GovTribe
If you're a consultant, freelancer, or agency interested in working on US government contracts, this site helps people find opportunities and work through the RFP and contract process.
Stephen's Web ~ Managing the Complexity of Branching Scenarios ~ Stephen Downes
Stephen Downes comments in response to my post on managing the complexity of scenarios that merging paths makes it "more like a narration and less like a game." Is it bad for stories for learning and with specific learning objectives to be a bit more like a narration? Perhaps that's a feature, not a bug. Also, most video games do this to some extent. Mass Effect does not have 27 different endings, for example.
Twine (and similar systems) allow paths to merge, reducing the number of possibilities, but at the cost of making the scenario more like a narration and less like a game.
Is Instructional Design Thriving or Dying? : Learning Solutions Magazine
Marc Rosenberg revisits the question of whether instructional design is dying by asking more questions about our context. Are we talking about instructional design as a profession, specific ID models, particular tasks, or something else?
Aspect Ratio Calculator - 4:3, 16:9, 21:9 (Ratio calculator)
Calculate the pixel width and height for different ratios
How to Merge Multiple Word Documents in Microsoft Office 2016
I use this merge function regularly, but I'm surprised how many people don't know this feature exists.
What to Charge as an e-Learning Freelancer (and How to Compete with Discounters who Undercharge)
This is less about the specifics of what to charge for freelance services and more about how to charge a reasonable rate for decent quality work. Part of a series on elearning freelance work.
Evaluating the best WordPress LMS plugins of 2017
Questions to ask about how you will use sites so you can pick the right plugin. All 5 mentioned are about $100-300.
Instructional Design and Technology | edX
Instructional Design and Technology "MicroMasters" through edX and UMUC. 4 courses, 8 weeks each, 4-6 hours per week. Around Free to try, $800 for verified credits. While I'm not sure how much hands on experience this program gives, it might be a good option for formal education for people looking for something less than a full masters program.
Ecosystem 2014 Resources | businesscriticallearning
Spreadsheet for analyzing LMS needs from different vendors. Add your criteria on the Evaluation Sheet. Criteria are in categories (usability, management, reporting, technical, administration), but you could customize the categories. Rate vendors on their own tab on how well they meet the criteria. The top 5 of 10 vendors are highlighted.
Can You Teach Diversity and Inclusion? — Chief Learning Officer - CLO Media
Yes, you can, but training alone isn't enough
For diversity and inclusion training to stick, it needs support, reinforcement and a firm foundation in a broader talent management strategy that includes culture, leadership and learning and development.
Ask these questions: Does our culture embrace diversity and inclusion? Do our leaders understand their value to the business and the workforce? Do the organization’s talent management strategies and systems support and enable diversity and inclusion? If not, training would be precipitous because the right support for this type of development is not there.
E-Learning: The Future Healthcare professionals Education Experience – Inside Medical Assisting The Voice of the Medical Assisting Podcast
Lawrence Laganelli interviewed me for his Inside Medical Assisting podcast. We discussed what makes elearning effective, the benefits of scenario-based learning, and trends for the future of e-learning.
The Research Is Clear: Long Hours Backfire for People and for Companies
Working long hours can decrease your total output, not just your hourly productivity rates. Overwork leads to stress, mistakes, and other problems that have real consequences for businesses.
Productivity in the Modern Office: A Matter of Impact - Knowledge@Wharton
How you measure productivity and help less productive workers become more effective? This is especially relevant for people who work from home who are often perceived as not being as productive as those in the office.
Why a 30-Hour Workweek Is Good for Business - Quiet Revolution
How do you measure productivity in your work? Is it by how many hours you spend working? Is it by the volume of your output? Do you measure the quality of your work? Productivity falls with long work weeks, but too many organizations value 60 hour weeks over better quality and innovative work.
Storyboard your ideas in PowerPoint
Install the free version of Visual Studio to add Storyboarding tools to PowerPoint. These are intended for web and app development, but you could use these tools for elearning storyboards by following the first part of the instructions (ignoring the parts about linking to backlog items with a team).
Sendtask Features
Free tool to assign tasks via email even if people don't have an account.
The 60-minute masters | Onlignment
This was created in 2007 as a quick course in designing e-learning for SMEs. While the fully developed versions of the course seem to no longer be available, the scripts are here so you could create your own version. New instructional designers may benefit from reading the scripts and envisioning how they could create a course.
Quarterly Tax Calculator - How to Calculate and Pay Your Quarterly Taxes
Estimate your quarterly estimated taxes (for US freelancers and 1099 workers)
The Light Bulb Model | Explainer Academy
From the Common Craft Explainer Academy, a 7 minute video on the "Light Bulb Model" for explaining concepts. This would work for short videos and microlearning. It's not a technical explanation, so you could share this with SMEs and have them understand it.
The 2017 Learning Solutions Conference and Expo Backchannel #LSCon - David Kelly
Backchannel, resources, and wrap ups from LSCon
Book Writing Tips « Karl Kapp
Karl Kapp, author of several books, shares tips for the writing process. Think about your energy levels during the day and what's the best time to write versus doing all the "assembly" and other tasks needed.
Writing is the process of discovery, so, you don’t have to have all your ideas fully formed before you write (an outline is good but you may not know exactly what you want to write). As you write, it will clarify your ideas. Don’t wait for the perfect word or phrase, just write and it will morph into something that you like. Don’t wait for something that you like before you write it down, just write.
Warning: Don't count on an Oxford comma to fix bad writing. | LinkedIn
I'm a supporter of the serial comma, especially for voice over, but there's a good point here. Weak sentence construction can't be fixed by simply adding a comma.
Complete List of Self-Employed Expenses and Tax Deductions | QuickBooks
A clear example of what is deductible and what isn't for US self-employed people, including what counts in each category
Color Theory For Designers: Creating Your Own Color Palettes – Smashing Magazine
Some basics of color theory and how to create color palettes
10 Blogs Every eLearning Professional Should Read – Learn. Show. Repeat.
Matt Guyan's list of 10 blogs that are "making a positive contribution to the wider eLearning field." Flattered to be included with this list of great blogs.
Instructional Design Portfolios – 23 Well-Built Samples
Examples of portfolios and what this author likes about each one, along with general tips for creating a good portfolio. If you want some inspiration, check this out. (Yes, my portfolio is on the list.)
4 Writing Principles Every eLearning Designer Should Know
Avoid passive voice, use parallel structure, vary sentences, and remove unnecessary words
Estimating time to develop training – Part 2
How to estimate the time to develop training if you don't have your own past data to draw from. Use industry benchmarks and adjust based on factors. I especially like the breakdown of adding percentages for different factors such as multitasking and content expertise.
The eLearning Guild : Women in eLearning: Continuing the Conversation : Research Insights Library
White paper from the eLearning Guild with research and ideas on how we can reduce gender bias in eLearning
The One-Sentence Policy for Working from Home | ProEdit
If you need a longer policy than this, you probably have larger problems in your organization. This really does cover it for most knowledge work.
If employees complete their work on time, and if they do a quality job, then location shouldn’t matter.
There is a big difference between “going to work” and “getting to work.” Of the two, only “getting to work” creates value. Managers should focus on improving the quality of the work and the efficiency of completion, rather than juggling the logistics of employee location.