Below are examples of elementary school learning objects in a few subject areas:
Virtual Tour of Ancient Greece:
http://www.mystery-productions.com/hyper/Hypermedia_2003/Miller/%20AM_hypermedia/Artifact/
Any BrainPop Introductory Video:
http://www.brainpop.com/
EdHeads Simple Machines Activities:
http://www.edheads.org/activities/simple-machines/
"Do We Really Know Dewey?" Tutorial (created by kids for kids):
http://thinkquest.org/library/site.html?team_id=5002
Digital Author Interviews on TeachingBooks.net:
http://www.teachingbooks.net/
WebQuests, buILders, podcasts, YouTube videos, and even websites can all be considered learning objects too, provided that they are digital aides that can be reused by other schools, classes, or grades to support learning. You have probably even created some of your own learning objects far before you learned the term!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Collection of Library Learning Objects
The following site contains many library learning objects:
http://www.merlot.org/merlot/materials.htm?category=2269
What makes these learning objects? They are digital, reusable resources that enhance learning. They can be used in many different classes, depending on the context in which instructors plan to use them.
Many of the resources linked within the site above are intended for high school or college audiences though, so my next post will contain elementary/ middle school library learning objects such as the short digital activity on copyright below:
http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf
http://www.merlot.org/merlot/materials.htm?category=2269
What makes these learning objects? They are digital, reusable resources that enhance learning. They can be used in many different classes, depending on the context in which instructors plan to use them.
Many of the resources linked within the site above are intended for high school or college audiences though, so my next post will contain elementary/ middle school library learning objects such as the short digital activity on copyright below:
http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Learning Objects: Clarifications
As Ace pointed out in her response to my last post, the term "learning objects" is confusing to those of us (including me!) who have not heard of it before. As I looked over various sites and definitions, I came up with clearer insights as to what a "learning object" really is. Here is the main portion of what I posted in response to Ace:
A learning object is basically any type of digital aid that can be used in your lesson and can be reused for other lessons. A videotaped experiment posted to the Web, for example, is a learning object that can be used in a seventh grade science class in one school and a tenth grade biology class in another school, depending on the context in which it is presented and the discussions/ assignments that spring from it.
The goal of learning objects seems to be to provide students with a variety of smaller chunks of information in a lesson instead of presenting them with a continuous lecture that is much less stimulating and does not appeal to various learning styles.
Library PowerPoints, video clips, or even short digital scavenger hunts could all be considered learning objects that are relevant to us.
My explanation here seems to coincide well with the explanation given by Ohio State University librarians in the workshop PowerPoint linked at the bottom of this page. In the PowerPoint, the presenters note that games, short WebQuests, cartoons, online mazes, and many more instructional tools can all be considered library learning objects. Check out the benefits/ purposes of using learning objects on the final slide!
A learning object is basically any type of digital aid that can be used in your lesson and can be reused for other lessons. A videotaped experiment posted to the Web, for example, is a learning object that can be used in a seventh grade science class in one school and a tenth grade biology class in another school, depending on the context in which it is presented and the discussions/ assignments that spring from it.
The goal of learning objects seems to be to provide students with a variety of smaller chunks of information in a lesson instead of presenting them with a continuous lecture that is much less stimulating and does not appeal to various learning styles.
Library PowerPoints, video clips, or even short digital scavenger hunts could all be considered learning objects that are relevant to us.
My explanation here seems to coincide well with the explanation given by Ohio State University librarians in the workshop PowerPoint linked at the bottom of this page. In the PowerPoint, the presenters note that games, short WebQuests, cartoons, online mazes, and many more instructional tools can all be considered library learning objects. Check out the benefits/ purposes of using learning objects on the final slide!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Intro. to Learning Objects
After discussing DyKnow products for the past few weeks, it's time to switch gears. I have been assigned "Learning Objects" as my second blog topic and will be reporting on these now, along with any other interesting technology news or sites I come across.
There are many different ways of defining the phrase "learning objects" in education, but the one that seems to be the most prevalent/accepted is David A Wiley's. According to Wiley, a learning object is "any digital resource that can be reused to support learning... The main idea of 'learning objects' is to break educational content down into small chunks that can be reused in various learning environments, in the spirit of object-oriented programming" (see site linked above). In other words, learning objects are digital materials that come in relatively small chunks and can be used in many different lessons. Various websites can be considered learning objects, as can PowerPoints, animations, videos, podcasts, and other digital materials.
Many websites have been designed to collect and host learning objects so that educators can find ones that match their units. One site, called "LOLA Exchange," has a helpful video showing why the exchange of learning objects is beneficial. Check the site out here and watch the very brief introductory video.
This weekend I will search for some K-12 library learning objects to make this concept a little more clear and relevant. :) In the meantime, please feel free to post any initial reactions!
There are many different ways of defining the phrase "learning objects" in education, but the one that seems to be the most prevalent/accepted is David A Wiley's. According to Wiley, a learning object is "any digital resource that can be reused to support learning... The main idea of 'learning objects' is to break educational content down into small chunks that can be reused in various learning environments, in the spirit of object-oriented programming" (see site linked above). In other words, learning objects are digital materials that come in relatively small chunks and can be used in many different lessons. Various websites can be considered learning objects, as can PowerPoints, animations, videos, podcasts, and other digital materials.
Many websites have been designed to collect and host learning objects so that educators can find ones that match their units. One site, called "LOLA Exchange," has a helpful video showing why the exchange of learning objects is beneficial. Check the site out here and watch the very brief introductory video.
This weekend I will search for some K-12 library learning objects to make this concept a little more clear and relevant. :) In the meantime, please feel free to post any initial reactions!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Cost of DyKnow Products
As "Ace" noted after my last post, cost is always an issue, especially with school districts! It looks like DyKnow software has to be purchased per computer, and the cost ranges from $24 to $108 depending on whether DyKnow Vision, DyKnow Monitor, or both are purchased and whether a technical support package is chosen (See http://www.dyknow.com/vision/faq.aspx for more info.). That can become quite expensive if purchased for all students, but might be more reasonable if purchased for a few mobile labs.
Overall, there seem to be many benefits to using both DyKnow Vision and DyKnow Monitor though. Like most technologies, they are great if you can work them into your budget or find a relevant grant!
Overall, there seem to be many benefits to using both DyKnow Vision and DyKnow Monitor though. Like most technologies, they are great if you can work them into your budget or find a relevant grant!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
DyKnow: More Students' Reactions
As I noted in an earlier post, it's actually difficult to find criticisms of DyKnow products. A Grove City College newspaper article does, however, point out a few students' concerns from when the technology was first introduced to the college in 2006. Since we already know many of DyKnow's benefits from previous posts in this blog, I thought I'd highlight student complaints/concerns here. These include:
-monitoring of their screens (some college students feel that they have the right to look at whatever they want during class without being monitored by professors)
-an artificial atmosphere w/ fewer opportunities for interesting spur-of-the-moment class discussions
-being required to bring computers to class each day
-having to take notes the professor's way
-increased collaboration-over-computer activities detracting from, instead of improving, the learning process
Check out the article here: http://www.gcc.edu/UserFiles/File/news/collegian/090806Collegian2.pdf
Which of these concerns/complaints do you see yourself facing as a K-12 library media specialist (if your school could afford the DyKnow products)? What are your thoughts about them?
-monitoring of their screens (some college students feel that they have the right to look at whatever they want during class without being monitored by professors)
-an artificial atmosphere w/ fewer opportunities for interesting spur-of-the-moment class discussions
-being required to bring computers to class each day
-having to take notes the professor's way
-increased collaboration-over-computer activities detracting from, instead of improving, the learning process
Check out the article here: http://www.gcc.edu/UserFiles/File/news/collegian/090806Collegian2.pdf
Which of these concerns/complaints do you see yourself facing as a K-12 library media specialist (if your school could afford the DyKnow products)? What are your thoughts about them?
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Random Websites of Interest...
I am always on the lookout for more websites to add to my developing list of resources, so I was pleased to come across a few somewhat (Ok- very!) random ones I liked while evaluating a library media center's site. Here they are, in addition to a few of my own personal favorites:
Scholastic's Class Set-Up Tool:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/tools/class_setup/
This site allows teachers to try out room arrangements virtually before actually moving the furniture around-- It will save them time and strained backs!
Recipes4Success- Graphic Organizers:
http://www.myt4l.com/index.php?v=pl&page_ac=view&type=tools&tool=graphicorganizers&delete=9029
Create your own graphic organizer sheets here.
Free Rice Vocabulary Challenge:
http://www.freerice.com/index.php
A great suggestion for high school students who have a little too much time on their hands while in the library-- Build your vocab. and fight hunger!
Guinness World Records:
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/default.aspx
Who doesn't love reading these?!
BeFunky:
http://www.befunky.com/
Turn your photos into digital cartoons- Cool for creating publications that will catch students' attention!
Coolmath4kids- Monster Mind Reader:
http://www.coolmath.com/math-mind-readers/index.html
Great for practicing mental addition and subtraction! Suggest it to third-fifth grade teachers as either a good extension for kids who finish work early or a whole-class activity (either using a SMART Board or the computer/ projector combination), with groups taking turns deciding which numbers to choose. Teachers can challenge students to figure out how it works!
Fun Mathematics Lessons by Cynthia Lanius- Power Cards:
http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/pro/powerp.html
Teachers can amaze their students as they read their minds through the “Power Cards” on this site, then teach students the trick (or challenge them to figure it out!) and print the cards for them so that they can astound their families and friends. This is another great activity for practicing mental math. It will help teach kids strategies for adding numbers efficiently in their heads.
Monster Exchange:
http://www.monsterexchange.org/
K-8 classes from different locations partner with each other online. Each student (or group of students) creates a colorful monster using school computer software, describes the monster in writing as clearly and succinctly as possible, and then emails the written description to a student in the partner class, who tries to recreate the monster after reading the description carefully. Original and redrawn monsters are then posted to the website. This idea could be modified in various ways to fit other content areas (by making maps instead of monsters, for example) or could be used as a writing/ art hallway display in which students are paired with students in other classes to practice writing clearly and following directions. It might also be a fun reading buddy activity.
What are the coolest or most useful sites you've visited lately?
Scholastic's Class Set-Up Tool:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/tools/class_setup/
This site allows teachers to try out room arrangements virtually before actually moving the furniture around-- It will save them time and strained backs!
Recipes4Success- Graphic Organizers:
http://www.myt4l.com/index.php?v=pl&page_ac=view&type=tools&tool=graphicorganizers&delete=9029
Create your own graphic organizer sheets here.
Free Rice Vocabulary Challenge:
http://www.freerice.com/index.php
A great suggestion for high school students who have a little too much time on their hands while in the library-- Build your vocab. and fight hunger!
Guinness World Records:
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/default.aspx
Who doesn't love reading these?!
BeFunky:
http://www.befunky.com/
Turn your photos into digital cartoons- Cool for creating publications that will catch students' attention!
Coolmath4kids- Monster Mind Reader:
http://www.coolmath.com/math-mind-readers/index.html
Great for practicing mental addition and subtraction! Suggest it to third-fifth grade teachers as either a good extension for kids who finish work early or a whole-class activity (either using a SMART Board or the computer/ projector combination), with groups taking turns deciding which numbers to choose. Teachers can challenge students to figure out how it works!
Fun Mathematics Lessons by Cynthia Lanius- Power Cards:
http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/pro/powerp.html
Teachers can amaze their students as they read their minds through the “Power Cards” on this site, then teach students the trick (or challenge them to figure it out!) and print the cards for them so that they can astound their families and friends. This is another great activity for practicing mental math. It will help teach kids strategies for adding numbers efficiently in their heads.
Monster Exchange:
http://www.monsterexchange.org/
K-8 classes from different locations partner with each other online. Each student (or group of students) creates a colorful monster using school computer software, describes the monster in writing as clearly and succinctly as possible, and then emails the written description to a student in the partner class, who tries to recreate the monster after reading the description carefully. Original and redrawn monsters are then posted to the website. This idea could be modified in various ways to fit other content areas (by making maps instead of monsters, for example) or could be used as a writing/ art hallway display in which students are paired with students in other classes to practice writing clearly and following directions. It might also be a fun reading buddy activity.
What are the coolest or most useful sites you've visited lately?
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