Skip to content

Which Kind of Object Is It?

Run the Which Kind of Object Is It? MicroSim Fullscreen
Edit in the p5.js Editor

About This MicroSim

This sorting activity checks whether you can tell apart the four kinds of object defined in Chapter 1. Each card describes one example, such as "A five-minute video on photosynthesis" or "The same simulation that also sends slider and answer events to a record store." Drag the card into one of four bins:

Bin The property that earns it
Learning Object Reusable, self-contained and described
Interactive Simulation Adds a model the learner changes, with an immediate response
MicroSim Adds small, browser-based, embeddable with one iframe, described by metadata
Instrumented MicroSim Adds reporting of learner interactions as xAPI statements

There are twelve cards, three per bin, shuffled on every run. A correct drop turns the bin green and explains the decision in one sentence. A wrong drop shakes the card back to the center and names the deciding property: the property the example is missing if you chose a bin that is too specific, or the extra property it has if you chose one that is too general. The score counts correct answers out of attempts.

Learning objective: The learner will distinguish learning objects, interactive simulations, MicroSims, and instrumented MicroSims by sorting example descriptions into the correct category.

Bloom's taxonomy level: Analyze (verb: distinguish)

How to Use

  1. Read the example on the card.
  2. Drag the card into the bin where it belongs. You can also press the keys 1 to 4 to choose a bin.
  3. If the bin turns green, read the explanation and press Next.
  4. If the card shakes back, read which property decides the example and try another bin.
  5. After twelve cards, the summary shows how many you sorted right on the first try. Press Shuffle to play a new round.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

1
2
3
4
<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/microsims/sims/which-kind-of-object-classifier/main.html"
        height="492px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Audience

Teachers, instructional designers, learning-technology developers and learning-analytics practitioners (college undergraduate and professional development).

Duration

10-15 minutes

Prerequisites

  • The definitions of learning object, interactive simulation, MicroSim and instrumented MicroSim from Chapter 1
  • The MicroSim Family Tree diagram (recommended)

Activities

  1. Sort (6 min): Sort all twelve cards. Aim for at least ten right on the first try.
  2. Explain a miss (4 min): For each card you missed, write the property that decided it and where that property appears in the card's wording.
  3. Write a card (4 min): Write a new example for the bin you found hardest, then trade with a partner and sort each other's cards.

Assessment

  • The learner sorts at least 10 of 12 cards correctly on the first attempt.
  • For any card, the learner can name the single property that separates it from the neighboring category.
  • The learner writes an original example that a partner sorts into the intended bin.

References

  1. Learning object - Wikipedia. Reusable, described units of instruction.
  2. Simulation - Wikipedia. The general idea of a model whose behavior can be explored.
  3. Experience API - Wikipedia. The xAPI standard that instrumented MicroSims use to report interactions.
  4. p5.js mouseDragged() reference - p5.js. The event used to drag the card.