Archive for June, 2007

University of Edinburgh launches first-of-its-kind research on synthetic voices and older computer users

Published by Susan Smith Nash on June 27, 2007 in Programs and Research. 0 Comments

Today the University of Edinburgh announced an on-line experiment to test how older computer users perceive synthetic voices. Little work has been done on this subject involving this age group, so participant results will provide more information on making voice interface technology more accessible to older adults, and support research on making computers easier to operate.

The first part of this short experiment involves listening to voices generated by a computer and rating them; the second part is a personality test.

Participants can receive a short summary of results in September once data are analyzed, and enter a raffle to be one of five persons to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate redeemable world-wide. The research supports the University’s ongoing research at its Center for Speech Technology Research and the UK-funded MATCH Program.

Copy and paste
http://fordyce.inf.ed.ac.uk/webexp2/voices-smart-homes.html into your browser and help seniors have their voices heard.

Classroom and Distance Interaction Enhanced with Turning Technologies

Published by Susan Smith Nash on June 24, 2007 in Tech Trends. 0 Comments

Turning Technologies has announced the release of a cluster of products that are likely to change the nature of educational interaction in classroom and online.

What is the main complaint about the traditional lecture model — 300 hundred or more students packed into lecture halls with the sage on the stage professor? Most people would say the problem is the lack of student engagement. In the past, it has been impossible for students to meaningfully interact with the professor and with other students. Now, thanks to Turning Technologies, professors can take roll, poll students, ask for opinions, and then display responses with their PowerPoint presentation – all with a click of a clicker, provided by TurningPoint software. Turning Technologies has an array of audience response cards, or “clickers,” which work well with many lecture applications, ranging from K-12 to higher education, corporate training, and government.

The Rochester Institute of Technology has been using Turning Technologies’ response cards in its lecture-based courses that include 150 or more students. Using wireless response cards, students not only interact by voting and providing opinions on topics. They can also take quizzes (multiple choice, etc.), and can check roll. The results are gathered in a comma-delimited spreadsheet and imported directly into Desire2Learn, the learning management system used by RIT.

To encourage remote interaction, Turning Technologies is preparing to announce the general release of its VPad, software that allows individuals who are participating in a webinar or other synchronous online activity to vote and for the results to be instantly tabulated and displayed. The possibilities are pretty staggering, particularly in an election year, and in a time when people are seeking ways to improve efficiency in marketing research, census data collection, and more.

I’d like to see Turning Technologies use their products to gather census data. Their products, if used effectively, could collect the kind of data that could help states such as New York, collect census data accurately and thoroughly, and possibly avoid slipping to 4th place (behind Florida) and thus losing even more Congressional representation. Conversely, Florida could use the technology to gather data in hard-to-gather locations, en masse (say, in departments of motor vehicles), to overtake New York.

These are just a few of the possibilities. The point is, the future is interactive, and data gathering is accurate, efficient, and more flexible than ever.

Conference Addresses E-Learning

Published by Susan Smith Nash on June 18, 2007 in Programs and Research. 0 Comments

The 2007 Informing Science and Information Technology Conference (InSITE 2007) features a full suite of papers that provide an international perspective on all informing sciences, which include issues of e-learning and education, as well as educational technology, instructional technology, and technology education.

The conference, which takes place from June 22 – 25 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, provides interdisciplinary approaches, new views, and ways to understand and communicate and share ideas. Further, the conference extends the mission and vision of Informing Sciences, which is to provide opportunities for open educational resources.

The proceedings of the conference are published here: http://proceedings.informingscience.org/InSITE2007/index.htm

Here is an abbreviated listing of some of the presentations, with links to the papers:

Panel Discussion: Challenges of Open Educational Resources
Alex Koohang, Macon State College, USA
Tom Seymour, Minot State University, USA
Gary DeLorenzo, California University of Pennsylvania, USA
Robert Skovira, Robert Morris University, USA

Topic: Collaborative Work / Working Together / Teams
Socio-Technical Theory and Knowledge Construction: Towards New Pedagogical Paradigms?
Antonio Cartelli, University of Cassino, Italy

Topic: Curriculum Issues
Information Technology Team Projects in Higher Education: An International Viewpoint
Kathy Lynch, Monash University, Australia
Aleksej Heinze, University of Salford, United Kingdom
Elsje Scott, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Topic: Control, Audit, and Security
Threat Modeling Using Fuzzy Logic Paradigm
Adesina Simon Sodiya, Department of Computer Science, University of Agriculture, Nigeria
Saidat Adebukola Onashoga, Department of Computer Science, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria
Beatrice Oladunjoye, Department of Computer Science, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

Topic: Distance Education & e-Learning
E-Learning in the School: Applied to Teaching Mathematics in Portugal
Maria João Gonçalves, University of Minho, Portugal
Claus Kaldeich, University of Minho, Portugal

Topic: Economic Aspects
Offshore Outsourcing: New Spin Or Same Old Business
Sudesh Duggal, Northern Kentucky University, USA
Carl Simkonis, Northern Kentucky University, USA

Topic: Education / Training
The Lifelong Learning Iceberg of Information Systems Academics – A Study of On-Going Formal and Informal Learning by Academics
Bill Davey, RMIT University, Australia
Arthur Tatnall, Victoria University, Australia

Topic: Visualization of Information
Mobile Learning, Cognitive Architecture and the Study of Literature
http://proceedings.informingscience.org/InSITE2007/IISITv4p811-818Nash399.pdf
Susan Nash, Excelsior College, USA

Topic: Ethical, Social, & Cultural Issues
Uniting Idaho: A Small Newspaper Serves Hispanic Populations in Distributed Rural Areas
Martine Robinson Beachboard, Idaho State University, USA

The Technology Ownership and Information Acquisition Habits of HBCU Freshmen
Nicole Buzzetto-More, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, USA
Retta Sweat-Guy, Fayettville State University, USA

Topic: Information & Knowledge Mgmt / Organizational Learning
Using an Outcome-Based Information Technology Curriculum and an E-Learning Platform to Facilitate Student Learning
Azzedine Lansari, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Abdallah Tubaishat, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Akram Al-Rawi, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia

Topic: Organizational Issues
The Impact of Business Process Orientation on Organizational Performance
Rok Škrinjar, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics, Slovenia
Mojca Indihar Štemberger, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics, Slovenia
Tomislav Hernaus, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics, Croatia

Topic: Psychological Aspects / HCI / Usability Issues

Of Disobedience, Divinations, Monsters and Fumbling: Adopting a Self-Service System
Bob Travica, University of Manitoba, Canada

Discussion on ways to create great mobile learning courses

Videography by Dave Feiden.Reference:
E-Learning Queen

Professional Development and Corporate Training: The Webinar Weakness

Published by Susan Smith Nash on June 13, 2007 in Online Learning. 0 Comments

Podcast – downloadable mp3 file.

Anyone who has taken online courses through a college or university is likely to be very disappointed by the webinars commonly offered in corporate and professional development training. Even though new versions of webinars use software such as elluminate (http://www.elluminate.com/) , which allows synchronous audio, presentation media, and streaming video, the experience often leaves a feeling that something was missing.

So, how can webinars be made more effective?

The answer lies in learning strategies.

All too often the assumption is made that if individuals can come together in a virtual space, they’ll get as much from the experience as being in the same room together. However, just as meetings can be unproductive, and classrooms boring, a virtual meeting can fall flat. Weak webinars are doubly frustrating because they implicitly communicate a negative message about learning and information technologies. Such a message is doubly ironic in a time of iPhones and ubiquitous wifi, incessant video and text-messaging.

Here are a few ways to strengthen a weak webinar:

Capture the learner’s attention at the beginning. Be catchy. Connect with your audience. Engage their emotions, pique their curiosity, appeal to their sense of self and community. By doing so, you’ll be creating conditions of learning (Gagne), and making it more likely that they will actually follow through and watch the entire webinar.

Build a cognitive framework at the beginning. Be sure to list learning objectives and outcomes. By doing so, you’re helping the learner develop schema, which can be thought of as file cabinets in working memory.
A recent article on cognitive architectures and mobile learning describes some of the processes at work
(http://proceedings.informingscience.org/InSITE2007/IISITv4p811-818Nash399.pdf ) in an effective elearning or mobile learning course.

Encourage interaction. The sage on the stage exudes authority. Although it is a good idea to establish credibility with your program (for example, the American Management Association (http://www.amanet.org/ ) touts management luminaries and gurus such as Peter Drucker in its online seminars, offered with a Corpedia.com learning management system), if your learners simply sit and passively watch, their recall is likely to be close to nil. Get them involved. Ask them to type in questions, use voice-over chat, videocast their images from webcams. Encouraging interaction will create conditions of learning.

Make it real: connect to audience experience. The American Marketing Association (http://www.marketingpower.com/ ) offers webcasts in topics that are designed to appeal to its members. With webinars (both live and recorded) in branding, B2B, direct marketing, Internet marketing, market research, marketing return on investment, marketing strategy, and more, the members are likely to find something they can relate to, and which will help them. Without an opportunity to further the connection, and to respond to questions or ideas that ask the individuals to problem-solve for their own particular needs, the audience members are likely to be bored.

Show me the money: reward the learners. Some learners are happy with the emotional “reward” that comes with interaction. It’s sufficient emotional affirmation and it satisfies their need for affiliation. Other learners are happy to be able to take a test or a questionnaire that “rewards” them by showing them how much knowledge they’ve gained. Still other learners are motivated by certificates and other ways to show they have achieved a level of professional expertise. A good example is the exam to become a Professional Certified Marketer. Ostensibly, one can take webinars, which will help an individual prepare to take the exam, which is offered through the American Marketing Association ($100 to register, $435 to take the test / discounts available for members).

Unfortunately, though, most webinars do not establish a clear pathway between their courses and a certificate, college credit-eligible course, or degree.

Repurpose with a purpose. If you’re repurposing old videos from the 60s and 70s, keep in mind that the technology, clothing, and hair styles have changed dramatically. You’ll need to remember that the anachronistic elements are potentially a huge distraction from the actual message. So, if you’re repurposing old video or media assets, be sure to do so with a clear purpose in mind. Repeat the outcomes, the categories of knowledge, the key points, and the desired outcomes. Keep the learner on track. Continue to point to the reason for the presentation or topic.

Respect culture and language. Your webinar may appeal to a very narrow audience, and yet you may need to show it to people from diverse cultures, languages, and geographical regions. Be sure to incorporate the cultural assistance you’ll need. Create a mediated space by including bilingual cues and guides, links to helpful dictionary or encyclopedia entries, and explanatory sidebars. A very useful article that addresses the issues is one on bilingual education located here: http://elearnqueen.blogspot.com/2007_02_10_archive.html A video that deals with motivation and cultural difference can be found here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3081767539581545454&hl=en

For corporations, professional associations, and organizations with a large inventory of stored “webinar events,” the opportunity to strengthen them and expand their reach and impact should be cause for celebration. The “Webinar Weakness” can be overcome by using effective learning strategies.

Bridging Cultural Difference

Mini-Webinar: Authenticity in Writing
Articles You May Enjoy:Quality in an Online Course (at elearners.com)Analyzing Television and Film in e-Learning. (from http://www.elearningqueen.com)Online Programs that Appeal to All Generations (at elearners.com)

Project Gutenberg’s archiving software: Greenstone Digital Library

Published by Susan Smith Nash on June 4, 2007 in Programs and Research. 0 Comments

You’re probably familiar with Project Gutenberg, the repository of more than 3,700 titles that range from Shakespeare, to Edgar Allan Poe, to William Blake. Project Gutenberg is an invaluable resource, not only because of the availability of text, but because of the searachability of the archive.

What you may not know is how the works are archived, and how the various search engines work. I was surprised to learn that the library archiving software used is by Greenstone Digital Library, a software developer from New Zealand. Not only is their software widely used by not-for-profit archives and libraries, it is also open-source.

The archiving software has been used for cataloguing, retrieving and storing repositories of music (Chopin at the University of Chicago), art, and historical documents, in addition to texts.

Greenstone runs on Windows and UNIX servers, and is fully documented in English, Spanish, French, and Russian. It offers complete interfaces in numerous other languages. I would say that installing and running Greenstone is not for the faint of heart, but it does seem to have a solid set of help and instruction manuals.

The URL is http://www.greenstone.org