EduGeek Journal

If you were at the session that Harriet and I presented recently at the Sloan-C Emerging Technology conference, you probably saw us take a different approach to the session.  Well, other than the play dough and Tupperware Shape-O-Ball toys we used.  Props are just standard for us.  No – what we first did was asked the people there what they wanted in a Learning Management System.   Harriet wrote those suggestions down, no matter how far out there they were.  Most sessions don’t start with feedback like that… maybe at the end, or as they are going along.  But we wanted to start with feedback first and then go from there (and, to be honest.. I didn’t even know Harriet was going to do that. She just walked in with this huge piece of paper.  That’s just how we roll…)  We got a surprising and intriguing list from the participants:

• a menu of tools
• adaptability / accessibility
• interactive virtual agents
• ease of collaboration
• seamless integration
• tactile activities for any sense (smell, touch, taste, etc)
• modular learning (customizable)
• holodeck
• capture, evaluate, and weigh user created content
• useful
• game based interaction with in game assessment
• simulation
• translate into different languages, including American Sign Language

As you can see, quite a diverse list… even some crazy ideas.  I like crazy ideas.  This was at our presentation on New Vision for Learning Management Systems.  Interesting how people that had come from all over the country came up with many of the concepts we are trying to capture with New Vision.  Coincidence?