Hello Marrian,

For me "learning objects" conjures up object-oriented design, which used to be my speciality as a software engineer.  I even had a company called "Business by Design International", which promoted a particular object-oriented design method.

I recently used this method for designing services for an assistive technology system to help elderly people about their daily lives.  I am now thinking of how to apply the method for teaching people how to read and write.

In this design method, the "objects" are not things like documents or "content" in some form or other, but they are active entities or processes with a capability to perform some task.  A typical object comprises a combination of human actions with software and system actions.  A higher level object can be broken down into lower level objects, whose combined capabilities can be used to realise the required capability of the higher level object.

For example an object might be "boiling an egg".  This uses an egg, water, means of heating the water, means of detecting boiling, a timing mechanism, and a means to transfer egg to and from the water.  It might use the human actions to switch things on and off, monitor the water temperature and transfer the egg.

This high level object can be broken down into lower level objects for preparing the egg, getting the water to the boil, putting the egg in the water, waiting four minutes, taking the egg out of the water, and completing the cycle ready for the next person to boil an egg.  These objects can be realised by any combination of human and system, from the purely manual to the completely automated.  

When we come to a "learning object", this will break down into perhaps a "reading object".  Then we have to think about the exact process of reading.  We can go down to the level of looking at individual letters and mapping each one (or sometimes pairs) into a sound.  Then the sounds can be put together ("synthesised") to produce spoken words.  This can be done "manually" (by the reader), or it can be done automatically by a speech synthesiser.  But the real challenge is to find a way that the reader (e.g. with learning difficulty) can be supported by technology in the reading process, to achieve a higher reading capability - e.g. greater fluency, greater comprehension, etc.

I have found this method very useful in the past, because it forces you to think through the detail of all that it takes to do some task, or provide some service.  If any of you are interested, we could continue "thinking aloud" on this list, or take the discussion off-line if you prefer.  I just thought I'd get the ball rolling.

Cheers from Chiswick,

John

John Nissen
Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk
maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud.
Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics:
http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm
Tel: +44 208 742 3170  Fax: +44 208 742 0202
Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mariann Fedele 
  To: LearningDisabilities at nifl.gov 
  Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 3:06 PM
  Subject: [LearningDisabilities 428] "Learning Objects"


  Hello LD list colleagues,

   

  There is an excellent article in the Technology, Reading and Learning Diversity e-newsletter by John Fleischman, "Introduction to 'Learning Objects'"

         

        It begins,

        "Imagine a world where everyone could access learning materials at any time, in just the right context, and in a variety of media. Actually, that world may not be that far off into the future. The vision of modularized, customized, and personalized instruction is emerging today in the form of learning objects and new standards for learning technology."

        The article can be found at:
        

               
             

       

  http://archives.subscribermail.com/msg/JOHN69D0167D.htm

   

  What questions/concerns/promises does this article raise for you as adult literacy providers, and in terms of serving students with learning disabilities, difficulties and differences?

  I posted this message to the NIFL Technology and Literacy discussion list as well and would like to cross-post any responses from the LD list to the Tech list.

   

   

  Regards,

  Mariann

   

  Mariann Fedele
  Coordinator of Professional Development, 
  Literacy Assistance Center
  Moderator,
  NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List
  32 Broadway 10th Floor
  New York, New York 10004
  212-803-3325
  mariannf at lacnyc.org
  www.lacnyc.org

   



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