Wk 10 Personal Reflection: Learning Object

Learning Object and Educational Repositories

What is Learning Object (LO)?
The most definition I can relate to is a digital, self contained, reusable entity with a clear learning aim that contain at least three internal changing and editable components: content, instructional activities, and context elements. Also, the learning object should have an external component of information which helps its identification, storage, and recovery, the metadata.
I must admit that I don’t know much about what the learning object all entail apart from the literally meaning of LO. However, looking at the typical component of a learning object such as following:

* General Course Descriptive Data
Course identifiers
Language of content (English, French)
Subject area (Math’s, Reading, etc)
Descriptive Keywords
* Instructional Content
Text
HTML Web pages
Images
Sound
Video
* Quizzes and Assessment
Questions
Answers
*Educational Level
Grade level
Age Range
Typical learning time
Difficulty

Separation of content and context or content and learning process is a huge benefit to the designer and flexibility of reusing the same learning objects with different instructional strategies to teach the same subject content. Permitting the learner as well as the instructor to generatively construct, manipulate, describe or organize learning objects can enrich the system with additional resources as well as provide a significant learning experience for the user. The is evidence for this perspective in that allowing learners the opportunity to design and link content to show interrelated, complex ideas in building a hypermedia knowledge base, may increase the level of acquired content for students and allow them to demonstrate meaningful content structures.


Repositories can be referring to one of many different technologies that support the storage and distribution of digital content, including: academic portfolio, Institutional file storage systems, course management systems, and collection of research data.
A repository differs from standard Web materials by providing teachers, students and parents with information that is structured and organized to facilitate the finding and use of learning materials regardless of their source location.
I have checked various digital and web based learning resources online to further learn how and application of this learning object for online environment. One of the key issues in using learning object is their identification by search engines. This is usually facilitated by assigning descriptive metadata to the learning object.



References:
Alessi, S.M. & Trollip, S.R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development (3rd ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Ritland, B., Dabbagh, N., & Murphy, K. (2005). Learning object systems as constructivist learning environments: Assumptions, Theories and Applications. George Mason University.

Campus Technology. (2005). Convergence: 101 best practices converge. Retrieved 26th, 2007 from http://www.campus-technology.com/article.asp?id=17564
Forth, S. & Childs, E. (2004). White paper on e-learning specifications and standards. (Online Article). Available at: http://www.innovativetraining.ca/Samples/Specifications%20and%20Standards%20White%20Paper.pdf
Greenberg, L. (2002). LMS and LCMS: What's the difference of Learning Circuits, ASTD. (Online Article). Available at: http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/dec2002/greenberg.htm
Klopfer, E., Squire, K. & Jenkins, H. (nd). Environmental detectives: PDAs as a window into a virtual simulated world. Cambridge, MA: MIT. (Online research article). Retrieved 26th, 2007 from http://website.education.wisc.edu/kdsquire/manuscripts/german-chapter.doc.
Robbins, S.R. (2002). The evolution of the learning content management system. (Online Article). Available at: http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/apr2002/robbins.html
Stacey, P. (2001). Learning management systems & learning content management systems: e-learning an enterprise application? (Online Article). Available at: http://www.bctechnology.com/statics/pstacey-oct2601.html