A few pieces of news that I hadn't posted yet. Firstly, I'm speaking at the XP2010 conference in Norway this year. The conference is from June 1-4, 2010 and I'm presenting the following workshops:Facilitating Dialogue in Situations of Conflict - with Rixt WiersmaThe Distributed Agile Game -with Chirag DoshiSecond, I'm participating in RubyConf India. I don't know what my level of participation will be like, but you can be sure to find me there, doing something or the other.And the last bit of news for now, is that I've submitted two proposals for Agile 2010 in Nashville, Tennesee. The two proposals are:Facilitating Dialogue in Situations of Conflict - with Rixt WiersmaMaking feedback work in your teamsI need your feedback for those proposals, so I can do my best to find a speaker's slot at Nashville. So if everything works out fine, I'll see you at Agile 2010 as well - fingers crossed!© Sumeet Moghe, 2009

As I am enjoying my warm summer days and lounging around while taking in the sights of the great city of Detroit, I came to the realization that Camp Abilities Michigan was fast approaching its one year anniversary. As a new non-profit we are very fortunate to not be tied down to any past obligations and we are extremely flexible because of it. Starting a non-profit is ton of work. Some of the things that must be thought about right away are insurance, budgets, by-laws, and if your going to become a tax-exempt organization under the IRS.I have found that the most important part of creating a non-profit is to give the people who work for the non-profit structure and specific roles/job duties. I have found that since job roles have been created and implemented in our non-profit, all of our events/fundraisers/meetings have run much more smoothly than they did before. For this blog I wanted to discuss what types of job duties that are essential for a new non-profit to thrive. I also have created a structured schedule of job duties for when we are running a fundraiser. Please leave me a comment on if this was helpful or not or maybe some other ideas that you may have on creating a new non-profit.Job Roles For a New Non-Profit:For the job roles, I created a simple Google spreadsheets that was accessible to all of our employees. In this form I outlined the job title, duties, time needed for this role, and the person taking responsibility of the role. These are roles that are specific to our sports camp for children with visual impairments, but many of these roles could also prove essential for starting any new non-profit organization. I have broken down the types of tasks needed and have laid out the format/job descriptions we use for our own camp. Administration:Administrator roles for a new non-profit are essential to get off the ground. The two roles that our non-profit have are an Executive Director and an Assistant Executive Director. The way our non-profit's administration works, is these are the people who are delegating roles and job assignments to others, supervising the on goings of the camp, and helping out to fill up whatever holes may appear along the way. Our administration also takes care of a lot of the writings for by-laws/tax exempt forms and other government/corporation forms needed for non-profits.Public Relations:Our on-site coordinator is the "face" of our organization. She is designated to run meetings for our board of directors and to speak to other organizations that would help benefit our non-profit. This is another extremely helpful role that specifically identifies someone for their charisma and ability to speak to others. Organization:These are the positions which I do not have much of a talent. Our roles that fulfill the organization of our paper work, activities, inventory and budgets is the Treasurer, Activity Coordinator, Equipment Manager, Volunteer/Participant Coordinator and our Project Coordinator. These are five of the most involved job roles that we have. The Treasurer keeps our budget up and makes monthly reports on our finances. The Project Coordinator keeps records of all our files and creates new templates for our schedules and other miscellaneous materials. The Activity Coordinator sets up our schedule and designates who will be handling what events during our camp. The Volunteer/Participant Coordinator contacts parents, creates participant/volunteer forms and makes sure that everything is in their forms that is needed. Our Equipment Manager creates an excel sheet that outlines our needs for materials and also outlines our inventory. Miscellaneous: For any non-profit you will have unique needs that will need to be addressed. For our group we have two specialist roles. We have a Braille specialist who is in charge of creating documents in Braille. We also have someone in charge of the arts and crafts department, this person chooses t-shirts, decorations and what arts and crafts activities we will be providing at camp.Job TitleDescriptionExpected amount of time neededPerson Taking Role Assistant DirectorHelps out with supervising and makes sure everything is going according to plan. Goes to Public Relations outings and works with other roles to make sure that they are accomplishing what they set out to accomplish. Medium to high On Site Coordinator The face of the non-profit. Goes to PR Meetings and speaks on behalf of the non-profit, contacts outside organizations. Contacts camps. Medium to high TreasurerTakes care of financial situations, helps with grants, lets us know what our budget is and gives details about fundraisers. Medium Activity Coordinator Creates the schedule for the activities that are going to be taking place. Also figures out who will be coaching/overseeing which activities. MediumFood PrepLooks at the amount of food that is needed and creates schedules/menus for food. Medium Volunteer/Participant Coordinator Contacts schools and organizations to get volunteers and participants to sign up. Sends out registration forms and such. MediumBraille Specialist Brailles objects and events that are taking place. MediumArts and CraftsCreates logo, banners, and other misc.Medium Website Creates, updates and maintains camp abilities websiteLow to MediumEquipment ManagerTakes care of all the equipment and makes sure that we have the resources that we need for activities and for camp. Low to Medium Project Administrator Takes notes at meetings, record keeper, creates dates for meetings. Medium to High Executive DirectorSupervises, helps out other roles to accomplish tasks, etc. Medium to HighFundraiser Roles:These roles are quite similar to the roles that we created for the non-profit as a whole. There are roles that fill the need for administration, organization and public relations. The only role that I believe is essential to have a strong fundraiser event is having a "floater". This is a role that is easily overlooked but should be given to someone. This is the person who goes and helps to fill whatever may occur throughout the course of fundraiser event. I believe strongly that creating these lists and giving out specific duties to the individuals associated to your non-profit will help direct others and increase efficiency in a small non-profit. NameRoleJobFacilitatorPublic speaking, problem solve issues that arise, go around and see if the rest of the group needs an extra hand at any time. Talk to business owners about anything that is needed as well. Creates flyer for event.Host/FacilitatorGreet people and help our Scott with going around and solving problems as they arise. Help with planning people’s specific roles for the events. Public speakingFoodIs in charge of bringing food and making sure that patrons are fed and happyRegistrationTakes care of keeping track of registrations. Email anyone who you think will attend to her. She will set up the way that people register andRaffles/BasketsManages how many gift baskets we are getting and how much they will cost. Manages 50/50 raffles as well. Designates people that will help her with this, Jen?Tresurer Takes care of money at the end and pays the management at the end and makes the deposit to our account.ArtBrings in posters for CAM, brings brochures for CAM brings flyers for CAM. Any extra arts and crafts needed for fundraiser as well.FloaterWill go around with whatever group needs them the most @ whatever time. Flexible roleQuote of the Day:"Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition."- Abraham Lincoln

I have not been blogging much so I thought I would share a prezi I created for parents to gain a better understanding of what adapted physical education is and how they can communicate this need to an IEP team.http://www.slideshare.net/ScottMcNamara1/what-is-apeQuote of the WeekEducation is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.-George Washington Carver

Here is the video for Camp Abilities Michigan!!I'm currently working on a new podcast and am expecting to put it out soon. Stay tuned for additional details:)

With widespread fall in fertility rates and significant rises in life expectancy, the median age of Britain’s population is rising. Today, for the first time in history, Britain’s over-65s now outnumber people under the age of 16. This ageing population trend is being made worse by the inevitable retirement of the so-called ‘baby boom generation’ over the coming decades.* As people live longer one of the many challenges they face is how to remain both physically and mentally active. Many studies suggest that people who lead intellectually stimulating lives are more likely to be free of dementia conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Retirement today can last for many years and through e-learning this significant group of people have more and more opportunity to challenge their minds by learning for pleasure, or even reskilling for a less demanding but enjoyable part time job. Reasons why e-learning is so important to the ageing population: Simplicity - Learning on line is accessible for all without needing complicated computer skills. Once the subject is chosen, it is simple to download an eBook to read or to purchase and take part in an interactive online course. Fun - Learning a new subject for pleasure or work gives a sense of achievement. Many of the online courses make use of colourful visuals and include interactive quizzes and games which make the learning process rewarding and enjoyable. Accessible - e-learning allows people to learn from home via any computer, tablet or mobile phone. For the older generation, especially those who find it more challenging to get around, to be able to learn from the comfort of your own surroundings is extremely beneficial. Range of subjects available - The scope of courses available is extensive and growing all the time. There are leisure subjects such as photography, curtain making and dog training; computer skills covering both basic and advanced skills together with numerous language based courses to name a few. No Time Restrictions - Once the subject is chosen and the learning purchased it’s up to the learner when they start their chosen e-learning, whether an e-book or online course. With online courses usually providing you with 6 months to a year’s access learners can take up the course as and when they feel ready, and dip in and out as it suits them. Affordable - with no requirement to travel to a designated venue, and no cost for a face to face trainer the purchase cost of digital learning is kept low and affordable. For many people struggling to survive on a pension watching spend is extremely important. Exercises the mind - recent evidence shows that challenging the mind has significant health benefits helping to prolong the quality of life and fight the onset of illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Continuing the learning process after retirement is extremely beneficial. Accessibility - As people grow older and live longer, mobility can become increasingly difficult. In some rural areas access to convenient public transport can be limited, and at times can be restricted due to adverse weather. E-learning is unaffected by this and brings learning to a global audience. Sadly, an ageing population has led to an increase in loneliness. Through e-learning the participant can become part of an active, enquiring community through which to build and maintain new friendships. Author: Sonya Donohoe, Elearning Marketplace *Royal Geographic Society

Henry Mintzberg wrote an interesting Business Week column about Leadership versus Management and it’s relationship with the financial crisis. He argues that the separation of Leadership (do the right things) and Management (do the things right) might sound feasible, but has shown to cause trouble. Too many leaders have become detached from the crucial aspect of good management practices in their organizations. We are overled and undermanaged is Mintzberg’s conclusion. So it is back to good management in the first place. This is the fundament that has built most successful organizations anyway. In it’s new form Mintzberg calls this ‘Engaged Leadership’ (both leading + managing). Something he finds Barack Obama a striking example of. Instead of distinguishing leaders from managers, Mintzberg states that we should encourage all managers to be leaders. And, we should define "leadership" as management practiced well. This is an interesting new emphasis for business schools and leadership development programs. Besides charisma and communicating strategic vision, leadership is back to being just hard and decent management work again! It is time for what the Romans called gravitas.

For all those who are creating a blended or totally online model of training and assessment we think you’ll find this infographic really useful. Getting assessment and feedback right is critical to learner success whether in education, or in the workplace. Blended and Online Assessment Taxonomy Infographic Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics

My respected former colleague Wilfred Rubens pointed me to an interesting posting on the HBR innovation blog of Scott Anthony. It is about the danger of knowledge blocking innovation. The central issue: people who have deep knowledge about a topic sometimes assume other people have that same knowledge. That in itself can be problematic for innovation, because R&D of companies can have wrong assumptions about level of knowledge of potential customers for their innovations. They assume customers know more then they do, making them blind for opportunities & threats regarding their innovations. Anthony supports this notion with a Gillette example. Although I agree to the expert blindness effect of having a deep body of knowledge in a field, I don’t see it block innovation. Most organisations involve multiple (knowledge) perspectives in their innovation processes, ranging from experts, production, marketing to customers. At least they will have extensive market research and field testing to overcome the issues Anthony is pointing at. Greater impact of this phenomenon can be perceived  in the field of learning & education and especially in rapid e-learning. When subject matter experts develop (e-)learning programmes the effect Anthony illustrates has direct impact on learners. In my work I come across some quite comprehensive (rapid) e-learning courses that aim too high for novices, are too comprehensive or focus on the exceptions rather that mainstream knowledge. Also for rapid e-learning it is important to counter this effect with professional development approaches. This shown the need for a triangle of involvement of the subject matter expert, instructional design and learners in rapid e-learning development processes

Guest Author: David Miller Engagement is a concept in the e-learning industry that you should explore. Engagement refers to the way you’re going to interact with those who want to learn new things. You’ve got to see that all the engagement plans that you are going to utilise can work as demanded. Here are a few pointers that you can use today when finding the right e-learning standards. These should be utilised to make it a whole lot easier for you to attain your goals and to make it all work out right. 1.      Ensure that everything you say is up to date. If anything that you say is outdated then it will not be all that easy for you to keep anyone’s attention. It can be a huge distraction that suggests that you are behind the times and that you don’t really get whatever it is you want to talk about. Always check on your e-learning scripts to see that they are designed with the newest content in mind and that there’s nothing outdated in them. If you do come across something that doesn’t sound right then you might want to omit it or update it just to be sure. 2.      Write things that are relevant and sensible. Be willing to tell people things that you know are sensible and useful. Watch for how you talk about things like what people can expect out of the e-learning program or why the program is so important. Make sure you write things that you know are smart and helpful. 3.      Allow for a blended environment if possible. While it’s true that e-learning can be helpful in a variety of forms, you may also want to see that you are blending the e-learning environment with a face-to-face environment that is sensible and suitable for the demands that all have to follow. This is to establish a more holistic design that is not all that tough to manage. 4.      Keep all topics short and sensible. You should make sure you’ve got more than enough content to work with, but it never hurts to also have it written out in a form that is easy to recall and doesn’t waste anyone’s time. Don’t ever assume that you can keep topics long-winded. Make sure everything is concise and logical to the point where everything you write is logical and smart without taking more time to talk about than necessary. If you don’t have anything to say that is relevant then you should stop right there. You don’t want to spend loads of time talking about something. 5.      Write content that is unique and interesting. While it is important to write relevant stuff while working in a blended environment in order to engage the reader, it is even easier for you to engage the writer when you use content that is unique. That is, the content should be something that is not easily accessible in most spots. The content must also be gripping and enticing to where the reader’s attention will be easily kept. The important point with this step is to see that whatever you’ve got to say is something that could open the reader’s eyes. Try and bring attention to tips and pointers that are not explored by many others and explain why whatever you want to say is worthwhile. Don’t ever think that you should stick with the same ordinary staples of learning that everyone else likes to talk about. The participant’s ability to engage in an e-learning program can be influential to its success. You must watch for what you’re going to get out of your e-learning plans so you’ll create a program that is smart and worthwhile.   Author Bio: David Miller is an educational researcher who has several years of experience in the field of teaching, online testing and training. He is associated with prestigious universities and many leading educational research organizations. Currently, he is pursuing research in eLearning authoring software and is also a contributing author with ProProfs.

A New York Times article summarized an interesting research report on Evidence-based practices in Online Learning of the US Department of Education. The research took a longitudinal view spanning from 1996 to 2008 and investigated a sample of 99 comparative, quantitative studies of online versus classroom performance for the same courses. The meta-analysis found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction. Believers in blended learning will be happy to see that the research found that this form produced the best results. Hence instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction. Other interesting findings include: Variations in the way studies implemented online learning did not affect student outcomes significantly. The effectiveness of  online learning approaches appears broad across different content and learner types. Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learner reflection. I would say that the instructional strategy used also plays an important role in the effectiveness of the education programs researched. The researchers admit this aspect by highlighting that in the studies showing an advantage for online learning, the classroom and online learning conditions differed in terms of time spent, curriculum and pedagogy. The research also used some studies with rather small samples. Therefore it is hard to say if online learning really beats conventional education in the end. I think it still depends on the design and conditions, but some evidence for the effectiveness of blended approaches is found.