The summer is always a busy season for industry conferences and eLearning networking opportunities, and one event near and dear to my heart is the Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning held in Madison, Wisconsin. The 2014 conference is set for August 12th-14th at the Monona Terrace. Having this important meeting of industry experts hosted so close to my home base is an added benefit, and I’m definitely looking forward to reconnecting with friends and colleagues from the region.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event, and leaders in the distance learning field will be there to speak and present on eLearning-related topics such as MOOC models for education, mobile learning, blended learning, social media for learning, learning analytics, and much more. This is an excellent opportunity to share ideas, absorb information from industry experts, and explore emerging best practices.
I will be hosting an Info Session titled Using a Design Manifesto to Create Engaging E-Learning with Andy Hicken, PhD, Product Innovation Specialist at Web Courseworks, on Wednesday, August 13th from 10:30-11:15 a.m. Each time we’ve given this presentation I’ve come away amazed at the great ideas our attendees have been able to generate and refine on the spot, so hopefully the trend continues. If you’ve been looking for a better way to unify your staff and articulate organizational goals in a memorable form, stop by to see our presentation and take a crack at developing a quality manifesto of your own.
If you’d like to explore the event a bit more, a PDF of the Conference Program is available here and registration information is available here. I hope to see you there, and be sure to bring your best manifesto ideas with you!
The post Explore eLearning at the Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning appeared first on Web Courseworks.
A quick search of Wikipedia finds that we need to do some work documenting and updating the definition of “serious game” and “game-based learning” — at least in Wikipedia. Consider this post a call for “all hands on deck!”
The number of groups, institutions and individuals working on the subject of games and learning is growing. Academia has been studying video games and learning for the better part of two decades. Most academics would agree with Wikipedia’s definition of “serious games.” I also like the cryptic “game-based learning” definition that currently exists in Wikipedia: “Game-based learning is a branch of serious games”. My understanding of a geeky separation factor between the two has been that video games are built with complex “game engines” usually costing millions, while casual games or “edutainment” games have been built in Shockwave, Flash, and Java (to mention a few programming languages) sometimes at no real monetary cost. According to Jim Gee, the commercial video game by its very need to competitively succeed in the marketplace has evolved into a strong pedagogical machine. The video game must be challenging and that requires continuous learning (“keep the gamer at the edge of his/her competency level”). I am personally more interested in “game-based learning” (a definition that needs the most work on Wikipedia) since as a subset of the “serious game,” it generally refers to games built for the purpose of teaching a body of knowledge. The eLearning Guild in its research document, “Immersive Learning Simulations”, attempts to group both games and simulations. The guild audience primarily consists of corporate eLearning employees. Here is a brief listing of what might be included in a Wikipedia definition of “game-based learning” throwing a wide net of potential constituents involved in teaching something using games or simulation, however “casual”:
The game is designed according to learning objectives or some instructional design methodology that requires the player to absorb, do, connect/apply the subject—usually considered a higher form of learning. Can you say- “Bloom’s Taxonomy?” See Clark Quinn for good instructional design. The game provides experiential learning experiences while combining scoring or other game elements like “power ups” puzzles or back story. It lets you practice without fear of failure: a sales pitch to different types of customers, lead a large university, be a construction project manager, program traffic lights, and so on. Can you say- “Kolb”? See Clark Aldrich for good simulation design. The game has a fantasy element that engages the learner to learn more about a specific field of study like physics or algebra. The game design promotes fun and flow. The game encourages the learner to seek additional material on the subject outside game play or requires outside research to play the game better.I’m sure you can help and add more. Please comment below. So…who should take the lead with editing Wikipedia?
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The term “Rapid eLearning” is often used to describe the conversion of an expert’s PowerPoint slides into Flash SWF files with a software package like Articulate Presenter. However, the phrase “Rapid Interactivity” hasn’t been as prevalent.
On Wednesday, March 11th at the eLearning Guild’s Annual Gathering breakfast, I will be heading a discussion on ways to increase interactivity. I am looking forward to learning from those bold enough to join me at 7:15 in the morning. Creating eLearning that asks the learner to first think and then do should be the goal of all designers and course developers. It is a journey that needs to travel beyond the matching, sequencing and other standard drag & drop exercises that have become common place.
We have developed an interactivity calculator to help with this discussion. This interactivity calculator looks at variables and components that impact the quality and level of user engagement. Here is a list of the interactivity level components to start your thinking process:
A discussion centered on the investment in each of these components will help shape the learning object’s complexity. Share with me your ideas on how to increase interactivity in your own eLearning project.
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I attended the eLearning Guild’s Annual Gathering in Orlando last week, and I was very impressed with the generally optimistic atmosphere. Unlike other conferences I have attended this year, staff members freely acknowledged, albeit unofficially, that attendance may have decreased compared to years prior but not as much as feared. The collaborative and congenial atmosphere created by leaders Heidi Fisk and David Holcomb has propelled the eLearning Guild to the top of pack— association and conference wise. It helps that there is a “free” level of Guild membership. Secondly, the Guild’s singular focus on eLearning makes for strong workshops and sessions. Thirdly, since the group is privately owned, leadership and management are passionate about maintaining the mission and the vision. I hope this dedication can continue, but I am starting to sense a drift.
When I went to my first Annual Gathering several years ago, I was taken in with the grassroots commitment to eLearning practice and collaboration. The keynotes that year in Boston were given by eLearning pundits, and the vendors/exhibitors were placed casually in the hallway and in the back of the ballroom. I felt the spirit of a real “guild of practitioners” in the air.
I was a little disappointed this year with the keynote speakers, who seemed to have been hired to draw a crowd or promote their trendy book, but did not quite fulfill the task of integrating eLearning into their speech. Aren’t those the tactics that Training Magazine (and sometimes ASTD TechKnowledge) uses to up their conference enrollments? Our industry has an ample amount of inspirational authors and speakers to choose from. I have heard eLearning by Design author William Horton and others within our practice give very dynamic keynotes. You can probably tell that I felt keynote speaker Jeff Howe should have made his talk on Crowd Sourcing more relevant to the eLearning Guild Annual Gathering participants.
Please share some thoughts and examples in the workplace when companies have used “the power of the crowd” to enhance information sharing and learning.
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If I had to pick one eLearning must-read, it would be Bill Horton’s eLearning by Design. I first reviewed the book when it hit the market in 2007. In my interview with Bill Horton today, he stands by most of what he wrote three years ago. I was skeptical initially—Bill and his partner Kit had simply dropped out of the eLearning community and taken a sabbatical over a year ago. After being a prolific workshop instructor and keynote speaker, Bill was nowhere to be seen. I was shocked that “the book” was not even for sale in the eLearning Guild’s Annual Gathering’s bookstore this year. Yet colleagues kept asking, “Where are the Hortons?”
In the interview below, Bill talks about his views on formal learning and how its decline affects eLearning designers. Listen to the interview to catch a glimpse at what Bill has been up to in the last 12 months, and you’ll hear his renewed commitment to a new type of eLearning!
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At the recent eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions conference in Orlando, I presented a session on how managers can enable greater subject matter expert collaboration with design and development teams (IDD). I was excited to see a packed room with a very attentive group of eLearning project managers and instructional designers.
Adding to the inspiration were the two conference keynote speakers (Sir Ken Robertson and Jonah Lehrer), who also addressed the value of understanding the tacit knowledge that experts may know but find hard to share. Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide, talked about his flight simulator experience and the importance of understanding how emotions and hidden patterns play a big part in an expert’s decision-making process.
Getting at those hidden patterns that experts might not consciously realize is an important task of a designer of eLearning programs, especially games and simulations. In his white paper Clark Aldrich discusses a process to get at the invisible systems that experts know from experience. He strongly advocates asking experts to discuss failure, so designers can use it to allow learners to experience the consequence of a bad decision.
My conference speech focused on ways managers can help increase the propensity for experts to share. I discuss five factors that enable expert and IDD team collaboration.
In his keynote address, Sir Ken Robertson, author of The Element, discussed the importance of passion and the role it plays. I also used this term in my talk when I stressed the importance of maintaining project momentum and enthusiasm, especially in the heart and mind of the expert you are working with. I also emphasized the importance of using formative evaluation (disciplined user testing) to engage the expert along with other testers. Using communication tools like web conferencing to encourage efficient project meetings can go a long way at showing you respect the expert’s valuable time.
As we are asked to create more and more complex learning activities, getting experts to share becomes all that more important. As managers, it is our job to consider the factors to enable and maximize collaboration.
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This is my first blog post since 2005, when I wrote about my experiences playing the video game, XMEN, for a class I was taking at the University of Wisconsin. Last week I became inspired by my holiday reading of David Merman Scott’s The New Rules of Marketing and PR. Well here I go…As an eLearning entrepreneur, I have paid special attention to the overly depressing 2009 economic prognostications. This is my fourth recession. I’ve been self employed as an educational technologist since 1978. I feel that eLearning is going to be one of the winners during this current downturn. More associations (and there are thousands) will begin investing in online learning and will begin to eliminate a few face to face conferences. Clark Quinn predicts, in his Learnlets blog, an ever increasing use of mobile learning, gaming and simulation (Immersive Learning Simulations). Bill Brandon, editor of Learning Solutions at the eLearning Guild, wrote in his January 5 newsletter that learning organizations need to visibly create productivity improvement. He suggests an emphasis on training design that utilizes “problem-based and scenario-based learning” (using low cost PowerPoint slides, if necessary). Besides being innovative he suggests you invigorate your team by providing team leadership: make the best use of your existing systems and resources, scan the environment for cost saving tips, and network…sounds a lot like what I have been trying to do lately.
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David Kelly, Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the eLearning Guild spoke on September 26th as part of the Fall eLearning Thought Leaders Webinar Series. Jon Aleckson, CEO of Web Courseworks, interviewed David Kelly about the eLearning Guild and the content was presented during the webinar. “Content Curation: Putting Curation into Practice” addressed curation, how it came to be, and how it is a necessity for associations in the “digital age”. The following clips are questions from the interview between Jon and David.
Question 1: “Can you tell me about what you do for the Guild, how long you’ve been at the Guild, and a little bit about the Guild?”
The eLearning Guild has been around about 15 years. The purpose of the Guild is to fill the gap in the professional development space.
Question 2: “Can you talk about some of the things you provide your various membership levels?”
The eLearning Guild offers a free membership as well as a pro and plus package. This allows members to access resources for multiple activities for on-the-go learning.
Question 3: “Can you give us a quick background of how you got into content curation?”
David Kelly tells us how he discovered content curation and why it became important to share his knowledge to the world.
Question 4: “A lot of the people attending the webinar will be from the national association space and probably have done a lot of curation themselves. So, they’re probably asking themselves, why the sudden labeling, why is this important, and what does it mean for them?”
David Kelly talks about the history of curation and how it has transitioned over time. The increasing amount of “noise”, anything that would distract you from the message, is making people focus on curation more than ever.
Question 5: “In this webinar, will you be giving attendees tips about curation software, how often they should be doing it, how they should be doing it?”
During the webinar, David will present facts, experiences, and case studies to explain how associations can best control their curation efforts.
The post Content Curation by the eLearning Guild appeared first on Web Courseworks.
The term “Rapid eLearning” is often used to describe the conversion of an expert’s PowerPoint slides into Flash SWF files with a software package like Articulate Presenter. However, the phrase “Rapid Interactivity” hasn’t been as prevalent.
On Wednesday, March 11th at the eLearning Guild’s Annual Gathering breakfast, I will be heading a discussion on ways to increase interactivity. I am looking forward to learning from those bold enough to join me at 7:15 in the morning. Creating eLearning that asks the learner to first think and then do should be the goal of all designers and course developers. It is a journey that needs to travel beyond the matching, sequencing and other standard drag & drop exercises that have become common place.
We have developed an interactivity calculator to help with this discussion. This interactivity calculator looks at variables and components that impact the quality and level of user engagement. Here is a list of the interactivity level components to start your thinking process:
A discussion centered on the investment in each of these components will help shape the learning object’s complexity. Share with me your ideas on how to increase interactivity in your own eLearning project.
The post How to Increase eLearning Interactivity appeared first on Web Courseworks.
The summer is always a busy season for industry conferences and eLearning networking opportunities, and one event near and dear to my heart is the Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning held in Madison, Wisconsin. The 2014 conference is set for August 12th-14th at the Monona Terrace. Having this important meeting of industry experts hosted so close to my home base is an added benefit, and I’m definitely looking forward to reconnecting with friends and colleagues from the region.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event, and leaders in the distance learning field will be there to speak and present on eLearning-related topics such as MOOC models for education, mobile learning, blended learning, social media for learning, learning analytics, and much more. This is an excellent opportunity to share ideas, absorb information from industry experts, and explore emerging best practices.
I will be hosting an Info Session titled Using a Design Manifesto to Create Engaging E-Learning with Andy Hicken, PhD, Product Innovation Specialist at Web Courseworks, on Wednesday, August 13th from 10:30-11:15 a.m. Each time we’ve given this presentation I’ve come away amazed at the great ideas our attendees have been able to generate and refine on the spot, so hopefully the trend continues. If you’ve been looking for a better way to unify your staff and articulate organizational goals in a memorable form, stop by to see our presentation and take a crack at developing a quality manifesto of your own.
If you’d like to explore the event a bit more, a PDF of the Conference Program is available here and registration information is available here. I hope to see you there, and be sure to bring your best manifesto ideas with you!
The post Explore eLearning at the Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning appeared first on Web Courseworks.
David Kelly, Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the eLearning Guild spoke on September 26th as part of the Fall eLearning Thought Leaders Webinar Series. Jon Aleckson, CEO of Web Courseworks, interviewed David Kelly about the eLearning Guild and the content was presented during the webinar. “Content Curation: Putting Curation into Practice” addressed curation, how it came to be, and how it is a necessity for associations in the “digital age”. The following clips are questions from the interview between Jon and David.
Question 1: “Can you tell me about what you do for the Guild, how long you’ve been at the Guild, and a little bit about the Guild?”
The eLearning Guild has been around about 15 years. The purpose of the Guild is to fill the gap in the professional development space.
Question 2: “Can you talk about some of the things you provide your various membership levels?”
The eLearning Guild offers a free membership as well as a pro and plus package. This allows members to access resources for multiple activities for on-the-go learning.
Question 3: “Can you give us a quick background of how you got into content curation?”
David Kelly tells us how he discovered content curation and why it became important to share his knowledge to the world.
Question 4: “A lot of the people attending the webinar will be from the national association space and probably have done a lot of curation themselves. So, they’re probably asking themselves, why the sudden labeling, why is this important, and what does it mean for them?”
David Kelly talks about the history of curation and how it has transitioned over time. The increasing amount of “noise”, anything that would distract you from the message, is making people focus on curation more than ever.
Question 5: “In this webinar, will you be giving attendees tips about curation software, how often they should be doing it, how they should be doing it?”
During the webinar, David will present facts, experiences, and case studies to explain how associations can best control their curation efforts.
The post Content Curation by the eLearning Guild appeared first on Web Courseworks.
