| Defined |
| Benefits of |
| Examples |
| Considerations |
| Repositories |
| Other Sources |
The problem of trying to explain difficult concepts in the classroom is not new. Throughout time educators have looked for creative ways to convey information to students. We have used three dimensional models, graphs and illustrations in our face to face classrooms, and are increasingly finding digital resources to illustrate especially challenging topics.
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Learning Objects are defined in many ways, but are commonly identified as:
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The benefits of incorporating reusable chunks of learning content developed by educators with a great deal of expertise for use by educators are numerous.
· No time investment for developing. Rather than planning and building, you search and select.
· No advanced technology skills required. You don’t need to learn a programming language to use highly developed learning modules.
· Subject expertise of creators. Maybe you need to teach a concept outside of your discipline. Learning Objects allow you to tap experts in their fields.
· Connection between object and objective (The quest for the perfect learning object is often the need to teach a specific learning objective).
IVCC Learning Technologies HotPotatoes Crossword Puzzle
APA Style Tutorial http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/~ITL/InformationLiteracy/WebPages/WritingAPA.htm
Cardiovascular Embryology Animations (MERLOT)
http://www.indiana.edu/~anat550/cvanim/
Midsagittal Brain Study Module (MERLOT)
http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/~ITL/brain/
Quia Search
http://www.quia.com/shared/search
Brain Function Interactive Learning Objects
http://www.brainsrule.com/kids/games/index.htm
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Inconsistent construction (Java, Java-script, Flash, html)
Mathlets: Java
Applets for Math Exploration
These aren’t bad examples, but it does require that you are aware of the
difficulties your students might face if they don’t have the appropriate players
and plug-ins.
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Dependent upon availability
Although you can expect to find very few bad links as you search reputable
repositories, there is not a great deal of control as to whether the resource
will forever be available.
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Limited customization
May find resources that can be modified, but for the most part, you are linking
to someone else’s work. Most resources are very generic, which is a good
thing. You would be less inclined to select a resource that had the University
of XYZ emblazoned everywhere.
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Copyright variations. Some creators allow you to use their
objects at will. Others place restrictions on the use. In this example,
Working with the Web
(via Merlot) <
http://www.merlot.org/artifact/ArtifactDetail.po?oid=1400000000000010504 >.
Notice that Merlot makes finding the copyright restrictions easy, and in this
case, the author indicates the only restriction is requesting permission so that
she can track use. A good repository will make the copyright restrictions
clear.
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Some sources closed
Some repositories require you to register.
Some are limited to the faculty at particular institutions.
Pros and Cons of Learning Objects
http://www.ivcc.edu/cetla/workshop/RLOs/learning_object_repositories.htm
http://www.hardin.k12.ky.us/res_techn/countyjeopardygames.htm
http://www.wbtic.com/trends_objects.aspx
http://www.uticapubliclibrary.org/non-profit/education.html
Textbooks
Textbook companies continue to develop web content that accompanies their texts. Typically a textbook will reference a site in the front of the book. There is often an instructor site that will have slide shows, test banks, and other resources. Often there is also a student site.
Follow this link to see an example of the type of resources available to students using a Business Law text: http://www.swlearning.com/blaw/davidson/davidson8e/davidson8e.html
Follow links to:
Student Resources > Legal Studies Resource Center/Digital Video Library >
Note all the options for students who have a code supplied with their text books.
In this case, there is also a video library for those students who are auditory learners.
The benefits to the faculty are very similar to those discussed for learning objects. A caution is that you should be very familiar with what is on the student site so that you can address student questions.
Course Cartridges
The textbook companies have also been working in partnership with course management systems to create content for faculty. Visit the Blackboard Course Cartridge Services Page < http://cartridges.blackboard.com/intro.html > to learn more about cartridges from Blackboard. This page will address benefits to instructors. The primary caution for cartridges is that you must load these into a fresh course shell at the start of the semester, otherwise you run the risk of deleting existing content.
Library—Don’t overlook the library as a great source for learning objects. These may most prevalently be in the format of journal articles.
Periodical indexes are becoming more advanced and will often allow you to link to individual articles from your web page or course management system. When a student clicks on the link, they are prompted to log into the library database. This relieves you of the necessity to get permission to post an article because you are linking to a resource that is licensed and restricted.
Another nice feature of some databases is that they allow you to save your search string. So if you have honed a query to something like Pigs and Art not (porky or piglet), you can re-execute the search periodically without having to remember all the restrictions.