eightbit

The aspects of Second Life that I appreciate about second life is that the platform is very open ended. And has a great deal of potential. I could see how this would be a a inviting platform for e-learning because of the that the program uses metaphors that tie back in real life. Also the verity of environments is awesome. The thing I like most is how user can contribute to the platform, and think any other e-learning environment offers as much customization as second life dose.

I have quite a few problems with Second Life, first and foremost is the main interface, it is entirely too developer centric, and too cumbersome for the average computer user. for most user over the age of twenty five. Second Life also as a steep learning curve, also it is full of bugs and glitches. I absolutely cannot stand the menuing system, I believe that is completely broken, I would hope that the developers would take at look some the most popular PC games and see how their menuing systems work. I also have the issue with the way text is presented in second life, I do not user stand the point of using low resolution jpeg images for text inside the environment. Text is paramount to learning, text should clear and easy to read. I think user of jpegs makes the text very hard to read.

In it’s current state I would not take a class in Second Life, it is too cumbersome. Also for me I like being a real classroom setting. I never real did like the interaction in online environments.

However if someone where to address the main issues that I have with Second Life I would least consider taking the course.

Actually I think a Theological course would be quite intersting in Second Life. It has been my experience that people keep quite when they have question about their faith and the faith of others. People are a lot more open online than they are in real life. Also I have seen theological discussions get heated which causes communication to break down between the parties. So if I were to design a e-learning corse in Second Life I would create a coffee shop environment. I would also use flashpaper version of the Bible, Torah, and the Koran. By using flash paper I can get pretty small file size and still let the text be easy to read on screen. I would split each class into two sections, first part of every session would be the presentation of new material, the second part would be student led, where each student would be responsible for answering a question about their faith views a topic but also how a faith that they do not paractice views the topics. I would also encourage each student to challenge each other to promote understaing. Also since this a online the instructor would have th ability to boot unruly or disrespectful students. To make the environment more suitable by limiting the time each student could respond. I would also a better way for students to present questions. Firefox has real cool plug-in that allows user to mark a web page and to add comments to a page, and then share those with anyone, something like this a shared blackboard would be a cool idea.

Sorry for the late post I have had a really hectic past week and a half, my sons birthday was last weekend and I was in IVR training classes in Boston(Great City! However I do believe that I could live in t city where is easier to find a bar than Dr Pepper.) all this week. I am reading the articles right now though.

The “Experience-Enabling Design: An approach to elearning design” is very well written and illustrated. Some instresting point are made. The one the appeals most to me is this one:

a logically well-laid building plan might fulfill a functional need but not necessarily the experiential need

We can take a look at Apple’s ipod and the Microsoft’s Zune media players. The Zune comes with about ten more features out the box than dose ipod, however ipod sales continue to outpace those of the Zune. The ipod is enjoyable and super easy to use, and Apple has almost perfect the jog wheel interface. How dose this relate to e-learning? Well for me I much better enjoy the experience of being physically in class room as opposed to interacting through a web session or instant messaging. To me it is just more engaging and enjoyable. I also ten to think we as humans retain information if we enjoy the manner in which it was presented. How lines or scenes can you remember from a movie that you did not enjoy? Or how about this question, Do enjoy watching a movie at theater or in your home? Secondly which films do you remember more those you watched at theater or those you watched at home?

We as designers have to appeal to the users, let them enjoy the learning experience, anything the makes the experience less enjoyable might hinder the user from learning.

The Use of Participatory Design Methods in a Learner-Centered Design Process

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I did not enjoy this article as much as I did the previous one(to many acronyms). Paula Vincini takes a very unqiue approach to design by incorporating the users in the design process. The most beneficials parts of this article was the issues with the communication and the lessons learned. I think we in our class have run into some of the same communcation problems that Ms. Vincini ran into. It seems that when using PD method, the non leading members do not understand how import they are to the success of the project. The lessons learned where the higher level administrators. The almost completlely changed the focus of the project. Where the tool was that as support tool the admins wanted to make it a replacement tool where resources were lacking.Why dose Fun-Dip come with three flavors and only two Lik-A-Stiks?

The focus of my final project will be a 21 days course on how to use the Structured Query Language (SQL). I plan on making it a lot like Brain Age. I want the user to have really good understanding of SQL but I also not wish to overwhelm the user with knowledge. I plan on making the website a combination of online quizzes and games, but the user will only be able to take a maximum of three lesson per day and minimum of one per day. This way the information says fresh, but also the user cannot just rush the the course to get credit. The technologies that I plan on using are MySQL/PHP, AJAX, and XHTML/CSS. I choose the subject, is because I believe that school is not doing sufficient job of teaching SQL to students before they reach the PHP course. I think some students are struggling trying to learn SQL and PHP at the same time. Also people are not getting the concept of relational databases.

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ADDIE, ADDIE matches pretty well the way that I wish I could design projects. However I do not to spend much time in the evaluation process. It always seems as though I am stuck in debug mode with my projects.

Results:

Visual: 4

Aural: 4

Read/Write: 8

Kinesthetic: 3

 

Read/Write

I am going to have to disagree with assessment from the VARK questionnaire. I the only that is assessment of my learning style can be correct is when I am dealing with code, such as SQL, ASP.NET, or XHTML/CSS. I a read a book or web article and pick up a concept pretty quickly. However when it comes to design or directions I am very visual in nature, I have to see to steps in order to understand a task on new technique.

 

I actually like this question. I am going to assume that class is a XHTML/CSS development class. I would design the course so at the beginning of each would be a thirty – fourty minute lecture video conference by the instructor, followed by fifteen minute question a answer session. I want to try to keep each lecture and question answer session under a hour. I would also include five to ten questions to conclude each week. I would try to stay away from multiply choice questions. Instead I would try to make the question as interactive as possible. For instance if the topic was typography I allow student to type the CSS and imeditable see the effects it would have on the screen. I would also the same question multiply ways to appeal the different learning styles. I also try to just some inputs type like drag-n-drop to make the site as interactive as possible. I would also e-mail the results to the instructor, so that the instructor may haven better guage on if the students are understanding the core concepts every week. I would e-mail the results to students so that see how well they are going. I would also allow for more than one correct answer, but give more credit to those answer that were the web standard compliant.

 

 

 

How have you utilized your knowledge of your learning skills and your strongest intelligences in developing your learning skills to date? Or, if this is your first experience with learning styles and multiple intelligences, what ideas do you have that would improve your learning skills based on your new knowledge about styles and intelligences?

 

I know when it comes to learning a new programming language I almost always have to pick up a book on the subject. I guess that is where the read write comes in. I really into reading when it some to programming, however of the design side I am so visual, so when it some the learning a new technique in PhotoShop or After Effects I almost always look for video or tutorial with plenty of image to understand how to do something.

 

No Second Life this week. Sweet!!!

Okay I finally got second life to run on my notebook, and I must say I am not impressed by the whole experience. Second Life is full of glitches; I took me at least a good two hours to get of Orientation Island. I walked to the flashing bull’s-eye at least five times before it registered. In it current incarnation I do not see how second life can be a legitimate e-learning alternative. The learning curve is entirely too steep, and too geeky. I but the main programmers behind second life started off developing window applications. The whole interface is very user developer centered, one look that inventory menu can tell you that. Sorry about the rant, but software should not be this hard to use.

Well after I finally made it off the first island, I thought I would take a trip the script-learning island. Let just say I did not learn too much, would have preferred to been handed a textbook for the scripting language as soon as teleported than to look at bunch of low resolution jpegs mounted to a wall. I plan to go back to some other top 20 island today after I get back from church, but the experience thus far has only been an exercise in frustration. Second life needs to hire Shigeru Miyamoto, Kojima, or Bungie as consultants.

It is really instructing to see how technical difficulties can turn a student of from learning. Given my experience I would like to see how the $100.00 laptop experience is going in third world countries(note: I think people in third world countries need water a lot more than the need Linux or Firefox). Consider this the laptop, keyboard, and OS where designed my American at MIT, there has to be huge disconnect is the way we as westerns think and the way people and developing countries think. For e learning to be successful, the technology cannot be obstacle to the user. If the user has, technical difficulties they quickly lose instruct. In addition, they might not just lose instruct in the e-learning environment but may the subject matter itself.

The best experience that I have has with e learning been with Nintendo Brain Age for the DS. I know it is a video game, but it is super easy to pick up. Brain Age is brain-training program, it is supposed to help keep your young and fit by putting through a couple of exercise each day. What are so great about it is that information is always presented are small chucks and each lesson takes no more than five minutes. It would nice to see what how SAM’s publishing could apply this methodology to the learn .. In twenty-four hours, and twenty-one day series.

Behaviorism is a theory of animal and human learning that only focuses on objectively observable behaviors and discounts mental activities. Behavior theorists define learning as nothing more than the acquisition of new behavior.

http://www.funderstanding.com/behaviorism.cfm

I understand Behaviorism to a theory to mean that we only learning by observing and repeating skills and behaviors, or as I like to call it the “Counting Horse Theory”. The was news article awhile ago about a horse who possessed the amazing ability to count. The Horse’s owner and trainer would call out number and the horse would stop it hind leg the correct number of times. It appeared the horse really understood how to count and the concept of counting. However when demonstration was study closer by professor at a local university he discovered that the owner was rewarding by with praise and by stroking his mane as soon the horse reached the correct number. He the owner was not allowed to touch the horse while it counting the horse lost the ability to count. I believe that theory of Behaviorism is best applied to task orientated learning, such as how to install spark plug, or throw a football, where the main goal is to learn how to complete and task, and knowledge of the how make the process work in not unnecessary.

Cognitivism Learning occurs when connections in schema are developed through the processes of assimilation and accommodation.

I am not quite sure that I fully understand the principles of this method. Other than is unique to humans, and that it is not task or skilled based like Behaviorism, hopefully I will understand this more by reading other peoples blogs.

Constructivism is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world we live in. Each of us generates our own “rules” and “mental models,” which we use to make sense of our experiences. Learning, therefore, is simply the process of adjusting our mental models to accommodate new experiences.

http://www.funderstanding.com/constructivism.cfm

I think I am going to call this the jig-saw puzzle theory. When ever I work on jigsaw puzzle I always work to build the outside boarder first so that I have frame of reference Constructivism is where knowledge is built upon what we already know, and this set our frame of reference.

Situated Learning Lave argues that learning as it normally occurs is a function of the activity, context and culture in which it occurs (i.e., it is situated). This contrasts with most classroom learning activities which involve knowledge which is abstract and out of context. Social interaction is a critical component of situated learning — learners become involved in a “community of practice” which embodies certain beliefs and behaviors to be acquired. As the beginner or newcomer moves from the periphery of this community to its center, they become more active and engaged within the culture and hence assume the role of expert or old-timer. Furthermore, situated learning is usually unintentional rather than deliberate. These ideas are what Lave & Wenger (1991) call the process of “legitimate peripheral participation.”

http://tip.psychology.org/lave.html

Connectivism

The Design of e Learning

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