Alexis Practice Podcast

This is a practice assignment.

New OLL Services Spot

Here's the new OLL Services Spot

What can we do along the lines of open education?

In mulling over what I could post about this week, I kept coming back to a topic being bantered about in the ed tech and instructional design podcasts--open education.

My basic question is this--what can we, as the OLL, do to assist in the development of open education? Do we want to get involved and, if so, how much?

I'm coming at this from the background of someone with little tech experience, so excuse me if I sound more than a little Pollyanna-ish. But as a lit person, I get really excited to hear that the classic (and some not-so-classic) texts are being made available online for the "masses." I think knowledge, for too long, has been something kept under wraps for all but the few. First response? YIPPEEEE! Let's go! What can I do?

Then comes the problems associated with how to get to these texts. The One Computer Per Child Project has the right idea, but then you're also talking about internet access issues (at one time, we had free internet options in this country--like NetZero--but now almost all of them have gone extinct or are pay only). In this country, phone lines are generally available, but not everyone has the funds to pay for access. Outside this country, phone lines may not be as available. Yes, there's wireless, but then your talking even more expense (and then there's the issue of coverage). I'm unsure how to get around all of these issues--thankfully, there appear to be folks working on these kinds of quandaries full time (such as the OCPC project people).

Open Source software is one of the main thrusts of the Open Education movement. Since mass marketed software packages can be prohibitive, cost-wise, Open Source seems to be the answer. How to download the software is only one of the problems (as I mentioned above, internet access costs could also be prohibitive). Also there's an issue of how to actually use these OS programs. Programs such as Audacity is fairly straight-forward and very user-friendly. But there are plenty of other promising programs being worked on (new OS projects are popping up every day--just check SourceForge that require an understanding of Linux--something I know practically nothing about.

So then a new question arises--if we in the OLL begin to get more involved in the push for Open Education, how deep do we get in? Do we become trained in Linux to then pass it on? Who would then be our "audience"? The instructors here on campus, many of whom already consider what we do "over their heads" and don't see the relevance of our workshops in their teaching until they're required to teach an online course? (Sure, there are plenty of faculty who are very "into" technology--but I'm speaking from my lit/creative writing background here. Very few professors in that department use any technology at all and, if they do, its PowerPoint. If that's the case in one department, I know there are plenty of others just like it.)

What is the value of our venturing forth into the Open Education field? I guess it all depends upon how far abroad from our base we want to stretch ourselves. Do we want to till the ground here on campus and in the nearby community or do we want to branch further and begin to go more in the way of distance education and breaking down international borders?

These are all logical questions, I think. They may not need to be addressed at this very moment, but as the juicy carrot of government and corporate subsidies and grants for the OE field gets larger and larger, its certainly going to be more and more tempting to get into it. By then, however, will we be trailblazers or just trying to keep up?


http://www.openeducation.org.au/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

http://www.coe.mq.edu.au/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_educational_resources

Writing Good Blogs

Part of writing a good blog is also simply good writing.

(1) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.(2) Never us a long word where a short one will do.
(3) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
(4) Never use the passive where you can use the active.
(5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
(6) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Available online at: http://billives.typepad.com/portals_and_km/2007/01/guidelines_for_.html

Tech Reports for Spring Semester!

It's that time again! Time to work on another tech report. Last semester we did one on Motivation in Distance Education. The subject this semester is still up in the air. If anyone has any great ideas that they think would be interesting for a tech report, please let me know! Everyone did a great job on the last one and I know this one will be just as wonderful. I am ready and waiting for you tech report ideas!

Spring semester 07

We had our first meeting yesterday. The new scheduling method was unveiled. Now staff members are expected to work 5 four-hour shifts. This should increase our productivity and help with our team-based projects. While there will be some adjustments, I believe this new method will prove beneficial in the long run.

Do's and Don'ts of Powerpoints

Powerpoint Design: The Good, The Pretty, and the Really, Really Ugly

Planning

Target Audience

What do you want to accomplish

1. Outline or Storyboard idea before you even start!
2. Organize, Organize, Organize!
3. Plan your presentation to take advantage of the attributes of the system.

• Tons of Space
• Color- Use it! However, assume that at least one person viewing your presentation will be color blind. Don’t use only color to demonstrate or label ideas.
• Graphics- Try to choose meaningful graphics and pictures, not just random clip art.
• Sound- This is a great but make sure it’s applicable and useful
• Motion clips- Can be video or animations but don’t use them just because you can!
• Linking- Make a choice, don’t just do this just because you can.

Principles

1. Alignment

• This means left, center, or right justified.
• Choose one alignment and stick with it!
• Keep text and graphics away from the edges of the screen.
• Keep an eye out for vertical alignment (top, middle, or bottom) not just horizontal alignment.

2. Proximity

• This means how close are the objects.
• Objects and/ or text that are located close together will appear to belong together or have some relationship.
• Use proximity to your advantage.
• Always think about how close items are on a page and if they have a relationship.

3. Repetition

• Repeat certain elements throughout your presentation.
• Colors, style, illustrations, format, layout, typography, etc.
• Repeating a color throughout a presentation is always a good way to tie a page together.

4. Contrast: This is very important! Make sure you can actually read the text! The #1 mistake people make in Powerpoint presentations is making the text unreadable!

• Choose lots of contrast between the background and the foreground.
• Choose backgrounds that are simple and don’t have too many elements. You want to focus on the content!
• Rule of thumb is to make a dark background behind light text or dark text on top of a light background. The best for readability is always dark on light!
• If possible test your presentation with a projector before you give it. Projectors tend to wash out colors so make sure you can still read all your text.
• Also, assume that at least one person viewing your presentation will be color blind. Lots of contrast will ensure that they will still be able to read the slides.
• Contrasting elements, colors, graphics, different sizes, etc., can be used to guide your eye around the page. Look at the screen and see what catches your eye in what order.
• Watch for and create your own focal points.

Electronic Presentation Specific Design

1. Backgrounds

• Simple
• Not too many colors
• NEVER, EVER use a Powerpoint template that has an animation of any kind!
• Light Backgrounds and dark text are better for readability.
• Powerpoint has some really terrible color combinations, don’t assume that they wouldn’t put them in if they were not good- they did!
• Check that the text is readable on all parts of your page.

2. Text

• Don’t use a “cool font” that is really difficulty to read.
• Pick a font and size and stick with it, don’t change it every screen. If your font size works for every screen except for one you need to think about whether there’s too much text on that screen!

3. 666 Rule or “The Devil Made Me Do It!”

• No more than 6 words per bullet. Otherwise it’s not a bullet point!
• No more than 6 bullets per slide. This makes it difficult for your audience to read and pay attention to.
• No more than 6 word slides in a row. BORING and, if you remember our pie chart, not very effective

General: DO NOT

1. Use the Powerpoint to put up your notes. #2 mistake made in electronic presentations is putting too much information on your screens.
2. Don’t show them what you are telling them verbatim! Just give them keywords and teasers, otherwise why should they listen.
3. Read your slides!
4. This is not a crutch for you not preparing for a presentation.
5. You can use your slides for order and to keep you on track but if you’re going to read them why present at all!
6. Put in sound effects that either have nothing to do with your presentation or actually take away from it.
7. There is nothing more off putting than screeching car sounds in a professional presentation.
8. Sound is great if it actually adds to and is important to the presentation.
9. Use animations for titles on individual pages
10. While this may be acceptable for a title slide, after 10 slides it gets really annoying and usually breaks up the flow of the presentation.
11. Use animated cartoons
12. Powerpoint has all kinds of silly cartoons.
13. If the animation really is applicable to what you are talking about that’s great! Use it.If it’s really a stretch forget it- it’s just distracting from what you’re there to talk about and makes your presentation look unprofessional.
14. Stretch graphics to fit a space
15. When you need to resize graphics HOLD DOWN THE SHIFT KEY while you drag the handle. This will make the graphic resize without distorting it.
16. Graphics that are “pixilated” do not look good, or professional, even if they fit the space!
17. Arrange the space and lighting so that the only thing that can be seen is the computer, screen, projector, or everything else besides you!
18. You are presenting- not the computer! This is one of the reasons to have a great deal of contrast so that the presentation can be seen even when there’s enough light to see you!
19. Use blanks slides! If you don’t want to mess with the projector put blank slides into the presentation whenever you want the audience to pay special attention to you!

Available online at: http://ed.uwyo.edu/Tech/tutorials/powerpoint_design.htm

Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire

This is a complex questionnaire to help teachers diagnose their students' learning styles. It consists of 44 questions and it is evaluated online, with specific tips for individual learners as well as their teachers. Learners are assessed on four dimensions of the Felder-Silverman model (North Carolina State University): active vs. reflective, sensing vs. intuitive, visual vs. verbal, and sequential vs. global. The questionnaire is suitable mostly for adult learners and it might be used in on-campus, as well as online classes. I took it and found out some interesting facts about my preferred learning style.

Net Pedagogy Portal

Found an interesting resource today in Net Pedagogy Portal. Their site explores the internet, new tools (i.e. wiki, RSS), teaching and learning strategies, resources, learning activities, and support systems. This portal was created as part of an Emerging Issues in Educationl Technology with the Masters of Distance Education program at Athabasca University. The target audience is graduate students in Distance Education, Educational Technology and Instructional Design. Its purpose is statement is to increase understanding, knowledge and awareness of the changing landscape of teaching and learning online.