Lessons Learned

This quarter I had more challenges than expected; but I hung in there and surprised myself. This multimedia course and my classmates taught me a great deal. I am appreciative to all that contributed to the new the tidbits of information I have gained as a result.

I learned exactly what Web 2.0 entailed and I even learned new terms like LMS and LCMS. I discovered that I enjoy the aspects of multimedia and I love Skype. Who knew? The course has made me more aware of the technologies that I never paid attention to before like blogs and wikis.

My research on collaboration software has inspired me to use the tools in my classroom next school term. I have learned that the tools have been studied and it has been found that they align with learning theories and can increase student achievement because students are forced to construct knowledge due to their mere involvement in the learning process. Hsu (2008) states, "there are theoretical and conceptual bases for employing these kinds of technologies in the classroom" (p. 64). The theories fall along the lines of constructivist schools of thought.

I look forward to further research in the area of educational technology and I aspire to continue studying emergent technologies that can assist in the classroom. The new knowledge I have gained makes me sad that I am unable to attend this year's NECC conference. I am sure that it would have blessed me with even more information on the subject. I'll have to go next time.

Reference:
Hsu, J. (July-Sept 2008). Innovative technologies for education and learning: education and knowledge-oriented applications of blogs, wikis, podcasts, and more. International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 3, 3. p.62(20). Retrieved March 26, 2009, from Academic OneFile via Gale

Games and Simulations

This is an excellent blog pertaining to this week's topic. It is written and maintained by Clark Aldrich. He is a simulation designer.

http://clarkaldrich.blogspot.com/search?q=games+and+simulations

The author seems to be very passionate about gaming, simulations, and AI. He has several entries on the subject. I was so intrigued that I read them all. My favorite entry is entitled: Virtual Worlds, Games, and Simulations: The Challenges of the Next Five Years. It is very likely that I will reference his material in the future.

Learning Objects and Repositories

A learning object can be anything used to aid in learning. This could range from manipulatives to technological tools. Repositories can be a tool as well. Having information housed in a central location for students to access when needed. What a great idea! 

One of my co-workers uses his wiki as a repository. At his wiki he has student pages that allow the students to upload their assignments as they are given which builds portfolios for them. He also has all of his ancillary materials housed there organized by the standard it relates to so students can print and complete them independently if they are absent or homebound. They also have the ability to do certain assignments, like quizzes, online and submit them to the wiki and/ or email. 

LMS/ LCMS

I am a little late with my submission for week 9. I had a difficult time finding another blog that I wished to critique for this weeks topic. The blog I found is not one unrelated to a company and is not necessarily a professional blog as rules state we must use. However it is written by Dr. Tony Karrer of a firm called TechEmpower. At the site http://elearningtech.blogspot.com/2009/01/learning-materials.html 

the question of what belongs in an LMS is answered. Advantages of having the content kept in the LMS as opposed to just providing the courses via SharePoint. I was not impressed by the content at this blog, but I did enjoy reading the responses to the post. 

For those of you that are not familiar with the terms LMS and LCMS I posted my discussion submission as a way of explaining. See below:

LMS and LCMS are similar, but the LMS is a platform that records progress while the LCMS is a platform for learning. In education LMS platforms can be used to keep track of professional development opportunities and hours earned. In my school system we use My Learning Plan. We are able to enroll in professional development opportunities as they become available and the system logs hours acquired at the completion of the events. We are able to get reminders of courses we have signed up for and we may also complete surveys at the site to evaluate them. The site offers other features like tracking financial expenditures, but I am not familiar. The LCMS is different because in addition to the tracking feature, it is a place where learning content is offered. An example would be ATutor. This is an award winning open source site that allows students to access content uploaded by their instructors. Learning objects would be tools and resources used to aid teaching and learning. This could include digital items like iPods or web-based applications like blogs. Learning objects could also include more traditional items like calculators or simple graphic organizers.

References:

My Learning Plan. (2004). Product info. From http://www.mylearningplan.com

Atutor. (2008). Atutor learning content management system. From http://www.atutor.ca/