What Does Your LMS Look Like - - part 1

First off, LMS = Learning Management System.  It's a way for schools, companies, institutions to manage their online classes, courses, training materials.

This is a 2nd version of thoughts I've had for this post, because I just read this quick article:  Online Textbooks Aim to Make Science Leap From the Page.

My favorite quote from the article, besides the fact that it's a digital text book for only $49:

Still, this isn’t your usual technical tome. The pages have some pizazz: they are replete with punchy, interactive electronic features — from dynamic illustrations to short quizzes meant to involve students rather than letting them plod, glassy-eyed, from one section to the next. Audio and video clips are woven into the text.

To relate this directly to video right quick, this is what I mean when I say that video needs to be thought of as just another image rather than some special piece of media.  The technology is, and has been, there, and it's just going to keep getting easier and cheaper.

During 4th quarter I've been developing three clinical training modules for UW's LMS.  Each module consists of at least four "movies" seperated by quizzes.  I'm building the training with a combination of Final Cut Pro, Motion, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Camtasia, and Prezi.  

Gerald Grinter introduced me to Prezi a couple months ago.  Very basically, Prezi is a power point alternative that lets you lay out and display ideas as though you are working on a whiteboard.  I tried it out for 30 days, found it very intuitive and instantly incorporated it into my workflow, and I've bought a 1 year subscription to the software.

In any line of work it's about using the right tool for the job, then using the tool to craft the right product.  (I say this as Gerald's sites tab is up displaying "Getting the Right Tools for....")  Prezi instantly fit into my workflow because of the time it shaved off of building animated graphics in After Effects or Motion compositions.  

And getting back to the article I mentioned above, Prezi is one way to create pages that "have some pizazz."

“We want students to measure a chapter not by how much they read, but by how much they learn.”

“This is a world where students have many devices, and they expect to have whatever they need when they need it,” he said. “But no matter what device they go to, the browser is there, and therefore our textbook is there, too.” For offline use, students can download a digital edition to read on a desktop. They can also print copies if they prefer a paper version.

The point of Learning Management Systems is to make learning accessible; to promote learning.  

§  If a student learns best by reading a printed book, that method is available

§  If a student learns best by listening and taking notes, that method is available

§  If a student learns best by watching a concept or process become fulfilled before their eyes, that method is available

§  And if a student learns best by do, that method is available through interactivity.

The 2nd part of my LMS blog is going to be more about devices and structure, and it's a tougher writeup....drafting now, will post when it's ready.

Scott Bell - - MediaDesignSeattle.com