Siftables

I came across this really cool and thought provoking video on siftables on the Simply Speaking blog. I just had to share it here. How interesting would it be to use this to teach?

Blog Personality Type

The analysis indicates that the author of http://archiespeaksout.blogspot.com/ is of the type:

ISTJ - The Duty Fulfillers

The responsible and hardworking type. They are especially attuned to the details of life and are careful about getting the facts right. Conservative by nature they are often reluctant to take any risks whatsoever. The Duty Fulfillers are happy to be let alone and to be able to work int heir own pace. They know what they have to do and how to do it.

I am not sure if I agree. My blog personality for my other blog, Mum's the Word, is different. Can that be possible? Do I have a dual personality? :) Anyway, check out your blog personality at Typealyzer.

When should we use pre tests?

I am hooked to Clark Quinn's blog posts on ID. When reading one such post, I came across another article, The Case Against Pre Testing for Online Courses by the same author. This had me thinking, when do I use pre-tests in courses?

• When there is a discrepancy between what the learner knows and what he/she thinks he knows. It is a dangerous situation when the learner thinks he/she already knows what you are about to teach him/her but from your research you know otherwise.
  
• If the learners' profile shows discrepancy in prior knowledge, pre tests help identify which path will be best suitable for the learner. For example, the pre test shows that the learner is good at communication skills but poor in active listening, he/she will be directly taken to active listening.
  
• To help the learner understand which areas need more focus.
  
• To help the learner understand more about themselves. For example: You have a personality test to help the learner understand his/her personality type.
  

This being said its not necessary to have a pre test in all courses. Pre test should not be used for the following:

• To judge where the learner is; we should have already done our research to identify this
• When motivation to learn is high; it may be demotivating to continue with the course if the feedback is not encouraging
• To set expectations; your objectives screen and gain attention screen should be sufficient to set expectations

Pre tests are effective tools when used correctly. Pre tests should be designed carefully. These are very useful for soft skills such as communication, personality types, and so on. Well designed pre tests are non-judgemental and encouraging.

Micky Mouse Club House

When surfing through channels, I paused at Disney channel (mostly because my one year old son was fascinated by the colors). Micky Mouse Club House was playing. If you have seen this show, you'd realize that the main objective of this program is to teach the children. Micky and gang did several tasks. For example: One of the characters needed a bow to go to the circus. A device named toodle is summoned. This device visually shows several tools that can be selected to carry out a particular task. Micky encourages the children to identify which tool can be used to make a bow. Ribbon is one such option. They select this and demonstrate how a bow can be made from a ribbon. There are two more tasks similar to this.

The strategies used:

• An interesting storyline with heroes and a villain
  
• Three set of objectives
• Visual multiple choice exercises (with distractors) directly linked to the objectives
  
• Small fun demonstrations (dance steps, how to march and so on)
• Visual recap toward the end of the program

I think it is a very effective way to teach and entertain. What I loved about it is that it is all very visual. Catch it sometime if you can.

Design rules that you must always follow

Rule 1: Unless you are conducting learner testing, do not experiment with positioning of buttons. There is a logic why the next button is positioned in the right bottom corner and why the exit button is positioned in the top right corner. Understand the logic before you experiment.

Rule 2: Always use radio buttons for single select MCQs and check boxes for MMCQs or multiple select questions.

Rule 3: Buttons should look clickable. Non-buttons such as placeholders, text boxes, and so on should not have the affordance of being clickable.

Rule 4: When selecting a font and font size, remember that readability is more important than visual appeal.

Rule 5: Colors should be selected using the color wheel. Do not assume that certain colors go well with each other. Check it out.

Rule 6: Ensure that there is a clear visual hierarchy. The contents of the screen need to be well-balanced.

Rule 7: Ensure that all elements such as feedback boxes, text boxes, placeholders, and so on belong to the same family.

Rule 8: Use grids to design your screen. Ensure alignment and proper spacing.

Rule 9: Ensure easy accessibility for those features that the learner is likely to use often. For example, the next and back buttons

Rule 10: Ensure that the icons and the graphics used are self-explanatory.

Internal Motivation

I think every time I speak/write about the learner, I mention motivation at least once. As an ID, I take motivation very seriously. It is my responsibility to ensure that the learner's motivation is high as this will ensure that he/she actually learns. We do a detailed contextual inquiry to understand our learners. Then, we brainstorm for hours before we decide on the instructional strategy that we should use.

But regardless of the effort we put in, if the internal motivation is low, it is a tough situation. The learner should want to learn. I see this in my daily life whether it is working on a project, writing a blog, conducting research, working on a presentation... If the motivation is low, it shows. We may try to encourage them, push them, force them but none of this will work if their heart is not in it.

What influences internal motivation? Internal motivation is influenced by one's aspirations, goals, and needs. We have to understand these to ensure that their heart is in it. If we understand this, we may be able to show the learner the relevance and arouse their curiosity. But, if they still don't want to, they will not learn. That's scary... We can only ensure that we play all our cards right and hope that the learner is inspired enough. The onus is finally with the learner. I guess this goes back to the basic principle of adult learning: What is in it for me? We can show this relevance but it is for them to see it.

Please note that I am not trying to pass on the blame for courses that have not met their learning outcomes. I am only reflecting on the power of internal motivation.

ID close to extinction?

I was reading some really interesting posts on Kern Learning Solutions Blog (authored by Vaishnavi). Vaishnavi's main interest is web 2.0. I am sure several people know what it is, yet there are others who think they know what it is, and further there are few who think it is just a fancy term. Anyway, if you wish to know more about it, read the KLS blog.

The posts on KLS blog had me thinking about how the role of an ID is constantly changing. Web 2.0 encourages learners to seek information for themselves. The learning is self-motivated. Does this mean that there will soon be no role for an ID? Who is an ID? An ID is a facilitator of learning. What we do is ensure that we understand our learner's needs and design instruction. So, if we are not designing elearning or ILT, what should we be doing?

I do not think ID is going to be out of the picture anytime soon. An ID should however be aware of what is happening around him/her and adapt to the changes. For example, if the learner's needs reflect a need to use a virtual world such as second life. The ID still needs to identify how information can be presented in the most learnable fashion in this medium. The ID needs to ensure that they understand what information the learner may need and make this available to the learner. Also, ID must keep in mind that the information should not be linear as they path the learner takes can not be predicted.

I think facilitating learning using Web 2.0 is going to be an extremely challenging task for an ID. I am waiting to increase my skill set by working on a web 2.0 project. Keeping my fingers crossed!