Review of EDU2.0 CMS

It took me less than five minutes to fall completely in love with EDU2.0 (http://www.edu20.com). EDU2.0 offers many of the same features and Web 2.0 technologies as Canvas (e.g., mobility, open source, multimedia, Curricula and Proficiencies, Coverage and Tracking), but the way EDU2.0 integrates its functions seems a better fit for the way I envision using a CMS in my work. Most of my ID work is in the corporate setting, and EDU2.0 makes a point of being business-friendly. Users can customize logos and color schemes, enjoy unlimited Cloud-based hosting, and even choose their own URL.

EDU2.0 navigation is modeled after Facebook, which most users are likely familiar with. I absolutely love that the EDU2.0 user interface is “highly configurable, and it’s easy to disable almost any feature” (http://www.edu20.com/info/features). This is particularly appealing to me because I design both ILT (instructor-led training) and self-paced course, and EDU2.0 flexes easily from one to the other.

Collaboration is essential for developing social presence and reducing transactional distance. EDU2.0 offers a wide range of built-in collaboration tools including groups, forums, blogs, chat rooms, wikis, and video conferencing via Skype (http://www.edu20.com/info/features).

AND, EDU2.0 tops it all off with a free 30 day trial! Ain’t love grand?

Sally Bacchetta

Universal Design Learning

While researching for a project I recently came across the website for The Center for Applied Special Technology, or CAST. I was instantly hooked by what I read there, particularly this: “Universal Design Learning (UDL) is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone – not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs."

The  CAST UDL Book Builder is a "free online tool (that) enables educators to develop their own digital books to support reading instruction for children aged 3 and up. Teachers create, edit, and save resource-rich texts."

When I clicked through to the Book Builder I found a collection of multimedia resources that enable designers and instructors to embed music, audio recordings of explanations or discussions, hyperlinks, and more into the lesson books they create.

One of my favorite resources here is the student response area, which encourages active learning and meaningful interaction with educational and instructional texts. 

For me, the “wow” factor is that the site and its resources facilitate multimedia instruction for all learners, including those who do not or cannot interact with visual media.

Sally Bacchetta