5 Myths Of Visual Communication
Do people spend more time reading large or small type? More time looking at large or small images? Is animation the best way to show changes over time? Summary of common questions/myths with research answers
Ten Myths about Video in e-Learning: Part 1 by Stephen Haskin : Learning Solutions Magazine
Myths about video: Macs are better, Flash is best, Final Cut Pro is the only adequate software, you must have a streaming server, everything must be able to play on an iPhone
Make LinkedIn Help You Find A Job - Forbes.com
Tips on using LinkedIn more effectively while job searching
Phil Bradley's weblog: Alternatives to Ning
Tools to create online communities, all probably benefiting from Ning's decision to move to exclusively paid sites
Seven sexiest alternatives to Ning
Alternatives for free online groups now that Ning is shooting themselves in the foot with a paid model
Board800 : Flex / Flash / Red5 based Interactive Whiteboard
Collaborative whiteboard/drawing tool. Basic tools, but easy to share with others and draw in real time. Images can be saved.
Directory of E-Learning Tools: Social networks
Lots of choices for social networking & collaboration tools. Those looking for replacements for Ning are probably most interested in the private/closed social networks that are free and hosted.
Cross-Browser CSS Gradient
CSS-only gradients--no separate images needed. Still won't work in all browsers, but it's a nice touch for the ones that do.
Using Moodle: Workshop Grades Not Posting to Gradebook
Forum info on how to synchronize legacy grades using the Workshop module
Workshop Tool in Moodle
Guide to using the Moodle Workshop module
NCVER - E-learning in Australia and Korea: Learning from practice
Lengthy study from 2005 comparing how e-learning is used in Australia and Korea, finding some similar concerns. Like most other studies, this one has found that e-learning "cannnot on its own guarantee successful learning outcomes for students. The way in which the teacher and the learner utilise the technology continues to be important."
21st Century Teaching and Learning: Learning in the Social Web: Online Teaching and Learning 2.0
Presentation on teaching online with VoiceThread & Ning, including survey results with learner perspectives on how these tools helped create a sense of community
Moodle.org: Modules and plugins (Assignment Rubrics)
Assignment rubric plugin info
Using Moodle: Rubric
Information on using rubrics for assessment
Interviews with Designers - Christy Tucker
My interview with the UW-Stout ID certificate students in March 2010. Students contributed possible questions on a wiki, then decided as a group what the top questions would be for me to answer.
Visual Design of E-learning Systems
Criteria for evaluating the visual design and usability of e-learning systems. (Usability, readability, attractiveness)
Interaction Equivalency in Self-Paced Online Learning Environments: An Exploration of Learner Preferences
Case study examining what types of interactions (student-teacher, student-student, student-content) students found most valuable in an instructor-led self-paced online course.
MOOMIS Report Creator
Information on the MOOMIS report creator for Moodle--create reports by groups over multiple courses
Blender - Training Solutions: Moodle Reporting and User Management: Is MOOMIS the answer?
Info on a tool for creating custom reports in Moodle
If You’re Going to Do a Webinar… Read This « aLearning Blog
A link to my notes on Karen Hyder's session on synchronous interactions, by a woman who doesn't believe webinars should be used for anything more than information dumps
Custom E-Learning Training & LMS Solutions Kineo - New Skills for Instructional Designers
Slides from a presentation on ID skills, specifically at the intersection of instructional design and IT. Especially interesting were the comparisons of word clouds from descriptions of graduate programs in ID with word clouds from ID job descriptions.
Working with SMEs in elearning » Making Change
Very practical tips for dealing with SMEs who want to dump lots of information and preserve their text-heavy PowerPoint slides
1. Read what they gave you.
2. Involve them from the beginning
3. Ask them to help identify what people need to do<br> and why they aren’t doing it
4. Ask them to help brainstorm activities and limit information
<p>If your SME keeps suggesting fact checks instead of more realistic decision-making activities, you might try the following questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>If a person doesn’t know that fact, what do they do wrong on the job? How would that affect our goal?</li>
<li>How could you tell by watching me do my job that I know that bit of information?</li>
<li>What mistakes do new people make?</li>
<li>What mistakes do people make when they get over-confident?</li></ul>
This helps remind the SME that the only information that should go into the material is the info that’s <strong>required to perform the activities</strong>
A List Apart: Articles: Contrast is King
When designing so colorblind users have full access to your content, you aren't stuck with black and white. Using contrast is important.
YouTube - UsingMoodle's Channel
Lots of great tutorials for Moodle
10 Search Engines to Explore the Deep End of the Invisible Web
Search engines for finding information in databases, books, journals, and other places not indexed by Google.
I Came, I Saw, I Learned...: Development Times for Captivate eLearning
Estimates for the production part of Captivate development. A large project (80-150 slides) should take 8-10 hours to produce. That doesn't include storyboards, scripts, voiceover scripts, or creating templates or skins. One hour of Captivate e-learning is estimated at 200-240 hours of total development time.
Flickr: The Stick Figures in Peril Pool
A collection of photos of sometimes bizarre warning signs. I have to find some ways to use some of these in presentations.
LilyPond, music notation for everyone
Open source music notation software
Web Accessibility for Online Learning
Guide for accessibility specifically for online learning, looking at accessibility of the LMS and online content. Includes best practices and universal design information.
Learning in Tandem: Instructional versus experiential design: do you have what it takes?
Differentiating instructional design vs. experiential design--designing for complex environments with situation based learning
Where immersive and experiential learning succeeds is in replicating realistic environments and presenting complex problems that require deeper reflection and understanding than most content or concepts presented in traditional training. To design experientially, you have to design a mirror to reality.