Check out the Articulate Storyline demos and examples to see what you can do with this new authoring tool.Post from: The eLearning CoachA Tour Of Articulate Storyline Demos

If you are reading something are you learning? I guess most university students would respond with a resounding ‘yes’ but in the closeted world of L&D we don’t really classify reading as a proper learning intervention. True we can all learn something by reading - we probably do this every day when we research stuff on the internet. In this respect reading is probably one of the most common ways that we access informal learning. But it doesn’t deliver when it comes to formal learning and development. Why is this? One reason I guess is that we are all wired differently and not everyone can be relied upon to learn simply by reading. I don’t want to get into learning styles here but it’s pretty clear that some people will learn better by doing rather than reading about doing. I learn pretty well from reading, or at least my reading sows the seeds of learning. To really learn something properly I also need to apply it in the context of my own experience. Two people can read a book on time management but each will learn something different and apply that learning to their own situation in quite different ways. The new information or knowledge that is presented to us via the text can create those ‘aha’ moments that lead to real learning. Donald Clark wrote an interesting post back in 2009 reviewing a book by Professor Pierre Bayard called ‘How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read’. Here’s a quote from Bayard: Books have a special status as ‘almost objects of worship’ and non-readers are stigmatised. Yet reading is often non-reading, as we forget most of what we read almost as quickly as it is read. As we forge forward, content is forgotten in the wake of memory that disappears behind. Most reading is forgetting. I sort of know what Bayard is getting at here. Sometimes I can read a book, get enormous enjoyment from it, but then forget a lot of the detail very quickly. I read lots of stuff on Stalin last year (I am insanely curious about the whole communist experiment) but I can remember almost none of it now. I also read lots of business books - some I want to quickly forget but others do fire off an ‘aha’ moment or two - and sometimes just one really valuable ‘aha’ moment can make the £9.99 a really good investment. If I really want to learn from a book I make notes and draw a mind map. You should see the stuff I have on ‘The E-Myth Revisited‘. Reading is also very efficient. The human brain has adapted over the last few thousand years to be very effective at translating the visual symbols of writing into meaning. For a really interesting read on the science behind the ‘reading brain’ I recommend ‘Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain‘ by Maryanne Wolf. OK I admit I have forgotten most of it already but it did create some ‘aha’ moments. At the Like Minds Conference in Exeter last year Molly Flat talked about ‘the innovation that  is the book’. Her point was that the book is still the best value knowledge sharing device (even if it is delivered via a Kindle) and I think I agree. As a learning designer who is trying to write a book there are many parallels between the creative process for a book and for an e-learning course. Maybe in the end I will end up with a hybrid of both. But the road is certainly a challenging one.

Find out how to fix problems before they're found by others and improve usability.Post from: The eLearning CoachTips For Quality Control Of Online Learning

Do you have doubts about your photography skills? Get a makeover right here.Post from: The eLearning CoacheLearning Photography: How To Get The Best Shot

In the same way that ‘vacuuming’ is the generic term for hoovering, the generic term for ‘tweeting’ is microblogging. Blogging because Twitter allows you to share your thoughts or ideas with others - micro because you can only use 140 characters to do it. Why 140 characters? Apparently it stems from the early days when Twitter used SMS messages which were limited by many mobile phone carriers to 160 characters. The Twitter team decided that 140 characters for the message plus an extra 20 for the username would ensure that only one text message would be sent (and charged). When I first started blogging, it was the only effective social media platform on the block but things have changed and the stream of intellectual discourse that often characterised blogs seems way too wordy to be of interest to Generations X and Y. To get their message out today many people switch on their video camera and ‘broadcast themselves’ via YouTube. Meanwhile Twitter has become the attention manager that blogs often aspired to. In the early days one of the great advantages of a blog over a news or other published article was that readers could comment on the material and a dialogue could be established between author and reader, and between readers themselves. Today comments seem to be used less and less in blogs, partly this could be due to the hijacking of comments by spammers (when I re-launched my new web site based on WordPress they overwhelmed my moderation area), but generally I think people are less prepared to spend time on writing a comment when they can quickly share a link with their Twitter or Facebook followers. This image illustrates what I mean: For those in the know of course Twitter and blogging are a marriage made in heaven. Here’s how it works for me: I pick up on an interesting Twitter hot topic I reflect on the topic and make some notes I craft a blog article based on my take on the topic I then Tweet a link to my blog article and ensure that I reference the original Twitter ‘conversation’ Hell later I may even video blog it all! So thank you Twitter for re-vitalising blogging. And thank you for forcing us all to be oh so economical with our words. One hundred and forty characters is easy compared to those oh so time consuming blogs!

Fix your video format problems with this excellent production tool.Post from: The eLearning CoachHow To Convert Video Files: Sorensen Squeeze

Over the last eight years I have worked primarily on e-learning projects for organisations in the private and public sector. Almost universally the definition of e-learning in this market is pretty limiting. It involves the delivery of learning content via a SCORM module accessed via an LMS. In most cases the SCORM module is developed in Flash (so that it supports ‘learner interactions’), includes a quiz to test understanding and is usually around 30-40 minutes long (just enough time to squeeze it in at the start or end of the working day or over a long coffee break maybe). Provided the pass mark is attained in the embedded test the learning is marked as ‘complete’ and you move onto something else. I now refer to this type of e-learning as packaged e-learning. This type of e-learning is very popular with large organisations because it is very efficient: It’s available 24/7 It’s consistent It’s quick It’s very scalable It’s easy to manage It’s easy to track Clearly for large organisations this efficiency has enormous benefits. If you need to make sure that all your employees are up to speed on the latest information security policy then packaged e-learning is a no-brainer. Packaged e-learning does work (from www.spongeuk.com) But is it very effective? Sometimes yes. If you need your employees to learn something simple quickly then it’s hard to beat a well designed SCORM module but if you need to do something more significant, something more inspirational something that involves real learning then you need something more powerful. Unpacking e-Learning So what other types of e-learning are there? Well in the higher education sector the definition of e-learning is substantially different. Here e-learning is used primarily in support of face-to-face lecture delivery. Entire courses are constructed in a virtual learning environment (VLE), the equivalent of the corporate LMS, and used to engage with learners before and after face-to-face lectures and the occasional seminar. Most of the core ‘teaching’ is still delivered offline while the VLE acts like a learning resource centre with each course organised as a structured hierarchy of topics. The VLE is also used as a communication platform with discussions, profiles, calendars, and blogs shared between learners and between learners and tutors. Sometimes VLE’s will also include packaged SCORM modules but this is the exception rather than the rule. VLE’s are by their very nature more social than a standard corporate LMS. They manage not only learning activities and resources but also a range of communication channels between learners and facilitators. These ‘social’ communications include: e-mail discussion forums instant messaging blogs wikis To get value from these communication channels of course you need to be learning with others. In most educational situations this is the class or cohort you are learning with and that cohort will be supported by the course tutor. Online Learning Path in Pathway (from www.willowdna.com) Cohorts are rarely created in corporate LMS’ because they undermine some of the key benefits of the self paced approach. Convergence is Coming The two types of e-learning described are both valid in their own way but we are now seeing a degree of convergence between the two types. In the corporate world there is a lot of interest in encouraging learners to interact with each other and to add a social dimension to their e-learning. In the education sector there is a revival in online distance education where the VLE acts not just as the learning resources centre but as the primary platform for learning delivery. Lately universities and colleges have recognised that there are potentially large numbers of additional fee paying students beyond the physical campus and the VLE is a key enabler in delivering learning to these virtual students. These shifting requirements are creating demand for new types of learning platforms and existing platforms are being used in innovative new ways. Corporate LMS’ are getting more social while VLEs are increasingly using multimedia assets such as video and interactive SCORM modules. These are interesting times for learning technologists.

Build eLearning scenarios with any of these 5 approaches.Post from: The eLearning Coach5 Ways To Use Graphics In eLearning Scenarios

How to improve the learning strategies of your learners.Post from: The eLearning CoachMetacognition And Learning: Strategies For Instructional Design

  Online learning has always been positioned as the poor relation to classroom or face-to-face learning. The challenge has always been:  ’How can you possibly re-create the richness of the classroom online?’. My standard response was that not all classrooms have richness - it depends upon the ability of the trainer. Some trainers are truly exceptional, relying on well designed exercises and activities to really help people learn. I characterise these trainers as ‘The Star on the Stage‘. However some trainers are far less capable, relying on stacks of PowerPoint slides packed with hundreds of bullet points. Others really know their stuff but are unable to bring the deep knowledge they have to life for learners. These trainers are often characterised as ‘The Sage on the Stage‘ (you will recognise them from your college or university days). Mr Clugston and Dr Jennens At school these two teachers made a big impression on me. Mr Clugston introduced me to the joy of mathematics. His passion for the subject combined with his insight into what makes the subject difficult for learners meant that he was able to design maths lessons that kept us awake and fully engaged. He also loved technology and brought along one of the very first programmable calculators (a Sinclair with an LED display) to a lesson one day to show us how maths was changing the world. Dr Jennens however made physics boring to the extreme. His detachment from learners and from the problems learner’s faced in understanding abstract concepts meant that many of us lost interest completely and had to pass our exams using our text books alone.    In the early days I accepted that an online course was probably less rich than a good (Star on the Stage) face-to-face workshop but its advantage was that it was more efficient and flexible and accessible by anyone 24/7. Not many classrooms can do that! Recently though I have come to realise that online learning can be just as rich as classroom learning. It’s just that the richness is evident in different ways. Here are some of them: In a well designed e-learning module you can explore things and repeat things to your heart’s content and you can fail without embarrassment. It’s just you and your learning. In a virtual classroom you can make contributions, take part in polls and follow live weblinks all from the comfort of your laptop or tablet computer. In a webinar you can surf the backchannel chatting with other learners and sharing stuff that the trainer has missed. In a virtual learning environment you can take part in discussions with other learners and get help from your e-tutor when you need it. In a learning management system you can take online assessments or diagnostics to test your own understanding. In a social learning platform you can contribute your own content and resources and these can be rated and commented on by other learners. You can be the trainer as well as the learner. You can access learning at the point of need via a mobile device such as a smarphone or tablet. You can extend your learning beyond the single classroom event so that not only do you learn stuff but you also have the ability to reflect on and show evidence of how that learning is applied back in the workplace. You can connect your learning with colleagues and others via social media tools such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. I still come across trainers and L&D people who will defend the classroom until the lights go out. Partly this is because they see online learning as a threat to their business model but it’s also because they genuinely haven’t opened their minds to the possibilities of online learning. This isn’t meant as a polemic against the classroom just a recognition that online learning has some great things going for it and any trainer not using it to improve the learning experience for their learners is in danger of becoming extinct.

Two excellent books that teach how to use Articulate Storyline are reviewed here.Post from: The eLearning CoachLearning Articulate Storyline: Two Books Reviewed

Being an online learning expert I’m always keen to see how other people are doing online learning so when I had an invitation from Google to take part in their ‘Power Searching’ online course I signed-up right away. Here’s a walkthrough of my impressions so far.  

Keep your eye on the big picture with these 5 questions.Post from: The eLearning Coach5 Smart Questions Instructional Designers Should Ask

Complex or confusing content? Try this approach.Post from: The eLearning CoachWhen Your Content Resembles Spaghetti

Online learning is becoming big business in the education sector. Increasing fees coupled with demand by learners for more flexible study options is creating a rapidly growing market for online courses. As can be expected most of the response to this rising demand is from institutions outside the traditional university ‘bricks’ model. And one of the most innovative of these in the UK is the Open University (OU). The Open University has since its creation in 1969 used a distance learning model based initially on printed resources (think big binders arriving in the post) but also supported by educational videos delivered via the BBC. Most of us Baby Boomers will have at some time watched an OU programme on Astrophysics or Petroleum Geology in the small hours. More recently the OU has gone online and today most of its students log into their courses via the Moodle VLE. The OU does online learning in a really big way supporting over 250,000 students at any one time. Demonstrating their commitment to online learning the OU appointed an ex Microsoft Education Products Group employee as their Vice Chancellor in 2009. His name is Martin Bean and I recently came across this presentation which he delivered at the Association of Learning Technology (ALT) Conference in 2009. It’s over 50 minutes long but it’s worth watching for the mix of insights provided by an educator that has also spent a lot of time working at the heart of the tech industry. Did you know?The OU Business School is the largest provider of MBAs in the UK, producing more graduates than all the rest of the business schools put together.

There's a more efficient and effective way to learn than study-restudy.Post from: The eLearning CoachDebunking The Study, Study, Study Myth

[slideshare id=13763850&doc=futurefocusv1-1lms-120726074845-phpapp01]

Break out of the rectangular world of the computer display.Post from: The eLearning CoachHow To Create Visual Interest With Circular Photos: Case Study

Are you required to be creative on demand? Then you'll need these strategies.Post from: The eLearning Coach5 Proven Strategies To Improve Creativity

Since I have been exploring the differences between e-learning and online learning I have been using the term conventional e-learning to describe the packaged SCORM course with a built-in assessment. Conventional e-learning has come a long way in the last 10 years and there are now some excellent people developing some excellent courses but this excellence comes at a price. This infographic shows why this sort of e-learning isn’t cheap. In the UK you are probably looking at a cost of between £10k and £15k per hour of e-learning that has had the full team treatment (2012).

  I was going through my old blog on Typepad tonight and came across some interesting posts from 2005/2006 on knowledge management (KM). I’m writing an article on KM and Social Learning but before I post that I thought this post from November 2005 is a nice summary of where we were with KM back in 2005. Posted originally on ‘A Compound of Alchymie’ on 25 November 2005 There was a neat little piece by Carol Lewis on KM in The Times Career Supplement on 17th November. It went along the following lines (italics are my comments): Big Brained Bosses It’s not just the grey matter of those at the top that is of interest. Knowledge management (KM) is about managing the knowledge we all possess to further the aims of our firms. The bit about futhering the aims of our firms is insightful - and begs the question what’s really in it for us - I mean us busy knowledge worker bees? Sounds suspiciously like thought control to me "Knowledge management is unfortunately a misleading term - knowledge resides in people’s heads and managing it is not really possible or desirable," says the NHS (www.nelh.nks.uk). No point doing KM then. But the NHS seems incapable of taking it’s own medicine (it runs numerous NHS KM projects). Maybe it sought a second opinion? Actually a brief look at the NELH website shows that, like most of us, the NHS uses IM and KM pretty interchangeably. So what the heck is it? It is to "know what you know" and profit from it, according to www.brint.com. There’s that profit thing again. Is it the organisation that profits or the individual? That’s a tough one. Is knowledge the same as information or data? This is a key dispute in KM - that all too often it is data or information management masquerading as KM. See TD Wilson’s the ‘nonsense of knowledge management’. That old chestnut. Has it ever been properly resolved? TD Wilson’s paper tests the KM thing to breaking point. Does anyone use it? According to Bain & Co (www.bain.com), KM has had a chequered career. Long heralded as an essential management tool in the information age, it has grown in popularity. Bain’s Management Tools 2005 survey says that 54% of companies use it - compared with 28% in 1996 - but that satisfaction with KM is not as high as with other management tools such as benchmarking or business process re-engineering. I’m guessing they mean 54% of big companies, but then maybe KM only really ‘works’ in big companies? Fad or fashion? There are high hopes that new generation of KM systems will deliver greater satisfaction. Systems that automatically analyse e-mails and documents for useful content and associations are being developed by a variety of companies. There are privacy issues but if they can be overcome KM could finally live up to the hype. So the saviour is ICT? But isn’t that a solution to our information management problems? Maybe we need a thought control device after all - with a thought control drug developed by those clever KM people in the NHS. Then KM might really take flight.

If your learners are rebelling against long and boring eLearning, read the Axonify review.Post from: The eLearning CoachAxonify Review: An Effective Model For Online Learning

The best tools to generate and communicate ideas.Post from: The eLearning CoachHow To Build Your Graphic Design Toolbox

The top 10 tools that make up my personal learning environment.Post from: The eLearning CoachMy Top Ten Learning Tools For 2012