Learning is a creative process. We start with a question, a challenge, a problem, an opportunity or possibly simple or complex tasks. Then we go back to asking more questions. Because of what we want to do, accomplish or learn, our minds go through discovery and creativity.Recursive learning and CreativityThe focus of this tip is on Recursive Learning and Creativity. People learn recursively. We connect past experiences, with new experiences, and formulate new insights.  These then, become part of our new and improved expertise. Doing these repeatedly help us build skills, mastery and expertise.The compounding effect of incremental insights show us where our interest areas are,and where our vocation and our passion lie. People tend to do things that give them pleasure. What gives them pleasure allows them to pursue interests. Eventually and along the way, our expertise is rooted in our passions and vocations, whether we are consciouslyor just unknowingly pursuing them.Generating insights is normal and common. But deepening insights which is a creative process requires some level of intensity and penetration of desire. Is it difficult to attain? Not really.It is easily provided when it is incremental - thinking through your insights as it happensis where the epiphany is. It is like when you eat really great food at a 5-Star Michelin restaurant. It is at the moment when your taste buds savor the flavor - at that moment - where experience is highest. This is the moment of ecstatic insights, sometimes euphoria or the Aha!moment. This is similar to the feeling when one generates fresh ideas to change a product and improve services in order to achieve organizational goals. This is similar to the Aha! moment when one discovers the connection between two previously unrelated concepts.                                                                                                                According to David Jones, "Aha! moments may be sudden, but they probably depend on an unconscious mental process that has grown slowly." Jones argues further that we can't truly have new ideas, rather, we can connect existing facts or notions by observing others. The Social component of CreativityCreativity does not occur in a vacuum. Experts agree that while creativity or insight is a personal experience, "creative thinking is not so much an individual trait but rather a social phenomenon involving interactions among people within their specific group or cultural settings."By curating and sharing back to the community "prompt questions," members find it easier or faster to direct their attention to answers and therefore facilitate discovery and insights.The most intriguing part about prompt questions is that it sends or kicks off learners into an automatic recursive learning process. When we ask questions, our minds go on autopilot to find what we already know, then search outside what else we can know. This allows us to reflect and gain insights -- this is recursive learning or creative musing in action. This happens in milliseconds. Although this is most often unconscious, it is most effective in learning and gaining insights.Two phases of creative musingWe introduced the process called "Path2X trending" which means that as you add and record insights, you are able to see your "crumbs" - where you have been and what you have been thinking aloud, and the interests you are pursuing and the knowledge and learning that you are accumulating. In essence you are building expertise, but instead of a whimsical and tentative way, we allow members to see the trends of their insights. Here are the two phases of creative musing: 1. Generative phase - During this phase, one tends to generate different solutions to a given problem. Also known as the divergent phase, the creative mind is in a brainstorming mode and tries to consider a variety of ways in which a problem can be approached and a solution can be had. This is what we commonly call "out of the box" thinking.2. Exploratory/Evaluative phase - Also known as the convergent phase, during this phase the creative mind tends to focus on the best solution to the problem. No longer is the mind brainstorming ideas, rather, with surgical precision, it decides on what to do and faces the problem head on. According to Robert L. DeHaan, "During the generative process, the creative mind pictures a set of novel mental models as potential solutions to a problem. In the exploratory phase, we evaluate the multiple options and select the best one."ConclusionCreativity is the result of incremental and recursive learning. While we tend to think of it as an innate talent, it cannot be separated from the social context. As a matter of fact, it is enhanced by social interaction as observed from the curated "prompt questions" by TMN members. With "Path2X trending," members can focus and see the trend of their creative musings.References Robert L. DeHaan. Teaching Creativity and Inventive Problem Solving in Science. Division of Educational Studies, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322.  http://www.lifescied.org/content/8/3/172.full    David Jones. The Aha! Moment: A Scientist Take on Creativity. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore Maryland 21218-4363. https://books.google.com.ph/books?hl=en&lr=&id=pbZzl0V0s0YC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2& dq=aha+moment&ots=XmDDAuCR6d&sig=JE0yiMz6uOL3RyfQoR06MZljtQE&redir esc=y#v=onepage&q=aha%20moment&f=false     Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Learning is a creative process. We start with a question, a challenge, a problem, an opportunity or possibly simple or complex tasks. Then we go back to asking more questions. Because of what we want to do, accomplish or learn, our minds go through discovery and creativity.Recursive learning and Creativity The focus of this tip is on Recursive Learning and Creativity. People learn recursively. We connect past experiences, with new experiences, and formulate new insights.  These then, become part of our new and improved expertise. Doing these repeatedly help us build skills, mastery and expertise.The compounding effect of incremental insights show us where our interest areas are,and where our vocation and our passion lie. People tend to do things that give them pleasure. What gives them pleasure allows them to pursue interests. Eventually and along the way, our expertise is rooted in our passions and vocations, whether we are consciouslyor just unknowingly pursuing them.Generating insights is normal and common. But deepening insights which is a creative process requires some level of intensity and penetration of desire. Is it difficult to attain? Not really.It is easily provided when it is incremental - thinking through your insights as it happensis where the epiphany is. It is like when you eat really great food at a 5-Star Michelin restaurant. It is at the moment when your taste buds savor the flavor - at that moment - where experience is highest. This is the moment of ecstatic insights, sometimes euphoria or the Aha!moment. This is similar to the feeling when one generates fresh ideas to change a product and improve services in order to achieve organizational goals. This is similar to the Aha! moment when one discovers the connection between two previously unrelated concepts.                                                                                                                According to David Jones, "Aha! moments may be sudden, but they probably depend on an unconscious mental process that has grown slowly." Jones argues further that we can't truly have new ideas, rather, we can connect existing facts or notions by observing others. The Social Component of CreativityCreativity does not occur in a vacuum. Experts agree that while creativity or insight is a personal experience, "creative thinking is not so much an individual trait but rather a social phenomenon involving interactions among people within their specific group or cultural settings."By curating and sharing back to the community "prompt questions," members find it easier or faster to direct their attention to answers and therefore facilitate discovery and insights.The most intriguing part about prompt questions is that it sends or kicks off learners into an automatic recursive learning process. When we ask questions, our minds go on autopilot to find what we already know, then search outside what else we can know. This allows us to reflect and gain insights -- this is recursive learning or creative musing in action. This happens in milliseconds. Although this is most often unconscious, it is most effective in learning and gaining insights.Two phases of creative musingWe introduced the process called "Path2X trending" which means that as you add and record insights, you are able to see your "crumbs" - where you have been and what you have been thinking aloud, and the interests you are pursuing and the knowledge and learning that you are accumulating. In essence you are building expertise, but instead of a whimsical and tentative way, we allow members to see the trends of their insights. Here are the two phases of creative musing: 1. Generative phase - During this phase, one tends to generate different solutions to a given problem. Also known as the divergent phase, the creative mind is in a brainstorming mode and tries to consider a variety of ways in which a problem can be approached and a solution can be had. This is what we commonly call "out of the box" thinking.2. Exploratory/Evaluative phase - Also known as the convergent phase, during this phase the creative mind tends to focus on the best solution to the problem. No longer is the mind brainstorming ideas, rather, with surgical precision, it decides on what to do and faces the problem head on. According to Robert L. DeHaan, "During the generative process, the creative mind pictures a set of novel mental models as potential solutions to a problem. In the exploratory phase, we evaluate the multiple options and select the best one."ConclusionCreativity is the result of incremental and recursive learning. While we tend to think of it as an innate talent, it cannot be separated from the social context. As a matter of fact, it is enhanced by social interaction as observed from the curated "prompt questions" by TMN members. With "Path2X trending," members can focus and see the trend of their creative musings.References Robert L. DeHaan. Teaching Creativity and Inventive Problem Solving in Science. Division of Educational Studies, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322.  http://www.lifescied.org/content/8/3/172.full    David Jones. The Aha! Moment: A Scientist Take on Creativity. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore Maryland 21218-4363. https://books.google.com.ph/books?hl=en&lr=&id=pbZzl0V0s0YC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2& dq=aha+moment&ots=XmDDAuCR6d&sig=JE0yiMz6uOL3RyfQoR06MZljtQE&redir esc=y#v=onepage&q=aha%20moment&f=false     Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

This is the second installment of of my five-part blog series on helping members of TrainingMagNetwork understand their expertise better.We believe in unshackling our thinking and providing learners as much access to content and this is what this post is about.Trainers and content developers can no longer hold back learners from using other sources of knowledge. There is a breaking away from control as these new discoveries continue to sprout like mushrooms. This allows them to accelerate learning. It is in this openness that we encourage the learners to explore, create and develop.The Proliferation of Open LearningWe have witnessed the dramatic increase in open learning. If you have been following the online trends, you will have noticed the popularity of sites like Coursera, edX and other spinoffs. The dramatic decrease in cost of producing learning materials contributes to the proliferation of open learning.According to Caswell, Henson, Jensen, and David Wiley, "This marked decrease in costs has significant implications and allows distance educators to play an important role in the fulfillment of the promise of the right to universal education. At relatively little additional cost, universities can make their content available to millions. This content has the potential to substantially improve the quality of life of learners around the world."But the cost is just one aspect. While technology made open learning easy, it is the current attitude requiring more flexibility and collaboration in learning that made this possible. Rigid and traditional approach to learning is a thing of the past.  According to Liyanagunawardena, Adams, and Williams, "Connectivity is usually provided through social networking, and a set of freely accessible online resources provides the content or the study material... For example, MOOC participants may create their own blog posts discussing aspects of the MOOC in different spaces and/or may use microblogs such as Twitter to express themselves."eLearning pioneers like Jay Cross are advocating informal learning wherein unofficial and impromptu encounters between learners and people in the know take place. Jay posts that "formal training and workshops account for only 5% to 20% of what people learn from experience and interactions."If you are a lifelong learner, you can find free and open courses at Harvard Open Learning. Are you looking for a new recipe to cook for lunch? You can just head to Youtube, watch a video and turn yourself into an instant chef.We haven't witnessed this level of openness before and this is just the tip of the iceberg. With technological development mostly done in the open, the high level of interactivity required to respond to modern challenges and the attitude of modern learners all converge to spice up Open Learning. The concept of Open learning is far more vast than what we have witnessed and I believe the best is yet to come.The Philosophy Behind TrainingMagNetwork's Open Learning Richard Baraniuk shares his vision of open learning which led to the creation of OpenStax, an open-source, online education system which allows teachers to share and modify course materials freely and globally.Different programs have varied degrees of openness and diverse implementations of the concept of Open Learning.At TrainingMagNetwork, we allow the members to search over 50,000 blogs and resources (growing each day). We believe we can only serve the learners by enabling them to access quickly, assist them to search with prompt questions and discover what they want in the abundance of content. They drive the learning, not us or the designers or any form of formal structure. In fact, we don't have a hierarchical learning design that is typical of other associations and learning providers. We want to free our learners to follow their own passion and help them track their own studies.References Tharindu Rekha Liyanagunawardena, Andrew Alexander Adams, and Shirley Ann  Williams. MOOCs: A Systematic Study of the Published Literature 2008-2012. July 2013. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1455/2531    Tom Caswell, Shelley Henson, Marion Jensen, and David Wiley. Open Educational  Resources: Enabling universal education.February 2008. The International Review of  Research in Open and Distributed Learning. http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/  article/view/469/1001   Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

This is the third installment of the five-part blog series about the The All-New TrainingMagNetwork.com Open Learning Environment.At Training Magazine Network, we capture the crumbs of insights as they happen. This level of self-awareness enables our members to keep track of their train of thought. While in webinars, reading white papers, watching videos, etc., members can quickly record the ripple of their insights. They also encourage real-time noting, sharing and tracking of other members' insights. Savor the moment. As members go through all types of content that they find interesting through the help of a powerful search engine, they are constantly encouraged to record their insights as it happens. The key idea is to allow them to document what piqued their interest at the moment. Their learning preferences and interest areas are captured by the system. This provides them a unique perspective of their pursuit of expertise.Why Evaluate Insight?The idea behind evaluating one's insight is established by a huge quantum of studies. Organizations discover that giving appropriate feedback enhances personnel's ability to grow. As a matter of fact, neglecting a good evaluation or feedback mechanism is a recipe for disaster. According to Jane Bozarth "We often treat evaluation as an afterthought, focus on measures that offer little real information, or, when the effort looks difficult, just don't do evaluation at all. In looking at evaluation strategies, choose those that will get you what you need. Are you trying to prove results, or drive improvement? And above all, remember: some evaluation is better than none."  A founder of Triad Consulting Group and a lecturer at Harvard Law School, Sheila Heen delivers a talk on the importance of feedback. Giving the right kind of feedback takes center stage in sharing and tracking of other people's insights.Technology-Enhanced Feedback MechanismThere are a lot of advantages in using technology as a feedback mechanism. First of all, the time and distance constraint is easily overcome. A good LMS (Learning Management System) can easily incorporate feedback mechanisms like forums where learners can discuss the ripples of insight.Through this mechanism, peer learners can easily assess and give feedback on each other's ideas. This can be personalized even in a large group. On top of that, real-time tracking of feedback is easy with fast data transfer.   The Training Magazine Network is soon to release the first-of-its kind member service we call Path to Expertise or Path2X. It incorporates a technology-enhanced feedback mechanism.  References Jane Bozarth. Nuts and Bolts: How to Evaluate e-Learning. OCTOBER 5, 2010  http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/530/nuts-and-bolts-how-to- evaluate-e-learning   Jane Bozarth. Nuts and Bolts: Useful Interactions and Meaningful Feedback. DECEMBER 7, 2010. http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/597/nuts-and- bolts-useful-interactions-and-meaningful-feedback    Sarah Davis. Effective Assessment in a Digital Age. Effective Assessment in a Digital Age. http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20140613220103/http://www.jisc.ac.uk asd/media/documents/programmes/elearning/digiassass_eada.pdf    Effective assessment in a digital age. https://www.jisc.ac.uk/podcasts/podcastpress- release-effective-assessment-in-a-digital-age-06-sep-2010   Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Have you ever shared your thoughts with someone? On a grander scale, have you tried sharing your work or a potential masterpiece with like-minded people? Sharing your work simply means that it is where your mind is at. It is where your expertise can be found. The patterns of your insights showcase your expertise areas.Of course you can imagine the satisfaction you get when you receive the approval of people you respect. But the approval of like-minded people is not the only thing. Rather, it's making your work bigger than yourself that matters.    In this fourth installment of my five-part blog series about The All-New TrainingMagNetwork.com Open Learning Environment, I'm going to talk about the importance of sharing your work. The Internet and a good portion of its supporting technology has been the result of open sharing of ideas.Inevitability of Sharing InsightApart from the climate of openness, we can't expect to enjoy what many would consider to be the greatest invention of modern times. Buzzwords like "open source," "collaboration," and "crowdsourcing" are all synonymous to the sharing of ideas and the climate of openness thatit entails.Although the effort to share one's ideas is not something recent, modern development made it easier to collaborate. According to Josh Lerner and Jean Tirol in their book The Simple Economics Of Open Source, "While media attention to the phenomenon of open source software has been recent, the basic behaviors are much older in their origins. There has long been a tradition of sharing and cooperation in software development. But in recent years, both the scale and formalization of the activity have expanded dramatically with the widespread diffusion of the Internet."On a more limited scale, programmers have been sharing source codes as early as the '60s and the '70s and this has been called "sneakernet" due primarily to the actual movement of files through people wearing sneakers. I'm sure you can imagine the inconvenience but you get the picture. There is no way ideas can be prevented from getting shared.Matt Ridley shows that the great progresses experienced by human history have been the result of collaboration or the "meeting and mating" of ideas.I like the book Show Your Work by Jane Bozarth. It suggests a profound change of our outlook. When we share our work, we actually learn a lot better.I recall a story from a toxic waste company client about how they apply "Chalk Talk." After each training they ask participants to use chalk and blackboard (may be flipcharts, white boards and markers) to talk about what they have learned.This is a powerful self-learning process that enables the learners to articulate what they know and correct themselves along the way. Let's call this the digital tracker.At TMN we allow members to capture trends and patterns. They discover and learn and track what they are good at and they show it off in the "Trending Report."How is Openness Beneficial to Organizational PerformanceThe advantages of collaboration to organizations are enormous. Bozarth opined, "Showing work offers increased efficiencies, the possibility of innovation and increased ability to improvise, and promises correction of longstanding deficits in organizational communication."In another study, Martine R. Haas and Morten T. Hansen proposed that, "An organization's  capacity to share knowledge among its individuals and teams and apply that shared knowledge to performing important activities is increasingly seen as a vital source of competitive advantage in many industries."While it's nice to think about the solo working genius, it's undeniable that we are at a time when certain problems are just too big for the individual to solve alone. We need the insights of other like-minded people whose expertise are in other areas.ConclusionThe pattern of your insight is a clear predictor of where your expertise lies. While the solo genius presents an attractive picture, sharing these insights expands your horizons. It is only through openness that ideas take on a new life because they meet and mate with other ideas. Innovation becomes possible and inevitable when ideas are shared. Problem-solving is facilitated by not one person but through the contribution of others.References Martine R. Haas and Morten T. Hansen. Different Knowledge, Different Benefits: Toward A Productivity Perspective On knowledge Sharing In Organizations. Strategic Management  Journal.   Paul Hendriks. WhyShare Knowledge? The Influence of ICT on the Motivation for Knowledge Sharing. University of Nijmegen, TheNetherlands.   Josh Lerner and Jean Tirol. The Simple Economics Of Open Source. NATIONAL BUREAU  OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH. 1050 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02138. March  2000.   Jane Bozarth. Show Your Work: The Payoffs and How-tos of Working out Loud.   Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

In the previous tip we talked about sharing your insights. In this fifth installement of the five-part blog series about The All-New TrainingMagNetwork.com Open Learning Environment, we will talk about presenting yourself as an expert and specialist of a specific field.TMN members can share with friends, peers, leaders and if they wish, in the world of social media like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. We encourage TMN members to announce and celebrate their accomplishments.On the other hand, people with whom members share their achievements are likewise provided the facility for feedback by sharing ideas and comments. Mobile apps and digital watches are so good at this. Their entry to the market is by providing people immediate/instant feedback - whether they are walking, running or consuming calories.Feedback is key for people to correct and achieve their goals. In the Path2X (Path to Expertise), our members accomplish this through Path2X eShare.Path to Expertise ProgressThe classic resume is static. It is insufficient because it fails to provide the reviewer a better perspective of the capabilities and experiences of an applicant. With teams, leaders have no immediate way to assess capacities,  status of ongoing learning and new skills developed by team members. They have to wait for evaluation and assessments which may happen only once a year.In Training Mag Network we try to provide a dynamic way for leaders and members to update interests and skills development. TNM members share their Path2X progress with their leaders, bosses, friends, peers and team. These people are able to comment and have discussions with the member/owner of the report. They can drill down into what resources the TMN member has "actually" studied, reviewed and submitted insights to. Members can share the Path2X report as often as they like. The Path2X Progress Report helps the member "celebrate, announce and demonstrate" their deliberate efforts in building skills and expertise.The graphics below is an illustration of the Path2X Progress Report.The Importance of VisibilitySeth Godin talks about connecting with the customers and standing out as an expert in this short clip of an interview with Bryan Elliott.In the world where competition is the norm, how do you stand out against everybody else? Nowadays, it's not enough to be good at something or be connected to someone, you have to standout. According to William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson, "In today's workplace, creativity has trumped loyalty; individuality has replaced conformity; pro-activity has replaced hierarchy. Those who succeeded were aware of their talents and confident enough to use them to stand out and consistently deliver value to their teams.References William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson. Career distinction: stand out by building your brand.  Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Big news from Udemy this week. Starting April 4th, 2016, the price of all courses published on Udemy’s platform will be capped at $50 (click here to see their official announcement). This was a big decision for them to make, one that will likely affect thousands of online instructors who are selling their courses on Udemy’s platform. One of the biggest concerns current Udemy instructors have is how this change will impact their sales. After all, many courses on Udemy are currently priced at several hundred dollars (up to a maximum of $300). With the new changes, they’ll be forced to bring it down to the same price as other courses. Understandably, many instructors are upset about this. In this post, we’re going to look at the arguments for and against Udemy’s pricing changes, and then talk about how you can actually use this to your advantage if you’re an online course instructor on Udemy. Note: If you can’t read the full article right now, download our workbook on using Udemy’s new pricing to your advantage. Big changes to the pricing model at #Udemy. Here's how to use it to your advantage. #teachonline Click To Tweet Why Udemy changed their pricing The short story is that the majority of Udemy students never pay full price for a course. Here’s what Grégory Boutté, the VP of Content at Udemy said about their current pricing model: "Today, prices are inconsistent and complicated for students. List prices range from $9 to $300, but the reality is that 90% of sales occur with a coupon code, and at a price less than $50." Since its inception, Udemy has been notorious for running promotions with large discounts on their courses. In fact, it is not uncommon for them to promote courses at 80% or even 90% off to their database of customers. In doing so, they’ve basically trained their customers to never pay full price for a course. Instead of paying full price, most customers simply wait to receive an email with a promotion before making a purchase. Their new pricing model will help put a stop to that since they will also be changing their discount policy: "Course discounts, for both Udemy coupons and instructor coupons, will be capped at 50% off; we will also continue to support free coupons." This data is backed by other top instructors on Udemy, who agree that the massive discounting was a problem. John Colley, who teaches courses on entrepreneurship and business strategy, thinks that the new policy helps solve that problem. "I think Udemy is repositioning itself, in the market, to get away from this very heavy discounting strategy. And that is only going to be a positive thing for instructors." Scott Duffy, another big proponent of the new changes, agrees that once the massive discounting culture goes away, instructors will start seeing more impulse purchases at full prices. "We should start seeing students come to the site and just buying things. Not looking for a coupon, not looking for sales or bookmarking a course, but seeing something they want and buying it instantly. It will take some time for that to develop." Phil Ebiner, who sells his courses for $300, never gets organic sales at that price. So he actually decided to test out the new pricing by dropping his courses to $25, and he started seeing more organic sales from them. "By decreasing the course prices to under $50 and limiting it to just 7 options between $20 and $50, instructors will have a better idea about how much to charge, just based off of the limited options. Students should feel more comfortable to buy courses whenever, and not just during sales. I’m excited about the next price changes and feel like it was the best option for the long run of Udemy’s success (and the success of instructors)." Why some instructors don’t like the new pricing Now, it makes sense that a $50 cap won’t negatively affect course sales for those who never make full-price sales anyway. However, there’s a section of instructors who actually make full price sales of their courses (at $300), and it’s these instructors that aren’t happy about the changes. James McAllister is one such instructor. He teaches courses on online business and entrepreneurship, and he consistently makes sales at his price point of $197. When we spoke to him, this is what he said - "The problem with Udemy’s new pricing approach is that it completely disregards the segment of Udemy’s instructor base that brings their own customers to the platform. Some of us have spent months or even years building credibility with our following and can justify the higher price point - not only because our following has been engaged with us for so long, but because we actually know how to sell the value of our courses." Simon Kloot, a professional trader who creates high-quality financial trading and investment courses, says that selling his courses at $50 or less would actually lower its perceived value. Many similar courses are worth thousands of dollars and Simon has found success selling his courses at Udemy’s maximum allowed price. "Selling my course for $50 or less actually cheapens the content and people start to question whether it has any value at all. The thing is, unlike some of the free or extremely cheap financial courses on Udemy, I am not directing traffic to a more expensive course. What you see in my course is the whole package on how to trade from beginning to end. It is why I only ever wrote one course and why I feel it has more value than a whole series of courses that some instructors seem to churn out." Simon has a really good point because we’ve seen how pricing plays a huge role in buyer’s psychology. Higher priced products are typically seen to have more value than cheaper products. That’s why people prefer to pay hundreds of dollars for an authentic iPhone, instead of a cheap knock-off. Higher priced courses have a higher perceived value than cheap ones. #teachonline #onlinecourses Click To Tweet Another major consideration is that online courses are not completely passive. The really good instructors have assignments and quizzes, and are constantly in touch with students, coaching them through the course. As Leilani Joy says, this takes up a lot of time. "On Udemy, I was offering a 6 week art school training course, that requires me to work directly with students and provide hands-on critiques of assignments. $25 per student ($50 subtract Udemy’s 50% cut) is not even minimum wage for my time." This is the reason why millionaire course creators like Marie Forleo and Ramit Sethi don’t use Udemy, and instead, opt for their own branded site. They’ve spent years building credibility and thousands of dollars (hundred of thousands in Ramit’s case) on creating impeccable courses. Plus, the attention they give to each student is worth far more than the $25 they’ll receive from Udemy. It would simply ruin their business. What’s the verdict? Clearly, there are pros and cons to the new pricing model. Some instructors say it will help bring in more organic sales while others correctly point out that it will devalue their advanced courses. So the big question is are these changes good news or bad news for Udemy instructors? The answer is it depends. If your goal is to generate a significant income by selling courses on Udemy, you’re going to have to sell a lot of courses to make that happen. Udemy is simply not the place if you want to make it to the level of Marie and Ramit. But if your goal is exposure, publishing your course on Udemy does have some advantages… If your goal is exposure, there are some benefits to selling your course on #Udemy. #teachonline…Click To Tweet How to use Udemy’s pricing model to your advantage If you’re a current instructor on Udemy, this change to their pricing model isn’t necessarily bad news. Yes, you won’t be able to make more than $50 from a single sale of your course, but just because you can’t sell your course for more than $50 doesn’t mean there is no reason to publish a course on Udemy. Udemy is a very large platform, with millions of students from around the world. So there is value having a presence there, at least from a personal branding standpoint. Publishing a course on Udemy gives you exposure to hundreds, maybe even thousands of potential students whom you would not have been exposed to otherwise. For that reason, we’re not going to tell you not to publish any courses on Udemy. How to use the new pricing model at #Udemy to your advantage as an online instructor. #teachonline Click To Tweet Here is what we will tell you: if you’re going to publish your course on Udemy, publish the beginner version of your advanced course. For example, if you have a course that contains over 7 hours of video training (along with mentoring, personal support, access to your private Facebook group, and other things) that you can confidently sell for several hundred dollars, publish a version of that course that does not have the additional mentoring and bonuses and sell it on Udemy at a much lower price. This way, you get exposure on their platform without giving away all of your valuable knowledge, support, and expertise for an inexpensive price. And you still make a bit of money too. Heck, if all you care about is the exposure, you could even make your Udemy course available for free. If the students who take your mini course want to take their learning to the next level, invite them to check out your longer, complete version of the course (just make sure you do so without violating Udemy’s terms of use). Many of the top instructors on Udemy, like Sarah Cordiner, Vanessa Van Edwards, and Johnathan Levi follow this strategy. Sarah publishes mini-courses on Udemy just for the exposure, and then upsells them on her full course, hosted on her own branded website (powered by Thinkific). As Sarah says in her Facebook comment, Udemy is a marketplace and not an LMS (Learning Management System aka online course platform). While you can make money on it, that’s not the point of it. The point is to get exposure to a huge audience and grow your brand. It’s really a marketing channel. Once you have that exposure, and you’ve built up a brand, you can bring your audience over to your custom branded site they can buy your higher-priced courses. The point of #Udemy is to get exposure, not to make money. #teachonline Click To Tweet What if you want to sell your online course for more than $50? What do you do if want to charge more than $50 for your course?What if you want to charge $300? $500? $1,000? If you’re like James, Simon or Leilani, you might already have a full-fledged course and you don’t want to create a mini-course just for Udemy. Your course deserves to be sold at a higher price. In that case, the simple answer is: don’t publish your course on Udemy. You’ve likely spent years acquiring the knowledge and skills that have enabled you to create your course in the first place. If you provide enough value in your course to justify and confidently charge a higher price (a price that customers are willing to pay), then you should most definitely have the freedom to charge whatever you want. That is the basic premise of a free market economy, isn’t it? If you want to sell your online course for more than $50, don't publish it on #Udemy. #teachonline Click To Tweet Instead, use a platform like Thinkific, where you have full control over your courses, students, and pricing. No one is going to stop you if you want to charge more for your course. You can create a $2,000 course like Arel Moodie, and sell it with a 6-month payment plan of $375/month. The bottom line At the end of the day, Udemy is a marketplace and they get to control your students and prices. That’s their business model and they can change it if they feel like it helps their business, their instructors, and their students. Only time will tell whether this move makes sense. Fortunately, you as an instructor have an option. You don’t have to stay with Udemy if you don’t want to. At the same time, you aren’t in a contract with Udemy, meaning you can sell your courses there as well as on your own site with your own pricing. Our verdict? You don’t have to pick one or the other! Use Udemy as a marketing channel to drive traffic to your branded site where you can create a real business. With Thinkific, you can create your branded site in less than an hour! The post Udemy’s New Pricing Model: How To Use It To Your Advantage As An Online Instructor appeared first on Thinkific.

"Hope, you’re lying to us," Cecilia pointed at me. Veronica nodded her head in agreement. "You obviously know Spanish!" Let’s rewind a bit. I’m on day two of a two-day "Leading with Presence" program with participants who work at a bank in Mexico City. Because Spanish is the language in which they conduct business, I have the participants tell their stories in Spanish. These stories are personal stories—profound, even humorous moments of learning and emotional insight from their individual lives. And I don’t understand a word of it. Let’s be clear: the only Spanish I know is the kind where you walk into a restaurant and order agua and maybe a strong drink that starts with an M and rhymes with "señorita." So no, I don’t speak Spanish. But somehow, my participants are convinced that I can understand them. Why? Because despite the differences between Spanish and English, all of us speak a universal, time-tested language: expression. Expressive Techniques as Part of Presence While storytelling relies on strong Reaching Out and Self-Knowing (the R and S of The Ariel Group’s own PRES model), it also relies heavily on the E—Expressive skills. You’d think that this situation would be terrifying. Mortifying, even. But, it was actually exciting. If you think about the captivating presenters you’ve seen, you’ll probably recognize these same expressive techniques. There’s even research to back up the anecdotal power of expressive techniques. According to research conducted by UCLA professor Albert Mehrabian, in some cases what resonates with audiences isn’t what we say; it’s how we say it. His work is often oversimplified, but his research does provide the following insight: 7% of message pertaining to feelings and attitudes is in the words that are spoken. 38% of message pertaining to feelings and attitudes is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said). 55% of message pertaining to feelings and attitudes is in facial expression. My experience in Mexico City illustrates at least some of Mehrabian’s findings. One at a time, my participants told their stories in front of the group, and in a language I do not know. Yet, I followed the stories almost perfectly. I was able to follow the emotional arc of the story and the basic plot points through the expressive techniques they used. So well, in fact, that I was able to coach them on their deliveries. "Now, Luis, this story is about a young chef you used to mentor, correct? I want you to add a longer pause and more eye contact right after he unrolls his knives. Let’s see how that impacts the audience." Luis looked confused. "How did you know that’s what my story was about?" "Because I followed the story through the expressive tools you used. You pantomimed putting on an apron, you acted out unrolling the knives and dicing onions, you spoke softly to indicate that you were concerned about this young chef, and so on." "But the words…" Luis protested. "To an extent, the words are irrelevant if you’re being expressive enough." It was one of those moments. The kind of moment where I just taught more with a single action than I could have with hours of words. Since the dawn of civilization, people have used expression to communicate when they have no other shared language. In a more current context, think about your favorite TV shows or scenes in movies. Can you tell if a character is upset, nervous, scared, excited, even if the volume is muted? That’s the power of expression - and it’s as relevant today as when the first explorers reached the shores of distant lands. The takeaway? Even without shared language,  communication isn’t only possible, but can be enlightening, as well. Expressiveness can improve engagement and help overcome communications obstacles. It can add life to your stories. And it lends an air of authenticity and humanity to your presentations. So now that you see the value of expressiveness, you’re probably wondering - what techniques can you start using now to incorporate it? Eye contact: Focus on sharing a complete sentence or thought— with just one person —while giving a presentation. This will help create mini-connections between you and members of your audience. Change the tone: A change in pitch, attitude, or strength, such as really expressing your frustration or your excitement, will help the audience stay engaged. Speed: If you are at a point in your presentation where everything stops….it just goes quiet…rambling through that won’t make the moment as palpable. Experiment with speeding up and slowing down — and even taking pauses — during your presentations. Incorporate facial expressions and deliberate body movements: If you ever watched an actor "smell something odd," his face is telling the story more than the words. In the same way, if a person is talking about hitting a homerun, getting into the "stance" of the baseball player and taking a swing will help bring the story to life. What expressive techniques do you use? Have you been able to understand someone who speaks another language because you relied on their expressive skills? Let us know in the comments, and let’s keep the communication going. The post The Value of Expression appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related Stories5 Ways to Calm Your Nerves for PresentationsInside the Ariel Classroom: How Scared Should You Be?4 Presence Skills Salespeople Need 

The post Infographic Resource: Humans + Robots appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related StoriesInfographic Resource: Four Presence Skills Salespeople Need4 Presence Skills Salespeople NeedUse Presence to Stand out in Sales 

The most important skill for a salesperson is to build rapport and develop trust. In research surveys, it is always at the top of the list. ("Duh! Really?!? Tell me something I don’t know.") If you are a sales professional, you know that in your gut. The question you need to ask yourself is: what comes before trust? Presence. Presence - the ability to connect authentically and build relationships that inspire forward action - is each salesperson’s key to developing trust. In sharpening your presence, you differentiate yourself from competitors and make more of a positive impact with clients. Unfortunately, there is often lop-sided thinking from many sales professionals - and the leaders who manage them. Too much of the time there is an extra heavy focus on methodology and process. While methodology and process are important, and act as a helpful roadmap to good sales conversations, it’s our presence that activates those conversations, makes them memorable—and most importantly—impactful. Often, the competencies that make up presence are considered "soft skills" - and people assume that either you have them or don’t. However, there is a hard, objective way to teach people what presence is and how to develop it. Here are four tactics that will take your presence from good to great and sharpen your skills in building rapport and developing trust:   Communicate Your Unique Value  Neuroscience research tells us that we make decisions about who we like, trust, and what we buy with the emotional part of our brain. If you want to build trust, share what you care about it, why you care, and what you uniquely bring to your clients. Various experts speak and write on this topic, the most famous, as of late, is Simon Sinek - the author and speaker who asserts that the best leaders, marketers, and salespeople "Start with Why." There are millions of Sales Representatives (or Sales Executives or Account Managers or Client Specialists, or whatever your title is) in the world. To distinguish yourself, figure out your why. Why do you care about being a salesperson? How do you approach a client relationship that is specific to you? What unique skills do you bring to your sales role? Why might your client care? Answer these questions in a concise and compelling way. Then find ways to authentically communicate it to your clients.   Manage Your Physical State In poker, everyone has a "tell" - an unconscious signal that you are bluffing. The reverse is also true: You may be 100% honest with your client but something in your body language may be indicating otherwise thus diminishing your ability to build trust. Identify and adjust any blind spots you may have in how you carry yourself - especially when meeting a new prospect or during challenging client conversations - that may be perceived as less than credible.   The Voice - It’s Not Just For Singers Some research indicates that vocal tone (the intonation of your voice as you speak) accounts for less than half of the impact of your message. Often overlooked, your voice is a tool with which to carry emotion and meaning to better communicate your message. A quick short cut to using your voice is to focus on what you want your client to feel about your message. Make a specific choice: I want to warn/challenge/console/empower my client.   Do More Than Listen. Be Curious. Everyone in sales talks about listening to client needs. No brainer. Now, build a deeper relationship by bolstering your curiosity. Tap into your inner child and keep asking why. Why do they have that need? Why is it important to them (or other stakeholders) to make a change? Why would a change be beneficial? Don’t be so quick to get to the "what" and "how." Allow a deeper sense of curiosity to shift your listening to build a more authentic connection and add value by exploring the why behind your client’s needs.   These are just some of the tactics you can use to develop your presence and with them, clients will trust you enough to have a robust dialogue about their strategy and challenges. Then can you can weave in your methodology and process to take the relationship to the next stage.   Want to know about our Sales Presence product? Go here.    The post 4 Presence Skills Salespeople Need appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related StoriesUse Presence to Stand out in SalesLet’s Support Emerging Leaders Part 2: Creating a Program for High PotentialsLet’s Support Emerging Leaders Part I: Working at the Individual Level 

      The post Infographic Resource: Four Presence Skills Salespeople Need appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related StoriesInfographic Resource: Humans + Robots4 Presence Skills Salespeople NeedUse Presence to Stand out in Sales 

Want to stand out from your sales competition? Teach your team presence skills. Presence is the ability to connect authentically with clients, build trust and inspire forward action. It can ignite your existing process and methodology and differentiate your team from others. To learn more about the impact presence can have on your sales team — and your company’s bottom line — read my blog Stand out From Your Sales Competition with Presence on The Baron Group blog. The post Use Presence to Stand out in Sales appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related Stories4 Presence Skills Salespeople NeedHow Sales Presence Impacts ClientsSpreading Positive Gossip: The Power of Third-Party Praise 

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The Association for Talent Development (ATD) conducted research into the skills, challenges, and trends in instructional design. As they state, the primary purpose was to focus on instructional design competencies and the designer’s role in talent development. ATD conducted a survey of 1,381 instructional designers and has released a whitepaper on the top competencies required to be effective in the profession.  ATD used this information to determine if there has been a shift in the instructional design field, especially as a result of the constant evolution of technology. Interestingly, the research did not show a significant change. Determining learners’ needs and designing training programs remain the core competencies.   You can read the full report (or just get a better view of the one-page infographic on the research results) on the ATD website.   

The reality of compliance training for most organizations goes something like this: Legal responsibilities and regulatory requirements continue to increase, budgets shrink, and seat time pressures rise — not quite the formula for a winning training solution. Here are 5 top tips for maximizing your compliance training experience. How To Maximize The Impact Of Your […] The post 5 Top Tips To Maximize Your Compliance Training Experience appeared first on PulseLearning.

Michele Osinski is a 5th Grade Teacher at Temecula Valley Unified School District. She's been to 6 EdTechTeam Summits featuring Google for Education and we wanted to know what keeps her coming back for more! She just came full-circle back to Las Vegas a year later after 6 Summits! Her partner in crime is Rosalinda Jaimes, and together, they are the TechFairies.3 Reasons to Return: Confessions of a JunkieThe most interesting thing about being a life-long learner, to me, is that even after 30 years of teaching, I am never satiated. I am never stagnant. I MUST know more, and often to the detriment of my need for sleep, I feel like I must know everything. Before he passed, my father asked me "How do you know all of this stuff? You didn't go to college to learn about computers!" Honestly, I learned by doing (shout out to Cal Poly!), as I hope my students will. My students know that I know some things, but I am happy to learn right alongside them as we continue integrating more technology into our classroom. I am a teacher who very much believes in student choice and autonomy, and have found that Google tools help me to facilitate teaching and guiding learning in these ways.So, backtrack to November of 2014 when I saw a tweet or post or got an email (or who knows how or where) about a "Google Conference" in Las Vegas. It had been a while since I’d been to Vegas, and I am always looking for an excuse to travel. I approached my classroom-neighbor and co-teacher, Rosalinda, waving the "Las Vegas carrot" in front of her and told her we HAD to go. We are blessed with a forward-thinking principal who agreed to pay for our registration fees and we agreed to pay for our travel expenses. There was a price, however: we had to agree to train our site’s teachers. This was an easy trade as we knew how hungry our colleagues were to grow in order to help their students grow. Our district had gradually switched over to being a GAFE organization, and we were feeling fairly confident in our implementation of a few things, but we knew there had to be more. Oh, yes. There is more. So much more.We arrived Saturday morning at the Southwest Career and Technical Academy really having no idea of what we were in for. By the end of the day, we were looking at each other, astounded, and had trouble putting into words what we were feeling. We’d been bitten by the Googlebug. BADLY. On Monday (hey, we had to play a bit!), we headed home… planning all the way. We talked and talked and Ro typed copious notes as I drove. We had a lot to try, and thankfully our students were exceptionally curious. As it turned out, they were more than willing to jump into the deep end of the Googlewater with us. Neither of us was afraid of asking them to learn with us and teach us what they discovered. We also knew that our fellow educators in Temecula Valley needed a EdTechTeam Summit. We immediately began the process of convincing our district-level administration that this needed to happen. On the eve of my fifth Summit, HERE IN TEMECULA, I was asked to share why I keep coming back. I warned the EdTechTeam that I’m a writer, but I’ll do my best to keep this as focused as possible.Reason #1: The information. Things change so fast. There is always something new. Through social media, we are kept abreast of most changes, but with only 140 characters, most of the in-coming information needs more investigation. Which leads me to the next reason - which really should be #1, but it didn’t flow as well…Reason #2: The people. The EdTechTeam and the other people I have met, be they presenters or fellow-attendees share the same passion that I do: we want the best for our students. We want them to be prepared for their futures; we need to help develop flexible learners who can collaborate and communicate well. The people I have met at the Summits have become friends and mentors, and we are able to stay connected through social media. I feel completely supported in my endeavors to stay abreast of all of the new information and hope that I can do the same for others. I feel encouraged to go back to my colleagues and my students and push them to try new things.Reason #3: The format. As stated before, I learn best through participation. Sitting and listening to lectures is not going to work for me, let alone interest me. I have been thoroughly engaged in all of my sessions and encouraged by presenters who offered opportunities to put new ideas to work immediately. Whether a presentation is focused on tools to make instruction or management easier or tools for our students, each has ideas that can be implemented in my classroom the next day.So there you have it. Three reasons why I keep coming and WILL keep coming back for more GAFE Summits. Coming full circle, in February, I attended my SIXTH GAFE Summit - as a presenter - in Las Vegas, where it all began. I was able to sit alongside new-to-all-of-this teachers in a few of my sessions, see the shock and awe in their eyes, and help them along. I made more new friends and grew my PLN; I enjoyed hanging out with my "tribe". I just submitted my "Request for Presenters" for the Pomona (LA County) Summit in March. It is so FUN to find passion for something new this late in my career. And, I feel privileged to support "experienced" teachers who may be resistant to or afraid of technology. There is nothing easier to adapt to than Google Apps for Education.Confessions of a Google Summit Junkie.

This is a guest post by Christopher Pappas, founder of The eLearning Industry’s Network - the largest online community of professionals involved in the eLearning Industry. Christopher holds an MBA and an MEd (Learning Design) from BGSU. Amongst other things, Christopher is an eLearning Blogger, EduTechpreneur, eLearning Analyst, Speaker and Social Media Addict.   A blended learning experience combines face-to-face instruction with virtual games, interactive videos, and other web-based resources. This approach can offer a vast array of benefits, but only if you find the right tools for the task. In this article, I’ll share tips that can help you find the perfect tech tools for your blended learning course.   Blended learning is used by non-profit organizations, private learning institutions, and companies large and small. It is such a popular approach primarily because it capitalizes on the power of technology, without sacrificing the more personalized aspects of instructor-led training. One of the main challenges that online facilitators face is finding the right tech tools for their blended learning programs. In this post you’ll find 6 top tips for choosing the ideal software and online training platforms for an effective blended learning strategy. Identify your business goals before choosing your tools. The tools you ultimately choose for your blended learning course must serve one all-important purpose: supporting your business goals and objectives. Thus, before you actually select your tech tools for blended learning, you must clearly identify what you hope to achieve. Are you trying to boost the performance of your customer service staff? Do you need your sales team to boost their annual earnings? Do your employees need to become more proficient in a specific skill set? Sit down with your managers, staff, and any other key players to figure out how the technology must help you achieve your business objectives. Otherwise you may end up with a top notch tech tool that offers an abundance of features, but none of them are really suited to the needs of your organization. Try before you buy. Many eLearning software vendors offer a free trial or demo so that you can try out the interface and features before you purchase the software. You may even want to choose a few employees, supervisors, and department heads to take the online platform for a test drive, just to make sure that it lives up to expectations. Also, don’t forget to ask your IT department to try it out in order to gauge the functionality and flexibility of the tool. This can help you narrow down your list of potential blended learning tools and help increase your eLearning ROI. Survey your learners to discover their preferences. Conduct surveys, focus groups, and interviews with members of your staff to learn as much as possible about their preferences, tech experience, and learning needs. Figure out which devices they use on a regular basis, as well as their level of comfort with technology, in general. Some employees wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without their smartphones, while others may still be getting used to the idea of using mobile devices. It’s important to find tech tools for blended learning that are going to serve the learning needs of every employee, not just the ones who are "digital natives". Create a list of must-have features. It’s wise to create a list of features that your new tech tool for blended learning must have, so that you can whittle down your list of choices more quickly. Once you know exactly what your tech tool must do in order to serve its purpose, you can then take a closer look at all of the options and figure out which online platforms are an ideal match for your organization. You may also want to create a list of features that you would like to have, but don’t necessarily need, for example more advanced integration options. This list can actually serve as a tiebreaker if you are debating between two tools; the one that checks more of the boxes on your "want" list is probably the best investment. Ensure that it is intuitive and flexible. The tech tool you choose for blended learning should be user-friendly and flexible. Employees should be able to access the online training activities with ease, and the interface must be intuitive. Keep in mind that some of your corporate learners may not be familiar with online training. Thus, they are likely to become frustrated if the online presentations are difficult to navigate or there are no instructions to guide them through an online exercise. If your Learning and Design department wishes to implement blended learning in corporate training using this tool, you must keep employees’ skills and experience in mind as well. Ensure that the online platform offers them the perfect balance of flexibility and creative freedom, so that they aren’t limited by the software or unable to use features that are too advanced. Increase your ROI by opting for tech-forward tools. To make sure that you get the most out of your tech tools for blended learning, you must consider the needs of your organization now and in the future. If you invest in a tech-forward tool, you won’t have to purchase new software when the technology changes or modern advancements become available. Thus, it can scale with your organization instead of holding you back. It’s essential to carry out an in depth needs analysis before selecting your tech tools for blended learning, as this will allow you to predict where your organization is headed. More modern tools may require a larger investment, in some cases, but they can save you the expense of having to upgrade your software in the near future. Many vendors even offer free updates, particularly regarding cloud-based Learning Management Systems.   Use these 6 tips to choose the tech tools that are just right for your blended learning strategy, regardless of your corporate learner’s needs or your budget. Also, keep in mind that Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is also an option if you want to take a blended learning approach in your corporate training but don’t have the necessary budget.   Even if you are ready to use blended learning in your corporate training programs, are you aware of the difference between blended and flipped learning? Read the article Blended Learning vs Flipped Learning: Can You Tell The Difference? to discover the difference between these two approaches and useful tips on how to create an effective instructional design strategy for each.   Want to read more? Sign up to get our latest posts! The post 6 tips to find the right tech tools for your blended learning course appeared first on LearnUpon.

In the current turbulent environment, many organisations are prioritising risk management as never before. However, according to the newly released Global Risk Report 2016, organisations are still not fully internalising cyber security risks. Despite cyber‐dependency being stated as one of the most important trends shaping global development over the next 10 years, organisations are only just waking up to the technological risks involved.

Here are the new courses we added to our Manufacturing Training Library last month. You can also just check all of the titles in our following libraries: Industrial Maintenance Power & Utilities All Convergence Training e-learning courses We’ll keep announcing new courses each month as they roll out, so stay tuned for more. You can watch samples of the new courses below, or contact us to set up a demo and view full-length previews. Operator Basic Care Lubrication Basics While you’re here, why not download our free guide to effective manufacturing training? The post New Manufacturing Training Courses Available: Operator Basic Care; Lubrication Basics appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

An early project.---------------------- Once I've taken the time to figure out the opportunity costs of particular scenarios and a decision regarding direction has been made, I start breaking down what needs to happen to get from here to there.------------------A valuable lesson I learned while working on my Master's Thesis is how to break down a large effort into manageable chunks.My Master's Thesis, by itself was 96 pages and 3 chapters.  I started with....well.. nothing.The deadline I set for myself was May 1994.I was starting in September 1992.I had a rough idea of what I was going to do for my thesis.Because I was going in with a rough idea of what I wanted to accomplish and the time I wanted to accomplish it in, I could project plan.- Leverage coursework assignments as research.  This made every individual assignment an opportunity to complete the research portion of the project - as much as possible.  I considered this a mini-phase.  Also - the course attendance time was used as what would now be considered as Initiating and Planning phases.- For the actual Execution phase - I separated the thesis into the 3 main chapters plus the introduction and conclusion.  Dr. Stephens and I set deadlines (milestones) for each phase.- Closing - the phase closures were the reviews of the individual chapters. Final closure of project was the Master's defense, formatting and submission to the library.Note to future grad students, when providing a culinary example...mark it clearly.  One of the other professors, expecting coffee, got a very unpleasant surprise when he consumed the beverage I had created.-------------------------How does this work in our Learning Architecture?Let's take the example of an architectural direction to reduce from 3 LMSs to 1 solution (often this will be an LMS, but not necessarily - especially with some of the technologies that are now available and the increasing maturity of the xAPI spec) Project 1: Requirements collection / LMS inventory  This is the project where we collect requirements and get an inventory of what is being used and by whom.  The final deliverables are a requirements document, an LMS capability matrix of our existing solutions and a baseline architecture - including access and reporting (what are each of those LMSs connected to.  You could do this during source selection, but our organization is finding that doing this separately allows people to focus on the conversation and what they  need - separate from any solution that is in the environment or the shiny thing they found at a conference.Project 2: Source selection Depending on the opportunity costs and budgetary constraints - this is where you decide which LMS you are moving to.  This could be either an entirely new LMS (with the advantage of putting everyone on a level playing field) or using an existing LMS (with the advantage of having familiarity with the tool in-house). Or maybe not even an LMS at all.Project 3: Solution Implementation  If the organization is using an existing LMS, this could be the project where you move the people using the other 2 LMSs into this solution.  If the organization is using a NEW LMS or an entirely different solution, this is where you would implement that  and begin moving the other LMSs into this one.  Depending upon resources and organizational appetite for change, you may want to separate moving LMSs into a separate project or series of projects.As part of the solution implementation - make sure that in your task list that you are accounting for any integrations that need to occur such as single sign on integration and business intelligence integration.  If you don't have those in your current environment, you might want to consider each of these as separate projects themselves. Project 4: LMS DecommissionIf I were doing this in my current environment - I would have 3 separate decommission projects - 1 for each LMS. I have found that making a specific, separate decommission project ensures that each stakeholder group gets the attention they deserve + helps to reduce the number of lingering legacy zombies we have in the environment.  More aggressive organizations would do this during the implementation and not need a separate project for this.Just one way of thinking about breakdowns.The goal is manageable chunks with a beginning and a free-standing end.Big enough that you are actually getting something done.Small enough so you can keep track and not drop anything.And you want to do this across all of the domains of your learning architecture.Because your learning architecture isn't just the LMS.Or, at least, it shouldn't be.Disclaimer: this example does NOT reflect what our organization plans to do. It is just an  example.

"Life's a journey with problems to solve, lessons to learn, but most of all, experiences to enjoy." (somebody very smart)I am a Google Certified InnovatorThis time last week, I was on my way to Mountain View, California to embark on an experience that is difficult to put into words. Well, I think I might have two words "Mind Blown" (*drops mic*).  Besides the excitement of my birthday (Feb. 24 - which happened to be a school snow day), I had the opportunity to join 34 other educators, from all over the world, who possessed the same passions, dedication, and mindset that I do about technology and innovation, making meaningful connections along the way. This group of educators were selected as Google Certified Innovators, (formerly the Google Certified Educator program). We are the first cohort to experience the new certified innovator program, so it was quite an honor. Although the academy was held in Mountain View at Google Headquarters, and Google is a tech company, this academy was very little about tech, in fact it was more about mindset. (however, I did get to experiment with a ricoh theta 360 camera). The academy was more about, "How do we spark innovation, change our way of thinking, learning, building relationships, and school culture."You must unlearn what you have learned"-Yoda All of the stories you have heard about the fabulousness of Google is all true! From riding your bike across the campus, all you can eat eateries, volleyball games in the courtyard, nap pods, and even heated toilet seats. As Google guests, we reaped all those benefits. I get Googley just thinking about it. But there might be some things you didn’t know about Google.  Google has specific beliefs about learning based on data. Google’s philosophy is "make our place the best place to learn."  This hit home for me, as I connected it to my role as a technology coach working with students and teachers everyday.  Google believes:Learning is a process: people develop over time through practice, feedback, and reflection.Learning happens in real life: It occurs through the challenges people face everyday.Learning is personal: Everyone has their own motivations and preferences about how, when and what they learn. (by the way, nothing is mandatory at Google)Learning is social: It happens as people interact with and teach each other. (Peers, teams, cohort, informal, and formal settings)Happy employees are more productive, so they believe in finding the best people, growing them, and keeping them. EQ Schools Founder and Chief Happiness Officer, Roni Habib stopped by to talk to us about happiness and emotional intelligence. He shared some great teamwork and "happy building" activities we could implement in any classroom or PD day. He put it best, as he talked about students, "We shouldn’t just teach content, we should teach our students to be happy." Ultimately, that’s what any parent wants for their child, and that’s what we really want for our students. Happiness. It’s just that simple. Imagine if school districts across the country embraced that same mindset? Classrooms full of teachers and students who felt that their happiness and well-being was always at the forefront of the minds of the national and state level educational policy makers, school board members, and district administrators. I wonder what impact that might have on education? (Things that make you go hmmm....) A little about the program:As Certified innovators we are developing an innovation project for a problem in education that we want to solve. In exchange, we receive 12 months of ongoing support for our innovation project, a mentor, opportunities for growth and collaboration, and access to a global community of other innovators. Ultimately, the opportunity to Transform, Advocate, and Grow. "The goal of the Innovation Academy is to build community and trust, create connections with Coaches and Advisors, get inspired by Googley culture, and prepare to complete their Innovation Project within 12 months."The beginning:This was actually my first time applying. I had heard about the Google Certified Educator Academy, but the academy dates seemed to always conflict with my schedule, plus I felt it was a goal that was too difficult to obtain. There are only 1300 people in the world who have this credential. I have been a Google Certified Trainer for years, so when I heard about the opportunity to attend the academy at Google Headquarters in Mountain View California, I was pumped. This by far was the most extensive program application I have ever completed, because it required me to dig deep and embrace my passion. I had to really think about how I could truly impact and spark innovation in my school community and ultimately globally. Take a glimpse into my application. Vision Deck:Vision Video:Before the Academy: As soon as I received my acceptance email into the Academy, the journey and work began. We spent the weeks before preparing for the academy by building community through virtual team building activities, and extensive tasks. Each week we were given a different mission card with several tasks to complete. Our first task was to view each innovator’s video and vision slide decks.  Then to our surprise, we all received a mini breakout Edu box in the mail. Figuring out what to do with the boxes became our next challenge. My partner was Matt, from Wisconsin, he was awesome, and we immediately connected. By the time we got to Mountain View, our cohort had completed 4 mission cards, and probably exchanged more than 500 emails, hangout chats, and tweets. (We were a very connected chatty group)The Academy:We had so many powerful global leaders, heavy hitters, innovative speakers, and powerful conversations.. They just kept coming… We had sparks (inspirational talks), then sprints (speed work time), hypercamps (an edcamp 1st cousin), then reflections, dance battles, and magic tricks...we built prototypes, brainstormed ideas, had courageous conversations, and sometimes went really far outside of our comfort zones. And.It.didn’t.stop. and I didn’t want it to.  I was truly at a "nerdfest" and I loved every minute of  it. As I said earlier, "Mind Blown"! Here are a few of the nuggets of knowledge I took away from the academy."He who knows others is wise, but he who knows himself is enlightened"I learned about myself, and about the others around me. I found my tribe, and we made deep connections. Each innovator was placed on a team. We had a team cheer, name, symbol, and walk-up song. Our symbol was the Peace sign, so my team will be forever known as the Black Eyed P.E.A.C.E. (Passionate, Educators, Always, Collaborating, Effectively)Our coach  Jay Atawood, introduced me to Derek Sivers. "what’s obvious to you, is amazing to others". Often times we think our ideas are too simple, or just too obvious, and that everybody knows what we know, but the truth is they don’t, so you shouldn’t be afraid to share your passion, or hedgehog. Jay compared the fox and the hedgehog. A fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. Take your skills, values, and passions, and find your hedgehog. "Be like a postage stamp, Stick to one thing, until you finish it" - Josh Billings Jennie Magiera reminded me to always remember the Why. Why do we do what we do? Sometimes you can’t share the why, because it can be overwhelming to others. But it’s important to always "keep your eye on the why". Keeping your "eye on the why", prioritize the things that matter the most. Your "Big Rocks", - big ideas, and organize your "Pebbles"- the must-do weekly items that will support or get you to the "Why", and then make time for the "sand" all that other unscheduled stuff, (social media, emails, etc.). Gina Rosales, the Google X Marketing Manager taught me about Moonshot thinking- a series of amazing audacious things. Moonshot thinking is all about solving a huge problem that affects a lot of people by launching moonshot technologies that make the world a radically better place. In order to have moonshot thinking, you have believe that the impossible is possible. You have to learn to say Yes, and… instead of Yes, but… You have to fail fast, and kill the bad ideas quickly, to move on to the good ones.Mark Wagner, Google Edtech Team, taught me that our future as educators is in the past, and this is only the beginning for our students, but by "blending science and technology with the heart of a teacher, you can make the future better".Kevin Brookhouser author of the 20 Time book,  talked about giving students more freedom in what they learn and how they learn it. If we show students that their work has value, beyond the work they are doing, and how it affects the lives of others in their community, their learning has purpose. One of my biggest takeaways came from Danieta Morgan, an Instructional Systems Coordinator from New Visions for Public Schools in NY. She taught me about overcoming fear. Fears have the ability to break you and hold you back, and control your mind. Most of time these fears are just in your mind, and are not necessarily real. Resist fighting fears, but instead, dance and play with fear and let it take you wherever it wants to go. "We can resist fear and get hurt, let it run our lives, or we can "dance with it." I started off this journey with a vision to change the way learning looks in the classroom, I now realize a major part of that change involves a change in mindset. I am now inspired and full of creative confidence. Now the real work begins. This journey has not been easy - in fact it has been quite the challenge, but through these challenges I have become better, and more inspired.- P.BrownI thank you for being a part of my journey.

I first learned about the flipped classroom model at METC probably 4 years ago, and immediately went to work researching … ok honestly Pinteresting like a madwoman … trying to learn about this instructional strategy. I was really looking for honest feedback on the flipped model from a teacher who had actually implemented the strategy. […] The post I Wish I Would Have Known This Before I Flipped My Classroom : 4 Flipped Classroom Tips from a Second Year "Flipper" appeared first on Teaching with Technology.