Content Types – When to use

Whether you are developing learning material of type WBT, ILT, Videos, or Rapid e-learning, you will need to identify and categorize content. Often, the first step in the design phase is to identify the content types. Then, you map those content snippets identified to be of a particular content type to the Bloom’s level. Then, you create smart objectives for a lesson.

These five primary types of content (Clark, Mayer, 2007) along with an information type could help you organize/categorize your content for better learning design:

• Facts
• Concepts
• Processes
• Procedures
• Principles
• Structure

Content Type	Definition / Description	When to use
Fact	Basic information that is unique and specific or one-of-a-kind information.	When learners need to use specific and unique information more of less the same way each time. Job aids could be more helpful in memorizing more facts.
Concept	A group of objects, symbols, ideas, or events that are designated by a single word or term, share common features, and vary on not so common features.	When learners need to: build a mental model that will generalize identify tools or technical terms they will be using. define something and its critical features know which of several alternative instances of a concept fits their situation or will need to adapt a generic structure to a specific situation
Process	Descriptions of how something works or of what happens when something is done. Processes have phases or stages. Processes are not tasks done by one person, but may be done by many persons or organizations.	When learners need to solve a problem based on how something works.
Procedure	A set of steps that can be performed by one person and that are always done the same way each time.	When learners need to: perform a task the same way every time. make decisions of an “if…. Then….” Nature
Principle	Guidelines for performing a job task in varied situations. It is also a statement of a cause and effect relationship which provides guidelines for action.	When learners need to: solve problems by applying guidelines. know the consequences of applying, or not applying, the guidelines. to make a judgment or decision about how the information is applied. build a flexible mental model of the task that will have to be adapted to diverse and unpredictable work situations
Structure (information type)	Description of components of an item or an object	When learners need to understand the components of a structure or item and how the interact. Use a diagram to show how the parts fit in the whole structure.

From TED: How web video powers global innovation

Chris Anderson says the rise of web video is driving a worldwide phenomenon he calls Crowd Accelerated Innovation -- a self-fueling cycle of learning that could be as significant as the invention of print. But to tap into its power, organizations will need to embrace radical openness. And for TED, it means the dawn of a whole new chapter.

http://www.ted.com/talks/chris_anderson_how_web_video_powers_global_innovation.html

After a long career in journalism and publishing, Chris Anderson became the curator of the TED Conference in 2002 and has developed it as a platform for identifying and disseminating ideas worth spreading.

How-To Tutorials - Part 2: Sample

A quick recap of How-To Tutorials:

• Light in size
• Quick to build and consume
• Enable informal learning
• A complimentary learning solution for in-time learning needs
• Three sections: Introduction, Demonstration, and Exercise

Here is a sample of How-To Tutorials

Testing a REST service

Introduction

The REST service allows you to expose your application as a REST application, which can be published and invoked from any Web Server. Once a REST service is created, it must be tested. You can use a plug-in on a web browser such as RESTClient on Mozilla FireFox to test a REST service.

Demonstration

Click PLAY to start the demonstration that shows how to test a REST service using RESTClient plug-in on Mozilla FireFox.

Exercise: Testing a REST Service

Part 1— Testing a REST Service Step Exercise Instructions Solution Screen 1. Once you have obtained the REST service URL of your application, copy the URL. Launch the Firefox browser. 2. Open the RESTClient using the icon on the browser’s navigation bar. 3. In the RESTClient page, paste your REST service URL in the URL input field and click SEND. 4. Once you receive response from the application, you can view the response under four tabs: Headers, Body (Raw), Body (Highlight) , and Body (Preview).

Note: You can increase the effectiveness of How-To Tutorials if you can:
1. Add audio for the demonstration.
2. Make this a part of total product tutorials.
In this sample, the solution screens are not active.

Comfort Zone | Learning Zone | Panic Zone

"It all depends on what you believe." 
"You are a star of your own life." 
"Whatever you don't decide, others will decide for you."

You don't trust me??? Watch this informative and thoughtful video that explains in detail about how to be aware of some simple concepts to be able to dream and make "your" future.

Do you dare to dream? by inknowation

Hope you enjoyed this!!!

How-To Tutorials - Part 1

While designing and developing online learning modules for technical/software products, we must remember that different technical learners prefer learning in different ways.

Some may choose to learn from an expert in a classroom and some from a traditionally developed learning module.

However, most technical learners prefer learning in chunks based on their immediate need, preferably short and simple chunks. In addition, they would prefer an accomplishment (small and simple hands-on) by the end of each learning chunk.

 
A few months back, based on these understandings I worked out on a concept – ‘How-To Tutorials’.

How-To Tutorials is based on four main rules:

• Light in size
• Short lessons
• Quick to build and consume
• Template based development 
• Enable informal learning
• Need based learning
• A complimentary learning solution for in-time learning needs

How-To Tutorials has three sections:
Part 1 - Introduction: A brief introduction
Part 2 - Demonstration: A video demonstrating, how to use the feature
Part 3 - Exercise: Steps to implement the feature on live product

These tutorials can be delivered in two ways:

• Embed in the product (like Help)
• Host on a portal (such as LMS, communities, forums, YouTube etc.)

Coming next: 
In Part -2, a sample of How-To Tutorials (How-To Test a REST service in Mozilla FireFox).

TED: Changing Education Paradigms

Ken Robinson, questions the current education paradigm and suggests a new paradigm to be thought about.

Watch this for more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

I couldn't resist myself from appreciating the RSAnimate for the beautiful and informative graphics to support the talk.

TED: Educating the kids of slums in India

A very interesting talk by Shukla Bose about educating the kids of slums in India. She says it is more than just a numbers game. As a part of the talk, she shares her Parikrma Humanity Foundation story.

http://www.ted.com/talks/shukla_bose_teaching_one_child_at_a_time.html

Shukla Bose is the founder and head of the Parikrma Humanity Foundation, a nonprofit that runs four extraordinary schools for poor children.

Learning goals and learning objectives - Part II

As said in part 1 of this post, learning goals predominantly focus on the overall aims of the course. For example, consider that you are asked to create a course that enables tertiary students to critically evaluate and reason what they learn as a part of their academic education.

One of the learning goals for this sample scenario can be:
• Develop ability of using critical thinking to evaluate and reason your subject of learning in your tertiary education.

Notice that the above learning goal is not measurable and not clearly observable either. It is a generic and overall aim of the course/project. Now, it is up to the ID to determine whether this learning goal demands to be a topic or a course or a series of courses based on the content and level of details involved.

The learning objectives for this learning goal can be something like this.

By the end of this course as an academic student you will be able to:
• Define and clearly articulate the concept of critical thinking.
• Recognize the benefits of critical thinking.
• Identify all the five essential dimensions of critical thinking.
• List and define all the eight elements of reasoning and intellectual standards.
• Apply critical thinking to analyze the logic and reason the subject of your study.
Notice that the above learning objectives are specific, measurable and also observable. Again, it is up to the ID to decide whether each of these objectives will represent a sub-topic or a topic or a course. However, the content, audience and the level of the learning would also heavily influence this decision.


A learning objective often has four parts - action verb, condition/s, criteria (standards) and audience.

In the above example, notice that the condition is defined in the stem sentence because the conditions for evaluation will be same for all the learning objectives.

Similarly, since the audience is same for all the objectives, I defined that also in the stem sentence. However, it may not be the same case every time.

Criteria/standard is a part of the learning objective that measures and evaluates aspects such as ‘how often’ or ‘how well’ or ‘how much’ a learner must be able to perform the task learned in the course.

The action verb is a very critical and determining factor of a learning objective. You would choose an appropriate action verb based on two factors:
1. The domain of educational activity (ex: cognitive or affective or psychomotor) and
2. The level of learning in the specific domain (ex: Knowledge or Comprehension of Cognitive, Receiving of Affective domain).

In the above example since the objective chosen are from knowledge and comprehension levels respectively of cognitive domain, the action verbs define and identify are used. You can learn more about the three domains and levels in each of them here: Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains.

Although there are many benefits of writing clear, effective and explicit learning objectives, these would fundamentally help:
• you to clarify what you want learners to accomplish.
• you communicate expectations to students more effectively.
• you to select methods, materials and assignments that are most appropriate.

I would like to conclude this post with a small quote by John McDonald “A set definite objective must be established if we are to accomplish anything in a big way”.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

This is Sir Ken Robinson's four year old talk.

Mind blowing and ground breaking thoughts.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

Truly an inspiring and thought provoking talk

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html