October 31, 2004

Video about standards for elearning

X4L - Exchange for Learning - Video

Posted by robin at 10:19 AM

Elearning examples

Examples

A really great selection of links to elearning examples.

Posted by robin at 10:17 AM

October 30, 2004

Manuals on open source streaming

streaming media manual From Radioqualia

Inlcudes

Introduction to Streaming
Introduction to Your Soundcard
External Audio Devices
Mixing Desks
Cables and Connectors
Hardware Set-up for Live Streaming
Plugging in
The Art of Mixing
Introduction to Linux Windowing Systems
Introduction to Linux File Structure
Some Linux Commands you Should Know
Connecting to the Internet with Linux
Installing Software on Linux
Introduction to Linux Sound Architecture
Linux Software - Mixers
Linux Software - XMMS
Linux Software - Test Editors
Linux Software - FTP
Installing MuSE
Live Streaming with MuSE
Creating Playlist Files
Linking with HTML
The Politics of Streaming (rant)
Streaming with playlists from MuSE
Setting up Icecast2
Using Icecast

Posted by robin at 12:01 PM

October 29, 2004

Lifeblog

Nokia - Nokia Lifeblog Nokia new blog service from phones but it requires certain phones and a PC.

From the site "Nokia Lifeblog is a PC and mobile phone software combination that automatically keeps a diary of the multimedia items you collect with your phone, such as images, videos, text messages, and multimedia message"

Posted by robin at 05:21 PM

October 25, 2004

Training Cafe

Training Cafe - Home portal to dreamweaver, flash and fireworks learning resources.

Posted by robin at 07:00 PM

October 21, 2004

onOffice

noOffice

From the site " Your personalised business administration and accounting service.

Designed for…

Contractors, Consultants and Small Business Owners; who would rather focus on their clients, and on growing their business than on administration and accounting issues."

This could be a great solution to for business tools.

Posted by robin at 03:37 PM

Blog from 37signals

Weblog / Blog: Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals) hmm where do I start.

Posted by robin at 03:30 PM

This could apply to design students as well.

How NOT to go about a programming assignment

Posted by robin at 02:25 PM

October 20, 2004

A nice flash site for kids

Smithsonian Education - IdeaLabs: Smithsonian Kids and example of an eLearning site.

Posted by robin at 02:38 PM

October 19, 2004

2004 Calgary University Best Practice Online Conference in elearning notes.

This was a bit of a odd experience, like online learning to is great to get "do" the conference in my own time and space I feel like I missed the whole experience of a conference eg travel and chit chat. But I didn't get a chance to get to any of the realtime sessions. I did wonder what is the difference with this between just having a website and the real difference was being able to asked question of the presenter/writer which I did a few times, and I got a quite a bit these dialogues.

What I learnt/actions

  • Chaos is good
  • Trial online a role play for client communication early next year
  • Build a self assessment matrix for online stuff based on the webCT exemplary evaluation
  • Still in two minds about personalization and how worthwhile it is in the context of project based work and what personalization is in the context of project based work
  • More visual ways of doing assessment work could be great, which I've started to do by using screen-grabs of students work and then using the notes features in Acrobat.

Keynote: Educhaos: Facilitating the Unpredictable! by Marie Jasinski


Educhaos=The spot where organisations are more flexibly, adaptive and innovative. They are are on the edge of chaos and order. Finding your own sweet spot

Speed dating/Speed Coaching/Speed Crits/Speed Feedback

Roleplays how there works.

Release of different scenarios to different people

  • Role Brief, which is hidden from other people
  • Role Profile which is released.
  • Scenario is released.
  • Moderator has an overall view
  • Assessment/debrief is done in the form of self assessment and peer-assessment (takes up to a week) both in character and out of character

Thiagi's six phase of debriefing model (often face 2 face)

  • how did you feel?
  • what happened?
  • what did you learn?
  • how does this relate to real life ?
  • what if ?
  • what next?

Design Jamming - how it can be improved

I got a lot out of this, I like the idea of educhoas, It reminded me of that key message from march of in learning of chaos. I can really see how this could work for my students in developing better client communication skills and online team work skills.

Follow up on The ZEN of "MOD" in online Role Play Simulations, and trail the idea of speed group review sessions.

Keynote: Can you get there from here? Facilitating learning online! by Rik Hall APPLYING THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD PRACTICE IN UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

From a book written by Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson
http://www.msu.edu/user/coddejos/seven.htm

Rik's Summary of that

  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Active Learning
  • A plan for success
  • A plan for different learning styles

Has student expectations been made clear to them.

Adding Adaptivity to Your Study Materials by Tim Neumann

This is first presentation I read. (It was on my first one on the list). In has some great references to the importance of adaptive learning media and the fact that this maybe what is really important about e-learning. It's interesting that it's in area that is close to what I work, eg audio engineering. What the final system does is point "virtual fingers" towards the resources that the learner needs to access. Based on a small sample group this techniques works better with linear sequences.

Technically this was done via some php scripting that I think I understood.

Future features looks likes look "the addition of a learner-controllable feature, the color reset function"

http://ahs.commonline.org/bpel/index.php

Interactive web-based audio and video in a "Flash": The use of the Flash Communication Server to provide educational video for instruction and feedback purposes by Ellen Whybrow, Ismael Rumzan & Jim Boyes

Built with RoboPresenter
Voice over PowerPoint style presentation
Skills = video, and feedback via video
Some of the challenges and problems are what I've personally been seeing recently and part of what they see as the solutions is flash communication server.

The example is a piano practice sessions (eg making the online environment visual and skills based)

One of the nice features they have built into the system is where the students can record and upload video in one action, and then the teacher and other students can access the video.

This presentation is a really interesting example of what video online can be and why it's important for a skills based areas. I really like the idea of using flash communication server to record and upload video.

What Task Design Facilitates Learning in an Online Course? by Deb LaPointe

I like the idea of "Scaffolding by Task Design." Which in the article refer to groups tasks. I should followup on Rose, M. A. and Flower, J. (2003).  Assigning learning roles to promote critical discussions during problem-based learning.  19th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning.  Madison, WI:  The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

Graphic Tablets and Tablet PCs: Alternatives to Marking by Keyboard and Mouse by William Bernhardt, Mark Lewental and Peter Miller

Basically the idea is to use a tablet to able to mark essay's and assessment in a more graphical way. This could work really well for all a lot of the type of feedback I need to give students, especially for work in progress. It was done simply with a Wacom tablet, Acrobat was one of the software solutions the other one was Meander’s Annotator. This is one of those ideas I wish I had of thought of !!!!!.

Online Project-Based Learning: Designing 60-Second Interactive Audios and Videos for Classroom Assessment by Ralph Olliges & Sebastian Mahfood

This presentation started more questions for me than what it answer. What they are doing is building a database of 60 sec videos that support students in project based work. The students access the information when they need in the context of the project. To quote them

"In short, adult learning is highly self-directed, experiential, needs-based, and situationally-contexted"

One way they are storing the video is in a webCT image database. What seems really powerful about this idea that students are able to access just the information they need.

http://www.sebsteph.com/calgary2004/

Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) provides a method for increasing student preparation for classes and promotes active discussion by Todd C. Nickle

The model put forward was in the context of teaching science, eg lots of jargon and highly technical and most lectures are normally a form of shock therapy. The course is structured around a text book and before each lecture students have to do a short web based assignment based on the chapter of that is currently being looked at, then f2f lecture is changed to solve the problems in understanding that might have appear in the assignments. This means the students have done the reading before the lecture !!!!!! It's a nice idea I'm not sure how it would work in my context.

http://wwwacad.mtroyal.ab.ca/biology/JiTT/

Introducing Peer Coaching through an Asynchronous Online Course by Matt Huston

Some resource that could be interesting in following up are

Costa, A.L., & Garmstn, R.J. (2002). Cognitive coaching: A foundation for renaissance schools (2 nd ed.). Norwood ,MA : Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.

An example of using metaphor in e-learning design - The Research Observatory by Liz Falconer, Manuel Frutos-Perez & Yvonne Aburrow

"Learning works best when learner "pulls" knowledge, eg it's not pushed at them. But this is not easy to teach in a normal classroom situation."

Metaphors as a away to organise learner pathways thru resources, eg maps, rollover maps. There might be a set of resources that different learners have different "map/metaphors". I know there is a need for better ways to organise learners pathways thru info but I'm not sure if metaphors are the right way.

Most of the presentation went on to talk about XML and content management systems. Which reminded me that I need to start doing some version control.

Posted by robin at 01:11 PM

Vark - learning

VARK -- A Guide to Learning Styles divides in visual aural etc

Posted by robin at 11:33 AM

October 18, 2004

Carroll's Reconstructing Minimalism again

Educom Review July/August, 1998

Reconstructing Minimalism

Posted by robin at 06:33 AM

October 17, 2004

Tools for testing sites in different browsers

MAC version iCapture - your site through the eyes of Apple's Safari browser.

PC version ieCapture - the PC cousin of iCapture

Posted by robin at 07:35 PM

A sunny sunday

Well it's a beautiful day, I'm inside working on my ID project, which because it relates to my work feels like work. The content development is taking longer than what I thought, which is maybe always the case. On of the most interesting things is the way I've been using stickies to organise the content, both the sequencing, cluster and helping to define what I particular task actually covers. This is one of those things I talk to students about but don't actual do myself normally. I'm also starting to wonder if there is "to much" content development need for this course. But on the problems is the existing resources are not designed for visual people. It feels like on catch 22 problem, I might be reinventing the wheel when I really should just reusing someone else's resources.

Slowly starting to get my head around the evaluation stuff, and hopefully after lunch I'll be at the point where I'm back to writing my actual paper.

Posted by robin at 09:38 AM

Card Sorting software applications

DonnaM: Card sorting tools - a short summary

Posted by robin at 09:31 AM

October 15, 2004

Notes on a Thursday

I had a couple of really interesting experiences happen today. At the end of the work in progress meeting, I said that I had a few info sessions ready to run. The response was "do you just have the handouts". I think this was for a number of reasons a software demo/monkey see monkey do would take to much time out of day and it would take away from their project time. The students are close to finishing and are starting to switch into a mode of more "workplace learning" and just in time learning. But some of the students that needed these sessions are the students that normally learn by doing and exploration not by software demo's. What was also interesting about this was that I also spent quite a bit of time coaching on topics and techniques that I have already done software sessions on, I think one of those students did miss the demo session. But then I know the other student was at the session. Maybe I've finally got them to the point I want them to be at ? They are all running late with there projects but there is quite a bit of energy in the studios.
Posted by robin at 01:27 PM

October 13, 2004

Pocket PPC browser emulation

http://relay5.yospace.com/ipaqbrowser/ipaqbrowser.html? just need to add the url to the end.

Posted by robin at 04:56 PM

Storytelling

Leader's Guide to Storytelling Steve Denning's blog.

Posted by robin at 12:24 PM

October 12, 2004

Strange Attractors

Strange Attractors - An Animation Showcase

From the site "12 animations. 12 animators. 12 insights into their practice and their trade secrets. Experience 12 reasons why Victoria is the Australian centre for independent animation."

Posted by robin at 03:20 PM

Teaching with the Web

E-learning and assessment - Welcome
From the site:

This site shows how you can use the Web to your engage your learners in the classroom, the workplace or online.

Posted by robin at 10:10 AM

October 11, 2004

Video Tutorial on using actions in Photoshop

creativepro.com - Photoshop How-To: Recording Actions for One-click Production

Posted by robin at 08:25 AM

October 08, 2004

Creativity & Innovation in Science & Technology

Creativity and Innovation in Science and Technology

From the site "Creativity and innovation for solving problems and implementing solutions is Mycoted's specialty.

Creativity and innovation within the science and technology area is our focus, the techniques we use however, are equally applicable to other areas. "

There are a few good subsections.

Creativity techniques and creative tools for problem solving

Lateral thinking puzzles

Posted by robin at 08:03 AM

October 07, 2004

ISO 13407 standard for interface design

ISO 13407:1999

Posted by robin at 05:17 PM

Free TV Australia

Free TV Australia - stuff about what is OK on TV ad's

Posted by robin at 09:42 AM

October 06, 2004

Content Roadmap

ITFORUM archives -- October 2004 (#16) stuff about instructional design and interface design. It's an interesting reflection.

Posted by robin at 10:17 AM

Road Map for Educational Multimedia Design

Road Map for Educational Multimedia Design Interpretation and informal design and instructional design.

Posted by robin at 10:04 AM

Usablility questions

Interface Guru (TM) | What We Do | Quick-Start Guide - 5 questions about the usablility of a site.

Posted by robin at 06:04 AM

October 05, 2004

COLOR IN MOTION

COLOR IN MOTION / Main An animated and interactive experience of Color Communication and Color Symbolism.


Posted by robin at 10:01 AM

October 04, 2004

WA PayPal eCommerce Snap-ins for Flash MX Tutorials

WebAssist Products :: WA PayPal eCommerce Snap-ins for Flash MX Tutorials

Posted by robin at 02:58 PM

October 03, 2004

Mac os x srceen recording for free

macosxhints - Record OS X screen activity to a Flash movie

Posted by robin at 09:38 AM

Flash drawing tools

Macromedia - Developer Center : Drawing in Flash: A Beginner's Introduction to the Flash MX 2004 Drawing Tools

From the site "The purpose of this exercise is to gain a basic understanding of how to use the drawing tools in Flash MX 2004"

Posted by robin at 09:35 AM

Web for handhelds

Pocket-Sized Design: Taking Your Website to the Small Screen: A List Apart - might have already blogged this.

Posted by robin at 09:24 AM