As we approach the summer months, you may be thinking about vacations and catching up with a variety of projects. Have you considered professional development options? While not all online programs have a traditional "summer term" or break, this can be a good time to add a workshop or other learning activity to your schedule, whether you are an instructor, student, or administrator. The opportunities abound: online and on ground, free and fee-based, formal and informal. Take a look at the ideas shared during this week's chat:

What are your favorite ways to engage in professional development?

• Webinars, presenting topics related to work interests – great flexibility for access and attendance.
• Participating in research projects with colleagues.
• Finding new resources through websites, publications, and social networks (including Twitter chats).
• Online tutorials and "low threshold" webinars – often free to attend.
• Watching recorded sessions – available online in archives from conferences and other events, and through sites like TED and Creative Commons.
• Reading – here are a few of the titles suggested: Wonder (Palacio), The Digital Divide (Bauerlein), Social Media for Educators (Joosten), Human Moments (Hallowell), The Power of Habit (Duhigg), The Willpower Instinct (McConigal).
• Through opportunities that are announced via Twitter and email newsletters.
• By meeting "with people who inspire you. Bring that virtual PLN to life. Pick some brains."
• As a student in an open, online course – flexibility can accommodate travel plans. Udacity is one that has gained some recent attention, but there are many others.
• Attending conferences – can be expensive and also take time away from the office, but is a way to focus your attention and encourage networking.
• Formal learning options such as the Illinois Online Network's Making the Virtual Classroom a Reality series.
• Check out ASCD's resources: Smart Brief newsletter, Webinars, Institutes, and their summer conference.

What skills or areas of interest would you like to pursue this summer?

• Learning a new language, "maybe Chinese."
• Topics related to online teaching and communication.
• It's also important to take the time we "need to slow down, reflect, relax, and unplug."

Does your school or employer provide funding or other resources for continued skill development? Do you pursue learning opportunities on your own?

• Most have limited funding for professional development events, such as conference attendance.
• Heavy reliance on free webinars and other options discovered via social media.
• Lack of funding is a problem for adjuncts that don't receive professional development benefits and as a result rely more on informal learning options.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Do-It-Yourself professional development?

• Advantages: can choose activities of interest to you, select options that are offered when most convenient with your schedule, focus on what you need.
• Disadvantages: must be self-motivated to initiate and complete these learning activities, lack of recognition for efforts and achievements, fewer opportunities to talk with other learners and exchange ideas.
• Online options that offer some structure can provide both independence and the chance to work among a community of peers.
• Watch for information about digital learning badges – new initiative coming soon to ION's Master Online Teacher Certificate program.

What additional low- or no-cost options would you recommend to your peers?

• Join an online discussion or start a new project.
• Review web-based resources such as those presented by the Illinois Online Network.

Thanks to @ODU_DL, @_Lazaward_, @ION_UI, @ASCD, @colemanmichelle, @kthompso, @sjohnsonhere, @CarriSchneider, and @MCInstrucTech for participating in the live event! Help us to continue the discussion by adding your thoughts via the comments area on this page.

For more from the most recent live session, review the chat feed below. Our past chats can be found on the archives page.

Follow us (@OC_org) and plan to attend our next chat. We meet on Wednesdays from 12pm-1pm ET and look forward to hearing your perspective.

This week's read aheads:

What will you learn this summer? 35 professional development resources from Shelly Terrell

Professional Development for Online Teachers from SERB Online Teachers

Online Education Resources from the Illinois Online Network

Professional Development: Finding Opportunities Online from Inside Online Learning

This week's chat feed:

Summer vacation is a long entrenched tradition for American schoolchildren and their families, but new research is showing that this practice may not be the best when it comes to helping kids get the most out of their educational experience. In fact, for some kids, a few months off in the summer can lead to major setbacks in school, including loss of knowledge and lowered test scores. Many schools, aware of the growing body of evidence that points to the educational problems summer vacations pose, are switching to year-round schedules, but there are many more around the nation that are finding it hard to make the switch due to resistance from teachers, students, and parents alike. Here, we share some facts that can help make understanding why extended summer vacations should be a thing of the past for modern students, especially those who are in high-risk communities where every moment in the classroom counts.

1. Students score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do at the beginning of summer vacation

   While having a few months off for rest and relaxation might seem beneficial to students, it can actually have some serious consequences. The traditional long summer vacation often results in serious learning loss, something researchers have known for more than 100 years now. A century of study has shown that students routinely score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they did just a few months earlier, with low-income and at-risk students seeing the biggest drops, the exact groups so many schools are trying so hard to push to have better test scores.

2. Students will lose about two months of math computational skills over the summer

   When it comes to summer learning loss, math takes one of the biggest hits. On average, students lose about 2.6 months worth of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills during their summer break. With many schools struggling to meet state and federal standards in math, these kinds of losses aren't doing anything to help matters.

3. Reading and spelling abilities are also affected

   Math isn't the only subject that takes a knock over summer vacation. Losses in reading and spelling abilities may also occur, though income may play a significant role in how severe these losses are, or whether or not they occur at all. While middle-income students usually see a rise in reading performance during the summer months, lower-income students may lose two or more months worth of reading achievement. Students at all income levels, however, were likely to lose a month or more of spelling learning skills, the second highest loss in any area.

4. Students with the biggest losses over the summer are in already higher-risk low income groups

   Sadly, the students who see the biggest drops in test scores and educational achievement are those who are in lower-income groups. Income plays a major role in determining just how much learning loss will occur over the summer, with students from middle- or upper-class families undergoing much lower levels of learning loss than their poorer counterparts.

5. Summer learning loss can follow students through high school, college, and beyond

   Summer learning loss isn't a temporary phenomenon. Losses can accumulate over years, eventually resulting in students who perform below their grade level. Low-income students, those who lose the most from time away from school, see the biggest impact, not only reporting lower test scores but higher drop-out rates and lower numbers of students who head to college.

6. Only 9.2% of America's 48 million students attend summer school

   Today, just under 10% of students nationwide participate in summer school or attend schools with non-traditional calendars. That means that more than 90% of students in America will be at risk for potentially damaging summer learning loss.

7. Parents play a key role in filling in the gaps over the summer

   When it comes to helping stanch summer learning loss, parents have a key role to play. Learning loss is much less pronounced, if there at all, in families that enrolled children in classes, took trips to local libraries, participated in reading programs, or took advantage of other, often free, learning opportunities. Numerous studies have shown that children have much better reading outcomes when parents are involved in learning about and helping their children with literacy.

8. The current 9-month school calendar was established to suit demands that no longer exist

   Having a nice, long summer vacation may be an American tradition, but it isn't one that really reflects the needs and demands of the modern world. The traditional academic calendar used in most schools was developed when most families worked in agriculture and air conditioning systems had yet to be invented. Since neither of these are realities in much of America these days, many have argued that long summer breaks simply aren't necessary anymore, especially because they take such a hefty toll on test scores and academic performance.

9. Much of the achievement gap between disadvantaged youths and their peers can be explained by summer learning loss in elementary school

   Because students who are from low-income families have unequal access to summer learning opportunities, many fall behind in their studies and cannot keep up with their wealthier peers. While it might not seem that the summer months would have a big impact on students, it's estimated that as much as two-thirds of the achievement gap is the result of summer learning loss. As a result of these early losses, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or to enter college.

10. Many parents and students want to engage in summer learning programs but do not have access to them

    A 2010 report by the Afterschool Alliance found that, while only 25% of students were currently participating in summer learning programs, many more would like the opportunity to do so. A full 83% of parents supported spending public funds on summer learning programs and 67% of low-income parents said their children would enroll in a summer program if they could.

11. What students lose in knowledge, they often gain in weight

    Students get more than book learning from time spent at school; they also learn to eat a healthy diet. Many depend on the nutritious meals given to them by their school to be able to maintain a healthy diet. When these federally subsidized meals are no longer available to them, students often make poorer food choices, especially when left unsupervised by working parents. Currently, only one in five of the 15.3 million children who participate in the free or reduced lunch program get federally sponsored lunches over the summer. A 2007 study found that most children, especially those already at risk of obesity, gain weight more rapidly over summer break.

12. Research shows that teachers typically spend between four to six weeks re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer

    Summer learning loss isn't just bad for students, it also makes things more difficult for educators. In order to come back from losses caused by an extended time away from school, teachers must spend a month or more re-teaching or reviewing material students have already been taught. It goes without saying that this is a huge waste of valuable classroom time that could be better spent teaching students new material.

13. More than 11% of children between the ages of 6 and 12 care for themselves over the summer months

    This means that they are unsupervised, a situation that is not only dangerous but that often leads to greater summer learning losses, as children are not being guided through learning opportunities like trips to the library, museums, or educational vacations. Low-income children are much more likely to be left unsupervised (likely due to the high costs of childcare), a fact that is reflected in greater levels of learning loss.

14. Out-of-school time can be dangerous for unsupervised children and teens

    Students who are alone for most of the day over summer vacation aren't just losing important educational information, they're also being put at a higher risk for dropping out altogether. Unsupervised children and teens are more likely to use alcohol, drugs, and tobacco; engage in criminal and other high-risk behaviors; receive poor grades; and drop out of school than those who are supervised and engaged by adults over the summer months and after school during the school year.

15. Most summer learning programs are remedial

    Sadly, students today have few options for federally- and state-sponsored summer school programs. Summer school has a negative connotation which can make students reluctant to take classes and parents unwilling to enroll them. Why? More than 90% of summer school programs are remedial, targeting only students who are not performing at grade level. While these kinds of programs can be positive for students, studies have shown that year-round education programs and extended school years are far more effective methods of stemming the summer learning loss phenomenon.

There is a lot of debate these days about the application of game-based formats in academic settings, both online and face-to-face. I've been a part of several recent discussions that made me aware I need to learn more. At this point I have more questions than answers, and just a little experience with digital badges, but there are many resources available to guide the way. With this post my goal is to identify the fundamentals of gaming as an educational strategy and explore some of the pros and cons as it relates to online learning.

Games, Gamification, and Game-like Activities

What is a game and how can it help students to achieve learning goals? While there are no agreed upon standards in higher education, there are a few elements to look for. My search for more information started with a few definitions.

Gamification: In his presentation, Don't Play Games with Me: The Promises and Pitfalls of Gameful Design, Sebastian Deterding defines gamification as "using design elements from (video) games in non-game contexts to make a product, service, or application more fun, engaging, motivating." Some of the examples provided include the Nike+ application of scores, challenges, and trophies to achieving personal fitness and Foursquare's application of badges and social media to share users' location-based "check-ins." But what is a game?

Game: The term game can be used to describe a lot of different types of interaction, even in the specific context of learning. Different from game-like activities, such as puzzles, true games are more complex in nature. Educator Sarah "Intellagirl" Smith-Robbins presents three primary components of games:

• goals,
• obstacles or challenges, and
• collaboration or competition.

Deterding presents several additional features of games:

• leaderboards to track winners,
• a set of rules to guide participation,
• incentives for players (learners) to engage in and complete challenges,
• feedback that informs decisions and performance, and
• badges that recognize and reward accomplishment.

Games are also often described as "fun." This is what comes to mind when we think of "playing games" in general and is one of the reasons a game-based approach might be considered in a course. Our #IOLchat participants identified this characteristic when they described learning games as "a way to present learning materials that taps into the playfulness of learners" and "promote critical thinking and reflective thought processes in a fun way."

The Gamification of Online Learning

Smith-Robbins points out that "education has been a system of status and points since the dawn of the Industrial Age. Scores on assignments serve as points. Graduation is a level achieved. A diploma is a badge of confidence from an accredited institution." Technology, and the rise of video games and virtual worlds, allows for more experimentation with the application of game elements to formal learning. Here are just a few examples of how games and game components are being applied to education:

• Open Study is an online "social learning network" where students across courses and schools can meet to help each another and answer questions. The goal is "to make the world one large study group." Participants can also earn badges for helping others within the system.
• Using Games for Learning and Assessment, a for-credit course recently offered by the University of Wisconsin-Stout, not only focused on learning games, but also required learners to engage in one throughout the course. Students "explore[d] quests" and earned badges through the BadgeStack Project, which offers the ability to collect learning badges from multiple sources.
• Quest2learn is an example of game-based learning for younger students, grades 6 through 12, who engage in quests throughout their curriculum. These activities create opportunities for "learning based on access to online resources and tools from around the globe, learning that supports customized content for every student, [and] learning that is game-like in its ability to inspire and motivate."

There are, as with most approaches, both benefits and challenges to be considered before making the decision to develop a game for your course or program. Game design, as a growing field gaining influence in education circles, is more than just adding a layer of points, competition, and levels to existing learning objectives. At its best "engagification," an alternative term presented by Clark Quinn, can foster meaningful learner engagement with materials, conversations, and activities that tap into intrinsic motivation and real world application of tasks.

Recent articles such as Ruth Colvin Clark's Why Games Don't Teach, challenge all of us to look a little closer at game design and how it might be most appropriately applied to help students learn. Clark notes that there are many genres of games (e.g., adventure, arcade, strategy, narrative, immersive) and a need for more information: "We need greater precision – a more finite and specific set of game types and features – in order to match specific game environments to diverse learning outcomes."

While leading practices have not been determined, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach to gamification, multiple groups of education researchers are already involved in these kinds of investigations. Take a look at some of the resources available from the Games for Learning Institute and Eduweb.com to continue your own learning about learning games.

Have you participated in game-based learning in your online courses? Tell us about your experiences and recommendations for course designers, instructors, and students.

Follow Melissa Venable on Twitter and Google+

Image credit: tjmwatson, Flickr, CC-BY

To get the full benefit of this platform's potential, you'll need to do more than just set up your account. Once you have established your profile, there are additional activities you can pursue to further your exploration of career options, advance your professional networking, find employment opportunities, and stay current in your field. Here is a short list of ideas you can put to use right now:

1. Share your expertise. And learn from the expertise of others. Through LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn Answers there is the potential for an exchange. Education consultant Tony Bates posted his observations on LinkedIn Groups as communities of practice, which include concerns that discussions could easily turn into marketing platforms. His comments encourage us to find the learning potential: "just linking people together doesn't necessarily lead to a great deal of learning…" however Groups also provide "a chance for new people in the field to test the waters, look for support, and share ideas." LinkedIn Answers provides a forum for users to share knowledge, experience, and opinions in a Q&A format. It's easy to ask and answer in this system. Look for items related to your career field and know that the forums are monitored to remove marketing-focused information.
2. Expand your network. While you may have started your account by connecting with people you already know through your email contact list, LinkedIn offers additional ways you can search for connections based on your past experience and education. One example is searching by school. Once you have entered your education history into your profile you can search for other users who have attended the same schools. The search capabilities allow you to further filter the results to see where your classmates and fellow alumni live, where they work, and what they do. You may also find that there are alumni LinkedIn Groups for your school. When logged in to your account, use http://www.linkedin/alumni to access the school search dashboard.
3. Research companies and career fields. LinkedIn's structure and management of all the information users provide in their profiles allow you to do some pretty amazing things. Business Insider presents 13 Things You Never Knew You Could Do on LinkedIn, including searching for your next job based on the skills required. "If you have your eye on a better job or promotion, search for that job title on LinkedIn. You'll get to look at profiles of people who have that position and get a good idea what you need to do to reach that level." You'll also be able to see where they work, and how you may already be connected to them through your existing network.
4. Use your profile as an ePortfolio. A basic user profile includes information you might find on a resume, such as work history and education. There are other options to consider to make your profile more robust and to demonstrate your skills and achievements. LinkedIn Applications allow you to connect your profile to other accounts you may have, such as Slideshare, WordPress, and GitHub. An additional application, Creative Portfolio Display is designed to help you "display your visual work" (i.e., images, video) from your profile. There are more applications to chose from, and you can also add links to your websites and Twitter accounts to your profile.
5. Customize a news feed. You may not be aware that LinkedIn Today is already part of your account. It collects resources from "over 150 million LinkedIn members to show you the top articles shared by people in your network" and create this newspaper-like section. You can find it under the "More" menu item in your account dashboard and also embedded in your "Home" page. With custom settings you can choose from different layouts and add or delete topics.
6. Create a weekly to-do list. Keeping your account current is a must. Just like a traditional resume, you'll need to maintain your employment and education information as it changes, and with additional social options, such as status updates, a neglected or abandoned account is easy to spot. Set a schedule not just for updates, but also for participating in the LinkedIn community. Here are 12 Most Productive Weekly Activities to get you started – specific tasks you can accomplish to expand your online presence and maximize your LinkedIn efforts. 

There's a lot you can do with LinkedIn as just one part of your career development and job search strategy. Take some time to explore the tools available and decide which ones make the most sense for you. Stay tuned for more options as the platform continues to expand with experimental features currently in development at LinkedIn Labs.

What are your favorite ways to use LinkedIn? What new features would you like to see developed? Share your tips and recommendations with us here.

Follow Melissa Venable on Twitter and Google+

Image credit: mariosundar, Flickr, CC-BY

Students must ensure that they select a school that is accredited by a legitimate accreditation body. These organizations determine whether a school meets certain standards in terms of the quality. A degree from an unaccredited institution, either a for-profit or not-for-profit school, will not be recognized by employers. Credits attained from unaccredited universities may not be transferrable to other institutions, so students who plan on pursuing further education should make sure that they enroll in accredited universities.

Students in certain fields should also determine whether their program has been accredited by a specialized, professional, or programmatic accreditation body. This type of accreditation is designed for specific departments, programs, schools, or colleges within an educational institution. Programs in fields such as law, engineering, nursing, and psychology are eligible for accreditation by specialized accreditation organizations. For instance, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredits business schools that pass a rigorous set of requirements. However, the AACSB only accredits not-for-profit schools, which means that for-profit schools are not eligible for this form of accreditation. Students should be wary of unaccredited programs at for-profit institutions, such the ones noted on the infographic below.

All prospective students should make certain that they are not duped by diploma mills, which are higher education institutions that operate without the supervision of a state or professional agency, awarding diplomas that are either fraudulent or worthless. Diploma mills, also known as degree mills, generally offer students degrees for a fee without requiring them to complete any substantial coursework. They may even grant degrees for “work or life experience,” but a degree from institutions like these will not translate to greater employment opportunities. Students can protect themselves against diploma mills by conducting research to determine whether the learning institution is legitimate.

Aside from questions regarding the legitimacy of for-profit schools, prospective students should also note that private, for-profit schools spend less than public colleges do on instruction — up to two-thirds less. Students at for-profit schools are also less likely to graduate than students traditional institutions. On average, for-profit students take out three times as many loans as their non-profit counterparts. This is likely attributed to the aggressive recruiting techniques that some for-profit institutions have adopted, although many are reforming their ways amid criticism regarding high student loan default rates. As of 2008, default rates stood at 11.6%, twice as much as the default rate of graduates from public colleges.

While there are risks associated with attending an unaccredited for-profit school, there are plenty of accredited for-profit educational institutions that offer advantages. For instance, for-profits can offer class timings that are flexible and convenient for students who work part-time or full-time. Furthermore, employers are looking more favorably upon accredited online colleges. In fact, as more traditional brick-and-mortar universities roll out online degree programs of their own, they add legitimacy to this mode of learning. According to a survey conducted by the online institution Excelsior College and Zogby International, 83% of executives said that an online degree is as credible as one earned through a traditional campus-based program. Employers weigh factors such as the accreditation of the college or university, the quality of its graduates, and the reputation of the institution in determining the legitimacy of an online degree.

Created by: AccreditedOnlineColleges.net

Best of the Web – 2012

There are four main categories – websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile and apps – each with sub-categories that in total cover more than 100 topic areas. Here are just a few of the award winners providing access to resources and services that could be used in online learning environments:

Art: Google Art Project brings together 151 "art partners" including museums and other collections, to offer access to detailed images, narrated guides, maps, interactive features, and more. Check out the education section for activity ideas.

Community: Tumblr is a free blogging site gaining popularity with educators for ease of use and integration of social networking functions. Known for shorter posts and use of images, Tumblr is described by Edudemic's Jeff Dunn as "a step beyond Twitter and Facebook but not quite the same level as WordPress and other larger CMS platforms." I haven't tried this yet, but it's at the top of my list.

Education & Reference: It may not be a surprise to see that the Khan Academy is a Webby recipient this year. This site has evolved to include more than just video tutorials, now featuring more advanced features and capabilities such as profile statistics and digital badges.

Education: TED.com, winning in multiple categories, is a resource that has been featured previously at Inside Online Learning. It continues to expand its resources, especially for use in education, through initiatives and ideas such as TED-Ed's recent guidelines for flipping your classroom with posted videos and lessons.

Events: EducationNation.com "is NBC News' initiative to engage the country in a solutions-focused conversation about the state of education in America." The site, featuring live events, a blog, and discussion forums, encourages all of us to get involved in current issues and events related to K-12 and higher education.

Experimental & Weird: The name of this category really made me want to take a look and I'm glad I did. What I found was The Future of the Book, "a design exploration of digital reading that seeks to identify new opportunities for readers, publishers, and authors to discover, consume, and connect in different formats." This project presents three new ways to approach digital storytelling, reading as a social activity, and presenting critique and commentary.

School/University: Looking for web design ideas for your institution, program, or class? The Chicago Portfolio School's best school/university website is a great place to start. Browse the blog, program details, and "see it through the eyes of" series for a very creative take on information presentation online.

Utilities & Services (Handheld Devices): Evernote wants to help us "remember everything" through searchable notes that we collect, store online, and access with all of our technology devices. This is another tool that's gaining fans among educators, such as David Andrade who describes Evernote as "a digital notebook that allows you to take notes, clip web pages, upload images, and files, and much more."

Some of the awardees are probably already familiar to you, but hopefully this list contains a few new options to explore as well. This is just a small sample of the sites and resources recognized this year.

Inspiration for Your Online Course

With so many new tools to try, first think about your courses, the materials you are already presenting to students, and the learning objectives they are trying to achieve. How could additional Internet resources help you and your students reach your goals?

• Take a virtual field trip. The concept of an online tour has been around for a while, but some of these new projects and initiatives, such as the Google Art Project, grant us more access than ever before to collections and archives that could augment existing lessons and assist with research for papers and projects.  
• Create a news feed for your course. Tumblr is just one resource that can help you do this through the creation of a site for your course that allows for brief posts and multimedia presentations. This could be useful for student and instructor communication of course updates, and for adding incoming news from other sites and accounts addressing topics related to your course. 
• Bring the outside, in. Similar to both virtual field trips and news feeds, resources like TED.com and EducationNation.com help bring the world to your students through engaging speakers and coverage of issues receiving immediate media attention.
• Expand multimedia options for students. Many online courses still rely on asynchronous discussion forums, paper writing, and presentations for assignments and assessment purposes. These methods have value, but may be enhanced through the use of technology tools and web-based projects as alternative ways for students to demonstrate what they have learned. Consider how digital storytelling techniques, for example, might be useful in your course. 
• Try something brand new. How often do we turn to the sites and tools we are most familiar with, without going any further? One thing the Webby Awards did for me, was bring an awareness of the variety of resources, approaches, and activities taking place online across industries, including education. Add one new tool or resource to your course next term, and challenge your students to do the same.

This year's Webbys featured a new award for special achievement in "advancing and organizing societies around the world." Could next year's awards include additional categories related to online learning? What new topics would you like to see…best resource for college students, best community for online educators, best online school website?

Mashable.com announced the winners of this year's Webbys last week, but you can watch the live ceremony, billed as "the biggest night celebrating the Internet" streamed online, of course, on May 21st.

Follow Melissa Venable on Twitter and Google+

1. Lighten up a job interview

   It's entirely possible that you are the 10th or 20th candidate for a job opening an interviewer has seen. By now he's heard all the rote answers people give to "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Why not toss in a witty remark or joke before giving the real answer? It's like subtly showing off your qualifications — being funny requires intelligence, creativity, and being able to think on your feet, all qualities that will help you land the job. And a job is the start of a career.

2. Be the butt of your jokes

   Obviously, making jokes at a coworker's expense will not get you the kind of attention you're after. Also verboten are blonde jokes and "a priest walks into a bar" jokes, for obvious reasons. The only completely safe person to rib at work is yourself. You can poke fun at your own taste in music or how you always screw up on first dates, just don't make light of your ability to do your job. Some folks say there's a grain of truth in every joke, and you don't want to invite that thought into anyone's mind.

3. Make your blog a must-read

   Companies and individual businesspeople have caught on to how important social media can be for successful business. A dry, straightforward blog about IT, or accounting, or whatever your industry is, will appeal to people in your industry, and that's pretty much it. But industry-specific blogs and Twitter feeds that are truly funny rope in people who wouldn't normally be interested in what you're talking about, simply because funny is funny. A wider audience means a better chance of a random contact offering you a better job, or simply making a name for yourself that you can bank on later.

4. Liven up a presentation

   Unless you work at NASA and your presentation is about the aliens you've found living on Mars, you'll need a way to jazz up the lecture and keep people engaged. Humor is the perfect way to do that, and it can also help deflect awkward or hostile questions from your audience. To make the funny fit properly in a presentation, the humor needs to integrate seamlessly into the theme of the speech. Also, if the joke lands, great; if it doesn't, just move on to the next one.

5. Pick coworkers up

   A great way to further your career is to show your boss(es) that you can step up and be a leader. You can do this by taking advantage of your sense of humor. Become the guy or gal in the office who sends out the funniest emails or who makes a point of brightening someone's mood who is obviously down. This one is harder than it sounds; come on too strong or send emails that are actually lame and people will be laughing, just not with you, if you catch our drift.

6. Foster a humor-friendly work environment

   If you are a CEO of a startup or otherwise have a way of influencing the company culture, keeping the business thriving is important for your career. Humor is an excellent means of not just keeping employees, but keeping them happy. Happy people work harder, the company benefits, and you as the manager have a success to add to your résumé. Make it clear to employees that humor is encouraged. You could set up a bulletin board for posting funny things or bring in a comedian for a special event.

7. Laugh off your mistakes

   Goofs. Foibles. Faux pas. Everybody makes mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes are going to happen between the hours of 9 and 5. Instead of stewing over them, consider them an opportunity to prove you have a sense of humor and don't take yourself too seriously. When you own up to a work mistake instead of trying to cover your butt, people will appreciate your honesty and self-confidence if you make light of it. And when you get your promotion, you will be able to think back on your big slip-up and it will keep you humble.

8. Laugh with others

   Staffing firm Robert Half International suggests an easy way to help you get ahead at work: just laugh. Laughter puts people at ease and helps you get along with them. People – even bosses — gravitate towards people who laugh easily and often. It shows you have a positive attitude and are good with clients and customers, who also happen to be people.

9. Make witty references

   When you're around your boss, making a clever, humorous allusion at just the right moment is an easy way to stand out and show off your knowledge. Obviously this requires staying up on the news, especially business and economic news. Keep it classy, but hey, if you know your boss loves Seinfeld or Office Space, drop some quotes in once in a while.

10. Break the ice with potential clients

    In many industries, everyone you meet is a potential client, which means when you fly on a plane, go to a ball game, go to church, or go pretty much anywhere people sit next to each other, you are sitting next to a potential customer. What better way to advance your career than to bring in their business? Of course, social norms being what they are, you typically can't just ask people out of the blue for their business. Humor is the perfect lubricant to grease the tracks for a smooth introduction, then a conversation, then a date for a business meeting.

11. Roast your boss

    Getting up on stage in front of a crowd of people and publicly making fun of a superior is a guaranteed way to get fired … unless it's all part of the show. Roasts for members of senior management are a common way for companies to honor them. It's also considered an honor to be one of the roasters. The person being roasted will have a sense of humor (or he wouldn't have agreed to it), and it's a perfect time for you to display yours. Everyone of influence at your company will be there, and it's a good opportunity to show some clever wit, get in a few light jabs, then close with a big finish about what a great guy the roastee is.

The terms interaction and innovation may seem like buzzwords in higher education, but both are critical to the success of online learning. Dr. Kelvin Thompson (@kthompso) from the University of Central Florida led our discussion of the benefits and challenges of creating interactive online courses and provided a few new resources to help you along the way. Here's a summary of this week's chat:

What is (are) the role(s) of interaction in an online learning environment?

• Think of "roles" as "goals" and consider why we all work so hard at improving interaction in an online course.
• Through interactions students and instructors can develop social presence within the course community.
• Interaction as communication provides ways to gauge learner understanding of the concepts and content presented in a course, as well as ask and answer questions.
• Students are looking for "interactive" online courses.
• Interactions can take place in different ways/contexts: student-student, student-instructor, student-content.
• Interactions in an online course can increase "meaningfulness" of activities and provide students with an audience and feedback.
• Interactions can play a role in deeper learning/critical thinking, but there's a need for facilitation. Read Facilitating Cognitive Presence in Online Learning [PDF].

What are common challenges faced getting students to interact with each other, their instructors, and course materials?

• Students may want more interaction in online courses, but can be unprepared (especially at the undergraduate level) for what is required in a formal academic setting.
• Course design can play a role in either fostering or inhibiting interaction of all types.
• Instructors may have to adjust their approach and strategies for individual students with different levels of interaction and communication.
• Challenges exist related to students using "text speak" in course communication and interactions with each other and their instructors.
• Interaction can't be forced, but should instead be encouraged by creating an environment in which students want to interact (i.e., non-threatening, engaging).
• "Interaction should have a purpose. We should avoid the interaction 'for the sake of interaction' mistake."
• There are pros and cons to consider: required interaction (with assigned points/grade) vs. non-required interaction (often resulting in lack of engagement).
• There's no one right way to "do" interaction in an online course. Appropriate interaction is situation-dependent (i.e., context of course, instructor, subject, learning objectives) but this also makes it harder to measure and improve upon.
• Student interaction is often held to high standards in online environments. Are they higher than the interaction/participation standards we usually apply in face-to-face classrooms?

What resources and methods help to create and encourage interaction in an online class?

• Rubrics and other formal presentations of course and assignment requirements can help students understand what is expected of them. These tools also guide instructors and promote a sense of fairness and safety.
• Look for existing examples, such as rubrics for discussion participation from the Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository.
• Provide students with more specific protocols for communicating online that include rules of netiquette.
• Discussion boards are often relied upon for in-course interaction. For more information: Faculty use of Asynchronous Discussions in Online Learning.
• Research delving into online interaction is underway, but there are many more lessons to be learned.

What are some of the latest/most innovative approaches to interactive learning activities?

• View this presentation from Lisa Giacumo, Arizona State University: The Effects of Facilitation Prompts and Rubrics on Critical Thinking.
• How Blogs, Social Media, and Video Games Improve Education [PDF] – a related report from the Brookings Institution.
• There are many asynchronous tools and techniques that can support interaction, such as microblogging, blogs, wikis, social media, VoiceThread, Diigo, and HootCourse, as well as synchronous tools like Skype.
• Use of tools outside of the course or learning management system, such as blogs, can result in student interaction with a larger audience, development of a "voice," and creation of richer content. Review related podcast site, Of Courses Online, from guest moderator Kelvin Thompson.

Thanks to @LindseyMNorris, @TamraExcell, and @TRUOpenLearning, for participating in the live event! And special thanks to @kthompso for serving as co-host this week. Help us to continue the discussion by adding your thoughts via the comments area on this page.

For more from the most recent live session, review the chat feed below. Our past chats can be found on the archives page.

Follow us (@OC_org) and plan to attend our next chat. We meet on Wednesdays from 12pm-1pm ET and look forward to hearing your perspective.

This week's read-aheads:

• Engaging Online Students: Practical Interaction Strategies to Enhance Learning - A short but informative seminar archive with recorded presentation, podcast, and supporting materials from Drs. Susan Wegmann and Baiyun Chen.
• Use Discussion Prompts to Encourage Deeper Interaction - An entry in the Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository (TOPR) where there are also many other interaction ideas.
• Facilitating Cognitive Presence in Online Courses: Interaction is Not Enough [PDF] - Research article by Dr. Randy Garrison related to Community of Inquiry (COI).

This week's chat feed:

Image credit: Sarah G…, Flickr, CC-BY

Work

If you'd like to gain valuable work experience during your gap year, consider these ideas.

1. Teach in South America. Want to mix an adventure in the wilds of South America with some teaching experience? Head to Ecuador to help young children learn English and gain academic skills while enjoying some jungle treks, mountain biking, and white-water rafting.
2. WWOOF your way around the world. If you need a way to fund your gap year, consider WWOOFing it. Not sure what that it is? It's a group called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms that can help young high school grads work as they travel by offering work on farms around the world.
3. Take on an internship in another country. There are numerous programs that can help you find internships abroad, letting you gain experience while living and working in a new and exciting location.
4. Help people with small tasks. Another way to help fund a gap is by taking on jobs found through HelpX, a site that matches up those who need help with smaller tasks like building, farming, and even sailing with those who need free accommodation and food.
5. Help out with the family business. If you think you might want to go into the family business, take a gap year to work, getting to know the ropes. You might find a major that will suit your career in the business, or learn that it's just not for you.
6. Work on a farm or ranch. City types can expand their horizons during a gap year by heading out to the country to get experience working on a farm or ranch. Get a bit more adventurous by heading to a farm overseas.
7. Start your own business. Always dreamed of being an entrepreneur? Use your gap year to pull together a business plan, inspired by your travels, internships, or great ideas you've always wanted to try.
8. Teach English somewhere far-flung. Head to Asia, South America, or the Middle East to see what life is like on the other side of the world and gain some valuable work experience in the process.
9. Become an au pair. Being an au pair can be a truly wonderful way to experience a bit of the world while working. You'll get to live with a local family, learn the language, and taste all aspects of the culture.
10. Work on an oil rig. While it might not be for everyone, working in an extreme situation, like on an oil rig, can be an amazing life experience that will more than prepare you for the challenges of college.

Travel

Many people want to spend their gap years traveling as much as possible. These are just a few ideas for some seriously amazing trips.

11. Take a train ride though Europe. Europe is perhaps one of the easiest places to get around by train. Buy a Eurorail pass and you can travel to 23 different countries.
12. Backpack through Asia. Find a friend, grab a backpack, and trek through the beautiful mountains, coasts, and cities of Southeast Asia. If you don't find backpacking fun, you can always take a more traditional trip as well.
13. Take a safari. Love wildlife? A safari is a great way to get up close and personal with many animals you've only seen in zoos.
14. Hop on the Trans-Siberian Railway. An overland trip, like one offered by the Trans-Siberian Railway, is a great way to see a country. The thousands of miles of this railroad stretch through China, Mongolia, Manchuria, Russia, and North Korea.
15. Take an extended road trip. America is a big, big country and chances are pretty good that even if you're well-traveled you haven't seen even a fraction of what it has to offer. A long road trip (in a reliable car) with some friends can help you to see some of the sights you've been missing.
16. Become a global foodie. If you've ever seen the show No Reservations then you know that half the fun of visiting new places can be tasting the local cuisine. If you're a lover of fine foods, why not make that a focus of your travels?
17. See great works of art. No matter where you travel in the world, there are bound to be museums and monuments where you can see some of the most iconic and beautiful works ever created, a real education for any budding art historian or artist.
18. Visit all the national parks. There are 58 national parks in the United States, making it possible for the determined traveler to hit nearly all of them in a year.
19. Drive a camper through Australia. The Australian outback, as barren and open as it is, has a mysterious sort of appeal. Rent a camper to explore this huge country down under, outback, cities, and coasts alike, during your gap year.

Volunteer

Give your gap year a deeper meaning by helping others. Find some great ideas for a variety of volunteering trips here.

20. Help wildlife in Borneo. Borneo is a popular place to volunteer, largely because of the wildlife. You can work at centers that help rehabilitate orangutans, monkeys, and even some unique species of birds.
21. Volunteer in your community. While it can be exciting to volunteer abroad, it's likely that there are plenty of organizations closer to home that could use your help as well. If you're not sure where to start, consider an online network like VolunteerMatch.
22. Help rebuild America. The National Civilian Community Corps or AmeriCorps is a great place to learn leadership skills while helping communities in need.
23. Volunteer for community projects in Africa. Whether you teach school, help bring water to villages, build homes, or something else entirely, a trip to Africa can help you see the world while helping others.
24. Work to save an endangered species. Both within the U.S. and in a variety of places around the globe people are working tirelessly to help rebuild and protect populations of seriously endangered species. You can help the effort by volunteering your time.
25. Become part of a conservation effort. Check out opportunities offered by the Student Conservation Association to use your time off to help save trees, national parks, and American wildlife.
26. Join City Year. Give a year of your life to this organization, focused on helping keep kids interested, engaged, and excelling in school.

Adventures

Give yourself the experience of a lifetime with these gap year ideas.

27. Go on an expedition to Antarctica. If you're the adventurous type (and don't mind some chilly temps) a trip to the bottom of the world could be a pretty cool (pun intended) way to spend a few months out of your gap year.
28. Walk the Appalachian Trail. Stretching from Maine to Georgia, this popular and well-worn trail will test your mettle as you navigate your way through the mountains, valleys, and forests of the eastern United States.
29. See the Seven Wonders of the World. While you'll only be able to see one of the ancient wonders, you can still take in the modern wonders, or embrace the natural wonders, all of which can be equally awe-inspiring.
30. Become a sailor on a tall ship. Becoming a sailor on a tall ship is one way to embrace your love of the sea, while seeing ports in the U.S. and around the world to boot.
31. Run away with the circus. As silly as it might sound, if you have a skill or talent that might be valuable to a circus, traveling from town to town with one really could be a life-changing experience.

Learning

Get an education while you see the world when you try out these ideas.

32. Learn a language in a foreign country. These days, knowing another language can be a huge asset to your career and there's no better way to do it than with complete immersion. Head to France to learn French or China to learn Chinese for an incredibly valuable and educational gap year.
33. Learn how to do something new. Just because you're not in college doesn't mean you can't take classes. Use your gap year, wherever you choose to spend it, taking classes in art, cooking, dance, or whatever else interests you but isn't applicable to your future career.
34. Explore the ruins of an ancient culture. One of the most awe-inspiring experiences you can have learning about history is by seeing the ruins left behind by an ancient culture. Head to Peru, Egypt, Greece, China, or dozens of other history-filled destinations for a thoroughly educational and inspiring experience.
35. Take an extended sailing trip. There are a number of different companies that offer classes on a ship, so you can learn while sailing to and exploring the world's most amazing port cities.
36. Make a documentary. If the idea of making a documentary during your gap year excites you, consider signing up for the Brown Ledge program that trains students on documentary technologies and works to explore different cities in the U.S. using them.
37. Study a foreign culture. Don't be an armchair anthropologist! Get out there and do research in the real world, studying people, places, and cultures around the world while you're taking time off from school. You may eventually be able to adapt your research into a stellar final thesis. If you can't afford to go away, you can also study people in your hometown.
38. Research in the Galapagos. For many, spending six months to a year in the Galapagos doing research and working with conservationists sounds like a dream come true. If it appeals to you, contact the Darwin Foundation and you could just be spending your gap year in these amazing isles.

Sport

Athletic types will love these ideas for amazing gap years.

39. Train for an athletic event. If you've always dreamed of taking part in an Ironman or maybe even heading to the Olympics, a gap year can be the perfect time to train and get in the best shape of your life. Even better, you can earn money while training others in the sport of your choice.
40. Bike through a country. Travel can also be a serious workout if you explore by bike. Pack up your wheels and head abroad to see the world by your own power.
41. Surf the world's best beaches. Aquatic types can spend their gap year catching waves at some of the world's best surf spots.
42. Pick up a new sport and practice like crazy. Always wanted to be a skater? Feel the need to be able to shoot a bow? Your gap year offers ample time to build these skills.
43. Ski your way through your gap year. There is plentiful skiing the world over, and for dedicated skiers, a gap year may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hit the slopes in places like Canada, Switzerland, Chile, and even China. You can even get training to become a ski or snowboard instructor, a skill that you can use to earn money while in college, too.

Growing

Use these ideas to make your gap year a deeply spiritual and moving experience you'll never forget.

44. Go on a pilgrimage. One of the most famous pilgrimage routes is the Camino de Santiago, which thousands of pilgrims, some religious, some not, still walk or bike each year. You can follow this route or one of the dozens of other pilgrimage routes around the world for a purpose-driven and empowering way to spend your gap year.
45. Go on a yoga or meditation retreat. Whether you choose to stay close to home or travel halfway around the world, a retreat of this nature can help you build focus, find your purpose, and calm your mind.
46. Fulfill as many lifelong dreams as possible. You likely won't have a time in your life when you're as free, healthy, and fearless as you are during your gap year, so make the most of it by fulfilling some of your life dreams. Some may be big, like seeing the pyramids, and some may be small, like swimming at night, but whatever they are, go for them!
47. Head to a kibbutz. Learn to work in a communal setting by taking part in a kibbutz in rural Israel. Before you start, you may even have time to see some of the country's most holy sites.
48. Help promote peace. Get in touch with an organization like Volunteers for Peace to find out how you can spend your gap year helping to promote peace in locations around the world.
49. Take a spiritual journey through India. India has long been the destination for those in search of spiritual answers. Whether you find a guru or simply take in the sights and sounds of this diverse and fascinating country, you're bound to learn more about yourself in the process.
50. Visit the world's holy sites. No matter your faith, visiting some of the world's most famous holy sites is a deeply moving experience that may just help you find guidance and inspiration for your future.

As reported by Marc Parry in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the Virginia Tech megaclass is making use of Skype, Ustream, game-like assessments, social media platforms, a Twitter hashtag, instant messaging, and polling systems to connect instructor, students and content. When I first heard about this I was curious to find out more about how the use of technology assists the delivery of these very large courses, especially when offered online.

For decades large class size has been considered undesirable and potentially detrimental to the learning process. As a young undergraduate I was cautioned to avoid large "auditorium courses" where it would be challenging to be seen and heard, and easy to get lost and lose focus. But a lot has changed since then in terms of how programs are administered and the availability of technologies that allow for more communication and interaction among members of large groups.

MOOCs and More

Finding evidence of large online courses is not difficult, and in fact, Massive Open Online Courses (a.k.a. MOOCs) are gaining popularity. Often formal in terms of structure and content these courses are facilitated by industry leaders and open to anyone who is interested in learning. I have participated (and lurked) in several MOOCs and found that they not only leverage a variety of technologies for communication and interaction (i.e., discussion forums, blog posts, wikis, live and recorded presentations, social media and networking sites, email newsletters), but also rely heavily on collaboration and contributions from participants. MOOC students, however, usually don't receive course credit or credentials for their work, at least not yet.

Last week edX was announced – a new project from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology that will expand on the concept of the MOOC, building on the open course materials, delivery platforms, and online learning expertise already established though the universities' existing initiatives. Among the goals of the joint project are creating courses with a global reach and "provid[ing] a treasure trove of data on how students learn and how to teach them most effectively." The edX courses are also not credit bearing, but this may only be a matter of time. The program will offer courses beginning this fall that include assessments and "certificates of mastery in the subject" upon course completion with a passing grade.

Instructors and Infrastructure

Regardless of the technologies available, including recent news about essay grading robots, an instructor is critical to the success of a megaclass. If you read the more than 150 comments posted to the Chronicle article online, you will see that many of them are Boyer's current and former students. The instructor's engaging manner and subject matter expertise are lauded; along with a university culture that embraces this kind of experimentation and departure from the norm.

Just as online delivery is not the best solution for all types of courses, large class size may not be ideal for all online courses. Currently enrolled in a large-scale course through Coursera, Jeff Selingo points out that "to pull this off, you need both – a marketable subject/topic and a dynamic professor."

Benefits and Challenges Ahead

There is a draw to expanding online courses, which are not limited by the number of actual seats in a physical classroom. Increasing the numbers of online courses and/or class sizes are ways for programs and institutions to deal with shrinking budgets. But the successful megaclass it seems is not just a bigger version of a traditional-sized course. It involves a great deal of additional support and a willingness to try new approaches to communication, interaction, and assessment.

Students and instructors also need to be prepared to engage in these learning environments. Students in large courses, face-to-face and online, may experience similar challenges and the need to develop strong learning skills and characteristics, such as time management, persistence, initiative, and a high comfort level with technology and an online presence. Instructors need to be aware of their options for managing large online courses and the support available though their institutions (i.e., training, software and hardware, teaching assistants). Consider experiencing a megaclass or MOOC as a student participant, before taking the helm as the instructor.

The potential of these courses is uncertain and we are just beginning to find out what works and what doesn’t in the context of various technologies, academic disciplines, and learning objectives. What do you think? Let us know about your experiences in courses with large class sizes. Would you be willing to enroll in or teach a megaclass?

Follow Melissa Venable on Twitter and Google+