September 30th, 2008 by Learning Systems
The public has always paid for the arts and the learning content therein. Of course, this isn’t limited to the first recorded moving pictures, records, and other developments in the last century. The first bound books were reserved for the very wealthy. The printing press and the spread of public libraries saw the democratization of reading. Public libraries are a hallmark of educated and literate societies. Libraries, though endangered, continue to offer a world of learning content to the public, offering a range of materials to anyone with a library card. This includes learning content in the form of books and audiobooks, newspapers, DVDs and VHS, CDs, educational materials, computer software, and internet access. Additionally, many provide services like space for community meetings, storytelling for children and babies, and after-school programs.
September 30th, 2008 by Learning Systems
With the increased use of the internet, people are finding all kinds of ways to avoid paying for learning content, including for the arts. Sharing MP3s. Downloading pirated movies. Watching YouTube. Reading online news instead of buying a newspaper. But what about books? Like most media arts, books are a source of both entertainment and vast learning content.
Fiction and nonfiction alike have the power to fine-tune our sensibilities, open our minds, and effect social change with the learning content they provide and the ideas they inspire. But in a culture increasingly accustomed to free podcasts, music, movies and other free art, the willingness to reach into our pockets for $20 to buy that new novel is fading. All kinds of industries are losing out, including newspapers and journalists, producers and musicians. But what about publishing companies and authors?
September 30th, 2008 by Learning Systems
Most young people are familiar with the basics of using a search engine like Google to find learning content. But the way in which they use Google and other search engines depends on their experience with advanced searches and those who have taught them search skills. Teachers and librarians are good sources of skill training. Librarians often have the know-how to properly search for information, instead of just punching in key words. They can also help students find learning content that is not available on the web.
Google is the most widely used search engine, though there are many others. Though branching out and using other search engines is wise, if one wants to stick to Google alone, you might want to take a look at an “Extreme Googling” cheat sheet to enhance your learning content gathering experience.
September 30th, 2008 by Learning Systems
Anyone who has taught or been taught has known at least one educator who regularly steps into class with little to no written lesson plans. This style varies in effectiveness, depending on the educator’s knowledge of and experience with teaching the learning content. There are, for example, educators who after years of teaching the same learning content, know the material and how to teach it like the backs of their hands. Thirty years of teaching high school American history might mean that you remember each and every concept and date you want your students to understand.
However, not all teachers who come to class with just their brains do it because they truly don’t need to write out a lesson plan–some are just lazy, and believe that learning content simply teaches itself. But all good educators pay their dues in lesson planning. Moreover, students can easily differentiate between a new teacher who wings it and an experienced teacher who knows his or her stuff.
September 30th, 2008 by Learning Systems
So you’ve finally completed the process of gathering your instructional materials and you want to upload them to your learning management system. Coggno’s SCORM publisher tool will make the process of uploading as simple as putting the kettle on.
What exactly is SCORM? In 1999, an initiative was started in an attempt to facilitate the standardization of learning management systems. The Advanced Distributed Learning initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, created a set of specifications called the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM).
Though SCORM 1.1 was the first production version, SCORM 1.2 was the first widely used and is still supported, along with SCORM 2004, by most learning management systems today. With Coggno, you can upload SCORM modules from your desktop with just one click.
September 29th, 2008 by Learning Systems
To this day, my mother can always be counted on for her sayings, or self-coined “corny clichés.” But if her children were to be honest with ourselves, we would all admit that when delivered at the right moment, we liked her metaphors and stock phrases.
Growing up, our first experiences with learning content are from parents. Some important lessons stick with us long-term, while other learning content is lost. Parents’ words of wisdom take all kinds of forms–from the humble saying to hour-long lectures and dialogues.
As an adult, I still depend on my mother for her advice. When a corny cliché slips in, I don’t mind. To someone whose college learning content focused on language and culture, these figures of speech are intriguing. But also, if I’m honest with myself, I still need to hear things like “The early bird gets the worm.”
September 29th, 2008 by Learning Systems
Why is online religious learning content so popular? The practice of religion is deeply imbedded in our social fabric. Therefore, any changes to that fabric–especially one as all-encompassing as the internet–is destined to influence the practice of religion. B.E. Brasher, author of Give Me That Online Religion, wrote: “Each generation must articulate ideas of the divine that are credible, that are meaningful against the backdrop of the socio-cultural landscape of the day for the sacred to have substance.”
The longing for expression of the transcendent is timeless. It will continue to make people search for a way to express the divine in an organized, communal manner. Online religious learning content and organizations probably won’t take the place of face-to-face communities of faith. But the availability of online religious learning content and communities is bound to reach a growing number of people worldwide.
September 29th, 2008 by Learning Systems
People look to the internet for just about everything nowadays. For school and work, entertainment, purchasing products, all types of learning content, and even friends and romance. There are sites like Facebook for socializing with those you already know, and sites like Match.com that allow users to meet potential romantic interests. So, if people are using the internet as tool to meet needs as important as friendship and love, what about something like religion? Do people look to the internet in search of religious learning content and spiritual guidance? Increasingly so.
Thousands of religious websites exist, offering all kinds of information and services. There are massive websites offering pure learning content on religions from Cao Dai to Zoroastrianism. Other sites cater to the members of one particular faith. Some provide experiences like prayer, baptisms, marriages and funerals. Others host theological debates and discussions.
