Wicked Problem Project Part C

This is Web 2.0 Jeopardy!!!
Click here to play

Originally I set out to solve the problem of bland and un-engaging courses at Amway. The plan was to solve the problem by using game theory to redesign the courses, making them rewarding, engaging and increase retention.
Being that I am only at the foot of the latter at Amway, I have no legal rights to use Amway content or imagery.
So to demonstrate game theory I created a course with safe content and ...no imagery really.
I started with a software called Lectora. I felt fairly comfortable with the tool but I did not realize how many steps would be involved. I ended up using a software called Articulate Storyline. I am familiar with the original software suite Articulate but I have had limited experience using Storyline. I was surprised that it was not as intuitive as its 'mother software' Articulate. 
The biggest bump of all is not being able to truly implement my solution. I do not have the rights to Amway owned content or imagery.  I also do not hold a position in which I can freely implement or test my solution. 
Actual creation of my solution went quite smooth. However, I wasted quite a bit of time working with Lectora, but I just realized the time and effort it would take to program my game there would not be very efficient. 
I am pretty happy with my outcome but if I had to revise I would maybe add more categories or  questions. I would also, depending on time and content, pick a different game. Because of the topic, my game is not true Jeopardy  You do not wager and you really shouldn't have multiple choice answers to pick from. However designing a course that can check typed in answers from the user is over my head and way over my budget.
Once I started getting the hang of Storyline and could see my product it was pretty smooth sailing. The backbone of Articulate in PowerPoint, which is what I like to call "Comfort Software".
A minor surprise occurred when I realized I had to create the same screen for each box 5 times to work logistically. As seen below. Question & Answers for each wrong selection and each correct, and then also for the original screen when the category was chosen. TGFCP!!! (Thank Gosh for Copy and Paste!!!)In a perfect world at Amway, I would make a lot of money. Also we would hire a vendor to build us a secure system that interprets data such as courses accessed by individual users, scores, and "badges" earned based on a point system. There would also be a feature that would analyze the data for each learner and provide them with a dashboard where they would find their rankings, history, personal profile and suggested courses for them to take.
I was able to get a few friends to give my Jeopardy a run. They are not educators and really have no use or need for the Web 2.0 tools being presented, however it was nice to have them be new eyes for testing it. They did appreciate the visual aesthetic of the game. They also commented on its ease of use and found the scoring a cool feature.

Overall, I know I worked hard and did the best I could do with the time and resources I had. I am proud of my game and its fun to show off. In the meantime I can sit back and learn from what Amway decides to do, good or bad. It will only help me in future roles I will have. I will have first hand suggestions and input for implementing solutions when I have my own department.

EdCanvas

Check out EdCanvas!

I can use EdCanvas a number of ways. One of which is to for presentations in my classes. I can easily show my work, supporting multimedia and sources via EdCanvas. Another way I can use EdCanvas is in trainings. Usually I am training adults about a software or system they have to use. With EdCanvas I can have slides with information such as tips, tricks or benefits and also have easy access to the tool itself by using the url feature. Then afterwards I can share my canvas with them so that they can use it for reference after the training.

I think others will find it to be really useful knowing that they can input their old material into the canvas and just add supporting elements. Then being able to share it with either their students, staff or colleagues after is a really great feature.

One of the great things about EdCanvas is that it can be widely used in face-to-face settings and online, due to its play canvas feature, no navigation is really needed.

Feel free to share this canvas with your staff or colleauges by selecting the + button on the right side. There you will have several methods of sharing this canvas, e.g. email, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. If you choose to share this canvas it might be beneficial to have a few follow up options. You can simply send out a survey and share the results with the group that participated. Or give the users some time to play with EdCanvas on their own, and have a face to face collaboration of likes, dislikes and usages of the tools. It would be ideal to have someone who is familiar with tool be there to answer questions. Otherwise as a group you can gather your questions and concerns and report them to EdCanvas. Be sure to check out EdCanvas' blog. They post tips and tricks and often tutorials made by educators like you.

Data Visualization

• What tools did you try?

I tried visual.ly, Many Eyes and Tagxedo.

• What are you representing in the visualization you created?

With Many Eyes I used a data set they had about what people do with the internet to create a bubble chart. With Tagxedo I put in my blog url to create a word cloud in the shape of an apple. My favorite tool was visual.ly. I did the resume thing which was really cool and then I did the life of a hash tag and dropped in the #maet hashtag.

• What questions or "ah-ha" moments arise when thinking about representation?

I really thought about initial appeal and attraction. My Fiancé's psychology professor told him there is no proof that people have different learning styles, e.g. visual learners. I disagree to some extent. There may not be proof that people learn better a certain way but I know from experience that if something is drab and unappealing the learner will not pick it up. It will not spark their interest. I think that representing data in ways other than your standard bar graphs and pie charts is an amazing idea. I think one has to be careful about where and what they are representing, but overall I find data visualizations like this very exciting.

Classroom 2.0

Found a really cool tool Wiggio. I will definitely suggest this tool for my next team project. It seems like it has some really great features. Although google hangouts are great, Wiggio is dedicated to the sole function of collaboration. It also has mobile friendly features, which would have been really helpful in my last group project.

I was disappointed in what was available for gaming in education tools. I get that it is more commonly a pedagogy, but there has to be simulators out there that teachers or educators use to teach/train.

THE FLIPPED SESSION

Our Group met via Google Hangout. After a small delay we were down to business and brainstorming. We decided to do our project on a really cool tool called Edcanvas. Edcanvas is a great tool that can be used to organize and present media enriched lessons. Every teacher will want one! The tools we will be using vary depending on the team member and which medium they prefer their part being presented as. We are a bit unique in the presentation aspect because we are using Edcanvas to present Edcanvas. That way we can demonstrate how to use and incorporate different types of delivery (text, powerpoint, mp3, video ect).

My part is considered the summary. I will be piecing everyones parts and opinions together. I am thinking ideally I would like to make a audio/visual component. Being able to hear the conclusion and view related images really feels like it would help drive our points home for our audience. At the same time I have never uploaded such a mixed medium to Edcanvas, so I will have to play it by ear when I complete my section.Technology always keeps me on my toes!

 Here is our storyboard!

Part B Podcast

Podcast

Blog Post #1

• Describe any awkward or surprising moments.

I suppose getting all of our members into the hangout was a bit cumbersome at first. We were not all familiar with Google Hangout. However we all got it figured out and had a productive meeting.

And even learned how to use some effects!

• Identify all software the group considered.

At first, being inspired by our own struggles, we discussed basing our project on Google Hangout itself. Then I suggested using a cool tool that I have not got to use as much as I would have liked to, called Edcanvas. We discussed using Jing, Snagit, Camtasia, Captivate and Edcanvas itself to create the tutorial.

• Identify the product the group plans to use for future conferences.

I think now that we all have a better idea of how google hangout works that we will continue to use that. Its great for simultaneously editing our google doc. 

• Explain how this experience might be useful in your classroom.

I do not have a classroom and I actually do not directly communicate with my learners at work. However this experience is good for me in relation to the remaining classes I have and the many group projects in my future.