Keith Lay, Composer - LMO wk3 blog response 2 Joan Lourenco

Wk3 Reading Activity 9 - Content Tools

One would need an awfully large toolbox to keep all the tools available to develop, design, and assemble the desired and complete e-learning environment if these tools weren't e-tools. Learning content development tools vary from authoring tools that help build courses in e-learning to the management tools that help track and manage the learning and training. There are also the element tools, webcasting tools, and virtual classroom tools. The tools one will need, depends on the features the instructional designer decides to include. Will the course include graphics, video, and/or audio? Will the screen need to be customizable? What format will be needed to view or play the media? What assessment tools will be used? Will they be a drag and drop or a fill in the blank? Will there be an option for remediation? Will a glossary be one of the features of the course? Will there be a spell check? What animations or photo editing software will be necessary? Will a webcast or social discussions be part of this learning environment? How about a whiteboard? ( e-Learning Guru, n.d.) As it turns out, the largest tool necessary is the decision-making tool.

Read the rest of Joan's blog at http://web.me.com/jlourenco2/LMO_-_Month_10/Week_3/Entries/2010/5/31_Wk3_Reading_Activity_9_-_Content_Tools.html#

Joan,

Good overview of the reading materials regarding best practices for acquiring an LMS. The reading was a practice in common sense, I thought, and useful for understanding large ticket corporate buying procedures. Understanding the options offered and the ROI matrix used to make a good decision helps me understand the complexities and risks, too. When on one hand the reading was useless to my role as an educator, it was, on the other hand a reminder of the economic realities in the world of education.

Thanks

Keith