The world is changed - Galadriel
July 2, 2009
Spies, Twitter and gardening: social media meets learning - Donald H Taylor in Corporate Training
If the US intelligence services - notorious for keeping a tight grip on information - have been convinced that sharing information more widely is a good idea, why is that, and what does it have to do with learning?
The answer is that sharing information is one of the ways in which we learn naturally, possible the most natural way of learning we have. After all, when faced with a problem the instinctive reaction is to ask someone for help. Do they have an answer? Do they know someone else who does? Have they met similar problems before?
HTML 5 and eLearning Development - The Upside Learning Solutions Blog
Those of you have heard of HTML 5 will know it's a new version of HTML and XHTML being promoted by Google and Apple in a bid to move the web away from proprietary technologies like Flash, Silverlight and JavaFX. It makes HTML more powerful by adding new elements like video and audio. A list of new elements in HTML 5 can be found here at IBM's site and the draft specification is available here at W3C's site.
HTML and Flash are most commonly used today for developing elearning content. HTML is used for simple 'page-turner' type of courses while Flash is used for interactive courses that contain animations and/or audio. Like most other eLearning developers, we prefer developing content using Flash over HTML because HTML can't support rich vector graphics with animations essential for delivering an engaging learning experience.
However HTML 5 has the potential to change all that. If developers can create animations, play audio and video without having to depend on Flash or Silverlight that would excellent. HTML 5 is particularly useful for organizations with 'no plug-in' policy because it will render natively in HTML 5 capable browsers. Also HTML 5 would help create more platform independent applications which can run across browsers eliminating the need for testing on multiple browsers.
Do Brain Trainer Games and Software Work? - Scientific American
The best memory enhancer is exercise, Snyder says. [For more on exercise and the brain, see "Fit Body, Fit Mind?'] Secondarily, a good diet and an active social life have brain benefits. Does software improve on those standbys, he asks? "Frankly, I have my doubts. The evidence isn't in."
HOW TO: Use Wikis for Business Projects - Mashable
One of the best web tools available to businesses for enabling teamwork and collaboration is the wiki. Few things speak more to staying in the flow of one's work than just clicking "Edit This Page" where you see something that needs to be written or re-written. Though Wikis have been around since the 90s, their potential for business collaboration has made them more popular in the business world over the past few years.
While a wiki can let project documentation grow organically as a project unfolds, it is like any tool and needs to be used the right way to get the most out of it. If you're thinking about using a wiki in your team's toolkit for the first time, keeping a few points in mind will help everyone get up and running without tripping over the changes that the wiki way brings to project documentation.
June 30, 2009
Where is Everyone? - Baekdal.com
These days, everyone is trying to figure out how to connect with other people. It used to be simple, you just placed some ads in whatever newspaper that was most suited to your product, but now that world is becoming ever more irrelevant. So how do you connect with other people today? And more importantly, how do you do it tomorrow?
eLearning Learning - Tony Karrer
eLearning Learning, a collection of blog posts and articles all around eLearning, now has a blog.
The long tail of blogging is dying - guardian.co.uk
Why? Because blogging isn't easy. More precisely, other things are easier - and it's to easier things that people are turning. Facebook's success is built on the ease of doing everything in one place. (Search tools can't index it to see who's talking about what, which may be a benefit or a failing.) Twitter offers instant content and reaction. Writing a blog post is a lot harder than posting a status update, putting a funny link on someone's Wall, or tweeting. People are still reading blogs, and other content. But for the creation of amateur content, their heyday for the wider population has, I think, already passed. The short head of blogging thrives. Its long tail, though, has lapsed into desuetude.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Lifestream - The Steve Rubel Lifestream
It's been a few days since I announced that I was abandoning my blog in favor of a lifestream. The move seems to be going well as comments have been coming in at a good clip. Here's a quick rundown answers to of some common questions that came in via Twitter, Friendfeed and comments...
Top 10 Productivity Basics Explained - lifehacker
There's a core set of habits and techniques that filter and color a lot of what we write about at Lifehacker, but we rarely step back to explain them for newcomers. Let's get back to basics with 10 productivity tactics.
June 23, 2009
From Social Media To Social Business Design - Logic + Emotion
We're realizing that the bigger picture goes beyond how you can be a great tweeter, blogger or social media evangelist for your organization. It's time to think beyond marketing and building personal brands and time to think about how participation through social technologies can lead to emergent outcomes for any organization.
Are Deep Learning Skills Atrophying? - CLO
No one is saying that applying business-outcome analysis to learning is a bad thing. The question is whether the pendulum has swung too far. One might argue that the balance was once set too far toward instructional design and learning delivery for their own sake, without enough emphasis on the measurable impact of learning on the business. Today, the issue that must be carefully addressed is whether the balance has shifted too far toward "running learning like a business" without adequate grounding in the what, how and why of enterprise learning.
The Conversational Web - eContent
Being curious about yesterday's race, I queried Google on "Grandma's Marathon". Almost 100% of the first 20 results (farther down that most people would ever read) are traditional news media reports of the race. However, if one runs the same query via Twitter Search, the results are dramatically different, you learn what it's like to actually run in the race.
Twitter on the Barricades: Six Lessons Learned - New York Times
Does the label Twitter Revolution, which has been slapped on the two most recent events, oversell the technology? Skeptics note that only a small number of people used Twitter to organize protests in Iran and that other means -- individual text messaging, old-fashioned word of mouth and Farsi-language Web sites -- were more influential. But Twitter did prove to be a crucial tool in the cat-and-mouse game between the opposition and the government over enlisting world opinion.
Why Microsoft Had to Destroy Word - Harvard Business
With the release of Office 2007, Microsoft demonstrated newfound commitment to delivering software that delights. In his excellent presentation on the design of the user interface for Microsoft Office 2007, lead designer Jensen Harris depicts the evolution of Microsoft Word, from a relatively simple application in 1989, to a bloated behemoth so overloaded with features that it required 30 toolbars, 8 task panes, and "clever" technologies such as Clippy to use it all.
Training Magazine
The digital edition of June 2009 Training Magazine is now online.
Social Media
Sixty-four percent of retailers have made investments in social networking and social media while another 22% plan to do so within the next 12 months, according to a new study from Forrester Research Inc. - Internet Retailer
Research by UberCEO.com indicates that CEOs from the top 100 U.S. public companies are barely engaging in social media. - Kikabink
June 19, 2009
Twitter's Role in Iran--Is The Medium Really The Message? - NussbaumOnDesign
"The message finds the medium" - Bruce Nussbaum
Could Power Point Presentations Be Stifling Learning? - Science Daily
This article recently appeared in Science Daily. Part of it reads:Stephen Mahar of the University of North Carolina Wilmington and colleagues have explored the impact of custom animation in PowerPoint lectures and examined the idea that custom animation may, in fact, negatively impact student learning.
To test their hypothesis, the team recorded two versions of a PowerPoint lecture. The presentations differed only in the presence of animation to incrementally present information. They then showed students either the animated or non-animated lecture and then tested the students recall and comprehension of the lecture.
The team found a marked difference in average student performance, with those seeing the non-animated lecture performing much better in the tests than those who watched the animated lecture.
While maybe its news to the researchers, Instructional Designers have know about this phenomenon for some time. Ruth Clark and Chopeta Lyons wrote about it in their most excellent book, "Graphic for Learning" (2004):
Humans have a low perceptual threshold for movment. Therefor, animation is a very powerful attention grabber. In fact, if you are not careful, too much animation is so powerful it will become a distraction or even an annoyance. (p85)
On using too many effects, the authors warn:
Chances are the learners will enjoy the the animation immensely but not be able to answer the most basic questions about the simple process the animation describes. (p86)
Information is more important than design in evaluating companies on the Internet - Innovations Report
We often think that people are more interested in "Bright Shiney Objects" but this research shows that is not always true.
Researchers from the University of Valladolid (UVa) have shown that the effectiveness of company web sites depends more upon their informative content than on the impact their designs may have on viewers' emotions.
Are Engineers, Scientists And Mathematicians Enemies of Innovation? - Business Week
We need more anthropologists and sociologists working with our engineers and scientists to develop services, products and experiences that people need and want. And we need managers in companies to understand what they do and enable this doing.
How cell phones will replace learning - Computer World
In a nutshell, the Web 3.0 will function a little bit more like a human being. It will "understand" how facts and ideas are connected. And it will also "understand" what you're looking for and take your own particular context, needs and preferences into account. Your interaction with the Web will "feel" less like the operation of a machine and more like interaction with another human being.
Survey Finds Workers Average Only Three Productive Days per Week - Microsoft Press Pass
Unclear objectives, lack of team communication and ineffective meetings are among the top time wasters that workers around the world say make them feel unproductive for as much as a third of their workweek on average. Via Twitter
June 12, 2009
Despite Army Order, Some Bases Still Ban Facebook, Twitter - Wired
"At Fort Huachuca both are accessible, however there are a large number of people making noises about it being inappropriate," an e-mail from Arizona reads. "The two things they all have in common are (1) they are older and don't understand web 2.0 and (2) they have never deployed. A lot of DACs [Department of Army civlians] trying to tell us what Soldiers need.
#Lrnchat on Twitter
While the weekly sessions of chats always seem to be at the wrong time for me, I always find them interesting. This is why Twitter makes a great SoMe (Social Media). Transcripts of chats
Brain Knows It's Duck Reason - Scientific American
The brain is faster than the eyes.
"When an Iraqi reporter threw his shoe at President Bush, University of Washington neurologists were delighted. But not because of politics. The fling was just real-world evidence of a theory they were testing. As the shoe flew, Bush ducked while Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, who was standing right beside him, barely flinched. The reason, the researchers say, is that we have a dual vision system. Our brains "see" things well before our eyes do."
Product Sales Training: Overcoming Death by PowerPoint - CLO
The challenges we found boil down to:
- Information overload: The need for reps to know a large amount of changing product information.
- Sales effectiveness: The need for reps to sell effectively and consultatively in increasingly complex and competitive markets.
- Time crunch: The need to meet the two above challenges in shorter amounts of time.
The solutions include:
- Case-based learning: Create a systematic set of c-based learning experiences that integrate selling skills and product knowledge.
- Point-of-need information: Provide up-to-date product knowledge at at the point of need, during or before a sales interaction.
- Knowledge sharing: Provide methods for sharing knowledge and best practices among sales reps.
June 10, 2009
Twitter Hype? Or Social Media Ignorance? Harvard Business School Blows It - NussbaumOnDesign
Why the latest report about Twitter's decline is wrong. The ratio of number of active to passive users on the very first "web 2.0" application, discussion groups, had about the same ratio."Sorry, HBS, but anyone following social media has known about this ratio of active to passive participants for YEARS. I remember talking about this with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales at the World Economic Forum in Davos three years ago. He said that 1% of Wikipedia participants did 90% of the posting and editing, another 9-10% were somewhat active and the rest just used the encyclopedia without changing it."
The Power Of Mind Mapping - Forbes
Why use mind maps?
- We brainstorm, interview someone, or review a transcript and want to add a note to another part of the outline. We page up or down, find the right spot, and then add the note. It doesn't take long for paging up and down to become frustrating and exhausting, like running up and down flights of stairs to do your work.
- Traditional outlines are linear. If the information is stored in an outline and notes, you have a feeling of dread because you know you are going to have to slog through pages of material to refresh the context and recapture your thoughts.
- When working with others on a wiki or even a shared document on Google Apps, it can be hard to collaborate.
Comment on Some ASTD Comments (or, My God, You let these people train others?) - Robert Bacal in The Happy Curmudgeon
"We have a professional trainer attending a professional conference, who is so put off that a presenter DARE use an overhead projector that she feels compelled to make it the first point in here commentary. There's no talk about learning, which after all is the point. This is about being so superficial in attitude and knowledge that one believes that if the newest, more complex technology isn't used, that somehow, it simply isn't worth listening to."
Feng Shui On Steroids: Design Your Space to Achieve Your Goals - zenhabits
Is your space designed to help you do great Instructional Design?
June 8, 2009
The Various Roles of Instructional Design (work in progress) - Jonathan's ID
Job descriptions in ID (or, ISD) these days are all over the map, with very little consistency. It doesn't help that few HR and Recruiters have any knowledge of, or experience with, the field. So I'm going to propose some roles as I understand them, in the hopes that some day hiring managers will be able to articulate better what they want/need in terms of talent for their training departments or projects.
Twitter's Ten Rules For Radical Innovators - HB
- Ideals beat strategies
- Open beats closed
- Connection beats transaction
- Simplicity beats complexity
- Neighborhoods beat networks
- Circuits beat channels
- Laziness beats business
- Public beats private
- Messy beats clean
- Good beats evil
10 Tips to Create a More Usable Web - Webdesigner Depot
"Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use. The word "usability" also refers to methods for improving ease-of-use during the design process."
Students Who Get Stuck Look For Computer Malfunctions - Science Daily
There is a kind of silence in the relationship between students and the educational software they use. The computer never gets tired, is not bothered by endless examples of random answers, does not distinguish between students, but on the other hand cannot provide individually-fitted feedback, which is one of the most important tasks of a teacher. ...Instead of getting mired in a debate about how digital tools can solve various types of classical pedagogical problems, it would be more relevant to focus on the new types of interaction and knowledge that can arise from the use of digital tools.
How to Save Media - Technology Review
Newspapers and magazines won't vanish. But they must change.
Why The New York Times Doesn't Call Its Readers 'Readers' - New York Times
In a world of near-ubiquitous computing, where an ever-expanding collection of devices turns readers into an army of co-creators and news distributors, The New York Times is trying to figure out its place. And the venerable Gray Lady's place in this world, increasingly, rests squarely with turning its readers into, well, something more.
June 5, 2009
Perfect Storm? or Perfect Opportunity? - Ellen Wagner in eLearning Roadtrip
I saw a number of comments (@jarche, @bschlenker, @raetanner) that gave me a pretty clear indication that the technologically savvy crowd was disappointed at how very "behind the 2.0 curve" the general ASTD assembly seemed to be. I saw complaints about the backwardness regarding social media and informal learning. I saw other comments that acknowledged how frustrating it is that learning innovations are being "gated" by IT departments.
Brainstorming for Better Business - Businness Week
Brainstorming sessions have led to important innovations at Kaiser Permamente. Here's how the managed-care company did it
Ten Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders - HBR
Poor leadership in good times can be hidden, but poor leadership in bad times is a recipe for disaster. To find out why leaders fail, we scrutinized results from two studies: In one, we collected 360-degree feedback data on more than 450 Fortune 500 executives and then teased out the common characteristics of the 31 who were fired over the next three years. In the second, we analyzed 360-degree feedback data from more than 11,000 leaders and identified the 10% who were considered least effective. We then compared the ineffective leaders with the fired leaders to come up with the 10 most common leadership shortcomings. Every bad leader had at least one, and most had several. The list of worst leaders.
9 Ways to Twitter Your Personal Development - Zen Habits
Personal development has become a highly popular blog topic for bloggers and destination for readers. Twitter will likely soon follow, with segments already developing in the personal development arena.
Is Innovating Failing In The US? - NussbaumOnDesign
Economists and policy-makers tend to confuse invention with innovation. Innovations are significant changes that add value to people and organizations. Breakthroughs in science and technology per se do make for innovative changes in society. So it is not the failure of innovation over the past decade that is the problem but the failure of technological and scientific breakthroughs to become innovations that is the issue.
So why? My answer that engineers and scientists often forget the social aspect of invention.
Yes, Twitter is revolutionary--just not in the way that you think - cnet
"Twitter's a success for us when people stop talking about it."
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