Learning Design, Objects, and Tools

Worrydream.com: Bret Victor and the Future of Learning Design
W. Gardner Campbell, Vice Provost for Learning Innovation and Student Success, Virginia Commonwealth University
Bret Victor is one of the most innovative thinkers in learning design today. His goal, as stated on his website worrydream.com, is direct and ambitious: "I intend to invent the medium and representations in which the scientists, engineers, and artists of the next century will understand and create systems." A natural heir to Dewey, Montessori, Papert, and Kay, Victor's work is largely unknown within the academy. This talk will provide an engaging exploration of Bret Victor's work and suggest compelling implications for higher education, especially for participatory culture and computational thinking.

OUTCOMES: Understand the scope and emphases of Bret Victor's work in learning design and computational thinking * Gain greater awareness of the computational thinking movement and its implications for reimagining approaches to the representation of abstractions and problem-solving techniques * Learn about specific instructional resources in STEM areas * Discover a sophisticated, transformational model of learning design that derives from research and development in computer-human interfaces for mobile devices

The App as a Metaphor for Learning Objects and Tools
John J. Suess, Vice President for Information Technology/CIO, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
In the past five years the mobile app has transformed and revolutionized software development by moving from a small number of large, all-inclusive applications to hundreds of thousands of small, but focused, applications that provide specialized niche solutions. We will describe a model for extending the app concept to learning objects and learning tools so that instructors and students can create custom learning solutions. We will also discuss relevant standards that make this possible and a new effort being launched by IMS Global to provide the necessary infrastructure for learning apps to flourish.

OUTCOMES: Understand the concept of connected learning (how new technologies are changing the game) * Learn about the standards that make this a reality and why campuses need to encourage their use going forward * Understand how this model can work to benefit the institution