Do you agree with this list of the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 from the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies? The table shows former rankings of items from 2007 and 2008, providing an interesting view of how some have jumped radically into prominence and others have fallen away. PowerPoint still ranks high at #10–I was surprised by that. Look through the list and notice how many of the tools are free and web-based, even though a number of proprietary software tools, like Adobe Connect, Camtasia Studio, and Photoshop are still indispensible.
Remember all the practicing with online polling options and thinking about clickers? Well, here is the report I worked up on the current state of classroom response systems:
I’m not sure I should post when I’m speechless. What’s the emoticon for wide-eyed wonder?
I just made my first Prezi, a sort of one-slide presentation where you have the whole presentation laid out as if on the dining room table, and you zoom in and out to your presentation topics. You can set up a path to follow using arrows, which I think is a good idea, even though you can diverge from that path at any time and return to it. The design possibilties are staggering and the interest of such a presentation will trump any PowerPoint. Go here and view the demos at the bottom of the page to be, pardon my 60s lingo, blown away! Here’s an image of my first Prezi, which, although it lacks enough media interest, inspired me to think in different terms about importance of idea, sequence, visual opportunities.
Update: I fixed the actual Prezi to have a path that allows you to use the arrows to click through the presentation, although you can use the spacebar at any time to back out or you can click on any item to view it. I also noticed that I had put in a questionable photo–ooops, where did I get that?–so I put in another.
I’ve been reading slide:ology and trying to keep good design ideas in mind for presentations, and I think they would work as well on this one-slide model–maybe better.
I’m psyched! because I was afraid the death of presentations was at hand (and perhaps should have been). Now there’s hope for engaging your audience and changing the way you think about your presentation as you create it.
I missed last Friday’s post because of all-day training with WIDS software, so I guess I should talk about such software and its application in course and program development.
WIDS (Worldwide Instructional Design System) allows you to generate documents from information you input into a variety of database forms, such as syllabus–in GREAT detail. I am a novice, having had the introductory training (only the first of two sessions) and just beginning to fill in forms for myself. First, I’m seeing how one of my own syllabi fits into the template; then I will probably see how it might work for both a program of faculty development and individual workshop planning.
But even as a novice, I do have some impressions of WIDS.
For faculty it’s a little overwhelming at first. After having taught and created syllabi at several institutions, it seems like overkill for faculty. I’m guessing that the up front investment of time is high, but that it becomes easier and more useful the more you use it. For the organized of you out there, it will beome the place for all course information modules.
In the long run, it could help ensure that all your syllabi and course information is consistent from course to course. Could you be consistent using your own documents as models rather than filling up a database, yes.
The real value seems to be for program directors who need to organize standards and collect course data for accreditation. The ability to create documents about course and program requirements for new faculty would be an added bonus.
I have not seen how the software aids in course design, only in document creation. I have not found any forms that discuss course design, so I’m not sure how it lives up to that claim.
If I can be forgiven one negative impression, having only gone through half the training, it is that the whole idea of filling in forms and conforming to a rigid glossary of terms is stifling. I would prefer that we promote and learn the core elements of good courses and learning methods and creatively design from those. Teaching is the kind of craft that works differently for different personalities–both teachers and learners–and there needs to be some flexibility to stretch for it all to work. I’m willing to be persuaded that WIDS can work that way, and will come back with an update, when I find out how.
In a nod to the persistence of paper, meet Blurb, a web-based technology (not the first) for creating your own book, starting at $12.95. Neatest feature is Slurping your blog into a book. Needs some editing, but an interesting concept–better if each post includes a photo.
What would I do with a book of my blog? Well, if I were a student, I could turn it in as an assignment (if I had $12.95), or give it to my parents as proof of work! If I wanted to eliminate a blog and start over, I could keep the book as a reminder of past work. What else?
Building on the EDUCAUSE Review regular feature on IT Myths, in particular “The Myth about the Need for Public Computer Labs,” have you wondered whether colleges still need to devote precious campus space to computer labs? Don’t all students have their own computers today? Don’t most of them have laptops that they can tote to the library or wherever?
Well, I don’t know the data about student computers on our campus, although I do suspect that our students might have better access than is reported nationwide at large public institutions. The EDUCAUSE article cites a 2005 survey that only 72% “of all college and university students own their own computers.” I’d be surprised if our numbers are that low, but I’m also sure that some of our students fall into the gap of not having a computer. But even if all our students owned computers, I would argue that we still need to offer computer labs, in the library and elsewhere on campus. Here are some of the points I agree with from the article and one of my own:
computer labs offer computers with the speed and graphics capabilities required by some course software
computer labs ensure that a class is all working with the same advantages for in-class exams or exercises
computer labs mean students don’t have to lug their laptops around looking for outlets or network connections
computer labs offer spaces for “collaboration, socialization, and computational research.”
computer labs can provide the best software for special projects, such as animation or special document creation, music editing, or 3D experiences
computer labs can provide access to instructional assistance
The article does suggest that each campus asks the right questions, though. What questions should we be asking? What would you like students to be able to do in our computer labs?
If you’ve been thinking about the value of Second Life® or any other virtual world for education and you already have an avatar in Second Life, it’s time to join the newly re-named and re-focused VWER, meeting Tuesday, 5 January 2010 at 2:30 pm SL time (5:30 pm Eastern). Here’s the announcement: Please join us for [...]
Metaplace, the web-based virtual world that never got out of beta, announced its closing yesterday. I never really became engaged with its interface for a number of reasons, but it did seem to have caught on for those who learned to build there. I could never feel a sense of presence with my avatar–maybe because [...]
JoelFoner.com » 9 Ways To Make Second Life® Run Faster On Your Low Performance Computer. Sharing these tips, if you have issues running the Second Life® viewer on your computer. Some of the advice is for Windows users, but much of it is good for Mac users, too. Always check the SL™ system requirements, especially if [...]
Barbara Pittman
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