wysereeser.com

I was passed along an interesting little tool today under the 3rd Party Tools Forum set up by ADL. Its a Flash based sharable content object (SCO) that can be used to check the data model elements supported within a Learning Management System (LMS).

Since the ADL just recently released an implementation guide, I thought it might be helpful to provide a list of some of the various SCORM implementation guides I am aware of at the moment.

• ADL SCORM Implementation Guide: A Step by Step Approach (by ADL)
• SCORM 1.2 Content Implementation Guide (by Click2Learn)
• SCORM Best Practices Guide for Content Developers (by Carnegie Mellon)

Claude Ostyn at Click2Learn has a little site that he updates periodically with documents or other materials related to SCORM or IMS implementation. I check it infrequently, but as luck would have it I came across it today to find a Toolbook *application* targeted at enabling simple sequencing functionality AND a SCO wrapper series of pages aimed at catching API calls from SCORM conformant content for testing purposes.

The ADL released two major documents that have been eagerly anticipated. The first, The SCORM Implementation Guide: A Step by Step Approach, seeks to help clarify issues around implementation of the SCORM specification within content developed. And the second, SCORM Version 1.3 Application Profile Working Draft Version 0.9, focuses on incorporating the IMS Simple Sequencing specification, which as you might guess focuses on establishing a common framework for the sequencing of content.

Very interesting.

Creating Shared Learning Spaces with Macromedia Contribute and Macromedia Flash Communicaton Server MX

The DSpace project evolved out of a joint relationship between HP and MIT Libraries focused on providing a system and architecture for the purpose of storing academic materials. They indicate that the metadata they’re using is Dublin Core, but that they’ll also develop alternate metadata schemas into the system as well. Of particular note, I found was a statement around metadata services in a report from the effort:

Over the next two years, we anticipate the introduction of
descriptive metadata services in the following three areas:

• Metadata consulting – includes needs assessment, survey and feasibility study of available metadata schemas, and recommendation
• Metadata research services – includes a variety of services such as metadata crosswalks, advice on appropriate taxonomies, consultation on tools for metadata creation, capture and management, authority control advisory service, and preservation metadata
• Metadata creation and support services – includes encoding and Dublin Core metadata entry and review of metadata submissions for data consistency

Jay Cross has a … slow … but … informative … presentation on the value within learning. In his presentation I was reminded of the following.

All the learning in the world is worthless if people don’t change their behavior.

So much of the time we loose focus of what the real end goal is relative to the activies we pursue.

I came across EduZope, a project to develop a Learning Content Management System (LCMS) based on the ZOPE web application framework (utilizes Python scripts, if I understand it correctly). I studied the site to try and figure out if there were any actual files to download, since it doesn’t actually STATE that fact ANYWHERE. I kept thinking I would find something, but I didn’t. Either way the cause is noble and just, and another initiative worth keeping an eyeball on.

The Reload Project is apparently a collection of some of the UK elearning groups you may be familiar with (CETIS, JISC, & others). The project just got off the ground at the beginning of this month (10/1/2002) from what I can tell. And it appears to be targeted toward developing Java/XML based applications that try to take various IMS & SCORM specifications into account. Many of the specific site areas are still undefined and empty. But it will definitely be a project to watch evolve.

Found this article from elearningpost that talks about the methods and proper usage of Flash MX to produce effective simulations.