Online Learning Lab Sandbox area

Alexis Practice Podcast

2008-10-01T12:08:00.000-05:00

This is a practice assignment.

New OLL Services Spot

2008-07-15T15:04:00.003-05:00

Here's the new OLL Services Spot

What can we do along the lines of open education?

2007-02-01T12:43:00.000-06:00

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

2007-01-25T08:16:00.000-06:00

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!

2007-01-19T13:46:00.000-06:00

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

2007-01-19T13:04:00.000-06:00

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

2007-01-16T23:18:00.000-06:00

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

Planning

Target Audience

What do you want to accomplish

Outline or Storyboard idea before you even start!
Organize, Organize, Organize!
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

Use the Powerpoint to put up your notes. #2 mistake made in electronic presentations is putting too much information on your screens.
Don’t show them what you are telling them verbatim! Just give them keywords and teasers, otherwise why should they listen.
Read your slides!
This is not a crutch for you not preparing for a presentation.
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!
Put in sound effects that either have nothing to do with your presentation or actually take away from it.
There is nothing more off putting than screeching car sounds in a professional presentation.
Sound is great if it actually adds to and is important to the presentation.
Use animations for titles on individual pages
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.
Use animated cartoons
Powerpoint has all kinds of silly cartoons.
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.
Stretch graphics to fit a space
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.
Graphics that are “pixilated” do not look good, or professional, even if they fit the space!
Arrange the space and lighting so that the only thing that can be seen is the computer, screen, projector, or everything else besides you!
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!
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

2007-01-16T09:54:00.000-06:00

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

2007-01-12T11:17:00.000-06:00

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.

Vista is coming!

2007-01-11T19:11:00.000-06:00

For those of you who are either not technologically inclined and/or are living under a rock, Microsoft has announced that its newest version of the Windows operating system, Windows Vista, will be available as a stand-alone product or pre-installed on new PCs starting January 30, 2007. Additionally, the newest version of Microsoft Office, 2007 Microsoft Office, will be available in early 2007. Together, Vista and Office 2007 will be seamlessly integrated to provide users with the ultimate computing experience. I know that I may sound like a commercial for these products, but based on the demonstrations and reviews that I have seen and read, Microsoft is poised to remain at the forefront of technology research and development well into this century.

Check out the link below for more information.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista

Google for Educators

2007-01-10T14:14:00.000-06:00

No longer just a search engine, Google develops many applications that are very useful to educators. The link below takes you to the Google for Educators page, it list some very useful applications/services offered by Google and briefly explains how each application/service can be used for education. I am currently using gmail, Google talk and Google Maps/Google Earth. I am also exploring how to use SketchUp – an intuitive 3D modeler. I suggest that everyone visit the page and try out a few of the applications.

http://www.google.com/educators/

P/s Blogger – The blog engine used to create this blog you are reading right now, is owned by google.

Last Post

2006-12-05T10:01:00.000-06:00

This will be my final post as an OLL staff member. It has been a learning experience and a pleasure working with all of you. I will be in Mobile, so I am certain this is not the end of our friendships.
Good luck with your studies and work in the OLL!

Latest wiki stats

2006-11-30T12:20:00.000-06:00

Hi gang,
I have to say, I don't know where all our hits are coming from, but our little unmarketed wiki is trucking along.

Since starting the project sometime in mid-summer, we're closing in on 5000 hits from eleven countries. Our unique visitors spiked to around 36-37/day in mid-October and again recently--this week, in fact.

One theory I have for the number of visits is that wikispaces offers a running daily tally of changes so that, on the days I'm working heavily on the site, the OLL wiki shows up multiple times on their lists. Anyone else in the site who is interested in online learning or instructional design might then take a look at the recent additions.

That said, the days with the most views seem to be during periods that I was not really working on the wiki that heavily. So I'm thinking that maybe students preparing for comps or finals stumbled across the wiki while doing their own research.

Whatever the case, it's continuing to build and I'm rather excited to have a repository of all the cool tools I've come across (its nice to share!). At some point, I'd like to go through and rank the websites and tools as to value, ease of use, etc.--but that may be a far flung dream.

Check out the latest--http://onlinelearninglab.wikispaces.com/

Just For Fun!

2006-11-30T08:22:00.000-06:00

I thought my technology friends would get a good laugh out of this!

Order a pizza in 2010? . . .This is funny, but the scary part about it is that it's probably not too far away from being reality.Want to know how to order a pizza in 2010? Click the link and see. ..turn up the volume. . . listen closely. . . watch the pointercarefully!

http://aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

Enjoy!

Scenario Based Learning

2006-11-29T10:39:00.000-06:00

To help studnet reach a higher order of cognitive level it has become very important for teacher to present instructions that are context centered. To do this we as instructors need to use strategies that can help learners apply their skills readily to situations. To reach this goal one of the most successful strategies is "Scenario based learning" strategy.

Go to the folloiwng website and look at an excellent example of a scenario based learning:
http://scenarios.wikispaces.com/Jinyoung

The topic is "Exercise Planning," there is a Powerpoint version and a video version. Look at the Powerpoint version, it is more clear and self-paced.

Technology and Distance Learning in K-12th Grade

2006-11-29T08:17:00.000-06:00

I found these sites about technology and distance learning in the k-12 education field. They are pretty interesting and give some wonderful tips for implimenting technology in the classroom. Enjoy!

http://www.nacol.org/
This organizations keeps track of K-12 distance education research. It also provides resources and networking opportunities for related professionals.

http://www.cast.org/publications/books/ltr/index.html
This online book is designed to help educate teachers in the theories and uses of computers for the teaching of reading. It relates theories of the brain to computers and to the teaching of reading skills and strategies. It also discusses how computers can improve student motivation and engagement in reading.

Towards a New Golden Age in American Education
This site provides the full text of the U.S. Department of Education's education technology plan, "Towards a New Golden Age in American Education".

http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003313
This site contains a guide which was written to help state and local education agencies measure technology use by examining different key areas such as planning, policies, finance, and professional development.

http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/learning.now/
This is a weblog that explores how new technology and Internet culture affect how educators teach and children learn. It offers a continuous look at how new technology such as wikis, blogs, podcasts, myspace, facebook, vlogs, and the always-on culture of the Internet are impacting
teacher and students' lives both inside and out of the classroom.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech116.shtml
This site contains an article that helps teachers manage technology in their classrooms. It gives them tips to make teaching using technology easy, fun, and successful.

I really enjoyed Theory Tuesday!

2006-11-16T10:50:00.000-06:00

This past Tuesday, November 14, 2006, I attended the Theory Tuesday presentation. I am normally unable to attend because of my schedule, but I was able to be at this month's presentation. I was really in for a treat! Dr. David Ellis, a professor of special education here at USA, truly showed the educational implications of applied behavioral analysis (ABA), the offspring of B.F. Skinner's radical behaviorism. Furthermore, Dr. Ellis explained how ABA can be useful for instructional designers, mainly in ABA's emphasis on clearly-stated behavioral (or, performance) objectives, the attainment of prerequisite skills, and regular assessment. Although I did not agree with some of Dr. Ellis's beliefs about how far-reaching ABA could be in education, I certainly appreciated the opportunity to discuss a paradigm that has many implications for our field as instructional designers.

WikiHow

2006-11-10T14:52:00.000-06:00

Wikihow is a repository of instructions on how to do a lot of things in everyday life. I find it to be a very useful resource for instructional designers or for anybody, for that matter.

Most of the instructions are step-by-step procedural instructions. It does not address the issues of pedagogy, instructional strategy, learner attributes, etc. that IDers have to consider in instructional design. Despite this, I still find most of the instructions on the site easy to follow.

WikiHow is also a Wiki, meaning that anyone can create and edit pages on the site. There are pros and cons to this, pros because if everyone can contribute to the site, the site has tremendous potential for growth, cons because of the increased risk of incorrect infomation.

I believe the website has alot of potential of meeting their vision in "providing free, unbiased, accurate instructions on almost every topic imaginable."

P/s Two other Wikis that i visit are Wikipedia and Wikia

World Lecture Hall

2006-11-07T17:32:00.000-06:00

This is a website created by the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment at the University of Texas at Austin. It provides online course materials from actual courses from all over the world. Some websites of the courses contain only syllabus and notes, some are "full-fledged" courses. Very inspirational for us, instructional designers. Visit it, pick the category of your interest and see what's out there.

Theory Tuesday

2006-11-07T11:36:00.000-06:00

As some of you know, Theory Tuesday is fast approaching. The topic will be the work of B.F. Skinner. I found this link to the B.F. Skinner Foundation. Check it out. Find out if Skinner really created a Skinner box. Then, come to Theory Tuesday on Nov. 14 at 4:00p.m. in Room 3212 to learn even more from Dr. David Ellis.

It's never too late to start

2006-11-07T11:25:00.000-06:00

I have been studying for comps next summer. The group I have joined is planning on going in the spring, so that gives me several months to polish my weak areas. It is interesting to step back from your classes and try to see IDD in the big picture. All of the isolated methods and facts seem to come into focus and you are able to see all the ways the classes are interconnected. I have heard that it is best to get in a group because it helps divide the work load, you get to practice your answers with knowledgeable partners, and it helps to bring confidence. Confidence is definitely important when attempting an important evaluation, such as oral comps.
We are currently creating a timeline in EXCEL that will allow us to put in links, notes, etc., in order to see the chain of events from the beginnings of IDD to the present.

Cool online podcasting "class" coming up

2006-11-06T13:37:00.000-06:00

Yeah yeah, I know we all are such experts at podcasting that we don't need this workshop, but I did find one online and the best part about it is that its free!

It starts on November 6 (tomorrow) and has an instructor (Brian Fenton) whose background and expertise is certainly lengthy.

Probably well worth checking out.

CNET Online Courses: Podcasting 101

Dual Coding Perspectives

2006-11-03T16:03:00.000-06:00

In Instructional Design we tend to take new information and try to immediately put it to use. Its like we as a field are constantly trying to remain on the cutting edge. Dual-coding theory is a fairly well known principle of multimedia design. It states that a deeper learning occurs when information is presented in a text and graphical form. Because this theory does not operate outside of what many educators consider common sense, it has been adopted into practice by the educational community at large.Over the summer new information was published regarding much of the biology behind the dual coding principle. The information brought dual coding theory together with already accepted principles of learning domains. Two basic learning domains, verbal knowledge and intellectual skills are the underlying basis of most of what we call classroom education. Verbal knowledge is commonly considered synonymous with rote learning. Intellectual skills cover a wide range of learning including problem solving, process, rules, discriminations etc.The new findings look at the biological processes that occur when a learner is acquiring verbal information or an intellectual skill. When a learner is engaged in acquiring verbal information, their brain is operating through a single processing track. When engaged in an intellectual skill the brain is using two processing tracks. Specific learning domains operate through specific tracks, but presentation of stimulus also affects the tracks information is processed through.When stimulus is presented in one single format, a single process track is in use. Because the single track is in use, the learner is in a position to best acquire verbal information. When stimulus is in two formats (audio/visual for instance) the learner is in a position to best acquire intellectual skills.This means that if an educator is trying to teach verbal information, the stimulus should be presented in a single format, and if teaching intellectual skills stimulus should be presented in multiple formats.Try to take this into account the next time you put together a lesson.

Constructionist

2006-10-24T09:16:00.000-05:00

My sister who is a PhD student in Computer Science pointed out this professor Amy Bruckman at Georgia Tech. Dr. Bruckman is doing some of the top work in Constructionist theory and practice. Here online community for kids MOOSE Crossing is really interesting. I linked to one of her papers here. Here is the actual website for the MOOSE Crossing community.

Citation Machine Software

2006-10-20T11:24:00.000-05:00

Citation Machine is an interactive web tool designed to assist us while writing reports. Its main goal is to help studnets credit informaiton resource in a standard format. The standard format for our university is APA. Once you go to the website "citationmachine.com" you just have to click on "APA" on the left hand corner, and then pick the resource type (book, journal, magazine) and the program will provide you a relavent form that you need to fill-in. Once you submit the informaiton the program spits out your reference in APA format.

This program is something similar to reference point software, but in this case you have to type in all the informaiton in a database form.