noochlezz-artz

[theportefolio]

April Fools' Day History And Reasons

According to some history researches, the April Fools’ Day originates from four centuries ago in 1582 when the rulers of France started using a Gregorian calendar instead of the Julian calendar. A vast majority of people did not get the idea of calendar switching so they kept on celebrating the start of New Year on 1st April instead of 1st January. This is the most popular theory and many historians think that it is the correct one. It was the 18th century when April Fools’ Day started to gain popularity throughout Britain. In Scotland, the tradition was celebrated for two days. On the first day, people were sent for phony errands as a sign of foolishness. On the second day, practical jokes were to pull on each other to celebrate the day.

You Can Check April’s Fool Day Stuff:

April Fools’ Day Pranks

April Fools’ Day Quotes

April Fools’ Day Jokes

April Fools’ Day Wallpapers

[noochlezz-artz]

Shindig Grant Program to Study Interactive Video Chat in Online Ed

A new grant initiative aims to document the impact of interactive video chat on student engagement in online education. The 50K Shindig Challenge, launched by video chat teaching platform Shindig, will dole out 25-50 grants ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 for higher ed faculty and/or course designers who incorporate the Shindig platform into their online courses in the spring, summer or fall semester of 2016. Participants will collect survey data concerning attitudes and perceived effectiveness of the platform.

The Shindig platform allows instructors to present to an online audience of up to 1,500. Presenters can take video chat questions from participants in front of the audience, or communicate with students privately. In addition, participants can communicate and collaborate with each other in their own video chats.

According to a company statement, requirements for grant recipients include:

Each course must have a minimum of 10 sessions and no fewer than 25 students;

Applying faculty should have a teaching assistant or administrator available to support the online interaction of a large number of students synchronously. MOOCs and non-accredited courses given through Coursera, EdX or Udacity are eligible;

Use of the platform is not strictly limited to online courses. The platform can be used to supplement other auxiliary components of in-person courses, such as discussion groups, office hours, study halls, review sessions and test prep; and

Those with prior experience with alternative video platforms such as Adobe Connect, Blackboard Collaborate, Google Hangouts and other video solutions will receive preference.

via source:https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/02/23/shindig-grant-program-to-study-interactive-video-chat-in-online-ed.aspx