Nuts and Bolts: What's the Reality? by Jane Bozarth : Learning Solutions Magazine
Examples of why it's important to find out what really happens in classroom training before you convert it to online. What's in the PowerPoints usually doesn't cover everything that really happens in a live classroom.
Dear Rich: An Intellectual Property Blog: Can I Embed YouTube Video at For-Profit Site?
Can you embed YouTube videos in courses that are developed for profit? Probably, as long as the copyright holder has enabled embedding. YouTube's terms of service say you have to add "sufficient value" beyond the video if you make money on it. For e-learning, that shouldn't be hard to prove. It's still safer to ask if you're not sure, but it generally should be OK.
How to Conduct a Lightning Fast Needs Assessment Clients Will Love
About 7 questions for needs assessment, starting with "What is the problem?" and digging deeper to uncover the root cause.
The first question is obvious: What is the problem? However, answers will almost always be symptoms and not causes.
Continue the conversation by asking, “Which metrics are you trying to positively affect?”
You can accelerate right past symptoms by asking, “What are employees doing that they shouldn’t be doing?” or “What are employees not doing that they should be doing?”
Gain valuable insight regarding the timing of the problem by asking, “When did it first begin?” and “When does it occur?”
Get a clear picture of the location by asking, “Where does the problem occur?”
A simple way to initially assess the scope is by asking, “How big is the problem in measurable terms?” The measurable terms should be linked to the metrics that matter question.
“What questions should I have asked that I haven’t?” This question triggers the client to share any last minute details that are relevant to finding a solution.
7 Best Ways to Customize A “Connection Request” | J.T. O'Donnell | LinkedIn
I agree with the author that using the generic LinkedIn connection request comes off as lazy or at least clueless. I don't agree with everything else the author says (like marking everyone as a colleague even if you've never worked with them), but I appreciate the ideas and examples of how to customize invites in different ways.
Nothing screams, “I’m lazy,” more than an uncustomized request.
Differences between themes and templates in Captivate. I might also use templates if multiple people are working on the same project and you need some consistent layouts or slides between them.
The goal of a Captivate <b>theme</b> is to keep a consistent design throughout your project. It can be 'applied' to any project, even <b><u>after</u></b> creation.
A <b>template</b> in Captivate has to be chosen <b><u>before</u></b><u></u> you create a project.
The term is often wrongly used: most Captivate 'templates' that you can find on the web, are just cptx-projects, not templates in the Captivate language.
When would I use a template in Captivate 9? For courses that have several modules, where you want to have some slides in common, maybe have custom navigation/control buttons that cannot be put on the master slide, but need to be timed for the rest of the project. I would rarely use it to have placeholder slides, unless some team members need to have that assistance.
The More People We Connect with on LinkedIn, the Less Valuable It Becomes
Many users are beginning to discover, however, that a larger number of social network connections may be <em>less</em> valuable than a smaller, more intimate circle. With an enormous collection of friends or followers on a network, you lose the benefits of intimacy, discoverability, and trust, all of which can work better when you have fewer connections.
When you connect to everybody and their dog, your second-degree search results will include people who don’t actually know anyone you know, so you won’t be any further ahead in reaching them than you would be by simply cold calling.
Secrets of Star Training Consultants | Training Magazine
Preliminary findings from Saul Carliner and John Murray's research and interviews with "star consultants" in the field of learning
<p>Participants also indicated the types of assignment they feel are inappropriate for them. Most of the assignments refused could be characterized as “conventional.” Several participants specifically mentioned that they distance themselves from training about products and software to focus on more strategic projects.</p>
<p>One participant avoids “order-taker projects.” </p>
Add a feedback button to your website that lets users highlight areas with problems and make comments and suggestions. Screenshots and user browser info are automatically logged. I wonder if this could be used for collecting feedback on elearning, both during formal review cycles and to collect ongoing feedback after courses have launched.
Google Forms: Create a Branching Quiz Question - Teacher Tech
Use Google Forms to create a branching quiz. This could be used for a branching scenario as well. You can add images in Google Forms, so you could add some visual interest as well. A tool called Flubaroo can be used for scoring.
Transcriptions and captions for audio and video at $1/minute. This would be very useful for transcribing SME interviews and captioning videos. They also offer translation
This is actually 18+ free and/or open source LMSs. Some are truly open source, some are freemium or other business models. If you want a list that goes well beyond Moodle and Canvas, this is a good place to start.
Story-based elearning: top tips for captivating elearning
10 tips focused on how to write compelling stories for learning. These aren't about the technology, but about how you craft characters, conflict, and narrative.
Focus on better writing, not the bells and whistles
Is LinkedIn still relevant? | Technology Enhanced Learning Blog
David Hopkins asks if LinkedIn is still relevant when we have other social networks available. I still get value from LinkedIn, and I think it serves a different purpose than Facebook and Twitter.
Lots of gems from Jane Bozarth here about elearning, instructional design, meaningful interactivity and engagement, social learning, PLNs, and more. This is a very quotable interview.
To “get” from a PLN you need to “give.”
I think that we are getting the idea of more interactivity, of more engaging real stuff, not just making it spin and zoom and move. And I think the authoring tools that have made that easier have certainly helped people understand that learners need to actually get their hands on the content in some way.
<p>You do not blame the hammer because the house fell down. It’s the person using the tool. It’s really about effective design. You can do fabulous stuff with PowerPoint. You can do dreadful stuff with PowerPoint. You can do dreadful stuff no matter the tool.</p>
<p>In PowerPoint you can actually build nice little branching scenarios and reveals. You can make choices. You can do interactivity. There’s a lot of stuff that I think people just don’t take the time to learn.</p>
Nuts and Bolts: Read Up! by Jane Bozarth : Learning Solutions Magazine
Even if you don't have a degree in instructional design (and maybe especially if you don't), you can improve your skills by reading deeply in more academic literature. Jane Bozarth shares some recommendations for authors to start with and strategies for finding sources.
You may find something that surprises or unsettles
you. Or you may find something that confirms what you believe with data and not
just some anecdotes or gut feelings. Some time spent here will help you move
past “I think” or “it feels right” to “evidence shows.”
LMSs for experts to sell courses. These aren't all completely free, in spite of the title. This list is geared more to teachers who want to sell something online on the side. Udemy, Odijoo, RCampus, Learnopia, Peer 2 Peer University, Teachers pay Teachers
Platforms for selling courses. These are mostly not full LMSs but aimed at SMEs who want to sell courses. Academy of Mine, Coggno, CourseMerchant, DigitalChalk, EdLoud, Educadium, EZLCMS, Inquisiq, Learning Cart, Litmos, MindBites, Mindflash, OpenSesame, Pathwright, ProProfs, Ruzuku, SkyPrep, Teachable, Udemy, WizIQ
The Growth Mindset : Telling Penguins to Flap Harder ? | Disappointed Idealist
Lengthy criticism of growth mindset, looking at both Dweck's research and the way it is misinterpreted and applied in educational policy
To a certain extent, I feel the growth mindset is the equivalent of putting a penguin next to an eagle and inviting them to both take off. When the eagle is a speck in the sky, the observer then tells the penguin that the only reason it isn’t also flying is that it isn’t putting enough effort in. If only it flaps its wings harder, it’ll be chasing the eagle in no time.