Hello everyone,
I have always heard teachers and university lecturers encourage the use of Learning Objects in the classroom. Although I have never used one myself and always found the search process in the Learning Place, Curriculum Exchange a daunting and unsuccessful task. Last week in our Managing E-learning lecture we explored Curriculum Exchange and Learning Objects in more detail and I discovered the value of these interactive tools. A learning object can be defined as "…any digital resource that can be reused to support learning" (Wiley, 2000, p. 7). They can be a single file such as an animation, a video clip, and even text or a collection of contextualised files that make up a learning sequence. These digital resources offer an efficient way to facilitate instruction of commonly taught concepts, procedures, applications, and skills.
I recently conducted a science investigation into friction with my grade six class and prior to commencing the lesson revised the concept of fair testing. I thought the students would easily recall their prior knowledge on fair testing, however was surprised because only three students in the
class could remember the change, measure and keep everything the same concept. I believe using a learning object like “Elsie and the Golden Cows” would have helped students grasp these fundamental principles of fair testing as its interactive and engaging fictional story highlights the key concepts involved. The interactive and experiential opportunities within this Learning Object allow students to develop their natural spatial knowledge. Principle ten of brain based learning suggests the brain understands and remembers best when facts and skills are embedded in the natural spatial memory. Hence realistic, engaging and hands-on Learning Objects promote experiential learning and in turn invokes spatial memory. (Caine & Caine, 1990, p.69).
In the future I will make a conscious effort to utilize Learning Objects as they are a valuable resource for the classroom. I have further explored the benefits of Learning Objects with my peers, Kristen and Anna, as we discussed Gizmos. Gizmos are online Learning Objects that provide interactive simulations for Science and Mathematics. This discussion about Gizmos can be accessed here.
I have always heard teachers and university lecturers encourage the use of Learning Objects in the classroom. Although I have never used one myself and always found the search process in the Learning Place, Curriculum Exchange a daunting and unsuccessful task. Last week in our Managing E-learning lecture we explored Curriculum Exchange and Learning Objects in more detail and I discovered the value of these interactive tools. A learning object can be defined as "…any digital resource that can be reused to support learning" (Wiley, 2000, p. 7). They can be a single file such as an animation, a video clip, and even text or a collection of contextualised files that make up a learning sequence. These digital resources offer an efficient way to facilitate instruction of commonly taught concepts, procedures, applications, and skills.
I recently conducted a science investigation into friction with my grade six class and prior to commencing the lesson revised the concept of fair testing. I thought the students would easily recall their prior knowledge on fair testing, however was surprised because only three students in the
class could remember the change, measure and keep everything the same concept. I believe using a learning object like “Elsie and the Golden Cows” would have helped students grasp these fundamental principles of fair testing as its interactive and engaging fictional story highlights the key concepts involved. The interactive and experiential opportunities within this Learning Object allow students to develop their natural spatial knowledge. Principle ten of brain based learning suggests the brain understands and remembers best when facts and skills are embedded in the natural spatial memory. Hence realistic, engaging and hands-on Learning Objects promote experiential learning and in turn invokes spatial memory. (Caine & Caine, 1990, p.69).In the future I will make a conscious effort to utilize Learning Objects as they are a valuable resource for the classroom. I have further explored the benefits of Learning Objects with my peers, Kristen and Anna, as we discussed Gizmos. Gizmos are online Learning Objects that provide interactive simulations for Science and Mathematics. This discussion about Gizmos can be accessed here.
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