Learning objects

I did not know that sharing learning objects was a "formal" practice, rather I thought it was something that just occurred naturally. A natural phenomenon of sorts. Since teachers have been using the internet, they have been pulling pre-developed resources from other teachers, sharing lessons, and collaborating on instruction. Teachers did this before there was internet, but (like with all communication) internet access has enhanced it. I have been using learning objects since I began teaching, only I did not know that was what they were called. I use videos from teacher tube, resources from other teachers websites and files, simulations provided by educational organizations regularly in this class. The idea that all of this could be compiled and organized into a single-large database is astonishing. What a wonderful and valuable resource this would be. In a sense, the students would be benefiting from the collaborative efforts of teachers across the country and all over the world. Two heads are better than one right? How about thousands? This also can serve as an aid to students with different learning styles because they are receiving content in various forms. One barrier to most of the modules we have discussed in this course is that such models take a great deal of time and perhaps even expertise to develop. If there were a bank of learning objects from which to pull these modules, that would certainly fix such a problem.

Of course, the barrier with this idea is not that few teachers would utilize learning objects. More so, the barrier may be that few teachers would be willing to develop, share and contribute learning objects. It's easy to utilize a resource. It's harder, and takes more time and effort, to give back and contribute.

CFT

I would say that Cognitive Flexibility Theory could be described as an improved version of case-based reasoning. By which I mean, it is basically the cased-based reasoning model we looked at last week...but it much more focused and complex. It seems as though the developer of this model took the idea of CBR and simply took it to the next step. I feel that many of the models we have looked at in the course have aligned with the constructivist theory of education. However, I feel like this example is highly constructivist. Being a fan of constructivism, it's hard to find things that I do not like about this model. I could raise all the same arguments for why I like CFT for the same reasons I like CBR.

CFT also seems to fit extremely well in a multimedia environment. Rather than being told which cases to use or which cases are important, the student is left to sort through a number of candidates and determine which one best aligns with the problem and which ones provide the needed information. Could anything be closer to real research. Sure, the database is smaller and contained within the lesson, so it's not quite as vast as a real database of case files would be. But still, aside from learning the content...the student is learning how to conduct proper and efficient research. This is a skill that any future college student is going to need to develop before he/she gets to college...so I like that aspect of it as well. I also like the fact that cases need-not simply be a textual document which the student must read. Rather, the EASE example provides videos and photographs and other materials which provide information and are used as cases or examples. This is an excellent and proper use of multimedia to enhance a learning experience....because it also demonstrates the importance and power of media while conveying information simultaneously. And, let's face it, this type of user interface is much more efficient and friendly than a huge stack of case files for a student to read.

I also thought the last example in the lecture was very interesting. The student uses the cases, and information contained therein, to make decisions while treating a virtual patient. The consequences of the decisions are manifested in a simulation. This type of learning module would be very complex to develop and require quite a bit of expertise but I think it is an excellent example of how useful and effective this method can be. This can be especially useful for educating future doctors, lawyers, teachers, and even engineers. The possibilities are endless.

CBR

I like case based reasoning for many of the same reasons I prefer qualitative research findings to quantitative findings...because I understand them better. I agree with the assigned articles' statements that story-telling is something that seems to be built into our psyche and culture. It almost seems to be the most natural way to communicate and event or idea, through narration. So why is it not used more often in academia? I agree that it leaves room for conjecture, subjectivity and bias....these are things that have to be weeded out for something like a case-study. But I feel that these are barriers that can be overcome.


I really don't see how some professions or areas of study could get by without using case-based reasoning in some form or another. Physicians, lawyers, judges, detectives, psychologists, anthropologists, even sports coaches. It seems that these professions would (and do) rely heavily on previous cases in order to solve new cases...how could they get by without case-based reasoning? How to you train a doctor to make a diagnosis without relating it to some sort of past case? How do you train a lawyer without having them to read through old case files and study them at some point? I really wonder if it can be done. I think it's examples like this that allow case-based reasoning to speak for itself. Not only is it a useful method, sometimes it is an essential method.

Another interesting thing about using cases, that differs from the other problem solving models we have looked at, is that it stresses using actual events. The other models rely on a designer to create situations or problems which simulate a real world problem. When using cases, you don't have to simulate a real problem...you use a real problem that has actually occurred and been documented. Doesn't really get more "real-world" than that.