few months ago I answered some interview questions about technology and the education of K-12 teachers. The interview questions and answers were never published, but I thought I would share them here.   What should K-12 teachers be learning about educational technology? Ed Tech is a fast-changing world right now, and it is not always easy for teachers to make choices about what technology to use with students. First and foremost, teachers need to learn how to choose tools that improve learning or create efficiencies to free up their time to work more closely with students that need more […]
- [The Road Back to Higher Education](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-road-back-to-higher-education/): In 2012, I left Higher Education to work in the software world. It was bittersweet, because I had finished a Ph.D. on Higher Education Leadership only one year before I left. My decision to leave was a hard one, but I couldn’t see an effective solution path to change learning within traditional higher education. I studied effort after effort to make changes within departments, institutions, and systems, only to see that potential innovations to higher education rarely moved the needle very far from the traditional steady-state. The semester that I finished my Ph.D. was the same one that huge cuts […]
- [10 Tips for Writing a Good Bug Ticket](https://edgeoflearning.com/10-tips-for-writing-a-good-bug-ticket/): I have spent a great deal of time in the last two years writing software tickets for new features and bugging issues that (inevitably) arise. Many of the engineers tell me that my tickets are very clear and easy to understand. I like my engineers (I even baked bug cookies for one who visited me in Utah) so I thought I would pass along my tips to be used by more people. Tips for writing a good bug ticket: 1. Find a way to reproduce the bug. If you can’t reproduce it, the engineer isn’t likely to be able to […]
- [10 Books to Push Your Thinking about Learning Design](https://edgeoflearning.com/10-books-to-push-your-thinking-about-learning-design/): Today I was thinking about what books I would recommend to someone in order to have some experience of the learning journey I’ve been on for the last 8 years. If you’re looking for some summer reading that will help you grow your mind, here’s my list: 1. Theory of Fun for Game Design: This will help you to understand the principles that make games addictive learning activities and help you create more desire to learn for any audience. Really, I’m not kidding. 2. Bringing Words to Life, Second Edition: Robust Vocabulary Instruction: While this is written for teaching vocabulary to the K-6 age group, the […]
- [University of Copenhagen Keynote](https://edgeoflearning.com/university-of-copenhagen-keynote/): Just thought I would share the recording of “Surviving (and Thriving) in the Age of Digital Enhanced Teaching”, recorded at The University of Copenhagen. It includes some research I’ve been diving into about why student engagement, particularly interactions, are so important for learning. Enjoy!
- [What does Math Teaching look like in 2020?](https://edgeoflearning.com/what-does-math-teaching-look-like-in-2020/): This is from a presentation today looking at the future of teaching math from a K-12 perspective. Here are my predictions for math teaching at the K-12 level in 2020: (1) Learning math becomes a team activity, where technology is one of the team members. (2) Teachers shift from the role of an instructor to the role of a learning coach. (3) We solve the mobile devices and assessment problem. (4) Students can move seamlessly between in-person and digital experiences. (5) Teacher planning periods shift from lesson planning to examining analytics and choosing digital / in-person learning activities.   What […]
- [The Watch: Killer Feature of the FitBit Force](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-watch-killer-feature-of-the-fitbit-force/): I recently lost my FitBit Force in a Canyoneering mishap (Joel did say “Are you sure you want to bring your FitBit into the canyon?”) and now I’ve been downgraded to a FitBit Flex. After many years of not wearing a watch, I’m finding myself yearning for my Fitbit Force and it’s “killer” feature: the watch. I grew up with a watch. I taught the first few years with a watch. But somewhere along the way, the phone in my pocket and the ever-present time in the upper right-hand corner of my computer screen replaced the need for a watch. Or […]
- [Adding Future Proof Skills to Course Syllabii](https://edgeoflearning.com/adding-future-proof-skills-to-course-syllabii/): There are many college-level courses that are required but not beloved by students. Math requirements, in particular, are particularly disliked by most students. I believe that we teach mathematics to help students develop logical thinking, attention to detail, and a method for attacking problems of all types. The subject of mathematics provides a common language and structure to allow the development of these skills. Unfortunately, in our zeal to explain “when we are going to use this” we wander into the dark land of contrived application problems and ridiculous problem constraints. But what if there were another way to frame […]
- [The Invasive Valley of Personalization](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-invasive-valley-of-personalization/): About 9 months ago, I gave a presentation at the World Future Society Conference called The Promise and Perils of Personalization. After thinking, reading, discussing, and musing about personalization for about a year, I realized that there is a fine line between useful personalization and creepy personalization. It reminded me of the “uncanny valley” in human robotics. So I plotted the same kind of curves on two axes: Access to Data as the horizontal axis, and Perceived Helpfulness on the vertical axis.  For technology to get vast access to data AND make it past the invasive valley, it would have […]
- [The 1-9-90 Rule and Observations of a Classroom Experience](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-1-9-90-rule-and-observations-of-a-classroom-experience/): I’ve referenced Vilma Mesa‘s Classroom Mapping for a while now, and want to give this some more thoughtful due diligence. You can see examples of Vilma’s Classroom mapping in this Slideshow (the images are shared with her permission and you may reshare them by sharing the slideshow). Maps of Interaction in Math Classrooms from Maria Andersen The 1-9-90 rule is a rule of thumb governing interaction in collaborative environment: 1% of the participants are creators, 9% are contributors (they comment, like and share things), and 90% lurk. While it is applied mostly to collaboration and networking in digital environments, I […]
- [Surviving (and Thriving) in the Age of Technology-Enhanced Teaching](https://edgeoflearning.com/surviving-and-thriving-in-the-age-of-technology-enhanced-teaching/): I’ve been giving versions of this presentation at several events lately: AlaMATYC, SXSWEdu, STEAM3, and Elgin CC’s Distance Learning Conference. I said I would post the slides, and so here they are in one version. Surviving (and thriving) in the Age of Technology-Enhanced Instruction from Maria Andersen To see the video of students in the math classroom, here are some links to the YouTube videos: Math ELITE Classrooms in Action 1 Math ELITE Classrooms in Action 2 Math ELITE Classrooms in Action 3
- [4 Predictions about the Age of Technology-Enhanced Learning](https://edgeoflearning.com/4-predictions-about-the-age-of-technology-enhanced-learning/): I’ve been thinking about the Arthur C. Clarke quote: “Anyone who can be replaced by a computer should be.” and this led me to do some deep thinking about the consequences of technology for education. Based on the principles of capitalism and the pressures to educate more students with better results, I arrive at the following four predictions about the marriage between technology and learning. Please pay attention to the bolded words. They are important. (1) Learning that involves information transfer will be replaced by technology. (2) Any repetitive assessment or learning task that can be replicated by a computer […]
- [Silicon-Valley Tinted Glasses (and MOOCs)](https://edgeoflearning.com/silicon-valley-tinted-glasses-and-moocs/): A great deal of Ed Tech (and the VC money that supports the industry) seems to be viewing the world through lenses that are quite different than those of us who have taught students at public institutions. They are building ed tech in their own image, and many of them either dropped out of school and self-taught or attended ivy-league institutions.  The Silicon-Valley view of the problem of education reminds me of Lake Wobegon (where all the children are above average) and is based on something like this: Higher Education: Where all the learners are motivated, everyone has Internet, and […]
- [Board Games that Change Attitudes](https://edgeoflearning.com/board-games-that-change-attitudes/): Two weeks ago I attended the APF ProDev Gathering in Orlando on the future of Games and Simulations. A great time was had by all, and we had an enlightening time thinking about what games and simulations would be used for 10-15 years from now. Several games I learned about are worthy of mention here: Buffalo (by tiltfactor) is a game that has been shown to change your attitude about stereotyping careers based on gender and ethnicity. You wouldn’t really know that from playing it, but players walk away being more aware of how much they know (or didn’t know) about […]
- [My Social Media Story](https://edgeoflearning.com/my-social-media-story/): Here’s the story about how I came to use social media and why. If you’ve had trouble understanding why on earth people use social media, this might be helpful. I used social media to track my dissertation progress and develop a network of interested colleagues. I used social media to learn how to become a digital game designer. I use social media to stay connected to and learn from a fascinating collection of futurists, math education colleagues, social media experts, and data visualization folks from around the world. This is something I put together for my Social Media MOOC.
- [Facebook Tip: Tagging Just a First Name](https://edgeoflearning.com/facebook-tip-tagging-just-a-first-name/): Have you ever wanted to tag someone in a Facebook status update using just their first name? Here’s how.
- [Level Up: Video Games for Learning Algebra](https://edgeoflearning.com/level-up-video-games-for-learning-algebra/): Last week I gave a presentation at AMATYC about video games for learning algebra. As usual, Mat Moore did a fantastic illustration for the prezi. It was staged in five levels: Level 1: Why use games? Level 2: What is a game? (manipulatives, puzzles, and games) Level 3: Become a Math Game Critic Level 4: Play GOOD Games Level 5: Good Algebra Video Games? You can click through the Prezi below. Level Up! Video Games for Learning Algebra on Prezi  
- [Coming out of the Closet: I'm a Game Designer!](https://edgeoflearning.com/coming-out-of-the-closet-im-a-game-designer/): I don’t even really know how to begin here. For the last three years I’ve been working on a secret little project that I wasn’t allowed to talk about in public (NDA). I’ve been designing digital games for learning algebra in my (ha ha) free time. The last couple months have been an absolutely insane flurry of activity as we approached the launch date and as a result, I haven’t posted much. Finally I can tell you that I’m no longer a wannabe game designer. I’ve designed four game apps that are now out in the iPad App store! I’m […]
- [Leverage Your Social Network](https://edgeoflearning.com/leverage-your-social-network/): Last week I gave a new presentation at DevLearn called “Leverage Your Social Network as a Mentoring Community.” As always, Mat Moore did a fantastic Illustration for the Prezi. One of the points I stressed was setting measurable goals as you set out to cultivate a social network: Start with a good bio and picture (don’t be a n00b) Find 50 great people to follow (begin learning from others) Plan a project that you can tweet as you go (establish your own presence) Reply to others two times a day (engagement) Get your first 50 followers (real followers mean you’ve […]
- [Resources for Data Literacy](https://edgeoflearning.com/resources-for-data-literacy/): The single most important tool I’ve found for improving Digital Literacy is Wolfram Alpha.  At your fingertips, whether on your phone, tablet, or laptop, you have access to all the world’s readily available data.  All you have to do is ask.  The best thing I can do to improve data literacy is to teach students (and other adults I know) to question the facts they are being quoted as gospel.  Here are a bunch of searches I’ve done recently to verify or refute data someone has told me in conversation. Salary for a doctor Unemployment in Utah Federal deficit Calories […]
- [Video Code Easter Eggs](https://edgeoflearning.com/video-code-easter-eggs/): I have this sneaky trick I use to tell which students watch online videos and which don’t.  I hide “secret codes” in the videos (like the programmer’s Easter Eggs).  When a student finds one of my “Easter Egg codes” they can submit it for 1 point towards participation.  Sometimes the codes are numbers I generate at random (Ex: 40234) and sometimes it’s a word, phrase, or story (my cat is chasing a fly in front of my computer). I don’t tell the students where the codes are. I don’t tell them HOW I’ve shared the code or what kind of […]
- [The Evolution of the Illustrated Prezis](https://edgeoflearning.com/the-evolution-of-the-illustrated-prezis/): Many people have asked about how we do the illustrations for the Prezi presentations I build, so I thought I’d write a little about the process we go through. I say “we” because the presentations are mine, but I couldn’t do them without the help of an incredibly talented illustrator, Mat Moore. We’ve worked together on illustrating books and presentations for three years now, and I’m pretty sure that Mat can now read my mind. Our process now goes something like this. I call Mat and say “I need a new illustration, as detailed as possible (translation: I’m paying top […]
- [Future of Working](https://edgeoflearning.com/future-of-working/): For the last three weeks, in preparation for a presentation, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Future of Working.  Not the Future of Careers per se, but the future of working and work-life – what will it be like to work in the year 2020? So after much thinking (usually while doing mundane tasks like weeding gardens and sanding the house), discussions with other futurists, reading, and consideration of the outside pressures on the workplace and work-life, I’ve built a new presentation on the Future of Working.  I do have an audio transcript, which I hope to have my […]
- [Self Evaluation: List of Fives](https://edgeoflearning.com/self-evaluation-list-of-fives/): Whenever I hire a new assistant, I have a list of questions I ask to get a feel for how we can best work together.  I want to make sure I take advantage of their strengths and provide them the opportunity for growth.  I think that good working relationships are developed when each person’s skills are valued and when they can learn about the things that they enjoy. So, I’ve developed my “List of Fives” to feel out the strengths and growth areas for someone I’m going to work with, and I try to use it to help us to […]
- [Aligning Inline Equations Vertically in Instructure Canvas](https://edgeoflearning.com/aligning-inline-equations-vertically-in-instructure-canvas/): When you use the Canvas equation editor to insert an equation surrounded by text, you may be wishing there was some way to align the equations in the middle vertically, instead of on the bottom (the default setting for inline equations).  Well, there is, but you’re going to have to be just a little brave and do a tiny edit to the HTML to fix it. The basic fix is to grab a small bit of HTML code and paste it
- [Collecting Learning Notebooks in an Online Course](https://edgeoflearning.com/collecting-learning-notebooks-in-an-online-course/): In a prior post, I discussed how I’m using Learning Notebooks to encourage students to carefully think through the mathematical steps and notation for solving problems. I promised that I would explain how students complete this assignment in an online course, so today I’ve made a video, Collecting Learning Notebooks in an Online Course to show you the process I’m using inside of Instructure Canvas.  The process should be similar for other Learning Management Systems (though it may not be quite this easy). Here’s the process.  Students still complete their Learning Notebook exactly how they do in a traditional class. I […]
- [Analysis of Online Whiteboard Tools](https://edgeoflearning.com/analysis-of-online-whiteboard-tools/): NOTE: I leave this post here solely as an artifact of old technology. There is a newer version of Analysis of Online Whiteboard Tools called Battle of the (free) Digital Whiteboarding Tools (2019). NOTE: This post was revised considerably on 5/31/12 after a followup use with Dabbleboard proved to be awful.  Given this new development, I have to recommend Scribblar and I will plan to have a “backup” whiteboard handy in case the chosen system is “having a bad day.” When I meet students online for office hours, it’s vitally important that we have an shared online whiteboard to use […]
- [Learning Notebooks for Online Math Homework](https://edgeoflearning.com/learning-notebooks-for-online-math-homework/): After teaching math at a community college for 10 years (and using online homework for at least 7 of those), I have noticed that my online math students don’t seem to have the same grasp on notation and the steps to “prove” the solution to a problem as when they did old-fashioned paper & pencil homework.  I have also found that the students who use online homework have become much more unorganized, and are unable to find the work for the problems they have questions on.   This last year, I’ve been experimenting with what I call a “Learning Notebook” […]

## Pages

- [Keynote Speaker](https://edgeoflearning.com/keynote-speaker/): Thanks for being interested in including me in your event! My keynote speaker and workshop rates depend on many things (listed below), so the easiest way to work out a fee for your event is for us to have a short conversation about the event, audience, and goals for the talk or workshop. Then I can provide a proposal that meets your needs for you to share with the event organizers. Speaking and Workshop Topics Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Education Future of Learning, Curriculum, and Technology Math, Science, STEM Curriculum Redesign Online or Remote Learning Design Interdisciplinary Curriculum Design […]
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- [Consulting](https://edgeoflearning.com/consulting/): My consulting work focuses on helping businesses and organizations design high-quality learning experiences, whether that be through software, curriculum, or something else. If your organization is trying to improve learning design, I can help you. Experience I have experience with a wide variety of learning modalities and educational software: learning management systems digital learning platforms adaptive learning technologies online math platforms curriculum design software educational game design educational software development STEM education Online learning Remote learning Active learning Instructional design Curriculum design Program design Competency-based Learning There’s more about me and my experience on the About Me page. Details My rate […]
- [About Me](https://edgeoflearning.com/about-me/): I am the principal consultant at Edge of Learning LLC and a teacher at Beehive Science and Technology Academy in Sandy, Utah. My focus is on the design and implementation of effective learning, whether it is in eLearning, informal learning, or face-to-face experiences. I rely on learning research, platform data, and learner observations to make decisions that engineer better learning experiences. In my past positions I have: led a company from founding to exit, growing from 1 to 35 people managed accounting, payroll, expenses, employment contracts (including international), financial projections, and multi-state hiring and commerce for a growing startup prototyped […]
- [Teaching Philosophy](https://edgeoflearning.com/about-me/teaching-philosophy/): My philosophy of teaching and learning can be summed up in one quote from Raph Koster, an expert in game design: “Learning is the brain having fun.” Teachers and professors often cite the “Aha moments” in the classroom as the reason they went into teaching, and I am no different. It is in those moments of insight that students recognize the “fun” in their own learning. The key to engaging education is to design learning experiences that regularly create those “Aha moments” rather than hoping to witness them. In my 25 years as an educator, I have learned many lessons […]
- [Endorsements](https://edgeoflearning.com/about-me/endorsements/): There are more than 100 recommendations on my LinkedIn page. A few are copied below. “I was fortunate to work with Maria when she was WGU’s Director of Learning Design. Maria is more than just a rare talent in the instructional design and edtech space – she’s a game-changer in terms of strategy and implementation. If ever you seek a senior consultant or solutions architect to help map, plan, and execute your path toward effective online, competency-based, or adaptive/personalized learning programs and processes, look no further than Maria Andersen and her team.” Brent Capriotti, Curriculum Program Manager, WGU October 4, 2016 “Maria […]
- [Career](https://edgeoflearning.com/about-me/career/): 2022 – Teacher, Middle School and High School, Beehive Science and Technology Academy Developing and teaching Technology & Society curriculum for Middle School. Teaching Entrepreneurship and Marketing CTE courses to High School students. Advisor to FBLA Club and Emerging Technologies Club. 2016 – 2022 CEO, CPO, and Cofounder, Coursetune Inc. Responsible for business functions as founding CEO such as budgeting, accounting, financial projections, human resources, payroll, administration and integration of software to run the business. Also responsible for product management, quality assurance, management of development, UI, product vision, and product design. Coursetune is software for management of complex, high-quality education […]
- [Presentations](https://edgeoflearning.com/about-me/presentations/): To find presentation materials that are publicly available (Slide Decks, Prezis, Videos, Mindmaps, or Handouts), go to the Resources menu tab. 2023 Your New Teaching Superpowers: AI Tools, Utah CTE Business, Finance, and Marketing Conference, Ogden UT (06-12-2023) Designing Courses in an Age of AI, Podcast Interview, Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast Episode 469 (06-08-2023) ChatGPT is Your Ally, Not Your Enemy, UAPCS Conference, Ogden, UT (06-07-2023) Teachers and AI Assistants: Insights on the Impacts and Opportunities, Invited Panelist, DEFI Cambridge, Virtual (05-18-2023) Curriculum in an AI-World, U of Wisconsin LTDC, Virtual Keynote (04-18-2023) Curriculum Design in an AI-World, SLO Talks, […]
- [Teaching Experience](https://edgeoflearning.com/about-me/teaching-experience/): Beehive Science and Technology Academy (2022 – ) Entrepreneurship (CTE, High School) Marketing 1 (CTE, High School) Technology & Society I and II (Middle School Elective) English Skills Language Center (2022 – ) ESL Teacher for Adult Immigrants Core Adjunct Faculty, Westminster College (2017 – ) College Algebra Functions Modeling Change Math for Elementary Teachers I and II Math for Elementary Teachers (Grad Seminar) Teaching with Technology Adjunct Business Faculty, Pima Community College (2019) Business Ethics Mathematics Faculty, Muskegon Community College (2002-2012) Social Media Beginning Algebra (traditional, hybrid, and web-enhanced) Intermediate Algebra (traditional and hybrid) Math for Health Sciences College […]
- [Publications](https://edgeoflearning.com/about-me/publications/): Major Publications High Tech High Touch (contributor), October 2017, Intentional Futures and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Personalized Learning at WGU, EDUCAUSE, April 2016 (with David Leasure) The World is My School: Welcome to the Era of Personalized Learning, Jan/Feb 2011 issue of The Futurist Open Faculty, EDUCAUSE, July/August 2010 Busynessgirl.com contains more than a thousand short articles about teaching ideas, resources for learning, tutorials for using technology, teaching in the digital age, game design, and general adventures.  This might not be considered a “scholarly” publication, but it was a heck of a lot of work and gets viewed by thousands of […]
- [Education](https://edgeoflearning.com/about-me/education/): Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership (April 2011) Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI)Dissertation: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Instructional Practices of Community College Math Instructors: The Search for a KAP Gap in Collegiate Math M.S. Mathematics (May 2002) University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY)Thesis: Max-Plus Algebra Properties and Applications M.B.A. (August 2001) University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY) B.S. Chemistry (May 1996) University of Montana (Missoula, MT) B.A. Mathematics (May 1996) University of Montana (Missoula, MT) B.A. Environmental Biology (May 1996) University of Montana (Missoula, MT) Governors Diploma (May 1992) Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology (Alexandria, VA)
- [Contact](https://edgeoflearning.com/about-me/contact/): Send me a message on LinkedIn: mariahandersen Or drop me an Email: busynessgirl@gmail.com If you are ready to discuss a workshop, event, or project – Make a Calendar Appointment
- [Blog](https://edgeoflearning.com/blog/)
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