[Xerte] non coders?

Thu Feb 18 10:38:02 GMT 2010

HI 

I have joined this discussion forum this very day. I am very much a non
coder and I tried to down load xerte last night I went so far by reading the
given instructions but when it came to asking me to enter  information
regarding Mysql code and database addresses I came undone. Is Xerte offered
on a memory stick that can be uploaded as you can with the sticky moodle?

Lynn Kaya

From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Johnathan Kemp
Sent: 18 February 2010 10:29
To: Xerte discussion list
Subject: RE: [Xerte] non coders?

Hello Julian,

A few thoughts on this

The easiest E learning to produce is often text based with some pictures and
a few test questions. But it can be very tedious and tends to be based on
the learner reading information and then answering questions about it. It
also tends to be sequential.

Consideration needs to be given to more use of sound. Unless you are
presenting instructions that need to be followed, then for most people it is
easier to assimilate the spoken word than the written word. But
circumstances may make sound impractical e.g. use of Citrix, use in a busy
office. So ideally e-learning content should offer the option for text or
sound, or both (not generally found to be the best solution, but it covers
all preferences). So for example you could have a page with a mind map on it
and when you click or tab to a term on the mind map, you either see some
explanatory text, or you hear an audio commentary, depending on your
preference. Following on from this, any template that provides for the
presentation of large amounts of text should include an option for the
provision of audio commentary to replace the text and the page design should
work whether the full text is displayed or not.

Page designs need to make full use of tabbing and space key, as an
alternative to using the mouse. I am not sure if this is true of all the
current Page Templates, it certainly is not true for some of the page
wizards.

Additional examples of xerte coding might include how to implement
accessibility features.

I think one of the greatest challenges for e-learning is to move away from
an information giving and question asking paradigm to more of a simulation /
scenario based paradigm in which learners have to apply learning in
situations that mirror as far as is possible the environment in which they
will be required to apply their knowledge. This can be very situation
specific, making the design of generic templates to support it difficult.
However building in features that support the easy configuration of
non-sequential learning may help.

I have thought for a while about a template that might manage and present
the kind of information that you would need for a typical adventure game
e.g. locations, items that can be picked up and used, exits that define
links between locations. Actions that can be taken, maybe even characters
that can be asked questions. Whether Xerte 3 would make that kind of
template more achievable I am not sure.

The physics engine in flex 4 also sounds interesting. The ability to control
the movement of objects and test for collisions may open up some potential
for simulations or learning games.

It is also interesting how you can broaden the interaction between people in
e-learning. Stand alone e-learning packages can be solitary experiences. The
ability to link e-learning modules together so that they could exchange
data, would open up a variety of interesting possibilities, from tutor
support to learner - learner interactions. Role play could become a
possibility.

Kind regards

Johnathan

Johnathan Kemp
ICT Development Coordinator
Connexions Staffordshire
 <http://www.cxstaffs.co.uk/> www.cxstaffs.co.uk
01785 355714

  _____  

From: Julian Tenney [mailto:Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk] 
Sent: 18 February 2010 09:17
To: Xerte discussion list
Subject: RE: [Xerte] non coders?

I would love to see more discussion about design of content, what makes good
interactivity and all that stuff - there's too much terrible elearning out
there, and it's not to do with the coding. Good design and a bit of coding
makes much better content than lots of coding a bit of design.

You can do quite a bit without writing a lot of code, particularly around
presenting media: text, sound, video and graphics, and create some simple
interactivity. If you work through the getting started guide, I think you'll
see what can be done without a lot of code.

Once you do start writing code, Xerte can do an awful lot for you. The icons
hide an awful lot of complexity that would otherwise be time-consuming to
create, and so development can be very fast, compared to creating the
equivalent content off the bat in Flash. Coding isn't so hard - and when you
master it, you can do anything you want.

From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of John Doubleday
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 1:46 AM
To: xerte at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
Subject: [Xerte] non coders?

Hi Everybody,

While watching this list I notice most of the communication is about coding
issues. Are their many no coders here. And is it realistic  to be a non
coder and use  Xerte?

Cheers

John D

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