Unbounded - Exploring the Potential of Technology Based Learning

Flash over function

2008-09-02T16:02:08Z

This kiddy training potty is a shining example of bells and whistles being chosen over effective learning architecture. My wife and I purchased this “nifty “ unit that lights up and talks thinking that it would make potty training more engaging for our two-year-old daughter. I quickly came to find that all the lights and voices were actually working against my daughter learning to successfully use the toilet. I could go down a list of how the designers of this product got it wrong but ultimately, it comes down to improper formative feedback given out randomly and not supporting and re-directing the actual decisions and/or actions of the learner. The designers built a triggering system into the seat with a couple of states, on and off. When in the on state, (ie. butt on seat) the device gives messages like “going potty is fun” and other cutesy little things. OK, there’s nothing wrong with that aside from being rather annoying over and over. Here is the real problem: once the child get’s off the seat and triggers the off state, the potty says, “You did it! You went potty!” My reaction the first time was horror! As every parent knows, this is not the case in the beginning of potty training and as of yet my child has NOT gone potty but has consistently been given feedback stating otherwise every time. So while the little toilet voice is giving its inaccurate feedback, I am trying to revise it and tell my daughter that she made a good try but next time it would be even better if “pee pee” went in the potty. Still the cutesy voice and celebration lights in the potty had me beat. It was cooler and more “engaging” than Dad. I think you can see where I am going with this. The very same example can be applied to larger learning initiatives for adult learners where we get sucked into technologies that ultimately don’t adhere to sound learning architecture and either provide no feedback or inaccurate feedback due to system, design or content limitations and shortcomings. Feedback is where it’s at…Get it right!

Can user experiences drive learning innovation?

2008-08-22T21:24:07Z

In our society of constant change and innovation why are we stuck with a 1950's era education system? Traditional classrooms with blackboards and lecture style sessions were the era of my parents education. How can this form of eduction thrive today? The problem with this system of education is that it does very little to engage the minds of todays youth. As a designer/developer I am constantly looking at new technologies to learn from. Recently a few emerging technologies have caught my eye and made me think about the possibilities of user interfaces evolving learning methodologies. In the near future I believe the user experience will be the spark that drives the innovation of our educational system. User experience design examples include: Multi-Touch Technology http://www.perceptivepixel.com/ Real world 3D based projections http://vizoo.com/showreel_wmvs/EPK_Cheoptics360_XL.wmv 3D Based Computing Desktop http://bumptop.com/ If these technologies grew into learning kiosks, could this spark a new initiative in edutainment? "Tell me and I Forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand." – Chinese Proverb

Learn from Corporate Education

2008-08-15T14:34:08Z

We academics have a record of being rather insular; we think all important education and research occurs in an academic environment. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are looking for effective professional education and for educational innovation, look at Corporate Education. One source I continually review and find useful is Learning Circuits – ASTD’s online magazine covering e-learning. They frequently have reports of cutting edge innovation and education. For example, the current issue has “Informal Learning: Overlooked or Overhyped,” by Andrew Paradise and “The Way We Learn Now,” by Amy Christen. Check it out! http://www.learningcircuits.org/

Gas prices push students to online learning

2008-08-08T14:49:47Z

A number of institutions with online programs have noticed a definite increase in online participation during this summer session. The Chronicle of Higher Education has been following this situation and reported in July that the Tennessee Board of Regents reported a 29% increase in online course participation. Brevard College in Florida reported a 25% increase. Research into the increased participation has revealed that students are considering the cost of gas to attend class in relationship to the cost of online tuition and working from home. SUNY Learning Network has an online calculator that students can use to compute the cost of gas to attend class vs the cost of online course tuition. This trend may not continue into the fall, but institutions are paying close attention and will certainly utilize the concept of "online" to save money in their promotions if the trend appears to have substance.

E-Learning from a Student's Perspective -- by Susannah Elliott

2008-08-05T20:42:46Z

During a large family vacation last summer, my relatives would sometimes be confused when I had to duck out of some activities to go use the resort’s computer to turn in papers for online classes I was taking. “You’re paying for that? You’re just teaching yourself!” they would say. I was taking a lower-level “Introduction to Literature” class and a political science class on “Current World Problems” through branches of Ohio University (it’s cheaper to take classes through branches than the main campus). It’s true that there were no lectures from the professors –- in fact, there was very little communication with them other than their administering the assignments from the syllabus. I never felt like I was missing out, though. In my poli sci class, for example, the assignments for research papers were genuinely challenging and required that I actually learn the material through the readings my professor assigned. It was not an “easy A,” despite what many other students think is the norm for online classes. Additionally, I felt that my professors were always available to help, and I valued their knowledge in creating assignments and choosing things for us to read. I wasn’t really just “teaching myself” –- I wouldn’t know where to start if I were to create a course for myself on current world problems. Another question my family would ask me is how we were expected to take exams online without cheating and looking up answers during the test. For any online class I’ve ever taken, it is assumed that we’ll use resources other than our own memories to take tests. It’s possible to have a valuable class without taking tests, too, though, and my political science class was one of those courses. I think that whether or not online exams are worth it really depends on how the instructor organizes them; I’ve felt challenged and forced to learn something when exams pose thoughtful essay questions, but I have also been in the situation where weekly, online reading quizzes require only a flip through the textbook to find bolded words and definitions. In my experience, the success of an online class simply depends on how creative and skilled the instructor is; it’s just like any other class, but in a more convenient medium.

Lively and Learning

2008-07-24T16:00:28Z

Google just "quietly" released its own virtual world: Lively. Overall, I found it a rather clumsy experience although part of that could be blamed on my own ramp up with the Lively UI. For those accustomed to other virtual worlds, Lively will seem a bit limiting in functionality and short on graphic presentation. Also, it is PC only at the moment. )-: That said, it is an important moment in the virtual world industry if for nothing else in terms of the name equity attached to any app being put out as a Google product. What does it mean for learning? It offers a real change in how 3D portals might be integrated into a learning experience. The real weakness of Second Life and other virtual worlds is document management and dynamic management of text, both creation of and readability of, within an experience. The integration of Lively with the browser is perhaps its greatest strength and where we begin to see the realization of a more ubiquitous virtual world experience. One can now see how a current learning experience could be enhanced with chunks of 3D learning content/activities that could support a greater challenge and do so in a way that would not break the user from the greater learning interface or LMS. I believe other virtual world platforms will need to step up to this or other similar kind of browser integration to continue to compete in the long term. Want to know more? Check out this World2World discussion on the topic: http://www.world2worlds.com/media/bliplively.html

Announcing a Great Learning Initiatives from Opera Software

2008-07-11T21:09:14Z

Opera Software has recently released an exceptional Web Standards Curriculum. The curriculum provides a resource for educators, students, and business' spotlighting best practices for the web. Students may set aside concerns about questionable resources and feel confident in the best practices of HTML, CSS, and Javascript presented in this curriculum. This curriculum provides up to date best practices for todays students and web browsers alike. This is exciting news for educators that focus on online distributed learning. Educators now have an open reliable reference to point towards regarding standards in web design/development. This curriculum has support from many leaders in the web community such as Yahoo! and the Web Standards Project. Is it true that once you've seen one web resource you've seen them all? No. This curriculum is relevant to todays best practices for web professionals. Check it out at: http://www.opera.com/wsc/ This curriculum is free and open to the public domain.

Ask the Techies Live Event in Second Life

2008-01-18T16:40:28Z

Join D.Lee Beard & Chris Keesey live in Second Life. Friday, January 25th. 2008 @ 1pm Eastern time at the Ohio University Second Life Campus Auditorium. At this event you can ask your tech or Second Life questions live. Visit AsktheTechies.com for a quick link that will teleport you to the Ohio University Auditorium.

Need a Life?

2008-01-09T19:52:31Z

This quarter Ohio University Without Boundaries is offering FREE Second Life orientations for Ohio University students, staff, faculty, and Athens community members. Join us Fridays at 2 p.m. in Stocker Center Lab 308 and learn how to set up the program, create, design and dress your avatar, and start exploring OU's island and the rest of this virtual world. Stocker Center is located on West Green and is building #103 on the campus map. For more information: Education Meets Virtual Reality Official Second Life Site OU Second Life Users' Facebook Group Please direct any questions to: Meghan Louttit OUWB Design Assistant ml237004@ohio.edu

Virtual Worlds Conference Notes

2007-10-22T18:05:45Z

I attended the Virtual Worlds Conference in San Jose a couple of weeks ago. I must say, it truly rejuvenated my interest in the topic. Beyond that, it really got me thinking to the bigger picture of a greater integrated 3D Internet and how industry and specifically learning and training fit into that bigger picture. Here are my notes from the conference: Virtual Worlds Conference and Expo Notes

From a Real Student

2007-10-08T21:26:43Z

Meghan Louttit is a Senior at Ohio University majoring in Journalism. Meghan is also one of our student employees at Ohio University Without Boundaries. I asked Meghan to prepare a page or so on her experience with online learning. Meghan had taken a couple of undergraduate Blackboard-based courses. My goal was to see through the constant discussions of technology, marketing and everything else we as educators fill our time talking about and to get right at the student's honest perceptions and experience. There are many things that can be taken from her experience. I will clam up and let you be the judge of how Meghan could have been better served. --- Christopher ------------------------------------------------------------------- ONLINE LEARNING By Meghan Louttit Two years ago I watched the 1959 movie Ben Hur from the comfort of my dorm room loveseat. In every way I should have really enjoyed this movie – Charlton Heston and religious overtones. Instead my friend and I sat there watching with our heads wilting, every half hour getting up and raiding the mini-fridge. By the time it was over I couldn’t tell you anything new about the film. I don’t remember one significant scene, even though I can still quote lines from The Ten Commandments, which I haven’t watched in about 10 years. This is all there is to say about my first online class. Other than the fact that we got to watch When Harry Met Sally one week (the class was about American Cinema), I can’t recall much of anything I was taught that quarter. This is not meant to be an insult to the professor, who did all he could to encourage discussion – we had to answer discussion questions, make posts on blackboard (our own, and ones responding to others) and watch videos of his lectures. Like any other class, online classes really come down to what you want to get out of them, and more than any other class, you only get out of it what you put in. Not to say that part of the reason I didn’t get as much out of it as I could have isn’t at least in part, my fault. I could have paid more attention and I could have put more effort into my posts. However, the core value of most classes is the discussion. If I had put that same amount of work into a class that I actually had to go to, I would have inherently gotten more out of it simply from watching the movies with my classmates, talking about them and hearing others’ opinions and thoughts, in addition to the professor. There’s something about how one comes off in a forum post that doesn’t quite translate into actual conversation. The class turned me away from online courses. It wasn’t that the professor was bad or that the work was too much. But no matter how much work I put into it, I couldn’t see myself really getting out of the class what I wanted to. I had no motive to pay attention already understanding that I wasn’t going to get what I was looking for, or what would have made taking it in the first place worthwhile. The thing about learning is that the most important part of it is not just facts, dates and figures, but the time in the classroom that you spend interacting with the professor and other students. Yet, here I am again, a senior, taking another online class for my Tier III requirement. I thought about the decision carefully – did I want to put myself in that situation again? Ultimately my answer was yes, mostly because while I would like to learn something from this class, and while I understand I could learn more from being in the same room as my classmates, I am honestly just looking to fulfill a requirement. The best thing about this course is that it has been tailored appropriately, there is no false discussion and it is research-based, which makes it much more likely that I will learn something valuable, as long as I complete my assignments. In the end it comes down to what a student wants to get out of a class, but my experience has shown that taking an online class automatically puts a handicap on just how much one can learn in the big picture.

Embrace the Jargon but kill the buzz

2007-09-10T14:53:30Z

Rick Nigol from breakthroughelearning.com wrote an interesting piece titled “Let's Junk the Jargon”. It is my belief, however, that jargon plays a very important role for your audience. Instead of breaking every little detail down and covering the jargon of your industry you can relax and cover your content. For the most part everyone within an industry that uses jargon is already in the know. The golden rule when applying jargon should be, know thy audience and kill the buzzwords. There is a major difference between jargon and buzz. Here’s a link to what Wikipedia says about the differences.

Appropriate Second Life Use

2007-07-01T16:06:58Z

I am consistently beating the drum of appropriate use of virtual worlds for educational experiences. I am vigilant about not using virtual worlds, specifically Second Life, to simply recreate the lecture hall and in so negate all the progress in pedagogy made over the last ten years of technologically-mediated learning. This ant simulation is a wonderful demonstration of a brief and effective learning experience using Second Life and machinima:

Next Generation Blended Learning Environments

2007-06-27T16:59:02Z

Recently a colleague shared a PDF that highlights creating blended learning environments using mixed reality, video games and simulations that is extremely interesting. I would like to share the video as well. The article is presented by Sonny E. Kirkley and Jamie R. Kirkley from Information in Place, Inc.

What's this Web 2.0 AJAX Stuff Anyway?

2007-06-21T16:43:06Z

Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O'Reilly Media in 2003 and popularized by the first Web 2.0 conference in 2004, refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — which facilitate collaboration and sharing between users. O'Reilly Media titled a series of conferences around the phrase, and it has since become widely adopted . Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to Web technical specifications, but to changes in the ways systems developers have used the web platform. According to Tim O'Reilly, "Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform." - Wikipedia A more technical explanation can be found here from O'reilly and Associates. OK but how does this tie into RSS, SOA, RIA, and AJAX. Well these are simply the terms and technology that make Web 2.0 come to life. As an educator why should I care about this stuff and how could it benefit my learning environment? Before we delve deeper, let me ask a few questions. Would you like to see your educational environment grow outside of its physical boundaries? Develop a digital space where your students embrace your subject matter with others void of time restraints and physical location? A space where group discussions occur without your presence? Would these possibilities foster you to care about this emerging technology? These concepts are not new to most educators however the appeal to embrace this technology by the digital natives has matured. As an educator this gives you an opportunity to really connect with your students and close the digital divide that separates so many teachers from their students. The biggest change is not in the technology it is simply a social change that is empowering people to utilize the web for collaborative sharing environments. Web 2.0 is not about the buzz of these new technologies. It is about social collaboration and interaction of peers in a creative digital environment. Let's take a moment to explore what the web 2.0 landscape looks like: Share Music: http://www.napster.com Share Photos: http://flickr.com Share Videos: http://www.youtube.com Share with a Community: http://www.myspace.com http://www.facebook.com Share Information: http://www.wikipedia.org/ Share Your Opinion: https://www.blogger.com/start Share an Organizer: http://www.backpackit.com/ Share A Second Life: http://secondlife.com/ The examples above demonstrate what Web 2.0 is about. It is a collaborative sharing environment that fosters community. Lets take this one step further and explore the tools that educators and students are using to implement Web 2.0 http://teacherly.com/ http://stu.dicio.us/ http://www.gradefix.com/ http://www.haikuls.com/ http://collegeruled.com/ http://www.chalksite.com/ http://thegroupvine.com/ http://zohochallenge.com/OnlineTest/Candidate.do http://www.notecentric.com/ http://notemesh.com/ So what's next? That's your call to make as an educator. How are you going to enhance your digital learning space?