Synapsys Blog - June 2006

Social networking tools

Social networking tools are a rapidly growing area of technological development. This growth is due mainly, in our view, to the growing realisation within both the corporate and educational sectors that:
-Managing knowledge requires more than documenting it
-The use that knowledge can be put to depends largely on the ability of people to contextualise it within their organisation, and that requires engagement and communication.

What began as software for dating sites and the like is growing into a range of applications from event organising, to academic networks to marketing applications. One that is starting to gain traction is Sossoon. This tool is gaining traction as a forum for academics to share information and ideas globally, and is also being used to network those involved in the purchasing industry , and professes to have a wider range of commercial applications. It will be interesting to see how this new type of offering shakes down over time. Solutions which can be demonstrated to have application to a wide of range of contexts are more likely to succeed, and in that regard Sossoon may be worth keeping an eye on.

eLearning design process, moving on from ADDIE

Most training developers are familiar with the ADDIE training development model, based on a series of steps moving from analysis through development to evaluation. This article by Kevin Kruse suggests that eLearning development processes might benefit from the incorporation of systemic design models that involve an interative process. Creative teams evolve and test concepts until there is broad user acceptance. He also suggests that a rapid prototyping step can be inserted as part of CD ROM solutions design to test out working models.

Our experience is that project practicalities such as budget and timeframe often preclude an open ended process of iterative inquiry. If (and it's a big if) the right information is gathered in the initial scoping phases, we can have confidence that the proposed solution will fit.

A relatively linear model doesn't preclude creativity. The key determinant here is that the development team needs to have clearly defined roles and processes which allow the creative/expansive work to be done in a managed way. If the team composition isn't appropriate, or if the process is unclear, it's doubtful whether a truly effective solution will emerge, no matter what time or resource is allocated to it.

At Synapsys, the vision for the elearning experience is driven by the educational designer. Graphic designers and coding developers are charged with responsibility to 'make it so', as much as techncially possible.

As more and more of our work involves blended learning solutions, the other big challenge becomes clearly defining the relationship between the different media/experiences so that the learner has a clear pathway to follow that makes sense to them.

On larger projects we'll manage this process through the use of media-specific project managers, whose output is managed by the lead educational designer. It is this person who is charged with the role of 'champion of the learner', continuously monitoring from the perspective of the learner whether the final experience will be both seamless and effective.

Beginner's Guide to Distance Learning Issues

The California Distance Learning Project (CDLP) provides a useful overview of common issues and concerns in the development of distance learning materials. eLearning related development is also addressed. Content includes an overview of the history of distance learning, as well as coverage of more contemporary issues such as SCORM compliance and open source LMSs. Administration and evaluation issues are also overviewed. If you need to clarify what these terms mean, or orient yourself around broad issues, this is a good place to start:

CDLP

One Laptop Per Child

As citizens of wealthy Western societies we seldom stop to consider the importance of even the most rudimentary learning tools: pens, pencils and paper; but no one would argue the importance of these tools for developing minds. Over the past 20 years computers have become an increasingly common educational tool for children in first world nations, earning a place beside the pen and paper of my youth.

Computers allow easy access to a vast pool of knowledge, a means to improve literacy, and a path to an ever expanding array of career opportunities. Unfortunately, while computers are increasingly common in developed world homes, they are often well out of reach of the children of developing 'second world' nations.

For the last year one organisation has worked to rectify this situation: One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). Their goal: to produce a simple yet rugged and functional laptop for less than US$100 to be distributed throughout the second world. The OLPC is a non-profit organisation founded by Nicholas Negroponte in 2005 and funded by AMD, Google, Nortel, Red Hat, News Corporation and Brightstar. It has also received the endorsement of the UN and the World Economic Forum.

Despite the low cost of the $100 laptop, it will be a fully functional tool and offer a new world of opportunities for children and young people in developing states. Each ruggedly-built 500MHz laptop will run on the open-source Linux operating system and include a high resolution colour display, 1GB of flash memory and integrated wireless broadband. This wireless broadband will allow the laptops within a community to act as a 'daisy-chain' peer-to-peer social network, connecting computers to one another and to the Internet. The laptops will be powered by integrated mechanical 'wind-up' generators, eliminating the need for a reliable electricity infrastructure.

These laptops will be sold not to individuals but to governments, many of which understand the educational, financial and social benefits of such a programme. Parties that have expressed a desire to participate in the project include the governments of China, Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, Egypt and Thailand.

Synapsys concerns itself with the business of education and knowledge management, often with the aid of computer technology, making this project particularly close to our hearts. To learn more about the OLPC project, visit their website at www.laptop.org. Images of functioning laptop prototypes manufactured by Quanta, the world's largest manufacturer of laptop computers, unveiled on May 27 2006 can also be found at this site.