RKCS Learning Solutions

I’ll start with an aside. I couldn’t find any witty anecdotes for my title and had two thoughts on the brain so I wrote them both. I thought I would write that aside for those that were wondering about the connection. Maybe I have already defeated my purpose because the mystery might have allowed the readers to make a connection of their own. (There ARE some of you reading this, right?)

Anyway, I went to check out Transformers-Revenge of the Fallen today. Because it was a big, robot, futuristic, action flick, we decided that the ONLY way we could watch this was at the IMAX which has the largest screen that I have come across. So, we hopped on over to the science museum to take in this presumably delightful adventure. Because the screen was so big, we thought it best to get as far back as possible to take it all in. Well, the robots were so big, the action was so fast paced that I had to keep turning my head to look at different parts of the screen and while I felt engrossed in the film, there were so many things flying by, especially in fight sequences that they looked blurry. While I didn’t get a headache, I had to turn to my buddy next to me to say, “Hey man, I’m almost feeling like it might have been better to see this on a smaller screen.” His response? “Yeah, I was feeling the same way. You can’t really take it all in at once!”

Now, of course, because we are e-learning professionals, we have to relate everything we do to e-learning, right? Right! So, my mind went back to recent conversations about animations in PowerPoint and how they stifle learning as well as conversations about flashy visuals and information overload in e-learning presentations. While it may not have been the intent of the director to overload me visually, that certainly was the result.

I take away two things from this. First, focused information and in many cases, less information is easier for learners to digest. We just have to figure out ways to make it interesting and engaging enough so that they will want to ingest all of it. Secondly, we definitely have to place consideration on the medium. For instance, a course developed for regular online access cannot have the exact content as something developed for a mobile learning format. I remember the early stages of website development when normal user resolution was 800 x 600. As computers got more advanced, Resolution capabilities went up to 1024 x 768. However, because the majority of users were still using 800 x 600, it was standard practice for web designers to continue developing at that resolution in order to minimize scrolling.

So, maybe I should have watched the movie on a smaller screen. Maybe the director should have considered the screens on which the movie would be viewed. Maybe I am the only one that feels like this. Where do we place the responsibility here, designer or learner/viewer?

* – As I was writing this, I learned of the passing of Michael Jackson. The title of my blog reflects my love of and involvement in music. As an entertainer, he was probably unequaled. As a creative musician, I have a learned a great deal from listening to not only what he has produced publicly, but also from some of the behind the scenes studio work that I have been able to catch. Quirky? Yes. Eccentric? Most certainly. Great? Without a doubt. RIP.