January 6th, 2009 by Learning Systems
A new architectural language has been created to suit the increasing complexity of contemporary life. Architect Patrick Schumaster calls it a “new long wave of innovation”. He claims that because of 3D learning systems and software, architects are experiencing the same kind of energy that people had when they returned from the Crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries.
They traversed Eastern Europe and the Holy Land and back, having seen the most extraordinary architecture which previously had been completely unfamiliar to them. Their witnessing it–much like 3D learning systems today–opened their eyes to new architectural concepts. New heights and polychromatic forms were realized, as well as the sense that the arch could be elevated and aspire to new heights.
January 6th, 2009 by Learning Systems
Online learning systems and software have impacted architectural design to a revolutionary degree. As architects experiment, they are able to imagine greater potential in architecture which previously were considered impossible. Largely as a result of online learning systems, many architects believe we are on the cusp of an exciting new era of architectural creativity.
3D computer modeling programs originally designed for the animation industry are now being used for architectural learning systems and design. But these programs aren’t simply innovative–they also help avoid the production of unnecessary materials, allowing the design and creation of fewer architectural components.
January 2nd, 2009 by Learning Systems
One field whose development has evolved rapidly alongside computerized learning systems is architecture.
Architectural design software and computerized learning systems have had a profound effect on the way buildings today are being imagined, modeled and constructed. In recent years there has been a great burst in architectural creativity, largely due to new graphic software packages.
Works like Zaha Hadid’s Innsbruck railway station, for example, would never have been created without the help of special software and computerized learning systems. A computer modeling system was used to design the railway to fit perfectly with the mountainous landscape, each station individually sculpted to suit the terrain.
January 2nd, 2009 by Learning Systems
Collaboration is a concept built in to the wiki software learning system. Imagine a world,” says one Wikimedia Foundation ad, “in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That’s our commitment.”The beauty of wikis is that they are continuously evolving and democratic–no one has a monopoly on the truth. Unlike traditional learning systems like textbooks, wikis are interactive and the content is up for discussion and available for tweaking and new perspectives.
Users are encouraged to edit the Wikiversity learning system. In the guided Wikiversity tour participants are told: “You can’t break Wikiversity. Anything can be fixed or improved later. So go ahead, edit, and help make Wikiversity the best learning center on the Internet, but we also should not forget to contribute our best efforts to perfect it!”
January 2nd, 2009 by Learning Systems
Wikis are an increasingly useful tool at the center of the collaborative learning trend. The Wikimedia Foundation offers a glimpse into what future learning could look like. Wikimedia is really a collection of learning systems, including Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Wiki Books, Wikiquote, WikiNews, Wikisource, Wikispecies, and more. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding the growth, development and distribution of free and multilingual learning content.
Wikiversity is a project whose goal is the creation of free, collaborative learning systems. It promises learning resources, projects and research for all levels, types, and styles of education from pre-school to university, including professional training and informal learning. Its goal is to create open learning systems and collaborative learning communities, constructing learning resources “from the ground up” while also linking to existing internet resources.
December 29th, 2008 by Learning Systems
In 2002 John Chambers, then CEO of Cisco, stated his enormous hopes for online learning systems. “Education over the internet is going to be so big,” he said, “it’s going to make email look like a rounding error.” According to a Radicati Group study from August 2008, there are about 1.3 billion email users world wide. That makes a little more than one in every five people on earth.
But despite the overly optimistic predictions of online learning system pioneers, it’s still exciting to muse about the educational possibilities of games like Spore and Second Life. It reminds me of IGN Australia’s comment about Spore, an early proof of fun online learning system potential: “It [Spore] will make you acknowledge just how far we’ve come, and just how far we have to go…”
December 29th, 2008 by Learning Systems
How can video game developers whose goal is to create learning system games hope to make profits in a world of pirating? One strategy is to require that learners have an active subscription, rather than a legitimate copy of the learning system game, to play.
According to the TorrentFreak weblog, Spore was the most pirated game of 2008–even though it was only released in September. TorrentFreak compiled a list of the ten most downloaded PC games in 2008, using data provided by BitTorrent.
Spore came at the top of the list, with 1.7 million illegal downloads since its release (compared to its two million sales, according to Electronic Arts). On the other hand, MMORPGs that require active subscriptions like World of Warcraft, a game whose subscribers number 11 million worldwide, are exempt from pirating.
December 29th, 2008 by Learning Systems
The use of an entertainment medium as an instructional learning system is increasingly under consideration and construction. From Second Life to Spore, virtual worlds and online video games are prime examples of learning systems whose primary purpose is entertainment. Although these two systems will need to overcome many problems in terms of both content and functionality, they seem to offer us a shiny glimpse of a promising future in which learning can be made enjoyable and interactive.
However, it’s not the best of times for many kinds of video games. Coupled with financially uncertain times, many people believe that pirating has contributed to low sales for games like Spore, which was released in September.
Is it possible that pirating and low sales will slow the development of online games as training, collaboration and pedagogical tools? Developers of interactive learning systems might learn a few lessons from the mistakes of game developers.
