Creating Next Generation Interoperable Learning Tools

1. Creating Next Generation Interoperable Learning Tools Donna Gibbs Senior Lecturer ACES Macquarie University James Dalziel Executive Director WebMCQ Pty Ltd & Senior Lecturer Institute for Teaching and Learning University of Sydney

3. Providing Providing learning information v. experiences

4. Using students’ prior knowledge Varying the nature of learning activities Recognising the individuality of students’ learning needs Pitching at the right learning level Ensuring many opportunities for students’ interactive engagement with learning materials Allowing time for reflection Good pedagogy in any learning environment involves:

5. What can an electronic learning environment provide to better facilitate good practices of this kind?

6. What is greatness?

7. What do I want to be able to do to teach this in the classroom? • Find out what students know and think • Give them access to other student opinion • Give them access to what others think(eg media/ philosophers/ community groups etc)

8. And... • Have them find out things for themselves • Provide materials pitched at the right age level, with currency, that they can work with • Encourage them to talk about their findings with different audiences • Have them revisit their original opinions and see how they have or have not changed

9. record their list of greats and see who others choose reconsider their list and compare their rankings explore a range of other material related to the concept talk to a range of audiences about their findings express their thoughts in a variety of ways reflect on what they have learned. What steps ?Students might ...

10. What can technology do to help? • Save class time and give students instant access to others’ opinions in a format they can manipulate • Allow students to compile rankings or statistics immediately

11. Give students immediate access to archived and current material Give students a range of material from which to select and synthesise Allow students to work at their own pace and not hold up others Allow students access to audiences near and far Allow students to talk to each other at the same time or over time - when it suits and in styles that suit And...

12. And…. • Allow students to express their ideas in different formats • Give students accurate records of the paths they have followed and the information they have collected

13. And I want more... • smooth and quick transitions between activities • use again ‘templates’ that can be easily manipulated and used in other learning contexts and shared or exchanged with colleagues.

14. Can developing next generation interoperational learning tools help ???

15. Current vs Next Generation tools • 1980 - 1997: Rich individual learning tools, but “stand-alone” • 1998-2001: Learning Management Systems, but only a few simple, “generic” tools • 2002 and beyond: Learning Systems with many rich individual tools • AND the ability to combine tools in flexible ways

16. What are “interoperable” tools? • E-learning Standards organisations (eg IMS) are working to define standard ways of describing online learning content and tools • Trying avoid a VHS vs Beta type problem • Successful use of standards provides “interoperability” - you can move materials between different systems without rewriting

17. What are “interoperable” tools? • Most interoperability is about content • For example, re-useable Learning Objects and the Le@rning Federation project • Learning Object systems only just appearing now • BUT - the most exciting developments are considering interoperable tools • Re-useable “learning activities”, not just content

18. Describing Learning Activities • Based on “Educational Markup Language” (EML), developed by OUNL • Three parts to a learning activity • (1) Who is involved? • (2) What content is needed? • (3) How is the activity conducted? (which tool)

19. A Sample Learning Activity • Students are divided into 4 groups of 5 • Each group is given a different aspect of a general question to discuss • Eg, “What is greatness?” • Each group discusses the question, and then reports back their group’s conclusions Who? People What? Content How? Tool

20. A Learning Activity Sequence • (1) Students individually consider “What is greatness”? • Enter a few sentences of initial thoughts • (2) All students then see all responses (anonymous) • Enter personal reflections on all responses (not made public) • (3) Students asked to consider 3-5 “great people” • Enter 3-5 people (individually), system collates responses • (4) All students see list of responses and ranking • Enter personal reflections on all responses (not made public) • (5) Students divided into 4 groups of 5 to consider an aspect of greatness • Discussion board environment for each group for a week

21. A Learning Activity Sequence • (6) While in discussion group, each group is given content about greatness to consider (Learning Objects) • (7) Before final class, each group meets for 20 minutes in a chat room to finalise thoughts • Once finalised, the group writes brief summary • (8) Summaries posted to class noticeboard • Personal reflections on all responses (not made public) • [Possible classroom (or chat room) general discussion] • (9) Each student writes report on initial question, using personal reflections and group discussions • Reports submitted to teacher via system • Teacher grades reports and provides feedback, returned to student

22. Tool Summary • What tools do we require? • Question tool • Self-reflection tool • Response & ranking tool • Discussion group tool (asynchronous) • Content delivery tool (Learning Object) • Chat room tool (synchronous) • Report submission tool • Marking tool

23. Learning Tool Editor Question Tool Self-reflect Tool Ranking Tool Discussion Tool Content Tool Chat Tool Report Tool Marking Tool Other Tool Other Tool Learning Activity Sequence Builder

24. Question Tool Editor Edit Question What is greatness? Choose type of response True/False Multiple Choice Questions Open Text Response

25. Learning Tool Editor Question Tool Self-reflect Tool Ranking Tool Discussion Tool Content Tool Chat Tool Report Tool Marking Tool Other Tool Other Tool Learning Activity Sequence Builder Question Tool

26. Learning Tool Editor Question Tool Self-reflect Tool Ranking Tool Discussion Tool Content Tool Chat Tool Report Tool Marking Tool Other Tool Other Tool Learning Activity Sequence Builder Question Tool Self-reflect Tool

27. Learning Tool Editor Question Tool Self-reflect Tool Ranking Tool Discussion Tool Content Tool Chat Tool Report Tool Marking Tool Other Tool Other Tool Learning Activity Sequence Builder Question Tool Self-reflect Tool Ranking Tool

28. Learning Tool Editor Question Tool Self-reflect Tool Ranking Tool Discussion Tool Content Tool Chat Tool Report Tool Marking Tool Other Tool Other Tool Learning Activity Sequence Builder Question Tool Self-reflect Tool Ranking Tool Discussion Tool

29. Advantages of this approach • We are able to edit (and build) individual tools • We can combine (and re-combine) tools in flexible ways • We can re-use “learning activity sequences” as a template for other topics - What is greatness? - What is romantic music? - What is genre? - What is evolution?

30. Implications • Beyond current “Learning Management Systems” • Beyond “content-centric” Learning Objects • Empowering teachers to “program” learning activities either online or in the classroom • Sharing re-useable tools and learning activity sequences

31. Watch this space!System to be able available for trial use through MQ/DET ICT Centre later in 2002Contact james@webmcq.com to be added to infolist

32. Questions?