Writing a #crossplatform #multimedia rich #eBook is hard! Help needed

Stephen Downes' OLDaily got me onto Laura Braunstein who listed a couple of eBook qualities she would like to see. And I totally agree with her list (in short: interoperability, intertextuality, sharing, device neutrality, curating). This is a great list and to be honest, I am looking at ways to publish an eBook syllabus (makes more sense then a fixed written book in this day and age, doesn't it). The only problem is, that it is still a challenge to integrate multimedia in an eBook (or at least, I still find it challenging). So I was looking at a way to get an eBook - preferably an ePub - published, with integrated movies, audio and the more classic stuff (hyperlinks, pictures) and ... I can use any help you might have... here is the road I traveled so far.

What I am looking for is a complete eBook or ePub tool, that allows me to integrate multimedia and produce a cross-platform, interactive publication. So, I started to sift through what is out there.
First stop:
Lulu publishing: they do offer an eBook solution, but currently without multimedia support so... not worth the time investment.
ePubBud.com is another self-publishing option, but then again, I do not find any multimedia integration here either, so I could just as well use google docs.
Smashwords is another independent eBook publishing option. No multimedia here either (if I am overlooking it, feel free to tell me).

The thing is, if multimedia integration is not possible, I can just as easily use a pdf, google doc, or even a Word file as a book and just fill it with anchors and hyperlinks + pictures. Make sure to read the AMAZINGLY wonderful Liz Castro with a post on cheap Word into ePub conversion.

In the meanwhile I just want a book that gets me there, inside the text, guided by the text or media. It cannot be that difficult as the internet is doing it already anyway?

Then there is idpf.org the international digital publishing forum. They have an immediate link to ePub3 and the open codes related to that. Great stuff, yet ... again time is limited for me at the moment. But if this is a priority, you can find a great set of resources here.
Or there is the Wysiwyg Google option called Sigil. But here again I do not seem to see video integration.

And there is of course iBooks 2 which does enable video integration in eBooks but also 3D models etcetera, but what I am looking for is a cross platform solution.

Luckily, I came across ePubInClassroom (which features a nice overview of ePub options) and that was where I found a link to Calibre, which has indeed video integration (hooray!).

Calibre is an amazing (!) eBook option built by Kovid Goyal, as it allows you to gather articles from newspapers and integrate it into an eBook that can be viewed on your device, or you can use it to create multimedia driven eBooks. Calibre uses a straightforward video tutorial to get you up to speed...



BUT, the video is not mentioned. Now, I found a thread in mobile read which covers embedding video in Calibre but ... not getting anywhere with that at the moment.

If anyone knows a cheap and easy way, feel free to share! Or must I really get InDesign CS5? Or should I provide a complete folder that can be downloaded so a local website can be unfolded with links to movies? ... as you see my mind moves all over the place, so feel free to point me in the right direction.

That being said... my list of to do things keeps on growing during my sabbatical: getting gRSShopper up and running for publishing a newsletter, finishing a mLearning syllabus, finishing full proposal, rewriting two book chapters, organizing a free, open course on mLearning ... so maybe I should just keep my mind on a more static syllabus and not add an ePub to my list .... But then again, where is the fun of that?

Blogphilosophy: mega #PhD is more in touch with the contemporary, interdisciplinary #networked world

As I am looking around for PhD places (if you know of a call that would be open to a proposal on open learning via mobile devices, feel free to let me know), I realized that doing a PhD on my own is simply no longer logical in this new networked world. The least I could do is hook up with other researchers to start what could be called a collaborative mega-PhD.

This idea makes sense, as no one subject can be viewed from one perspective alone. And education touches so many other fields: neuroscience (connections in the brain made during learning), cognitive psychology (when are we willing to engage to build new knowledge), technology (how can technology fit natural human learning with the least interference – maximizing learning affordances), pedagogy (how can learning be optimized via a model that fits natural human learning)… When linking all of these up, we would be able to better understand the fact of learning, and how it can be improved via different fields.

This cross-pollination will not only result in a more profound, all-round grounded set of research facts, but it will probably also be stronger, as the network of researchers working on it can strengthen each other by exchanging ideas popping up in their research.

This mega PhD idea also has another advantage. In many cases PhD’s result in so much data, that one person alone will have a difficult time analyzing it. So if a collaboration of PhD’rs would work on a similar case study to research hypothesis in their field, it will allow them to come to a common drill down of the generated data.

There is only one downside: working as a team can be difficult at times. So the human group factor is something to take into account. Nevertheless I would be up for it.

#ict4d challenges to deliver sustainable #mLearning in developing regions

In a previous post I linked to a presentation by John Traxler, focusing on the discrepancy between current mLearning projects constructed by the mLearning research community that are often lacking rigorous evaluation and sustainable options, and the mobile corporate world pushing for scalable, sustainable mobile projects that are based on pragmatic, transparent facts.

The video below is provided by the University of Kwazulu-Natal, the recording can be downloaded from their seminar website here. The video you see here is the low bandwidth version, but on their site you will find a high resolution version (which works great on a television set as well).

John highlights the lack of mLearning pilots being evaluated in full, and the lack of reports on mLearning projects that did not reach the goals they were build for. For - as he points out - full reporting of mLearning endeavors will allow all of us (academics, corporations, ict4d community...) to really engage in meaningful education through mobile devices (if such is possible), all the while allowing both local (not localized) and really contextual pedagogies (based on pedagogies that are meaningful within the culture in which education will take place) to be developed, leading towards meaningful education through the use of mobile devices (or any ubiquitous technologies).

All through his talk he links to the philosophical undertow of technological beliefs that have and are coloring our contemporary development in mobile learning, and as such risk being at the core of what is and is not working with target populations that are not fully understood. For - as John mentions - if you go in as a technologist, any project will be evaluated based on technology, while if you are an educationalist, chances are all results of a project will be linked to education... and so on. What we need is an interdisciplinary understanding of how learning works, how it differentiates between cultures/regions/groups... and if how these differences can give rise to educational solutions that are sustainable, scalable yet at the same time can be adjusted to local needs and pedagogies.

Well, not sure if my brief transcript is clear, but the presentation surely works inspirational.

Free online book with 58 tips on instructional design

The eLearning Guild always brings together eLearning people from a variety of backgrounds. This makes the Guild an interesting organization to stay updated on all things related to eLearning. Chris Benz from the eLearning Guild just released a free online book that comprizes 58 tips on eLearning. The free eBook covers tips running from research, design, over development and management. You can download it here (before the download, you do need to give some information).

It is an easy read and ... it prepares anyone who is interested in the upcoming online webinars on Advanced Instructional Design. These webinars are planned on 17 and 18 May 2012.

From the online forum site: eLearning Instructional Design: Advanced and Breakthrough Techniques

How can you take your instructional-design skills and techniques to the next level? What are some of the newest innovations in instructional design? What does the research tell us about which design techniques really work and which ones don’t? If you want to design increasingly compelling online learning experiences, or just need some fresh ideas, this Online Forum is for you.

#MobiMOOC free, online course on #mLearning runs 8 – 30 September 2012 choose your favorite topics

In 2011 the first MobiMOOC ran from April - May 2011. Now it is time for the second course, feel free to put it in your agenda!

This is the first mail to get the word of mouth going.

The second MobiMOOC will run from 8 – 30 September 2012. The format is slightly changed from the first MobiMOOC: more participation in subject choice, tree architecture, three weeks to cover all, and more closely linked to the Open Educational Resources (OER) idea in that the interactions will become durable (well in as far as technology has a lasting lifespan in this era (-;

MobiMOOC2012 will only have 4 fixed topics: mLearning introduction, mLearning project planning, mLearning in global contexts and mLearning curriculum implementation, the 6 other subjects will be chosen by YOU.

Specifics:
Course name and description: MobiMOOC is a Massive, Open Online Course (MOOC) with a focus on learning with mobile devices (mLearning). The course will look at specific fields where mobile devices can be used and are used to increase learning and training. As the course is a MOOC, the main interaction will be provided by the participants, but guides on the side will be provided for each specific topic (guides on the side = facilitators but who do not preach, yet provide options and insights and learn from all the other participants as well – just like any wonderful expert would do).
Course start: Saturday 8 September 2012.
Course subjects: 4 fixed subjects, 6 topics chosen by all of you. You can choose your preference(s) here. Feel free to choose more than one as the top 6 topics will be part of MobiMOOC2012.
Course fee: the course is free for anyone to join and interact.

What is a MOOC?
A MOOC is a course which is open to all interested people, which is located in the Cloud (online) and where the learning interactions are wide open to all participants (viewable for those who participate and those who just want to read up on a subject). In this case it is a MobiMOOC, a course with focusing on mobile learning topics.

How are the topics chosen and then picked up?
A list of possible subjects are provided and until the end of May anyone can vote on which subject they would like to see covered during MobiMOOC. The top 6 topics will be picked up as being part of the course and subject matter experts will be asked to guide the MobiMOOC participants through that specific topic. Can’t wait to choose your favorite mLearning topics? Get over here and choose your favorites!

What is meant by the (peace) tree architecture?
A tree architecture is a course format that provides 1 topic in the first week, three in the second and more (six) in the third or later weeks. A bit like the branches of a tree, where there is a central stem (= mLearning) and different branches emerge into thinner, more specialized topics. The idea of the name came to me because I truly belief in the tree of life peace symbol. And I hope that open education and critical thinking will move all of us towards a more humane, peaceful world.

When will the 6 other topics be known: by June 2012 the topics will be known, but depending on the quest for guides on the side, the facilitator names might be known a bit later.
Will there be a syllabus? A short syllabus will be provided online, but if all goes well, a more in-depth syllabus will also be provided (more news on this later).

Choose the topics now! Via this form.
The topics to choose from in the online form are (alphabetical order):

• Activism: social change with mobile devices
• Ageless: mLearning initiatives of people above 65
• Augmented learning with mobile devices
• Corporate mLearning
• Development: mLearning in development countries (ICT4D or m4D)
• Disabilities: mLearning for people with disabilities
• Games and mLearning
• Gender: empowerment through mLearning
  
• Global mLearning issues
• Health: mobile devices in health
• Hobby: getting mobile with your private mLearning ideas
• Innovative edge: mLearning innovation at the edge
• k12: mLearning from kindergarten to k12
• Libraries: mLearning in libraries (getting libraries mobile enhanced)
• Museums: mLearning in museums, galleries, art
• Research: the status of mLearning research
• Security: build safe mLearning
• Tools: a collaborative view at mLearning tools, sharing experiences
  
• Train the trainer: getting teachers to teach mLearning
• Youth: young people and their mobile use – given by -18 facilitator

Looking forward to your choices! And I will share the resources and spaces of MobiMOOC as I prepare them.

#Future of #learning on the go: Project Glass

Project Glass from Google research starts out as a personal assistant type of technology. But ... even in the short 2:30 minute YouTube movie you can see how it could be used for future learning purposes as well. It definitely adds to the mobile learning options as well and most of all, that would result in only having to use one - 1 - tool, a thing that sits on my nose daily anyway, my glasses.

Just imagine, combining these glasses with augmented reality and gesture-based learning (keep on top of new innovations at the Kinect education site)! For real! I would definitely travel to Rome and walk around all the sites, learning and viewing ancient Roman traditions, crafts, historical reenactments ... Everything is there: the Roman itineraries have been laid out (http://omnesviae.org/), there are 3D walks through the city of Rome and its architectural glory (http://earth.google.com/rome/) and add simulated mobile reality (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NliEGCnlSwM) to this and ... you have got a whole different immersive learning package!

The only thing I want to know is ... how to turn it off and stay off until I want my glasses to start providing me information and interaction again. Too much media overload never works for me, but when I like it or need it, it is simply wonderful! It would enable anyone to tap into the stream of information on the Web and ... create knowledge on the go.

Call for #papers on #elearning: 4 calls 4 continents

Online learning is happening all around the globe, so why not connect to all the different continents and get a local feel while you are there.

What: HICSS-46 - The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS)

When: January 7 - 10, 2013,

Where: Grand Wailea, Maui, Hawaii

Deadline for submissions: 15 June 2012

More information: http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/hicss_46/apahome46.htm

Process: double blind review and Conference Proceedings published by the IEEE Computer Society and maintained in the IEEE Digital Library.

How do they describe the event: HICSS-46 offers a unique, highly interactive and professionally challenging environment that attendees find "very helpful -- lots of different perspectives and ideas as a result of discussion." HICSS sessions are comprised primarily of refereed paper presentations; the conference does not host vendor presentations.

The conference operation is funded entirely by registration fees; therefore, HICSS is not able to subsidize registrations or offer reduced fees, nor partial registration. All participants and speakers (or their organizations) are expected to bear the cost of their expenses and registration.

HICSS-46 contains the following tracks, or areas of research concentration. A paper may be submitted to any minitrack in one of these tracks, but not to more than one minitrack.

* Collaboration Systems and Technologies

* Decision Analytics, Mobile Services and Service Science

* Digital Media: Content and Communication

* E-Government

* Electric Energy Systems

* Information Technology in Healthcare

* Internet and the Digital Economy

* Knowledge Systems

* Organizational Systems and Technology

* Software Technology

What: ULearn

When: 10 – 12 October 2012

Where: Auckland, New Zealand

Deadline for submissions: 29 April 2012

More information: http://ulearn.core-ed.org/

How do they describe the event: With over 300 workshops to select from, and world renowned keynotes and spotlights to see, hear, and work with—Don’t miss out!

This will be the biggest teaching and learning conference to hit Auckland in 2012. Over 1600 people were at ULearn, at Rotorua, in October last year. It was an event, which, again, received rave reviews for the quality of its programme and its organisation.



This is the perfect opportunity to provide quality professional development for your staff.

What: ICT culture in education

When: 27 – 29 September 2012

Where: New Delhi, India

Deadline for submissions: 15 May 2012 (abstract 350 words)

More information: http://etma-india.in/ictce2012/index.php

How do they describe the event:

Educational Technology and Management Academy (ETMA) announces the International Conference on ICT Culture in Education (ICTCE2012) with the key objective to promote a healthy discourse on the full potential and extent of an ICT integrated education system.

According to International and Indian evidence of research and experiments, ICT can optimally play its role only when it is a part of Institutional Culture. The discourses will be all-inclusive and pervasive on policies and interventions at all levels of education, example:

1. ICT literacy and skills for all in the sector of education;
2. ICT integrated education; and
3. ICT supported educational management

Education system is still to exploit the full potential of ICT for optimizing human learning. ICT culture in education cannot be achieved either by government or the private sector independently. It needs a collective effort of government and civil society. ETMA, has carved out a niche in the country for pioneering innovations, especially in the field of quality in education. Based on ETMA’s research and discussions, it is time to launch the next generation advocacy for ICT Culture in Education- an ICT Culture that will ensure complete integration of ICT in every aspect of educational processes, rather than ‘hanging as a piece of decoration’ in the educational institutions.

What: 11th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning mLearn 2012 - Mobile Learning in Context
Conference date: 16-18 October 2012
Place: Helsinki, Finland
Deadline for submissions: 30 May 2012
Conference website: www.mlearn.org/mlearn2012
Follow updates at: http://www.facebook.com/mlearn2012

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
* Mobile learning in and across formal and informal settings
* Ubiquitous and ambient learning and technology
* Theories, models and ethics for mobile and contextual learning
* Open and distance education with mobile devices
* Mobile language learning
* Interaction design and usability for mobile learning
* Interoperability and standards for mobile learning
* Challenges for mobile learning in developing countries
* Mobile learning strategies in schools, higher institutions, industry, and organizations
* Adaptive, virtual or collaborative environments for mobile learning
* Augmented reality for learning
* Innovative approaches to learning of current and emerging mobile technologies
* Toys and smart objects for learning
* Mobile learning across cultures
The conference programme will highlight keynote talks, symposia/workshops, plenary sessions, parallel presentations, roundtables and debates, special Focus Sessions, poster sessions, technology and product/service demonstrations.

New Horizon report on #mLearning and latest #eLearning technologies

If you have not read it yet, this report on the latest The NMC Horizon Report > 2012 Higher Education Edition is a collaborative effort between the NMC and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), an EDUCAUSE Program. The nice thing about this 42 page publication is that it looks at probable implementation of new and upcoming learning technologies (games, augmented reality, gesture based computing...).

To get this free publication you do have to register for an account, but it is worth it! You will also be able to keep updated on future publications, and more excitingly to give your feedback on upcoming drafts. How cool is that?!

This ninth edition describes annual findings from the NMC Horizon Project, a decade-long research project designed to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have an impact on learning, teaching, and creative inquiry in higher education. Six emerging technologies are identified across three adoption horizons over the next one to five years, as well as key trends and challenges expected to continue over the same period, giving campus leaders and practitioners a valuable guide for strategic technology planning.

The 2012 Horizon Project Higher Education Advisory Board initially voted on the top 12 emerging technologies — the result of which is documented in the NMC Horizon Project Short List > 2012 Higher Education Edition. This Short List helped the advisory board narrow down the 12 technologies to six for the full publication.

Learning Solutions #LScon: Aaron Silvers and Elaine Raybourn on Applying Transmedia Storytelling Techniques for eLearning and Training

Live from the Learning Solutions magazine conference. There are people you just want to meet, one of which is Aaron Silvers . He always gets my mind going, and this time he totally blew me away with his semantic learning insights.

He got me onto two great books: one by Gayle Moller: awakening the sleeping giant. A great book on helping teachers to develop as leaders. the other one by Gray, Brown and Macanufo entitled 'Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers' which is all about engaging people to share ideas and build upon them. For anyone looking for new group engaging formats, this is a book to read.

Aaron recently set up an interdisciplinary unconference to probe into the depths of educational reform necessities and future affordances. Now, when he talked about it I got illuminated by his ideas and passion. He used part of the gamestorming book, but completely fitted the formats for that unconference's, specific learning purposes (genius!). And he got me introduced to the word Obliquity, which is a - if I understood correctly - a word indicating achieving your goal indirectly, so leaving room for tailored serendipity (yes, wonderful).

So no wonder I just had to follow his session on transmedia storytelling and for those interested here is a post debunking some transmedia storytelling myths ! The program synopsis: A growing number of courses, devices, applications, tasks, and responsibilities compete for learners' limited attention. ELearning and training programs don’t need to compete – they can leverage multiple media to reach learners anywhere, anytime. Transmedia is a cutting-edge approach that can help with remediation and knowledge reinforcement. And this is what he talked about (in my paraphrasing words):

We have an emotional part of the brain, so we are geared up to react to emotions. The good part of storytelling is that you can exchange emotions. So you can position a message, so the audience can feel the message, that they can respond to the affinity the message evokes. We react emotionally first before we process the rational part of the brain. So this will enhance the message response in your audience.

iPad tool called ... framework for telling stories (finger-puppets). This puts in stages, props for children or learners on how to tell a story. This reminded Aaron of story telling and all the factors it has. In a story you need to capture interest through the actors, there must be some climax, resolution.

Joseph Campbell worked on archetypes. Archetypes make up part of the strengths of an audience.

Storytelling (like screenplay writing) has some fixed parts to make it stick. Elaine talks about story worlds. Start from your core message, what are the interactions, then move to the narrative (what is the story, what is the story arch), then think about the place/the context/the state of mind your audience is in. How can you compliment this all to put it together into a transmedia storytelling.

Storytelling can result in co-creation with your audience. It depends on the social media you incorporate in your learning/teaching interaction. When you put people together, you need to facilitate the interactions.

Star Trek conventions metaphor: people exchanging fan material in between them, yet that was never the purpose of Gene Roddenberry. The audience was embraced though, to allow them to do what they felt was meaningful on the subject of Star Trek.

Learning Solutions #LScon: Stephanie Daul on gaming and eLearning

Live from the Morning Buzz session on gaming and eLearning with Stephanie Daul. This is what I picked up:

In short:
- Make the rules generic for multiple contents reproduction;
- use cognitive walk-throughs;
- keep the learners in mind;
- make it easy, fun and authentic.
- keep a function for those loosing the game.

Get out of the mind-frame that gaming is in front of a television set. We ALL play games, with our kids, with everyone.

Before starting Stephanie asked the audience what games they use in their eLearning (if any). A wonderful game could be to get people into a contest at the beginning of a course. If you ask them to use some of the tools that will be used during the game, it allows them to get the basic digital skills that will be used during the course.

We need to get easy gaming going, learning from our own lives and translating it into the online learning

ASTD technology: multiple game of thumb-wars. If you play the game at the beginning of a learning experience, it is medically proven that the game will produce chemicals in your brain opening the minds for easier learning. This can also be used during any working day, for it changes your chemical feeling (Ciska, you are right again, gaming in between thinking!).

Make it challenging: different levels, give it a goal (e.g. Angry birds).

Example: 3 DS's building a program where people will play 'flash focus' for 15 minutes a day to see if it enhanced their accuracy. It got people of the floor, and refresh their minds. That idea was well received. The total cost was 500 dollars, so cheaper than any trainer you would want to attract (3DS and games).

Example: building a new website (grangers), moving to a new platform. So they have a large audience that supports the website in one way or the other. So they thought up a way to train the back-end workers? Alternate reality game: the game showed characters based on the customer type. The customers were the audience, they had to go to the new website and find a new feature on the website. The game ran for 3 weeks and enabled people to gain points. that way the customers explored the complete website and at the same time they were engaged in a game.

It was really hard to sell games to colleagues within the company of Stephanie (grangers). So what she did was setting up 'games and grub', everyone bringing games they like to play during lunch. Afterwards everyone focused on the interaction and the actual board, followed by some brainstorming on how this could be used for business or learning. Although this did not result in anyting at first, the group grew, and finally there were more people from different fields which enabled more interactions and idea exchanges. This is a nice way to get people more open to playing games for learning.

First focus on what the aim of the game would be, then you set up the rules. First the rules of the game play itself (e.g. card game: they need to do these three things to be successful at the game), than you start playing the games and you can add more rules based on the 'cheating' of the participants that play the game in the pilot version. A Game of Phones: mobile game application. As a customer you need to find out what the clients are using (tech...).
Made some muck-up cards of what the game might look like. Then internal experts came in to have a look at how the game dynamics worked, and after many, many, many iterations a consultant was contracted to develop the actual game (rapid development). After development, again playing and adjustments to reach the intended goal, including having all the rules.

You can also make a flex game (the game stays the same - generic - but the content is changed): which has flexible rules. But you must make sure that there are rules that match the task being taught. Make them parallel to the authentic learning that needs to be developed. All the branches build into the game must be linked to the reality. If it is not genuine, participants will walk out of the game. Of course the setting can be different then the real environment, but the rules must be the same.

Cognitive walk-through: on paper going through the thought processes, and finding where it sits succesful, or where the game, or the cognitive logic needs to be tweaked.

Try to keep the 'losers', for instance by giving them 'judge' privileges, or similar which keeps them engaged in the game but with a different perspective. You need to know what to do with failure of the game: have a strategy ready for the participants.

And to finish: always keep in mind what the customer needs, for they are the true evaluators.