Week 9 More on Learning Modules

As I continue to work on, and think about my learning module, I wonder if i should have picked something I could learn more about, instead of something I am familiar with.  At first I thought it would be a good idea to pick something familiar, so I could concentrate on the learning module rather than the subject,  but now I am wondering if I would have gotten more out of the project if I had picked something I wanted to know more about.  I guess I took the easy road.  Either way I am excited to create the module.  As I mentioned in my previous blog, I am excited to learn how to create these modules, so that I can update my own curriculum.

Week 8: Learning Module

I have decided to propose a learning module that involves learning the basic functions of a 35 mm camera.  I would like to create a module that describes the way the aperture and shutter speed control exposure and also control depth of field and shutter speed.  I will use images to demonstrate the effect of changing both the aperture and shutter.  I am looking forward to creating this module and getting feedback from my students.  My goal is to be able to use this module and learn enough to create additional and more detailed modules that I can use to replace some of the outdated videos and slides that I used to use.  I have several videos that are so outdated that I can’t use them anymore, so I hope I can create something that will work to replace them.

Week 7: Fall Break

This week was fall break and since I don’t come to campus, and I was continuing to work on assignments, and I still had to work , it didn’t really feel much like a break.  I guess I sort of wondered why I didn’t get an update from Terry, but just assumed she would get to us soon enough, and maybe she just wanted to give us a break.  Well I guess she did, since it was fall break. 🙂   Anyway, I have been thinking about what my interactive learning module will be and I am pretty sure it will have somethin to do with photography.  While I wouldn’t mind picking something different, I think the important part of the assignment is to learn how to develop a learning module.  I am excited and hope I can come up with a good idea.

Week 6: Personal Definition of Interactivity

Interactivity –  The foundation of effective learning,  it must be instructional not just appealing,  it promotes engagement, and engagement promotes learning.

Mark Prensky has an interesting perspective on the idea that todays students think and process information differently.  I agree that students today learn differently than yesterdays students, but that has been true from generation to generation.  What I question is if students have always been bored with the learning structure, but have put up with it, because they wanted to learn. Older generations didn’t have the options that are available to students today.  Maybe students today feel enpowered to say “engage me or enrage me”, because they know they don’t have to be tuned in to get relevant information, they have it at their fingertips.

Prensky suggests that technological advancements have changed our kids level of engagement, he states that creating engagement is about ideas, but hasn’t that always been true.  What does technology have to do with engagement.  After reviewing all of the modules, I wasn’t all that engaged and they were all presented with technology.   Interactivity has always been a key component in teaching successfully. 

There is no doubt that digital technology has changed the world.  Todays students are different in their literacy with the computer, but fundamentally they are the same.   Learning designers need to learn to use new technology to present the information in new interactive ways; ways that will engage the learner.

Week 5 Dimdim

Wow, I just finished the Dimdim online chat. That was quite the learning experience for me. Even though it started a little rocky, (but not that bad) once we got going we had a nice conversation. There were a few hiccups through out and with my computer jumping back to the top every now and then it made it a little tough to follow the conversation some times.  It was interesting the way the conversation progressed.  First discussing technology, technology in school and then length of the school year.

 As far as the twitter experience, I thought it worked well to become familiar with the theorist I was assigned, but it was a little too ‘choppy’ to clearly track the information about the other theorists. I did find some interesting information to use in my other class Principles of Learning Design.

Week 4: Twitter and Theorists

Instructional Design, Theorists, Theories, Models and Twitter.

This week I worked on figuring out Twitter and researching information about theorist John Keller.  I found out that he dropped out of college after the first year because he didn’t really know what he wanted to do.  He joined the service and became interested in philosophy. He returned to school and eventually received a PHD. From what  I have read so far I think he is a motivational type speaker, but I need to read more to be sure.  

As far as using Twitter, I never had much interest.  I didn’t understand how you could find the time to read so many unimportant messages.  I don’t care when someone is going to bed, going to work, or whatever.  As soon as I signed up I had 4 followers and all were ridiculous.  Tweets about finding men, how hot they were, etc. etc.  It seemed like this was a huge problem when I first started using the internet.  We would get porn pop ups and unsolicited e-mails, but then it got better and it doesn’t really seem like a problem now, so maybe I will figure out how to eliminate this problem with Twitter too. By the way I did block the 4 unwanted followers. 

I think Twitter could be useful to share information with  collegues important things that were being said in a meeting, to make an important announcement etc., but isn’t that what texting and emailing are about, and with 3 or 4 email accounts to follow, checking my facebook every now and then, my google reader, my new blog,  and now twitter.  An hour goes by just checking all of these things, not to mention opening my snail mail.   I guess, I don’t quite understand the importance yet.  I will keep an open mind, since there are many things I think are important today that I didn’t think were important in the past.

Week 3: Instructional Design, Theorists, Theories and Models

Oops, I almost forgot about the journaling thing, and for  some reason I didn’t notice the Siftables Video Link until Saturday night.

The siftables look like they could be fun.  I could see them being used as an electronic version of scrabble or boggle.  They could also be used for children like in the video of the little kid who was using them to make up his own story.  I think children would really enjoy the story telling application.  The math demo clearly demonstrated how they could be used to help elementary children learn math skills, and they would be more engaging than the traditional flash cards.   I couldn’t really see how the color mixing application was very useful, but I guess maybe he was just showing what all the siftables could do and that in itself was impressive to me. 

I watched the awareness test earlier in the week and actually my older daughter had shown it to me a few months ago.  What I find interesting is that I never saw the bear the first time I watched the video, but once the dancing bear was pointed out, that was all I could see.  Now when ever I watch it, I find it hard to count the passes, because I am so distracted by the bear.  Weird.

Week 2: VCT 5660 Evaluating Interactive Media

The article Evaluating What Really Matters in Computer Based Eduction by Tom Reeves, explains the differences between objectivist epistemologies and constructivism styles of teaching.  He explains the objectivist style is passive learning similar to the  traditional lecture type learning experience.   The student is expected to memorize the information for testing and unless the information is relevant to the persons career, most of the information is lost shortly after the class is over.  The constructivist style is described as exploration and discovery learning.  This style is based on learning by trial and error, discovery and experimenting.  Students are encouraged to learn by doing and discovering and then apply what they have learned.

 A blending of both styles of teaching seems like it would be most effective. Some information  has to be presented by lecture/chalk type, or by reading, but following the presented material with an image, a video, a question and answer session, small group discussion or some type of interatctive activity  can bridge the gap in learning styles.  Not only does this teach to different learning styles, but can it teach students to learn in different teaching styles.

After evaluating the 3 different interctive multimedia learning modules posted on the MERLOT site I found the Neuroscience for kids collection, the most interesting and entertaining module.  Maybe its just the kid in me, but the site was fun and interesting and easy to navigate. The question and answer page was engaging and of course the experiment page with the interactive puzzles was fun.  The MEC Movie tutorial site did not catch my interest at all, and with all the math, I couldn’t even begin to try it out, but I could see the relevance for an engineer student, and I can see the effectiveness of a tutorial type module for learning.  The DNA from the begining simulation was interesting at first, but there were so many slides that I started to lose interest after about 25, then I skipped to the gallery, and other icons at the bottom which were intriguing.  I went back to the slides, but by the end was mostly just scanning them. 

Interactive multimedia educational/training module criteria\

1. Easy to navigate  2.  intuitive for navigation and flow.  3.  somewhat entertaining  4.  interactive  5.  accurate and unbiased information.  6.  aesthetically pleasing. 6. Engaging 7. Stimulating. 8.

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