Mar 20

Just an idea I’ve been getting

UPDATED 2012-03-27: What’s with all the icons and rollover pop-ups? They’re based on Compendium, which I’ve written about before. While they may not be appropriate for every everyday blog post, I’m asking you to have a look and leave a comment. Do you see a role for them within other web-based contexts you may be familiar with? If so, which? Leave a comment!

I’m trying to get experience design into my thinking about online learning, using the simple technologies I know and love: computers and various digital mobile devices, web browsers, HTML, CSS, JavaScript. For some time I’ve been headed towards the position  that documents are becoming obsolete. While I was thinking about that a teacher who is part of my Twitter PLN was putting together a wonderful Project-Based Learning experience with her grade 6 class, their parents and many others from the PLN. This led me to have an idea .

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Mar 12

Taming wicked problems, planning projects, designing learning—try Compendium

UPDATED: Have a look at some more advanced Compendium maps.

Compendium, its stewards at The Compendium Institute say, “is a software tool providing a flexible visual interface for managing the connections between information and ideas.” Wicked problems, as I’ve written recently, contain social complexity, so solving them is a fundamentally social process requiring many people. Compendium software allows a person working alone, or people in a group, to bring together visually the diverse ideas, assertions, arguments, and resources that might contribute to the “taming” of a wicked problem. Continue reading

Feb 11

Rethinking PowerPoint: the Assertion/Evidence model

I’m very interested in taking elearning to new places. Elearning is not a noun, it is “to learn” using tools and environments enhanced by electronic technologies. The mere use of technology, electronic or otherwise, does not assure learning takes place — far from it. Too much of what we call elearning can be all too thoroughly described as automated PowerPoint. Now, I have ideas and long range goals for elearning design that may preclude PowerPoint entirely, but if the previous sentence is true, or even if you use PowerPoint only occasionally, or in some small phase of storyboard development, then anything you do to improve what you do with PowerPoint should improve your final product, right? Understanding when to employ an assertion-evidence model in any lesson or presentation is a step towards creating better learning experiences.

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