Social Learning Systems

Marc My Words: Back to Basics – When Training Is the Answer by Marc J. Rosenberg : Learning Solutions Magazine

To be sure, learning is more complex than I can discuss here. But, assuming we’ve done our due-diligence to confirm that a learning strategy is appropriate, and assuring that the training will work whether we are developing a classroom course (including virtual classrooms) or an online (eLearning) program requires, at a minimum, that we make sure it reflects eight fundamental characteristics:

1. The right content — Of course, this is a primary concern. But the right content for the instructor or the training department may not be the right content for the learner or the sponsoring organization. Content should be more than just accurate; learners should see it as relevant and authentic as well. Take the time to find out exactly what you need to teach; no more and no less. Learners usually perceive courses that get the content wrong to be a waste of time.
   
   Read the full article here.

via www.learningsolutionsmag.com

50 Quotes About Knowledge

This is a continuation of my 50 quotes series: 50 Quotes About Learning, 50 Quotes About Teaching  

 

 

“The only source of knowledge is experience” ~Albert Einstein

“Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge.” ~ Abraham Joshua Heschel

“It is nothing for one to know something unless another knows you know it.” ~Persian Proverb

“The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it” ~ Samuel Johnson

“The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.” – Frank Herbert

“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.”  ~ Leonardo da Vinci

“All knowledge is connected to all other knowledge. The fun is in making the connections.” ~ Arthur Aufderheide

Read more here.

via learnstreaming.com

e-Learning Acupuncture: Educate the Mobile Generation: Convert WORD documents to ePub and MOBI

You’ve seen the headlines and heard the buzz as much as I have: smartphones are taking over the planet, e-books are selling like hotcakes, and, tablets like the iPad are cannibalizing laptop and desktop computer sales. It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to conclude that Mobile computing in the hottest trend in technology since electricity was invented. With this fact in mind, I asked myself this question – are my course materials mobile-friendly? Can my students easily get the materials in my course onto their mobile device be it an iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android Smartphone, Sony eBook Reader, Amazon Kindle, or Barnes & Noble Nook, etc.

 

EXTREMELY USEFUL STEP BY STEP TIPS>>>

Read the full article here.

via erictremblay.blogspot.com

ASTD Releases Salary and Compensation Study for Learning & Development Industry

With a median salary of $75,000, learning and development (L&D) professionals are 
paid relatively well compared to other HR professionals and the general workforce, but pay levels have not increased, on average, in the last four years. Also unchanged is the gender salary gap – men continue to earn more than women in the L&D profession. These are among many findings in the just-released "Salary and Compensation Report" from ASTD and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp).

Read the press release here.    

via www.prweb.com

The Ubiquity of Informal Learning: Beyond the 70/20/10 Model by Ben Betts : Learning Solutions Magazine

To quote EDC’s informal learning thesis, “informal learning is ubiquitous” (p. 178). In work, as in life, informal learning has always been present. It isn’t a new idea and it certainly isn’t powered by the internet. To generalize on how much of our learning is sourced from informal happenstance is somewhat missing the point in my mind.

 

-- An interesting look at the origin and validity of the 70/20/10 model. --

Read the full article here.

via www.learningsolutionsmag.com

The eLearning Guild : Rapid eLearning Authoring: Top Tools Report

In this report, author Joseph Ganci discusses which rapid eLearning authoring tools are the most popular and why. Using Guild Research survey data, Joseph also examines how powerful people find these tools, perceived ease of use, how many different tools people use, and trends in tool usage. Joseph also compares features and functions across tools, and closes with a detailed discussion of the top seven tools revealed in the survey.

-- A good look at Captivate, Articulate, Camtasia, etc. --

via www.elearningguild.com

Open Culture

What is Open Culture’s Mission?

Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Web 2.0 has given us great amounts of intelligent audio and video. It’s all free. It’s all enriching. But it’s also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. Our whole mission is to centralize this content, curate it, and give you access to this high quality content whenever and wherever you want it. Free audio books, free online courses, free movies, free language lessons, free ebooks and other enriching content — it’s all here. Open Culture was founded in 2006.

via www.openculture.com

Beginning Instructional Authoring: Why C.R.A.P. Is Exactly What's Needed (Part 1) by Patti Shank : Learning Solutions Magazine

A lot of eLearning would look better if it looked like C.R.A.P. Really. No, I’m not making a scatological reference – I mean the four overarching principles of visual design: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity.

People form opinions about what they see very quickly, and that goes for eLearning visual design as well. If your eLearning looks like something that belongs on a pathology slide, consider using the C.R.A.P. principles to help learners form a better opinion of your eLearning.

Robin Williams described these four visual design principles in her terrific book, The Non-Designer’s Design Book. After discussing alignment in last month’s article, I received a few e-mails asking me to explain these principles and how they relate to eLearning screens. Yep, I can take direction, and that’s a good idea.

Read the entire article here.

via www.learningsolutionsmag.com

Don’t you hope your surgeon had real-world training?: Instructional Design and eLearning: Tips, Advice and Reviews

When your airplane is about to take off or when a dentist’s drill is aimed at your mouth, don’t you truly hope the pilot or dentist had training that transfers to the real world? With that same passion, we should try to ensure the training we design and develop is transferable to the real world.

Learning transfer refers to acquiring knowledge or skills in one context that enhances a person’s performance in another context. This is known as positive transfer.

Read the entire article here.

via theelearningcoach.com

Teachers must think internet-first | Education | The Guardian

Education and skills professionals are at the frontline in tackling a key cause of worklessness. This work, if the CBI is right, will only become more urgent as the UK moves further towards a high-skilled jobs market, and opportunities for those without qualifications fall sharply.

Digital skills are now vital for education and employment: we know that you're 25% more likely to get work when you have web skills, and, once in that job, you'll earn 10% more. Unison, the biggest public sector union, has just conducted a skills survey of some of its 1.3 million members. Almost half of middle-aged, low-paid women (cleaners, catering staff, carers) argued that lack of digital savvy was their most serious skills gap. Our figures show that 4 million of the 8.7 million UK adults who have never used the internet are from our hardest-to-reach groups.

Read the complete article here.

via www.guardian.co.uk