I’ve finally decided to jump in and attempt to create a tutorial for Dead Bunny. The most logical place to start, given my current knowledge base and available technology, is Impress (otherwise known as OpenOffice’s equivalent of PowerPoint).
Someone recommended Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentations that Inform, Motivate, and Inspire, so I checked it out from the library. I’ve used PowerPoint twice, both in grad school. I had to create a presentation for class and then I created the non-multimedia sections of a workshop in it. I was never able to make the multimedia sections insert correctly into my slide show. Going to a book just seemed a good idea.
I’m only partway through working on the tutorial, but Beyond Bullet Points has been wonderful! Atkinson starts you off with a template to plan the story of your presentation, and then takes you step by step through moving from the story template to a storyboard template to making sure your presentation is a good blend of script and visual elements. You develop both together to make sure they stay in sync with each other from the standpoint of the message. He includes tips at the end of each chapter for things you can do to make your presentation stand out or just feel slightly different from other presentations.
The best part, for me as someone interested in educational media, was that he included Mayer’s Principles and how each principle is reflected in the BBP method. It’s been useful in thinking through my own tweaks to the BBP method.
I took a ton of notes, and they’re guiding me through my work on this tutorial. Hopefully, I’ll finish everything up soon and will have it posted to the Dead Bunny site so everyone can check it out.
If you have to present with a slide show, regardless of the setting, you really need to check out this book and the accompanying websites. They’re full of great tips. (If you use Impress like I do, though, be ready to do a little exploring to find some of the menus and panels.)
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning at 7:38 AM EDT
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I suspect I’ll be reading a lot on this while I try to figure out what path best suits my talents, but this PDF is full of good examples on what game-based learning can accomplish, and points to some more resources.
Good thing I enjoy reading, right?
What I perceive as one of game-based learning’s real strengths is that it does tap in to someone’s prior knowledge, and grips them on the emotional level that we hope to reach a student on in face-to-face teaching. It makes use of a hot technology to make that connection.
I’m finding myself slanting more toward educational media, and specifically serious games, the more that I read and think about what I’d like to accomplish, what I’d like to design. Maybe it’s because I’m from the video game generation. Maybe it’s because I’m an average gamer (who knew?). Maybe it’s because I like to challenge myself in my work.
Doesn’t change the fact that I’ll be gearing my reading more these interactive learning experiences.
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning, Games at 8:08 AM EDT
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I’ve decided I really need to move from tutoring (my current flavor of informal education) to something more technologically relevant to my preferred teaching method- facilitating.
I really enjoy being an information node, but I know that I’m just one node in a student’s diverse experiences. I may be just what they need to learn the skills they need, or I may be able to offer supplementary activities to help them build the skills they’re already working on. This is probably what has always led me down the informal learning route (despite everyone trying to push me into a classroom);
While I enjoy the face-to-face, I often feel like I can’t reach or do as much because I’m only affecting a small population, and they’re often just taking from me. I never get to see what I’ve taught blended with what the student has learned elsewhere to create a peer-teaching moment. I get to see one moment in time, instead of the larger picture that results.
I want to see students’ personal learning environments. I want to see their e-portfolios if they create one. I want to be part of a student’s Rip-Mix-Burn process, but I’m not positioned to help with that because I’m not working in that type of environment myself. Skills-wise, I’m armed and ready to assume a facilitator’s role in a student’s creation of their own learning environment, but my experience is woefully lacking.
Step one should be to facilitate my own rip-mix-burn activities. Step two should be to figure out how to maneuver myself into a position to help others create their own rip-mix-burn activities.
Suggested reading
- I can’t teach properly (Just because it’s so very good, and so true.)
- Signal vs. Noise (Just because it’s interesting and has led to some sleepless nights as I try to decide what it means for me)
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning, Experiential Learning, Learning methods at 7:33 AM EST
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When I first heard about Second Life, it was because a local university was starting to explore its uses as a virtual classroom. I was intrigued and wanted to explore it myself. Unfortunately, time and technology didn’t permit, and I completely forgot about it as I tried to pick up the pieces of my ruined graduate career.
The next time I heard about Second Life, it sounded like things were in full swing. Again, technology reared its ugly head, and I find myself still really wanting to explore the environment, see how learning takes place in this virtual, Snow Crash-esque realm. I don’t deny that it is possible some real learning is taking place. Given how much I’ve learned from the people I’ve encountered on my journeys through the internet, I can see a virtual meeting place being a great opportunity to share what you know, or pick someone else’s brain.
Now that my computer seems to have settled down, perhaps I should look into it again. If you ever see “Elizabeth Colville” wandering around, feel free to say hi. (I was so sad that with all the common surnames, I wasn’t able to create an avatar with my own name.)
Maybe once I’m able to play around in it, it’ll help me work toward resolving this little niche crisis I’ve been suffering.
Posted by Rebecca as Uncategorized, e-learning, Games at 8:14 AM EST
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Today’s post is going to be brief, but I wanted to share this link to free e-learning tools. It’s not what you think, though.
Instead of being a collection of tools to help you learn what you want, these links are geared toward those who create e-learning experiences. I’m slowly combing through them, but I think they’ll be good for my professional development.
Posted by Rebecca as Uncategorized, e-learning at 8:07 AM EST
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I rather like the idea of using an RSS feed to release bits of content in a digestible format. I had at one point considered making that part of the newsletter I still haven’t managed to start up, but the RSS method is a definite idea.
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning, Information Architecture at 8:19 AM EST
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In an attempt to motivate to work on my math book and to reacquaint myself with some forgotten tech, I’ve decided to attempt to create a PowerPoint presentation for some of the concepts covered in my book. I’m starting with the articles I’ve already written. I started thinking about this project a couple of weeks ago, and then last week everybody started talking about SlideShare (which I still need to check out, but sounds like it might bea good place to put my slides when I’m done with them.
It’s already been an interesting experience (and I really feel a bit behind the curve as I’m starting out). I’m formally acquainting myself with storyboarding, despite the fact I’m no stranger to it. I’m trying to figure out what I can and can’t make PowerPoint do. I’m trying to figure out how to best cover the material.
I think I’m going to have to bust out a graphic design program to make all of it happen the way I want it to, but I like working on my own graphics, so it should be fun.
If this works out, it will be a great test to make sure I really want to pursue educational media, and leave me with something for a portfolio in the process. (So will my game if I find the time to work on it again.)
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning, Teaching methods at 8:17 AM EST
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I suppose I’ve never really understood the sudden interest in mobile learning opportunities that seems to have sprung up over the past several months.
Then again, I’ve nearly always had a book of some sort on me, and I don’t always read for pleasure. That’s not true- I consider reading to learn reading for pleasure when I’m in control of what I’m learning.
I think that may be the point of the newfound interest in mobile learning, and it might actually explain my interest in e-learning and the application of informal learning principles to tehcnology. People are looking to acquire and improve skills, and those who have less-than-positive memories of sitting in a classroom or have little free time are willing to catch their learning opportunities any way they can.
Were I in a position to be more up to date in my technology, I know I’d be living off e-books and reading my feeds through a phone or PDA. (I actually really, really want a PDA to complement my impossibly scheduled, on-the-go life.) Perhaps I could even figure out a way to reach my more stubborn students through mobile components.
It’s a great idea- pick up a new skill while enjoying a cup of coffee (or waiting for a friend to arrive at a meet-up). Brush up on forgotten skills on the elevator to your office. Or beat boredom by accessing a quick learning opportunity.
We’re in the information age. We should take advantage of it to keep up to date and get ahead.
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning at 8:03 AM EDT
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It goes without saying we should all always be striving to learn more. Professional development is encouraged for a reason. Of course, we should also be looking for ways to better ourselves outside of work, too, which is what drives us to take a wide variety of classes offered within our communities.
For those of us with limited time or funds, the solution might actually be to engage in some self-study. With so many colleges now offering parts of their curriculum online, and with so many e-libraries offering free e-books through local libraries, there’s really no excuse why you shouldn’t be out brushing up on familiar skills or learning some new ones!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some riveting e-reading to catch up on!
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning at 7:52 AM EDT
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I’ve been doing a lot of reading on e-learning and educational games while trying to sort out my goals for the next phase of my life. The one thing I keep reading over and over again is that learning objects should be light in entertaining components as those tend to distract from the learning objective.
This point is being made through case studies, research stats released, and countless blog posts sharing this information ad nauseum.
The funny thing is, for all the talk of how entertaining elements should be minimized from technology-based learning opportunities, it seems to focus on technology. One would hope that any educator, formal or informal, low tech or high tech, would read each of these and realize that the message isn’t strictly for those creating e-learning curriculum.
It also seems to shut out the possibility of embedded entertainment actually having some educational value. How many of us start singing Schoolhouse Rock for everything from grammar to social studies to the planets? I have a silly regroup song that I’ve been known to teach to kids who are struggling with that concept.
When there’s a point, a bit of knowledge wedged into the entertainment, it can be a useful learning device. When it is there merely to dress up a lesson, then it becomes a distraction whose inclusion should be rethought.
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning, Teaching methods at 7:46 AM EDT
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