Sticky
labels
Notice
in our examples that the meta-data is not always attached
to the thing it describes. Can labels are most useful
when attached, but imagine if library catalog cards were attached
to the books they describe. You would have to go through all the
books in the library to find the ones you wanted. It is far more
useful to have the cards (meta-data) collected together in one
place so you can easily search for what you want.
Think about the driver's license example.
You carry your license with you, but the state also has your driver's
license information — the meta-data — in their computers.
SCORM assets and SCOs are similar.
Ideally these objects carry their meta-data with them as part
of a SCORM-conformant package. But copies of the meta-data can
also be stored in indexes and other systems designed for searching
collections of content objects.
Meta-data can be in multiple places.
It can travel with an object, like a label on a can or the driver's
license in your pocket. And at the same time, the meta-data
can be collected together in another place, like a library card
catalog or your driver's license information in the state computer
system.
The SCORM reference model is designed
to enable searching through vast, distributed collections of content
to find exactly what you want. Having standardized ways of representing
meta-data is fundamental to making this possible. |