Monthly Archives: June 2009

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Visualization

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FAS was a project I worked on at VDI. We collaborated with McMaster University on a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome visualization, which demonstrated the subtle changes in an embryo affected by FAS

What is FAS

Prenatal exposure to alcohol can cause a range of disorders, known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). One of the most severe effects of drinking during pregnancy is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is one of the leading known preventable causes of mental retardation and birth defects. If a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, her baby can be born with FAS, a lifelong condition that causes physical and mental disabilities. FAS is characterized by abnormal facial features, growth deficiencies, and central nervous system (CNS) problems. People with FAS might have problems with learning, memory, attention span, communication, vision, hearing, or a combination of these. These problems often lead to difficulties in school and problems getting along with others. FAS is a permanent condition. It affects every aspect of an individual’s life and the lives of his or her family.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. The term FASDs is not intended for use as a clinical diagnosis.

FASDs include FAS as well as other conditions in which individuals have some, but not all, of the clinical signs of FAS. Three terms often used are fetal alcohol effects (FAE), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). The term FAE has been used to describe behavioral and cognitive problems in children who were prenatally exposed to alcohol, but who do not have all of the typical diagnostic features of FAS. In 1996, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) replaced FAE with the terms ARND and ARBD. Children with ARND might have functional or mental problems linked to prenatal alcohol exposure. These include behavioral or cognitive abnormalities or a combination of both. Children with ARBD might have problems with the heart, kidneys, bones, and/or hearing.

All FASDs are 100% preventable-if a woman does not drink alcohol while she is pregnant.

Virtual Worlds, Virtually Anything is Possible

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Below is a short movie I created (Movies aren’t my specialty). This movie was created for VDI for a presentation at the 2008 Modsim World Conference in September, the topic of the presentation was the importance of Virtual Worlds in learning and how they can be used as a tool for educators.

The movie was shown as a intro piece to grab the audiences attention to kick off the presentation. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show!!!

Can you guess where the music is from !!

Crime Scene Protection

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One of the principal responsibilities of a police officer is to protect a crime scene by spotting and protecting physical evidence at a crime scene.

This prototype lesson was designed for the Justice Knowledge Network to demonstrate various instructional modes, including tutorials, scenarios, on-line testing and a simulation game, that could be used in police training course.

A pre-test provides an advanced organizer to help learners review their knowledge of the subject and preview the course content. It provides immediate feedback after each question. The post-test resembles a traditional exam in that all questions must be answered before the learner submits the exam. Then a final score and feedback on each question is provided.

The tutorials include embedded questions and scenarios. Some of the questions are mixed visual and verbal modes. For example, when answering a question asking where the police office should station his or her vehicle at a crime scene, the learner answers by dragging a police car to one of four different locations on a graphic.

The simulation game presents a quick photographic tour of an elderly lady’s house that may be a crime scene. The police trainee is then tested on his or her recall of details in the scene. This provides the learner with the opportunity to practice an important police skill: making mental notes of a scene that may be used later in an investigation.

These materials were produced for the Justice Knowledge Network, a five-year research and development project to develop e-learning for Canadian police forces.