Upside Learning

OCTOBER 5, 2009

Last week I met several new prospective customers - training companies. The prospects varied in size from a single person company (with several associates on contract basis) to very large companies serving Fortune 500 companies; and whose focus varied from soft skills training to Aerospace graphics and documentation. The common theme emerging from these meetings is that their clients have started asking for eLearning solutions or blended solutions.

eLearning 191

eLearning Outsource Training Train 191

eLearning Weekly

OCTOBER 9, 2009

This article, by Eric Matas, is the first of a three part series on the Psychology of Elearning. Eric is an Instructional Designer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Thanks, Eric!! Designers love a little cognitive load theory. Any glimpse into the brains of learners sparks a trainer’s curiosity. It makes sense: if you want to influence brains with new knowledge, it helps to know how brains function best while learning.

Cognitive 47

Cognitive eLearning Tools eLearning Slides 47

Saffron Interactive

OCTOBER 27, 2009

Creating original graphics for an e-learning course can be a challenging task, particularly when anything that's created has to comply with strict branding guidelines. An engaging graphic environment is essential for an interesting and successful learning experience. Read on for our top five tips for achieving this. The post Top five tips for designing engaging graphics for e-learning appeared first on Saffron Interactive.

Tips 40

Tips Design Learning Guidelines 40

Experiencing eLearning

OCTOBER 8, 2009

Over the last few days I’ve been working through Stephen Downes’ paper Learning Networks and Connective Knowledge. I often struggle to get through these longer works and actually pull anything relevant out of them, and this is definitely a longer work (over 12,000 words, just over 29 pages pasted in Word). I used Diigo to highlight and comment while reading.

Knowledge 227

Knowledge Network Learning Objects Learning 227

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Making Change

OCTOBER 13, 2009

For a quick overview of the Action Mapping process described in this interaction, see Be an elearning action hero. For in-depth help with applying this process to your own materials, check out the Elearning Blueprint. How I designed and built the scenario. Some people avoid creating branching scenarios because they seem too complex. In case it’s helpful, here’s the approach I took.

Informal 198

Informal eLearning Tools SWF Slides 198

Upside Learning

OCTOBER 30, 2009

Yes, we believe it can. Having fun is an experience that stays with you longer than any form of instruction. We advocate inclusion of games & fun interactions to achieve long term learning, and change of behaviors. Learning Games that pull learners to have fun (and learn while they have fun). This video below from the fun theory , an initiative of Volkswagen, shows just how fun could be effective in getting people to consider changing their habits.

Behavior 256

Behavior Change eLearning Developer Help 256

Kapp Notes

OCTOBER 16, 2009

Here is a list of online games and related items that I presented at the Fall 2009 Business Teacher Seminar in Grantville, PA. Hotshot Business Game (Created by Disney) Design Considerations for a Cell Phone (at Edheads.org) Explore environmental and business impact with Energyville (by Cheveron) Download educational objects on topics of Business, Accounting, Entrepreneurship and many related topics at WISC-Online (Wisconsin Online Resource Center) For up to sixth grade check out Planet Orange f

Games 180

Games Simulations Online Teach 180

Tony Karrer

OCTOBER 5, 2009

I've known Nancy White and John Smith for quite a while. Nancy has been my go to person for all things Communities and Networks and worked with me to create Communities and Networks Connection. So naturally when Nancy and John (with Etienne Wenger) put out the book Digital Habitats; Stewarding Technology for Communities I was very excited. And I've got to say that I agree with the recent comment in a post I saw: Whenever I get stuck I’ll contact my friends at CPSquare: Etienne, Nancy and John.

LearnTrends 167

LearnTrends Wiki Digital Free 167

Experiencing eLearning

OCTOBER 13, 2009

Pam Vreeland, my manager, posted a question in a LinkedIn group that has prompted some great discussion there. She graciously agreed to let me republish her question here, as I’m curious what others think about these two models for course design. A colleague of mine challenged my thinking recently on course design. I have always preferred having an instructional designer and a SME work collaboratively to develop online course work.

Instructional 211

Instructional Instruction Course Design 211

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Clark Quinn

OCTOBER 5, 2009

In a recent post , Jane Bozart goes to task on ‘best practices’, which I want to elaborate on. In the post, she talks about how best practices are contextualized, so that they may work well here, but not there. She’s got a cute and apt metaphor with marriage, and she’s absolutely right. However, I want to go further. Let me set the stage: years ago as a grad student, our lab was approached with the task of developing an expert system for a particular task.

Cognitive 162

Cognitive Emergent Pattern Virtual World 162

Learning Visions

OCTOBER 7, 2009

It's a Meta-Webinar! Join Kineo's Mark Harrison for a free webinar on webinars: Building effective content for your online sessions. When: Thursday, October 15 3 pm UK / 10 am EST / 9 am CST To register: Send email to info@kineo.com. Tags: kineo webinar.

Tagging 145

Tagging Content Online Free 145

Upside Learning

OCTOBER 26, 2009

Interesting numbers about the Social media and mobile computing revolution, while we wont really vouch for the numbers, Gary goes to great lengths to provide sources and substantiation for the basis of his calculation. The rate of adoption of these technologies is phenomenal, and has cut across varied age-groups. Regardless of what aspect of learning you’re interested in, you can be sure that learners are using mobile technology and social media, are you ready for it?

Social Media 255

Social Media Mobile Media Social 255

Kapp Notes

OCTOBER 7, 2009

Recently, a number of individuals have inquired about resources for virtual world research. Here are some valuable links. Please add your own resources in the comments. Journal of Virtual World Research --Great resource. This journal has freely available PDF articles describing the vast amount of work being done in virtual worlds. Recently, the journal featured a number of articles on using virtual worlds in the field of Healthcare.

Virtual World 160

Virtual World Wiki Resources Research 160

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

Authoring

Web Courseworks

OCTOBER 15, 2009

The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has been supporting youth health education programs through their Children’s Health Education Center (CHEC) for the past twelve years. In 2004 the Center started the www.bluekids.org program to focus their efforts on reaching youth, educators, and parents via the Internet. Over 12,000 students participated in CHEC’s teacher-facilitated game-based learning curriculum last semester alone.

Attitudes 124

Attitudes Simulations Games Behavior 124

ID Reflections

OCTOBER 8, 2009

I am in the States currently on some project work. I am not certain I can name my client. So, I will err on the side of caution and just say that I am in Connecticut and have been here for a month now. As in all projects, I have to send weekly status updates and sent my first three weeks back. I was rather proud of it. Using the SmartArt features of Word 2007, I had painstakingly created a report that visually represented the different phases of the project, the status of each, and the delivery

Create 119

Create Articulate Design Templates 119

Clark Quinn

OCTOBER 30, 2009

The Learning Circuit’s Big Question this month has to do with the increasing prevalence of internet access during presentations. The context is that during presentations it’s certainly possible that your audience is multi-tasking, and the question is; what are the implications? In live presentations, the increasing prevalence of wi-fi or phone data means laptops and/or smartphones can be online, and in virtual ones there’s typically a number of other applications available at

Cognitive 159

Cognitive Network Streaming Performance Support 159

Tony Karrer

OCTOBER 6, 2009

As way of background for this month's big question - , I went to eLearning Learning and looked up Multitasking. Found some great posts. But the basic gist is that Multitasking Generally is Bad for Work and Learning Clive Shepherd - A challenge to the multitask assumption tells us: According to work conducted at Stanford University and reported by Constance Holden in Science NOW Daily News under the heading Multitasking muddles the mind , "cognitive performance declines when people try to pa

Multitasking 117

Multitasking Cognitive eLearning Tools eLearning 117

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

We’ve all been there. You’ve been given a pile of dry content and asked to create a compelling eLearning course. You’re determined to create something more engaging than the same old course that learners quickly click through, but how do you take this “boring” content and create something relevant and engaging? Many instructional designers will say, “Boring in means boring out.

Content

Upside Learning

OCTOBER 29, 2009

Earlier this month I blogged about why Training companies are adopting eLearning. There are reasons other than their clients demanding it. Reflecting on my interactions with Training Providers over the last couple of quarters, I’ve made a list of the top 8 reasons for them to adopt eLearning. Client Demand : The provider’s clients have started demanding eLearning solutions (and training providers want to retain them).

Corporate eLearning 226

Corporate eLearning eLearning Adoption Adopt 226

Kapp Notes

OCTOBER 27, 2009

Here are three games that can be used to teach the civics topics of how elections are conducted, how the Supreme Court functions and the complicated issues of the Middle East. Supreme Court Justices in the game Supreme Decision. Here is a free computer game for teenagers created with the help of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor that helps explain what happens at the Supreme Court and its impact on the United States.

Games 155

Games Online Web Site 155

Moodle Journal

OCTOBER 1, 2009

Producing materials that will be distributed through either a vle or similar e-learning delivery platform, immediately draws the question, should these be the same as documents I would hand out in class, well maybe, but maybe not. For a start, handouts in class tend to be black and white, fundamentally because of the printing costs, so there’s the first difference that’s up for easy change.

VLE 113

VLE Free Tutorial Classes 113

ID Reflections

OCTOBER 17, 2009

I have been reading the book Telling Ain’t Training by Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps, a combined ASTD and ISPI publication. This is a must read for all trainers, performance analysts, and learners. This is a short, seemingly easy read but packed with practical advice, analytical insights and great suggestions from these experienced trainers.

Knowledge 112

Knowledge Expert ISPI Performance Support 112

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Clark Quinn

OCTOBER 26, 2009

In addition to speaking on mobile design with David Metcal at the Mobile Learning Jam at DevLearn, and with Richard Clark on pragmatic mobile development, I’ve got a contract with Pfeiffer for a mobile learning book. Yep, I’m writing another book. Flat learning curve, eh? Seriously, I’m excited about the opportunity, because I’ve been on the stump for mobile for years, and think the market is right for mobile to finally contribute to organizational performance like I

Mobile Learning 154

Mobile Learning Mobile Learning DevLearn 154

Vikas Joshi on Interactive Learning

OCTOBER 20, 2009

For several years, I have been speaking at the eLearning Guild conferences and online forums on the topic of interactive learning. It is fascinating to see how training professionals' understanding of interactivity has evolved over the years. From the old days of minimal interactivity-literacy, we have come a long way, and now the question on everyone's mind is "interactive courses - of course yes, but how?

Interactive 109

Interactive eLearning Guild Platform Ideas 109

Upside Learning

OCTOBER 4, 2009

The information age is rapidly turning into an age of information overload. A simple search of the web using a search engine like Google reveals a fantastic array of information. As I’ve discovered given the thousands if not millions of results, trying to sort through and make sense of any of that data is an exercise in futility. This sort of rudimentary search and pray approach isn’t effective, and grows more ineffective by the day with the growing size of the web.

Web 224

Web HTML eLearning Tools eLearning 224

Kapp Notes

OCTOBER 12, 2009

Dipity Flipbook view of virtual worlds timeline. Here is a nifty resource for looking at the development of virtual worlds over time. It is created at the website Dipity which is an aggregator of content with a twist, the twist is that the content can have meta-data added to it to add meaning and to display it visually within a timeline, a list or a flipbook.

Virtual World 150

Virtual World Web Games Tagging 150

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Tony Karrer

OCTOBER 12, 2009

I wanted to share some discussions I've recently had around an interesting project where the company provided the sales team a collaboration, content distribution and expert access portal. Do you have a case study for me? I'm hoping to do a lot of case studies over the next 6-12 months looking at interesting examples of the use of social/informal/web 2.0 learning.

Portal 109

Portal Expert Content Teams 109

ID Reflections

OCTOBER 27, 2009

"Data is raw material! Analyzed data lead to assumptions. Assumptions can lead to mistakes. Don't assume.know! Don't settle for information, demand insight!" I don't know who is the originator of the quote above, but it appears on almost every wall here in the form of posters, banners, wall stickers, table stands. The first few weeks here, I did not fully appreciate the depth of this message till I came across the following video by Nick Milton of Knoco.com discussing data, information and knowl

Informal 110

Informal KM Social Networks Knowledge 110

Clark Quinn

OCTOBER 6, 2009

I recently attended the 3DTLC conference, as I reported before. Chuck Hamilton presented on his (IBM’s) take on affordances on virtual worlds. Given that I’ve opined before , I asked for more detail on their take, and he was kind enough to forward to me their definitions. I like what they’ve done, but it led me to try to refine what I see as some confounding (they actually separate several of their 10 into two separate ones), and try to capture what I think are core, what c

Virtual World 150

Virtual World Simulations IBM Emergent 150