Description

A three minute learning object that provides the theoretical background to support a f2f classroom discussion about doing Practical Components online. It is part of a blended course, "Tutor/Mentor Training" produced for the Distance Education Modernization Project (DEMP) in Sri Lanka.

Production Notes :

This is one of the few learning objects I've worked on where I was only the 'developer' - the content provider and presenter was Mark Lamontagne. Because Mark was unfamiliar with screencasting software such as Camtasia, I asked him to record his message (he used a digital recorder like the one shown here) at his convenience. Next, I took screen captures of the information and in Camtasia added together the images and audio. This method worked well since Mark just had to just concentrate on the message and not messing around with the technology. The only thing I'd change is to add more visuals at the beginning.

This learning object provides an opportunity to experience another way to use powerpoint online. In this example, one slide is used for the entire presentation while the information is dynamically added through mouse clicks while the presenter talks.

Mark calls this presentation style an "audiographic" since it's basically audio over a graphic - it seems like a fitting term!

3 minutes / created in 2006/ 500 kb swf file

Description

This is one of many learning objects created for the "Writing for the Web" course which Mark Lamontagne and I designed, developed and delivered for the Distance Education Modernization Project in Sri Lanka. The objective of this learning object is to inform course creators about some of the colour decisions that can be made to support the presentation of information.

Production Notes :

This learning object provides another example of how powerpoint can be used as the basis for an online learning object. In this particular screencast, the powerpoint slides were created and then Camtasia was used to capture the audio of the presenter (me) while I clicked through the slides. Although you can add audio to powerpoint within the program and then publish the ppt online, I find this process cumbersome, overwhelming and time consuming (especially for beginners). I feel an effective learning object can be created faster by preparing the ppt and then using Camtasia to capture the audio and powerpoint- I usually decrease the size of the powerpoint slideshow to at least 1/4 the usual size to keep the final product file size small and to ensure the slideshow can easily fit for course delivery within an Learning Management System such as Moodle.

12 minutes / created in 2006/ 11 meg swf file

Description

In this activity we explore usability and readability from the other side of the screen – the most important side… the user’s side! We look at both good and bad examples of websites to uncover what features specifically help to create successful, effective learning websites.

Production Notes :

This is a 12 slide presentation created for web delivery within a course entitled "Writing for the Web". I was interested in finding a better way to present powerpoint slides - I used Open Office's 'Impress'.

Here is an excerpt from my blog posting about the experiment:

"These experiments showed that I can make a better web page set up using Open Office - my final website was a smaller file size as well as smaller in the amount of screen real estate. I liked the fact that html wizard gave me control over whether I wanted frames, show notes included and a title screen as well the size of the final presentation (640x480, 800x600, 1024x768)".

Description

This is a learning object that walks through Dr. Edward DeBono's Six Hat Thinking Method. I was contracted by Canadore College in Ontario to produce this object for an Ontario Management Development Program online course entitled "Critical and Creative Thinking".

Production Notes :

The challenge here was to "teach" a technique online that could easily be done in a classroom through a roleplay.

The solution came by using the audio of a meeting from another course and re-purposing it by showing how the statements in the meeting could be aligned with the different six hats.

Since the original audio meeting did not actually apply the Six Hat principles, the final section of the learning object requires that the student read speech bubbles scripted to present somewhat the same information as the audio but is richer in content because now the six hat thinking method is applied. As the student works through the meeting this time, there are quizzes about each hat and what its purpose is.

Description

Upon completing this program, the participant should be able to: (1) Explain the terms focal point and composition (2) Show how the Rule of Thirds can be used when composing photos (3) Distinguish photos which use the Rule of Thirds from those that don't.

Production Notes:

The "Rule of Thirds in Photography" is a Macromedia Flash-based program, to aid learners in becoming visually literate through the introduction of design principles and compositional techniques emphasizing the Rule of Thirds. The product, while addressing the special needs of English as a Second Language learners, uses multimedia activities and simulations in the realm of photograph composition. With over 120 images, more than 70 'introduced' terms with glossary roll-overs, and many options to go 'deeper' or try 'more', the product provides an engaging 60 minute computer-mediated photography lesson.

Description

This is an experimental learning object I created in my Masters course. We had to produce an "Ivideo" or videa with a "Big Idea". The big idea in this one is how the interplay of audio, still image and animation can be useful in teaching a visual literacy concept.

Production Notes:

When I was teaching visual communication in Dubai, my students needed to understand the elements and principles of design as a starting point for creative image composition. I knew if they came to understand how these elements and principles work in masterful images, it would give them a headstart in creating their own well-composed masterpieces. I also knew that by realizing there is an "order" or "truth" in an artist's work, my students would come to understand a whole new language - the language of images - and then, hopefully, they would use that language as their own tool for communication.

How do I get my UAE students to see the interplay of these elements in images? They definitely see it as a different language - When I got thinking about this and discussing these issues with John Bell, Director of the MSU Masters program, he likened my dilemma to helping students understand the language of poetry....the poetry of an image. I got thinking about this - although my students wouldn't go for the poetry angle - I thought - poetry - rhythm - beat....yes, my students can easily interpret the language of traditional Arabic music with its strong beats and fancy rhythms. So I wondered if through my Ivideo I could get my students to "see" the rhythm in a still image. What do you think?

Description

This learning object, developed under contract with Confederation College for the OMDP online course, Communication, uses a recorded audio conversation between a supervisor and employee to aid students in indentifying the 5 feedback strategy steps they would have read about in their manual.

Production Notes:

I am finding that flash does a very effective job of optimizing audio for the web. Also, since the flash player is included with most people's browsers, the student doesn't have to download any additional players or plugins. The final file size is extremely small and since it has a method of streaming, it does not take very long for an flash audio file to start playing even if it is large.

In case some students don't have an audio card (which is uncommon, now) I included the script. However, we have found that on other audio exercise when the script is not included, we still get requests for its inclusion even if the student has an audio card. It seems, for some students, they learn better by reading along, or they feel more secure doing so.

Description

This learning object is used in the last module of an OMDP Online Communication course. It identifies a myriad of communication inventions through time which the student views and then answers questions about.

Production Notes:

This learning object took alot of work since it consolidated information from a variety of resources. It is essentially a work in progress as there's so much more potential for interactivity. I thought it would be good to group the various content areas by colour as I eventually want to add interactivity that allows the student to see a line drawn connecting similar products and tracing their development through time. Ideally I would also like the student to be able to select certain inventions from each grouping and then learn more about the item as well as see an image of it.

In the question section, I originally asked if there was anything missing to gather information for future updates. But now, upon reflection, I think I will leave it missing items and thereby giving the student a variety of discussion points.

Description

The student is presented with an audio recording from a meeting. After listening to the meeting, the student ranks the meeting based on effective meeting criteria and then answers a exploratory questions about the meeting.

Production Notes:

I wanted this meeting to be as natural as possible so I did not provide a script to the actors. I enlisted the meeting facilitator and asked him to organize a meeting with two others to deal with the real issue of Smoking around the Doors to the College. In preparation for the meeting, I asked the facilitator to follow the information and directions provided in a pre-meeting document (you may download it below).

Right now, the students just send their responses to the instructor. I will be recommending that this exercise change to a topic for online discussions in the form of "Was this meeting needed? How do you decide what warrants a meeting?" and then a quick-response list-type exercise (see below) where everyone can see each other's answers to the questions but there will be no expectation of discussion.

Description

This product presents the communication model and is used as a replacement to an instructor's walk through the process on a whiteboard in the classroom.

Production Notes:

This product allows the student to first see the process of communication as a message flows through the model and then the student is encouraged to interact with the model.

Description

In the Ontario Management Development Course, the student is introduced to five steps for effective speaking. This learning object allows the student to apply the five steps to a prepared speech.

Production Notes:

In the OMDP program we have learned that audio can be a very effective content delivery mode. Using Flash, we can make the files small without requiring a special plug-in or downloads for the student's browser. The student simply clicks and the audio plays. We have received very few "help" questions surrounding the audio used in the OMDP courses.

Description

This Learning Object was commissioned by the Ontario Management Development Program for one of the first courses they delivered online entitled, "Personal Success".

Production Notes:

This is an example of a learning object that is strong on audio and activity but little interactivity. It is premised on the "Clothes Line Skit" and is usually role-played in the classroom setting. Online, the students listen to information being passed along and are asked questions about how and why the information changes.