Tay’s Flexible Learning Environments

RSS and education

RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication and Rich Site Summary. RSS provide XML-based format for content distribution. Using this standard, webmasters can provide headlines and fresh content in a succinct manner. The usages of RSS in an education context are described in the examples below:

• Schools can relay homework assignments and quickly announce school cancellations.
• Allow people track changing or new results to their research searches
• Provide listings of past or upcoming events, deadlines or holidays
• Provide new forum headlines and listing of new forum threads
• Provide lists of added or changed pages, so that people don’t need to constantly check for updates
• Provide a list of bookmarks and other external links

RSS readers and news aggregators are program that collect and monitor favourite feeds in one centralised location. Content viewed in the RSS reader or news aggregator is place known as an RSS feed.

1 comment 4 May, 2008

Postcasting

Podcasts are audio or video files in the form of voice recordings, photos, movies, and sound effects that are automatically delivered over a network, and then played back on any Mac, PC, or iPod. This means every time there are new available podcasts, itune or equivalent software will automatically download your subscribed contents to your computer and synchronise it with your ipod when it is pluged in. This is the primary difference between postcasting and manually downloading media files over the net.

1 comment 14 April, 2008

Learning objects

The widely accepted definition of learning objects is Gibbon’s definition. Gibbon defines learning objects as computer media used for the purpose of instructing. The terminology of this idea is sometimes referred to as “instructional object”, “educational object”, “knowledge object”, “intelligent object”, or “data object”. The main properties of learning objects include all the following combinations of a self-contained module, learner focused, audio, video and graphical compatible, reusable, updatable, expandable, and shareable. These properties fit in the realm of constructivism which allow computers the ability of giving instruction in an interactive computer activity that promote students constructing their own knowledge (Dabbagh at al, 2005; Gibbons, 2000). There is a variety of learning object types. The type which this blog will concentrate on is the ‘generative-instructional’ type. An explanation for generative-instructional learning objects given by Wiley is: an executable instructional transaction shell which both instructs and provides practices for any type of procedure (Wiley, 2000). 

It is my firm belief in a new process of preparing new workers for the emerging knowledge economy requiring transferable thinking skills rather than content knowledge or task-specific skills. The core attribute to this new knowledge economy requires the ability to master how to learn new things since the exponential development in ICT is making old skills and knowledge redundant and generating needs for new skills and knowledge. A fertile question that stems from this belief is “how can we design ICT activities with a focus on learning object to support a thinking oriented classroom?”. I am passionate about this topic and I will place a fertile question on my wiki link that will focus on mathematics and learning objects: That question is: How can we provide learning objects to establish and enhance good thinking skills and habits in mathematics? (example: Area of a circle)

References:

• Dabbagh, N. & Bannan-Ritland, B. (2005). Online learning: Concepts, strategies, and application. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc
• Gibbons, A. S., Nelson, J. & Richards, R. (2000). The nature and origin of instructional objects. In D. A. Wiley (Ed.), The Instructional Use of Learning Objects: Online Version. Retrieved from: http://reusability.org/read/chapters/gibbons.doc 
• Wiley, D. A. (2000). Connecting learning objects to instructional design theory: A definition, a metaphor, and a taxonomy. In D. A. Wiley (Ed.), The Instructional Use of Learning Objects: Online Version. Retrieved from http://reusability.org/read/chapters/wiley.doc

1 comment 14 April, 2008

Social bookmarking

Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to store, organise, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet with the help of metadata.

Here is my bookmark:

Add comment 13 April, 2008

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 technology aims to facilitate creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users through web design. Web 2.0 does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but to changes in the ways software developers and end-users use webs. Below are comparisons between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 applications:

Add comment 11 April, 2008

Social Software

Social software also known as collaborative software is a group of programs that allow users to interact and share data with other users. Most technologies classified as social software such as blog, face-book and wiki. These web 2.0 technologies were never intended for the world of education. This post will only focus on definining social software within an educational context. Social software is not a learning resource until it has been actively engaged and executed. Social software in education has the following attributes:

• delivers communication between groups
• enable communicationbetween individual
• provides resource gathering and sharing
• deliver collaborative collecting and indexing of information
• provide syndication to assist the personalisation of priorities
• provide tools for knowledge aggregation and creation of new knowledge
• allow multi-platform delivery of content

For more details on social software check out Evolution of social sofware

Add comment 9 April, 2008

Wiki

A wiki is software that is in the form of a website or similar online resource which allows registered users or anyone to add and create, edit, link, and organize the content collectively. To view a video clip explaination please click on the video tab above this page.

Add comment 9 April, 2008