If you’re not familiar with SCORM in some depth, this post may well be gibberish to you.  That’s okay; I’m not entirely certain that it’s not written in gibberish (grin).  If you aren’t familiar with SCORM, I thought this SCORM overview at Toolbook.com was somewhat useful, and I’m digging through a number of other resources that appear useful, at first glance at least: ADLNet.gov’s explanation of SCORM (ADLNET is the home of SCORM), Aaron Silvers blog SCORM category, and Ostyn Consulting’s Understanding SCORM page.  Also, I’ve bookmarked a number of applications and resources relevant to SCORM.

I’m working with SCORM in some depth for the first time; “in some depth” is the key phrase in that statement.  I’ve been researching, reading and looking for help in a variety of spaces - twitterverse, conference proceedings/notes, general web tutorials, product forums etc.  This post will describe my current issue in more detail with the hope that someone will be able to help.  Plus, I’m hoping that my questions in this post and any additional questions in subsequent posts may prove helpful to others that may travel the same gauntlet I’m currently enduring.   ;-)

I have two SCO’s (shareable content objects) in folders/zips published by two tools I’m using currently: Soft Chalk and Adobe Captivate 3.  Both SCO’s work correctly when viewing with Reload SCORM Player 1.2.  Both SCO’s work correctly when loading to the LMS I’m using (Avatar, a professional development management system).  What I need to be able to do is package the two SCO’s into a single SCORM package to be uploaded to the LMS.  I’ve tried a number of tools to accomplish this; the one with which I’ve had the most success is the Reload SCORM Editor.  The Reload SCORM Editor has a good tutorial to get started.  With that help, I’ve been able to create a basic package that includes the SoftChalk and Captivate SCO’s.

First problem. Despite the fact that it works in the Reload SCORM Player, the Captivate SCO does not work properly when added to the package.  I’ve tried adding the entire folder for the simulation to the main organization in the manifest; that folder includes all of the files generaged by Captivate output - the manifest and other xml files, the SWF files output and the “SCORM Support” folder.  I’ve also tried adding just the primary HTML file within the main organization of the manifest with the folder being added to the resource section.  Nothing seems to work when adding the Captivate generated SCO to a new package developed within Reload SCORM editor.

Second problem. This issue is one I’m anticipating rather than have experienced it directly and am currently researching it.  For this project, I have four series of content sections followed by a simulation based assessment.  Ideally, I’d like to package the four sets together in a single SCORM package.  However, I encountered a comment in a discussion forum suggesting that SCORM 1.2 does not support navigation between SCO’s within a package in a manner that supports reporting to the LMS.  So, if I have four simulation SCO’s, the package will only report the score from the first one rather than aggregating the scores for the user across all assessments.  I need someone to confirm or deny that statement.

SCORM 1.2 does not allow for ’sequencing’, which is jumping between separate SCOs without returning to the LMS. SCORM 1.3/2004 allows for that but, of course, the LMS has to support that functionality as well…which isn’t an easy task.

Without sequencing support, the SCO has just one ID which everything is tracked-back to in the LMS. And in either version of SCORM, there can only be one lesson_status and one score_raw value - so each lesson can only have one such value.

So if you put your SCOs together into one lesson and one manifest, unless the manifest lists each SCO separately with their unique IDs (I think, I’m not clear on how sequencing actually works), each time a quiz score/status is sent back to the LMS it’s being recorded for that one overall SCO ID.

Far better to just keep your SCOs as separate lessons, upload them into the LMS, and let the LMS manage the organization and launching of them, especially as SCORM 1.2 so each SCO’s score can be recorded separately.

I appreciate any help (via comments), and I intend to post any solutions or future progress/frustration in this space.

More than a few (as in, I don’t want to say “many”) faculty are generating podcasts as part of their course content, but even within that group, how many use already available podcasts to supplement their own course materials?  In my experience, that number is relatively low even among faculty generally familiar with podcasts.

Within my own class (Intro to Computers), I’ve identified several podcasts; in particular, The Real Deal by Tom Merritt and Rafe Needleman is an excellent supplement to my course content.  In the past, I’ve always made the link to a specific episode available within the context of my instructional module; I can’t confirm it, but I believe that link gets overlooked or ignored by students.

So, my question is, “How can I/faculty better incorporate already existing podcasts into my/their course?”

I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to survey my students to see how they use any MP3 player they may have and learn what podcasts they listen to if any; then I can begin to help them use podcasts and - here’s the key - better integrate podcasts into the way my course functions.

The first way is to integrate required reading for learners via a Google Reader tag and/or a Diigo tag.  I already use a shared_cfclass tag in Google Reader to tag articles I want to discuss or highlight in class; that tag results in this resyndicated feed.  I’ve also used, although not as much recently, a Diigo/Delicious tag to highlight specific webpages for the same reason.  I use those as an optional resource for learners currently; I could make subscribing to those two feeds required to ensure learners are engaging the content on a regular basis.  With learners using one or both feeds (or perhaps I could combine both into one Yahoo Pipe feed), I could easily begin including specific podcast episodes in that feed.  An important aspect of that would be to tag the podcasts and articles on a schedule synchronized with the course content.  Basically, instead of providing links to learners in a course module that they’ll blitz through too quickly, have them reading an RSS feed through which a podcast and other content will be delivered.  I’m wondering if that wouldn’t give the content more immediacy and attract more learner attention.

A second idea is apparently a bit more complex than I initially thought it would be or altogether not possible.  I’d like to be able to tag - using any social media tool - a podcast episode in a manner which the original enclosure would appear in a resyndicated feed.  If I tag a podcast episode using Google Reader or Diigo/Delicious, the text and description or made available in my resyndicated feed, but the original enclosure can not be accessed through my feed.  If a tool makes that possible, learners could simply subscribe to a resyndicated podcast feed I’ve created using their podcatching application.  I know the tools I’m currently using don’t enable that type of functionality, so I’m looking for a tool or possibility.

For general interest, what’s on my iPod?  At the moment, it’s a collection of general news, technology, sports and educational technology podcasts.  There’s also music, but I generally don’t use the iPod for music - I prefer radio ;-)

America Votes 2008
The Buzz Report
CNN=Politics Daily
Dilbert Animated Cartoons
EdTech Weekly
EDUCAUSE Podcasts
ESPN Around the Horn
ESPN Fantasy Focus Football
NY Times Front Page
NBC Nightly News
The Real Deal
TED Talks

Encyclopedia is “A complete copy of the Wikipedia encyclopedia on your iPhone/iPod.  This app is the fastest and simplest way to browse Wikipedia on your device, and crucially, doesn’t require any internet connectivity . . . When you first launch Wikipedia, you will be required to download a copy of the database which will occupy about 2GB of space on your device.”

I noticed this via LifeHacker and tracked through a Google Code page and the home page for the application.

As an educator, think about this for a second.  The entirety of Wikipedia on a mobile device no larger than a cell phone; that’s over 1 billion words in your pocket, literally.  That’s over 25 times as many words as the next largest English-language encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica.  What does that mean to me?

My daughter lives in a world in which she thinks “Daddy knows everything.”  I’m not talking about the normal, narrow-world-view naivete of a child to whom it seems Mom or Dad knows everything; in reality, she’s never asked a question for which I didn’t or couldn’t provide an answer of some sort; even the less definitive answers to philosophical questions are still answers.  Most recently, it was, “Why do we carve pumpkins at Halloween?”

I have explained to my daughter that I don’t know the answer to every question; I just have a real good idea of how to find the answer to most any question.

As an educator, that perspective and ability is a wonderful thing.
As an educator, that perspective and ability creates a significant problem.

It’s an incredible prospect to be able to find the answer to most any objective question given an internet connection and better than average internet search skills.  But, what implications does that have for education, in it’s current, American incarnation?  It may have been nearly 20 years since I last sat in an American History class, and many of the facts I learned then have long since escaped the clutches of my memory.  However, if you were to put me in front of one of those same history tests along with a mobile device, could I not do fairly well on it?  especially if I had a mobile device?  In fact, why should I not have a mobile device available to me, as some Australian schools are now allowing?  In terms of authentic tasks (see previous post), is remembering specific dates, facts, or information something I’ll ever have to do again?  If I can use my iPod to help me answer almost every question on a test, what’s the value of the test?

I try to not make a habit of reposting items or media I read or see on other blogs without hopefully adding value with my own thoughts. However, the first line of this video makes this one reposting. I first saw it posted at EduGeek Journal by Katrina Adams.