Scott's 3 Stages of Using Graphics

I love working with graphics, but I went through a series of stages to get to that point. I don't know if other e-Learning developers have encountered the same thing. Unfortunately, I can't think of a clever name for my theory (based solely on my experience), so I'm going to call it Scott's Three Stages of Using Graphics. Sometimes simplicity can be catchy... or so I hope.

1. Stage 1-Shying Away from Graphics Altogether: When I first started working in an e-Learning group, I knew very little about e-Learning and tended to shy away from using graphics. I probably didn't know much about them then and thus they seemed somewhat mysterious to me. My courses at that time were mostly text with very few graphics, which were put in only at my supervisor's insistence.
2. Stage 2-Using Too Many Graphics: When I got the hang of using graphics, I used them all the time, whether or not they were contextually accurate. I filled presentations with clip art and other graphics because I thought I was making it look pretty, but all I really did was clutter it up.
3. Stage 3-Using Graphics Judiciously: Now, I've learned that graphics should be used in an appropriate context as demanded by the content. I rarely stick a graphic in a course or on a web page just to have one there. I haven't perfected this skill yet, but I'm learning more about selecting the right graphic and placing it correctly so it complements the material being taught and doesn't create cognitive overload.
   

I guess stage 4 will be the ability to create my own graphics. Hopefully my Photoshop class will help me in this regard!

Finding the Value of Training

I found myself moaning a bit today about the value of training in a corporate setting. Why do we do what we do? Are people coming to the class (or logging into an online session) just to check off an item on a to-do list or get their supervisor off their back, or are they there because they want to learn something? It struck me as resoundingly similar (sometimes I can be hopelessly naive) to the challenges that educators face in classrooms every day. I thought that in corporate training, there was a bit more urgency attached to it, because potentially one's livelihood could be at stake. I wonder if there's much that can be done -- especially from a distance education standpoint -- to add more value to training and make it less of a pill and something of a treat. True, we can make e-Learning interactive, aligned with the best learning theories, interactive, and even fun, but value has to be added at the learner level or the organizational level. Where does that value come from? I'm going to keep searching for answers, but I'm certainly open to suggestions.

Copyright this!

Despite the somewhat defiant title of my post, I'm a great believer in copyright laws. Without them, why would any of us compose symphonies, write a novel, code a new application, or perform any feat of original creativity? We learned a great deal about copyright laws this week and the most interesting thing I took away from it is how the laws have responded to advances in technology. The 1909 update came about when radio and film were first beginning to emerge as new channels of communication. At that point, we were still eighteen years away from the first all-talking film.

I've seen some websites discussing the issue of copyrights and screenshots, but most of the commentary I've read is that a screenshot could be considered a derivative work since it's an adaptation of an established work. It could fall under fair use guidelines, depending on how it is being used. Here's a link with a discussion about it.

Educators, I imagine, must walk a fine line when utilizing copyrighted materials in class. The threat of legal action is very real. Distance educators face more stringent guidelines. The TEACH act became law in 2002 and spelled out more guidelines about how distance educators can use copyrighted materials.

How Green Is Your Distance Learning?

Here is an interesting take on distance learning. I work in a corporate training department and I have seen many presentations and sat in on a countless number of conference calls and webinars from companies who promise to help you build a business case for implementing distance learning. Among the strategies they often suggest are the hard time and money costs (i.e. - instructors aren't on the road all the time, so they aren't requiring company funds to stay in hotels and travel from location to location). But this is the first time I've seen a company touting the 'green' aspect of distance learning.

http://www.ilinc.com/resources/casestudies/globalknowledge

My boss forwarded this link to me. Enjoy!

In the beginning...

Welcome!

This is my first post on my first blog. The primary purpose of this blog is to meet a requirement for one of my graduate classes (CECS 5110) at the University of North Texas, but hopefully I will find this enough of a fun experience that I will continue blogging after this semester is over.