MOOC Series Designed Just For K – 12 Education

August is all about the planning for the year ahead. As we look to a new school year, many of us see this month as an opportunity to start fresh. What if this year, you were able to connect with others from all over the world to learn something new through a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). These free classes are a great way for teachers, parents, and students to experience learning from industry experts who you may not otherwise have access to.
Yesterday, Instructure announced a full schedule of MOOCs, designed specifically for K – 12 education that will be made available to all through their canvas.net platform. This collection of K-12 MOOCs, includes two Minecraft MOOCs that aim to help teachers leverage gamification best practices in the classroom.
“The major MOOC platforms have largely ignored K-12 education, but ironically that is where experimentation is needed most,” said Melissa Loble, senior director of the Canvas Network at Instructure. “Minecraft is the most popular game in the world, and we want teachers to know how to use it to create engaging learning experiences for their students.”
Enrollment is free and open for registration for anyone in the world at canvas.net. Cheers to a new experience and the opportunity to expand knowledge base!
 
MOOCS for Teachers
Looking for new ways to get ready for the 2014-2015 school year? Want to experience a more personalized form of professional development? Choose one of the courses below that best fits your need!

• September 22, 2014 – November 3, 2014: Digital Literacies 1 taught by San Diego State University.
• October 6, 2014 – November 15, 2014: Five Habits of Highly Effective Teachers taught by Northwest Colorado BOCES.
• October 6, 2014 – December 14, 2014: Teachers Without Borders: Educating Girls taught by Teachers Without Borders.
• October 20, 2014 – November 17, 2014: Getting Started with MinecraftEDU taught by the Canvas Network.
• December 15, 2014 – May 31, 2015: Tinker, Make and Learn taught by the Canvas Network.
• January 26, 2015 – March 16, 2015: Digital Literacies 2 taught by the San Diego County Office of Education.
• January 26, 2015 – March 8, 2015: Minecraft for Educators taught by University of Hull.

 
MOOCs for Students
Do you want to provide an online learning experience for your kids or do you teach in a blended learning environment (or wish you did)? Help your kids sign up for one of the courses below and learn something new together or as a class!

• September 8, 2014, self-paced: College Foundations: Reading, Writing, and Math – taught by Broward College.
• September 22, 2014, self-paced: First Peoples to the Early Republic: Born in Colonialism taught by Seattle Central Community College.
• September 22, 2014, self-paced: Google Ninja taught by MyTechHigh.com.
• September 8, 2014, self-paced: NASA Space Center Houston’s “Mars: The Next Frontier” taught by the Space Center Houston Education.
• September 22, 2014, self-paced: The Civil War Era taught by Seattle Central Community College.
• September 22, 2014, self-paced: The Gilded Age to the Roaring Twenties taught by Seattle Central Community College.
• September 22, 2014, self-paced: The Great Depression to the War on Terror taught by Seattle Central Community College.

 
Bonus: A MOOC for Parents
“An enormous amount of research concludes that parental involvement in K-12 education has one of the biggest impacts in a child’s commitment to learning,” said Jared Stein, vice president of Research and Education at Instructure. “We’re launching the industry’s first-ever MOOC for parents to help them understand modern education in a digital world.”

• September 22, self paced: Parenting in the Digital Age taught by the Noblesville School District.

 
For more course options, check out canvas.net. And find the full press release of the announcement here.
 
Instructure is a Getting Smart Advocacy Partner.