So you want to start your first blog, and you want to do it fast. This guide will show you how. You’ll learn how to choose a cheap web hosting account, grab your dream domain and get WordPress up and running in an hour. Source: www.studyweb.com See on Scoop.it - InformationCommunication (ICT)

A really interesting take on the role technology plays in improving educational outcomes. The bottom line The bottom line is, it is how technology is used rather than the technology itself that is the key. Studies have shown that learning with words and pictures together with supporting text, works better than by using words alone. Also onscreen text completes with visuals and should be avoided. And the role of teachers and trainers is to not to deliver information, but rather to inspire their students to want to learn. Technology should be characterised as an educational evolution rather than a revolution.

Once you’ve decided your organization will benefit from eLearning, the temptation to simply get started can be very strong.  Starting too early, however, is one of the leading causes of project "churn" (that is, lots of activity but little productivity), which in turn is a common cause of timing problems, budget overages, and strained vendor-client relationships. (Read about how to avoid all the major causes of project churn here.) You see, most eLearning agencies are there to help you take your content and convert it into a meaningful learning experience. At the start, they’ll know very little about the topic being covered. They rely on you and your organization for guidance. If you and your stakeholders have not agreed on the knowledge and skills that are needed, your agency will get conflicting messages from subject matter experts and stakeholders or, in some cases, no real direction from anyone. So, how can you know when you’re ready to start? You need to be able to answer these four questions:

Students watching "A Day Made of Glass" video and reflecting upon the abilities of technology in the future.  Watch your day in 2020 [ Future Technology ] [HD] from Mr. Kirsch on Vimeo.

With the new year comes a new requirement from the Regulator. You guessed it, I’m talking about the Unique Student Identifier. The USI All students studying nationally recognised training in Australia from 1 January 2015 are required to have a Unique Student Identifier. The USI is now a mandatory data field for reporting nationally recognised training. The responsibility to collect and verify a student’s USI code is the responsibility of the RTO. Ammonite’s response to this requirement is our automated USI validation system. Once your organisation is setup with an Auskey, validating your student’s USI code is as simple as clicking a button. This will verify the USI and the details the student has entered during their enrolment, against the national database. Of course, if you prefer to manually verify a USI code, our platform allows you to use this option as well. Ammonite, confidence in online training.

Blogging The Smart Way "How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media" Do some of these questions cross your mind as a new or potential blogger? You want to launch a blog but you don’t know where to start? Source: www.jeffbullas.com See on Scoop.it - InformationCommunication (ICT)

Imagine you’re tasked with overseeing an eLearning project. There will be five different interim deliverables provided, each of which must be reviewed two or three times as you cycle through drafts. Furthermore, you aren’t the only reviewer. In fact, there are five of them. All five must review and sign off on each deliverable. That means you’ll need agreement from five stakeholders on two to three drafts each of five different deliverables. In other words, you’ll need to get five people, each with their own thoughts and agendas, to agree on 15 occasions during the project. If you’ve ever tried to get five people to agree on something, then you know why a review process like this can prove so challenging. Reviewing deliverables may seem like the most innocuous thing. It turns out, though, that the process can be the most challenging part of overseeing an eLearning project and by far the leading cause of project delays and scope increases. Three signs to look for Here are three signs that you’re suffering from a painful review process - with potentially dangerous implications for your timeline and budget:

Here’s your ultimate blogging checklist! Follow these blogging tips to learn the do’s and don’ts in blogging, how to implement SEO the right way, optimize your layout and make your content interesting. Source: www.twelveskip.com See on Scoop.it - InformationCommunication (ICT)

Are you confused with the countless opinions on best practices for creating effective multimedia content? One incredibly valuable resource that, for years, has shaped our methodologies is a book called "e-Learning and the Science of Instruction" by Clark and Mayer. Rather than opinions and personal philosophies, this book is based on the scientific theory of how people learn, and the results from over twenty-five years of research on multimedia learning. It is a fact, supported by scientific evidence, that when used correctly, multimedia learning resources have the highest learning outcome. I would like to point out some of the fundamental guidelines from this research which has shaped the multimedia resources on our Market Place: The Pinacle: Short videos (approx 2-3 minutes) with only a small amount of text to reinforce the key points have the highest learning outcome. Animations can certainly be used to help explain difficult concepts. Slight Reduction: If you add music, the learning outcome is reduced. Massive Reduction: If you have both a voice over AND the full text on screen the learning outcome reduces significantly. Using either a voice over or the text by itself, has a better learning outcome than exposing the learner to both at once. Unfortunately many authoring tools encourage developers to create exactly these "input-overloaded" resources. The authors would admire their work for cating for people with hearing impairements, while unknowingly decimate the effectiveness of their learning resource for everybody else. The sad truth is - it is easy to support learners with hearing impairements whilst maintaining a high learning outcome for everybody. Ammonite Market Place: At present, there is over 42 hours of videos on the market place! These videos are approximately 2-3 minutes in length, get straight to the point of the topic, and only use text to reinforce key points. Your Ammonite platform has access to these videos for a very reasonable fee which goes to the author. If you use these videos, Ammonite automatically caters for learners who have a hearing impairement (ask us how). You also benefit from a single click update if the multimedia resources are superseeded. We'd like to thank the authors of these videos for their continued brilliant work!

In response to recent media reports which claim that overseas organisations are providing false diplomas from Australian educational institutions for up to $6500 each, the Chief Commissioner (ASQA), last Friday, reminded RTO’s that they have a responsibility to have "mechanisms in place to reduce fraudulent reproduction of its certification." Back in April 2014, we posted a video that shows one bulletproof mechanism that all but eliminates potential fraud. It is really great to see that this 'solution' has now made it onto the list of fraud prevention steps provided by ASQA. The Commissioner goes on to identify the minimum requirements that must be included on a RTO’s certification and then identifies what steps can be taken to reduce the chances of fraud. Some of the steps that can be taken include: using a template with ‘copy protected’ text that makes otherwise hidden text visible when the document is copied or scanned using a template that includes text or graphic design components that are ‘micro-printed’ having all important details (e.g. graduate’s name, qualification name, date) printed over a multi-coloured ‘watermark’ background There are a couple obvious issues with certification being issued when there is a vast number of issuing organisations. The first being that other organisations do not really know what the official certification even looks like. The second is that it is relatively easy for even a fairly unskilled person to manipulate an existing certificate. For $6500 I would imagine it would be fairly easy to attract highly competent fraudsters. From the list of possible fraud prevention steps mentioned, the one that is most secure is the utilisation of a QR code on the certification as has been adopted and promoted by Ammonite. We have created a short video on how this inexpensive and readily available technology can eliminate fraud. This technology is available for any instance using the Ammonite TOMS platform.