Activities and tools
The building blocks of Learning Design
Definition and distinctions
Tools are essentially applications that are used to carry out a particular function. For instance, the Forum tool is a tool that allows students to discuss.
A learning activity is when we apply instructions and content to a tool to achieve a particular learning objective.
For simplicity sake, we might use both terms interchangeably.
Types of LAMS Tools
The LAMS tools are grouped into four categories of learning.
Informative Activities
Share Resources allows teachers to add content into a design, such as URL hyperlinks, zipped websites, individual files (Adobe PDF's, Powerpoints, etc) and even complete learning objects.
Task list activity
The Spreadsheet Activity allows a teachers to provide data in a spreadsheet format to students. Students can then perform their own calculations on and manipulations of the data and submit their formulas or results for assessment.
The Image Gallery tool allows teachers and students (when enabled) to upload a series of images. These images can be then be reviewed and rated.
Noticeboard activity provides a simple way of providing information and content to the students.
Assessment Activities
Assessment tools provide a fast and efficient way of collecting Learners responses to a topic.
The Assessment activity allows teachers to create powerful exams with a variety of question types and features
The Submit files activity allows students to submit assignments.
The Scratchie activity is an specific implementation of the IF-AT cards and a novel form of assessment when students can have multiple attempts at a question until they find the correct answer.
Multiple choice
To be deprecated in favour of Assessment in LAMS v5.0
The MCQ activity allows teachers to create
Collaborative tools
Collaborative tools involve Learners working together to achieve learning out allows teachers to create a series of tasks which are marked off as completed by students. Each individual task may be compulsory or not, or require the completion of other tasks to become available.comes.
The Forum Activity provides an asynchronous discussion environment for learners, with discussion threads initially created by the teacher.
The Zoom integration activity provides a simple way to integrate Zoom web conference features into LAMS designs.
The Chat Activity runs a live (synchronous) discussion for learners.
The doKu tool is a collaborative real-time editor, allowing students to simultaneously create and edit a text document. As they edit the document, students can see each other editing in real time.
The whiteboard is a collaborative real-time editor, allowing students to simultaneously create and edit a text document. As they edit the document, students can see each other editing in real time.
Reflective tools
The Survey Tool is similar to Multiple Choice, in that it presents learners with a number of questions. However, unlike Multiple Choice there are no right or wrong answers - the system just collates all answers for analysis by the teacher.
The Data Collection tool allows Authors to create database style lists for Learners to populate.
The Mindmap activity allows teachers and students to create, edit and view mindmaps to enhance idea generation and visualisation.
The Question and Answer Activity allows teachers to pose a question or questions to learners individually, and after they have entered their response, to see the responses of all their peers presented on a single answer screen.
The Voting Activity allows teachers to create polls.
The Notebook Activity is a tool for teachers to allow learners to record their thoughts during a lesson. Excellent tool for reflection and introspection. The Notebook activity is doubly powerful, as it can be added to the end of specific activity.
Survey and Voting can be used to create a 'double reflection'; Learners first provide their own reflective responses, and can then reflect on trends and patterns in the cumulative data.
Design & workflow tools
Gates allow teachers to create Stop Points during a lesson.
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