Using Basic Metadata to Organize Content

E-Learning Content Development

Presented by:

Mark A. VanHeckeScience Educator and Training ProfessionalEast China, Michiganmvanhecke@comcast.netwww.vanheckescience.com

Objectives:

Describe the uses of metadata in course planning and deployment

Organize and tag digital content in common applications (MS Word and PowerPoint) using metadata

WHAT IS METADATA?Using Metadata to Organize Content

WHAT IS METADATA?Metadata is a term that is commonly used to refer to a coding statement (tag) that is used to describe some aspect of a web page’s contents

Metadata does not affect how a page is displayed-but provides information about the page such as who created it, what the page is about and how often it is updated.

WHAT IS METADATA?In organizing your content for online learning, you can use metadata to:

• Help you and your students find, access and determine the relevance of digital content

• Identify what is included in content subunits

• Help your students determine prerequisites for learning the assigned content unit if they are having difficulty

WHAT IS METADATA?In organizing your content for online learning, you can use metadata to:

• Preview what they should learn next if they have mastered the assigned content unit

• Identify related content subunits or data the assigned content unit is related to

• Identify other courses the content may be used in

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR CONTENTUsing Metadata to Organize Content

ORGANIZING YOUR CONTENT

Organizing your content for e-learning can be enhanced using simple key terms as metatags.

Mindmapping is one of the ways in which you can identify simple key terms and concepts that can be used to organize content and learning activities

MINDMAPPING

In mindmapping, you identify a broad concept such as ‘Topographic Maps’ and go on to identify subtopics associated with this broad concept as shown in the next slide

BROAD CONCEPT

TOPOGRAPHICMAPS

CONTOUR LINES

ELEVATION

GEOGRAPHICCOORDINATES

CONTOUR LINES

PUBLIC LEGAL LAND SURVEY

MENTALSECTORS

HUMANFEATURES

BATHYMETRICFEATURES

These are several sub-topics that can be elicited from the broad topic of ‘Topographic Maps’

TOPOGRAPHICMAPS

PUBLIC LEGAL LAND SURVEY

MENTALSECTORS

HUMANFEATURES

BATHYMETRICFEATURES

NORTHWESTORDINANCE

TOWNSHIPS

LEGAL LAND’DESCRI

PTION

These in turn are subtopics that can be derived from the subtopic ‘Public Legal Land Survey’

PUBLIC LEGAL LAND SURVEY

NORTHWESTORDINANCE

TOWNSHIPS

LEGAL LAND’DESCRI

PTION

SECTIONS

ACRES

SQUAREMILES

These in turn are subtopics derived from the subtopic of Townships

TAGGING YOUR CONTENTUsing Metadata to Organize Content

ADDING METADATA TO MS WORD FILES

Select a Word file by clicking once. The bottom of the screen will display information about the file

ADDING METADATA TO MS WORD FILES

You can include a descriptive title that describes what the file is about

ADDING METADATA TO MS WORD FILES

You can include key words that can be used as metatags to identify the file here

ADDING METADATA TO MS WORD FILES

Key in the word you wish to use as a tag here. Then Click the Save button to the right

ADDING METADATA TO MS WORD FILES

You can add other key words here. Just remember to Click Save when you are done

ADDING METADATA TO MS WORD FILES

The last tag I added here was ‘township sections’

ADDING METADATA TO MS WORD FILES

If you search for ‘maps’ in your library of content files, the file you tagged appears at the top

ADDING METADATA TO MS POWERPOINT FILES

This PowerPoint file includes content related to the organization of PLLS Township Sections

ADDING METADATA TO MS POWERPOINT FILES

Revision of the Title from Slide1 to 2015 Road Scholars Event Overview

ADDING METADATA TO MS POWERPOINT FILES

Added the tags ‘contour lines, township sections, elevation and township

ADDING METADATA TO MS POWERPOINT FILES

Key in ‘Township’ in the Search Bar

ADDING METADATA TO MS POWERPOINT FILES

Key in ‘Township’ in the Search Bar

The PowerPoint that was tagged appears at the top of the Search Results

REUSABLE CONTENTUsing Metadata to Organize Content

REUSABLE CONTENT

Suppose your school/district uses a common Share Drive to organize its academic content.

REUSABLE CONTENT

Another teacher in your school is teaching a geography lesson about land use patterns and is looking for content related to the creation of Townships in the Midwest.

REUSABLE CONTENT

Key in ‘Township’ in the Search Bar

A simple school or district share drive organization

REUSABLE CONTENT

Key in ‘Township’ in the Search Bar

Key in ‘Township’ in the Search Bar and both the PowerPoint and Activity Sheet are in the Search Results

SUMMARYUsing Metadata to Organize Content

SUMMARY

Use metatags to organize your unit content into interchangeable learning objects that can be used in other units or by other teachers in a network.

Metatags can be added to many different kinds of files in personal computers, portable hard drives or on school/district share drives.

Thank you! Please visit my website www.vanheckescience.com for more teaching and content strategies