Brandon Muramatsu

muraPOI: September 8, 2011

,
Sign with Exclamation Point

  • 4 Things No One Told Me About High-Fidelity Wireframes: Anthony at UX movement discusses the pros of high fidelity wireframes. Most recently I’ve used Balsamiq Mockups to create low-fidelity wireframes, the upside being the tool is so easy to use that I can mockup the idea while we’re talking about it. I’d agree that a higher fidelity wireframe could be useful, but I’m not as proficient in Illustrator or OmniGraffle to do it as quickly using them. The link is a lead in to selling Interface Libraries 3, which looks cool, I just wish it didn’t feel like a shill also.

    (StartupDigest Design, September 2, 2011)

  • If I Launched a Startup: Not that I’m planning on doing it (the startup/entrepreneur-focused links are a by-product of my source for these posts), Ryan Roberts provides some straightforward guidance. YMMV.

    (StartupDigest, September 2, 2011)

  • The Results (of Khan Academy use at Envision Academy in Oakland): Results of use of the Khan Academy during summer school at the Envision Academy.

    In a previous muraPOI I pointed to a critic of the study, and having read their results even I’m left asking questions (like margin of error) since the difference between traditional and experimental Khan Academy is 5.2% compared to 6.4%. What’s probably more interesting is their report that 1/3 of the experimental students experienced a 10% gain while the rest in control and experimental were relatively flat at 5%.

    (StartupDigest EdTech, September 2, 2011)

  • Effective Uses of Video in the Online Classroom: There are a number of suggestions, but the one I find compelling is to use video to present and discuss learning objectives. I find that they do come alive in a short discussion, but that they tend to fall flat when reading from a syllabus.

    (Faculty Focus, August 29, 2011)

  • Designing Online Courses: Models for Improvement: A free report (which I haven’t had a chance to read yet). “Designing an online course shares many of the same elements and processes that go into designing a traditional face-to-face course, however the online environment brings a unique set of challenges that require special attention and a different approach.”

    (Faculty Focus, September 2, 2011)

  • What Does Your Syllabus Say About You and Your Course?: Some interesting thoughts to ponder. Like, “Have you ever asked students for feedback on your syllabus?” (No I haven’t.) And, “Does your syllabus convey the excitement, intrigue and wonder that’s inherently a part of the content you teach?” (No, it’s dry, boring and mechanical. That I can change too!)

    (Faculty Focus, August 24, 2011)

  • Why the Education/Technology Press Ignores Ed-Tech Startups (& What We Can Do About It): Audrey Watters responds to a post by Michael Stanton on, “Why are we giving up on software for education?“

    (StartupDigest EdTech, September 2, 2011)

/by