We’ve been talking all week about digital content in education and how we will arrive at a future where content is easy to create, store in a coherent fashion, and distribute (Click here to read Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3 of this series). In non-jargon terms, that translates to a teacher being able to create any kind of a worksheet exercise or demonstration, filing it where they and the rest of the world be able to find it with ease, and then being able to get that file on any education software system out there. Continue reading ‘Dialing for Your Tagging Dollars — Part 4′
Archive for March, 2005
In Part 2 of this series I addressed taxonomies, or organizational structures for educational content. I explained that the first step towards a new education technology paradigm (where content is more important that distribution platforms) is having a clear organizational structure for content. This structure, represented by common classification systems of taxonomies, will allow users to search for and share content easily and freely, regardless of the specific platform or technology system they are using at the time. Continue reading ‘Dialing for Your Tagging Dollars — Part 3′
When is it okay to give an answer to someone as opposed to making them find it for themselves? It is question critical in child rearing, teaching, and in organizing information. Dave Weinberger posted a recent article wondering whether or not suggested and controlled vocabularies (pre-built tags and taxonomies) might make us dumber. Do they keep us from thinking for ourselves, he asks? In this radio broadcast, I’ll talk about the notion of “partial answers” that help people get to their final destination. In other words, I believe we can help without necessarily creating harmful ignorance or dangerous dependence. Continue reading ‘Can I Give You That Answer?’
Yesterday, I kicked this series off with an introduction to the importance of content packaging and distribution in education. It was pointed out by some, however, that I failed to explain exactly what I meant by “tagging for dollars.” Fair enough. So, let me begin today with a simple explanation of the title. Continue reading ‘Dialing for Your Tagging Dollars — Part 2′
When Yahoo announced a week ago that it was buying Flickr, an online photo-sharing site, it made lots of sense to me. It made sense partly because once big companies reach a certain size, they can innovate through external acquisition more easily than they can through internal R&D. The move also seemed logical because Flickr represents a proven model for focusing on things people like to post and share and then finding the best way to provide a framework for that activity. Continue reading ‘Dialing for Your Tagging Dollars — Part 1′
If you read your Boston Globe yesterday you know that the FDA has come out with new guidelines for the prescription labels that go on the drugs we purchase. If you boil down the FDA requirements, what you’ll come up with is a good set of guidelines for information tagging regarding any object or substance. Continue reading ‘A Prescription for Describing Content’
Appropriate technology considerations are driving many military education decisions with respect to the content delivery methods, infrastructure, hosting, and hardware selection. In addition to cutting costs, all branches of the military are looking closely at how to best deliver online and distance training to learners in widely diverse conditions, including in the desert, in an urban warfare encampment, on a submarine, on a patrol ship, on a long transport flight, at sea for a lengthy deployment, or in remote, often-changing locations. Infrastructure, hosting, and hardware selection have been stretched to the limit given the rapid evolution of technologies, that, in many cases have been disruptive. Continue reading ‘Appropriate Technology Applied to Online and Distance Military Education’
Cross-training, a concept well understood in athletics and physical conditioning, is an excellent metaphor and model for an approach to build capacity and flexibility in online and distance education programs. Cross-training members of different teams (instructional, support services, academic resources, information technology, etc.) can lead to “cross-tasking,” which is an approach that will allow for flexible, timely, and effective responses to changing needs, technology, content, and organizational structure. Continue reading ‘Cross-Training and Cross-Tasking in Distance Program Development and Administration’
With the military’s increasing emphasis on making education and training possible via interactive and non-interactive handheld computers / portable devices (Blackberry, Treo, Dell Axim, etc.), instructors and designers are starting to think about how they can modify their approach to course delivery. This article explores how one can use the capabilities of the handheld computer / PDA in an expository writing course. Continue reading ‘PDA Lesson Plan: The Interdisciplinary Essay’
Effective design and instruction of distance courses can provide additional support for students who are at risk of failure due to the fact that they never developed effective learning strategies in traditional face-to-face environments. Continue reading ‘Learning Strategies Applied to Online Courses’
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