My Most Satisfying PowerPoint Animation!

Here is a screencast exploring my most satisfying PowerPoint animation experience:

Not bad! Though, I haven't played around much with innovating my PowerPoint animation skills since 2008, so I have a lot of catching up to do! Tom ______ (guess who?) please help me out here.

What about you? Do you have any 'orgasmic' PowerPoint animation experience to share? I mean a PowerPoint animation that you created for something, and you ended with being really satisfied with it. Why not share your own 'Most Satisfying PowerPoint Animation'?

Telling your story via a screencast (e.g. Screenr) would be cool, but a comment would also make my day :)

Discover IMU E-Learning on Facebook!

CLICK HERE to discover IMU E-Learning on Facebook!

WHAT?

Facebook will be one of the main tools that we (IMU E-Learning) use to connect and share our e-learning adventures and stories as we explore, learn, share, facilitate and reflect together with IMU (International Medical University) educators, staff, and students regarding the amazing learning possibilities we have today.

As we are in the early stages of exploring social media (social networking, wikis, blogs, podcasts, Twitter, etc.) for learning at IMU, we hope that by openly sharing our learning stories, we will increasingly encourage more to participate and share. More and more universities or educational institutions around the world are exploring social media for learning, and we hope that our experiences shared can benefit others out there, especially new comers. Also, we do hope that this sharing initiative will lead to more connections and discussions with educators and students at IMU and beyond.

We have so much to learn, and by sharing and connecting with great people like you, we can learn faster and more effectively using our collective intelligence, or wisdom of the crowds (Oops, a few big words!).

Some might argue that you lose your competitive (e-learning) edge by being open and willing to share. I would argue that if you want to be leader in any field, you have to share your work and efforts, and be open to feedback and criticism. If you reflect and act upon these nuggets of feedback and criticism, you are probably going to improve faster than sticking to the old paradigm emphasizing indirectly that 'Hoarding Learning (knowledge, competencies and skills) is Power!'.

It should be 'Sharing Learning is Power'. Not much can be done alone, but it is amazing what we can do together collectively.



INGREDIENTS
We are using the Facebook Page feature to share our e-learning adventures and stories. Here you will find the following tabs (sections):

• The Wall
  Enjoy the learning stream, and please share your ideas, feedback (Like!) and comments, too.
  
  
• Blog
  Here you can get easily access all the learning stories and resources explored on IMU E-Learning blog.
  
  
• Discussions
  Here you can participate and share your thoughts and ideas on how we can improve learning at IMU, or anything related to learning, facilitation, creativity, innovation, etc.
  
  
• Video
  For now we will mostly upload screencasts exploring the different learning tools explored during the workshops, and discuss how we could use them for developing more sizzling learning environments or content.
  
  
• Pictures
  Pictures from all e-learning related events and workshops. So, if you have attended one, we might have caught a nice picture of you learning, or perhaps ______ :)
  
  
• Links
  Resource links (URL) to amazing learning resources from around the world. Most of these amazing learning resource links are shared through IMU E-Learning blog, which collects and tries to make sense of them via refreshing resource collections.
  

IMU E-Learning Facebook Page is still very much under construction, so you can probably expect some interesting surprises as we explore and discover further.

MOVING ON!

Currently, most of the learning stories and resources shared on the Facebook Page are from the e-learning team, but we are working with several lecturers to share their learning stories, and will soon be encouraging several students to share their learning stories, too.

We are also working on a website (using Google Sites) entitled the 'Learning Innovation Lab', which will enable...(still under construction). For this social media learning sharing initiative we will be mostly using technology that is free and reasonably easy-to-use, meaning that anyone interested in doing something similar (or better!) to what we are doing, can do that without needing worry too much about hardware, software and hosting budgets (big zero!). Though, you would require time to do it, but if you see the value and have the passion, you will most likely find the time.

The good thing today, is that we have so many learning tools and possibilities to potentially use to facilitate learning. The sad thing is that due to that fact, many of us are obviously facing information (and tools) overload, and are clueless where to start.

In a learning shell, how do we use emerging (and old) learning tools to facilitate sizzling learning environments? How do we use learning tools and open educational resources to nurture students to ask deeper and more reflective questions, master their learning areas, think more creatively and innovatively, discover their passion, and eventually inspire them to become, or achieve their ultimate dreams (even the impossible)?

Let's explore the possibilities together :)

Join the #moodlewish Twitter Stream!

Click image to view the visualized #moodlewish story clearly

PLEASE WISH UP!
Do you feel that Moodle needs improvement in some areas? Or perhaps don't like some of its features? Then why not make your voice heard in 14o characters, using the #moodlewish hashtag.

Trust me, Moodlers (or developers) around the world will be following this one with hawk eyes as we Moodle users voice our thoughts, ideas, suggestions and frustrations.

If you are a real Moodle die-hard fan, perhaps you should use the Moodle Tracker to give more detailed and constructive suggestions (including screenshots) for improvement. But let's face it, 99% of the suggestions and frustrations will never bother going there, but if you are interested, why not.

So, having a dedicated hashtag in #moodlewish will hopefully provide a more convenient venue for all Moodle users to share ideas and suggestions (or those that use Twitter!), and for developers to make these sparks of ideas become a reality.



WHY?
I have to admit I have a Love-Hate relationship with Moodle. For sure Moodle has given me a lot of great learning memories over the years, but it has also given me nightmares and headaches, too. But sadly, over the last couple of years, I have felt that Moodle in a way has lost a bit of focus on especially its core features such as the file(s) upload, sharing links, chat, forum, quiz, assignment, course page editing, etc.

I suppose it has been difficult to keep up with all the innovations going on in purpose-built tools out there such as Facebook, Scribd, Ning (become commercial! Annoying!), SlideShare, Elgg, Youtube, and Blackboard (Just kidding about the last one :)). For example, wouldn't it be great if Moodle enabled us to share resource links (URLs) and videos as efficiently and smoothly as what the Facebook Wall allows us to (watch screencast below).

Or be able to upload files as dynamically as what Scribd enables us to do. Or create dynamic online learning networks and communities as Elgg and Ning enables us to.

You might argue that we could always integrate all these tools with Moodle using widgets or integration modules. True! But, if even Moodle's core features are becoming a frustration and burden, then why bother using Moodle at all. Anyway, I have written a post about Moodle being an Airport, so I will leave it at that.

In short, we are using Moodle at our University and would love to continue to use it for another decade if possible. Hopefully, the #moodlewish tag will provide an additional value added stream to Moodle developers and users around the world.



TRUE STORY
Lets' close this post with a short true story:

I met a Moodle certified trainer the other day, and I told him about how easy it was to share links on Facebook, and guess what he replied (summarized)?

"Can Facebook do this and that, and this and that. Facebook is new! Moodle is free and open source... (and became very defensive)."

It is great to be a fan, supporter and promoter, but should we get emotional about that? Instead, we should learn from them, and do better!

Moodle is the Apple of Open Source, and we simply want to be better than any other learning tools out there. No excuses, especially with the core learning features. There are too many amazing people working on Moodle to let that happen. Let's hope Moodle 2.0 delivers, but I am still not too convinced (I suppose I set a bit high standards!).

Source

Why not have a couple of Moodle professionals dedicated to tracking down all valuable feedback and suggestions appearing in blogs, tweets, wikis, YouTube, etc....hashtags... and adding the filtered juice (not censored!) to the tracker proactively. I hope this is already happening...

Read All About It!



'Facebook Vs Moodle - Sharing Links'
Screencast Featured on Screenr Homepage (from 13th to 27th May, 2010)

#Moodlewish no more “turn editing on” Moodle vs. the Google Docs’ Form

Thanks for the suggestion, but instead of creating a new post, I will post it here (below)! Here is the comment (full discussion) that Joseph Thibault is referring to:

"Dear Tomaz Lasic,

Thanks for reminding me how Moodle gives a ‘DAMN’ about that.

I do understand that we need to consider any changes in context of the whole project, and that we need to take care of the disabled (accessibility) and security. No disagreement whatsoever there.

I can also sense that some might be thinking, “This guy is so ungrateful and annoying! Moodle is open source and free, who the….”. Yes, I am a devil’s advocate, and perhaps being a bit provocative (in a Tom & Jerry way) too. But, having said that, I am simply being honest and sharing some of things that I think Moodle should improve.

Of course, some of the things that I am emphasizing is hard to swallow, as Moodle is (could be argued) and has (always) been known for being user-friendly and very easy to learn and implement (with a strong foundation in constructive mambo-jumbo). Yes, I also have strong interest (and passion) for Moodle to work really well, as the University I am working in now, is using it a lot for e-learning activities.

But, as I said earlier (using different words), Moodle needs to wake up to the new world order of innovation, usability, and free learning tools (including hosting). Let me share with you all some interesting Moodle observations and experiences.

Earlier this year, I visited 8 Universities in Saudi Arabia, and many of them had explored Moodle, but over time they had lost interest due to terrible experiences piloting it, especially with managing the server(s), database, and back-end (looking for Moodle services opportunity, then that is a potential goldmine). Interestingly (or sadly), more and more Universities in Saudi Arabia are adopting Blackboard.


Yes, Moodle is easy to install, but very difficult to manage when the concurrent usage increases (above say 100). Moodle experts and developers would argue against this (No, it is easy!), but that is not the case when you communicate with the grass roots. Since, I have struggled dealing with all the back-end issues myself (or my staff, since I am not really the technical guy!), too I can testify that managing Moodle back-end is not as easy and straight-forward as some might say. So, having a reliable wizard to guide on managing Moodle back-end and concurrent users would do miracles on that front.

However, what has really troubled me the last few years is the lack usability improvements of the core features that say 90% of all users would use or explore in Moodle (editing course page, uploading files, Linking, forum, chat, quizzes, assignments, etc).

Earlier today, I had a discussion with a faculty representative about how complicated it was developing quizzes in Moodle’s online quiz editor (forever scrolling, clicking and too many boxes!). He insisted that I teach them only how to use notepad (Aiken format) to get the job done. But then again, what about images, symbols, feedback and the other stuff you need to include (medical university!). Yeah, create all the questions in notepad, and then upload, and then add images and symbols were necessary. But…

I tried once an Excel template version, but it was unusable. What if there was a Word quiz template, which could extract images and symbols on-the-fly (XML) during upload. Any such feature or option?

I also get complaints about scrolling and click wars to upload notes, links, create assignments, etc. In a way, the current version we are using (1.9 something), is disabling especially older faculty staff (45+ years) to get on board (easily), because too many steps are needed to getting basic stuff done (e.g. uploading notes).

All this might sound new and strange to some Moodle fans and developers out there. But if it does, perhaps you should spend some more time exploring and reflecting learning tools beyond the LMSs (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Blogger, Google Docs, etc), and pick up some great ideas.

Having said that, we don’t expect all our wishes to happen overnight, but we do expect them at least to be considered, or know that Moodle developers are aware of them and working towards finding a solution. If Ajax does not work (accessibility and security), I am sure there are other ways to simplify the processes of doing things. The golden rule in usability ‘Less is more’ (just made that golden rule up, but it makes sense).

We live in a tough and complicated world today. Even for things that are free, people can blast, be demanding, and expect miracles. It is not easy, and for that fact I admire all of you.

Just remember to pinch your egos when criticism hurts (be receptive and welcome them with open arms in creative ways). It is tough, especially for me, as I am always pinching myself.

Not easy :(

But then again, life without a struggle would be really boring :)

Cheers!"


Lovely!

I remember in 2004, I was in shock-and-awe after exploring Moodle for the first time. Let's together bring back that feeling soon :)

172 Interactive Health Tutorials and 32 EduGames!

How Does Your Brain Understand What Your Ear Hears?

Answer: Learn Genetics

Not sure if that was correct, but the two (2) links or resources above are certainly worth exploring. I just came across a very interesting blog post by Jeffery Goldman exploring e-Learning and Games in Healthcare, and from there I extracted some very interesting resources, and mashed them up with some other Medical online resources discovered earlier...



172 Interactive Health Tutorials

If you haven't seen this amazingly healthy resource repository yet, it is about time! Just CLICK HERE to access 172 interactive health education resources (might have increased since I counted!) from the Patient Education Institute. Using animated graphics each tutorial explains a procedure or condition in easy-to-read language. You can also listen to the tutorials, and access the text summaries. Not bad!

NOTE: These tutorials require a special Flash plug-in, version 8 or above. If you do not have Flash, you will be prompted to obtain a free download of the software before you start the tutorial.

To get a taste of what I mean, here are 10 relevant interactive health tutorials (from the 172) to get you going and excited:

1. Back Pain - How to Prevent (Need that one!)
2. H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
3. Breast Cancer
4. Migraine Headache
5. Diabetes - Introduction
6. HIV and AIDS
7. Malaria
8. CT Scan (CAT Scan)
9. Managing Stress
10. Exercising for a Healthy Life

However, please keep in mind the terms of use if you are planning to share some of these tutorials with your students. In short, these tutorials can solely be used for our personal education... To be on the safe side, just link them to the repository page, and avoid deep linking, which the Patient Education Institute is terrified of.

Oops, I might have broken the law here, but if so, please correct me.

32 EDUGAMES

Now, what about free EduGames (Educational Games) related to Medicine and health (without needing to worry about deep linking)?

Here is a sizzling collection of free EduGames related to health, medicine and life (more EduGames!):

1. Deep Brain Stimulation
   Help Dr. Vanessa Mei cut, probe and drill her way to helping her patient cope with a movement disorder through brain surgery!
   
   
2. AIDtoCHILDREN
   The game will help to expand your vocabulary and help children in need while doing so. For every correct answer they will donate .25 cents to children in need.
   
   
3. Re-Mission
   Understand cancer better and develop a positive attitude toward defeating it.
   
   
4. WFP Foodforce
   Understand world hunger and efforts to alleviate it.
   
   
5. The POD Game
   Dispense drugs and medical advice to people during an emergency. Using this game, you can enhance your efforts to teach staff and volunteers to work efficiently and sensitively with the public to maximize throughput in times of crisis.
   
   
6. Blood Typing
   In this game you have to blood type each patient and give them a blood transfusion.
   
   
7. Virtual Hip Surgery - Total Hip Replacement Surgery
   Take on the role of the Surgeon throughout a hip replacement surgery!
   
   
8. Virtual Knee Surgery - Total Knee Replacement
   Take on the role of the Surgeon throughout a total knee replacement surgery.
   
   
9. The Ear Pages
   Sound is caused by changes of pressure in the air that is transformed into nerve impulses in the inner ear. Explore "The Ear Pages" and collect the snail shaped symbols to gain points in the quiz!
   
   
10. NANOSWARM
    The NANOSWARM’s story is set in the year 2030 — a time when there is no war, no crime and no hunger. The reader meets five teenagers interning at MECHS, the world’s leading research center. Each struggles with MECHS’ stringent diet and exercise requirements. Scientists there are on the verge of eradicating all disease when a mysterious infection becomes an epidemic. After one of the interns is stricken, the other teens pilot a miniaturized vessel inside his body to discover the source of outbreak.
    
    
11. Immune Attack
    An educational video game that introduces basic concepts of human immunology to high school and entry-level college students. It aims to excite students about the subject, while also illuminating general principles and detailed concepts of immunology.
    
    
12. The Immune System Defender
    Ilya Mechnikov, inserted a thorn into a larva and noticed strange cells gathering around the thorn. The cells were eating any foreign substances entering the ruptured skin (devouring cells). Play the game to learn more!
    
    
13. Whack TB (Tuberculosis)
    There are almost 9 million new cases of TB each year; about 500,000 of these cases are resistant to the best TB drugs available to fight them. Play this game and learn more about fighting TB!” From the Families USA Global Health Initiative.
    
    
14. Escape from Diab
    Is a serious videogame adventure in healthy eating and exercise. It puts players inside a sci-fi action and adventure where healthy lifestyle choices are the keys to winning.
    
    
15. The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective
    There has been a mysterious outbreak of unhealthy habits among kids, and we need to solve these cases. All junior food detectives will get secret training on how to eat right and exercise. Have fun playing the game!
    
    
16. The Food Detectives Fight BAC!
    The game gives kids a fun way to learn about foodborne illness. From New Mexico State University.
    
    
17. Snacktown Smackdown
    In this game, the player takes on the identity of a Kid Wisdom "agent" in a race to save the town from the evil Mayor's plans. After gathering healthy snacks for ammo and traversing a treacherous playground, the player must battle three possessed vending machines.
    
    
18. Fatworld
    A video game about the politics of nutrition. It explores the relationships between obesity, nutrition, and socioeconomics in the contemporary U.S.
    
    
19. WaterBusters!
    A game to teach tips for water conservation around the home.
    
    
20. Energyville
    It’s up to you to provide enough power to meet the energy demands of your city’s 3.9 million people while keeping them prosperous, secure, and living in a clean environment. The implications of the energy decisions you make today for your city in 2015 are based on the current lifestyles and the projected energy demands and costs for developed countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
    
    
21. ElectroCity
    ElectroCity is a new online computer game that lets players manage their own virtual towns and cities. It teaches players about energy, sustainability and environmental management in New Zealand.
    
    
22. Ayiti - The Cost of Life
    What is it like to live in poverty? Find out now in this challenging role playing game in which you take responsibility for a family of five in rural Haiti. From UNICEF with Microsoft support.
    
    
23. Stop Disasters
    The online game aims at teaching people on how to build safer villages and cities against disasters. Multiple languages. Good teacher resources.
    
    
24. Real Life Simulations
    That let you experience life as, for example, a peasant farmer in Bangladesh, a factory worker in Brazil, a policeman in Nigeria, a lawyer in the US, or a computer operator in Poland, among others.
    
    
25. 3rd World Farmer
    It aims at simulating the real-world mechanisms that cause and sustain poverty in 3rd World countries. In the game, the player gets to manage an African farm, and is soon confronted with the often difficult choices that poverty and conflict necessitate.
    
    
26. Climate Challenge
    A game where you are president of the European Nations. You must tackle climate change and stay popular enough with the voters to remain in office.
    
    
27. Global Warming Interactive
    Is a web based multi-user educational game which explores the relationship of global warming to economic, political and science policy decisions (intended for the high school user).
    
    
28. Quest Atlantis
    Help students understand social studies, environmental concerns, current events, and scientific standards.
    
    
29. Deliver The Net Game
    Race the sun and hand out as many insecticide-treated bed nets as you can to African families. The more nets you deliver – before the mosquitoes come out – the more lives you save.
    
    
30. Harpooned
    Harpooned is a free game for Windows. It is a Cetacean Research Simulator, where you play the role of a Japanese scientist performing research on whales around Antarctica.
    
    
31. WolfQuest
    Learn about wolf ecology by living the life of a wild wolf in Yellowstone National Park. Play alone or with friends in on-line multiplayer missions, explore the wilderness, hunt elk, and encounter stranger wolves in your quest to find a mate.
    
    
32. FreeRice
    Give free rice to hungry people by playing a simple game that increases your knowledge (vocabulary, language, maths, geography, chemistry, etc). For each answer you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger.

These e-learning resources (above) should keep us busy for a while, learning healthier ways of life, and hopefully the EduGames can offload some of the information overload :)