Re: [school-discuss] Learning Objects

[Gunnar Stefansson <gunnar@hafro.is>]

Hi

Les echoes my sentiments exactly.  I have spent a lot of time
developing the structure of tutor-web.net (which is designed to build
around what I've been calling interchangeably "single idea slide for
classroom use", an "info-bit" and I think this is very close to a
"learning object").

However, this development time is dwarfed by the time needed to
actually write up the presentation material for an idea in a clear and
concise manner (single slide), supplemented it with a section
describing it in detail and an example, followed by one or more quiz
questions.

I do, however, use this in the classroom and my students have the
extreme pleasure of using on-line quizzes throughout the semester.

Like Les I use any tool I have handy.  I have, however, tried to stick
to a fixed set of formats and a fixed set of processing methods.  That
way this stuff can automatically be derived into any presentation
format of choice (html, ps, pdf) on any medium of choice (on-screen
acrobat slide, multiple-window browser view, printed slides, printed
textbook with embedded slides, etc).

To Les' list of tools I'd add R, which is particularly useful for
plotting data.

A major problem with not having standard tools is that it is more
difficult to convince your teacher colleagues that they should do
things your way:-)

Since we're all using different tools and different formats for
content structured according to different designs, there does not at
first glance seem much likelihood that we will ever be able to
exchange digital content...  Pity, since we've been able to share
content on paper since Gutenberg's days.

Gunnar