Following the trend of mass mobile device adoption, educators increasingly contemplate possibilities of using iPads in classroom. State-of-the-art mobile technology is getting more and more popular in different settings and schools are no exception. Adoption of mobile devices is transforming traditional classrooms into a place that delivers real-world knowledge using efficient tech resources. What is it that makes iPads popular? In the era of digital data and online communications, iPads are able to reach spaces traditional teaching methods cannot. These spaces mostly refer to the Internet and a variety of applications and pieces of information available online. Constant access to important educational resources is probably the major benefit of using iPads in classroom but it’s up to an educator to find the right ways to use it. An additional reason to consider using iPad as an educational tool is the fact that learners have been actively using it in private purposes for years. So, what’s the point of limiting their use in classroom if teenagers already have a constant access to them outside of it? Even though not every school or classroom is an appropriate setting for iPad implementation, educators should definitely consider the possibilities and embrace mobile technology just like their students did in their everyday lives. Where are the gaps? Collaboration. I believe most of us remember the times when collaborative school projects meant gatherings at someone’s home after school. These projects would usually be done properly and we’d have a great time working on them. However, such a project would always make us spend too much time on the very organization, which is why there usually wasn’t enough time for more than a single project per semester. With the development of web tools such as Dropbox and Skype, it has become a lot easier to organize teams of people to work on a single project. Since communication is smooth and team members can view or edit files remotely at the same time, a project could be finished much faster. In this regard, iPad can be a crucial tool for enabling the shift towards collaborative learning. Research. The Internet has changed so many aspects of our everyday lives by providing us with constant access to useful resources. This revolution has significantly transformed higher education and created more opportunities for academic development and research. Though it becomes increasingly difficult to find reliable information in the sea of different websites, the Internet remains the most efficient research tool one can make use of. The access to educational websites, free online libraries, dictionaries and encyclopedias changed the way we approach learning today. By allowing their students to use iPads in the classroom, teachers practically train them to develop their research skills. Foreign language learning. There are different ways in which iPads can contribute to efficiency of foreign language classes. Language courses need to be interactive in order to enable students to gain real-world knowledge and sufficient speaking and listening skills. With an iPad as an interactive platform it is easier than ever to practice language skills. Plethora of free or low-priced apps can help students work on critical language skills on their own. Simple applications for learning grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation, as well as interesting online exercises enable even young learners to start working on their language skills. Besides this, students can join language learning networks and communicate with native speakers, which is frequently impossible in traditional classrooms due to the general deficit of foreign instructors in certain regions. Now and Then Conservative educators may still refrain from introducing tech innovation, believing that their centuries-long teaching methods can work for new generations the same way they have been working for the old ones. This may be true to a certain extent but is not the reason to ignore the benefits of mobile learning. After all, education has always been in line with the requirements of the society, its purpose being to equip students with real-world skills. Similarly, iPads can refresh traditional classrooms by introducing the look and feel of the real world that everybody faces after school. This world is increasingly mobile and digital and there’s plenty of reasons to include it in class curriculum.

MOOCs (massive open online courses) are courses delivered over the web to potentially thousands of students at a time. Until recently, they have been predominantly found within higher education and had little impact on corporate learning. How many companies are using MOOCs? Early results from the Speexx Exchange 2014-15 Survey show that this is changing. According to the first respondents, 34% already offer corporate MOOCs for some of their employees, and 32% plan to introduce them by 2016. The remaining respondents (34%) are not planning any Corporate MOOC initiatives in the foreseeable future. What’s the potential of corporate MOOCs? We also wanted to know your take on the potential of corporate MOOCs. 30% of respondents consider them to have a high potential, while 54% rate their potential as average and 16% as low. So although over a third of respondents appear to be using some form of Corporate MOOCs already, the majority are not yet fully convinced of their impact on learning and development in the workplace. HR and L&D Managers need to fully understand the pros and cons of MOOCs and have a real strategy when it comes to implementation and meeting the desired outcome. What do you think? Speexx Exchange survey and event We’re excited to see how the survey will pan out and invite you to join in and have your say. You’ll even have the chance to win a new smartphone of your choice. The results will be published in a new white paper towards the end of the year and you’ll also get some exclusive insights at our annual talent management forum Speexx Exchange. Join the survey now! You can also complete it in German or French.

To the west, the vast Atlantic ocean. To the east, France. In the middle, the islands of Britain and Ireland. Or should that be Great Britain and Ireland? Or perhaps England? And what’s the deal with the United Kingdom anyway? To the west, the vast Atlantic ocean. To the east, France. In the middle, the islands of Britain and Ireland. Or should that be Great Britain and Ireland? Or perhaps England? And what’s the deal with the United Kingdom anyway? Getting the terminology right is not easy, but getting it wrong could spell the end of a beautiful friendship. The reality is that there are literally thousands of islands nestled in these waters. Geographically speaking, these islands make up the British Isles. The two largest islands are Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain comprises three countries: Scotland, Wales and England. The island of Ireland is made up of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Perhaps in an effort to avoid long-windedness, people often use the term ‘Britain’ for ‘Great Britain.’ But technically, ‘Britain’ refers only to England and Wales, while ‘Great Britain’ includes Scotland. The term ‘British,’ however, should always be used with caution. In Ireland, for example, use of the geographic term ‘British Isles’ is discouraged because it links Ireland to ‘British’ and subsequently, the political entity of ‘Britain.’ Instead the terms, ‘these islands’ or just ‘Britain and Ireland’ are increasingly preferred. The term United Kingdom, or to give it its official name, ‘the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ includes Great Britain, Northern Ireland — also referred to as Ulster — and several smaller islands, including the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, and the Scilly, Orkney, Shetland and Hebridean archipelagos. The United Kingdom and Ireland are both sovereign states. But other larger islands, like the Isle of Man (in the Irish Sea between Ireland and England) and the Channel Islands (in the English Channel between southern Great Britain and northern France) are what are referred to as Crown Dependencies. This means they have their own government and Chief Minister, but all legislation must ultimately be assented by the Crown. Given the abundance of inclusive titles, why then does it seem that the majority of people from this neck of the woods call themselves English? Probably because a huge number are in fact English. England occupies a position of prominence because it is the largest country, with the largest population. Its capital, London, is the biggest city, and home to the royal family and seat of government. The English language also stems from England. While the English are immensely proud of being English, the Scots, Welsh, Northern Irish and Irish are just as proud of the fact that they are not. And being called such is an insult to their heritage. So, when on the islands, it’s best to tread very carefully!

We’ve just published our latest white paper which you can download now for free. "Navigating Data Protection Regulations in L&D" offers HR and L&D professionals some guidelines for tackling data protection so that it does not become an obstacle to providing effective employee training and development. Organisations have become increasingly concerned about securing personal data held within e-learning systems. In the face of ever-stringent regulations, some have even gone as far as locking down entire systems or withdrawing access in certain countries, and often unnecessarily. The NSA and GCHQ spying revelations have not helped e-learning either, and some organisations are having second thoughts about putting data in the cloud at all. The EU Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC), which aims to protect individuals’ personal data, has come to be interpreted differently in just about every European country and just as organisations have got to grips with this, they face a major update to the legislation, not least fines of up to 5% of turnover for data loss incidents. Companies looking to implement learning solutions on a global level are likely to hit the issue of data protection head on. Dealing with different countries and languages means managing varying regulatory environments around data protection Want to find out more? Get the white paper for free via http://www.speexx.com/en/resources/whitepaper-request-form.htm And to take part in our global Speexx Exchange survey, click here. Tell us about how your organization is managing e-learning, social learning and mobile learning and you could win a brand-new smartphone of your choice.

The department of human resources was once thought of as a non-revenue generating part of the business that was overly bureaucratic and superfluous. But quite the contrary, an excellent HR team is vital to every healthy company. Human resources is responsible for evaluating the cost-benefit analysis of an employee and limiting financial risk associated with personnel. The HR team handles recruitment, redundancy, industrial and employee relations, continuing education and employee development, benefits and compensation, internal conflict management and employee performance. So HR doesn’t just hire and fire: It ensures that people get along, that the company remains legally compliant and it helps manage internal crises. Essentially, it is the lifeblood that holds a corporation together. Unfortunately, at many companies, the Human Resources Manager (HRM) is not regularly invited to board meetings and is often excluded from business planning. At the same time, the HRM is expected to handle the acquisition and distribution of a corporation’s most highly valued intangible asset: human capital. But this is exactly the problem. An HRM cannot perform all of his duties effectively without being part of higher level corporate planning. HR experts recommend that one or more HRMs should sit on the company’s board to help make high level decisions. This is especially true for companies whose entire business model relies solely on the value of their human capital. This way, when the bear market approaches, HR will be equipped with the expertise it needs to successfully re-evaluate the system, while maintaining employee morale. HR can also strategically advise managers on the best way to implement leaner operations. Likewise, in an employee’s market, HR can advise management on how best to improve employee satisfaction in order to retain the best workers. Every company should remember that while HR might not be responsible for revenue, it is directly responsible for a corporation’s top client - the internal client. Therefore every corporation should value its importance and keep their HRMs in the loop.

Learning and communication are basic human phenomena which can be seen in us from a very early stage. According to Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, young children learn by observing peers and adults around them and imitating their behaviour. This act of imitation is then either rewarded or punished, and children will keep adapting their behaviour accordingly as they grow up. But once we hit adulthood, learning tends to take on a much more formal and organised role. Classes at school and university expect us to absorb knowledge, learn things off by heart and be able to repeat them verbally or on paper in order to pass. And in the workplace, formal training typically takes place in virtual or face-to-face classes together with a trainer and our colleagues, alongside our usual work schedule. I say formal training because another important way of learning which is more difficult to grasp and measure but plays a huge role in our daily work lives. Asking a colleague to quickly explain a computer programme or hearing the board members talk about the company strategy without a formal presentation are just some examples. So learning is an ongoing and often subtle process, as we’re constantly working out ways to do things better, even if it’s something as minor as a new key combination. Networked learning According to Harold Jarche, social learning is all about building and maintaining networks. Here, we connect with each other, try to access each other’s knowledge and learn through our interactions. For HR and L&D managers, social learning is still a relatively new concept. In a formal training scenario, you would need to make a proposal about what the training’s objectives are, allocate a budget, training provider, and report the outcome following the training. Social learning, on the other hand, is much less tangible than this, which is why it has not been too widely, or at least consciously, adopted by organisations so far. But if we could find a way to stimulate the social aspect of learning among employees and build connectivity, this could have a highly positive impact on student motivation and satisfaction. Social learning on the rise In the Speexx Exchange Survey, only 22 per cent of HR and L&D managers said that their organisation had a social learning strategy, 51 per cent did not have one and 27 per cent planned to implement one in the near future. A third of respondents (34 per cent) said that social learning would be considered within the next three years as high. The data seems to imply that although just over a fifth had some kind of social learning strategy implemented, more organisation are opening up to other methods of learning. I’m keen to see what this year’s survey results will reveal. In any case, I believe that workplace learning needs to be treated as a much more human matter, not just a formality with a fixed beginning and an end. In an ideal world, management would encourage their workforce to learn from their peers, tap into each other’s knowledge and skills base, regardless of whether they can put a figure on it at the end or not. Read more via Training Journal.

Start Building a Better, and More Credible, Business Case for Learning Those of you who truly believe training ROI is the savior of training validity, beware, this truth will hurt. We strongly suggest trying to keep an open mind. Using ROI to gauge training impact, especially training ROI, can severely distort the true value that it actually delivers to the organization. The problem is that among learning professionals it’s hard to avoid a training conversation without hearing "training ROI-this" and "training ROI-that". And naturally, learning professionals are brainwashed into believing that their business leaders expect to align "bottom line" results with training’s contribution to business goals believing ROI is the answer. Training ROI is a lie. It is nowhere near the answer and it isn’t even an appropriate measure for training. This is an exceptionally troubling belief, and as a learning professional, it should be troubling to you, too. It was encouraging to see a possible tipping point when some common sense actually started to recognize how misleading this methodology is. Regretfully, this does not appear to be the case. The problem is that "training ROI" does not appropriately apply ROI in the manner that your formally business-educated leaders expect. ROI, from a leader’s perspective, is about tangible assets providing long-term contribution (something training can’t validate)  to the organization’s profitability. This is impossible because firstly, training is not a tangible asset and secondly, training ROI is attempting to prove training validity strictly from a budgetary, cost-benefit analysis. This is not what your leader’s ROI is about. What business leaders expect to see from training is not necessarily what you think. Training ROI’s biggest misrepresentation is believing that business leaders must see tangible financial results for the money allocated to training. While this may sound plausible, it quickly disintegrates. Your business leaders recognize that training is an intangible business activity and one that clearly acts as a business enabler, not a direct financial contributor. Essentially, it is a cost, not a profit center. Training ROI, however, attempts to strong-arm learning professionals into believing otherwise. The following are only a two of many reasons why this proposition is of great concern. Confusing "Investment" with "Contribution" Have you ever had an argument with your spouse or close friend and eventually realized that you are both arguing about the same point from different perspectives? Well, this is the type of argument training ROI proponents are having with their business leaders. Both parties want to validate the need training delivers to the business. That said, it is true that business leaders expect training to demonstrate positive results but they recognize that training contributions are intangible and often intertwine with other business activities. Training ROI proponent’s sole purpose, however, is proving that training delivers a positive financial impact over and above immediate training expenses. You may be asking yourself, "What’s the difference?" The difference is based upon clearly defined financial and accounting principles and how business leaders use these principles to value long term costs versus operational expenses. Training ROI proponents fail to differentiate this relevant point and is why training ROI is invalid for business leaders. Putting this in more relatable terms, the training ROI perspective is similar to someone telling you to invest $100 to receive a 10% return (the ROI). You expect to receive $10 for the $100 invested. But from a business leader’s perspective, the $10 is not a real return. They want the $100 to help other investments grow and produce positive results having them each generate $10. Leaders want you to "leverage" $100 to skill their employees to produce an immeasurable contribution to business growth. Training ROI is an Invalid ROI Measure In the same way training ROI proponents confuse "investment" with "contribution", they attempt to convince you that your leaders will accept the training ROI formulas. Simply put, no way would any business-educated leader accept the training ROI methodology as being a valid financial calculation. The main issue is that training ROI presents itself as being equally credible to generally accepted ROI calculations leaders learn in business school. Regretfully, this is not entirely accurate. While training ROI attempts to borrow from financial and accounting concepts, it strays away from respecting fundamental financial/accounting principles to arrive at an appropriate ROI result. More importantly, your leaders utilize ROI concepts well beyond calculating "expected revenue divided by expenses". They leverage more complex ROI concepts such as net present value (NPV), internal rates of return (IRR), cost-volume profit (CVP), and contribution margin (CM), to name a few. Training ROI "experts" claim that the methodology holds equal credibility and base their calculations on these long standing financial concepts but are way off the mark. In every instance of these valid ROI calculations "training" is simply one of many monetary components to evaluating the overall investment at hand. When presented with these facts training ROI fundamentalists suddenly come up with a variety of other reasons as to how the methodology actually works. It is safe to say that for any training ROI proponent, this is a moving target and you must avoid the "shell game". So, Now What Do We Do? Simply put, Learning professionals rarely mean ROI when they say ROI. "Plain" ROI is certainly an important metric for leaders. But it falls short of helping us to understand workplace learning’s contribution to business goals, or how we can improve its actual contribution. Even your leader’s standard ROI calculation is too limited and inappropriate for the complexity and the intangibility to evaluate learning efforts. Learning professionals must agree that when "we" state "training return on investment" "we" actually intend to say, "training contribution" to business objectives and performance improvement. We must also agree not to measure all training activities to such an exacting standard because, 1) it will inaccurately account for items beyond your control and, 2) if you do, your leaders will hold you accountable to these results. To appropriately gauge and improve learning effectiveness it is essential to factor in the strategic and operational intent of a company’s learning efforts. And if your organization is into (big) data analytics, then be certain that the learning results you include into the analysis appropriately reflect its contribution to improving overall organizational performance. By following the inaccuracies and inconsistencies of the training ROI methodology you guarantee that theresults will skew incorrectly from the data business leaders analyze. Don’t fall victim to the misleading temptation of training ROI; respect how your leaders use business tools and how they view intangible business activities such as training.

After hours or even days of work, you finally have the perfect CV. And you’ve found the perfect position to apply for. Now you need the perfect cover letter. This can make the difference between getting an interview and being ignored. Cover letters are an important communication tool and you cannot conduct a job search or application without them. A strong cover letter produces a positive first impression. People who send exceptional letters are noticed and strongly considered for the best job opportunities. It makes good sense to take the necessary time and effort to write an effective cover letter. If you take it one step at a time, it will look great and make a great impression. It should be just 3 or 4 paragraphs, and no longer than one page. The main purpose of the letter is to introduce you and your CV to an employer. Use the letter to demonstrate how your skills, knowledge and accomplishments match a specific position or organization. Think of your cover letter as an introductory sales letter - you want to motivate the employer to read your CV and invite you for an interview. The first thing to do when writing your cover letter is to think about the job or company. You want to be sure you have your facts straight about the company or organization and about the field or industry. What are the main skills or criteria that the employer is looking for? By understanding the position, the company and the field, it will be easier to imagine exactly how you fit in. Then think about yourself in relation to the position offered. You should be able to explain why you are interested in the position, and what attracts you to the company. Does your past experience show that you have the skills or qualities that the employer is seeking? You need to explicitly demonstrate this in your cover letter. The cover letter is also an opportunity for you to give the employer any other relevant information: Things like availability, dual citizenships or other commitments could play an important role. Remember the cover letter is a different document than your CV and should be treated as such. Use it to support the information you supplied in your CV. You are not repeating your CV, just highlighting the most relevant points. Now you’re ready to do the writing. Be absolutely sure you have the correct employer details and that your contact details are correct. Use the first part to introduce yourself and describe what you want. In the main body, demonstrate how you and the company or job match. At the end of the letter discuss the next steps. This may be suggesting a meeting, asking for an interview, or preparing for a phone call. Remember that it is crucial that you show that you are genuinely interested in the position and in the company. It is equally important to be succinct and unique. Show the employer that you are different and that you know what you want. You may want to mention a project you are currently involved in. Sometimes it helps to use a clever quote to show you understand the company mission or vision. Try to make a connection between something you’ve done recently and the company. Demonstrate your suitability for the position by highlighting your most relevant past experience, which proves you meet their criteria. As always, have somebody proofread your letter. Be sure to check spelling, especially names. And make doubly sure that you have correctly followed the instructions specified by the employer. And don’t forget to sign your name!

We’re excited to announce that the agenda for Speexx Exchange, our annual talent management form in Berlin, has just gone live. Take a look at what we’ve got in store for you this year. ‘Modernizing learning - how to get the edge in business‘ Laura Overton (Managing Director of Towards Maturity) ‘Is training just for leaders and high potentials? Managing L&D for different hierarchy levels‘ Peter Holmark (Head of TLO Development, Nokia Networks) ‘What’s the best talent system for you? Best-of-breed or integrated?‘ Ahmed Limam (International HR Technology Expert) ‘Learning as a service - delivering real value for the bottom line‘ Richard Gregory (Head of U+, Rentokil Initial) ‘So we march north - what CEOs really want from learning‘ Nic Laycock (Owner, Amos Laycock Consulting) ‘Are you disaster-ready? Effective online training for humanitarian aid workers’ Atish Gonsalves, (Director, DisasterReady.org) ‘Get smart - how to create an engaging learning experience‘ Estella Miranda (Usability and Interaction Designer, SEW-EURODRIVE) Harald Stoll (Product Manager, TTS GmbH) Check out the full agenda. About Speexx Exchange It´s almost a tradition now: Each year just before Christmas, Speexx Exchange brings together friends, customers and thought leaders from all over the world to take an in-depth reality check on the state of corporate e-learning and talent management. No future talk, just real hard facts. You will meet industry leaders, hear and talk about best practice for deploying global e-learning strategies and get the latest results from Europe’s leading talent management research. Speexx Exchange helps HR and L&D managers worldwide meet the challenges in managing talent across borders. Together, we’ll create a unique exchange of ideas between HR and L&D professionals from loads of different backgrounds, all based on real facts and best practice straight from the experts. You will return to work with brand-new insights and practical solutions for delivering real results. Join us on the eve of Online Educa 2014 for a day packed with networking opportunities, expert presentations, collaboration and - great food. Want to find out more? Visit our conference website and save your seat today.

We’re excited to invite you to our next joint webinar! On 6th November, we’ll team up with our friends from Training Orchestra to bring you an exclusive webinar about optimizing training management. Learn how to get the most our of your training strategy and ask our experts everything you’ve always wanted to know about training management software. Corporate training involves a lot of paperwork, control procedures and project management. In this webinar, we’ll help you improve your organizational efficiency and reduce management costs by using a training management software. Join us live and find out Which typical management issues you can expect during corporate training projects How to improve your workflow during a training project How to benefit from a training management software Save your seat! About Stéphane Pineau Stéphane Pineau founded Training Orchestra after some years at BCG and Ernst & Young. His goal by founding Training Orchestra is to provide companies a fully streamlined and integrated Training Management solution in order to optimize costs for L&D departments for both corporate clients and training providers. About Training Orchestra Training Orchestra was founded in 2001 by Laetitia Nourry and Stéphane Pineau and quickly became the European leader in Training Management Solutions. It provides an integrated, full web software dedicated to the whole training ecosystem : L&D departments, Corporate Universities, Extended enterprise and training providers. With nearly 500 000 users and 1 billion Euros of training budget managed through its solutions, Training Orchestra embraces the whole training process (financing, project management, legal, provider relationship, portal) and takes part in both strategic and operational performance of corporate training activities. Translated in 16 languages and 46 currencies, Training Orchestra has been able to convince more than 250 customers of any size including Airbus, Worldwide Flight Services or Johnson&Johnson. Find out more.