Open Source Software

Open Source software is an autonomous approach to technology, where the users - not the major technology corporations - have control over how users obtain and use computer programs. In today's marketplace, technology is imperative and very expensive. Beyond the computer itself, software licensing is a major cost and does not always fulfill the needs of each user. In solution, open source software is becoming more popular as it allows users to avoid expensive licensing fees and to better achieve their individual goals.

Drawing from Marshall McLuhan's book Media is the Message, how does this new trend reflect today's methods of communication? The internet first promised to give "the whole world at your fingertips;" but since the world wide web's inception, corporations have capitalized on its commercialism to give their world at your fingertips, so long as you have a big wallet. Open source software redelivers the opportunity for people to access information and technology freely, just as it promised at its hippy-beginning.

I hope the future of the web will continue to make autonomous strides in keeping the power of information in the hands of the people, not the corporations. Open source software empowers technology users to create and sculpt media, not just consume media.

Cognitive Load

Cognitive Load is the effort needed for mental processing. Richard Mayer presents a three-step model towards successful learning: sensory memory (initial perception), working memory (data processor and organizer), and long-term memory (storage unit). Educators and designers are most concerned with working memory, which as Mayer asserts, is limited in capacity. It is important to maximize a learner's ability to process the information, and reduce the extraneous cognitive load, or the unnecessary elements that may detract from reaching optimal results.

Mayer offers a few principles to reduce extraneous cognitive load in multimedia learning:

Prior Knowledge Principle- individuals learn better when they are already familiar with or are introduced to the learning goal at hand.
Coherence Principle- individuals learn, retain, and transfer better when the lesson is free of extraneous words, pictures, and sounds.
Segmentation Principle- individuals learn and transfer better when the lesson is broken up into segments, rather than longer continuous spans.
Redundancy Principle- individuals learn, retain, and transfer better with narration and animation, versus on-screen text, narration and animation

In order to reduce extraneous load and maximize learning, VideoPals strategically incorporates pretraining, signaling, and redundancy reduction in its design. The site aims to be a vehicle for education; the site itself should not create debilitating cognitive load that may impede on learning. To maximize site and technology use, pretraining or initial tutorials will guide and acclimate new users through the VideoPals site. Signaling will also help the user to make the appropriate actions throughout the learning process. Navigation will be simple and will weed out redundancies.

Four Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load on VideoPals

VideoPals utilizes many digital platforms that may be overwhelming for young users. Beyond the academic lessons, students share ideas through video, instant messaging, live-chats, email, and online communities. The many modes of communication present a challenge to ensure the site’s navigational ease and usability. In order to reduce extraneous cognitive load and maximize meaningful learning, VideoPals will adopt these four methods:

Pretraining: Upon initial registration, both students and teachers will be given an instructional tutorial on how to navigate and use the site. Familiarity with the site should minimize initial frustrations and acclimations, thereby allowing users to enjoy and maximize their VideoPals experience.

Signaling: Cues reduce extraneous processing, so that the user is assisted in making the next step. The site’s navigation will prompt the user toward the next probable action.

Aligning: To apply the spatial contiguity theory, printed words and associated pictures will be positioned close to one another. The site will box off sections (ie. News, Email, My Profile) to separate and clearly identify the various applications.

Eliminating Redundancy: On some websites, there are sometimes many ways of completing the same task. On Microsoft programs, a person can use a short-cut key, press an icon, or select from the FILE menu, all just to print. This can be confusing for young users. On the VideoPals site, the navigation will be user friendly and simple by reducing task-based redundancies.

Reference: Mayer, R.E., & Morena R.(2003). Nine Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychologist, 43-52.

Anchored Instruction

For anyone who want to learn about the stock market,
Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX.com) encourages users to play and learn how to trade stocks, take risks, and hedge losses in a fun, real-world environment.

The site is free to play: sign up and automatically receive $2 million dollars to buy stocks (movies) and bonds (actors). Users may choose to buy some IPO, take an adviser's suggestion, or select based on past performance. The site instills practical learning of the actual stock market; the glossary and discussion board assist the novices, while the charted data offer the pros pertinent information.

Cognition, education, and multimedia (1990) discusses Anchored Instruction and how real-world environments are essential in the learning process. HSX.com presents users with authentic situations and critical thinking decisions. The site creates a realistic, but game-like environment for users to learn about the stock market. With success, the site will prepare users to apply their knowledge to real-world situations.