Molly Baker, TeachingLearning Center

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Finding Stuff Learning Objects

• Molly Baker, Teaching/Learning Center
• Black Hawk College
• Feb 8, 2008

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What is a learning object?

• Small chunks of content that are reusable,
  public, and independently accessed by individual
  learners
• Electronic objects that learners can control,
  manipulate, discuss, reflect upon, refer to,
  offer solutions to, spring board from
• Activity or digital element that usually focuses
  on a single lng. objective, but can be
  interdisciplinary or so authentic that multiple
  objs are served

• Searchable on the Web due to metadata code (e.g.,
  learning object, subject matter word)
• Examples
• Narrow chunks of text
• Case study
• Audio or video clip (e.g., podcast or vodcast)
• Simulation or scenario
• Animated demo
• Data set
• Module, lesson, experience
• Graphic element (e.g., diagram, chart, photo,
  illustration)

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Goals for Finding Em

• Locate relevant, available objects that can be
  used to enhance learning of course objectives
  repositories
• Provide access to primary sources, authentic and
  engaging problems, and higher-order thinking opps
  to shape learners mental model of a task
• Produce opportunities for ACTIVE and visual
  online learning (beyond reading text) about
  complex concepts/processes

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Goals for Finding Em

• Provide consistent content across multiple
  sections of a course or to multiple audiences
• Source of springboard activities aimed at
  objectives
• Save time to avoid having to develop all this
  yourself!

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Lets Go Hunting!

• MERLOT http//www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm
• Example http//www.indiana.edu/anat550/cvanim/
• National Learning Network http//www.nin.ac.uk/?p
  Dist
• Maricopa CC http//mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/
• Learning About Learning Objects (126 categories
  of objects) http//www.learningobjects.net/modules
  .php?nameWeb_Links
• Learning Object Collections Catalog (links to
  repositories, many sorted by discipline)
  http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/CIE/AOP/LO_collections.htm
  l
• WISC-Online http//www.wisc-online.com/members/ojb
  ectsmain.asp (create free sign-in)
• SMETE Digital Library http//www.smete.org
  (math, engineering, tech)

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Cant Find It? Make One!

• Explore others choose a model you like.
• Contact Andy or Molly about your ideas for making
  one that is similar
• What elements do you have access to that you can
  use, perhaps from publishers, former students
  work, your own collection?
• What elements do we need to make (audio, video,
  photo, illustration, Internet radio recordings,
  etc.)?
• More ideas linked on back side of handout.