Learning Objects

 I learned something new this week – what the term learning object means. Hartel and Foegeding (2004) define a learning object as a reusable digital instructional component. Components can be reused in several different contexts to assist learners. When I first thought about what a learning object was, I imagined videos, text, presentations, and infographics as learning objects. But then I read that learning objects should be interoperable (Herman & Mustea, 2016). Learning objects are usually just the content. However, elementary students need easy access to the learning object and space to create an artifact in the same document. For elementary students, it is about reducing the cognitive load and increasing productivity. Combining the learning object with the assignment is one way to accomplish both goals.

You can watch this video by Lincoln Learning Solutions to learn more about what learning objects are.

(Lincoln Learning Solutions, n.d.)

(Lightbulb, n.d.)

Reducing cognitive load and creating easy access to content got me thinking about hyperdocs. Hyperdocs deliver instructional content and provide a space for users to interact with the content by creating a learning artifact. Several years before the pandemic, I played around with hyperdocs. I made quite a few hyperdocs for various teachers where I work. Many early hyperdocs were just a place for students to access content material in a new way. I provided students with a link to web content about the topic they were learning. Somewhere along the way, I started integrating a place in the document for students to create a learning artifact, making the learning object interactive because they were creating content. I created many activities for my students because students find them fun! Each activity has at least five clickable links and an assignment or activity to complete. 

Here are a few of the activities I created for my students:

                     Songs of War                                                   Women in World War II                  

                 Explorers Wanted                                                   States of Matter

                        

References

Hartel, R. W., & Foegeding, E. A. (2004). Learning: Objectives, competencies, or outcomes? Journal of Food Science, 3, 69–70. https://lccc.wy.edu/Documents/Academics/Online/learningObjectivesCompetenciesOutcomes.pdf
Herman, C., & Musteam A. (2016). The development of interactive content. ELearning & Software for Education, 3, 75–78. https://doi.org/10.12753/

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Lightbulb [Online Image]. (n.d.) Free SVG. https://freesvg.org/light-bulb-or-an-idea-symbol
Lincoln Learning Solution. (n.d.). What is a learning object? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1XYlCWwj9g&ab_channel=Lincoln

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