The eStudent

Discussions in E-Learning, Instructional Design, and Technology

The eStudent

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The Wild Horses of Assateague Island



600988770_dsc_1753, originally uploaded by faizanam.

Picture I took of a grazing horse on Assateague Island.

10 Essential Free E-Books for Web Designers

Here’s a great link to ten free e-books for web designers. A good resource for web designers at all skill levels.

10 Essential Free E-Books for Web Designers.

Flash vs. HTML5

For the last 8 to 9 years a lot of instruction from presentations to all out courseware has been produced using Adobe Flash. Now, there is a widening call for HTML5 to replace Flash as the primary way to deliver robust interactive content on the internet. Apple has long been against Flash and in favor of HTML5 making their hottest devices like the iPhone and the iPad Flash free citing performance and reliability concerns.

Will Flash become obsolete? I wonder whats the remaining shelf life for all of the courseware being developed in Flash right now.

Here’s a good article on Adobe’s take on the issue from Mashable: http://mashable.com/2010/09/30/ipad-web-design/

If Historic Richmond had a Facebook page

Having lived in the Richmond area for 20 years, being a history buff, and a Facebook user I was especially glad to see this Facebook  rendition of the history of Richmond.  This was published on Richmond.com on September 20, 2010.

If Historic Richmond had a Facebook page

Information Architecture

An important part of designing effective e-learning is how we organize information. Think of information in general terms as represented by the entire human population. We can’t possibly know or would want to know everyone or every bit of information that exists  – so we build a relationship of knowing information based on needs and desires. There is information we need to know – critical to our survival, and then there is information we desire to know – not critical but can be beneficial. From those two categories we start to build a hierarchy of that information by which can continue to filter and collect what we need/want to know. This process of prioritizing and organizing information is how we can begin to “know” and make meaning of what we “know”.

When it comes to designing e-learning, organizing information happens primarily on two levels:  cognitively and physically.

At the cognitive level, information is categorized and “chunked” to establish relationships among pieces of information. This way of organization aids in our ability to group information based on our schema,  recognize patterns, and build meaning.

At the physical level, when the information is put through a medium for online delivery, there are considerations that must be made in screen, media, and web design. Visual cues for the beginning and end of a “chunk” of information, clear graphical representation of information, and a well developed website structure and navigation are some ways in which the physical organization of information can maintain the organization of information at the cognitive level.

Often times, when designing instruction, the organization of information gets lost or significantly altered when transferred online. When creating e-learning in a web-based environment, a good resource to help bridge the gap between organization of information at the cognitive and physical levels is the Web Style Guide