A learning object is only valuable if it has a context?

The creation of learning objects is not just about putting together a flash object or photograph together with metadata and text to explain it. It is about how the object is used or in many cases how many ways can the object be used. After all I can use a series of photographs to demonstrate how to take a series of photographs over time year on year but these could also show changes in vegetation, growth or development.

Above all we need learning objects to do something - communicate!

They are used to put a point across as part of a learning experience or learning design. In many ways the whole talk of them has become overcomplicated.

The flash file "How a lens can be reversed for close-up work to use its optics to best effect". The learning object doesn't have any significance without an explanation unless you are a photographer interested in close-up photography.