that’s what i’m thinking for my presentation next thursday. if I can get the wordpress instance installed, I’ll download several publishing add ons..gotta explore that.
Others to explore on this topic: wordpress, book glutton, diggit……to begin
outline
background
participatory publishing via blog
blogs to use
add ons to use within blogs
examples

Trying an audio blog. This one below is just a link to an mp3 file on another server. This hosted blog doesn’t allow you to embed mp3 which sorta sucks because I can’t them automatically create RSS tags for it, simply by clicking on the RSS icon. Not that it’s soooo hard to do it manually, but….
Audio

• So next step is to make a feed out of it, and perhaps download a pretty volume control bar.
• Then maybe make a vodcast, with video, if time.

Then move it all over to the new downloaded blog from wordpress.org, once it’s working. I added an audio plugin which should solve this problem

For my final project I created three rollovers which change the image from orange to green, and upon on(release) open the pages to which they are referring.

homepages.nyu.edu/~ntk2/www/midterm/

three main graphics are rollovers

all the links are provided from here:

homepages.nyu.edu/~ntk2/www/final/

Perceptions of Open Source Versus Commercial Software: Is Higher Education Still on the Fence?

This article takes a totally different perspective from most about CMS’s or LMS’s because it focuses partially on the different (and competing) roles between the CIO / CTO’s and the CAO’s interests in LMS features. The CAO might be more focused on pedagogy, whereas the CIO is focused on technology. The two should communicate more seems to be the message so needs of both groups are met.

Other interesting article information about open source is basically that it’s not a given that it’s cheaper to go open source-having to customize the interface(s) means manpower which  can be expensive. 

Seems many institutions are wary of the support for these tools-the community support. Open source tools are driven by their communities and until there are committments to these communities, seems people are wary of adopting open source tools.  Basically they think open source is a good idea, but very few are willing to adopt open source tools in place of commercial tools. The open source research has to build and be explored further, for practical applications-seems it’s still too new.

That’s it in a nutshell, as far as I’m concerned. Granted, I read it while there was a half carafe of red wine on the table, so perhaps my interpretations are slightly more “creative” than others : )

tres cool

code:

<iframe src=”learning_guide.html” height=”200″ width= “200″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”>Insert alternative text for browsers that do not understand Iframe</iframe>

in the above example I made an anchor to a section of the learning guide, and linked to it from a cell in the index page and sized it so there was no extra text. Fun stuff.

For extra credit-do resume (done) and add iframes–see above.

Relevant Links:

• homepages.nyu.edu/~ntk2/www/midterm

• Rollovers: homepages.nyu.edu/~ntkw/www/midterm/mindex.html

Stuff:

• Created a linked css style sheet rather than embedded one.
• changed text and color of graphics. Now they are orange not green–I will create rollovers in flash which will show the green graphics.
• Need to create the video library stuff. That’s where each graphic box goes to–movies related to find; deliver; and manage. I just have to create a mockup page for those.
• I dumped the green borders-think it looks kinda bland now but I don’t think the borders worked.
• i have to figure out what kind of design doc is needed…….probably just for presenting but still
  • create pages for find; deliver; manage
  • flash rollovers of images–look at homepages.nyu.edu/~ntk2/www/midterm/mindex.html–the only difference will be that when you click on the graphic it will go to the page.
  • look at the homepage of wordpress blog-for layout of videos
  • other flash elements? perhaps rollover question marks behind some of the stuff.
    figure out case studies….where they should go, etc.
  • write a brief design document
  • other: add dhtml menu to www index. fix www index page. update about us page

To do: new blog post on article and how it connects to open source articles.

Richard E. Mayer, and Roxana Morano

Research goal-how to use words and pictures to foster meaningful learning (deep understanding of the material, including mentally organizing it in a cognitive structure)

 Off-Loading when One Channel is Overloaded with Essential Processing Demands

on-screen text and images shown–split attention effect since learner has to read and view images concurrently. Solution, present words as narration, rather than presenting text and images both in visual channel–this way you are utilizing verbal channel as well.

Project Example: Any camtasia type movie which provides narration coupled with animation: http://library.nyu.edu/tools/refworks/Movies.html 

For my project where I’m providing information on library resources, under the manage section I’ll be providing videos on tools like the one above, which adheres to the presenting words as narration principle.

————————————————–

Segmenting and Pretraining When Both Channels are Overloaded with Essential Processing Demands in Working Memory

overload of high-intrinsic load (conceptually complex info) in both verbal and visual channels

solution: segment information into bite size sections that don’t require continuous play w/out a break-allows for learner to select segments according to his or her cognitive capabilities.

solution: pretraining where learners receive prior instruction about what is to be learned

Project Example: in a class, give overview of the tool you are teaching, then show self-paced segmented movie and allow class to watch and learn at their own pace. for my project when showing a tool such as RefWorks, above, rather than providing a long movie that includes every aspect of the tool, i will provide several segments and allow the user to navigate to each segment as they wish. For example–logging on to RefWorks will be one segment; creating a folder will be another; adding BobCat searches to the folder; adding articles from databases into RefWorks, etc…..

——————————————-

 One or both channels are overloaded by the combination of essential and incidental processing

 problem: one or both channels are overloaded by the combination of essential and incidental processing demands

too much essential processing of a learner who needs to engage both essential and incidental processing (essential and non-essential information)

solution: eliminate extraneous information

solution: signaling-when you can’t dump extraneous information, convey somehow which is essential and which is now.

Project Example: screen capturing software video showing the whole browser window in a search, for example. Create unified graphics such as green arrows, etc. to focus users attention on the section of the screen s/he should be paying attention to. My movies will provide such signaling

 ———————————————————

Aligning and Eliminating Redundancy When the System is Overloaded by Incidental Processing Demands and Attributes to How the Essential Material is Presented

 problem: one or both channels are overloaded by the combination of essential and incidental processing demands

 same as above problem except in this case the essential information is presented in a confusing way.

solution: aligning words with pictures

provide pictures and corresponding text side-by-side, so user is not spending value cognitive ability trying to find the words that correspond with the image. provide words and images together, side-by-side, not one after the other.

solution: eliminate redundancy

don’t narrate words already provided on the screen

project example: I will be creating videos that don’t utilize on-screen text, but provide narration only in conjunction with graphics conveying the lesson in tandem with the narration

————————————————

Synchronizing and Individualizing When the System is Overloaded by the Need to Hold Information in Working Memory

 one or both channels are overloaded by the combination of essential processing and representational holding

representational holding is: holding visual and / or verbal representations in working memory during the learning episode.

solution: synchronizing: synchronize visual and auditory material. temporal contiguity effect is eliminated when successive presentation is broken down into smaller pieces-working memory is not overloaded becuase only a small amount of material is being presented in sequence.

Project Example: As above, i will be providing brief videos conveying one area of a tool at a time; and will be synchronizing audio with graphics

• Notes for final
• homepage should not scroll
• links should be the same color scheme as the site
• pages obviously connected to one another
• make sure there are no untitled pages
• matching colors
• image alignment–even in tables, align table
• table alignment-nest tables instead of creating several separate tables
• make sure you know how your site is different from other sites out there.
• my notes
• dump border
• center boxes in alignment with top banner
• put all the files together (main site page, etc) and deliver to Reneta
• right now: homepages.nyu/edu~ntk2/index: resume
• http://homepages.nyu.edu/~ntk2/main.html (main link to everything)
• make the main index page to everything: http://homepages.nyu.edu/~ntk2/www/index. Link to everything from here, so have whole class within the www folder.
• for thurs
• nine way to reduce cog load article
• write a blog post about how i might improve my site based on nine ways…..

http://homepages.nyu.edu/~ntk2/www/midterm/

The only link that works is the learning guide library, so far. The plan is to make pages for the search & discover, manage, and deliver areas. They are now hot spots but don’t go anywhere yet. I think they’ll go to flash pages but not got that sorted out yet. In fact, perhaps they will BE flash buttons that provide rollovers on the index page.

I am sooooooooo bad at organizing sites. I am still confused about what my case studies will do, what the three areas should contain, and how to link it all together in a way that’s educationally sound. I guess ya gotta start somewhere, but I’m kind of frustrated………….

blech