Learning Object Reflection
According to Wikipedia.com, a learning object is “a collection of content items, practice items, and assessment items that are combined based on a single learning objective…Learning objects offer a new conceptualization of the learning process: rather than the traditional ‘several hour chunk,’ they provide smaller, self-contained , re-usable units of learning.”
According to Koppi (2004), “there are many definitions of learning objects…Reusability seems integral to the concept…although it is conceivable that some learning materials or activities are so contextual that they are only used once.” He continues, “(t)he more inherently contextual an object is, the less reusable it may be.”
Articulation is also an important concept for learning objects. Koppi (2004) states that “articulation is something that the teacher does with the object by placing it into a context.” Learning object need not necessarily communicate with one another.
Merrill (1999) describes learning object as “containers consisting of slots including: name, portrayal, and description. The name contains one or more symbols or terms that reference the knowledge. The portrayal is one or more multimedia objects (text, audio, video, graphic, animation) that will show or represent the knowledge object to the student. The description slot is an open compartment into which an author can place any desired information about the knowledge object.”
I think that it is easy to see how learning objects would be useful to the instructional designer. As mentioned in the lecture, however, the ID needs to be aware of the context in which the learning object was created, lest his lesson become a patchwork quilt learning activities with little or no internal cohesion. There appears to be an economic side to the use of learning objects: indeed, it makes little sense to reinvent the wheel, and if someone has created a learning activity that can be employed within the lesson the ID is creating, it simply makes sense to integrate it rather than create a whole new learning activity. Thus time and money are saved. I think a lot of time might be spent hunting for the perfect learning object. As long as they are efficiently indexed, I see no problem with using them.
Certainly I would use learning objects in my lessons. They’re convenient, one draws upon the intellectual capital of other designers, and they can, as already indicated, save much time when putting a lesson together.
I found some great resources having to do with learning objects, such as this learning object tutorial:
http://www.eduworks.com/index.php/Publications/Learning-Object-Tutorial.html
And here’s a handy little repository from Rice University:
http://cnx.org/
You provided some great definitions that I think together encompassed the true definition of a learning object. I thought it was interesting how Koppi defined it, but it definitely makes sense when he states, "the more inherently contextual the object is, the less reusable it may be." I agree, using learning objects in the classroom does seem to be a great way to save time and money, and you can use how ever many you need to use to make a successful lesson.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. I would use learning objects in the classroom. It is a low-cost and effective way to enhance learning as long as the three components are included.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in regards to indexing. I feel with the element of reusing learning objects, it would be vital that IDs truly understand its contents and provide thorough descriptions for later uses. This could save a lot of time and energy for teachers and future users of previously created learning objects.
ReplyDeleteHeather Haymer
Al,
ReplyDeleteThe multiple definitions of learning objects, makes me think that it is a useful resource to properly use in enhancing instruction. I agree that the instructional designer needs to be mindful of the learning context when using learning objects. Simply using multimedia components like animation and video will not help learners unless it is directly related to instructional goals.
Thank you for the very comprehensive posting. I particularly like the resources you suggest. I am glad there is some flexibility in the definition of Learning Objects since I am sure they will be morphed as technology advances.
ReplyDelete