OpenSource eLearning XHTML editor (eXe)

In this fast pased world, knowledge rules and providing information to stakeholders using an accessible media is critical. Instructional Designers for Online Learning (IDOL) understand this all too well. Having access to reliable development tools is vital to both rapid design and universal deployment. This means, we need something to create structured content quickly and for a variety of delivery systems (ie, Bb, WebCT, Moodle, etc ...).

This where eXe can be a lifesaver. In addition to being FREE to use, it allows the user to customize the interface by accessing a feature called iDevices (instructional devices).

iDevices are a collection of structural elements that describe learning content. Examples of these include, objectives, pre-knowledge, case studies, free text. Learning content is created by selecting iDevices from the iDevice menu and entering your learning content.

Now, for the serious IDOLer out there, you have access to the raw files for five (5) styles that can be edited for your convenience. Add more if you like, but this provides a start for rapid development.

It gets even better, and this is my favorite feature. There is a version of this software which can be run on a USB flash drive without requiring any installation. The total file size is only 12.2mb. I should also mention that there is a Mac OS X version available as well.

A special thank you to the eXe development team - Jim, Sean, Matiu, Brent, and Jenny. You have made a great contribution to the field of Instructional Design for Online Learning!

... download the software here
... read the manual here

IDOL Toolchest - 07

Performancing for Firefox - http://performancing.com/firefox
Just like the integrated HTML editor and EMAIL client built into the old Netscape Navigator web browser, Firefox now has a FREE Blog Editor (plugin) that will allow you to create, post, and edit your blog postings. Especially useful is the ability to create notes while you are browsing and then later use that content for creating your next blog entry. Add to this the ability to upload images and link to files (mp3, pdf, etc ...) and you have a neatly integrated blog creation solution.

GrandCentral - http://www.grandcentral.com
Now here is a great idea that has been a long time coming. Imagine that you might give your telephone to anyone that asks, online or in person. You don't really know who this person is, but you need to provide a way for them to contact you by phone. This service is completely free and will allow you to use their service to filter your calls. Imagine being able to have all the calls ring to multiple telephone numbers at the same time! Imagine having different voice messages for each specified telephone number - personalizing your voice mail for your boss, your mother, a potential employer. Then imagine being able to reject the call or redirect the call to your voice mailbox AND listen in to the message as it is being recorded! That is GrandCentral.com.

Joopz - http://www.joopz.com
This site allows anyone with a free account to send a text message, from their browser (connected to the Internet) to a specified cell phone capable of accepting text messages (SMS). There is more! You can broadcast a message to a group of cell phone users AND you can schedule the date and time that the message will be sent. Remember, that users might have to pay a small fee for each message that you send, so be thoughtful.

Jott - http://www.jott.com
This site just crossed my path and I felt it was appropriate to share. JOTT (still in beta) allows subscribers to register the phone numbers they will call from and leave a short audio message. What makes this different from other sites is the fact that a real person will be transcribing your voice message into text. This message will be stored on their website as well as emailed to an account that you specify. When you want to leave yourself a friendly reminder, remember this new service jott - a great idea with lots of possibilities.

Learning is ...

I am working on articulating this notion that PRESENTATION + INTERACTION always leads to LEARNING. While simple, this concept is also profound. Throughout our life we are constantly LEARNING! Instructional Designers are devoted to providing support and expertise in the area of creating presentations and structured interaction experiences in order to reach a learning objective. This is true regardless of whether or not it occurs face-to-face or online.
PRESENTATION:
There are hundreds and even thousands of content delivery approaches that can be effective. Presentation or communication requires a source and a recipient. For example a textbook is the source and the reader is the recipient. Also, the lecturer is the source (S) the listener is the recipient (R). We should be aware of the reality that source reliability and recipient preparedness each contribute to the effectives of presentation.
INTERACTION:
After content has been received, interactions need to take place. These interactions are not limited to, but typically include, S+R, R+S, R+R, R+non-R, R (self-dialogue), and R+computer. The Instructional Designer should be skilled and crafting scenarios in which these interactions can be mediated and recorded, for later assessment. The biggest challenge is likely to be understanding those variables (gender, culture, religion, language, etc ...) which can have a direct impact upon how individuals/groups interact.
LEARNING:
This is our business. This is our vision. Hopefully, this is our passion! We believe that everyone capable of engaging in the presentation and interaction and capable of learning. This learning then becomes the foundation upon which future learning can be built upon. While I don't think the term "student" is appropriate for the 21st century, we typically say that we are serving them. Yet, how focused are we on measuring the degree of learning? Also, how concerned are we that learners have retained what they have learned?
I realize that this might seem rather simplistic, but I am concerned that learners have not been adequately primed to learn. When was the last time that you heard or read, an introduction into how the learner would be learning the material? Just a though ... think about it.

IDOL Toolchest - 06

With the Fall 2006 semester in full swing and faculty managing lectures, grading assignments, advising students, and facilitating course discussions ... I am reflecting on a few tools that are proven to be quite useful for assessment. These tools are not free, but they get my stamp of approval for being innovative and robust.
Articulate Quizmaker - http://www.articulate.com/quizmaker.html
Besides creating flash quizzes, this tool allows you to create questions with custom feedback, progressive scoring, question review at the conclusion, emailing the results to the instructor, printing out a certification of completion, and posting the results to the gradebook. Since the quiz is in Flash (swf) the questions can not be copied/pasted.
StudyMate - http://www.respondus.com/studymate/
This product is less expensive than Quizmaker and interfaces with most course management systems (Angel, BlackBoard, WebCT) seamlessly. StudyMate includes templates for ten different activities and games. Perhaps the most valuable tool is the multi-language spell checker. Educational discounts and site licenses are available.
Respondus - http://www.respondus.com
If you build online assessments, this is the must have tool for instructional designers and course developers. You can create your quizzes in MS Word or another word processor and import them directly into the program. You can also assign randomization variables to the quiz or test bank. You can also combine test banks and create even more complicated assessments. Since this integrates with the major course management system (SCORM compliant) uploading and managing quizzes is simple. Educational discounts and site licenses are available.

IDOL Toolchest - 05

Well, while these tools might not seem related, they serve a great function. They are time creators! If technology does not make tasks easier and actually create time for the user, are they worth the investment? Each of these are free and big time savers.
Podcast RSS Creator - http://www.feneris.com
Just by entering your information, this simple little program will create the XML file for you to provide to your subscribers. When you press the "Expand" button, you will find the description information for your episode. While this program only builds for one archived podcast at a time, the episode information can easily be copied and pasted from prior shows.
Pinger Instant Voice Messaging - http://www.pinger.com
This service is awesome! Imagine using your cell phone to send voice message email(s) to your friends, family, co-workers, supervisors. You can add an unlimited number of contacts (First, Last Name and email address) and then any combination of contacts for groups. I use it to broadcast short messages to all of my staff. Also, this service is free to use.
Official Resizr - http://www.resizr.com
Have you ever wanted an easier way to resize your images, so that they could be shared online but not take up so much memory? This web site allows you to browse your hard drive, find the image, upload it, resize it, and then save it back to your computer. You can also change (reduce) the quality of the image. Resizing is as simple as using a sliding bar.

IDOL Toolchest - 04

As the academic year begins, I want to invite you to examine three tools that should prove to be quite useful. These tools, while not necessarily linked in function, provide instructional designers with the tools to create amazing quality content. Understand that although my aim is to introduce free tools, this is not always possible.
iClone 1.5 - http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/
I was a Poser fan from my first introduction, and then Reallusion improved a product called It's Me and called iClone. This product allows anyone, with little experience, to create 3D talking avitars inside a completely 3D environment. You can add clothing, backgrounds, motion, and character interactions. While the more sophisticated productions may take more time, just remember to view the free tutorials so you can learn these skills quickly.
Samson C01U - http://www.samsontech.com/
If you ever have to record audio, then please get this microphone. I realize that it costs more than what you might want to pay by picking up that headset at Wal-Mart. You will find that this product, which I recently saw listed for $69 is a far better investment than almost any other hardware you are going to purchase. The mic is a studio quality condensor microphone and produces remarkable quality. It is a must have in my toolchest.
Windows Live Writer (beta) - http://windowslivewriter.spaces.live.com/
Although I am still a fan of BlogJet, I must admit that the this new product is going to make collaborative blogging much easier. I am using this free tool to create this version of the toolchest and giving it a run for the money. What I really like is the ease with which it recognizes the settings for my blog (blogger.com) and allows me to easily edit past posts. I can even quickly insert links, pictures and maps ... now that is pretty cool for a free tool.

[ this is an example of the map feature ]

IDOL Toolchest - 03

Well, after a brief hiatus, I think we are back on track. Remember the idea is to provide a link to a variety of resources that significantly impact the field of Instructional Design for Online Learning. Each of these resources are free.
PrinterAnywhere – http://www.printeranywhere.com
Imagine, after installing this small program on your computer (local) and on a colleague’s computer (remote), you can print your documents directly to any computer that is running and has the software active. Print to an office across campus, or half-way around the world.
OneOrZero – http://www.oneorzero.com
While I understand that not everyone likes to do programming, this Open Source Task Management and Help Desk System is awesome. Installing the program on a LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) system is pretty straight forward. The benefits are a robust and industrial quality project/tasking/help request tracking system that even prints reports.
Click.TV – http://www.click.tv
I would be remiss if I didn’t share this amazing FREE service, which makes it possible to add text commentary to video. Using Flash video (*.flv) files complete video footage can have meta data assigned to frames along the timeline. This amazing service will make it possible for faculty and students to share the experience of creating reusable commentary.

IDOL Toolchest - 02

In this week’s Toolchest, I have included links to download three great (free) utilities to aid in your work with graphics. By clicking on the link you will be able to download the program installation file(s).
Webthumb 2005 v4 – http://www.phobosoft.ch/
You can use Webthumb 2005 for creating a photo gallery and generating all of the HTML - but, most importantly you will be creating smaller (controlled size) versions of larger images. An entire directory and subdirectory can be created in minutes!

Image Brander – http://92hicks.com/
With Image Brander you can add your watermark to images in a number of different formats, GIF, PNG, JPG and TIFF. You select the watermark image to use (I suggest a PNG file with a transparent background) and the images that you want to brand, and the Image Brander does the rest! It is that simple.
Pixeur 2.7.0.8 – http://www.veign.com/downloads/pixeur.zip
With Pixeur you can easily view the color, RGB, Hex, and Long value of any color you see. Pixeur will also keep a history of all colors you have selected, so going back is as simple as choosing the color from the Color History list. The new Color Selector, Color Scheme, Advanced Color History tools, makes Pixeur a top in its class.

IDOL Toolchest - 01

I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the emerging tools that can directly impact instructional design for online learning (IDOL). I will post this topic on a regular basis so that readers can explore the possibilities.
AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)
ajaxWrite – http://www.ajaxwrite.com
like using Miscrosft Word online
ajaxSketch – http://www.ajaxsketch.com
like using Adobe Illustrator online
ajaxXLS – http://www.ajaxxls.com
like using Miscrosoft Excel online

Making the move to mLearning

While this article (eBook) is over a couple of years old, the information is perhaps more important today than when it was originally published. Withe the increase use of mobile devices "world wide" rapidly surpassing computer use ... we (instructional designers) should be considering applications for online learning.

The future of learning:
From eLearning to mLearning

by

Desmond Keegan

This project is supported by the Leonardo da Vinci programme of the European Union

Ch 1 The future of learning
· The project
· The status of learning
· Statistics
· The nature of technology in learning
· The future of technology
· The future of learning
Ch 2 From dLearning to eLearning
· The nature of dLearning - definition
· The history of dLearning
· 1970s the foundation of the open universities
· 1990s the impact of the WWW
· The acceptance of dLearning
Ch 3 From eLearning to mLearning
· Statistics
· The nature of eLearning - diagrams
· The status of eLearning
· The acceptance of eLearning
· EU documentation
· The arrival of mLearning
Ch 4 mLearning initiatives in 2001
· Telenor mLearning Wap project
· Mobilearn
· EMobility 2001 conference
· UniWap (Univ of Helsinki/ICL)
· MobiLearn: Mobile computing in learning environments
· AvantGo
· IBrite
· Isopia
· Experient.com
· Insead/Nokia/Icus
· Univ of Birmingham HandLeR
· MLearning IST project (Ultralab)
· MLearning forum
· Audrey Choden Wireless learning in your pocket
· Empowering Technologies The mobile learning era
· Codeonline
· Pjb associates latest news
· Setero Distance learning through wireless devices
· Palmpowerenterprise (Knowledgenet and Smartforce)
· EVIST
· The changing faces of virtual learning
· Supermemo
· Go Reader
· Learning circuits Goin Mobile
· Global Learning Systems UK
· Stanford Learning Lab
· Globalknowledge.com
Ch 5 mLearning on the screenphone
· The proposal
· Illustration
· Limitations
· Decision
Ch 6 mLearning on the Compacq Ipaq
· Proposal
· Illustration
· Limitations
· Decision
· Development of system
· Development of courseware
Ch 7 mLearning on the smartphone R380
· Proposal
· Illustration
· Limitations
· Decision
· Development of system
· Development of courseware

Ch 8 mLearning on the WAP telephone R520
· Proposal
· Illustration
· Limitations
· Decision
· Development of system
· Development of courseware
Ch 9 Conclusions
· The future of learning