Storytelling as an Instructional Method: Definitions and Research Questions
Descriptions, example, and research questions for four types of storytelling for learning: case-based, scenario-based, narrative-based, and problem-based instruction.
Blog posts
Sites with High Quality Photos You Can Use for Free | CSS-Tricks
Free photos. This list includes a number of sites I haven't seen elsewhere. Many of these just share a few photos each week, and you'd have to be pretty creative to use them for most corporate e-learning. This isn't just typical stock photos.
Embedding Is Not Copyright Infringement, EU Court Rules | TorrentFreak
EU court decides embedding YouTube videos isn't copyright infringement
Matchstick Game - shared actions - Captivate blog
Lieve explains how she used shared actions to create a game. She also details how she labels and groups everything. The labeling system would be usable for many other situations when you have a plethora of objects on a single slide.
Responsinator
Enter a URL and see how it looks in different widths. Simulates iPhones and Android devices in portrait and landscape. Could be useful for testing responsive projects.
The learning styles revelation - research from cognitive science
Summary of research debunking learning styles and recommends following multimedia learning principles based on cognitive science instead. This is a text-heavy Slideshare presentation.
Estimating Infographic – Write Spot
Time estimates for e-learning and technical documentation, including some breakdowns for creating storyboards and tips on how to adjust estimates for short e-learning. The infographic is available as one long graphic or a 4-page PDF.
How Long Does eLearning Take to Develop?
An explanation of the variables affecting the time to create e-learning, including considerations of actual time versus elapsed time (i.e., how long you're sitting around waiting for the SME to get back to you).
Freelance Advice Round-Up #1 – Ashley Chiasson, M.Ed
Make Captivate HTML5 Work in Firefox
When Captivate publishes HTML5, it doesn't work in Firefox. Captivate exports only MP3 audio, and Firefox only plays OGGs. This post provides some tweaks for the Javascript to get rid of the error message and look for OGG versions of the file when needed. You have to create both versions of the audio files.
How to remove browser warning message in HTML 5... | Adobe Community
Suggestions on how to remove the browser warning message in Firefox for Captivate HTML5
We Traded in Our Office for Productivity | ProEdit
ProEdit explains the benefits of moving to a fully virtual workforce
Brian’s Must-Read Books | Train Like A Champion
Books on e-learning, visual design, training evaluation, learning research, presentation skills and change management. A brief summary is included for each book listed.
The State of Authoring Tools: Where We've Been, Where We're Going by Joe Ganci : Learning Solutions Magazine
Joe Ganci explains the history of e-learning tools from Plato to the current day.
Top 10 Apps for Scheduling a Meeting Online - ReadWrite
Scheduling tools to avoid the endless email threads asking everyone what time works best
Creating and Leading A Wildly Successful Virtual Team
PDF case study by Jennifer Hofmann at InSync Training about the benefits and challenges of leading virtual teams
Wording for rating scales
Tips on how to write rating scales for surveys, with examples of what not to do and how to improve them
Beyond Player Types: Kim’s Social Action Matrix
Amy Jo Kim looks at the types of players for social games and provides verbs and descriptions for each. This could be useful for thinking about games for learning and the different approaches possible (i.e., it's not all just about badges and competition).
No Clarity Around Growth Mindset…Yet | Slate Star Codex
A rare criticism of Dweck's growth mindset research, largely centered around the idea that the results are so dramatic for such small interventions that they can't be real. No proof for falsification is provided (although the author says he looked). There are some more legitimate concerns raised about the social psychology and alternate research showing that yes, innate ability does matter.
A rare point of agreement between hard biodeterminists and hard socialists is that telling kids that they’re failing because they just don’t have the right work ethic is a <i>crappy thing to do</i>. It’s usually false and it will make them feel terrible. Behavioral genetics studies show pretty clearly that at least 50% of success at academics and <a href="slatestarcodex.com/2015/02/01/talents-part-2-attitude-vs-altitude/">sports</a> is genetic; various sociologists have put a lot of work into proving that your position in a biased society covers a pretty big portion of the remainder. If somebody who was born with the dice stacked against them works very hard, then they might find themselves at A2 above. To deny this in favor of a “everything is about how hard you work” is to offend the sensibilities of sensible people on the left and right alike.
So basically, you take the most vulnerable people, set them tasks you know they’ll fail at, then lecture them about how they only failed because of insufficient effort.
Congratulations, ! You're in the Learning Hero Hal
Congratulations, @ChristyATucker! You're in the Learning Hero Hall of Fame! http://t.co/ZtL1Xkzjrf http://t.co/n5hXzzwUp8
How to start a training design project using action mapping
Inspiration for my #elnet preso @CatMoore http://t.co/NaX2Z2lvP0 @ChristyATucker http://t.co/Yfav5Pytb0 @ryantracey http://t.co/PlmArqSgK5
Intrinsic and Instructional Feedback in Learning Scenarios | Experiencing E-Learning
Insightful article about intrinsic feedback with great examples! http://t.co/2DRkaqewwS via @ChristyATucker
Design Kit: The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design | IDEO
@drmichaelgold @ChristyATucker @tmiket @dpassananti interview tools http://t.co/rCHvkswJ4h and here http://t.co/6y9Ri8g26R
Automatic Bookmarking for your Twitter Favorites | Diigo
Diigo can automatically save your Twitter favorites. Links are saved as bookmarks. If you choose to save favorites without links, they're saved as notes. This lets you categorize and organize your favorite Tweets in your library.
Copyrightability of Charts, Tables, and Graphs | U-M Library
Excellent analysis of the case history and interpretation of copyright law. The quick answer is that because data itself can't be copyrighted, charts and graphs that just represent that data also can't be copyrighted. Infographics are an exception because they can demonstrate creativity.
Charts, graphs, and tables are not subject to copyright protection because they do not meet the first requirement for copyright protection, that is, they are not “original works of authorship,” under the definitions in the Act.
How to Fix E-Learning Course Content & Graphic Design
Tips for how to clean up e-learning design. This is mostly about visual design including picking images, fonts, color schemes, and using grids. A few tips on cleaning up content are included, but that topic could be a whole series of posts.
Top 5 LMS Off the Beaten Track Infographic - InsiderHub
I think Canvas is too well-established to be on this list. The others are worth exploring (Adobe Captivate Prime, LearnDash, UpsideLMS, and Matrix). They have a quick summary of each, including price, and notes on the intended audience.
RELOAD Project
This is an older tool and doesn't look like it's being maintained anymore (the last news update is from 2008), but it appears to be able to repackage SCORM packages. Might be worth testing if you have SCORM packages created in software you don't otherwise have access to.
3 quick tips for strong scenarios
Tips from Cathy Moore on writing scenarios:
- Put dialog in quotation marks.
- Ask, "Why aren't they doing it?"
- Branching? Start with the end in mind.
Expert Tips for Writing Great E-Learning Conference Proposals
How to write proposals with a better chance of being accepted