The Edgar Dale Myth recently resurfaced in a TED Talk, indicating that TED talks--though doing a great job preparing the speaker to be engaging--don't fact check. Here is the offending TED Talk, with the erroneous information starting at 5:48. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ecQDX1XOw As chronicled on this blog since 2006, and on a precursor website since 2002 (12 years ago), the Edgar Dale Myth is pernicious, dangerous, and seemingly immortal. See the following link for the original post: http://is.gd/EdgarDaleMyth Special thanks to JC Kinnamon, PhD for pointing out the offending video to me. JC has been a long-time compiler of the Edgar Dale Myth, and I thank him for his continued efforts! Crazy Thought Perhaps there is a silver lining in the continued resurfacing of these myths. For years, I've seen these myths as completely detrimental to our field--something to squash with crusader-like zealotry. But the speaker in the TED video got me thinking. Perhaps these myths have social value. Perhaps when a myth surfaces, we are receiving an important signal that the conveyor of the myth is a lightweight--that it is very likely that he or she (or they) really don't understand learning at a deep level. One of the things I hope everybody in the learning field understands is that, first, there is good research and there is bad research; and second, that people who cite research fall into two categories. Some people seek the truth in the research and report what they find. Other people seek research to prop up their previously-held beliefs, to "demonstrate" the benefits of their products or services, or to cast themselves in an aura of credibility. Yes, it's complicated! And everybody suffers somewhat from unintentional confirmatory bias, but caveat emptor, we as professionals have to be careful in assessing research claims. Science is built on skepticism. Professional practice should utilize a healthy dose of skepticism as well. The speaker at the TED talk showed that he couldn't be trusted to know learning at a deep level by his use of this phony Edgar Dale "research." And then he double-confirmed it by asking his audience to play word bingo. He gave everybody a bingo card with words on it. Then he had people keep track of the words he was saying. When someone got all the words in a row, column, or diagonal he had them stand up and say BINGO, with applause from the audience. Anybody who knows learning knows that his word-bingo game distracted the audience from the main points of his message, hurting learning. The use of the Edgar Dale myth by the speaker was an accurate portrayal of his lack of deep knowledge. He may have had some valuable things to say otherwise, but how could we be sure--indications were not good. Is there a silver lining in the re-occurance of these myths? I've tried to convince myself in writing this that there might be some benefit, but the benefit comes only to those who know that the myths are myths!!! And, for the benifits to accrue, those of us who are out there trying to squash the myths must continue to proselytize and educate. Indeed, for our field to maximize its positive influence, each and every one of us must be hungry hunters of good research, skeptical assessors, and eager communicators. So, send this blog post to those who are open to continuous improvement. SMILE  

I've been an observer of elearning for almost 30 years. I've seen brilliant, compelling, effective elearning. I've built some pretty damn good elearning too. And yet, after four decades of human effort to improve elearning, there's still way, way, way too much mediocre elearning created each year. A lot of us have been grumbling about the sorry state of elearning for a long time. Michael Allen, Clark Quinn, and Julie Dirksen and I have had numerous discussions through the years. Finally, having become so uncomfortable with the unmovable status quo of elearning--and feeling a responsibility to do something, anything--we got together last year to strategize on how we could bend the curve of elearning, to help elearning fulfill its promise. Next Wednesday, we will reveal the result of our efforts. You can get a little hint of what we've come up with by the name of the effort's website. eLearningManifesto.org In a very real sense, Michael, Julie, Clark, and I are mere compilers of the research and work of many. What we've done is to channel the wisdom of scientific researchers, world-class elearning designers, and elearning thought leaders. We have developed a set of values and principles that great elearning--what we're calling Serious eLearning--should possess. We've reality-checked these principles through the feedback of a representative sampling of the world's best elearning--and learning-and-performance--advocates. Below, I will share our list of Trustees, but let me conclude by sharing my hopes for this effort: That a serious, persistent, and meaningful conversation begins. That more-and-more of us take responsibility to improve elearning. That elearning developers have a guide for elearning design and deployment. That elearning buyers have a set of guidelines to help them procure effective elearning. That graduate schools emphasize the highest levels of elearning design principles. That trade organizations certify at the highest levels of elearning competency. That elearning lives up to its incredible promise for transforming the lives of students, employees, and citizens of the world.   Trustees: (listed in alphabetic order) Clark AldrichManaging DirectorClark Aldrich Designs, LLCCammy BeanVP of Learning DesignKineoMohit BhargavaPresidentLearningMate Solutions (Canada) Ltd.Tony BinghamPresident and CEOASTDJane Bozarth, PhDELearning CoordinatorState of North Carolina, USABryan ChapmanChief Learning StrategistChapman AllianceTamar Elkeles, PhDChief Learning OfficerQualcommJoe GanciCEOeLearning JoeJudith A. Hale, PhD, CPTCEOThe Institute for Performance Improvement, L3CJane HartFounderCentre for Learning & Performance TechnologiesDavid S. HolcombePresident & CEOThe eLearning GuildLarry Israelite, PhDVice President & ManagerCorporate Learning and DevelopmentJohn C. Ittelson PhDProfessor EmeritusCSU Monterey BayPhilip G. JonesVP, Managing PartnerTraining MagazineKarl M. Kapp, EdDProfessor of Instructional TechnologyBloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PATony Karrer, PhDCEO/CTOTechEmpowerConnie MalamedLearning Strategy ConsultantThe eLearning CoachM. David MerrillEmeritus ProfessorUtah State UniversityCathy MooreTraining Design ConsultantBob MosherChief Learning EvangelistAPPLY SynergiesKoreen PaganoLearning ConsultantMarc J. Rosenberg, PhDMarc Rosenberg and AssociatesDr. Allison RossettProfessor Emerita, Educational TechnologySan Diego State UniversityRoger SchankJohn Evans Professor Emeritus, Northwestern UniversityCEO, Socratic ArtsPatti Shank, PhD, CPTAuthor, President, Learning Peaks LLCDirector of Research The eLearning GuildEric ShepherdCEOQuestionmarkClive ShepherdLearning TechnologistOnlignment LtdRoderick Sims, PhDDesign AlchemistKnowledgecraft, AustraliaBrenda Sugrue, PhDChief Learning OfficerKaplan Performance SolutionsDonald H. TaylorChairmanLearning and Performance InstituteSivasailam Thiagi ThiagarajanResident Mad ScientistThe Thiagi GroupReuben TozmanCEOSlideJar Inc.Ellen WagnerPartner and Senior AnalystSage Road Solutions LLC  

Andy Jefferson, Roy Pollock, and Cal Wick have done it again--written a book on how to ensure training transfer and business results--and they're going to preview their book (AND OFFER A 20% DISCOUNT) in two webinar's next week. Book details: This all-new book was developed in response to readers' and participants' requests for additional cases, tools, and "how-to" guides for maximizing the value of training and development.  It contains 43 cases from a wide range of industries and training types from five continents. More information and the table of contents are available on Amazon. No-cost webinars: March 17th at noon EST and March 18th at 9:00 pm EST.   Register here --> https://the6ds.webex.com Attendees will receive a 20% discount code on the book from Wiley.

So, it’s that coveted time of year again in the life of a teacher—summer vacation! Time to chill and participate in some much needed and well-deserved recreational activities to recharge those batteries. In addition to sinking those feet into the sand while sipping on fruity umbrella beverages, hanging out at a campfire with friends or doing whatever it is that you do to unwind, the next few months can also be used to acquire and/or hone digital skills necessary to transform teaching and learning in your classroom. Hopefully, you have set a few goals of your own for the upcoming year focusing on technology integration. If not, here are a few suggestions that can surely help to power up your knowledge: » Attend an edtech event and/or follow one from afar via Twitter. For example, the ISTE Conference is being held in Atlanta on June 28-July 2. Can’t make it? Participate virtually with ISTE Live or follow the official hashtag: #ISTE2014. » Register for a face-to-face course or workshop. If you live in the Pittsburgh, PA area, consider participating in the Alice Institute being held at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science at the end of June. It should be a great learning experience for those interested in teaching programming/coding skills to students. I know I’m super excited to participate! » Can’t attend the Alice Institute? No problem. You can still teach yourself to utilize a coding tool or app so you can share this knowledge with your students. In the process of learning programming languages, students acquire many other important skills—mathematical and computational concepts, problem solving strategies, and new ways to write "stuff" such as interactive games, animations and simulations. In other words, Computer Science isn’t just about jobs at tech companies, it provides foundational learning for a wide variety of careers. Plus, it’s the new literacy for the 21st Century. Just think— you could be responsible for shaping the next Mark Zuckerberg! OK, take a deep breath. It’s really not as scary as it sounds, especially if you experiment with one or more of the endless programming tools available online. A few of my favorites include Codecademy and Code.org but if you’re interested in becoming a hacker, check out 40+ tools compiled by EdSurge here . Another great resource for locating resources to teach students coding can be found on the Educational Technology and Mobile Learning blog. There are also several popular apps that can teach kids to code—Hopscotch, Daisy the Dinosaur and Cargo-Bot are a few fan favorites. Check ‘em out using the links provided. And one more thing: Some of the latest studies indicate that the number of jobs for programmers and computer scientists in our society is growing rapidly, with demand far outpacing supply. Just sayin’! » Join the latest edtech movement by enrolling in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). This relatively new phenomenon is becoming increasing popular among both adult learners and high school students. Check out Coursera, a platform that offers 400+ courses created by the world’s top educational institutions such as Stanford, Yale and the University of Michigan to name a few. Want to get really adventurous? Build your very own MOOC using iTunes U. Not only can you share this course with your students, but it can be made available for anyone who lives on the planet. Wouldn’t that be cool? » Take the Thinglink Challenge, a free, self-paced, online summer professional development opportunity designed to help teachers transform classroom learning and e-learning with interactive images created via the Thinglink web tool. Don’t miss your chance to experience a digital makeover using media-rich instructional resources while interacting with a super awesome facilitator and edtech guru, Susan Oxnevad. » Become more savvy with a mobile device such as a phone or tablet and then… Select an app to highlight cool summer events—vacations, picnics, activities, etc.—then use this same app for a classroom integration activity. For instance, create a pretty nifty medley of trip pics utilizing the PicCollage app (one of my faves). Use this same tool to design a collection of images and text to demonstrate knowledge of a historical place or figure. Check out the 9 Powerful (and FREE) Tools to Boost Summer Learning article by Lisa Johnson (TechChef4u) for additional extracurricular and instructional examples that will surely prove to become digital treasures for the upcoming school year. Great minds think alike! » Speaking of apps—If you live in PA, consider registering for an iPads in Education course offered by Eduspire. I’ll be co-facilitating one of these awesome PD sessions at IU16 on July 8 with Jim Gates, one really happening edtech guy I’ve admired since becoming involved in the Classrooms for the Future initiative several years ago. Yeah, so I’ll be living the dream for at least four days this summer! You should consider joining us. If these days don’t work, check out other options—as well as additional course offerings—here. » Collect information and resources to plan a "flipped" lesson—one in which students first study a topic themselves via video lessons and then apply the knowledge in class by solving problems and completing practical work. Need more info about flipped learning? Google it! Seriously, you will find anything you could ever imagine in order to make it happen—explanations, examples, rationale and much more! » Become a digital hoarder. OK, just kidding! But you really should consider becoming a curator of digital content found on the web using a tool such as Scoop.it. It’s an excellent way to visually collect and share a variety of useful resources. Check out my 21st Technology Integration collection here. » Build a PLN on various social media sites—Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn—in order to stay in tune with the latest tech trends. In addition to some of the individuals I’ve already mentioned, your edtech starter kit should definitely include Richard Byrne, Aunty Tech, Med Kharbach, Gwyneth Jones and Martin Burrett to name a few. The info that can be gleaned from following and/or interacting with these superstars and their respective blogs and sites is invaluable. » Read a tech integration book. I highly recommend checking out Untangling the Web by Steve Dembo and Adam Bellow. » Subscribe to the Edutech for Teachers blog by clicking the "Follow" button located to the right! » Follow Edutech for Teachers on Twitter and Facebook! So, there you have it—some recommendations for transforming yourself into an edtech rock star for the upcoming school year! No excuses—just tech the plunge! Trust me, you’ll be glad you did—and so will your students!

Yesterday March 13, 2014 (25 years and 1 day after the internet was born) the Serious eLearning Manifesto was released. As one of the "authors" of the Manifesto, I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of passion around the issue of elearning's unrequited promise. Below I will share some of the endorsement statements so that you can see first-hand the dedication of folks in the elearning field. The Manifesto The Manifesto is an attempt to provide people and organizations in the elearning industry a lever to radically raise the effectiveness of elearning. Helping elearning buyers (CLO's, training managers, CEO's, Deans, School Superintendents) demand better elearning, by pointing to the Manifesto's 22 principles as ideals to be achieved or worked towards. Helping elearning designers and developers by providing design and deployment guidance. Helping elearning vendors guide clients to better elearning designs. Helping elearning shops find the leverage to get resourcing and support for truly effective elearning. Helping graduate schools provide guidance on curriculum decisions. Helping trade organizations develop credentials, provide workshops, and make programming decisions.             To read the manifesto or to become a signatory and endorse it: eLearningManifesto.org          To see the Manifesto release video: Manifesto Release Video   First-Day Endorsements by Signatories You can read these and more--and see who wrote them--by clicking here. "I wholeheartedly agree with, and endorse this manifesto.  This is what is needed to turn the eLearning industry around and on it’s head, so that eLearning can be meaningful and appropriate to meet the needs of users and their educational requirements." "This Manifesto finally puts what the eLearning professional strives for into a concise format that can be used as a daily commitment to quality." "It is important that each of us, in our own organizations as well as our own personal commitment, strive to improve our industry and set higher standards. The Manifesto is a step towards this goal." "What really speaks to me are the principles that have been outlined. There are many ideals here that I have tried to live up to, then there are those I want to live up to, and a few that I haven’t yet thought of to explore. In a time when budgets often are the first thing that matter in organizations, it’s more and more important to prove and show your worth and value to an organization.  Implementing these principles into each of the solutions that we create for our organizations will and can only solidify our true value." "The work we do in helping people learn is ‘sacred’ work. If we just create content heavy, learning poor courses we fail in our responsibility." "The manifesto is based on solid, empirical evidence that supports what we should be doing when we build our e-learning." "It’s not about training - it’s about performance. I agree with the manifesto." "People know what lawyers and accountants do and how to buy from them as providers of professional services. e-learning is a younger and far more misunderstood industry. The manifesto codifies what good practice looks like and I hope that we can build from this to giving learners great experiences that shift organisational performance." "I commit to developing eLearning that falls in line with the Serious eLearning Manifesto. I also commit to encouraging others on my immediate team and in my organization to commit to these principles." "I endorse the principles of the eLearning Manifesto and believe the importance of using these principles to ensure eLearning meets the amazing potential available for real learning to solve real problems." "Bravo!  Finally an ‘agile manifesto’ for the eLearning community.  These principles will help all of us focus on performance rather than design ephemera…and stay relevant." "These principles and guidelines are helpful to not only remind eLearning designers and developers of the important aspects of creating effective eLearning. It also helps us by providing support when we need to explain our new designs to clients." "The eLearning Manifesto represents a step forward for the field of eLearning.  It accurately reflects the vision we, as eLearning developers,   need to adopt in order to move away from ineffective practice and towards the realization of eLearning’s full potential." "Exquisitely concise and pragmatic! Implementing even a fraction of the ideas in the Manifesto will make a dramatic difference in the kind of eLearning coming into the world." "I heartily endorse this manifesto. It supports the research that is available and the 22 guiding principles will definitely lead us as practitioners to develop higher quality learning events." "I’ve been frustrated with bad eLearning for years.  If clients, stakeholders and subject matter experts agree to follow our lead and accept these principles we can finally improve performance.  Furthermore, my hope is that the authoring tools we use adopt these principles in the development of their software." "I’m a TV producer new to the eLearning industry and every single point you’ve made is exactly what we’ve been saying to our clients.  It’s fantastic to see these values backed up by industry heavyweights who have done the background research to prove their points. The eLearning industry SO needs to be disrupted because so many content suppliers seem to have an attitude that says, "Hey, I know the courses we’re building are based on tech levels from the 70s but that’s what the buyers want.  And we’re making pretty good dough, so ix-nay."  Really? Thank you so much for calling out the complacency in the eLearning industry. Long live the Manifesto." "The eLearning Manifesto provides a solid foundation on which all eLearning content should be created. If you’re wondering why your eLearning is not producing positive results - odds are you are not following the guiding principles in the Manifesto." "I am a television and online video producer and new to the elearning world. My first task was to investigate current standards and what I found transported me twenty years into the past to the dawn of Power Point. The manifesto is clearly needed for learners, the end users, the audience, those that are here to be engaged by the content we design and create for them to improve their lives. Thank you for your dedication to a positive  elearning experience and creating a manifesto that puts elearning on a new path to a bright and exciting future." "I vow to hold the Serious eLearning Manifesto as the new standard for all eLearning modules produced by our eLearning team. We are committed to interactive, real life scenarios and simulations for improved performance on the job.  Now, the Manifesto will help us make our design and development more powerful in our workplace!" "It is tremendous that four great practitioners took time to formulate these principles and best practices! In addition, the list of Trustees is a "Who’s Who" of eLearning. This initiative will be a great boon to set standards of quality in our field!" "The Serious eLearning Manifesto says in writing what we’ve all been whispering to our industry peers for years: eLearning is broken! We’ve had the awareness, knowledge, and skills to fix it for some time, but this coordinated effort and the Manifesto’s principles will boost our desire to act through shared accountability and best practice." "I have longed to see some recognition of the sorry  state of current eLearning. Certainly there are shining examples of what it can be, but so many examples exist that illustrate how utterly woeful the norm has become. We can do better in meeting the promise that online technology presents us with. The Principles associated with the eLearning Manifesto reflect what we need to start implementing if eLearning is to reach it’s potential. Performance, not content; context, not generic; and consequences, not canned feedback are some of the principles we need to start incorporating as best we can within the constraints imposed in work and education. I wholeheartedly endorse this effort for the sake of this profession."  

Have you ever said something out loud that results in that "Have you seriously lost your mind?" look? If not, then you’ve probably never told a group of colleagues that one of the best forms of professional development is—drum roll, please—Twitter. And yes, I’m so totally serious! I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend some of the best edtech conferences, workshops and trainings on the planet with some of the biggest names in the edtech world—all of which have been very beneficial. Yet, my go-to place for continual learning of invaluable information highlighting best practices, innovative thinking, instructional strategies and the integration of technology is this uber popular social media platform. Call me crazy, but I honestly learn more and more every day about how to improve my craft by reading the tweets the members of my PLN (the professional learning network which consists of individuals I follow) share across this network—articles, thoughts, opinions, inspiration, quotes, images, and more! And the best part? It’s quick (with a 140 character max per tweet), free, available 24/7 and you can connect, collaborate, discuss, exchange and even debate all sorts of ideas with your virtual colleagues—all in your PJs (or bikini) if you want! Chances are that if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably already aware of the value of Twitter. And that means you’re either most likely an addict like me (Hey, it could be worse, right?) or a wannabe tweeter who’s not quite sure how to enter the dark side. Either way, these super cool resources—The A-Z of Twitter for Educators Infographic by UKEdChat and the The Educators’ Ultimate Twitter Guide - 2014 compliments of Sue Waters and The Edublogger—will certainly either reinforce what you already know to be true, teach you a new trick, or kickstart that urge to become a hashtag fanatic! Classroom Connection: Educators need to be consumers of information—constant seekers of current and relevant content in order to avoid becoming stagnant or complacent in our profession, but most importantly, to become the best we can be for our students. That said, use this post and the resources provided to build a PLN using Twitter—one that will most definitely deliver a plethora of links and recommendations for teaching and learning. Twitter Image Attribution: Twitter for Education wikispace. Check out this resource for additional materials and info!

My friend, Jonathan Kaye, elearning-guy-extraordinaire, has posted the first parody of the Serious eLearning Manifesto--and I am proud to share it with you. Read his dLearning Manifesto principles (in this blog post) to get a LOL experience.  

As Quincy Jones once remarked, "I’ve always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain’t that the truth." That said, Edu-fun Friday is a series devoted to adding some humor to the lives of teachers who visit this blog. Even though it’s summer, there’s still nothing better than ending the week on a positive note! Plus, do we have some of the best topics to provide us with some comic relief or what? They think of every angle, don’t they! A shout out to cartoonist Mark Anderson for sharing this edutech humor!

If you're going to the eLearning Guild's Learning Solutions Conference this coming week in Orlando, come join me--and say hello! I'll be speaking in three sessions: Featured Session (F2) Subscription Learning: A Fundamentally Different Form of eLearning Time: Wednesday March 19, 10:45AM Details on the session Slides for the session Over 300 people are expected to attend. Get there early for a good seat! Concurrent Session (105) Serious eLearning Manifesto (Also with Clark Quinn and Michael Allen) Time: Wednesday March 19, 1:00PM Details on the session We will hand out paper version of the Manifesto at the session (there are no slides) Morning Buzz (MB31) Time: Thursday March 20, 7:15AM A casual conversation about the eLearning Manifesto and Instructional Design Note: Look for Clark Quinn, or Michael Allen's name (as mine is not listed), but I'll be there!  

Teaching Students to Be Better Annotators Infographic When asked to share the hardest part of teaching good highlighting and annotation skills, teachers said: "Teaching kids that highlighting is not painting the barn." —Patricia B. "Getting students to understand the different aspects of text worthy of notation—main idea, significant detail, theme, etc." —Melissa W. "Convincing them it’s necessary." —Amy S. With these comments in mind, We are Teachers  created the Teaching Students to Be Better Annotators Infographic, which provides ideas for teaching annotation in the classroom. Why Annotate? Annotation has some big benefits for readers and writers alike: It slows down those super-speedy readers who are racing to the finish line. It helps students make connections. It encourages students to ask questions and find evidence, both of which are emphasized in the Common Core. It fosters a personal relationship and understanding of the text. it makes reading active. It improves reading comprehension. 3 Mistakes Kids Make and How to Fix Them They Highlight Everything: Just about every teacher has seen a textbook spread that has been turned entirely neon yellow. FIX IT: Show students there isn’t much difference between a totally blank page and one that’s been completely highlighted. Emphasize that highlighting isn’t a tool to make us understand as we’re first reading, but rather one to help us remember the most important passages on a deeper level. They’re Inconsistent: When you mark notes about the author’s purpose in purple ink on one page and with only a series of exclamation marks on the other, it’s hard to flip through the text and find what you need. FIX IT: Develop a class system of annotation symbols or notes, or invite students to create one of their own. They Sweat The Small Stuff: Some students understand that you aren’t supposed to highlight the entire page, but they still aren’t sure how to pull out the text elements that ARE important, like evidence, argument, and author’s purpose. FIX IT: Try doing some "reverse highlighting," where you cross out everything that isn’t 100% essential. Then discuss what’s left. Why is it so important? Use your discussion to help create a framework for annotation. Don’t Want To Mark Up Your Books? 3 Ideas to Try Instead Use sticky notes to mark key passages and story elements. Try e-books or an e-reading platform like Accelerated Reader 360, which has built-in annotation tools. Make photocopies of key pages and have the students annotate those (if the text is in the public domain). Digital vs Pen and Paper Using programs like Accelerated Reader 360, it’s easy to set up auto tags for things like Author’s Purpose, Argumentation, and Inference & Evidence. Most digital programs allow students to see what other readers have annotated, which can help kids understand other perspectives on the text. Physical annotation creates more wear and tear and makes it difficult to reuse the book. Digital annotation can easily be adapted to students with vision or fine motor impairment. Students who struggle with handwriting can also benefit from typing their notes. Learning to annotate by hand is helpful for students who take penand-paper assessments. An unlimited number of students can annotate the same text. The act of handwriting may help some students better remember their annotation. Kids can develop their own systems for annotation and figure out what works best for them. 4 Ways to Keep Annotation Fun Annotation can often seem intimidating or like "another thing to do" while reading. Here are four ways to keep it fun! Encourage students to develop their own "secret codes" for annotation. Have them make legends explaining what each symbol in their secret codes means. Make it visual. Encourage students to sketch or doodle in response to their reading and to use small designs to represent various themes (e.g., happy face = friendship). Occasionally keep track of something silly—like how many times the author uses the word "supposedly." It might just lead to a deeper conversation about word choice and author style! Don’t grade or make kids turn in annotation—at least not always. The emphasis should be on the fact that annotation is a personal response to reading and a way to understand the text on a deeper level. View also: The Ultimate Guide to Note Taking in Class Infographic Via: www.weareteachers.comThe post Teaching Students to Be Better Annotators Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

I'm teaching the following half-day workshop at the upcoming ISPI conference. This workshop goes for $150, which is an absolutely incredible bargain... Click here to learn more about the workshop or the conference.   Radically New Research-Inspired Smile Sheet DesignWill Thalheimer, Work-Learning Research, Inc.contact: will.thalheimer@work-learning.comWorkshop Code: WUQ Research shows that traditional smile sheets are not related to learning results. Given this, we could just ignore smile sheets. However, because most organizations want to use smile sheets anyway, shouldn’t we try to make them better? In this workshop, Thalheimer will show how to create a "performance-focused smile sheet," a radical improvement in smile sheet design--one that has been inspired by his years of research-based practice. The new design involves two meta-improvements. First, it is a smile sheet design that seeks information about key performance factors; and second, it is a smile sheet design that creates outputs that are more meaningful than data from scale responses. Performance-focused smile sheets will never be a one-source learning-feedback mechanism, but they provide a significant improvement over the traditional smile sheet.

Need a really cool summer vacation app that can double as a pretty powerful instructional tool? Then Photo Mapo is a must-have digital gem that has countless classroom app-lications. That’s right! This digital gem can transform photos into mapped masterpieces that can be shared with family and friends across social media networks including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Instagram. Here’s how Photo Mapo works: Choose one of 23 template styles (Postcard, Treasure, Retro, etc.) and tweak the background color. Then select a favorite photo from the camera roll and add an optional description to the image. Other information that can be customized on each "postcard" includes date, time, latitude, city, state and country. Map type (terrain, roads, hybrid and satellite) as well as Map Zoom (how much detail is displayed) can also be determined in the settings. Another super cool feature is that Photo Mapo has the GPS technology to attach the actual location where the picture was taken or the user can enter a specific address. The latter is a very cool option, especially when third party photos are being utilized (Flickr, Creative Commons and the like). Check out a few samples shown below. Hopefully they’ll get those wheels turning! For fun… For the classroom… Classroom Connection: Do I even have enough space to share the ways Photo Mapo can be utilized in the classroom? Seriously, when I first saw this app, I immediately thought of the social studies angle: Historical figures, events, places and/or landmarks. But after giving it some additional thought, this cool tool has potential far beyond one content area—field trips, setting of a story or book, visual writing prompts or even the creation of graphics to accompany writing activities (favorite and/or bucket list destinations) and lit trips (similar to those created with Google Earth) to name a few. A Photo Mapo image could also be a nifty way to promote school or professional events—assemblies, conferences, trainings, workshops, etc. As an extension activity, student masterpieces can even be compiled into a digital story by getting busy with some app smashing utilizing Pic Collage or Adobe Voice.

In the Decisive Dozen--the list of the twelve most important learning factors--Content Validity is Rule #1. If you're training your learners on bad content, you're doing more harm than good. The TSA has apparently broken this rule to the tune of One Billion Dollars, spending money to train TSA agents to read body language--when there is no scientific evidence that people can actually detect liars. This has to be one of the most costly training errors in the history of training and development! Congratulations TSA officials... If you want to test your own skill at detecting liars, see this nice NY Times interactive.

It might be hard to imagine, but Thinglink just powered up it educational value with a new release: ThingLink Video. That means that users not only have the capability of transforming images into a dynamic multimedia sensations—complete with embedded links, images, audio and video—but this new feature now provides users with an interface to create pop-up videos using the same interactive content. Yeah, if all of that sounds super cool, that’s because it is. Plus, ThingLink Video is simple to use, free and most importantly, yet another way for teachers to totally engage their students in learning. I received early access to the beta version of the new edtech gem yesterday and since then, created the example shown below using a digital citizenship video my Tech Club students produced earlier this year. Note: As the video is rolling, be sure to click on the "pins" that become visible on the screen to access additional information related to the video. Want to create your own ThingLink Video? Then register for an account here. You can even watch an excellent tutorial created by Thinglink guru Susan Oxnevad as a quick guide for getting started on your new pop-up masterpiece! Classroom Connection: From an instructional standpoint—students not only love being engaged, but they also appreciate having the opportunity to discover new content. So why not generate a ThingLink Video as a means for them to explore additional info and/or extend learning related to a particular topic or concept? Because some video creation tools and apps are limited in the amount of information that can be included, ThingLink Video could also be utilized by students to enhance videos they create and publish to YouTube.

NPR's Morning Edition produced a five-minute radio piece on the U.S. Airforce Academy's attempt at improving learning results by modifying the ability-grouping of their cadets. According to the piece, reported by Shankar Vedantam, based on research by Dartmouth researcher Bruce Sacerdote and colleagues: Weaker students did better when in squadrons with stronger students (but note caveats below). However, when researchers intentionally created squadrons with only the strongest and weakest students (that is, the middle students were removed), the weaker students did worse than they otherwise would have. The researchers argue that this was caused by the splintering of the squadron into groups of strong students and groups of weak students. Middle students did better when they didn't have weaker and stronger students in their squadrons. It appears that the middle students acted as a glue in the mixed-ability squadrons--and specifically, they helped the squadron to avoid splitting into groups. Of course, one study should not be taken without some skepticism. Indeed, there is a long history of research on academic ability grouping. For example see the review article: Schofield, J. W. (2010). International evidence on ability grouping with curriculum differentiation and the achievement gap in secondary schools. Teachers College Record, 112(5), 1492-1528. As Schofield reports: International research supports the conclusion that having high-ability/high-achieving schoolmates/classmates is associated with increased achievement. It also suggests that ability grouping with curriculum differentiation increases the achievement gap. For example, attending a high-tier school in a tiered system is linked with increased achievement, whereas attending a low-tier school is linked with decreased achievement, controlling for initial achievement. Furthermore, there is a stronger link between students’ social backgrounds and their achievement in educational systems with more curriculum differentiation and in those with earlier placement in differentiated educational programs as compared with others. But she also warns: However, numerous methodological issues remain in this research, which suggests both the need for caution in interpreting such relationships and the value of additional research on mechanisms that may account for such relationships. In addition, social effects are probably not the only effects in play. For example, the research tells us that learners do better when they are presented with information and given instructional supports targeted specifically to their cognitive needs. So for example, this could be why the middle-ability students did better when they were grouped together. Also interesting is that neither the NPR piece or Shofield's abstract reports specifically on how the mixed groupings affect the stronger learners. Indeed, other researchers have advocated that gifted students should not be so ignored. See for example the following review article: Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Worrell, F. C. (2012). A proposed direction forward for gifted education based on psychological science. Gifted Child Quarterly, 56(4), 176-188. Here's what these authors recommend: In spite of concerns for the future of innovation in the United States, the education research and policy communities have been generally resistant to addressing academic giftedness in research, policy, and practice. The resistance is derived from the assumption that academically gifted children will be successful no matter what educational environment they are placed in, and because their families are believed to be more highly educated and hold above-average access to human capital wealth. These arguments run counter to psychological science indicating the need for all students to be challenged in their schoolwork and that effort and appropriate educational programing, training and support are required to develop a student’s talents and abilities.

Infographics in eLearning Infographic Do your learners prefer acquiring and processing information via images, pictures, maps, graphs, charts, illustrations, and other visual aids? Since they are visual learners have you thought of using infographics at your course? People have come to love Infographics since they are attractive and compelling! They simplify data and makes consuming them easier. They are exciting! And they jazz up your eLearning course like few other elements can! The Infographics in eLearning Infographic highlights the types of eLearning content for which an infographic is the best choice (and for which other forms of visual aid should be used). When to Use Infographics in eLearning When there is a chronological story to tell: This can include a biography of a person, growth of a business, or an evolutionary history of process/product. When you’re contrasting data. Comparing two processes, ideas, items, or people? Infographics are the best way for summarizing the thoughts. When you are connecting concepts. When showing relationships between events, categories, ideas, and time. When you want to explain a process. Technical subject matter can easily be explained with symbols, icons, and shapes. When not to Use Infographics in eLearning Using infographic when not required will only reduce the level of engagement from your readers. Avoid using infographics when: When you have to tell a simple narrative. If simply have to tell a story, get on with it. If told correctly (a proper beginning, middle, and end) it will still be appreciated. When a simpler graphic will suffice. If your idea can be communicated using simple shapes and graphics, avoid an infographic. Because you think it would be cool. Infographics costs time and money. You want to make the most cost-effective eLearning experience — one that leverages visuals to boost engagement and not to incur costs. It may be tempting, but stay put. Read also: List of Free Tools to Create Infographics for your Learners Via: info.shiftelearning.comThe post Infographics in eLearning Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

For folks going to the ISPI Conference in Indianapolis next week, here are my session titles. For details, specific timing, and slides, click here.   SUNDAYSpeed Mentoring TUESDAYSpecial SessionThe Serious eLearning Manifesto:An Effort to Help eLearning Live Up to its Promise WEDNESDAY MID MORNINGGeneral Session (RTP)The Decisive Dozen--Research-Supported Learning Factors WEDNESDAY LATE MORNING THRU LUNCHPit Stop & Refuel: Roundtable & Lunch Discussion Insight Learning: Helping Employees Have Creative Insights

As Quincy Jones once remarked, "I’ve always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain’t that the truth." That said, Edu-fun Friday is a series devoted to adding some humor to the lives of teachers who visit this blog. Even though it’s summer, there’s still nothing better than ending the week on a positive note! Plus, do we have some of the best topics to provide us with some comic relief or what? OK, so not all worksheets deserve the bad rap they often get—especially in this edtech world—but I still think I have some friends that need to be rescued from the dark side! Thanks to Sean Junkins for sharing this image!

I created a list of eLearning Paradigms to talk about subscription learning, but I think the list could stand on its own--and I'd like comments to see what I've missed. Elearning is still a relatively young field, having its start in the 1960's during the advent of the computer age and gradually gaining a critical mass after the internet became a mass phenomenon. Because it's a young field, we are still learning how to think about elearning. With each new paradigm, we think more deeply, more fully about what elearning is--and can be. Below is my categorization of the most important elearning paradigms as of 2014. eLearning Paradigms 2014 Content Presenter (enables content to be presented to learners) Comprehension Tester (enables learners' knowledge to be tested--and feedback provided) Practice Provider (enables learners' decision-making to be tested--and feedback provided) Performance Supporter (enables performers to be prompted toward action) Reminder (enables learners or performers to be reminded to learn and/or take action) Social Augmentation Provider (enables learners to learn from and with each other) Gamification Provider (provides motivational incentives and behavioral prompts to action) Mobile Learning Provider (provides learning and/or performance support through mobile technology) Data Utilizer (enables data collection and data-based interventions) Video Provider (enables video to be utilized in various ways) Learning Organizer (provides organizational structure around learning opportunities) Personalizer (enables content or prompting to be individualized or tailored) Learning-Delivery Augmenter (enables easy delivery of content or prompting)  Context-Based Triggerer (enables content or prompting to be delivered depending on context) Cost Saver (enables learning to be delivered at a lower cost) I'm sure that I'm missing some elearning paradigms. You might have noticed that I'm only listing elearning memes that have a positive connotation. I am not mentioning such things as boring, trivial, poorly-designed. Also, some of the list may not be true, or may not always be true. For example, I've recently read research that shows that elearning is not often a cost saver. The bottom line, however, is that the list above represents a good number of the ways in which we tend to think about elearning. Here's the thing: The paradigms listed above represent the dominant mental models we use when we think about elearning. As Thomas Kuhn wrote many years ago, paradigms are a double-edge sword. On the one hand, they help us think. On the other hand, they put boundaries on what we think. For us in the learning field, we get both benefits and costs from our elearning paradigms. They help us consider ways that we might design or utilize elearning. On the darker side, they constrict our thinking. One of the reasons we created the eLearningManifesto was to get the field to think beyond some of its weaker paradigms. What are your thoughts on the dominant elearning paradigms? If you want to learn more about subscription learning--offered as an additional paradigm for elearning, you can do that at SubscriptionLearning.com.

App smashing: The art of merging content from a variety of apps to generate a unique finished product. Sounds pretty cool, right? That’s because this latest edtech craze is an app-solutley amazing way for students to really unleash their creativity… A way for them to not only demonstrate information about a particular topic but an opportunity for them to show off their tech-knowledge-y skills in a unique manner… To be innovative with mobile devices and digital media! Still not sure you’ve wrapped your mind around this concept? Then follow along as I explain how I created the embedded example to demonstrate how app smashing can enhance learning while maximizing the potential of digital tools by combining their features and functions to create a pretty sweet final project—one that should be published to the web. After all, digital presence is the new resume! The learning objective: After a unit on ancient civilizations, students would be asked to complete a culminating activity by selecting an aspect of culture and then highlight what they’ve learned. I chose to focus on architecture/history. The process: First, I selected a famous building from each civilization—Egypt, Rome, Greece and China—and located a picture for each. Each image was then imported into the Photo Mapo app to create a postcard that included a map and brief description of the structure. After saving each new image to the camera roll, I imported them into the second app—Pic Collage—to generate a postcard mashup. Again, I saved the finished product to the device (in this case an iPad). Finally, I imported the collage into the ThingLink app and created hot spots within each monument image containing links to resources that can be used to explore additional information. Besides super cool interactivity, ThingLink also has multiple options for sharing—as you can see by checking out the collage shown below. Now is that cool stuff or what? But the learning doesn’t just end with the app smashing. Think about the various ways students could benefit from experimenting with each other’s masterpieces! BTW—There are really no hard and fast rules when it comes to app smashing, although consider this: In order to be able to merge content, you do needs apps that are capable of both importing and exporting media to and from the camera roll. Classroom Connection: App smashing encourages the meaningful use of technology to meet a chosen learning objective. It promotes critical thinking and problem solving in a challenging yet fun and engaging manner as well. I know it sounds cliche, but the possibilities are pretty much endless because really, there are no restrictions! And that’s because with app smashing—if you can dream it, chances are—you can also bring that vision to life with the number of apps that exist! Oh, yeah… Did I mention that this hot edtech topic has its own hashtag? Yep, check it out at #AppSmash for lots of great ideas and resources!

New research shows that while people tend to avoid saying hello to strangers, when they do say hello, they are happier for it. Read this nice article in the New York Times which describes the research. I add this article to this blog on learning, because it reminded me that we in the learning field often put too much trust on our learners. The bottom line is that learners often don't know how best to learn. This means that we shouldn't willy-nilly design our learning to enable our learners to do anything they want to. Sometimes this can be beneficial because it gives learners a sense of autonomy and it can help them get information they need--but more often than not, it enables learners to make bad decisions about their own learning. The article also reminded me about research on creativity which shows that domain spanners--people who spend time interacting with others outside their main area of interest are often more creative because they draw from other spheres of thought. It's interesting that we are shy talking to strangers, even though doing so will not only make us happier, but it may enrich us ways we can't imagine.

Making Blended Learning Work Infographic In recent years, we have seen more and more Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) evolving their teaching by incorporating blended and online delivery modes. Blended learning, hybrid education, flipped learning, digitally-led teaching,.. whatever you choose to call it, the new wave of digital evolution is making clear headway, as RTOs realise the benefits that this has brought them. Originally designed for vocational training organisations in Australia, however the advice from the Making Blended Learning Work Infographic can be applicable to almost any other school or training organisation. The Making Blended Learning Work Infographic presents why a training organisation or a school should implement blended learning, and the 7 crucial steps to successfully implement it. A few key points: There are many reasons why training organisations or schools should consider blended learning as a delivery mode: It provides more support and guidance than a fully online course. Consider your student needs: they may require a lot more tech support and hand-holding than you think. A great way to cut down on delivery and operational costs. Helping the school become less paper-heavy, eliminating human errors and non value-adding tasks. Giving the school an ability to reach more students and scale quickly, without the huge overhead costs. More face-to-face time is spent on practical skills training. Responding to the requirements and preference of today’s students who are tech-savvy and enjoy collaborating with peers and teachers in real time. When used properly, technology helps organisations and schools to deliver a high quality, engaging learning experience to more students and to collect the evidence of that delivery. 7 Steps to Successful Implementation of Blended Learning Have a plan: Blending the delivery mode of your training courses is a strategic change that requires careful mapping and a clear "big picture" plan by senior management. Get experts involved early if required, don’t go in blindly. Take baby steps, one target at a time: Systematically approach the execution process and learn quickly from your mistakes. Small successes will give you the know-how and motivation to do more and more. Involve staff and students in the process: Don’t assume you know what your students and staff need or want. Ask them, and have feed back loops that allow them to provide feedback and comments. Set clear learning goals: All activities - online or offline - should contribute towards the right learning goals. You should also set clear expectations for students from the start. Have the right teaching resources: Material & resources for teaching online are very different from traditional ones. Interactive, engaging, bite-sized content can enhance the learning experience. Make the system work for you: The right processes and workflows put in place will ensure that your courses are compliant. Consider your current systems and capabilities: in what way can you use technology to eliminate non value adding tasks? Monitor, refine., and repeat: So you go live, and then..? Don’t forget to keep a close eye on the data collected: numbers and feedback can tell you whether the learning goals are fulfilled or not. Via: www.circulus.com.auThe post Making Blended Learning Work Infographic appeared first on e-Learning Infographics.

Robert Slavin, Director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University, recently wrote the following: "Sooner or later, schools throughout the U.S. and other countries will be making informed choices among proven programs and practices, implementing them with care and fidelity, and thereby improving outcomes for their children. Because of this, government, foundations, and for-profit organizations will be creating, evaluating, and disseminating proven programs to meet high standards of evidence required by schools and their funders. The consequences of this shift to evidence-based reform will be profound immediately and even more profound over time, as larger numbers of schools and districts come to embrace evidence-based reform and as more proven programs are created and disseminated." To summarize, Slavin says that (1) schools and other education providers will be using research-based criteria to make decisions (2) that this change will have profound effects, significantly improving learning results, and (3) many stakeholders and institutions within the education field will be making radical changes, including holding themselves and others to account for these improvements. In Workplace Learning and Performance But what about us? What about we workplace learning-and-performance professionals? What about our institutions? Will we be left behind? Are we moving toward evidence-based practices ourselves? My career over the last 16 years is devoted to helping the field bridge the gap between research and practice, so you might imagine that I have a perspective on this. Here it is, in brief: Some of our field is moving towards research-based practices. But we have lots of roadblocks and gatekeepers that are stalling the journey for the large majority of the industry. I've been pleasantly surprised in working on the Serious eLearning Manifesto about the large number of people who are already using research-based practices; but as a whole, we are still stalled. Of course, I'm still a believer. I think we'll get there eventually. In the meantime, I want to work with those who are marching ahead, using research wisely, creating better learning for their learners. There are research translaters who we can follow, folks like Ruth Clark, Rich Mayer, K. Anders Ericsson, Jeroen van Merriënboer, Richard E. Clark, Julie Dirksen, Clark Quinn, Gary Klein, and dozens more. There are practitioners who we can emulate--because they are already aligning themselves with the research: Marty Rosenheck, Eric Blumthal, Michael Allen, Cal Wick, Roy Pollock, Andy Jefferson, JC Kinnamon, and thousands of others. Here's the key question for you who are reading this: "How fast do you want to begin using research-based recommendations?" And, do you really want to wait for our sister profession to perfect this before taking action?

Today's New York Times has a fascinating article on the mostly European concept of practice firms. As the name implies, practice firms give people practice in doing work. This seems to align well with the research on learning that suggests that learning in a realistic context, getting lots of retrieval practice and feedback, and many repetitions spaced over time can be the most effective way to learn. Of course, the context and practice and feedback have to be well-designed and aligned with the future work of the learner. Interestingly, there is an organization that is solely devoted to the concept. EUROPEN-PEN International is the worldwide practice enterprise network. The network consists of over 7,500 Practice Enterprises in more than 40 countries. It has a FaceBook page and a website. I did a quick search to see if there was an scientific research on the use of practice firms, but I didn't uncover anything definitive...If you know of scientific research, or other rigorous evidence, let me know...