Posted 8:23 PM by George Siemens
Over the last several days, I've encountered two very different views of storing learning objects - centralized (via Learning Content Management System - LCMS) or decentralized (either peer-to-peer, or with dispersed resources, but centralized listing). The first system (LCMS) was a demonstration of Jupiter Suite from Avaltus. Slick, user friendly, and conceptually, easy to grasp. Content is stored locally, and essentially only accessible to the institution - and for that matter, the people who are given permission in the institution. Content creation and acquisition is controlled and monitored.

My exposure to the decentralized content system came in the form of a presentation on Web Services and Semantic Web for the Next Generation of Learning Repositories. This model is still in development stages (but Stephen Downes has been writing about it for a while). Conceptually, distributed learning object networks are much more difficult to grasp...largely because there isn't very much existing to use as a reference point (well, other than the Internet itself). The concepts of third-party metadata, LO rating, buying/exchanging objects, etc. seem far into the future given the extensive hype, but lack of actual results in this field to date. However, the outcome of this model is openness - the gatekeeper has been eliminated, and essentially, learning objects stand based on their own quality - good resources get used, bad resources don't.

Question: In what circumstances would an LCMS be used? Well, the only situation I can see is if the organization has content that is proprietary...like corporations. This system works for closed, single-point quality control. It has a place in corporations - just not sure about education - which is based on sharing and openness. With that said, it is important to highlight that even if the distributed model for LO's succeeds - organizations will still need a content management system (not to be confused with LCMS). Documents that have organizational value...but not necisarily student value - need to be tagged, managed and controlled...and, as I've stated before, content management is a "back fill" area for elearning - it's important...but we just haven't gotten around to it...

Posted 8:03 PM by George Siemens
Learning Objects 101: A Primer for Neophytes
Quote: "Ask any three educators what a learning object is, and you're liable to get three different answers. For some, learning objects—small reusable chunks of learning—represent a major paradigm shift away from the traditional unit of learning that has dominated formal education for the last two centuries—the course...For others, learning objects are just a fancy new handle for something that teachers have been doing for years—sharing."
Comment: Nice overview of learning objects...complete with many links to articles and sites ( which have been detailed here over the last several weeks/months). As I've stated before, learning objects are currently presented only from an educator/administrator perspective (reusable - save time, save money (get the free can opener if you order now...)). I know educators are grappling with increased costs, reduced budgets...and "consumer" demand for high quality education. Learning objects are often viewed as the solution to these problems.

Learning objects need to be considered more from a learners perspective. How do LO's help the learning process? How do learners benefit? Obviously - better quality education resources...but beyond that is the real value...if learning content is chunked, then learners can conceivably enter a course at various levels (rather than at the start and progress through till the end) - and content can be presented in various ways (audio, video, text, etc - all achieving the same learning outcome, but geared towards different learning styles, intelligences)...learner value in learning objects is found in personalization. As long as reuse is the main focus, a big part of the reason for using objects is being overlooked.

Posted 5:16 PM by George Siemens
XML for the Rest of Us
Quote: "We've known for many years that most of our vital information lives in documents, not databases...Empowering ordinary users to create and interact with XML data is a huge step forward."
Comment: Mainly focuses on the XML features of the new Mircrosoft Office 11 Suite (still in beta)...

Posted 5:04 PM by George Siemens
Semantic Web - Interview
Quote: "The Semantic Web is an extension of the current Web in which information is given well-defined meaning, better enabling computers and people to work in cooperation...The Semantic Web will allow two things. First, it will allow this information to be surfaced in the form of data, so that a program doesn't have to strip the formatting and pictures and ads off a Web page and guess the data. Second, it will allow people to write (or generate) files which explain – to a machine – the relationship between different sets of data."

Posted 5:05 AM by George Siemens
Why is the Web Still Only a Single-User System?
Quote: "...in its present state, fundamentally single-user. Browsing the Web is a solitary activity, and interacting with a Web site is a simple matter of data exchange between a client and a server. What they propose is that the current Web infrastructure be slightly modified so that Web sites are transformed into "places" and people browsing the Web are recognized as individual entities inhabiting the places that they visit. In other words, when you connect to a Web site, you can choose to reveal your identity if you wish, and then you'd be able to interact with other people who are visiting that Web site — whether it be by way of chat or file exchange. "
Comment: The notion of a multi-user web is great...but most people have moved past the "coolness" of the Internet, and now use it primarily as a tool. Going online now involves task-specific objectives (i.e. get information, research)...the noble concept of contributing information and dialoguing extensively with random sites we visit seems to be against the grain of how many people use the Internet. With that said, I still think concepts like wiki's are great...and perhaps if the option existed, more dialogue would occur online.

Posted 5:05 AM by George Siemens
Institutional Repositories
Quote: "Institutional repositories build on a growing grassroots faculty practice of posting research online, most often on personal web sites, but also on departmental sites or in disciplinary repositories. This demonstrates a desire for expanded exposure of, and access to, their work. In addition, digital publishing technologies, ever-expanding global networking, and enabling interoperability protocols and metadata standards are coalescing to provide practical technical solutions that can be implemented now. The convergence of these interrelated strands indicates that institutional repositories merit serious and immediate consideration from academic institutions and their constituent faculty, librarians, and administrators."
Comment: Sometimes technology brings to the fore front the need for improvements in how we do things...this is certainly the case with sharing of resources institutionally. Recently, learning objects have hijacked discussions of repositories...this article highlights the need for a repository for sharing knowledge, not only learning objects.