Thanks for your great question, Deb.  I realize that I left out a key word - digital.  Learning objects are "any digital resource that can be reused to support learning" (Wiley, D.A. 2000).  In the museum world, it is especially confusing to talk about learning objects because they've always been artifact related.  The learning objects referred to in my question are digital chunks of information that can be archived and reused for distance learning or over electronic platforms.  Thanks for helping me clarify this.  My earlier definition was an unfortunate choice! (And it reflects the debate in some circles of what a learning object is.)

 

Sharon



	-----Original Message----- 

	From: Museum discussion list on behalf of Deb Fuller 

	Sent: Mon 12/8/2003 5:41 PM 

	To: [log in to unmask] 

	Cc: 

	Subject: Re: Learning Objects

	

	



	--- "Chaplock, Sharon" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

	

	> Just to be clear, I'm speaking of learning objects using Bank's

	> definition of Learning Object: "a relatively small, reusable resource,

	> through which a coherent, identifiable piece of learning can be achieved."

	> Small efforts or large projects such as Pachyderm are all of interest.

	

	Okay, I might be a bit behind on the term of the month here but could you

	translate that definition into English? From my interpretation of that, any

	"prop" or "teaching tool" is a "learning object". For example, a piece of rope

	that I use to demonstrate knots that sailors would have used would be a

	"learning object".

	

	I don't think anyone really catalogs them (though I could be wrong) like museum

	objects but some places do have inventories of their educational materials that

	might be what you are thinking of. Or they could be actual objects in the

	collection that lessons are based around. I use the spinning wheels in my

	historic house's spinning wheel collection to demonstrate spinning as part of a

	lesson on textiles. But again, I don't have a catalog per say of learning

	objects.

	

	Deb

	

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