Courseware, Learning Objects and Goals...

Greetings, fellow learners! Here's my first posting:

+ How do you define courseware? +
I would define it as any software that is designed to be educational. I have an inclination that this might be a bit too restrictive, however, after looking at our schedule and syllabus for this term. Educational board games, powerpoint presentations, podcasts- these educational elements do not fit so easily into my definition. Perhaps the definition should be made broader to encompass any media designed to be educational.

+ Examples: +
Using the broader definition of courseware above, my first experience with it would have been in elementary school with a dice game called Wff 'N Proof. The game made an amazing impression on me because I still remember how much fun I had trying to build patterns from the upper and lower case letters on the dice- I had no idea at the time that it was designed to help me learn about equations and algebra. I loved the game so much I asked for a copy for my birthday and I still have it. Just for grins, I googled the game and found that there is a site for it- check it out, if you like: http://wffnproof.com/

++ How do you anticipate courseware affecting your career? What will you be doing with it? ++
At present, given my profession, you could call me a developer. I hope to leverage my experience with technology so that I can eventually develop courseware. I am very interested in serious games and how generally games can help motivate and instruct.

+++ How about learning objects? How might they relate (or not) to your career? +++
Until our reading this week, I had not read anything of substance about learning objects. I had heard about them in the context of SCORM and was intrigued. Recognizing the importance of reusability from both a software and learning consideration, I am interested in learning more about where the standards efforts are with respect to learning objects. Are there software vendors that have created products that adhere to the standards? Are there open source offerings? I am also very interested in learning more about software that can help author instructional modules using learning objects and instructional design.

++++ What do you hope to learn from this course? ++++
I am very excited about the applied aspect of this course. Each course I have taken here at FSU has added to my growing understanding of ISD. I look forward to learning more about instructional design through the practical, applied methods of generating courseware using different media.