Tutorial

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

How to Make a One Page Folding Book!

I recently realized that its been a while since I posted a tutorial on how to make a specific product, so it was no surprise to me that this was a winner on the poll! So, here it is... how to make a one page folding book!

This took more than half (and nearly 3/4) of the votes on the poll... wow!

Now for the tutorial:

You can download this tutorial as a PDF by clicking this picture!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4WPihx63tTnVFBncjBjNlh5ZU0/edit?usp=sharing

Note: This tutorial is hosted on Google Drive. To save it from there, just open the file and click File > Download to save onto your computer!

For next weeks poll, Im actually going to gear towards middle/high school students and teachers, as well as even college students by adding the option "How to easily make a bibliography (MLA -or- APA)." I hope I can blog about this option before teachers start year end research projects with their students!!!!

PS: This was a request from my "Technology Tuesday" request form. I read it over every week and try to pick from those options for upcoming tutorials, so be sure to leave me a note if theres anything you want to learn how to do!!!

Open University Malaysia e Learning Review

Link to OUM
(Originally published in ELC, 18th June, 2004)

Open University Malaysia (OUM) was established on August 10, 2000 as the seventh private university in Malaysia. Although incorporated as a private university and established under the Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996, OUM leverages on the quality, prestige and capabilities of its owners - a consortium of the 11 Malaysian public universities. Today, there are more than 24,000 students enrolled in OUM programs.

OUMs vision is to be a leader and innovator in open learning.
Mission:

To be the leading contributor in democratising education
To develop quality education through multi mode learning technologies
To develop and enhance learning experiences toward the development of a knowledge-based society
Their learning methodology consists of self-managed learning, online learning, and face-to-face interaction.

In this review we will focus on three (3) key areas of OUM:

Learning Management System (myLMS, myMail, myProfile, myLibrary, and Learner Conexxions)
Open & Distance Learning Pedagogy Centre
Centre for Quality Management and Research & Innovation

Other key areas not discussed in this review include Centre for Instructional Design & Technology and Learner Services Centre.
Lets first look briefly at OUMs Learning Management System (LMS). In general, the LMS is reasonably user-friendly, has a pleasant interface, and is integrated (single-login). If we decompose the LMS, it is divided into five (5) main components, which are briefly explained below:

MyLMS
Consist of myCourse, myUniversity, myCommunity, and myMail. myUniversity module has features such as user directory, task, student online progress, calendar, personal address book, and polls. It serves as the first point of contact between the university and the student. Here announcements are posted, university-wide polls are taken and personal calendars updated. As for the myCourse module, it includes features such as course summary, announcement, course content, support materials, references, staff info, coursemate, forum, chat, quiz, digital drop-box, etc. Their course content comes mostly in the form of PDF files.

myMail
Is the student/staff e-mail component.

myProfile
Includes my profile, credit transfer, courses undertaken, performance (course results), and payments (invoice/financial status).

myLibrary
Includes digital collections such as OPAC, e-Library, 24 x 7, Infotrac, Proquest, EBSCO, Emerald, Engineering Village, Springer, IOP, NSTP e-Media, ACM, ERIC, InfoSecurity, IT Knowledge, and Tailor & Francis. The digital library has access to more than 36,000 titles from e-books and 50,000 titles from e-journal databases. The available databases cover all courses offered by OUM. Physically, They have more than 7,500 volumes of books located at the Central Library and Learning Centres.

Learner Connexxions
Includes learning issues, tips and pointers, facts on learning, LMS FAQs, Bookmarks, Netiquette, Abbreviations and Smileys, My Stories, Creative corner, Snapshots (of new students at OUM), etc. An excellent component, which provides useful guidelines and tips on education and life in OUM.

Overall, OUMs LMS single-login (integrated-system) and ease-of-use strategy is good.

Ok, lets move on to their Open & Distance Learning (ODL) Pedagogy Centre. It was set up with the purpose of enhancing the pedagogy of face-to-face tutoring, online tutoring and self-managed learning in an ODL environment.

Its mission is:

To provide innovative quality services and products that exceed tutors? expectations
To continuously attract, retain and develop tutors
To research into ways of increasing the quality of tutor interactions in the actual and virtual classroom environment
To help tutors integrate new and innovative print and e-content learning content into their tutoring processes

Its objectives for 2004 are:

To come up with a working model of managing various tutor related processes.
To set up a comprehensive tutor database that is accessible to stake holders.
To create a complete set of training materials to enhance tutor performance in all areas.
To complete at least three research studies:
- Effectiveness of online discussion forum (ongoing)
- How Effective are Tutors in Facilitating Knowledge Enhancement Among Students (proposal ready)
- The Effectiveness of SCORM compliant Intelligent Learning Objects (Proposal in progress)
To create and make it effectively reusable a suite of 20 learning object templates.

ODL Pedagogy Centres organizational structure consist of three units or departments:

Tutor Management Unit Manages, guides and coaches OUM tutors towards achieving OUMs vision and mission.
Training Consultancy - Provides quality training and consultancy in ODL Pedagogy.
Research and Development - Evaluates current processes and propose strategies to improve and innovate ODL pedagogy.
There current activities include:
- Create Repository for Learning Objects
- Develop innovative methods for e-content
- Research
- Create resources for tutor training

The future R&D plans are to:

Incorporate intelligent agent into ODL pedagogy
Ensure the essence of life-long learning principles are truly practiced by OUM students
Conduct research that will bring profitable gains and returns to OUM

The ODL pedagogy center is still in its infancy, but is a great initiative, which will bring OUM to new heights in teaching and learning.

Finally, lets look closer at their Centre for Quality Management and Research & Innovation.
The Centres objectives are:

To provide Quality Assurance services including planning, facilitating, supporting and monitoring OUM?s quality assurance processes.
To provide Pre-award Management Services for research and innovation including contractual and information dissemination.
To adopt strategies to gradually grow from a cost centre to a cost recovery centre in the shortest possible time.

The Centre consist of two major operational units:

Unit for Quality Management (UQM) - Is responsible for all quality initiatives at OUM, and facilitates with other responsibility centres to ensure that all the universitys operational processes are quality assured. Services include quality assurance, best practices and benchmarking, SOPs and ISO, documentation and database, and consultancy.
Unit for Research & Innovation - Is responsible in the management and planning of research and innovation in the university. The research focus areas are:
- Online Assessment ? quality moderation, satisfaction of the online discussion forum, quality participation, and state of readiness.
- Effective Student Support Services - Online support services and Service Centre.
- Standards of e-Learning Management System - Best practices, Specification for learning materials, and Learning Content Management System.
- Open and Distance Learning Pedagogy - Management of internet based open learning, Virtual learning, and Blended and hybrid pedagogy.
- Assessing Methods for Adult Learners - Learning style, Instruction / teaching method, Learning discipline, and Psychological and motivational drive.
- Effective Use of Learning Technologies - Technology sharing, Reusability and practically for learning objects, and Instructional use of learning objects.
- University Leadership and Management in ODL - Change Management, Risk Management, and Creative Management.

Again, OUM has a clear vision and plan with the Centre for Quality Management and Research & Innovation, which hopefully will benefit OUM and other educational institutions in the future. Especially, their research focus areas will be interesting to keep an eye on in the coming months and years.

Overall, it has been interesting reviewing OUM from a macro-level. However, there is so much more to OUM that needs to be discovered and shared. OUM is evolving fast, and I see no reason for them to slow down in the near future. There is so much quality from management to financial support that will push OUM to new heights, breakthroughs and innovation. They will in the near future (if not already) most likely become a benchmark or reference-point for other educational institutions in Asia for open and distance learning. It is just a matter of time! We wish OUM the best!

Warm Regards & Sincerely,

Zaid Ali Alsagoff

What Did They Say Wednesday! A Linky Party!

Dont kids say the most hysterical things! Im a little be late in posting this, but Im looking forward to reading everyones stories nonetheless! I cant wait to hear your funny kid story this week!

<div align="center"><a href="http://aturntolearn.blogspot.com/2012/12/whatdidtheysay12-26.html" title="What Did They Say!?"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OIhmtxluCS0/ULwEfazkl1I/AAAAAAAADpM/MMMzxm23B0Y/s320/What+Did+They+Say+Wednesday.png" alt="What Did They Say!?" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

This weeks story comes from a little kid that cant make the "l" sound... so half of these ws are actually ls.

Student: "My dad is awways being mean to me"
Me: "Why?"
Student: "Hes awways cawwing (always calling) me a swowpoke (slowpoke)"
Me: "Well, do you walk slow sometimes?"
Student: "Yes! But I have wittle wegs! (little legs!)"
I wish I had an audio recording so you could hear how cute she was when she said it!

Now... its time to share your cute kids story from this week!

Rules for the Linky Party:

Share a story that one of your kids said on your blog! If you dont have a blog, leave a comment with your story!
Use the HTML code at the top of this post to link back to the post!
Comment on the two blog posts before yours!

);

This linky party will be posted through 11:59pm on Tuesday. On Wednesday, a new linky will be started. I decided to host this as a weekly collection so that we can share numerous stories from our students! Im looking forward to reading everyone elses stories!

Backupify

"Backupify is an all-in-one archiving, search and restore service for the most popular online services including Google Apps, Facebook, Twitter, Picasa and more."

If you are looking for a tool to backup your social media stuff (Google Docs/Sites, Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, etc.), Backupify is a pretty cool tool. Though, you need to keep in mind that the free version is currently limited to 2GB storage, so the idea of using it for backing up for example your Gmail would also probably require you to invest in the commercial version, unless your Gmail account is below 2 GB (Very unlikely!!!!). Though, the current pricing is reasonable (Pro 100 version - $4.99/month), so it might be a good idea to consider such an option if your Gmail is critical to your work, studies and life.

Putting Gmail aside, I would recommend using the free version of Backupify to backup your blog, Twitter, and other social media stuff that are reasonably light. The free version does weekly backups of up to 5 accounts (e.g. Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Google Docs, and Google Calendar). If you want to backup more accounts on a daily basis, then you need to subscribe to the commercial version.

If you are wondering how Backupify works, then watch this video tutorial:

Cool! But, are there better social media backup tools out there?

Or tools that enable you to backup unlimited social media accounts providing unlimited storage space? Now, that would be AWESOME :)

VIDEOS

"Trainers and educators have long known that the use of video increases levels of engagement and retention. The relative scarcity of video in eLearning was never due to lack of interest; it was pragmatism. It was a function of limited budgets, the unpredictability of the video production process, and the risk of getting back a deliverable that didnt quite fit the bill—after the budget and timeline were blown."

- Gary Lipkowitz

However, those times are gone. Today, we are fortunate to have an increasing number of rapid e-learning tools to do things we only dreamed about in that past. That is what the Learning Nuggets Project is really about. Identifying those rapid e-learning tools to develop animated and interactive videos, mastering the authoring skills, and mapping them to various types of content that educators need to develop, especially in higher education.

In this learning nugget challenge, I wanted to creatively animate IMUs 5 core values (rapidly), encapsulated in the acronym TRUST:

Trustworthiness – we are trustworthy and stand for integrity, reliability and commitment
Responsiveness – to change, and to the needs of individuals and communities
Unity – of vision and in working towards the achievement of common goals
Service – a commitment to providing outstanding service
Tenacity – in the pursuit of excellence

For this challenge, I explored GoAnimate and VideoScribe. Here are the results:

VideoScribe version:

GoAnimate version:

IMUs Core Values - TRUST by ZaidLearn on GoAnimate

Which one did you like more? Which tool is most appropriate for this kind of content? What do you think?

Direct link to the poll

However, please keep in mind that this is my first published artifacts (videos) using these two tools, and that I used the free version of GoAnimate (limited templates, characters, cannot upload images, etc.) and VideoScribe (7-day trial version). Also, both were created within a few hours, which included time to master the basics of both tools. So, I am not exactly putting in the effort to win an Oscar for 2014 for this.

Also, Im probably not doing true justice for the real animation possibilities these two rapid authoring tools can empower, in terms of creating exciting and engaging animated learning nuggets. Having said that, lets explore these two tools briefly one-for-one.

VIDEOSCRIBE

"Videoscribe is a unique way to create engaging animated videos quickly and easily. You are empowered to bring impact to your message without technical or design knowledge. You can create amazing marketing videos, instructional talks, add a visual to your talk or story, bring illustrations to life, show text, logos or photos and keep any audience captivated. Often called Whiteboard animation or Fast Drawing, VideoScribe replicates a stop-motion capture style of drawing thats so popular on commercials... at a fraction of the cost and time." - Source

The sad thing about VideoScribe (at the moment) is that there is NO free version, except a 7-day free trial option. Though, the trial version does provide you with most relevant features, so that you at least can get a feel of its potential, before eventually investing in it.

Another cheaper alternative is to invest in the VideoScribe iPad (US$4.99) or Android (US$3.74) authoring options. However, after playing around a bit with the both the iPad and Notebook (PC) options, I preferred the PC option more to get the job done efficiently.

If you are planning to explore VideoScribe, I strongly recommend that you watch these 3 tutorials below to get you started:

Tutorial 1: Creating Your First Scribe
Tutorial 2: Going a Bit Deeper
Tutorial 3: Advanced Topics

Also, visit the VideoScribe YouTube Channel for more insights.

Here is another animated video created using VideoScribe (about IMUs e-Learning Services):

POSTIVE

The great thing about VideoScribe is that you can learn the basics within minutes, and master it within hours.
Great library of animated items (even in the trial version).
You can upload images, which are also drawn out in animations (just need to configure a bit).
Great for animating and spicing up ideas, talks, lectures, concepts, processes, products, services, visions, missions, etc.
Inbuilt audio recorder, and you can easily add music (library) to your videos, too.
Can easily publish directly to YouTube.

In short, you will be amazed how powerful and easy VideoScribe is to use.

However, if used badly it can create that Prezi (headache) factor, and also if everyone starts using VideoScribe, it will loose a bit of its WOW-factor. But until that happens, VideoScribe is still a WOW kind of animation authoring tool, which could certainly be used rapidly to create various types of learning content. And until we creatively explore the possibilities, we really dont know its true potential.

GONANIMATE

"GoAnimate is a cloud-based platform for creating and distributing animated videos. GoAnimate’s platform allows individuals to develop both narrative videos, in which characters speak with lip-sync and move around, and video presentations, in which a voiceover narrator speaks over images and props, which may also move around. All video styles can be supported with background music and effects. GoAnimate offers its services on a freemium basis to consumers, and has multiple subscription levels available for businesses." - Source

Screenshot: GoAnimate Authoring Environment

With a bit of imagination you can use GoAnimate to create animated cartoons (videos) without having any programming or graphic design skills, and that is pretty amazing. I have known about this tool for a few years now, but only recently realized its potential for creating learning content in Higher Education.

I have to admit that if you really want to use this tool strategically for authoring learning content for your University, you probably have to upgrade to a commercial license. They also have School and Business package solutions.

With the free version, you have limited templates, characters and features. Most annoyingly (with the free version), is that you cant download what you have created, or publish directly to YouTube your animated artwork. And GoAnimate content cant currently run on iPhone or iPad from their website, due to being Flash-based (unless you use tools like Puffin). A potentially smart alternative is to use a screen-recording tool (e.g. Screenr) to record your screen (while playing your animated video) and then eventually publishing it on YouTube or wherever you want.

If you are planning to explore GoAnimate as an authoring tool, click here to get some inspiration. Also, check out Gary Lipkowitz tips on using GoAnimate for e-Learning.

POSTIVE

It takes minutes to create animated videos using the template option (limited flexibility), but you will need a few hours initially to create a video from scratch.
Its text-to-speech (TTS) quality and collection of voices (male and female) are really impressive (at least compared to other tools explored).
No programming or graphic design skills required, but you still need to have story telling and dialogue scripting skills if you want to make it juicy for learning.
The options to manipulate the characters with face expressions and body movement are really stunning. You can even connect items to the characters and customize them to basically what you want (e.g. hat/helmet to head).
The authoring environment for creating animated videos from scratch is really flexible, easy-to-use and quite intuitive, but you will probably require a few hours to get to know it well.

We can go on here, but lets explore how we can actually use these two authoring tools discussed above for learning in Higher Education.

FOR LEARNING CONTENT?

Instead of comparing VideoScribe and GoAnimate side-by-side, lets explore how we can maximize each for learning.

As for visualizing and animating IMUs core values (TRUST) as shown above, I suppose VideoScribe would be more appropriate, as it will give it a more corporate or grown up look (if that is what you want). However, sometimes creating a cartoon video out of something so serious as core values, is actually not a bad idea.

Here are some ways we could use VideoScribe creatively to enhance or inspire learning:

Lecture/Presentation Slides/Notes
Animate boring text-based slides with animated visualizations that connect the dots. Perhaps you will get more AHA and memory sticking moments.
Library/e-Learning/Department/Faculties Services
Visualize and animate the services provided, including databases, tools, learning models, designs, processes, activities, features, etc.
Marketing/BrandingWithout doubt a great tool to visualize and bring to life ideas, brands, products, services, strategies, challenges, etc.
Learning Videos
Short videos teaching a process or a sequence of steps in a creative and engaging way.

What about GoAnimate? Here are some ways we could use this tool:

Scenario/Problem-based Learning
Animated learning triggers for problem or scenario-based learning. Here you can for example create small learning nuggets for various decision/problem solving phases in a learning activity.
Language Skills
This tool is fantastic for students that need to learn how to write (scripts), communicate, visualize and storyboard various scenes, situations and scenarios. Empower them with the tool during classes or for assignments.
Creative Writing and Communication Skills
Need I say anymore!
Ice-Breakers
To lighten up or connect the students to the context.
Fun
Who said learning cant be fun, too?

However, please keep in mind that not all content needs to be animated, and sometimes recording live video is certainly more appropriate (and faster), especially if you want to show exactly how things are done or teaching specific skill sets. Here is a nice table by Gary Lipkowitz to help you make that right decision:

Source: Gary Lipkowitz

Finally, if you need 3D or 4D illustrations (Better to think reuse/remix things out there if possible), neither of these two tools above are going to rock the boat. However, as the Learning Nuggets Project evolves, we might even discover free or cost-effective tools to empower anyone to customize medical 4D illustrations to their needs and contexts.

LAST THOUGHTS

If we stretch our imagination and ideas, I am sure both VideoScribe and GoAnimate can be used creatively to spice up our e-learning content, simplify points, engage/inspire learners, and trigger a bit more fun into the learning environments as they learn.

If you ask me again, I would empower the students to use such tools to enrich their creative minds to another level. What are we waiting for? Investing a bit to spice up the learning environment is perhaps not a bad idea :)