Designing Learning Objects

When designing learning objects for use in the classroom, it is important to consider who the intended audience is and what you are trying to teach. Once you know this, you can figure out the best way to present the material. Because I teach both concepts and applications in my classroom, the methods that I use can be drastically different. When I am teaching Excel, I typically spend some class time demonstrating what we will be doing, but a majority of the class time is spent working in Excel. A learning object that I would use in this situation might be a video that is supplemental to my classroom teaching. The video below is an example of a learning object that I would use when I am teaching Excel. This video was created using Screencast-o-matic and demonstrates how to perform several steps in one of the homework assignments. I find this type of video to be very helpful in an online course since I can't demonstrate in person.

There are so many tools on the Internet for designing learning objects that it is almost overwhelming. I have to confess that in the past I have mostly adapted the standard PowerPoints that come with my textbook for use in my classroom. To be honest, it was just the easiest thing to do - why re-invent the wheel? I did pick and choose what I wanted to focus on and re-arranged and added items where needed, but that is about all that I did. I am a creative person by nature, so discovering all of the tools that are available for creating learning objects for the classroom has been like Christmas morning. Every time I learn about a new tool I start thinking about ways that I can use it in my classroom.

I shared a video that I created using Animoto in my previous blog. This is a tool that I am sure I will be using quite a bit in the future. I like to share videos in my classroom, but can't always find what I need -this tool will let me put my own together.

Prezi is another presentation program that I have recently discovered. It is a way to create non-linear interactive presentations. I used Prezi to create a "lecture" for my chapter on digital security and privacy. I started with an image from the textbook and added either "slides" with additional content or videos that supplement the topic. In the past, I would have given the PowerPoint presentation then we would have watched the videos. With prezi we can just watch the video when we get to that part of the talk. Below you will find a screen shot of this prezi. Click here to go to the actual prezi.

Blendspace is another tool that I just discovered and am very excited about. I haven't had a chance to create anything with Blendspace yet, but here is a link to a Blendspace that I discovered on Digital Tools for Blended Learning. I see a lot of potential for this tool and will most likely be using it in the future to create lessons for my courses.

Finally, infographics have been popping up all over the place lately, and I personally really enjoy them as a tool for learning about a topic. I haven't created one yet, but I am planning to. Piktochart is a tool that can be used for creating infographics. Below is an infographic that I have used in my class. I love that it is clear, concise and easy to read. This is definitely something that I will be putting together for use in future classes.