Thanks to Clark Quinn  for allowing me to use this chart. It summarizes what Roger Schank presented at the LearnTechAsia, where according to him, "Roger gave his passioned, opinionated, irreverent, and spot-on talk to kick off LearnTechAsia. He covered the promise (or not) of AI, learning, stories, and the implications for education."The idea map summarizes much of what Roger Schank has been a proponent of. Known the world over as the leading visionary in virtual learning environments, artificial intelligence, learning theory and cognitive science, he is the CEO of Socratic Arts, a company that specializes in the design, and implementation of story-centered and learning-by-doing curricula both in the academic and corporate worlds.I am an ardent follower of Schank and other thought leaders who use narratives and stories in learning. Hence, this tip is about my reflections on the Map and an interpretation on how this affects what we do in learning design and implementation of platforms.Theory, Practice and ApplicationAI and Story Memories. A dominant theory of Schank is based on using stories in learning design. He describes this using other terms: scenarios, diagnostics, discovery, experience sharing, and others. In his research on Artificial Intelligence, he postulated that memories are indexed by stories (Tell me a Story, 1995). Stories fuel conversations, discoveries and formulation of self-learning. Schank believes that it is in the exchange of stories through conversations that people learn and unlearn. Without conversations there is no way the learner can reorganize the patterns in his/her mind on ideas. Decision making is facilitated by stories and real-life experiences. In many situations, decisions are hampered with a reference point provided by experienced sources like experts (The Future of Decision Making, 2010).  Diagnostic is key to learning. He proposes that if learners have to learn, they need to diagnose problems and get into the gut of it. The diagnostic approach helps learners come to grips with the real-life essence of the content.  (Teaching Minds, 2011)Testing and Memorization is Counter-Learning. Schank opposes the trend in education and training where learning design relies heavily on rote learning and memorization. He prefers discovery by allowing learners to "act" the content in their own real-life situations. If you want to train for math, let them do math and discover the better ways to apply it in actual professions like being an engineer or to tasks needing mathematical calculations. He observes that most training design are geared towards academic goals rather than personal goals. ConclusionRoger Schank departs from the traditional method of teaching which is characterized by rote learning and testing without context. His preference for discovery learning turns the steering wheel of learning over to the learners rather than the designers. Now, learners are free to learn what they want and how they want to achieve that goal.ReferencesAbout Roger C. SchankTell Me a Story: Narrative and Intelligence (Rethinking Theory)The Future of Decision MakingTeaching Minds: How Cognitive Science Can Save Our SchoolsRay Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

We are pleased to announce the winning submissions to our annual pet course creation contest! You can view all the pet submissions in the Trivantis® Community. "Negotiating for a Raise" by Sneakers Ivec Fair pay is important and in this course, negotiation expert Sneakers teaches pets all over the world how to ensure they’re getting the treat amount they deserve. "Office Etiquette" by Alexei Wroten Learn what to do—and what not to do—for a harmonious workplace. (Mostly what not to do.) "Diversity in the Workplace" by Jackson Todd Welcoming new coworkers is a key part of maintaining a positive corporate culture. (Please see follow-up course on interspecies relations and the office relationship policy in the handbook.) Are your pets creating helpful eLearning courses too? Share them on the Community here. They may even earn this "pawsome" badge: Happy April Fools’ Day! The post Award-winning Courses by the Top Pets of eLearning appeared first on .

We are pleased to announce the winning submissions to our annual pet course creation contest! You can view all the pet submissions in the Trivantis® Community. "Negotiating for a Raise" by Sneakers Ivec Fair pay is important and in this course, negotiation expert Sneakers teaches pets all over the world how to ensure they’re getting the treat amount they deserve. "Office Etiquette" by Alexei Wroten Learn what to do—and what not to do—for a harmonious workplace. (Mostly what not to do.) "Diversity in the Workplace" by Jackson Todd Welcoming new coworkers is a key part of maintaining a positive corporate culture. (Please see follow-up course on interspecies relations and the office relationship policy in the handbook.) Are your pets creating helpful eLearning courses too? Share them on the Community here. They may even earn this "pawsome" badge: Happy April Fools’ Day! The post Award-winning Courses by the Top Pets of eLearning appeared first on .

Recently there have been a resurgence in podcasting, productions such as This American Life’s Serial have helped to popularise a media format that had previously dwindled; in 2014 alone Apple anticipated its users listened to 7 billion podcasts. A greater choice of podcasting apps and widespread use of smartphones have played their part in making episodic audio more accessible to individuals, and we look to education to see if this format could be utilised more in taught delivery.Audio recordings as part of course content are commonly used in fully distant delivery, here at Falmouth our home based MA in Professional Writing use audio recordings to accompany tasks and documentation on a weekly basis, with tutors providing a guiding voice through the learning journey. At the University of Leicester podcasts are used to supplement sessions and weekly activities while at the Open University they have recently released OU Podcasts.   But how easy is it to get started with audio recording if it’s something new to you? With a range of free and open source tools available it can be quite daunting when finding the right combination of hardware and software to get started. Although, making use of specific audio recorders using your own hardware such as a mobile phone is also an option. Apps such as Dictaphone and Voice Recorder are easy to use and allow you to record voice straight from your phone, while tools such as Audacity and Audition allow you to add effects and edit your recordings. As with any tool we’d recommend liaising with a learning technologist if you’re unsure where to start or have any questions to make the process as beneficial as possible. For those who have access to Lynda.com a great selection videos and tutorials are available specifically for podcasting.  While on the subject, for podcasts specifically relating to Educational Technology #EdChat Radio and Moving at the Speed of Creativity are worth checking out. Also available to download is Radio 4 Series The Educators featuring interviews with people aiming to change the face of education.    

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What kind of images come to your mind when you think of learning objects? Do you think of trainees in a lab or at home working through a set of interactive exercises? Or remote employees working on the same interactive exercise in a collaborative manner? Or maybe some technical employees working on a simulation exercise to practice the right protocol from the safety of their computers? In any case, you’re right! All these scenarios and many more describe the functions and features of learning objects. Digital learning objects include many interesting and engaging activities that invite the learner to experiment with the content. The key to create a successful learning object is to respond to one learning objective at a time. The key to create a successful learning object is to respond to one learning objective at a time.Click To Tweet In this article, we will guide you through all the steps needed to create a learning object that follows all quality standards. But before we do, let’s shed some light on what research says about learning objects. According to research, a great way to explain the concept of a learning object is to use the analogy of the LEGO™ building blocks: small units that can be fitted together any number of ways to produce customized learning experiences (Hodgins & Conner, 2000). So you create an entire model by fitting together small Lego pieces (each with their unique shapes and sizes) that can be re-used to create another model, and yet another model and so on. In another analogy, learning objects are compared to atoms that combine with specific atoms to form compounds. They cannot form a bond with any atom, only with the compatible atoms (Wiley, 2000). The New Media Consortium (NMC) describes learning objects as follows: "a learning object is any grouping of materials that is structured in a meaningful way and is tied to an educational objective". The "materials" in a learning object can be documents, pictures, simulations, movies, sounds, and so on. Structuring these in a meaningful way implies that the materials are related and arranged in a logical order. But without a clear and measurable educational objective, the collection remains just a collection. To make this very clear for you, a digital learning object consists of content and an interface. The content is made up of images, text passages, videos, sound clips etc. The interface, on the other hand, is the part of the learning object with which the user interacts. The interface has all the graphic design elements that include the navigational elements, the question dialogs, the sound buzzers and other controls that the user sees. An interface can be as simple as content display with navigation, or it could be a highly interactive experience that simulates a lab experiment or programming development. If you frequently work with eLearning programs, you are most likely creating learner experiences. In order to make quality experiences, create learning objects. This will save your time when creating a large volume of eLearning training programs. Before you work with learning objects, ask yourself these questions: · What educational problem are you trying to solve? · How do you envision your learning object being used? · What rights issues can you identify? · What resources do you have available for development? Steps to Create a Learning Object 1. Work with the employees, (if creating in-house training) or with your clients to establish clear goals. What do they hope to accomplish? Create a formal learning objective (LO) and have your clients agree on it. 2. Ask your clients the following three questions to create a clear learning objective: ·  What needs to be learned? This accomplishes what the learner can DO after learning. For example, create a business plan using the provided template, run the machine successfully, improve task management skills by using the prioritization techniques provided, etc. ·  Who needs to learn it? This question will help analyze your learners’ characteristics. ·  What do they need to know before they can start? This question will help outline the prerequisites of the learning object. 3. The time limit of a LO should span between 5 to 10 minutes. 4. A clear learning objective is a true starting point. Create learning experiences that reinforce the learning objectives, with the help of an SME. 5. Create assessment items for the learning objective. 6. Make sure the learning object is SCORM and Section 502 compliant. This allows your learning object to be used in any learning management system or browser and also make it manageable. 7. Inform the learner of the technical requirements to run the LO. 8. Explain how to use the LO through clear directions. 9. Make sure you add metadata to make your LO searchable across several search engines. Make sure to add copyright information to your LO. 10. Ask for comments from your learners to improve the LO periodically. Learning objects are a great way to prevent the "reinvention of the wheel". They make the task of the eLearning developers easier when they are inherited. Reusing and sharing saves time to focus on specialized tasks and learning objects. The next time you build an eLearning program, think of "bite-sized-chunks". When you do, create LO’s and connect them together with the aid of the common user interface. Who knows, you may need a bunch of LO’s for your next eLearning program! Save time and energy using these 10 steps to creating LO’s. The "learning objects" approach to eLearning is a better eLearning practice than creating a large volume of interactive content. With a little planning and creativity, you can become a better eLearning developer. Remember to share with us your LO development experiences! The post 10 Steps to Create Your Own Learning Objects (L.O.s) appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

Many eLearning designers limit learning concepts to memorization and recall. Is swallowing facts and regurgitating them out the only goal of a learning situation? How can you, as a trainer, create quality practice activities for better training transfer to performance context? Guided-analysis activity is your answer. Practice is very important for intellectual tasks that require a sensitive application of procedures. Guided-analysis activities move learners through the process of analyzing a complex situation. They also make learners ask the most important question during the eLearning process: "So what do I do with this knowledge?" When designed well, guided-analysis activities will help learners filter out useless information from the relevant - the confusing from the concrete. In short, guided-analysis helps learners convert data into information and even knowledge. In short, guided-analysis helps learners convert data into information and even knowledge.Click To Tweet How do guided-analysis activities work anyway? These activities require learners to follow a procedure to gather and analyze data. After conducting several cycles of gathering and analyzing the data, the learner may abstract a principle revealed by the analysis and test it or run it. What learning situations are best for guided-analysis activities? Situations that require learners to analyze with the aid of given data. The practice technique may involve calculating or estimating mathematical values. Or it may involve sorting, classifying or ranking items, according to pre-defined procedures. Guided-analysis activities can easily be created using interactivity options available in the user interface. Let’s take a closer look at the guided-analysis strategies and determine how you can use them in your eLearning programs: · Compare and contrast complex data by creating a side-by-side comparison. Comparing stock market prices, two procedures side-by-side, or marketing techniques and their related benefits - all these create situations where contrasts and differences are inevitable. Including blank rows in the user interface below the "compare and contrast lists" allows room for independent comments from the learner. · Classifying items into established categories. To classify data into meaningful information, learners utilize the provided facts on the interface. Drag and drop activities, as well as text box filling activities, promote item classification. There are many other strategies to do this. For example, have learners pick categories from a drop-down list beside each item to be classified. Select from a pick-one list of categories the item belongs to. Match items in one list with the categories in another. Drag items to their categories or categories to their member. · Outline items that are technical or too detailed in nature. Learners would need to put individual items into a hierarchical scheme. This kind of guided analysis teaches general organizing skills as well as well as specific organizing schemes. In a leadership course, learners may organize specific traits around a leadership style to help define the relative power of the leader. Such activities help learners relate and connect knowledge and present it in a way that is unforgettable. · Recreating famous examples from an area of study, something that is also known as "benchmarking". Have learners reproduce the example exactly as originally. For example, providing model papers or presentations to create a business report or a business plan. Any deliverable in an eLearning course can be guided with the aid of models provided for learners to study. Prompt Higher-Level Thinking in Your Guided-Analysis Activities In order to make judgements about ideas or products, learners will need guided practice. William Horton, in his book "eLearning by Design" talks about several questions that can be integrated in a guided-analysis activity. Here is a sample of questions that promote higher-level thinking and internalizing complex concepts taught in the eLearning course: · What are the advantages of this item? · What is wrong with this item? · How can this item be improved? · How can this error be corrected? · What would be the results of performing this action? · What categories do these items fit in? · What are the critical characteristics of this item? · What conclusions can you draw? · What evidence can you offer? · What is the pattern of these incidents? · How does your opinion differ from others? · How can you apply this principle? One of the best ways to promote guided-analysis activities for practice and successful transfer to the work context of knowledge acquired is to provide authentic challenges. For example, use real-world tools like surveys, Gantt charts, evaluation forms, quality matters checks, templates to create reports, presentations and tables to fill in the required information. These authentic tools serve as excellent practice opportunities for the learner. Also provide them with the wrong situation and help them rectify it with the aid of the concepts covered. Adult learners in a training environment appreciate the flexibility to practice as much or as little as they desire. In fact, adult learners learn more effectively and efficiently when they have more control over their practice exercises. Novice learners may need more practice before they advance to the next topic. But seasoned learners may just need to refresh some concepts through little practice. Motivate learners to achieve at least an 85% passing score. But do not force them to complete practice activities. Guided-analysis activities are fun to do in a training environment. They also offer authentic learning situations. Try incorporating these strategies in your next eLearning course for better practice opportunities. The post Guided-Analysis Activities in Training Programs appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

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These days, it takes more than increasing salaries to cultivate healthy and engaged employees. Although the financial reward is why most of us need to work in the first place, encouraging true on-the-job motivation and enthusiasm is a slightly more complex matter. How To Use Training To Foster Healthy and Engaged Employees  One of the […] The post 5 Ways Training Cultivates Healthy And Engaged Employees appeared first on PulseLearning.

Autism Awareness Month is a special opportunity to educate the public about issues within the autism community and to highlight the growing need for awareness about autism and autism spectrum disorders. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex developmental disorders. These disorders are characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. With the May 2013 publication of the DSM-5 diagnostic and statistical manual, all autism disorders now fall under one umbrella diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Formerly, they were recognized as distinct subtypes, including autism, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger’s syndrome. Please refer to the DSM-5 for more information on these changes. Autism appears to have its roots in very early brain development. However, the most obvious signs of autism and symptoms of autism tend to develop between 2 and 3 years of age. Awareness and insights into autism spectrum disorder is a key aspect of the Autism Speaks organization. Know the Signs According to the Autism Society these are some delays in developmental milestones to look for in the children in your life: Lack of or delay in spoken language Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects) Little or no eye contact Lack of interest in peer relationships Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play Persistent fixation on parts of objects For more information on developmental milestones, visit the CDC. How Common Is Autism? Autism statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify around 1 in 68 American children as on the autism spectrum-a ten-fold increase in prevalence in 40 years. Studies also show that autism is four to five times more common among boys than girls. An estimated 1 out of 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States. What Causes Autism? Not long ago, the answer to this question would not have been clear. Research is now delivering some answers. There is no known single cause for autism, but it’s generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in children with autism versus those in neurotypical children. Researchers are investigating a number of theories, including the links among heredity, genetics and medical problems. What Does It Mean to Be "On the Spectrum"? Each individual with autism is unique. Many of those on the autism spectrum have exceptional abilities in visual skills, music and academic skills. About 40 percent have average to above average intellectual abilities. Indeed, many persons on the spectrum take deserved pride in their distinctive abilities and "atypical" ways of viewing the world. Others with autism have significant disability and are unable to live independently. About 25 percent of individuals with ASD are nonverbal but can learn to communicate using other means. No matter where an individual falls on "the spectrum" what is known is that these individuals and those who care for them have unique needs and abilities. Interested in learning more? Click on the links to the organizations who work with those who have ASD and read more about the courses we offer below. Ed4Online is proud to offer an extensive catalog of courses for individuals interested in learning more about developmental disabilities, included those on the spectrum and for those who want to work as a direct support professional. Please visit our websites here to learn more: https://ed4online.com/ and https://ed4hhs.com/. - See more at: https://ed4online.com/blog/autism-awareness-month-ingrid-herrera-yee#sth...          

Google Cardboard To run expeditions successfully each student needs a Google Cardboard. There are a number of options here - Google list a few on their Get Cardboard website - these are probably quite high quality - but on the whole seem very expensive (especially if your looking for a class set). So far we have gone with cheaper "unofficial" versions from eBay - while I imagine the quality of these is lower, paying £1 to 2 per unit seems a lot more reasonable and I tend to worry a lot less if one gets broken. Usually these seem to ship from Hong Kong. You could also go for the make it yourself route - I only tried it once and the results were not pretty - but if you love accurately cutting out cardboard shapes this might be for you: However you are still going to need to buy the lenses, again eBay seems a good source for these. Devices Currently the real issue is what devices to use: Students provide their own device - this would be the lowest cost option - although I doubt we will ever get a class where every student has something that runs the apps. Plus they need to be on the same WiFi network - I am probably lucky in that my school allows phones and lets them on the WiFi - but even with this I doubt we will get past 50% of a class. Get some devices for a class set - seems the more suitable solution (but expensive) - at the moment the issue is what device to get? Buying Android Phones seems a waste as you only really want the screen, a gyroscope (I think) and something that runs Android 4.4 or up (or so the Play Store says)..      

In March, I earned my PMP.For the final push, I took advantage of an opportunity to take a test prep bootcamp through Cheetah Learning.  The bootcamp came highly regarded by our project managers - so my management was kind enough to spring the money for me to take it before the exam.Cheetah's PMP Bootcamp has some really interesting features that I have not seen in other bootcamps of this sort.1) Single-minded focus.  You are there to pass the test.You are NOT there to learn project management. You are NOT there to learn project management tools and techniques.  You are NOT there to have discussions of project management practices and what each of you do in your own environments.  You are there to focus on passing the test. PERIOD.What this means?  It means you do not question the PMI.  At least - not for the next week.2) Your heavy lifting occurs before the class.  Memorizing the mind map.Before you show up, you are expected to memorize a mind map and be able to draw it on demand day 1 of the bootcamp.  The mind map will serve as a tool during the exam - drawn during the 15 minutes you have prior to the test as you run the Prometrics tutorial.The act of memorizing that mind map helped to organize what I learned in the previous 35 hours of course work I needed to perform before I submitted for exam eligibility (PMP eligibility is 3 years, 4500 hours, and 35 hours of coursework).  I also tended to look in the PMBOK if something in the mind map didn't make sense.  That helped ground the week a bit.By the way - memorizing someone else's mind map stinks.I would have liked to been able to make adjustments to the mind map on the Tuesday of the bootcamp rather than waiting until late Wednesday afternoon - if only so I could incorporate my newer thoughts (particularly regarding contract types and some trickier quality management concepts) and draw them out more quickly.  I spent more time drawing the mind map during the actual exam than I would have liked - taking about 18 minutes vs the 15 allotted.3) They control as much as they can control - your food, your breaks, your focus, your time.Unlike other courses of this type, Cheetah did a few things I have never seen before.Food.  No caffeine. No sugar. High protein.Breaks.  No time to pee until the designated break.  Really.  It was that intense.Focus. They provided "meditation tapes".  3 voices with random project management definitions on top of a delta wave soundtrack.  You were to listen to this at designated times during the bootcamp and at night.  Time.  I typically appeared at the hotel at 6:30am (DC traffic). Class started at 8am. We went until at least 6pm. I then spent another hour or two doing homework.  Unlike many of my classmates, I prioritized sleep - which helped.  The only person who heard from me or saw me that week was the man I live with. And that - barely. No email. No voice mail. Nothing.  The days fell into a rhythm pretty quickly.Recreate the mind mapTake a test for the day Notecards on the chapter - each section timedWorkbook / mind map on the chapter - each section readTest on the chapterNotecards / Workbook / Test - repeat until finished with each chapter for the dayOh yeah...and there was lunch somewhere in there.....Go home. Study hard sections. Retake at least 1 test from the day. Fall asleep to the "meditation tapes"It's been a long time since I've been through an experience quite that intense.  But damn if it didn't work.---------------As with most of these certification tests, the trick is to get into the mind of the test authors.The PMP is notoriously hard because they occasionally enjoy testing whether you have fully read the question (attention to detail).  They also write questions using a wide array of unpredictable source materials - not just the PMBOK.I got the feeling that they wrote the test in a way to encourage / force people to take a test prep class. -----------------------So now what?  The next round is likely going to be Agile courses and methodology.Beyond the task of trying to push  my phone number off my business card with letters behind my name - I find that going through these certification efforts provide me with some tools I can use in my own work.Building the toolbox.Having something for the resume / LinkedIn profile to show for my efforts is a bonus.

Sorry, I published the page too soon...please check back here on April 8, 2016 for the information on the great financial literacy curriculum! I will send out another reminder next week...Kathy  Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

The quality of instructional design is often gauged on three things: effectiveness, efficiency, and cost.  Effectiveness has to do with how well the instruction enables learners to achieve stated goals or expected outcomes. Efficiency deals with the energy and time invested to complete the instruction while cost covers all expense incurred for its design and delivery.  These are good points to begin with. It's equally important, however, to zero in on the details involving the design and development of quality instruction. As with any other good design principles, there are human characteristics deeply involved here.  Richard Buchanan, a professor of Design, Management and Information Systems, said it best: "a good design can be defined not only to be creative, stylish with an extraordinary visual look, but it must consider human engagement in its activities." Follow these five golden principles to help you achieve high-quality instructional design:

Guess what? This could be you, except with beachfront views instead of office walls*: Our Lectora® experts will be warming up for the 2016 Lectora User Conference by putting on a whole day of training in Fort Lauderdale. Join us Tuesday, May 17, for optional pre-conference training to kick-start your LUC 2016 experience. Choose from these 3 classes: Lectora Inspire Intermediate Training This class goes above and beyond the basic uses of Lectora, focusing primarily on the use of variables and conditional actions within a title. In this course, you’ll learn how to take your Lectora knowledge to the next level. You’ll use variables to track user interactivity, display both generic and user information, and conditionally branch within a title. Finally, you’ll learn how to publish a title to AICC/SCORM, for use within a learning management system. (Before taking this course, you should be comfortable with creating a course structure, adding content to a title, creating buttons, and have an overall understanding of Lectora’s book metaphor, inheritance, and modes. These concepts are covered in the Lectora Fundamentals training.) Lectora Extreme/Games Training Conducted by Daryl Fleary, Lectora/Lectora Online Product Manager, this class focuses on advanced uses of objects, variables, and conditional action groups to create sophisticated eLearning content and games. You will learn how to build on existing knowledge and experience and combine seemingly unrelated functionality in advanced ways, including: Using user-defined variables and random value variables to create complex conditional actions Creating action groups to perform multiple actions and repetitive sequences needed for gaming logic Using non-typical combinations of tests and questions to create instructional review games Before taking the Lectora Extreme/Games course, you should have a solid understanding of: Actions (e.g., triggers, actions, sequencing, delays) Questions (e.g., choices, properties, point values, feedback) Tests (e.g., test properties, behavior, results) …and some experience with user-defined variables and conditional actions. NEW Extending Lectora With Scripting Conducted by John Blackmon, Trivantis founder and Chief Technology Officer, this class takes you as deep as you want to go with Lectora, integrating Lectora with custom JavaScript, server side scripting, and databases. You’ll learn how to make Lectora do things you never thought possible, from updating course information live from a database, to integrating with custom coded JavaScript interactions and games. (Before taking this course, you should be familiar with JavaScript, and have some exposure to server side scripting and databases.) Some of these classes aren’t often available, so sign up now to reserve your spot. Training LUC Details   *We’ve actually repainted that wall with whiteboard paint, so if you can’t make it to the LUC 2016 for training, you can always join us for classroom training at our Cincinnati headquarters. We promise it’s tons of fun and incredibly informative, plus you can write on the walls now! The post Come Train With the Experts at the LUC 2016 appeared first on .

Here at the eLearning Brothers headquarters, we know Lectora® is a fantastic authoring tool that allows you to create robust eLearning interactions that look great. But sometimes you need to quickly deliver a desktop course to your learners and don’t have the time to build things up from scratch. The quickest way to get the job done is through the Interaction Builder, one of the eLearning Brothers tools included with your Lectora Inspire purchase. You can access the Interaction Builder a few ways. You can go through the Tools ribbon, select Inspire Tools, and then find the Interaction Builder option in the dropdown menu. Or you can also select the Inspire Tools tab that’s usually off to the right side of the application and find the Interaction Builder tab that will be at the bottom when the menu swings out. If you haven’t used any of the eLearning Brothers resources in Lectora Inspire yet, you may need to log in first. You’ll only have to do this once. Contact us if you need account credentials. The next step is to choose what kind of interaction you want to use. There are over 100 templates to choose from, including click and reveals, games, quizzes, drag and drops, and many more. Let’s say you want to use a drag and drop activity. In this example, you have five different sections you can edit: an introduction and four draggers. In each of the draggers, you can edit the title text (which is for the draggable object) and the body text (which is for the target area). At any time, you can always click on the preview in the upper left to see your changes in action. Next, you’ll want to select a theme. There are over 100 different themes that include background images, button styles, and text colors. Themes can also be edited to more closely match the colors or images you choose. After selecting a theme, you can click on Customize Theme in the top right and change how each of the different elements looks. The last step is to save the project—done by clicking the Save button in the top right—and then publish it into Lectora. Clicking the Publish button will give you options, depending on the kind of interaction you’ve chosen. In some cases, you can only select Flash or HTML5, but in a few cases you have an option for both. Choose whichever is best for your end product. Note: Flash interactions will not work in a responsive course. HTML5 interactions will work in a responsive course, but they will not resize responsively. We recommend that items from the Interaction Builder be used primarily in desktop courses. Once you’ve chosen the output type, you should see the interaction placed into your Lectora title, simple as that! Any Flash files will be added as an animation, and any HTML5 files will be placed in as a Web Object. If you’d like to follow an example of this, watch this video below to see how it’s done! Watch Now Editor’s Note: Our friends on the eLearning Brothers Team are sharing their awesome eLearning tips here and on their blog. Keep an eye out for more great articles! The Interaction Builder and other eLearning Brothers resources offer you unlimited possibilities for your eLearning development. If you haven’t tried out the Interaction Builder yet, fire up Lectora Inspire—or download a 30-day free trial—and have fun! The post Speed Up Your eLearning Development With the Interaction Builder appeared first on .

It takes a lot of knowledge and expertise to build a successful online business, and building an online teaching business is no exception. No matter what stage you’re in, you should definitely be making it a priority to learn new skills and acquire new knowledge on a regular basis. To help you choose which book to read next, we’ve compiled list of 50 business and marketing books that will help you learn what it takes to build a successful business as an online instructor. We also organized these books into different categories based on which aspect of business and marketing they focus on. Just so you know, many of these books are available in audio format from Audible. If you sign up for their free trial, you can download one for free. And, if you want more free stuff, we’re doing a giveaway of some of the books we mention here! 3 lucky winners will receive 12 books valued at over $150. That means you have absolutely no excuse for not reading them! You can find out how to enter the contest below. Good luck! Thinkific Course Creator Book Giveaway 50 #Business and #Marketing books every #OnlineCourse creator should read. #teachonlineClick To Tweet Startups & Entrepreneurship Make no mistake. If you’ve created an online course (or you’re about to create one), you are an entrepreneur. As such, it is important to learn as much as you can about starting and building a successful business. These books will help prepare you for the wild ride of entrepreneurship, learn fundamental business principles, and develop a solid plan for building and growing a successful online teaching business.  1. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau If you’re letting a small budget stop you from starting your business, then you should definitely read this book. The $100 Startup contains plenty of examples of entrepreneurs who found a way to combine their skills with their passions and built a profitable business on a small budget. By monetizing their passions, these people were able to escape traditional employment and restructure their lives in a way that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment.  Tweet this. 2. The 7 Day Startup by Dan Norris Launching a new online course doesn’t have to take a long time. In The 7 Day Startup, Dan Norris shows you how he built a cash flowing small business from scratch in just 7 days. He also provides a great framework you can follow to come up with your next product idea, validate it, launch it, and acquire your first customers in just one week.  Tweet this. 3. The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Michalowicz Written by Mike Michalowicz, the founder of three multi-million dollar companies, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur will show you why a business plan is a total waste of your time, why fulfilling your own needs is the first and last order of business, which three sheets of paper you need to successfully launch, manage and grow your business, how to get started in business with little or no money, how to find and exploit resources that no one else knows about, and how to stop procrastinating and take action now! Overall, a great read and a refreshing kick in the pants for entrepreneurs.  Tweet this. 4. The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy According to Darren Hardy, the unexpected and terrifying emotional roller coaster an entrepreneur experiences is the greatest factor in why most quit and ultimately fail. The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster will help prepare you for the wild ride of entrepreneurship. You will learn the best strategies Darren has ever collected from the most successful people on the planet, covering the four essential skills necessary for entrepreneurial success: Sales, Recruiting, Leadership, and Productivity.  Tweet this. 5. The Art of the Start 2.0 by Guy Kawasaki The Art of the Start 2.0 is Guy Kawasaki’s classic, bestselling guide to launching and making your new product, service, or idea a success. It has been fully revised and expanded since the first edition came out over a decade ago and features his latest insights and practical advice about social media, crowdfunding, cloud computing, and many other topics.  Tweet this. 6. Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn Chock-full of practical suggestions, case studies and exercise, Will It Fly? will help guide you through the process of validating your business idea. Pat Flynn, a successful podcast host and online entrepreneur, will help you make sure your target idea aligns with and supports your goals, uncover important details about your idea that you haven’t even thought about, assess current market conditions, and validate and test your idea with a small segment of your target market before you decide to move forward with it.  Tweet this. Online Business Once you’ve equipped yourself with an understanding of fundamental business principles and what it means to be an entrepreneur, we recommend reading a few books that are more specific to building an online business. There are some major differences between an offline business and an online business. These books offer some great insights that apply specifically to building an online business that can be run from virtually anywhere in the world.  7. The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss The 4-Hour Workweek has been read and recommended by almost every single successful online entrepreneur out there. Some even credit this book as their original source of inspiration for building an online business and becoming a lifestyle entrepreneur. Outsourcing, location independence, lifestyle design, escaping the rat race, and mini-retirements are just some of the topics that Timothy Ferriss shined the spotlight on, causing thousands of people to re-define success and build businesses that accommodate their lifestyle goals in the process.   Tweet this. 8. The Suitcase Entrepreneur by Natalie Sisson Written by lifestyle entrepreneur and digital nomad Natalie Sisson, The Suitcase Entrepreneur will teach you the nuts and bolts of setting up an online business you love, give you the blueprint to create your ideal lifestyle, create freedom in business and adventure in life. She shares specific steps to help you package and sell your knowledge and skills, and build an online platform to earn enough to work and live anywhere in the world.  Tweet this. 9. The Laptop Millionaire by Mark Anastasi The Laptop Millionaire provides easy to follow step-by-step strategies you can use to make money online. Mark Anastasi reveals the strategies he used to make millions of dollars from his laptop and includes the success stories of other millionaire internet entrepreneurs. Overall, a great mix of inspiration and practical advice to help you build a business online.  Tweet this. Wealth Creation & Money Helping other people achieve success by creating and selling online courses is definitely rewarding in itself, but remember, the purpose of your business is to make money. Once you’re making money, the next step is to use that money to grow your wealth. These books will help you make wise decisions with your money and secure your financial future.  10. The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ Demarco This controversial but highly recommended book might just be a financial wake-up call for most of its readers. MJ Demarco explains why the mainstream financial gurus have led the masses to believe that wealth can be created by recklessly trusting in the uncontrollable and unpredictable markets: the housing market, the stock market, and the job market. The Millionaire Fastlane provides an alternative road-to-wealth; one that actually ignites dreams and creates millionaires at a young age.  Tweet this. 11. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker Secrets of the Millionaire Mind is a unique blend of personal development and personal finance. According to T. Harv Eker, we all have a personal money blueprint ingrained in our subconscious minds, and it is this blueprint, more than anything, that will determine our financial lives. This book shows you how to identify your own money blueprint and revise it to create success and, more importantly, to keep and continually grow it.  Tweet this. Business Systems & Outsourcing Running a business is a lot of work, and if you’re not careful, you can easily becoming consumed by all the tasks that are required to maintain your online teaching business. In order to protect your time give yourself the space to focus on high value activities (like creating more courses!), you’ll eventually need to hire people and create systems to help run your business for you. These books are absolutely must-reads to help you go from working in your business to working on your business.  12. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber In The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. He walks you through the steps in the life of a business from entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains, to the mature entrepreneurial perspective, the guiding light of all businesses that succeed. Finally, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked, distinction between working on your business and working in your business.  Tweet this. 13. Never Work Again by Erlend Bakke Never Work Again shows you how you can build a successful and profitable business without the long hours and high stress that most entrepreneurs suffer from. You will learn how you can easily start your own no-money-down virtual business - a business that will make you money online and allow you to quickly achieve financial freedom and time freedom to do the things you love when you want to do them and with the people who matter most in your life.  Tweet this. 14. Work The System by Sam Carpenter Work The System will show you how to achieve a positive macro result by looking your business and work on a micro level; by analyzing and refining the separate internal sub-systems, the systems that, added together, comprise the whole primary system business entity. The strategies outlined in this book will help you to quickly and dramatically improve performance as well as decrease the stress of being overtaxed and disorganized, ultimately resulting in a substantially shorter work week and a much-improved bottom line.  Tweet this. 15. Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker Virtual Freedom is the step-by-step guide every entrepreneur needs to build his or her business with the help of virtual employees. Focusing on business growth, Chris Ducker explains every detail you need to grasp, from figuring out which jobs you should outsource to finding, hiring, training, motivating, and managing virtual assistants. Read it to scale up your online course business.  Tweet this. Teaching Online Understanding entrepreneurship and learning how to start a business is important, but you should also spend some time learning about the online course industry and what it means to teach online. These books are great resources to help you understand how to monetize your expertise by building an information-based business. 16. Teach and Grow Rich by Danny Iny According to Danny Iny, the online content industry is undergoing a quiet revolution, and selling information is getting harder every day. Teach and Grow Rich will help you to recognize the opportunities and tap into the multi-billion dollar industry of online education, to create impact, freedom, and wealth.  Tweet this. 17. Leading the Learning Revolution by Jeff Cobb Leading the Learning Revolution is the first book to explain in detail how to build a thriving, long-term business selling online courses and other educational products and experiences. Filled with insights from the author’s vast experience, field-tested strategies, interviews, and anecdotes, the book explains how to: use technology to create high-impact learning opportunities; develop content that is faster and better than the competition’s; convert prospects to customers by building connection; and, focus on the bottom-line results of lifelong learning.  Tweet this. 18. The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard The Millionaire Messenger will show you why your life story and experience have greater importance and market value than you probably realize. By packaging your knowledge and advice (on any topic, in any industry), you can help others succeed. Brendon Burchard shows you how you can get paid for sharing your advice and how-to information, and build a lucrative business and a profoundly meaningful life in the process.  Tweet this. Sales & Marketing Creating an online course is the first step. Marketing your course is the second. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that publishing your online course immediately entitles you to an endless stream of sales and passive income. You’ll need to develop a marketing strategy to promote your online course to your target audience and generate sales. These books will help you scale up and automate your marketing to ensure consistent online course sales. 19. Launch by Jeff Walker Before you hit publish on your online course, you need to read this book. Since starting his first internet business back in 1996, Jeff Walker has executed numerous highly successful product launches online. Over the years, he has refined and perfected his process and taught it to thousands of entrepreneurs and online marketers. Almost every successful product launch that happens online today (especially online courses!) follows the formula outlined in Launch.  Tweet this. 20. Ask by Ryan Levesque Before you create your next product or service, you should definitely ask your audience what they want. This will help prevent you creating something that no one buys. Ask reveals a powerful way to discover exactly what people want to buy and how to give it to them - and in a way that makes people fall in love with you and your company. Ryan Levesque shares his system for creating survey-based, customized sales funnels, and show you how to implement the same system in your own business - no matter your market.  Tweet this. 21. Guerrilla Marketing and Joint Ventures by Sohail Khan  One of the best ways to promote and sell your online course is by leveraging the power of joint ventures. Guerrilla Marketing and Joint Ventures shows you step-by-step how you can use smarter marketing and joint ventures to generate maximum profits and grow your business very quickly for low or even zero-cost.  Tweet this. 22. DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson A major factor in every online entrepreneur’s success is their ability to create sales funnels that convert prospects into customers for their business. DotCom Secrets will give you the marketing funnels and the sales scripts you need to be able to turn on a flood of new leads into your business.  Tweet this. 23. Invisible Selling Machine by Ryan Deiss Having an email marketing strategy is critical to the success of any online business. In the Invisible Selling Machine, Ryan Deiss walks you through all 5 phases of the prospect/customer lifestyle, and shows how each step can be automated and perpetuated to convert strangers into friends, friends into customers and customers into raving fans using email marketing.  Tweet this. 24. The Automatic Customer by John Warrillow The lifeblood of your business is repeat customers, and according to John Warrillow, the emerging subscription economy offers huge opportunities to companies that know how to turn customers into subscribers. The Automatic Customer shows you why automatic customers are the key to increasing cash flow, igniting growth, and boosting the value of your company. It also shows you how to master the psychology of selling subscriptions and how to reduce churn and provides a road map for the essential statistics you need to measure the health of your subscription business.  Tweet this. 25. Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday In Growth Hacker Marketing, Ryan Holiday, the acclaimed marketing guru for American Apparel and many bestselling authors and multi-platinum musicians, explains the new rules and provides valuable examples and case studies for aspiring growth hackers. If you’re looking to build awareness and buzz for your product or service on a modest marketing budget, this book offers some effective alternatives to traditional advertising.  Tweet this. 26. Marketing: A Love Story by Bernadette Jiwa Most entrepreneurs and innovators tend to have no shortage of ideas, but they struggle to tell the story of how their ideas are going to be useful in the world and why they will matter to people. Marketing: A Love Story shows you how to use marketing to communicate how your ideas translate to value for people in a marketplace.  Tweet this. 27. All Marketers Are Liars by Seth Godin As Seth Godin showed in this controversial book All Marketers Are Liars, great marketers don’t talk about features or even benefits. Instead, they tell a story—a story we want to believe, whether it’s factual or not. In a world where most people have an infinite number of choices and no time to make them, every organization is a marketer, and all marketing is about telling stories.  Tweet this. 28. The New Relationship Marketing by Mari Smith People have always done business with people they know, like, and trust. That’s the essence of "relationship marketing." Today, the popularity of online social networking has caused a paradigm shift in relationship marketing. The New Relationship Marketing helps business people and marketers master this crucial new skill set. Social marketing expert Mari Smith outlines a step-by-step plan for building a sizable, loyal network comprised of quality relationships that garner leads, publicity, sales, and more.  Tweet this. 29. Buyer Personas by Adele Revella Buyer Personas is the marketer’s actionable guide to learning what your buyer wants and how they make decisions. It provides comprehensive coverage of a compelling new way to conduct buyer studies, plus practical advice on adopting the buyer persona approach to measurably improve marketing outcomes. Rather than relying on generic data or guesswork to determine what the buyer wants, the buyer persona approach allows companies to ask the buyer directly and obtain more precise and actionable guidance.  Tweet this. 30. Sell Or Be Sold by Grant Cardone According to Grant Cardone, knowing the principles of selling is a prerequisite for success of any kind. Sell or Be Sold breaks down the techniques and approaches necessary to master the art of selling in any avenue. You will learn how to handle rejection, turn around negative situations, shorten sales cycles, and guarantee yourself greatness.  Tweet this. 31. Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross Predictable Revenue reveals the outbound sales process that, in just a few years, helped add $100 million in recurring revenue to Salesforce, almost doubling their enterprise growth with zero cold calls.This is not another book about how to cold call or close deals. This is an entirely new kind of sales bible for CEOs, entrepreneurs and sales VPs to help you build a sales machine in your business. The concepts in this book will help you to generate as many highly-qualified new leads as you want, create predictable revenue, and meet your financial goals without your constant focus and attention.  Tweet this. 32. How To Write Copy That Sells by Ray Edwards Writing copy that sells without seeming "sales-y" can be tough, but is an essential business skill. How To Write Copy That Sells is a step-by-step guide to writing fast, easy-to-read, effective copy. It’s for everyone who needs to write copy that brings in cash - including copywriters, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. It includes copywriting techniques for email marketing, websites, social media, sales pages, ads, and direct mail.  Tweet this. Leadership & Personal Branding As an online instructor, there is a good chance that you will become the face of your business. For that reason, you should spend some time learning how to build a strong personal brand and position yourself as the go-to expert on your topic. When you’re perceived to be a thought leader and an expert on your topic, your target audience will naturally want to learn from you. These books will help you make that happen. 33. Stand Out by Dorie Clark Too many people believe that if they keep their heads down and work hard, they’ll be recognized as experts on the merits of their work. But that’s simply not true anymore. To make a name for yourself, you have to capitalize on your unique perspective and knowledge and inspire others to listen and take action. Stand Out explains how to identify the ideas that set you apart and promote them successfully. According to Dorie Clark, the key is to recognize your own value, cultivate your expertise, and put yourself out there.  Tweet this. 34. Platform by Michael Hyatt According to Michael Hyatt, who is one of the top business bloggers in the world, to be successful in the market today, you must possess two strategic assets: a compelling product and a meaningful platform. Platform provides down-to-earth guidance for building and expanding a powerful platform. He shows you what best-selling authors, public speakers, entrepreneurs, musicians, and other creatives are doing differently to win customers in today’s crowded marketplace.  Tweet this. 35. Ready To Be A Thought Leader? by Denise Brosseau Ready to Be a Thought Leader? is essential reading for anyone ready to expand their influence, increase their professional success, have an impact far beyond a single organization and industry, and ultimately leave a legacy that matters. Thought leaders have the gift of harnessing their expertise and their networks to make their innovative thoughts real and replicable, sparking sustainable change and even creating movements around their ideas. Denise Brosseau shows you how to develop and use that gift as she maps the path from a successful executive, professional, or civic leader to respected thought leader.  Tweet this. 36. Body of Work by Pamela Slim According to Pamela Slim, it’s increasingly rare to have a stable career in any field. More and more of us are blending big company jobs, startup gigs, freelance work, and volunteer side projects. Body of Work gives you the tools to have a meaningful career in this new world of work. She shows you how to find the connections among diverse accomplishments, sell your story, and continually reinvent and relaunch your brand.  Tweet this. Content Marketing Your online courses are the content that you charge for. But in order to help market your courses and attract your target audience, you should definitely be giving away some content for free. Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined target audience and converting as much of that audience as possible into your customers. These books will help you develop a solid content marketing strategy for your business. 37. Content Inc. by Joe Pulizzi In Content Inc., Joe Pulizzi, who is one of today’s most sought-after content marketing strategists, reveals a new model for entrepreneurial success. Simply put, it’s about developing valuable content, building an audience around that content, and then creating a product for that audience. This book shows you how to get customers first and develop products later, and build a solid, long-lasting business positioned for today’s content-driven world.  Tweet this. 38. Everybody Writes by Ann Handley Everybody Writes will help you attract and retain customers through stellar online communication. Ann Handley gives expert guidance and insight into the process and strategy of content creation, production and publishing, with actionable how-to advice designed to get results. These lessons and rules apply across all of your online assets including web pages, landing pages, blogs, email, marketing offers, and social media. This is a go-to guide for anyone creating or publishing content online.  Tweet this. 39. The Content Strategy Toolkit by Meghan Casey In The Content Strategy Toolkit, Meghan Casey outlines a step-by-step approach for doing content strategy, from planning and creating your content to delivering and managing it. You’ll learn how to identify problems with your content, make sense of your business environment and understand your audience, set your content strategy, decide how to measure success, and more.  Tweet this. 40. Authority by Nathan Barry In Authority, Nathan Barry shows authors how to establish a consistent writing habit, how to implement a successful marketing strategy, how to replace traditional publishing methods with methods that can earn far more, in far less time and how to position yourself as an authority in your chosen field and enjoy benefits far beyond simply making money.  Tweet this. 41. The Video Marketers Cookbook by Meg Le Vu The Video Marketers Cookbook is a compilation of tutorials, systems and tactics to help small business owners create awesome videos. If you want to learn how to use videos to increase your brand awareness, leads, and sales, this book is a great resource.  Tweet this. 42. slide:ology by Nancy Duarte Millions of presentations and billions of slides have been produced — and most of them miss the mark. slide:ology will challenge your traditional approach to creating slides by teaching you how to be a visual thinker. It is full of practical approaches to visual story development that can be applied by anyone. It combines conceptual thinking and inspirational design, with insightful case studies from the world’s leading brands.  Tweet this. Motivation & Personal Development Let’s be real. Entrepreneurship is not easy. There will be days when you are unmotivated, discouraged, and frustrated. Setbacks and disappointments are unavoidable, but the important thing is that you don’t let them stop you from building your dream. Here are some books that will give you the much-needed motivation and inspiration to re-ignite your passion and help you stay focused on your goals.  43. CRUSH IT! by Gary Vaynerchuk CRUSH IT! shows you how to use the power of the internet to turn your real interests into real businesses. Gary Vaynerchuk spent years building his family business from a local wine shop into a national industry leader. Then one day he turned on a video camera, and by using the secrets revealed in this book, transformed his entire life and earning potential by building his personal brand.  Tweet this. 44. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success. He emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows how to reach the highest level of creative discipline. Whether you’re an artist, a writer or business person, this simple, personal, and no-nonsense book will inspire you to seize the potential of your life.  Tweet this. 45. School of Greatness by Lewis Howes Written by Lewis Howes, a 7-figure lifestyle entrepreneur and a sought-after business coach, speaker, and podcast host, School of Greatness is an excellent personal development book. It gives you the tools, knowledge, and actionable resources you need to reach your potential. Overall, a great source of inspiration for entrepreneurs and high achievers, with plenty of real life examples to support each chapter.  Tweet this. 46. Make Your Mark by Jocelyn Glei Featuring hard-won wisdom from twenty leading entrepreneurs and designers, Make Your Mark will arm you with practical insights for launching a purpose-driven business, refining your product, delighting your customers, inspiring your team—and ultimately—making something that matters. Overall, a great book for creative individuals who are ready to embrace entrepreneurship.  Tweet this. 47. The Art of Work by Jeff Goins The path to your life’s work is difficult and risky, even scary, which is why few finish the journey. The Art of Work is about discovering your life’s work, and doing you were born to do. Through personal experience, compelling case studies, and current research on the mysteries of motivation and talent, Jeff Goins shows you how to find your vocation and what to expect along the way.  Tweet this. 48. The Creator’s Code by Amy Wilkinson After interviewing more than 200 leading entrepreneurs, Amy Wilkinson identified the six essential disciplines needed to transform your ideas into real-world successes. The Creator’s Code will show you why each of us has the capacity to spot opportunities, invent products, and build businesses.  Tweet this. 49. The ONE Thing by Gary Keller The ONE Thing sheds light on a powerful concept that people are using to focus on what matters most in their personal and work lives. By focusing their energy on one thing at a time people are living more rewarding lives by building their careers, strengthening their finances, losing weight and getting in shape, deepening their faith, and nurturing stronger marriages and personal relationships.This book will help you to minimize distractions, increase your productivity, and obtain more satisfaction from your life.  Tweet this. 50. Unstoppable by Kelly Roach In her book Unstoppable, Kelly Roach breaks down the top lessons she’s learned throughout her award-winning career, blended together with lessons from some of the top industry leaders in the world today in a way that’s easy-to-understand and motivating. You’ll discover the key actions, strategies, and mindset to unlock your true potential for wealth, happiness, and success in every area of life, no matter where you are today. It all starts with simple keys that will leverage your time and revenue and allow you to work in your genius zone.  Tweet this. What Book Will You Read Next? There you go! You now know of 50 great books that can help you to succeed as an online instructor and entrepreneur. Feel free to bookmark this page for easy reference whenever you’re ready to read a new book. If you’ve already read any of the books we mentioned, let us know what you thought of it and how it helped you in the comment section below. And if you haven’t already, get in on the giveaway for a chance to win some of the books we mentioned! 50 #Business and #Marketing books every #OnlineCourse creator should read. #teachonlineClick To Tweet The post 50 Business & Marketing Books Every Online Course Creator Should Read appeared first on Thinkific.

Lunch break: the time of the day when people stop work to have lunch. But if you stopped working, does it mean that you actually stopped generating ideas? Thought so, you haven't! The office and lunch breaks cause even stronger connectedness and heavy idea flow. It's a time of the day when you see everyone: hear their thoughts, jokes, problems, solutions and much more. Just recently I've got in contact with Stuart Blacker and heard his success story. So here's a lunch talk share for you: Past: So I'd never heard of the concept of a developer lunch before when at a previous company my technical director said about getting people together and learning about the topic we were talking about. I asked him if he could provide some food for the troops since they were giving up their lunch hour - to which he did. We started covering things that people at all levels in the career could understand from the SOLID principals to Dependency Injection. Switching: When I switched companies a few months later, I took the same format with me and introduced it at my current company. It has gone down really well with both technical and non-technical (Product Owners/Managers) staff. The trick is making it applicable so that everyone that attends learns at least one thing. Even technical topics as event sourcing can be broken down in a way that everybody understands. Whenever I introduce the idea to someone new or get a new person to speak, I always say that everyone knows we are not experts in what ever we are talking about, we are sharing our experiences with X. Approaches: There are different formats that I've tried - a this is technology X approach and more of a Q & A approach (so what do we think is meant by testing). The Q&A approach really helps to engage the group as a whole and challenges their perceptions on things. Lesson learned! Let's not become introverts during lunch. Share your expertise wherever you are. Tapping into lunch talk knowledge might be the next competitive advantage. After all, people are the most creative, while relaxing.

Lunch break: the time of the day when people stop work to have lunch. But if you stopped working, does it mean that you actually stopped generating ideas? Thought so, you haven't! The office and lunch breaks cause even stronger connectedness and heavy idea flow. It's a time of the day when you see everyone: hear their thoughts, jokes, problems, solutions and much more. Just recently I've got in contact with Stuart Blacker and heard his success story. So here's a lunch talk share for you: Past: So I'd never heard of the concept of a developer lunch before when at a previous company my technical director said about getting people together and learning about the topic we were talking about. I asked him if he could provide some food for the troops since they were giving up their lunch hour - to which he did. We started covering things that people at all levels in the career could understand from the SOLID principals to Dependency Injection. Switching: When I switched companies a few months later, I took the same format with me and introduced it at my current company. It has gone down really well with both technical and non-technical (Product Owners/Managers) staff. The trick is making it applicable so that everyone that attends learns at least one thing. Even technical topics as event sourcing can be broken down in a way that everybody understands. Whenever I introduce the idea to someone new or get a new person to speak, I always say that everyone knows we are not experts in what ever we are talking about, we are sharing our experiences with X. Approaches: There are different formats that I've tried - a this is technology X approach and more of a Q & A approach (so what do we think is meant by testing). The Q&A approach really helps to engage the group as a whole and challenges their perceptions on things. Lesson learned! Let's not become introverts during lunch. Share your expertise wherever you are. Tapping into lunch talk knowledge might be the next competitive advantage. After all, people are the most creative, while relaxing.

Bringing the promise of more engaged and motivated employees, gamification sounds like the answer to every organisation’s training problems. However, it is natural to be sceptical of any concept that could potentially revolutionise the way your members of staff acquire knowledge and apply new information at work. Then again, it has been around for quite some time now and shows no signs of slowing down unlike other management fads. In fact, a couple of years ago it was predicted that 40 per cent of Global 1000 organisations would use gamification as the primary mechanism to transform their business operations by 2015. In the opinion of Gabe Zichermann, author of The Gamification Revolution and founder of Dopamine, a consultancy concerned with gamified campaigns for employees and consumers, this training technique’s increasing adoption comes as no great surprise. "When you reward consumers for engaging in fun, easy activities, they engage more often and more deeply," he notes. But how exactly can gamification engage and motivate your employees?   How gamification works "People may be motivated by getting a gift card, but what really drives them is recognition [as well as] status, access power and stuff," says Zichermann. Unfortunately, a common feature of humanity called ‘habituation’ means that we grow increasingly tired of ‘stuff’ and want better rewards for the same activity. "Habituation means you’ve become immured to a stimulus over time," adds Zichermann. But with gamification, stuff translates to virtual rewards such as recognising employee achievements, which are more scalable and cheaper than physical or material possessions. On top of that, Zichermann believes that the majority of people are not very achievement or winning-orientated anyway and would simply feel rewarded when they are in control of their own destiny. While this keeps employees thirsty and motivated for more, how can you achieve greater engagement? Zichermann believes it is all about making work more fun by leveraging the concepts and mechanics of gaming. "It’s about figuring out ways to create alignment with incentives and motivation," he says. "You increase productivity [and] performance and you can attract a higher-quality employee, this next generation of employees or millennials generation who bring with them their increased technology skills."   Why gamification works As opposed to your monthly salary, which is always nice to receive but doesn’t exactly change much throughout the year, gamification rewards increase in intensity due to habituation. This is evident with most video games according to Rajat Paharia, founder of cloud-based gamification software company Bunchball and author of the upcoming book Loyalty 3.0: How to Revolutionize Employee and Customer Engagement With Big Data and Gamification. He believes that the 10 key mechanics of gamification are fast feedback, transparency, goals, badges, levelling up, onboarding, competition, collaboration, community, and points. As Paharia explains: "Game designers have known how to do this for a long time. All the way back from Pong in 1972 up to modern day Call of Duty, they have had every piece of data about how users work and behave in their systems, and they’ve been able to use that data to get players to perform better." Even so, Paharia is quick to point out that "gamification is a word that just throws a lot of people off. The thing you have to make clear to people is that it has nothing to do with games. Gamification is about driving business objectives and motivating people through data. It’s not new but it has suddenly become more powerful because we have all this data available to us."   Examples of gamification Target In order to provide cashiers with real-time feedback about their performance, Target decided to introduce a gamification system that gives staff members a red or green rating based on whether they scanned the customer’s item quickly enough. They are also given their immediate score on screen and can track this as they keep scanning items. For Zichermann, this is a great example of how to utilise the best ideas from games, such as loyalty programs or leaderboard scores, to drive and change staff behaviour. "The bias that people have to win something is how achievement-oriented people tend to view the world," he says. "The idea here is to bring the feedback as close to the action as possible and make the feedback as constructive and positive as possible."   Omnicare When Omnicare first tried to implement a gamification solution to reduce helpdesk wait times, it actually caused customer satisfaction rates to plummet and employees to quit their jobs. This is because staff felt like Big Brother was watching and scoring their performance. So, Omnicare decided to set up a series of achievements for reps to reach instead. As they progress through these daily challenges, helpdesk employees are given short-term rewards that are achievement and recognition orientated. Waiting time was halved, while customer satisfaction and employee retention bounced back. "It’s a very different design, but with the same core premise and with wildly different results," reveals Zichermann.   Ford In Canada, automotive giant Ford introduced a gamification element to its learning portal, as sales and service teams needed to know about different car models, financing plans, technologies, and options every year. With the help of Bunchball, Ford saw a 417 per cent increase in use after initial testing and implementation. Pharia notes that younger staff were particularly engaged with its gamified learning portal, which helped to boost sales and customer satisfaction.   The final word on gamification If gamification can afford so many advantages in corporate working environments, why hasn’t it been utilised before? Well, Zichermann says that it has, but today’s constantly changing and rapidly evolving world is making implementation much easier. "Gamification has been going on in the workplace for a long time. What’s really changed in the last three years has been the new set of tools, technologies, design disciplines and frameworks that are allowing us to do gamification in the workplace in a more scalable and repeatable way. It’s also about understanding the evolving science of human engagement and interaction in a way that produces better long-term results," Zichermann concludes. Share this post with your own audience

If you want to see corporate marketing at its best and worst, look no further than edtech created "educator honors". These technology based programs that label and badge teachers as "ambassador", "innovative", "distinguished" or "certified" are considered "honors" within the education field as entry into these "elite" programs often represents a teacher who is not only doing brilliant work for kids and communities but also contributing to education both nationally and even globally through the sharing of that work. (As expressed in documentation created to promote the program) In addition, with professional development opportunities often incredibly lacking in districts, these programs often provide extensive PD and even financial support for conferences in exchange for teachers presenting, when districts can’t or won’t provide it. There is no denying that what these programs provide for teachers has some great impact and quite a few of them get it right and remain focused on the growth of the teacher…as defined by the teacher or program goals. Discovery Education does this like no other with the DEN Stars program! However, just as there exists a group of corporate designations that are honestly great, there also exists a group of programs that are not. Hiding behind the badge or a "branded educator" t-shirt, is often a marketing machine where teachers are literally used as social sharing pawns with the sole purpose of evangelizing the product and promoting its use both online and face to face. It’s the #1 edtech marketing attempt at spreading the message through community, while ironically proving that they have no idea what community truly means. Unfortunately, we as educators often don’t make the distinction. We congratulate and applaud the badge as if it has greater meaning than the pixels from which it was created. We view the "direct email to the company" as a sign of collaboration, never quite connecting the fact that they often need YOU much more than YOU need them…especially if it is a brand new product on the market. Hey teachers, your network of educators, conference voice and reach is like the edtech version of bitcoin…literally measurable in such a way that it can be connected to potential growth…for the company anyway. Remember, in this model, your growth doesn’t really count. That’s a reality for programs connected to sales or usage impact. If you’re lucky enough to be on a "feedback pathway", you’re likely testing product and providing input on your own time. We, the same ones who are looked upon in "tech spaces" as JUST TEACHERS, are giving our time and ideas to help frame someone else’s "innovation" because that’s who we are especially when it just might have greater impact in our classrooms. (It’s also really fun to put in a twittter bio or on a conference slide) I am not knocking these programs, badges or people’s desire to fill their CV with every honor imaginable. Believe me, many of them provide ample opportunity for teachers to share all over the world. I too hold a few "corporate" distinctions but this is not done so blindly. This is done only after reading the fine print and understanding what each program will mean for my own growth, work and community. Sometimes, I miss the fine print or even the bold print…especially when the program carries a name that means a great deal to me personally and it’s disappointing when you realize that something that you care about might be nothing more than a ploy to build a platform on the backs of teachers…through the lens of the fundamental work that we do. Hidden behind the words…ambassador, innovator, certified, distinguished… For the record, being an educator is just as thought provoking, creative and important as being a neurologist, engineer or any career path of esteemed importance where creative ideas are validated. We do not need to be "fixed". The system itself does. We do not need to have our roles defined through the creation of more programs that capitalize on our work. If you want to empower and applaud teachers…do it. Don’t hide agendas behind specialized buzz words. Instead, treat us as such. None of us would define an innovator as someone who follows a pre-conceived plan or rules so don’t use that word when the expectations underneath are anything but that. With that said, as teachers…we should always read the fine print before signing up for programs that may not be in the best interest of the profession. At the end of the day, we hold the cards and respect won’t happen until we demand it. Seeing all sides of the equation is a start…even if the endgame is the impact on students. At some point, we also have to care about the impact on ourselves…our ideas and voices in our schools, communities and global networks. By the way…a single branded program isn’t what makes the greatest difference for kids. YOU do. And that matters. Much more than being labeled…ambassador, innovator, certified, distinguished    

Way back in 2000, I purchased a very cool computer case that was perfect for traveling. It was called "The Lapdog", and it held my laptop, computer cables, chargers, and PalmPilot. The neatest thing about it was you could unfold it and use it on your lap while in an airport. It was well-made and sturdy, and all the business people in the airport asked me about it! It was made by Shaun Jackson Designs.The Lapdog, Shaun Jackson DesignsFast forward a few years, and Shaun Jackson designs launches Higher Ground to bring cases to the education market. I have been a fan of Higher Ground technology cases since they first launched. They were one of the first companies that understood how important it was to offer cases that would protect student laptops as one-to-one programs were rolled out in schools.I purchased a few Higher Ground cases over the years, as they expanded their line of products to include tablet cases and sleeves. However, from day one to today, the common component throughout their product lines has been a hard-sided protection model that is both light-weight and functional.I remember, at ISTE 2011, everyone received either a Higher Ground iPad 2 sleeve or a 15" Higher Ground laptop sleeve in their registration bag. There was all kind of trading going on! I still have my laptop case and it now houses my Dell XPS15 laptop.15" laptop sleeve from ISTE 2011Last week, Higher Ground sent me several cases that fit my current technology gadgets to review. It has been so much fun to explore their capabilities!Higher Ground currently has cases that fit in computer and tablet carts, cases that students can put in their backpack or carry separately, cases that allow students to use their devices while they are in the case, and traditional protective sleeves for devices.I will showcase what device(s) I will be using with the cases I received and provide a quick overview of the Higher Ground cases. IPAD PRO, MACBOOK, AND CHROMEBOOK I am always on the look-out for cases for my iPad Pro 12.9" tablet. The tablet is an odd size, but several cases from Higher Ground work perfectly for protecting it!The Flak Jacket Slim is both a sleeve and a carry case that works with the iPad Pro 12.9" and also the 11" Chromebooks. (Dimensions of laptop compartment: 12.25" x 8.75" x 1.25")This slim case will hold the device and, on the back, it has a handgrip at the bottom that students can use when carrying the case sideways. I also has a small pocket that can hold a small power supply or a cell phone.Front view of the Flak Jacket SlimBack view of Flak Jacket Slim with handgrip and pocketAnother case Higher Ground sent me that works with the iPad Pro, my Macbook 12", and a Chromebook (it comes in 12" and 13" sizes), is the Flak Jacket Plus. This carry case has a sizable front pocket for carrying the adapters and accessories.Flak Jacket Plus 12"A third item that will protect the iPad Pro 12", a Macbook, or a Chromebook is the new Higher Ground DropIn. The DropIn protects the mobile device when it is traveling in a backpack. It has a open top with a velcro strap, and allows easy access to the device. In addition, if students are carrying their books by hand, it simply feels like another book! The 11" DropIn fits a device up to 12" x 8.5" x 1.25".Higher Ground DropIn protective sleeveHigher Ground DropIn: top viewCHROMEBOOK, MACBOOK, AND HP STREAMThe DataKeeper is a case that allows the student to keep the 12" x 8.75" x 1.25" laptop in the case while they are using it. The laptop is held in place by slide-in front corners and elastic on the edges which help keep the case open and the laptop in the case while using the device. The outside has a pocket for pens, pencils, styli, and a cellphone. Higher Ground Datakeeper with computer insideFront of DataKeeper with pocket for phone and pens and ID slotLAPTOP AND CHROMEBOOK The Shuttle has been a staple in the Higher Ground line of products for a long time. This version, the Shuttle 2.1, comes in 11", 13" 14" and 15" sizes. The case allows students to keep their laptop or Chromebook in the case while using it. It "floats" on sticky feet in the case, which also allows for air flow, and is held nicely in place with straps while traveling with the laptop.The back of the Shuttle 2.1 has a large slip pocket and the front has a zippered accessory pocket that can hold power adapters, flash drives, dongles, and more. The shoulder stray attaches so the case is in portrait orientation when being carried which makes it easier for students to keep from bumping others and their device.Shuttle 2.1 front viewInside view of Shuttle 2.1A laptop being used inside the Shuttle 2.1CHROMEBOOKI own the 2014 version of the Dell 11" Chromebook. The Guardian is a new product that is a hard-sided shell with protective corners. It stays on the Chromebook, and can both fit in a cart of Chromebooks as well as protect the Chromebook if it is in a student backpack. To find out which Chromebooks this is available for, take a look the Guardian page on the Higher Ground site.Top view of Guardian for ChromebookBottom view of Guardian for ChromebookClosed view of Guardian for ChromebookOpen view of Guardian for ChromebookHigher Ground also has a tech backpack, cases for iPads, the Nexus 7, and additional cases and sleeves to provide protection for teacher and student mobile devices and laptops. So, if you are planning a roll-out of a 1:1 program, want to protect the devices you have in rolling carts, or simply want a great case for your own device, take a look at the Higher Ground products!    Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything