Selection in the sense used in this chapter is more than a teacher picking a lesson activity. It is a complex sequence of choices where the teacher must locate a source of Learning Objects, evaluate the range of available Objects for the intended purpose, and then decide on the viability of integrating that Object into a multifaceted teaching programme. Each step of this selection process implies evaluative judgement. In involves an evaluation of the physical availability of necessary software and hardware, as well as passwords and permission to download onto the system infrastructure. Selection involves reflective judgements by the teachers of their own intellectual skills in areas like Internet searching and understanding the presentation of metadata. It also involves an emotional response from the teacher that may be dependent on subject or computer literacy, available time, a sense of empowerment—or disempowerment, and a host of personal factors.
Published in Chapter:
Effective Use of Learning Objects in Class Environments
David Lake (James Cook University, Australia), Kate Lowe (Murdoch University, Australia), Rob Phillips (Murdoch University, Australia), Rick Cummings (Murdoch University, Australia), and Renato Schibeci (Murdoch University, Australia)
Copyright: © 2009
|Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-861-1.ch024
Abstract
This chapter provides a model to analyse the effectiveness and efficiency of Learning Objects being used in primary and secondary schools by considering their place within that educational environment, paying particular attention to the manner in which they, like any resource, can aid or occlude productive interactions between teachers and students. It draws from a study of Australian and New Zealand schools that piloted the first release of Learning Objects from the Le@rning Federation. The chapter considers the place of Learning Objects within the overall systemic school environment, and in this environment, examines the individual classroom as the combination of tensions between the teacher’s needs, the students’ needs, and the potential available within the existing infrastructure. Within this framework, the chapter discusses the ways in which these three components interact during teacher selection of Learning Objects, students’ accession of Learning Objects in the classroom, and the use of the Learning Objects by students. It concludes by suggesting how students’ construction of knowledge can be enhanced through merging the capabilities of the resource with the needs of students and teachers.