CIL2007: Learning Objects and Gaming

Shu Liu, Digital Content Librarian at Colorado State University:A learning object is an online tool that includes a learning objective, a learning process, and assessment of learning, providing an interactive experience to help learners digest a specific piece of knowledge or master a specific task.

Imagine this as a pyramid — from bottom to top would be: Courses, Units, Lessons, Learning Activities, then the Learning Object

The Wisconsin Online Resource Center, which contains a library of learning objects.

Other sites include:

• MERLOT — the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
• UTOPIA — University of Texas repository

See also: Wikipedia article on learning objects
Tammy Allgood of Arizona State University Library:

Using gaming to introduce lower division students to library as a physical and virtual place, various services and resources.

Recommends starting with a board game before going online.

The ASU game was built using Flash and is at library.west.asu.edu/game/quarantined/login.cfm. Username: Tammy Password: Allgood (good until 4/24/2007)

Version 1.0 has been in use this spring semester; feedback from students going into version 1.1.

CIL2007: Podcasting with a Purpose – Possibilities for Library Instruction

Presented by Rachael Clemens, Distance Education Librarian at CSU-Fullerton

Study group – 43 graduate students in nursing program

Based on reported needs and survey of faculty, completed podcasts on using databases following these steps:

• Determine content
• Write script
• Create PPT slides
• Practice
• Record
• Edit, redo, edit more
• Post on website, add RSS, post to iTunes

Created podcasts as MP3 (audio only) and MP4 (audio + video).

Audacity – 5-star rating for creating audio-only tracks

QuickTime Pro ($30) – allows output as MP4 for audio-video tracks Camtasia, Captivate, and Wink can also do this.

May need to budget for iPods or other portable media players (audio+video) to promote this service and for staff training.

Also budgeted about 15.5 hours to create a 6-minute audio-only podcuast. Crafting content, writing script, making and editing recording are largest time components.

Evaluation tool was an in-class timed literature search:
• Database choices
• Search terms
• Identify appropriate published clinical trials
• Mechanics of obtaining full-text
• Citation format

F2F scores were slightly higher than online-only students and gave higher evaluations to their own perceived learning. Other survey results seemed disappointing as far as enthusiasm; still, 77 percent of online students indicated an interest in blogs, wikis, podcasting.

What would she do differently? Maybe make it more as an infomercial – more entertaining instead of lecture/documentary-style. Could involve more people as a cast, script-writing, etc. Note to self: Maybe the School of Communication students could help us with this?

CIL2007: Learning with Blogs and Wikis

Presented by Meredith Farkas and Michelle Boule. Online at: http://michellemeredith.pbwiki.com

Farkas: Blogs used to be seen as an online diary or journal, but are now used for many more diverse purposes including education.*

Blogs could be used by faculty to post announcements and musings without using a Blackboard course. Can solicit comments and feedback from students as well. Note to self: need to check if Blackboard will do RSS feeds, maybe in version 7?

Wikis can also be used as a more functional course-management space. See biro.bemidjistate.edu. Great too for group collaboration on documents.

Boule: Demo of their Five Weeks to a Social Library, a free online course for librarians everywhere! She encouraged others to steal and build on this course for use with their own staff or colleagues.

*Keep comments open, but do remember that some folks are uncomfortable with public writing. Perhaps they’re sensitive to the fact that online postings (email, blogs, etc.) are notoriously weaker for communicating tone, sarcasm, etc. than would face-to-face conversations. Just because I may blog at a whim doesn’t mean others should feel the same way…

Local TV stations face Net threat

ZDNet: Local TV stations face Net threat:

The warning signs are ominous for local TV outlets. Last month, NBC Universal and News Corp., parent company of Fox Broadcasting, helped establish a new online video network that will distribute full-length movies and TV shows across some of the top Internet portals. CBS announced its own video network last week.

Is there a place in this direct-to-consumers business model for local TV stations?