Free Drawing Lesson (blog)The Star - Prolific Artist (Article)WHO?Ruzaimi Mat Rani is currently lecturing at the Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). He has been interested in art and design ever since he was in primary school, and has over the years evolved into a master in pen and pencil sketching (especially landscapes) and has got his share of rewards and recognitions for it. Click here and here to know more about that. WHAT?Now, he has gone one step further and has created a blog to share his sketching knowledge and skills to people around the world. He has entitled the blog, "FREE DRAWING LESSON(S)". Here you will find pictures of many of his sketches (samples mashed-up above), and videos illustrating the drawing process, or how he goes about sketching these drawings. These short (1-2 minute) videos are juicy learning nuggets to get a quick idea on how you can sketch stuff such as gardens, buildings, rooms, furniture, and so on. But...HOW?How does he create such videos?He uses the stop motion technique, whereby he combines the scan processed pictures into a motion picture. He basically scans every step of the sketching process and then saves the scanned pictures into JPEG format (100+ pictures). Then, he uses Windows Movie Maker to combine the pictures together into a stop motion picture.REFLECTIONOh man, that is a lot of tedious work for a short learning nugget (you need real patience and passion to do such things). Let me just say this,"I respect Ruzaimi for his excellent art work, but I admire him for sharing it to the world for free."I hope more educators in Malaysia and Asia come out of the copyright closet and join the Copyleft and Creative Commons revolution, and engross the OER (Open Educational Resources) movement. Let's face it, most educators are not going to make much money doing the copyrighted stuff. And we will not become irrelevant if we do share our knowledge or content on the Internet (Hoarding knowledge is the old school! Sharing knowledge is power and the way to go!).Actually, it makes more sense to share our ideas and knowledge to the world using the Internet and all the excellent free learning tools available to us today. It requires our additional time, but the potential fruits are amazing if we really think about it.For example, by sharing our ideas and knowledge online, we could trigger unexpected connections and feedback from professionals (and learners), which will trigger us to reflect back what we have shared, and refine and improve further. That point alone is exciting enough for me!If you are really good, you might even be invited to speak, or conduct workshops in places you perhaps have never heard of. Yes, you might even make more money than going down the copyright road.There are many more benefits for sharing our knowledge and contents online, but if you ask me:Educators should share their knowledge and content to the world for free (unless their livelihood depends on it), because it is the right thing to do. With the Internet and easy-to-learn/use authoring tools we can potentially educate people all over the world (through the internet, mirror sites, or downloaded content), and help those that are not so fortunate out there.Yes, you don't need to spend millions on a commercial LMS, or additional millions on developing courseware that includes flying ducks and dogs with bells and whistles. Why not simply start with a blog, just like Ruzaimi did.Finally, let's spread stories like Ruzaimi's one to the world using our twitters, blogs, wikis, etc. It would be nice to see educators attract hits and viewing numbers like the Britney Spears and Jungle Jims'.Besides creating content, let's promote the excellent work of our fellow educators :)

WHY?The other day I was searching for a juicy resource list on my blog, but I struggled to find it. Now, if I am struggling to find something on my own blog, what about you?To avoid such scenarios happening again (at least to me!), I have created a 'Master List' below containing all the juiciest resource lists compiled on ZaidLearn. Trust me; some of these resource lists are really yummy. Interestingly, some of these resource lists have been referenced by several University/College/School courses around the world including United States, Canada, England, Australia, and South-Africa. Actually, a couple of the resource lists below have been embedded or referred (linked) to from more than a hundred sites or blogs out there (try to guess which one, or Google them to figure it out). It is really amusing and motivating (to the ego).Besides being resource lists, you will discover some wacky graphics, stories and ideas mashed-up to stimulate the right-hemisphere, while the left-hemisphere systematically enjoys mostly static lists of amazing links. Enough!!!Are you ready, Let's...FIRST69 Learning Adventures in 6 Galaxies (E-book)A collection of 69 learning nuggets (articles) from ZaidLearn compiled into an ebook. This ebook is divided into six learning galaxies (or themes), which are: Learning, Teaching, Stories, Free e-Learning Tools, Free Learning Content and Free EduGames.ZaidLearn's Delicious Collection1200+ juicy links to amazing free learning tools and resources.LEARNING TOOLSA Free Learning Tool for Every Learning Problem?A collection of the best free learning tools using a Q&A approach. It has proven to be the most popular post on this blog, and has been featured in more than a hundred blogs and sites around the world. Also, you might want to check out the delicious version, which includes more tools, but does not filter them out using a Q&A approach post.101 Free Learning ToolsA SlideShare presentation exploring 101 excellent free learning tools to facilitate learning and teaching.Free Screencasting Tools For Tony!"Toast! Cut! Cam! Jing! Flow! Wink! You name it, they record it!" A list of free tools to create screencasts (screen-recording or capturing everything happening on the screen).Any Free Online Survey/Polling Tools?More than a dozen FREE online survey/polling tools.Any Free Hosted CMS or LMS? (Yes, Obama Says!)A few free hosted LMS that you might want to explore, before considering investing hardcore money on a commercial alternative.Text-to-Speech to Enjoying Traffic Jams!A few FREE text-to-speech tools to get you started (Warning: They usually offer a commercial version or upgrade option, too)Use Bloom's Taxonomy Wheel for Writing Learning OutcomesDo you have problems writing learning outcomes/objectives for your content or courses? Or more specifically, do you have trouble finding the right ACTION VERBS to describe what you want your students to achieve from the course, module, topic or unit? Try Bloom's taxonomy wheel(s) :)50 Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story (Alan Levine)Alan Levine reviews lessons learned in exploring 50 web sites (tools) for creating content via slideshows, timelines, media mixers, comic strips, and presentation makers.CONTENTUniversity Learning = OCW + OER = FREE!A compilation of 250+ University learning related OpenCourseWare (OCW) and Open Educational Resources (OER).101 Open Educational ResourcesA visually stimulating SlideShare presentation that explores 101 Open Educational Resources (OER).The King Kong List For Free Medical Online Resources!A juicy collection of free medical resources, games and courses that you might want to use for your personal learning, or embed in your course/training/program as supplementary or core resources to enrich the students' learning experiences.Amazing Free e-Learning eBooks CollectionA collection of free e-Learning ebooks.Your Top 10 Videos (That Inspire Us To Rethink The Way We Learn)?My current top 10 list of videos that inspire us to rethink the way we learn and educate. This post also encourages others to list and share their top 10 favorite videos that inspire us to rethink the way we learn and educate in the 21st century.A Growing List of Free Learning Tutorial Sites!A simple raw list of links to EXCELLENT SITES (with short descriptions) that have or link to tutorials that explore learning tools and online learning.Is PowerPoint Evil?This post explores a lot of interesting free online resources to inspire you to create great PowerPoint slides and do amazing presentations.Do You Want To Learn English As A Second Language (ESL)?A list of interesting ESL resources that I have discovered until now, and most of them are free. Whether you want ESL content for your IPod, or you want to do an online quiz to test your knowledge, trust me, there are enough resources to last you a few life times (and more).Do You Want To Learn Arabic?5 useful free sites to learn Arabic.EDUGAMES101 Free EduGames101 Free EduGames that inspire us to learn while having fun. Click here for the updated EduGames list on Delicious.88 Free EduGames to Spice Up Your Course!88 FREE EduGames (Educational Games) that sounds and looks interesting for Higher Education.PEOPLEThe Juiciest Learning Professionals on Twitter?The main reason for assembling this list, is to help people looking for top learning professionals on Twitter.27 Inspiring Women EdubloggersA SlideShare presentation exploring 27 inspiring women edubloggers.25 EduBlogs You Simply Don’t Want to Miss!25 EduBlogs that will assist you to keep track of the present and future of learning, teaching, content and technology.10 Top ETL Blogs You Simply Don’t Want to Miss!My top 10 favourite ETL (Education + Technology = Learning) blogs that takes up my time (late 2007), as I struggle to learn more about education, learning technologies, and importantly the art of 'Learning How to Learn' more effectively.WOW! Have fun rediscovering the juiciest learning resource lists on ZaidLearn :)

"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."- Albert EinsteinAgain I am trying to suck out the juiciest posts in ZaidLearn and make them easier to access and share. In the last post I focused on the juiciest resource lists on ZaidLearn. This time around, I am focusing on learning stories posted. Here is a collection of my favorite bedtime (learning) stories on ZaidLearn:TEACHING THINKING Coaching Critical Thinking To Think Creatively!"I very much enjoyed this article, a longish description of how the author (Zaid Alsagoff) revamped a critical thinking course. It wasn't so much the content of the article (though as someone who has taught critical thinking dozens of times I had an inherent interest). Rather, what interested me was the storytelling, the way the author let me into his thinking process. This isn't the sort of article that requires you to agree or disagree with it; we are clearly and entertainingly being told what was done, and why. Would he do it differently next time? Still, we can compare the thinking with our own, compare the process with our own - and that's exactly what I did, and why I enjoyed it. Be sure to click on the slide shows in Slideshare, such as this one."- Stephen DownesTEACHING HABITS In this 5-part series, I reflect specific teaching habits that inspire students out of learning. Is that possible? Here we go:Part 1 - Whiteboard And I Are One! Part 2 - I Have Bragging Rights, Because I Am …Part 3 - Is PowerPoint Evil?"Of course, PowerPoint is not inherently evil, it is just poorly used. For those who are interested in using PowerPoint well, this article has a lot of material that will be of interest." - Stephen DownesPart 4 - No Stupid Questions! I am Serious!Part 5 - Show Up to Throw Up! 21st Century Thinking?Solution: 10 Secrets To Great Teaching (Part 1 and Part 2)ADVENTURESHarun Yahya - An Invitation To The TruthBlackle And My Inspirational Sandcastle Adventure!Scivee And The Origin Of 'Yes We Can!'27 Inspiring Women EdubloggersThe Secret - Get 100.000+ Followers On Twitter In 24 Hours! E-LEARNINGE-Learning 2.0 Workshop (Stephen Downes)"It would be pretty hard to write a more comprehensive (and kind) summary of my workshop than this by Zaid Ali Alsagoff, who deserves by thanks for acting as my videographer and assistant during the strenuous two-day event. What I like about this post was that the lessons were 'meta' - not so much the bits about web 2.0 technology discussed during the session, but rather about the attitude and perspective on teaching their deployment represents. In my own mind, what we accomplished was best represented in two photos, this one at the beginning of the first day, where everything was ordered and proper, and this one near the end of the second day, where real learning was happening."- Stephen DownesSalman Khan Uses Microsoft Paint to Inspire LearningRuzaimi's Free Drawing Lessons Inspires Me to Sketch!Crashing The Workshop To Capture A Great Learning Moment! "In one session, Zaid himself shared that he recorded one session of a professor (if I can remember correctly), just the voice and then he added a PowerPoint presentation of the talk which I thought was brilliant and at no extra cost." - Christopher ChewFAMOUS PEOPLEThe World Is Flat 3.0 (Thomas Friedman)"I have a Dream (King)! Go Green (Friedman)! Yes, We Can (Obama)!" -Unknown Warren Buffett's MBA Talk Vs Evolution of Dance"Which is the better educational material, a speech by Warren Buffet, one of the richest people in the world, on investing, or a 6 minute video on the evolution of dance? The presumption of this post is that the 'crowd' got it wrong, viewing the dance video 59 million times and watching Buffett only 98,000 times. But I learned more about dance in six minutes than I learned about stocks in 60 - and I trust the dance video a lot more, because you can't fake this stuff. Buffett gives us folksy advice like "you should buy what you know" and questionable bits like "if you learned about Wrigley's 40 years ago, you still know everything you need to know." Um, what? I agree with the author that there are "many excellent free online learning resources out there that are not being fully utilized by the global intelligence learning network." But I don't agree that Buffett's talk is one of them - and this illustrates perfectly the folly of trying to plan this or of depending on presumed authority to make the choices for us (Lesson learned, thanks Stephen!)" - Stephen DownesFrom Public Speaking Class To CEO Of GoogleGuess who?How Do You Motivate Staff? (Steve Ballmer)"I have four words for you: I LOVE THIS COMPANY! YEEEEEAAAAAS"FUTURETWIT Outshines Twitter In 2013!FINALLY69 Learning Adventures in 6 Galaxies (E-book)"...Available for free download at Scribd.com, the book brings together key "learning nuggets" as Zaid calls them with the arbitrary number 69 representing what he feels are the best learning chunks to appear over the past year on his blog, ZaidLearn....what has always been critical for this writer is the amount of reflection Zaid puts into the role of teacher. He constantly reviews his own practices to determine the impact he is having on his students making him an outstanding role model for those aspiring to the profession..." - Thomas J. HansonTHAT'S ALL FOLKS!

PDF2Word OnlineVia CLC OnlineThe PDF-to-Word conversion occurs directly on the site and can be saved to a location of your choosing. You don't need to provide your email address. The Word document will be ready immediately after the conversion is done.Cool! However, I am sure there are several other interesting FREE PDF-to-Word converters out there.Indeed there is! Here is one: Convert PDF-to-Word"I have only found one so far that does a great job (Convert PDF-to-Word), it actually looks almost identical to the PDF file, it's an online converter, sadly enough it's with the email thing, but I can live with that when I get great results..." - Kim CelinderThanks for the suggestion Kim Celinder!However, what if you are looking for a free PDF-to-Word desktop application instead of an online version, do you have any options?Yes, try Smartsoft's free PDF-to-Word Converter (Thanks Nedelcho!). What do you think?Do anyone out there have even a better PDF-to-Word converter to suggest? :)

Starting point - 80+ Videos for Tech. & Media LiteracyMy Top 10 List (Vote or rearrange according to...)THINKINGI was last night exploring Dr. Alec Couros amazing list of videos for Tech. & Media Literacy, and then an idea popped in my wondering mind.Ironically and sadly, many of us are still trying to persuade our dear fellow educators to rethink the way we educate and learn (even until today! Believe it or not!), but often fall short for one reason or the other. Let's face it, not all of us can inspire like Obama.However, if we can't personally inspire mindset change, others perhaps can. Personally, I always use videos (usually short ones. 3-10 minutes) in my presentations to spark or inspire participants to think about, or rethink the way we learn and teach in the 21st century (It is already 2009!). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But, overall participants get excited and appreciate whenever I have infused a relevant video or two in my presentations.However, the real challenge is to choose the appropriate video(s) for the learning event, while taking into consideration all the racial, cultural or religious challenges it might cause. But before even getting there, we need to discover excellent videos. Dr. Alec Couros has done the world a great favor by sharing with us his amazing list. Thank you!OBJECTIVEWouldn't it be nice if other learning professionals (or anyone for that sake!) shared their list of favorite learning videos with the rest of us. Let's virally share our favorite videos, enabling those that struggle to find such videos, find them more conveniently. To be a bit more instructionally sound, let's create an objective for this video discovering event:To list and share our top 10 favorite videos that inspire us to rethink the way we learn and educate in the 21st century. Besides the title, author and link (URL) to the video, please add a short description and why you selected that particular one (if possible).MY TOP 10 LISTHere is my current top 10 list of videos that inspire us to rethink the way we learn and educate:A Vision of Students Today (Michael Wesch)Created to inspire teachers to use technology in engaging ways to help students develop higher level thinking skills. Equally important, it serves to motivate district level leaders to provide teachers with the tools and training to do so.Do Schools Kill Creativity? (Ken Robinson)Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it.Did You Know? 3.0 (Created by Karl Fisch, and modified by Scott McLeod)"Widely viewed video by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod that gives light to the changes imminent in our emerging knowledge-based society. This is an excellent video for framing and introducing the new reality to students, teachers, faculty, and administrators." - Dr. Alec CourosThe Machine is Us/ing Us (Michael Wesch)"Web 2.0" in just under 5 minutes.Five Minute University (Father Guido Sarducci)Father Guido Sarducci teaches what an average college graduate knows after five years from graduation in five minutes. The video gives humorous critique to learning in higher education.Pay Attention (Darren Draper)This presentation, simply entitled Pay Attention, was created by Darren Draper in an effort to motivate teachers to more effectively use technology in their teaching.Teaching Teaching & Understanding Understanding (Claus Brabrand and Jacob Andersen) A 19-minute award-winning short-film about teaching at the University. It shows examples of good and bad teaching, and promotes constructive alignment learning approach using Solo Taxonomy to test students' level of understanding (deep understanding?).Brain Rules (Dr. John Medina)How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget--and so important to repeat new information? Is it true that men and women have different brains? In Brain Rules, molecular biologist Dr. John Medina shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule - what scientists know for sure about how our brains work - and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives.Debunks Myths about the so-called "Developing World" (Hans Rosling)You've never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called "developing world." Yes, we could learn a few tricks from him on how to inspire students to learn our topic for the day.PowerPoint Extreme Makeover (Dean Shareski)How do you use PowerPoint effectively? Using Camtasia studio, Dean Shareski shows you what you can do to make your PowerPoint presentation more attractive, engaging and effective.A Brave New World-Wide Web (David Truss)I know it is a top 10 list, but I just discovered this excellent learning video, and want to include it here (so I don't ever forget it!). It makes you reflect about how technology is changing the way we learn and teach, and is a great video to kick-start a discussion on using technology to facilitate learning.YOUR TOP 10 LIST?Wouldn't it be cool if we could do something similar to Jane Hart's Top 10 Tools Lists of Learning Professionals 2009 for inspiring learning videos, and then do the top 100 and hoopla, hoopla, hoopla...! Jane, if you are reading this post, I would recommend that you take charge (seriously!) of this project (no money involved, just 1000s of more hits!). We could replicate, or reuse your template for learning tools, and do one for videos, too.If not, we could use a wiki. If anyone has already posted their 10 top videos (or whatever list), please feel free to share it with us (in the comments section).In short, I believe this inspiring project 'in the making' could be really helpful to many enlightened and inspired educators (but perhaps not inspiring to others) out there that are looking for sparks (e.g. learning videos) that could inspire their fellow educators to rethink the way they educate and learn.Educators who have shared their top 10 lists, or favorite learning videos (until now):DigiZenAlfredo CalderónTracey Mollins(Click their names to discover more juicy learning videos.)Let's get busy sharing our favorite learning videos with the rest of the learning world :)

Starting Point - Jane's Twitter Applications ListTHINKING There are more than a 150 3rd party applications that work with Twitter that could be useful for teaching and learning (at least according to Jane's master list). However, how many of us have the time to explore all, or figure out which one is appropriate and useful for our own learning and teaching.Though, why not use our collective intelligence to share with our readers our favorite 3rd party twitter applications, and perhaps help a few busy educators out there who are already struggling to figure out how to use Twitter (itself) as an online learning facilitation tool.MY FAVORITESAlright, I am pretty new to 3rd party Twitter applications, and I am very much still learning, so don't expect miracles from my current favorites. But the juice will grow as I learn. I mean as 'WE' learn collectively! Here we go:TweetMemeIs a service which aggregates all the popular links on twitter to determine which links are popular. Tweetmeme is able to categorize these links into categories and subcategories, making it easy to filter out the noise to find what your interested in.TwitterFeedExcellent tool to feed your blog, social bookmarks, etc. to Twitter.TweetDeckIs your personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook and more. TweetDeck shows you everything you want to see at once, so you can stay organised and up to date.DestroyTwitterIs a compact though robust Twitter application built to run on Mac, Windows, and Linux using Adobe AIR. It consists of a series of canvases that constantly update to keep tweets up-to-date using notifications that appear when a new tweet arrives. DestroyTwitter uses a minimal amount of memory compared to its AIR-based alternatives without sacrificing functionality and performance. As a result, it can easily run in the background as an automated process. True, but the application title is a disaster :)Happy TweetsIs a measuring stick for how positive, or happy, a particular Tweep is. Enter the Twitter username for you or one of your buddies, click the "get happy" button, and you'll find out how happy your Tweets are. This is surely useful for miserable teachers. They can get it slapped in their face. Though not sure if it is scientific :)StrawPollTiny polls in 140 characters or less. Ask Your Question, then track With the new StrawPoll Platform, you can use your own Twitter account to ask the questions you find interesting.More coming soon!YOUR FAVORITES?What about you? What are your favorite 3rd party Twitter applications for learning and teaching? Let's discover and learn collectively! I am sure a lot of beginners like myself would appreciate if more 'Twitter King Kongs' out there come out and share their juiciest twitter applications lists. It could be a top 10 list, or a top 5 list, or a top 1 list (oops, that is not a list!), or even a top 100 list. And if you could include a line, or two for why and how it is being applied for teaching and learning, now that would simply be awesome (for sure!).Perhaps you have already shared them on your blog, or in your Twitter world. If you have or planning to, please share them with us in the comments section, or on Twitter, or whatever Google finding tool you are using. If you mention 'ZaidLearn' somewhere in the post, hopefully I will discover it by myself (no need to tell) :)All findings will be listed here (or the comments section below):100 Tips, Apps, and Resources for Teachers on Twitter (Suggested by Mireille Jansma)Have fun exploring 3rd party Twitter applications that could potentially rock your learning and teaching world :)

88 Free EduGames to Spice Up Your CourseFlash Countdown Timer GeneratorUnless you can decode the following text, and figure out what it really says: ACLHQKHZWIt is not sufficient to only guess or provide the correct answer; you also need to explain the decoding process, or how you got to the correct answer. In other words, to master the art of learning, it is not sufficient to know the answer only (which can be easily memorized! Ironically, understanding often not needed!), but we must also understand the process to getting the answer. By understanding the learning process, we can potentially apply what we have learned to other contexts, situations and scenarios.Going further we should be able to reflect deeply what we have learned, and mash it up with other things we have learned to innovate/invent new stuff.You might be thinking, who cares if this post (or message) faces total destruction, "why should I care!" True enough (you can find EduGame lists elsewhere). But wouldn't it be nice to figure out the correct answer. If you get it right (including the decoding process), I am confident Google or Microsoft job hunters out there will be interested know more about your amazing algorithmic decoding brain. Am I right, Hanson Toh (Malaysia's only Google Consultant)?Anyway, the puzzle above is just some fun, before the real purpose of this post, which is.... 88 FREE EDUGAMESto let you know that I have updated the Free EduGames list, and that you can access it by clicking here.Since several sites out there are using the old link, I will keep that one updated instead of creating a new one. This makes whole lot sense, except for AdSense (which I don't use anyway)!Have fun discovering a few EduGames that could spice up your learning and teaching environment :)P.S. If you know of any other FREE EduGames that you think should be added to the list, please feel free to share. Finally, Hanson Toh, I am just poking you a bit, as I know you will be Google alerting your name :)

Free Learning Monitor Newsletter (Subscribe Now! Of Course, Free!)'Mission to Learn' Blog'Free online learning experiences delivered to your inbox monthly!' NEWSLETTERDo you want to receive a monthly digest of free and low-cost online courses, tutorials, videos, podcasts, games, and blogs?YES! YES! YES! Let me repeat: YES!The Free Learning Monitor newsletter compiled/synthesized/authored by Jeff Cobb does just that by providing regular monthly updates about free and low cost education opportunities available on the Web, and so much more.MORE JUICE!In addition, Jeff Cobb runs:The 'Mission to Learn' Blog - Postings 2-3 times per week on new learning resources, news, and insights about learning. Subscribe to the blog by RSSRadio Free Learning - An occasional (aiming for one to two times per month) podcast in which he interviews thinkers and doers in the world of lifelong learning. Subscribe to the Radio Free Learning Podcast via RSS or with iTunes.Mission to Learn on Twitter - a continuous stream of lifelong learning resources and updates on Twitter. Follow Mission to Learn on TwitterFinally, you certainly don't want to miss his excellent easy-to-read/learn/digest Learning 2.0 eBook. WOW!REFLECTIONNo need to reflect whether to subscribe or not, just do it (recommendation based on experiencing these newsletters since May 2008)! Seriously, one extra e-mail a month with tons of excellent free learning resources can't do any harm! Though, if you are stubborn and don't want to subscribe, at least enjoy reading the newsletters from the archives' section on his 'Mission to Learn' website.Amazingly, based on interpreting Jeff Cobb's reflections (here and there!), the 'Free Learning Monitor' has yet to really hit off around the world. Well, with a bit of screaming out loud blog-to-blog, blog-to-twitter, twitter-to-twitter, and twitter-to-blog SWOOSH marketing that might change dramatically going into the newsletter's second year of existence.Finally, Jeff Cobb I would recommend that you also innovate further and synthesize all the free learning resources shared on the newsletters into resource indexes (webpages) such as the ones you find on Jane Hart's amazing site (though a lot of commercial stuff, too. Not my cup of tea!). People love these 100+ resource lists. Not sure if they really explore the resources on them, but they surely bookmark and spread the news about them (which again increases traffic from Google).Jeff Cobb's contribution to discovering and sharing (or referring/recommending) learning resources is simply breath-taking. Let's hope that more people around the world discover and enjoy his tremendous contributions. Besides hoping, let's promote his work, too! Twitter me this, and twitter me that, who is the best free learning monitor around?I am still waiting for the one page 1000+ online resources mega index (with really juicy learning stuff). Perhaps you could be the first one :)

"... Would you like to get 16,000 Followers in 90 days & Make Money doing it?" ...moreTHE SECRETWhy think so small! If you first want to think really big, you might as well go for it for real. I mean what is 16,000 followers (and in 90 days, come on! Peanuts, man!), even if it is a targeted audience to your personal, or company needs to generate traffic and revenue. Forget all the Twitter Gurus (for a few minutes!), and read carefully the secret to getting (Can't wait! Please, tell me know!)....Let's be modest and assume on the average for every 10 persons you follow, at least one will follow you (no science involved, just assumption). This means that if you follow one million, you will eventually get 100,000 followers.However, if you are following 1 million and have 100,000 followers, others with a bit of knowledge would think of you as a wannabe twitter king. So, then learning the game, you will eventually remove those 900,000 that did not follow you. Now it looks better, right! 100,000 Followers versus 100,000 Following. But then you get smarter, and remove 50,000 (or why not 90,000) of those you are following, and trust me they will have no idea, because who keeps track of these kind of things. And swoosh you have 100,000 followers, but you are only following say 10,000 now (Do no Evil!). Now that looks really impressive! Now, you are crowned a Twitter King! Actually, 100.000 followers is not much, so the next step would be to get 1,000.000 million followers. You repeat the 24-hour cycle again and again and again...Wait a second! Where am I going to find one million people to follow on Twitter. Ashton Kutcher to the rescue! Currently, he has 2 million plus followers (as I write). So, if you speed off to click 2 million times (excluding clicking the 'Next' buttons!), you should expect 200,000 followers within a 24-hour period. Even if you have to wait 2-3 days, I think you will survive. Next, you might go for Oprah (although she is only no. 7 on the top 100 Twitter Counter list), as you might find many new Twitter faces there who are not following Ashton Kutcher.Wait a minute! How am I going to be able to click 2 million times within a 24-hour period? You need a good broadband connection for sure, and some Bruce Lee kind of chopping skills.What if I told you that you only need to click a special 'MAGIC BUTTON' once to follow all Ashton Kutcher's followers, or any other person on Twitter you choose. Believe or not, the mastermind (will never reveal who!) behind this tool, is currently working on the ultimate magic button that will enable anyone to click once to follow every single soul on Twitter. Imagine following let's say 10 million people with one click.Wait an hour! Cool, but how do I remove those people who eventually don't follow me, so that I don't look like a 'Twitter Twit'! Well, what if I told you that there is a 'MAGIC REMOVE BUTTON' that filters and removes all those people who are not following you, and has an amazing fuzzy semantic logic that can also strategically using a cosmetic target marketing feature to remove a certain specified number of your followers (to your own liking), so that you can really look like a Twitter King.This mastermind (that I am not going reveal! Don't think of asking! I keep my word!) is in the early stages of conceptualizing a 'MAGIC GHOST BUTTON' that will add you followers without them even knowing it. It is really smart, because it only targets people that follow more than a thousand Twitter users, making it difficult to track its ghost clicking activity.I am ready! But, why don't you have more than +600 followers? Well, some people don't practice what they preach. I only target educators that I want to connect with (Following a 1,000+) and perhaps learn something from them...FOLLOWERS?"(A Direct Message I seriously got from ....) So that I can be your Twitter Master ...(censored)... Read this & give me your unwavering devotion ;)"What! You got to be kidding! I need to remove this dude as fast as possible from my list!I have revealed this amazing secret, but you must keep in mind that your Twitter tweets must be juicy, attractive, and all-in-all relevant, which means more followers, more traffic to your site, and eventually big bucks. Also, please avoid automating all these annoying direct messages that lack human touch. Moreover, if you do so, this amazing secret might be exposed to the world. If you have to do it, at least personalize them. Here is an example, "Hi Yoda! I love your blog, especially that post that reveals the secret of the secret. I am honored to be connected with you! Let's learn from each other! Cheers! Also, forget my blog, it is really boring!"Finally, when you embark on your important mission to get 100,000+ followers (Too small, think millions! Think bigger than big!), remember to do it fast! If you are interested in using the magic buttons I have mentioned, please contact me... which of course cannot be revealed here. Please meet me on the 'MOON' as soon as possible. Further directions will be given when you reach the moon.DEAL WITH IT!I know that the Twitter community is incredible intelligent and they might expose this secret. But, Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone (or 3rd party developers) if you should ever read this post, please take this post seriously serious. Although, we have some filters to avoid this secret from happening (or do we?), I am foreseeing a Twitter learning space becoming a worse spam world than Hotmail was in the past (or still is? No idea, I am using Gmail! I wonder why!). Let's use our collective and creative intelligence to sort this out, so that this fictional story (or is it for real! You decide!) becomes ...But then again, who cares about the number of followers you have! What really matters is the number of 'RETWEETS' you have (Topsy will tell you!), and how many times they are being clicked, and so on. Also,... (some other time). Pay me well, and I will reveal :)

PlagiumVia Jane HartPLAGIUM?"Plagium is an innovative, fast, and easy-to-use means to check text against possible plagiarism or possible sources of origination. Simply enter text that you would like to analyze into the text box and let Plagium do the rest of the work. You can also check the contents of an entered URL for its sources ...more"THINKINGAlright, it is not as sophisticated and feature rich as the commercials alternatives (e.g. Turnitin). However, we don't have to buy licenses, get budget approval, write cost-benefit analysis, and all the ding dong that comes with buying commercial software. In short, Plagium is free and a quick way to check our students' coursework against possible plagiarism.Better yet, Plagium is so easy-to-use (and cool!); you don't need to conduct workshops to teach educators on how to use it. A promotion link would do :)PLAGIARISM?This juicy tool discovery is so timely! Interestingly, I was discussing with a few educators yesterday about plagiarism. And they told me that they had reverted back to more MCQs (Multiple-Choice Questions) and abandoned written coursework for several of their courses as plagiarism was so rampant. This tool could be a good alternative (besides investing in commercial alternatives) to spot possible plagiarism.Though, should we abandon written coursework, because plagiarism is so rampant among students? First of all, let's abandon the word 'PLAGIARISM', and flush it down the toilet. Let's call it 'REPLICATION' instead (at least I can pronounce it!). Secondly, we need to encourage students to replicate other people's ideas and findings (in summarized form) to support their ideas and findings. However, when they replicate, they have to give credit and acknowledge where it came from. In other words, it is alright to replicate, but you got give credit to the author (That is all!).Also, if the question enables the student to easily plagiarize (I mean replicate!), then the question should be flushed down the toilet. Why? Because we are reinventing the wheel! Why should a student waste his/her time writing a summary, or a review of something, if they can Google (or Wolfram Alpha) the answer in 3.2 seconds. I suppose for quantitative subjects it is understandable, but for qualitative subjects we could be a bit more creative.For example, my 'Intercultural Communication' teacher during my undergraduate studies would select recent articles (1-3 weeks old), and then ask us to analyze, summarize, reflect, evaluate, etc. (depending upon the article) using our own words. Our answer had to be less than 500 words (or was it 250 words! Can't remember!). If we wrote beyond that we would get minus points. By doing so, we were taught to be concise and precise (not sure if that is reflected in my blog, though!), and importantly made it very difficult for us to replicate another person's work out there.The bottom line is that we should encourage students to write, replicate, mash-up, and synthesize information as much as possible, but we also need to emphasize the importance of appreciating and giving credit to the rightful authors when required.Seriously, if we don't learn how to summarize, review, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information during our University education, what kind of future can we expect in the 21st century? I can sing karaoke! Yippee!Finally, if students really want to cheat, they will find a way. MCQs are certainly no exception :)

NEW LEARNING ADVENTUREOn June 15th (2009), I will embark on another e-learning adventure, and become the new e-Learning Manager at the International Medical University (IMU). I am looking forward to working with educators in the fields of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Nursing, Medical Biotechnology, Nutrition & Dietetics, Biomedical Science and Psychology (my undergraduate roots! Cool!).I am dreaming of conceptualizing and nurturing with IMU educators electrifying and sizzling e-learning environments (I suppose this only makes sense to 'The Rock'!). In other words, conceptualizing and nurturing e-learning environments that are:RelevantEngagingFunInteractiveCollaborativeThat would be awesome! However, having experienced both sides of the learning continuum (Disaster to Success) during my career as an e-learning professional, I know for sure it won't be easy. But you know what, I am looking forward to the challenge, and hopefully it works out!Interestingly, they are currently using Moodle as their main online teaching and learning platform, so that is great news. In the past, I have experienced a customized in-house developed e-learning platform (no so bad!), a customized commercial one (a total disaster!), and Moodle, which I promoted as an alternative learning space at UNITAR.Whatever, e-learning platform or LMS (Learning Management System) one is using today, let's face it; learning will increasingly take place outside the LMS, in the forms of wikis, blogs, micro-blogs, virtual worlds, video channels (e.g. YouTube), social bookmarking, social networking, etc. Although, e-learning platforms (e.g. Moodle and Blackboard) often have such features and tools, they are usually not up to par with the specialized free learning tools available. But thanks to RSS and integration modules the information flow can still easily be captured and shared in the big old LMS. If it can't, then it better soon, or adios amigo! I suppose LMS will still be around for a few more years for student/course management, tracking, assessment, and some discussions, but I suppose most of the real learning will increasingly take place beyond it.What about SCORM? That alien should be transferred back to the US military. Unless you are buying off-the-shelf courseware that has assessment you want to track, or you want to sell your self-developed courseware, it is seriously a disaster. I suppose in the corporate sector (where it is often needed for tracking purposes) one still mumbles about it, but in the University space not many learning professionals really talk about it anymore (it is there, but nobody cares! Relevant today?). Well, we have SCORM 2004, which really indicates the year that it stopped evolving. Reusable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Durable! What a joke, if you know what I mean :)ANY TIPS? I know that there are many exceptional learning professionals and educators that are reading (scanning or browsing) this blog, and it would be wonderful if some of you came (out of the passive learning mode) and shared with us some tips on e-learning in the medical fields (or other fields for that sake!), especially in terms of:Online FacilitationContent DevelopmentOpen Educational Resourcese-Learning Platform (features and tools to use?)e-Learning 2.0 (any stories to share?)Etc.If you feel uncomfortable sharing in the comments section, I would truly appreciate any suggestions, or tips through other means, such as Twitter and e-mail.Besides working on a few prototype courseware for John Hopkins University (Pediatric Sedation and Pain Management) in 2001, I have to admit I have a lot to learn about the medical fields. However, I am seriously looking forward to this new e-learning adventure, and hopefully my passion, knowledge, skills, and experience will assist in energizing IMU forward with e-learning that sizzles and electrifies (translation above!). And with your advice and tips, I am sure the road to success will be much smoother. Even a 'Good Luck' note, would be appreciated. Thanks :)P.S. I suppose my blog posts will be shorter and fewer in the comings weeks. IMU here I come :)

View eBook - 69 Learning Adventures in 6 GalaxiesSERIOUS?Since my '69 Learning Adventures in 6 Galaxies' ebook was published using SCRIBD on August 6th (2008), it has been viewed more than a 100,000 times. WOW! That is really cool! Have you read (or scanned through for juice) it, too?But, then I discovered that due to the ebook's exotic title (I suspect), many people out there Googling/Binging/Yahooing for ...SENSORED!... have discovered "69 Learning Adventures..." instead. Usually, it is the other way around! In other words, I am creating disruptive and creative connections beyond my imagination. I can live with that! And perhaps some of those disruptive minds that did discover the ebook by accident, have been enriched and enlarged in ways beyond their imagination, too :)EBOOK IS ABOUT WHAT?A collection of 69 learning nuggets (articles) from ZaidLearn compiled into an ebook. This ebook is divided into six learning galaxies (or themes), which are: Learning, Teaching, Stories, Free e-Learning Tools, Free Learning Content and Free EduGames ...more.FEEDBACKBesides the accidental hits, this eBook has enabled me to connect with many exceptional learning professionals and people around world, which has truly humbled me beyond words. Here are some of the constructive (positive) reviews and comments I have received:"One of my must-read blogs on technology and education, ZaidLearn has been rating various learning tools since July of last year. The blog was started by e-Learning Manager for INCEIF, Zaid Alsagoff, who has done research in the areas of "educational gaming, role-play simulation, virtual classrooms, learning (content) management systems, e-learning standards" and "instructional design and courseware development.Recently, OpenEducation.net alerted me to Zaid’s first e-book, "69 Learning Adventures in 6 Galaxies," which compiles and examines the various "learning nuggets" that have been posted on ZaidLearn for the past year. The 267 page book contains a wealth of information regarding the internet and education, espousing some interesting theories like George Siemen’s Connectivism and lines of thought from famous persons like Albert Einstein and Henry Ford..." - Jane Park"Zaid Ali Alsagoff has organized and edited 69 postings from his weblog Zaidlearn at the ePublishing site Scribd. Zaid's eBook provides many links and many valuable perspectives on the worlds of learning that are available on the Web. ____JH" - Joseph Hart"Malaysian maven Zaid Ali Alsagoff has filtered his prolific and always valuable output at ZaidLearn down to 69 great nuggets of learning for your e-Reading pleasure. You can find it on Scribd, but I recommend getting there via Zaid's post on the eBook to get all the back story - and to find out what Zaid's other "hedgehog goal" besides publishing a book is.Either way, I highly recommend joining Zaid on his intergalactic learning adventure!" - Jeff Cobb"...Zaid's blog caught our attention for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Zaid uses a measuring stick called learning juice to categorize materials that serve to inspire readers of specific materials. Second Zaid consistently searches the net for interesting web sites related to technology and learning so his blog features a number of compilation posts listing the latest sites worth visiting.At the same time, what has always been critical for this writer is the amount of reflection Zaid puts into the role of teacher. He constantly reviews his own practices to determine the impact he is having on his students making him an outstanding role model for those aspiring to the profession... (A long review)..." - Tom Hanson"Zaid Ali Alsagoff is in Malaysia and is an e-learning researcher. He has an ebook which you can either download or read on his blog for free called "69 Learning Adventures in 6 Galaxies". Reading it will increase your vocabulary of current jargon used in educational circles and you will quickly develop a list of the big names in e-learning. His 2 hedgehog goals for 2008 were to write a book on e-learning and enroll in a doctorate program. Here's the link to his book which grew out of his blog http://zaidlearn.blogspot.com/ It is divided into 4 sections: Learning, Teaching, Stories and Free e-learning tools. This is a great find for someone like myself who is interested in e-learning but is outside the educational community." - An Old Lady Reconnecting"Sounds like a bit of a gimmick title right? Well, it’s not. It’s a free eBook by Zaid Ali Alsagoff, the e-Learning Manager for The International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He’s assembled a very easily readable eBook that covers six major topics (aka Galaxies!): Learning, Teaching, Stories, Free e-Learning Tools, Free Learning Content and Free EduGames. In conjunction with his blog called Zaidlearn, it provides a nice set of resources for the practitioner who is in "knowledge seeker" mode." - Eric A. Tremblay"Zaid Ali Alsagoff, who has an intriguing Norwegian connection, has carved out a neat niche in the edublogger community, providing colorful and interesting slideshows on different topics, whether it be Web 2.0 educational tools, lists of edubloggers, or other resource collections. He has even published a book, called 69 learning adventures in 6 galaxies, available for free online..." - Stian HåklevAREAS FOR IMPROVEMENTThough, I have also received several constructive comments on things that could be improved (tremendously!). One dear friend suggested (through e-mail) that I include a real summary or conclusion (Icing on the cake!) that summarizes, or paints a big picture of what I have learned about ...Also, should I ever create another ebook out of my blog, I am going delete all the time-specific information that is not relevant, or of interest to the reader.Finally, several complained that the links to all the amazing learning resources did not work. However, that was actually planned. The only links that really works, are the article links (URLs) back to the blog, so that the reader can return to discover the latest updates (if any). As my ebook is a link heaven, I would probably need to update it on weekly basis (e.g. broken links). Sorry, this ebook has only one edition, but the blog (posts) is the dynamic edition that will evolve as I learn.Yes, my conclusion was, if you like what you find in this ebook, then ZaidLearn is a great place to discover and learn more. That's All!NEXT EBOOK?So, when is your next ebook (or book) coming out?Well, I was thinking about compiling a few dozen juicy posts from ZaidLearn to smash another ebook entitled 'ZaidLearn's Juiciest Learning Stories!' sometime in November or December this year. Still thinking, but not final yet!Though, I do hope that by December 2010 I would have launched my first real book, which will for now be codenamed: 'IMU's Sizzling Learning Innovation Lab'It depends a bit on whether my dream of creating electrifying and sizzling learning environments at IMU really happens. One thing is for sure; I will try my best, and keep in mind..."Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein:)

Google Translator ToolkitDemo VideoVia Joseph Hart"...Of course translation services are vital components to facilitate the world-wide sharing of educational resources. " - Joseph HartWHAT?"Google Translator Toolkit is part of Google's effort to make information universally accessible through translation. Google Translator Toolkit helps translators translate better and more quickly through one shared, innovative translation technology. Here's what you can do with Google Translator Toolkit: Upload Word documents, OpenOffice, RTF, HTML, text, Wikipedia articles and knols.Use previous human translations and machine translation to 'pretranslate' your uploaded documents.Use our simple WYSIWYG editor to improve the pretranslation.Invite others (by email) to edit or view your translations.Edit documents online with whomever you choose.Download documents to your desktop in their native formats --- Word, OpenOffice, RTF or HTML.Publish your Wikipedia and knol translations back to Wikipedia or Knol." - SourceEXAMPLE PLEASE!"For example, if an Arabic-speaking reader wants to translate a Wikipedia™ article into Arabic, she loads the article into Translator Toolkit, corrects the automatic translation, and clicks publish. By using Translator Toolkit's bag of tools — translation search, bilingual dictionaries, and ratings, she translates and publishes the article faster and better into Arabic. The Translator Toolkit is integrated with Wikipedia, making it easy to publish translated articles. Best of all, our automatic translation system "learns" from her corrections, creating a virtuous cycle that can help translate content into 47 languages, or over 98% of the world's Internet population." - Michael Galvez and Sanjay BhansaliEASE-TO-USE?This video will teach you how to use the Google Translator Toolkit in 1 minute 37 seconds (it is that easy!):REFLECTIONI have been exploring translation software for years, and it just amazes me how much they have improved over the years, especially Google's arsenal of translation tools. For example now, I can easily read any blog in 47 languages and comment back, and the translations seem good (at least understandable). For example, a few weeks back I read a Spanish blog post referring to one of my posts, and then I commented in Spanish using Google translator. I am not 100% sure it was 100% correct, but since then I have got Spanish speaking learning professionals e-mailing me this and that in Spanish.I suppose English to Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc. might not be as accurate as English to Norwegian (or other European languages), but I am sure it is sufficient to understand, and then we could always use the new toolkit to touch up the remaining 2-10% out of context. When I have used Google's Language arsenal to translate my posts into Norwegian, it is if it is reading my mind about what I want to say (except for a few glitches here and there). It is amazing!I suppose many translators might say these translation tools are not up to mark, but I suppose they are in a way trying hard to protect their profession and pay. But these tools are going to get better and better, and if they aren't using such tools to speed up their translation work, or simply aren't that good (at translation), they better start looking for a new job and profession. Be smart, use the tools and add your contextualized expertise to perfect the translation (99.97%).Also, this growing collection of freely available translation tools are going to do wonders in translating Open Educational Resources (OER) to 47 languages (over 98% of the world's Internet population). Let's use these tools to globalize OER into everyone corner of the world. At least 98% of it!Translation professionals out there, don't be proud and stubborn, start using Google translator kit (or other better alternatives out there!)! You might argue, it was bad before, but they are getting better, and they might within a few years challenge you word for word to the extreme. Master them now, so when they eventually meet your expectations, you are ready. If you are already using such tools, RESPECT!Finally, if I had to sum up my opinion on Google's translator toolkit using just one word, it would be: Awesome! I mean: Imponente! Ehrfürchtig! Fryktinngytende! Génial! Mengagumkan!مرعب! 可怕的! Nakakabilib! Impressionante! 恐ろしい! Φοβερός!Милый! Dehşet verici! ดีเลิศ! 훌륭한! Imponerende! Ontzagwekkend!Hopefully, it translated correctly :)

Slideshare versionThinking Back to The FutureMY TALKI was invited by the Ministry of Health (Training Division) to give a two hour lecture during a 2-day Tutor Seminar at the Hotel City Bayview, Penang. There were 165 participants (17 males only!). This seminar's theme was 'TRAINING EXCELLENCE', and it explored e-learning, student assessment, self-assessment, self-motivation, lateral thinking and emotional intelligence over two (2) days.My 2-hour talk explored learning and how we can use web 2.0 learning tools and Open Educational Resources (OER) to transform the way we learn. Finally, it reflected some of the challenges that we will probably face as we embark on this 21st century learning adventure.Here are the slides:Using e-Learning To Facilitate 21st Century LearningView more documents from zaid.SELF-ASSESSMENTThe moment of truth had arrived after my lecturing nightmares in 2008. This was my first lecture of the year to more than a 100 participants. Was I ready? Or would I crash, and procrastinate into total self-destruction?Interestingly, I was invited again by the Ministry of Health (Training Division), after putting so many tutors to sleep during my previous lecture. I suppose they might have found something valuable from it. Otherwise, why would they have invited me back again? Maybe my negative imagination during that sad period had misled me to believe that it was much worse than it really was. Sometimes setting too high expectations can kill our joy to enjoy the process of learning and mastering. Nothing can be mastered over night! Ask Tiger Woods, and he will tell you?So, let's start with the presentation slides? 108 slides (54 slides per hour), including four inspiring short videos (adding up to around 25 minutes) over a two-hour period. There are several more excellent short videos in the slides, which I ignored during the talk due to time constraints, but still worthwhile sharing for participants to explore after the talk.Since, I was going to talk about e-learning, I was of course reluctant to give them print-outs to prove a point. So, I uploaded the slides to Slideshare the night before my talk for them to access during and after the seminar. Interestingly, I believe this is the first time in my life that I have actually been really satisfied with my presentation slides. Although, I missed out on a few resources and tools I wanted to share, and a few messy slides, I felt good about them. That was at least a good start.My positive feelings were probably picked up by the Slideshare team, which within 24 hours featured the presentation slides on Slideshare's front page. Within 48 hours it had been viewed more than a 1000 times, and retweeted 20+ times. So, this indirect feedback from a global audience has surely helped me regain my confidence :)But then again, it was not my slides that were a problem last time. Instead it was my actual delivery (lecture) that literally nearly procrastinated me into total self-destruction. So, how would it go this time around?Strangely over the last few months in my recovery to rediscover myself, I have lowered my expectations, and started to enjoy life. Yes, I have even started swimming 2-3 times a week, built some muscle, and should be ready to challenge Michael Phelps in the next Olympics. London here I come!After months of frustration, reflections and rejecting several offers to conduct talks and workshops in Malaysia and abroad, God (Allah to me! For Atheists, I have no idea!) sparked a small light that has literally changed my life (at least until now!). My little four year old son looked me in the eyes and said a few words of magic (Please, get better soon!), and from that day on, slowly and steadily an inner strength has increasingly touched every cell in my body.So, how did the lecture go? No fear, no pressure, no high expectations, more muscle, more experience, more fun, and more 'Yes, I can'! Al-Hamdulilla, I believe it went very well. Actually, I believe I nailed it (Simon are you reading!). At the moment I feel like an e-Learning Gladiator that can battle through all the destructive forces of negativity to inspire people to explore all the wonderful opportunities to learn beyond face-to-face learning (please explore the slides!).Looking back, I should have video recorded it! But then again, I am not ready to become a Stephen Downes yet (recording and sharing to the world!). Give me a couple of years of messing up first, then perhaps! But at least you all can enjoy my presentation slides as I learn to master the art of lecturing.MY WIFE, MY LOVE!However, as I have been so obsessed during the last few months trying to rediscover myself and become an e-learning gladiator, I have neglected and not given the kind of love and time a marriage and family deserves. At the moment I am paying the price for it, and should stop writing right now, and instead win back the only woman that I have ever loved.I LOVE YOU! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I CAN'T IMAGINE LIVING WITHOUT YOU! PLEASE COME BACK!...Update (15/7):Al-Hamdulilla, 'My Love' mission has been completed successfully. Now, I can focus on being an e-Learning Gladiator again :)

Do you have problems writing learning outcomes/objectives for your content or courses?Or more specifically, do you have trouble finding the right ACTION VERBS to describe what you want your students to achieve from the course, module, topic or unit?Have you tried using Bloom's Taxonomy wheel(s) before to assist finding those magic action verbs?Here are a few examples: Bloom's Revised Taxonomy Wheel Source: http://www.cobbk12.org/sites/alt/training/Blooms/circle.GIF Bloom's Taxonomy WheelSource: http://www.alline.org/euro/images/bloomwheel.png Source: http://teaching.uncc.edu/files/image/resources/pedagogy/diagramforwriting.gifSource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blooms_rose.svgWhy not print out the one you like most (not too many, due to the shortage of trees today!), or download the Bloom's Taxonomy wheel images above, and then use them to find those magic action verbs that you might have struggled to find before. These wheels work much better than idiotic tables of action verbs according to Bloom's taxonomy. Trust me!Also, please learn how to apply Bloom's taxonomy to web 2.0 learning tools (and 21st Century learning):Bloom's Digital Taxonomy"It's not about the tools, it's using the tools to facilitate learning."Finally, here are a few sites worth exploring to learn more about the Bloom's taxonomy (if needed):Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning DomainsWriting Objectives Using Bloom's TaxonomyCritical and Creative ThinkingInstructional Design - Knowledge, Attitude & SkillsREFLECTIONI still remember when I started off as an Instructional Designer in 2001, I was required to assist subject matter experts (SME) in constructing learning objectives/outcomes. Especially, in the beginning it was a nightmare, because I struggled with finding and suggesting the appropriate action verbs. But then one of the senior instructional designers introduced me to Bloom's taxonomy wheel(s), and from then on writing instructional sound learning outcomes has been as easy as eating rambutan.When developing content with SMEs it certainly helps having relevant and agreed upon learning outcomes early on to guide the content development process. In other words, it is good to spend some time on constructing them, and not just creating them as an afterthought, because of some education ministry requirements.I am not sure about your country, but in Malaysia the Bloom's taxonomy is the reference that Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) recommend (a requirement to use!), and most Universities use it to construct learning outcomes with an eye on infusing more deep thinking (critical and creative), or higher order thinking skills (HOTS). As an action verb classification system I am fine, but I have low regard for Bloom's taxonomy as a pyramid, whereby Evaluation (old version) is on the top. It is helpful, but to me it is misleading. But that, we can discuss in another post sometime in the future (However, your opinion about Bloom's taxonomy would be highly appreciated). Also, I would like to highlight that Clayton R. Wright has simplified the process in finding those magic action verbs. He found that many participants in his workshops found it easier to deal with a smaller number of categories than the six stated by Bloom. Some verbs can be found in several categories, but it depends on how they are used. Rather than use verbs at the lower-end of the skills spectrum, he suggests that emphasis should be placed on application and problem-solving skills. The list is not "a magic bullet", but it helps educators who have difficulty finding the word that describes what they want their students to achieve.Click the graphic to enlarge it (Reference: Instructing in an International Setting: A Handbook for Those Who Will Provide Training in Developing Countries (p. 3-24), by C. R. Wright, 1997)"If we could transform these tables into a wheel, it would simply be awesome!"When creating objectives for secondary and post-secondary courses, Clayton reminds his workshop participants to also consider the 21st Century Learning Outcomes developed by the League for Innovation and sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts. These learning outcomes were validated by 260 colleges in Canada and the United States. They cover a variety of skills such as technology skills, communication skills, computational skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, information management skills, interpersonal skills, personal skills, and community skills. All of these skills are important for those living in a digital world.Although, learning outcomes usually helps in the content development process, but do they help or guide students in the learning process?Let's recall our own experience as a student. To be honest, as a student I never gave two hoops about reading learning outcomes/objectives, whether they were in the course plan/guide/outline, courseware, or in a book. Neither can I recall discussing, nor listening to other students discussing about their learning outcomes. Well, that is my experience! However, it would be interesting if there was some actual research done on how students use learning outcomes to facilitate their own learning. Or perhaps they don't use them at all! So...Are learning outcomes really important to facilitate the learning process? Do we need them? Are they destructive to facilitate creativity and innovation?Are there other ways to tell our students what learning output we should expect from them? Do we need to be more creative in the way we express learning outcomes?What do you think? Speak up! It is about time! Thank you :)

"A doctor must work eighteen hours a day and seven days a week. If you cannot console yourself to this, get out of the profession."- Martin H. FischerAfter reading Dena White's excellent post on free health and medical online courses, I realized that I have yet to compile a juicy list of free medical online resources. Also, since I am now the e-Learning Manager for IMU (International Medical University), it makes even more sense to do such a thing. Actually, I need to get my act together and smash together another juicy list right now!Here is a juicy collection of free medical resources, games and courses (still under construction!) that you might want to use for your personal learning, or embed in your course/training/program as supplementary, or core resources to enrich the students' learning experiences.Let's start with... Medical Slides WorldSlideWorld is a web resource designed to facilitate educational process of medical professionals. It is a PowerPoint Search Engine that enables you to search more than 7 million presentations (.ppt) on medical related content. The site is open to anyone and is free of cost. Academic faculties and clinicians in practice from worldwide have contributed to the web portal.MedEdPORTALIs a free peer-reviewed publication service and repository for medical and oral health teaching materials, assessment tools, and faculty development resources. All copyright and patient privacy issues are addressed during the submission process so users around the globe can download and utilize any and all of the published resources for educational purposes without legal infringements.MedWorm - Medicine RSS Search over 6000 authoritative Medical relates RSS feeds from one place.MedpediaIs a long term, worldwide project to evolve a new model for sharing and advancing knowledge about health, medicine and the body among medical professionals and the general public. The Project provides a free online technology platform to any individual or organization that can benefit from its use.JHSPH OCWThe Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's OpenCourseware (JHSPH OCW) project provides access to content of the School's most popular courses. JHSPH OCW Image Library enables you to search or browse to find and download hundreds of images from OCW courses. Most images are licensed for reuse, and their incorporation into your own educational materials is encouraged by The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as part of our commitment to the open sharing of educational resources.In addition, you might want to check out Johns Hopkins Podcasts, too.Health Sciences Online (HSO)HSO is the first website to deliver authoritative, comprehensive, free, and ad-free health sciences knowledge. Search and browse any health sciences topic from over 50,000 courses, references, guidelines, and other learning resources. Materials are selected from accredited educational sources including universities, governments, and professional societies, by knowledgeable staff at HSO.Human Body and Mind - Interactive Body (BBC)An amazing interactive exploration of the human body and its functions.Visible Body - 3D Human AnatomyIs a free virtual human anatomy website with detailed models of all human body systems.Medical VideosIs an online library dedicated for videos and movies related to Medicine and Surgery to provide one easy place to find whatever a doctor,medical student,nurse or any individuals involved in medicine to find whatever he/she looks for.With a simple broadband connection you can enjoy the high quality medical videos either to learn new techniques or to be updated with the latest advances in medicine.Think AnatomyThey have found links to the best anatomy resources on the Internet, categorized them, reviewed them, and put them in one place for you. Thank you :)Street AnatomyStreet Anatomy is the creation of Vanessa Ruiz, art director, medical illustrator, blogger, and all out anatomy fanatic. It obsessively covers the use of human anatomy in medicine, art, and design. Street Anatomy began as a blog to educate people about the field of medical illustration and slowly evolved into an exploration of how anatomy is portrayed in everything from fine art to advertising.LearnersTV.comThis is a comprehensive site providing Video lectures, LiveOnline Tests, Audio lectures etc in the fields of Biology, Physics,Chemistry,Mathematics,Computer Science,Engineering,Medicine, Management and Accounting etc FREE to its visitors... This site provides free video/audio lectures of whole courses conducted by faculty from reputed universities around the world. Free live timed online tests with instant feedback and explanations will definitely help learners around the globe. Most of the materials offered are licensed by the respective institutes under a Creative Commons License. Currently, they have 3100+ videos in their database.MerckSourceOffers a wide variety of core health tools and resources, available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They have designed this website with your health and medical needs in mind. Best of all, it's free and it has absolutely no advertising. No distractions. Just credible health and medical information at your fingertips.Medical Animation LibraryFree medical animations as provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System. This content is "bandwidth intensive." The latest versions of the following browser plug-ins must be installed: Shockwave and Quicktime.Molecular MoviesThis web resource presents an organized directory of cell and molecular animations, as well as a collection of original tutorials for life science professionals learning 3D visualization. The goal is to provide an efficient way for scientists and educators to browse and access existing animations for teaching and communication purposes.Human Embryology AnimationsIt explores General Embryology, Cardiovascular Embryology, Development of the Head and Neck, Gastrointestinal Embryology, Development of the Limbs, and Urinary and Reproductive Embryology. Amazing stuff!BlogsDigital Medicine and Technology in Medical Education (Dr. Neelesh Bhandari)Assessing the impact of Digital technologies on Health care.Wishful thinking in Medical EducationA GP and Clinical Lecturer in Cardiff University (Wales, UK) interested in the use of new technologies to further medical education. This blog explores how to use the tools that are available, and how we can help students get the most out of learning, and become better doctors.Aestheticdoctor (Dr. Chin Shih Choon)Discusses lifestyle, beauty and the latest trends in medical aesthetics.Please suggest more :)Educational GamesHere is a sizzling collection of free educational games related to health, medicine and life (more EduGames!): FreeRiceGive free rice to hungry people by playing a simple game that increases your knowledge (vocabulary, language, maths, geography, chemistry, etc). For each answer you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger.AIDtoCHILDRENThe game will help to expand your vocabulary and help children in need while doing so. For every correct answer they will donate .25 cents to children in need.Re-MissionUnderstand cancer better and develop a positive attitude toward defeating it.WFP FoodforceUnderstand world hunger and efforts to alleviate it.The POD GameDispense drugs and medical advice to people during an emergency. Using this game, you can enhance your efforts to teach staff and volunteers to work efficiently and sensitively with the public to maximize throughput in times of crisis.Blood TypingIn this game you have to blood type each patient and give them a blood transfusion.Virtual Hip Surgery - Total Hip Replacement SurgeryTake on the role of the Surgeon throughout a hip replacement surgery!Virtual Knee Surgery - Total Knee Replacement Take on the role of the Surgeon throughout a total knee replacement surgery.The Ear PagesSound is caused by changes of pressure in the air that is transformed into nerve impulses in the inner ear. Explore "The Ear Pages" and collect the snail shaped symbols to gain points in the quiz!Immune AttackAn educational video game that introduces basic concepts of human immunology to high school and entry-level college students. It aims to excite students about the subject, while also illuminating general principles and detailed concepts of immunology.The Immune System DefenderIlya Mechnikov, inserted a thorn into a larva and noticed strange cells gathering around the thorn. The cells were eating any foreign substances entering the ruptured skin (devouring cells). Play the game to learn more!Whack TB (Tuberculosis)There are almost 9 million new cases of TB each year; about 500,000 of these cases are resistant to the best TB drugs available to fight them. Play this game and learn more about fighting TB!" From the Families USA Global Health Initiative.The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food DetectiveThere has been a mysterious outbreak of unhealthy habits among kids, and we need to solve these cases. All junior food detectives will get secret training on how to eat right and exercise. Have fun playing the game!The Food Detectives Fight BAC!The game gives kids a fun way to learn about foodborne illness. From New Mexico State University.FatworldA video game about the politics of nutrition. It explores the relationships between obesity, nutrition, and socioeconomics in the contemporary U.S.WaterBusters!A game to teach tips for water conservation around the home.EnergyvilleIt’s up to you to provide enough power to meet the energy demands of your city’s 3.9 million people while keeping them prosperous, secure, and living in a clean environment. The implications of the energy decisions you make today for your city in 2015 are based on the current lifestyles and the projected energy demands and costs for developed countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia.ElectroCityElectroCity is a new online computer game that lets players manage their own virtual towns and cities. It teaches players about energy, sustainability and environmental management in New Zealand.Ayiti - The Cost of LifeWhat is it like to live in poverty? Find out now in this challenging role playing game in which you take responsibility for a family of five in rural Haiti. From UNICEF with Microsoft support.Stop DisastersThe online game aims at teaching people on how to build safer villages and cities against disasters. Multiple languages. Good teacher resources.Real Life SimulationsThat let you experience life as, for example, a peasant farmer in Bangladesh, a factory worker in Brazil, a policeman in Nigeria, a lawyer in the US, or a computer operator in Poland, among others.3rd World FarmerIt aims at simulating the real-world mechanisms that cause and sustain poverty in 3rd World countries. In the game, the player gets to manage an African farm, and is soon confronted with the often difficult choices that poverty and conflict necessitate. Climate ChallengeA game where you are president of the European Nations. You must tackle climate change and stay popular enough with the voters to remain in office.Global Warming InteractiveIs a web based multi-user educational game which explores the relationship of global warming to economic, political and science policy decisions (intended for the high school user).Quest AtlantisHelp students understand social studies, environmental concerns, current events, and scientific standards.Deliver The Net GameRace the sun and hand out as many insecticide-treated bed nets as you can to African families. The more nets you deliver - before the mosquitoes come out - the more lives you save.HarpoonedHarpooned is a free game for Windows. It is a Cetacean Research Simulator, where you play the role of a Japanese scientist performing research on whales around Antarctica.WolfQuestLearn about wolf ecology by living the life of a wild wolf in Yellowstone National Park. Play alone or with friends in on-line multiplayer missions, explore the wilderness, hunt elk, and encounter stranger wolves in your quest to find a mate.Open Courseware (OCW)Here is a collection of interesting Health and Medical OpenCourseware you might want to explore further (Check JHSPH OCW for more!):Impact of Pandemic Influenza on Public Health (Johns Hopkins)This training examines the path of the avian influenza and examines how it could impact world health.Population Health (Tufts University)This course explores the relationships between population health and public health, animal health and human health, and clinical and population-based health practice.Human Growth and Development (Tufts University)This course explores the various developmental "tracks" longitudinally from birth to death, and the individual at various cross-sectional stages/ages of life.Managed Care and Health Insurance (Johns Hopkins)This course explores the major issues related to the design, function, management, regulation, and evaluation of health insurance and managed care plans.Population Change and Public Health (Johns Hopkins)This course introduces the basic elements of population studies, including: population size, composition, and distribution, and the causes and consequences of changes in these characteristics.Public Health Biology (Johns Hopkins)This course explores population biology and ecological principles underlying public health and reviews molecular biology in relation to public health biology.Addiction and Neural Ageing (The Open University - UK)This course examines some of the biological and psychological issues underlying addictive behaviours and the ageing of the nervous system.Nutrition and Medicine (Tufts University)This course teaches basic nutrition principles that are relevant to other medical courses such as pathology, growth and development, and pharmacology.Microbiology (Tufts University)This course explores the principles of infectious agents, including the basic tactics used by microbial pathogens to establish infectious diseases.Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (Johns Hopkins)This course explores the basic methods for infectious disease epidemiology and case studies of important disease syndromes and entities.Implant Dentistry (Tufts University)This course is explores the fundamentals of Implant Dentistry, including the basic concepts and foundation of diagnosis, treatment planning and sequence of treatment with the patients, practice coordinators and prosthodontic faculty members.Principles of Drug Development (Johns Hopkins)This course explores the underlying preclinical and clinical development of new therapeutic drugs and procedures. It describes and evaluates specific examples, and discusses legal and ethical regulations that apply to drug development.Oral Public Health and Community Service (Tufts University)This course examines the impact of society, disparate cultures, attitudes, health beliefs and risk behaviors on oral public health.Challenging Ideas in Mental Health (The Open University - UK)This course takes you on a journey of discovery where you are invited to challenge ideas, both new and old, in relation to mental health.Geriatric Dentistry (Tufts University)This course considers dental needs of the rapidly changing and ethnically diverse geriatric population. It covers a wide range of lecture topics, from Nutrition and Aging to Oral Cancer and Other Pathologic Lesions of the Geriatric Patient.Preclinical Complete Denture Prosthodontics (Tufts University)This is the introductory course to the treatment of the edentulous patient and continues as the student progresses to the Advanced Clinical Complete Denture Lecture Series and the clinical treatment of patients.Introduction to Mental Health and Disaster Preparedness (Johns Hopkins)This presentation introduces the topics of disaster mental health services, mental health surge capacity, and psychiatric first aid.Improving Understanding and Collaboration among First Responders (Johns Hopkins)This unique training addresses the institutional culture of five responder groups: law enforcement, EMS, fire, public health, and private security in an attempt at fostering understanding among these groups.Biological Agents of Water and Foodborne Bioterrorism (Johns Hopkins)This presentation examines the various biological agents that terrorists could use against food or water supplies.Agricultural Science and Policy I (Tufts University)This course highlights the relevance of natural resource conservation for ensuring healthy agricultural, food and environmental systems, as well as the various approaches for implementing it.Introduction to Human Nutrition (UC Berkeley)This course provides an overview of digestion and metabolism of nutrients.Introduction to Neuroscience (MIT)The course will span modern neuroscience from molecular neurobiology to perception and cognition.Health Issues for Aging Populations (Johns Hopkins)Introduces the study of aging, its implications for individuals, families, and society, and the background for health policy related to older persons.Neurology, Neuropsychology, and Neurobiology of Aging (MIT)Lectures and discussions in this course cover the clinical, behavioral, and molecular aspects of the brain aging processes in humans.FIRST AIDThis 'First Aid' resource section is 100% inspired and replicated from Michelle Fabio's excellent post on 'Mission to Learn'. Here is a list of 10 recommended free first aid online resources:American Heart Association e-LearningLots of information on heart emergencies with basic First Aid, CPR, and AED courses (for a small fee) that can be completed anytime, anywhere; also has a Pocket First Aid & CPR iPhone application.American Veterinary Medical Association Pet First AidPrintable information on how to deal with small and large pet emergencies from poisoning and seizures to broken bones and heatstroke.CPR DudeRun by an American Red Cross CPR, AED, and First Aid instructor, this site offers lots of information presented in a fun, interactive way.FirstAid4AllComprehensive resource with information on dealing with emergencies like choking, absence of heartbeat or breathing, poisoning, sunstroke, and electric shock as well as with accidents like burns, cuts, fractures, dislocations, bruises, bleeding, and foreign objects in the eyes or ears; also provides a checklist so you can create your own first aid kit to keep handy.First Aid WebOffers free self-guiding CPR and First Aid courses with regular quizzes to chart your progress; note in order to receive certification, there is a fee.Health World OnlineInstructions for dealing with many different kinds of accidents and emergency situations including animal and insect bites, fainting, frostbite, hyperventilation, seizures, splinters, and more.Kids Health Great for parents, the First Aid & Safety section covers how to prevent and respond to emergencies at home, outdoors, and also away from home.Mayo Clinic Lots of information on how to deal with accidents and emergencies, including corneal scratches, chemical splashes, head trauma, snake and tick bites, and nosebleeds; also tips on making your own first aid kit.University of Washington School of MedicineIncludes instruction on first aid for choking, standard CPR, hands-only CPR, CPR for children and infants, and CPR for pets; also printable instructions, videos, fun facts, and even iPhone and Android applications.Waveland Fire DepartmentOffers guidance on CPR procedures and the Heimlich Maneuver for choking victims, including helpful diagrams and illustrations.Warning!Reading, exploring and mastering these resources, does not qualify you to become a doctor (of any form). For medical and all-star wrestling professions you are required by law to go through formal education and be certified to ensure better safety and life for everyone :)

Sharein"The goal is convenience, to make it easy for the user...It’s not a power tool, but for the average user who wants to share."- Colin Wong (CEO, Sharein)SHAREIN?Sharein is an easy-to-learn/use tool that allows you to bookmark, rate, share, and discuss your internet discoveries with your friends in an efficient manner. You can share your favorite content via email with your friends or you may post it to Twitter or Facebook being the latest features launched. They will also shorten your link (URL) using a URL Shortening Service at tr.my. Also, you can always bookmark a link for future reference and sharing to your friends.Interestingly, Sharein enables you to get more insight into how people are consuming your discoveries. It tracks total views, reach, re-tweets, comments etc. to help you better understand how viral your discovery is. The Bookmarklet tool also enables you to personalize your discussions into different private groups, such as family, work friends, school friends or to your social network. You can have the satisfaction of knowing how your friends enjoyed your share through their votes and discussions.LIKEAll-In-One Idea (still not there, though!)It combines the ability to bookmark, rate, share, discuss and track your internet discoveries all-in-one.TrackingIt enables you to get more insight into how people are consuming your discoveries in textual and visual format. Really cool! Thumbs up to this feature. Other social bookmarking tools needs learn a few tricks from here!Personalized SharingEnables you easily to share to who you want in an efficient manner (including groups and privacy), whether it is your work buddies or friends in where-not-know.Speed-to-ShareWithin 2-3 of clicks you have shared what you want, compared to 6-8 clicks using traditional e-mail. If you share a lot (please do!), then it makes a 'Ca-Wa-Banga' difference.DON'T LIKELimited Sharing OptionsWhy only Twitter and Facebook! Please add more soon! At least to other widely used social bookmarking, social networking and blogging sites. Don't need to use tabs (as it will clutter and confuse the average user), but perhaps checkboxes or a drop-down menu would do the trick.Bookmarking ToolIt is miles behind Delicious and Diigo, which is kind of expected. However, to avoid putting too much effort to compete (think win-win!), why not make it easier to directly post your discoveries to widely used social bookmarking sites, if the user wants (I want!). It only requires a few lines of code to make it happen, so I predict this will be available by the time you read this (Not you!).One-Discovery SharingAlthough, I am not an average user and a hyper discovery sharer, I believe this tool should also provide us the option to share multiple discoveries in one-shot (Select checkbox or simply 'All') to multiple tools. Keep it real, keep it simple! One shot, bang! FINAL VERDICTWill I use it? Nope (perhaps in the future)! If people are interested in what I share, they can always RSS whatever I share. Anyway, I can easily share to Twitter and Facebook using Delicious in one shot. The only thing that is missing, is Sharein's cool tracking feature. But then again with at least Twitter, we have enough tools to tell us A-Z about whether our discoveries, or tweets are making any impact.Will I recommend Sharein to others?Although, I will probably not use it, I would actually strongly recommend it to average users, or users that like to share links (URLs) to particular aliens or groups. Why waste time using traditional e-mail (like Gmail!), when Sharein makes it easier and faster. Though, they really need to get that multiple link sharing feature up and running soon.The fact that I am writing about it on a Sunday morning (started 6.45 am!), should indicate that there is something special about Sharein. Also, this blog is about juicy stuff, and not constructed to slaughter every crappy tool out there. There are enough blogs doing that already.In short, I am thrilled to see a Malaysian web 2.0 tool making waves, and I do hope that they really kick-off in the coming months. Also, we need to keep in mind, that the CEO (Colin Wong) used to work for Google, meaning he should know something about what makes people Google, and embed that Googleness into Sharein (in a original and innovative way!).Sharein needs a bit tweaking and feature enhancements, but with Web 2.0 technologies that can be done within a blink-of-an-eye, and it wouldn't surprise me that by the time you read this, some of my dislikes have been crushed.Finally...Malaysia Boleh! Seriously, a Two Thumbs Up :)

"We are the world We are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So let's start giving There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day Just you and me..."- Michael Jackson & Lionel RichieMY TED WISH!Alright, I might never get the opportunity to give a TED talk, but that does not mean I can't share with you my little TED wish. Since this is my dream (post), I can let my imagination visualize anything I like, so I will start with winning the 'TED Wish' award. Thank You!Alright, a 50 million Dollars award will certainly be too little to make my wish come true. So, in my dream I am awarded with 500 Billion Dollars (tax free!), which is exactly what is needed to wire the world with free Internet access. No, we will not be using WiMAX, but instead we will be using GlobalMAX, which has 10 times better coverage. Also, you might be wondering how did I come to that Billion Dollar figure. In my dream correct numbers come easy, so please don't waste your time dwelling upon that issue.SELF-DESTRUCTIONEver since I read my first article (in 1984) about how the Ozone layer (if you don't know what this is, please wake up right now!) is being destroyed by mankind's selfish abuse of nature (world statistics updated in real-time!), my mind has been thinking about how we can reverse this destructive trend.If we look at it from an individual point-of-view, it is not too hard. I can theoretically change my destructive nature abusing habits reasonably easily, but if we look at it from a global-point-of-view, it becomes rather hard, unless we have a pretty good plan.However, having a good plan is not good enough, because we need to implement it, and how the HELL are we going to educate the whole world about GLOBAL WARMING, pollution hazards (to Air, Water and Earth), deforestation, etc. in say a 2-3 year period (6.7 Billion people and counting!)?Besides educating the world, we also need to connect everyone, so that everyone can participate in the war to deal with the corporate wolves that are sucking every earthly penny from the poor little sheep out there. However, if we educate the sheep and give them tools to connect, learn, and communicate, they can mobilize the shepherd(s) and dogs to kick these corporate wolves out.Though, we need to keep in mind that these corporate wolves will be coming back, again and again and again... The only way to get rid of them (besides slaughtering, which I don't recommend!), is either to create walls blocking them from entering (Though, we will always have to live in fear!), or capture them and transport them to a lonely little island in the Pacific ocean, where they can live happily among themselves.But, what if there was a third alternative...WIRE THE WORLD TO ACTIONIf you ask me, I would argue that the fastest way to educate people around the world, is to facilitate free Internet access on a global scale (for starters). Free Internet access should not just be a wish (or a nice thing to have!), but should be a HUMAN RIGHT nearly as important as the right to employment (or having a home to live). Actually, by enabling free access to the Internet, we are opening more learning, collaboration, and working possibilities for everyone.So, in the future, governments around the world will be responsible for wiring their countries with free Internet access to all citizens (at least basic Internet, say 512 K), and richer countries will have to help poorer countries to make it happen. Countries that don't provide free Internet access to all citizens, cannot even be considered to be a developed country.Fine! Now, everyone has free Internet access. But how the HELL are they going to access it, if they don't have a computer device (mobile phone, laptop, PC, etc.)?While the governments are responsible for free Internet access, the corporate world (social responsibility) are responsible (assisted by NGOs or the government) for ensuring that every human being (beyond 4 years-old!) in every country has at least one computer device to connect to the Internet.But, what about remote places where there is no electricity?Who said computer devices need electricity! In the future all computer devices can be charged using solar battery chargers, which charge 10 times quicker than normal electricity. What if the there is no sun? These solar battery chargers need just basic light, and that alone is as good as normal electricity.CAN WE DO IT?Of course we can! Why? Because, we have no choice to think otherwise! Interestingly, sometimes disasters bring the best out of mankind. Hopefully, this is the case now! In short, religions, countries, cultures and races need to put their differences aside for a couple of decades, while we clean up the world, so that we can give our future generations a better place to live.Besides spoiling our kids with the coolest digital gadgets to immerse themselves with, I am pretty sure they also want to have fresh air to breath, fresh drinking water, clean seas and rivers, rubbish-free beaches, amazing forests and jungles to explore, and so on.Wait! What will happen to the corporate wolves? We will stop investing in them, unless they change. And money they surely love, so they will certainly change over time (Green here we come!). They, won't change for you or for me, but for the love of money and power. For whatever reason they change, I don't care, as long as we can clean up our dear Earth. We can work on their intentions and hearts later. Though, that might be a tougher struggle :)Past generations (at least since the Industrial Revolution!) have taken more than they have given to our dear Earth, but we do not have that luxury anymore. So, let's make a difference, let's wire the world to action. Free Internet access is the starting block, and surely the fastest way to connect and educate everyone to fight the corporate wolves and clean up the world.This is my dream (although a bit naive!)! Yes, it is also my TED little wish :)

RealPlayer YouTube Video WizardFormat Factory Today we basically have FREE access to millions (if not billions) of videos on the Internet (my personal favorites!), and surely among them you are going to find some mind stimulating videos that you would like to infuse into your face-to-face learning sessions (like this amazingly funny video: Learning English Pronunciation).Now, I am going to share with you two (2) juicy ways to insert your favorite YouTube videos (or videos from other sites) into your PowerPoint presentations. Personally, I prefer the second (2) option.1) PLAY LIVE YOUTUBE VIDEOS IN POWERPOINTIf you know that you are going to have a great Internet connection and are comfortable with the possibility of buffering and Internet loss during a face-to-face learning session, then running a live YouTube video in your PowerPoint is alright. So, how can we get the job done quickly?Simply install this YouTube Video Wizard (YTV) dude. You can download versions for PowerPoint 2007 and 2003 (and earlier), so having an old PowerPoint version is totally alright.This amazingly light tool allows you easily to insert live (streaming) YouTube videos into a PowerPoint slide. When installed, all you need to do is to provide the YouTube video URL that appears in the browser address bar, the rest is taken care of by the YTV Wizard. Installation instructions are provided on the YTV homepage.But then again, some of us don't like installing PowerPoint plug-ins, and like doing it the hard way. Here are two video tutorials showing you how to get the job done less efficiently, but perhaps in a more 'IKEA' satisfying way.POWERPOINT 2003POWERPOINT 2007If you prefer reading a brilliant article about this instead, CLICK HERE (Yes, it even tells you how to Get Videos from Google Docs into PowerPoint. Cool!) :)2) DOWNLOAD AND PLAY VIDEOS OFFLINE IN POWERPOINTBut, then again not all of us have the luxury of having great Internet access in the classroom. And obviously we would like to minimize the possibility from anything going wrong, which often happens when we are dealing with live video streaming from the Internet. So, to be on the safe side, I always download the videos that I want to use, and show them in offline mode.Of course a few nutty copyright gurus are going to scream foul here, but for once please ignore them. Why should only those people that have excellent Internet access have the freedom to show amazing videos in class, while the less fortunate educators must suffer. Lets' instead fight for a better world, where Internet is free for all (Read this!).Today, we should think of Internet as oxygen for learning, and if it is not there, then we have to find other ways to breath, like showing videos offline (but giving credit and linking to the rightful creators). Ops, let's get back on track...First, I recommend that you download RealPlayer (the free Basic Player and remember to select the Download Video option). RealPlayer enables you easily to download videos from any video sharing site you can basically imagine. You simply need to mouse-over a video, and the 'Download This Video' option will pop-up. One click and it is basically downloading.However, it will download the video in FLV format, and that format does not work well with PowerPoint, so you would have to convert the downloaded video into a more appropriate format.To convert the downloaded videos (in FLV format), I use Format Factory (to convert the videos to AVI or WMV formats). Format Factory (multifunctional media converter) is simply an amazing free video converter.If you like video converting the difficult way, perhaps you should convert online using Zamzar.com or MediaConverter.org. It is really up to you :)After you have converted the video to WMV or AVI format, you can now insert it into PowerPoint ( Insert > Movie > "Movie from file"). I prefer running the video using the full screen mode (total immersive viewing experience!).In addition, please remember to save the video in the same folder as the PowerPoint slides (just do it!), and remember to bring along both files (in the same folder), if you are using another computer device in the face-to-face learning session.Personally, I always try to use my own laptop, because then I minimize the possibility of unnecessary hiccups. If you don't have any choice, hopefully my advice above helps.Finally, if you do have a better way of getting this job done, please share it with us.We are still LEARNING :)

Can you eat chicken nuggets a few hours before a 100 meters sprint race, and smash the world record with ease? If you are Usain Bolt, YES YOU CAN! Although, I have never been thrilled about eating chicken nuggets, I somehow feel like eating some right now. Since he went to McDonalds, I suppose... Nope... I will stick to eating chicken rice at the Mamak stall. A couple of juicy chicken legs with rice, and a mixture of different vegetables, curry and red hot chili peppers. Now, that is something I can't resist!BOLTELICIOUSFirst, thank you Usain Bolt for showing the world that you don't need to look like an old version Arnold, and be as stiff as a bull dog to blow away your opponents in a 100 meter sprint race. Just watching those long legs shuffle with such speed, and seeing him enjoy his way to victory, was simply thrilling. His confidence and natural ability is breathtakingly breathtaking.The most amazing part is that he has probably a lot more to go, and I am predicting that he will within the next three years run exactly 9.34 seconds, based on my secret futuristic sense. He can certainly improve his start, pick-up, upper-leg power, arm movement, nutrition intake (less chicken nuggets!), and so on. In short, he is still far away from reaching his peak.So, what has that got to do with Keyboard skills...KEYBOARD SKILLSSo, is 'Boltelicious' (what? 40+ words per minute. Actually, it should be 95+!) keyboard skills required to facilitate online effectively?If you ask me, I would say 'YES' with a big 'YES'! Since I started with e-learning in 2001, I have noticed again and again that educators whom are most resistant to computers and e-learning are often those that lack basic keyboard or typing skills.From what I have learned after observing especially Professors and Senior Lecturers (PSL) in action, is that many of them often lack the ability to type quickly. It is often the one, two, three, four fingers magic show! It wouldn't also surprise me if there is a strong correlation between poor typing skills and de-motivation to facilitate online learning.The faster you type, the more time you have to think (Better yet, do it at the same time!). The beauty of great typing skills comes when you are capable of typing as fast as (or faster than) you think. Also, then you don't need to say, "What was I thinking again?".In short, to improve the success of any e-learning or online facilitation initiative, I believe it is vital that educators (and students) have good keyboard and typing skills (say at least 30+ words per minute), so that they can efficiently answer e-mails, forum posts, chat sessions, develop content, projects, assignments, and so on.If you don't have great keyboard skills already, don't worry. Just ignore your stubborn ego, and start practicing. You don't need to spend money, because here are a bunch of free learning tools to assist you:keybr.comTake a typing speed test and practice typing online.Peter's Online Typing CourseProvides a set of free online typing lessons and typing exercises for beginning typists, and frustrated hunt-and-peckers who want to move from four-finger typing to full-blown touch typing.GoodtypingFree online typing course. Please try it without registering. If you like what you practice, then bother to register :)TypingWebis a free online typing tutor & keyboarding tutorial for typists of all ages. All skill levels will benefit from TypingWeb's free keyboarding lessons.Rapid TypingA typing game, where the training takes place in a "virtual picturesque underwater world" adding some fun to the learning.PowerTypingAn online free typing tutor for kids, students and adults alike!BBC Typing TutorialAimed at the younger kids, but is great fun for anyone learning typing.Have fun mastering your keyboard skills, which will empower your potential and ability to really enjoy online facilitation in a 'Boltelicious' way. Just remember to practice and ignore your stubborn and lazy ego (if so!) :)

"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."- Albert EinsteinFirstly, you might get annoyed with the term 'World Class' and I would perhaps, too. But at least it got you to this sentence, so it is working (until now!). Think of 'World Class' in this context as delivering exceptional or inspiring lectures, talks, presentations, etc.Secondly, you might argue that we should get rid of lecturing all together to revive University learning to be relevant to the world beyond, as its' learning effectiveness is being questioned by many.With that I totally disagree! If you argue that lectures do not facilitate effective learning, I can to a certain degree listen. But, that is if the criteria for lectures is only to disseminate knowledge. But if you ask me, I would argue that lectures is much more than simply vomiting out facts, concepts and ideas.Besides that vomiting stuff, it is also about tickling the mind, nurturing curiosity, and inspiring students' to learn (how to learn). It is about discovering the joy for learning. It is about creating a connection and bond. It is about a learning exploration with the students, and sharing with them a story that means something. It is about presence and being a role model, letting them experience a way of how ideas and knowledge can be articulated, and so on.In short, the lecture is the place where we should be inspired and triggered into a learning journey and adventure that is full of joy and obstacles. If we can inspire and nurture that learning passion into the students' mind, the rest is reasonably easy today, as they can basically access all the knowledge and tools (in many cases) they want with a few searches and clicks. Increasingly most of the amazing learning resources are becoming free (democratizing the access to knowledge), which you might discover even more so, after reading the rest of this article.But the sad fact based on years of learning experience, and listening to all the noise around the world, education is increasingly becoming just a business, and students increasingly all over the world are experiencing crappy lecturers, lectures and education in general.Let's just tackle the lecture for now. If we get the lecture right, students will be inspired to learn on their own...OLD SCHOOLSo, how can we improve our lecturing ability fast? Read articles about it (Search yourself!), visit and explore Harvard's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, or any other freely available online resources from teaching and learning centres around the world, or perhaps attend training or tons of teaching and learning workshops.These are all useful options, but not my cup of tea to real excellence. Especially, training and workshops often require heavy investments, if you want to get excellent educators to teach you a trick or two. Not all of us can access such opportunities, and if so, we have to wait for the workshop to happen, and that might be months down the pipeline.Why wait? Why blame it on the University if our lecturing ability stinks. Why do we have to blame it on everything, except ourselves? The truth of the matter, whether the University is simply ignoring this issue, or being stingy, or perhaps don't give two hoops, is that we need to take action ourselves to make it happen.So, why wait, let's master the art of lecturing with or without the University's help. Let's be lifelong self-independent learners. Isn't that what we expect from our students? No more excuses, let's be responsible for our own learning and lecturing. Welcome, to the...NEW SCHOOLFive simple learning steps/phases, which can of course overlap anyway you like (image above):ExploreLearnInnovateFeedbackReflect (back to Explore)This learning cycle can happen within minutes using your mental reflection and visualization, or perhaps days, weeks, or months in the real world, depending upon how you apply this flexible learning approach. Actually, these steps are just indicators and do not need to be followed step-by-step. Just use them how you feel like it, or what works best for you. I am still learning, so these steps or phases might change even by the time I really finish this article. Alright, let's move on! 1. EXPLOREBesides all the other methods, content and junk mentioned, here is your new learning curriculum to master lecturing (No ABC, just have fun exploring and learning):TED TalksInspired talks by many of the world's greatest thinkers and doers.Academic EarthVideo lectures from many of the world's top scholars.YouTube EDUYouTube has aggregated all of the videos from its college and university partners - including luminaries like Stanford, Harvard, and Dartmouth - in one place. Here you will find thousands of video lectures to explore and reflect.FORA.tv FORA.tv delivers discourse, discussions and debates on many the world's most interesting political, social and cultural issues, and enables viewers to join the conversation. WGBH (Free Public Lectures) Free live and on-demand lectures given by some of the world's foremost scholars, authors, artists, scientists, policy makers and community leaders.The Nobel PrizeIt brings you fascinating insights into the minds of current and past Nobel Laureates.Extend List... (Please refer to the Digital Media and YouTube Channels sections)Oh man! Where to start? Alright, since I have been exploring such lectures for a few years now, I will share with you some of my favorites to get you started. Below is basically a cocktail of educators (variety!), inspiring all sorts of knowledge in their own way. Please click on their names below for more of their videos or resources. For your convenience (to access real juice!) I have selected one lecture (or short talk/presentation) from each of the amazing educators below, which is worth exploring and reflecting. Please, focus on how they present and engage the audience (besides the content itself). Hopefully, you can pick up a few tricks on the way that will over time transform you into...WOW! Here we go (Not ranking, just numbering):Sir Ken Robinson (Creativity Expert) Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence. Lecture: Schools Kill CreativityMichael Wesch (Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Kansas State University)Is most famous for his amazing work in the emerging field of digital ethnography, where he studies the effect of new media on human interaction. Lecture: An Anthropological Introduction to YouTubeWalter Lewin (Professor, MIT)Is currently a professor of Physics at MIT. He earned his Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics in 1965 at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands...moreLecture: Measurements of Space and TimeHans Rosling (Global Health Expert; Data)As a doctor and researcher, Hans Rosling identified a new paralytic disease induced by hunger in rural Africa. Now the global health professor is looking at the bigger picture, increasing our understanding of social and economic development with the remarkable trend-revealing software he created.Lecture: The Best Stats You've Ever SeenRandy Pausch (Doctor, Carnegie Mellon University)He learned that he had pancreatic cancer, a terminal illness, in September of 2006. He gave an upbeat lecture entitled "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon, which became a popular YouTube video and led to other media appearances. He then co-authored a book called The Last Lecture on the same theme, which became a New York Times best-seller. Pausch died of complications from pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008 ...moreLecture: The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood DreamsJill Bolte Taylor (Neuroanatomist)Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor studied her own stroke as it happened -- and has become a powerful voice for brain recovery.Lecture: Stroke of InsightSugata Mitra (Education researcher)His "Hole in the Wall" experiments have shown that, in the absence of supervision or formal teaching, children can teach themselves and each other, if they're motivated by curiosity and peer interest.Lecture: How Kids Teach ThemselvesMurray Gell-Mann (Physicist)Brings visibility to a crucial aspect of our existence that we can't actually see: elemental particles. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics for introducing quarks, one of two fundamental ingredients for all matter in the universe.Lecture: Beauty and Truth in PhysicsVilayanur Ramachandran (Brain Expert)Neurologist V.S. Ramachandran looks deep into the brain’s most basic mechanisms. By working with those who have very specific mental disabilities caused by brain injury or stroke, he can map functions of the mind to physical structures of the brain.Lecture: Your MindDan Pink (Career Analyst)Bidding adieu to his last "real job" as Al Gore's speechwriter, Dan Pink went freelance to spark a right-brain revolution in the career marketplace.Lecture: The Surprising Science of MotivationTony Robbins (Life Coach; Expert in Leadership Psychology)Makes it his business to know why we do the things we do. The pioneering life coach has spoken to millions of people through his best-selling books and three-day seminars.Lecture: Why We Do What We Do Elaine Morgan (Aquatic Ape Theorist)Is an octogenarian scientist, armed with an arsenal of television writing credits and feminist instincts, on a mission to prove humans evolved in water. Lecture: We Evolved From Aquatic Apes Seth Godin (Marketer and Author)Is an entrepreneur and blogger who thinks about the marketing of ideas in the digital age. His newest interest: the tribes we lead.Lecture: The Tribes We LeadJeff Han (Human-Computer Interface Designer)After years of research on touch-driven computer displays, Jeff Han has created a simple, multi-touch, multi-user screen interface that just might herald the end of the point-and-click era.Lecture: Breakthrough TouchscreenMarian Diamond (Professor, University of California Berkeley)Expertise: General Human Anatomy.Lecture: The Human Brain and Muscular SystemClayborne Carson (Doctor, Stanford)Expertise: African American HistoryLecture: Barack Obama's American DreamPaul Bloom (Professor, Yale)Expertise: PsychologyLecture: Introduction to PsychologyGuy Kawasaki (Managing Director, Garage Technology Ventures)Lecture: The Power of ‘No Bull Shiitake’Mehran Sahami (Associate Professor, Stanford)Expertise: Computer Science and Programming MethodologyLecture: The History of ComputingCourtenay Raia (Lecturer, UCLA)Expertise: Science, Magic, and ReligionLecture: Newton and the EnlightenmentBenjamin Polak (Professor of Economics and Management, Yale)Expertise: Game TheoryLecture: Introduction to Game TheoryEric Lander (Professor of Biology, MIT)Expertise: BiologyLecture: Genetics 1Benjamin Karney (Associate Professor of Social Psychology, UCLA)Expertise: Communication and Conflict in Couples and FamiliesLecture: Methods of Studying Families and CouplesWilliam Durham (Bing Professor of Anthropological Studies, Stanford University)Expertise: Anthropology and DarwinismLecture: Darwin's LegacyKatharine Ku (Director of the Office of Technology Licensing, Stanford University)Expertise: Chemical Engineering and Intellectual PropertyLecture: How Much is the Technology Worth?Besides all these amazing educators, you should not hesitate to explore the likes of Stephen Downes, Obama, Steve Jobs, Bill Clinton, Garr Reynolds, or whoever (perhaps in your preferred language) that you find to be amazing. It is amazing what we can find freely available somewhere in the online learning galaxy.Talking about online learning galaxy, here is bunch of other great collections of amazing lectures that you might want to explore:Lecturefox - Free University Lectures (Andreas and Ellen Petersen)100 Free Ivy-League Lectures You Shouldn’t Miss50 Awesome Ivy League Lectures All About the Future100 Incredible Lectures from the World’s Top ScientistsProject Tuva (Lectures by physicist Richard Feynman)60-Second Lecture Series (University of Pennsylvania)5 TED Talks on Science That Will Blow Your Mind (Andrew Maynard)100 Awesome Classroom Videos to Learn New Teaching TechniquesFree Lectures & Courses from Great Universities (Open Culture) List of Computer Science Video Lectures (Over 200 Videos)100 Free Podcasts from the Best Colleges in the World (Heather Johnson)50 Awesome Online Lectures for Social Media MastersOnline Neuroscience LecturesNow, you might be asking for video examples of poor lecturing or presentations, but that I will advise you instead to visit some of your colleagues' lectures and talks (or perhaps your own! Record it!) and I wouldn't be surprised if you discover some great infamous examples there. If you do, please advise and guide them gently, but please don't keep quiet. It is going to hurt, but their poor performances also puts our profession to shame. Please, keep that in mind.Last year, I wrote a 5-part series (using conversational language and humor), whereby I reflected specific teaching habits that inspire students out of learning. This 5-part series, basically reflects back the 5-6 worst lecturers that I ever had during my student days. Here we go:Part 1 - Whiteboard And I Are One! Part 2 - I Have Bragging Rights, Because I Am … Part 3 - Is PowerPoint Evil? Part 4 - No Stupid Questions! I am Serious! Part 5 - Show Up to Throw Up! 21st Century Thinking? Let's together solve this growing lecturing menace :)2. LEARNInterestingly, after reading tons of articles about becoming great educators, I have noticed again and again that all the great ones, have in their own student days experienced great teaching themselves. In short, for us to become great educators (or to know what that really means!), we need to experience great educators and lectures ourselves.However, now that we have free online access to hundreds if not thousands of amazing lectures (a few shared above), I believe we all have the opportunity to experience them at least virtually. It is not exactly the same, but we have access to more. I can live with that! And by doing so, we can try (let's ignore our struggling ego here!) to benchmark ourselves with these giants using whatever criteria we might set.The trick here, is not to look first for their weaknesses, but to be open and immerse ourselves with all the positive little things that they do to inspire us. After digesting all the juice and picking up a few tricks here and there, we should also explore possible weaknesses in their presentations, which we should perhaps try to avoid in ours. But, please remember not to get too preoccupied initially with looking for weaknesses in their lectures (so that we can make our ego feel good!), and then miss out on all those little things that really matter. It is difficult, but let's try!3. INNOVATENo one has ever become a great footballer by simply watching and reflecting videos of great footballers. The same goes for lecturing, so besides watching and reflecting, you need to explore, experiment, and continuously practice new things with your students to find the right algorithm(s) that makes them tick into action and learning joy.I am not going to tell you what to try, instead just enjoy exploring great lectures, note down mentally or physically all the little positive things they do. And most importantly always have the guts to try out new methods in your learning sessions. Some methods might go horribly wrong, and some might be successful, or some might even have no impact at all, but that is a risk you have to take if you really want to improve.Though, if you really try, trust me, students will eventually appreciate all your efforts. Especially, the Y and Z generation I believe will love it. In Y and Z shell, they love people that have guts, try the unexpected, and engage them to learn.4. FEEDBACKInnovating your lectures is not enough! You also need to continuously try to seek feedback from every single corner you can imagine, whether it is fellow-educators, students or strangers on the web (that have perhaps watched one of your lectures shared on YouTube or any other video channel available).There is no harm in telling the students that we stink (perhaps in a gentler manner), and asking them for some verbal or written feedback, which could for example be posted in a online course forum (if you have one). Or perhaps ask them at the end of the class to write on a piece of paper the things they learned, or liked about the lecture, or things they didn't understand, or areas that could be further improved. If you make them feel safe about being honest, it is amazing how much constructive feedback you can receive by simply asking the people that really matter in the learning process.Let's not take ourselves too seriously, and instead let's have some fun being criticized, including receiving those little negative feedback nuggets that really hurt our crumbling little ego. These negative feedback nuggets are actually the seeds to improve faster.5. REFLECTFinally, seeking feedback is not enough to improve the way we lecture. We also need to reflect upon the feedback acquired, and then again explore better ways of doing it, and then learn (practice) and innovate continuously until we practically die, or leave lecturing all together.How can I:Engage students more?Nurture curiosity in the learning minds?Facilitate more AHA-moments?Create more interest in the subject?Be clearer and more concise (writing this article!)?Prepare better illustrations and PowerPoint slides?Make the lecture more relevant to the student?Etc.One way we can bring our reflections to the world, is to blog about our learning and teaching experiences. Here are a few samples from ZaidLearn: Coaching Critical Thinking To Think Creatively!10 Secrets To Great Teaching (Includes Audio Narration - 29 Minutes)Professor Lewin Inspires Us to Learn Physics Again! Salman Khan Uses Microsoft Paint to Inspire Learning e-Learning 2.0 Workshop - Stephen DownesMISSION 2010I suppose now I should be focusing on getting my PhD, but there is simply too much to learn at the moment to even consider this (Postponed to 2012 at least, unless I can find a way so that it gels with my love for discovering and learning about learning and using all sorts of educational technology).After all my crappy learning experiences as a student, I have set a 99.9999% impossible mission (but possible in my imagination) for 2010, which is: To rid the world from crappy lecturing by December 31, 2010!I suppose you might argue, why not start right now. I suppose this post is a fire starter, but seriously I have to deal with myself first. And after exploring some of the educators and lectures I have shared above, I believe I need to spend the rest of 2009 to first improve myself. In a lecturing shell:I STILL STINK! :)Let's together make the University (Colleges and Schools included) a better place to learn. It is amazing what we can do together if we collectively set our minds to it. Let's start with improving our ability to engage and inspire our students to learn :)WARNINGThis article is still in a Beta version mode, so please come back again soon as it will probably evolve further over the next couple of weeks :)

TOP BLOGS!As we move closer towards 2010, you will increasingly see new posts or articles screaming here are the top 8, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, etc. blogs or sites of this and that. Most of them just vomit out lists, without putting much effort to justify their claims, or at least say why the selected blogs should be on the list. Actually, what I would want to see is simply what so special about the blog selected, and why should I follow it. Is that so hard to ask for?If you first are going to claim that these are the top blogs at least tell us why they are selected, and what is so special about them. Let's face it; any idiot can create a top list copying a bit from here and there (or from their RSS reader!) within 10-15 minutes. I suppose we will get a lot of hits doing so, but we might also get into trouble... MY TOP LISTS = TROUBLE?Trust me, I have been there! Though, my first top list '10 Top ETL Blogs You Simply Don’t Want to Miss!' was a peaceful affair without much trouble. Probably because my blog at that time (2007) was rather unknown. In this list I shared my top 10 favorite ETL (Education + Technology = Learning) blogs. Yes, I did write why they are so special to my learning :)Then in September (2008) I published another list entitled '25 EduBlogs You Simply Don’t Want to Miss!' on my blog, but this time around it turned into a battle of the sexes. Without me realizing it, or consciously thinking about the gender distribution of my selection, the list was...Janet Clarey discovered this male dominated distribution, and it happened of course during a women blogging conference, and you can imagine what happened next. Also, I said some silly things in the online discussion that got them even more worked up (at least a few of them!). And then all hell broke loose (discussion here!).Here, I was just sharing my favorite bloggers with ZaidLearn readers, and suddenly I have become famously infamous women bla, bla, bla. But the beauty of disasters and problems, is that they are actually opportunities to do something good and make a difference. Since I have been in such situations so many times in my life (probably my fault on many occasions!), I kind of dealt with it by going the extreme opposite (ego aside!).A couple of weeks later, I published 27 Inspiring Women Edubloggers (and Karl Kapp! He was pretty surprised to be included!) on my blog, and within days I had become a hero. Even Stephen Downes and George Siemens noticed my effort to get myself out of trouble (besides learning a few lessons)."Last month, Zaid compiled a list of top 25 edubloggers. The weighting was male-centric (22-3). He has now corrected the omission with a new list of top 27 female bloggers. Nicely done." - George SiemensAnd Michelle Martin went even further, by saying,"...Instead, he showed the courage of the true learner and used our observations as a springboard to expanding his own thinking--and ours as well. - Hat's off to Zaid on this one!"The great thing about creating these lists, is that I have learnt a lot through discussions and reflections, and discovered many more interesting learning blogs (especially the female ones!), which I have added to my RSS reader. Click Here to see my updated collection of learning blogs that I really like.In short, publishing your top something lists (especially involving people) can get you into trouble, or make you into a legend, or both if you are lucky. So, before creating a list, please think wisely :)Also, besides gender distribution, you need to also consider racial breakdown, age range, religion, nationalities, etc. What was the purpose of the list again? Just be honest about what you like, and if people can't take that, then too bad! GREAT LISTSThe great thing about discovering new blog lists, is that we might discover new blogs that we can subscribe to via our RSS reader (please use one! I use Google Reader). My advice is to follow a few hundred learning blogs in scanning mode, and 5-15 exceptional ones in reading mode. So, where to find at least a hundred learning blogs to follow?Here are four (4) blog lists too yummy to ignore (for learning professionals!):100 Featured Learning Professionals (Jane Hart)Jane Hart's personal selection of 100 learning professionals that will provide you with information, inspiration and/or interaction on a range of educational and workplace learning topics from around the world - via their blog, on Twitter or on other social networks.ELearningLearning (Tony Karrer)It is not really a list, but an amazing aggregator of excellent workplace or corporate learning blogs and posts filtered out by Tony Karrer. Just subscribe to this one, and you are basically subscribing to tons of great corporate or workplace learning blogs. Actually, it is a blog post repository in itself, and you will find the indexing, Monthly top featured posts, best from.., etc. very exciting (Well at least I did!).International Edubloggers Directory (Patricia Donaghy)Here you can find hundreds of learning bloggers from all over the world. An amazing resource to discover bloggers that might not make all these top of the pops lists.Edublog AwardsHere you will find some really excellent learning blogs. If you look closer, you will realize that most of the best blogs never won (according to my subjective opinion). But whether winners or not, there are some really excellent blogs to be discovered here.Here are other useful blog lists:100 Most Inspiring and Innovative Blogs for Educators100 Best Blogs for Tech-Savvy TeachersBlogs by Indian Learning Professionals and Companies (Manish Mohan)Top 50 P-12 Edublogs (Dangerously Irrelevant)Top 100 Language Blogs 2009Top ELearning BlogsThe Top 20 Venture Capital Bloggers (Erick Schonfeld)Top 47 eLearning & Workplace Learning Blogs (Upside Learning Blog)8 Top Elearning Blogs You Don’t Want to Miss (Articulate)SPECIAL MENTIONAlright, I cannot resist! While we are at lists, here are a few sizzling and exceptional learning bloggers that I have to mention. And if they are not in your RSS reader, and you are in the learning business (sad for you!). Here we go (just numbering, not ranking!):OLDaily (Stephen Downes)If you are looking for the latest news, trends, reflections, etc. in the (online) learning world, Stephen Downes is the ultimate synthesizer (that I have come across) of what is going on. I love the way he reflects and extracts the essence (or what he finds interesting) of all the articles, sites, tools, resources, etc. he discovers in his daily online newsletter (excluding weekends!). You might also want to also check out his homepage to discover all the other stuff he is doing, including his other excellent reflective blog (Half an Hour) and video recordings of all his presentations.elearnspace (George Siemens)The mastermind (together with Stephen Downes) behind Connectivism, the only learning theory that makes sense in the online learning world. His reflections and ramblings will keep you updated with e-learning, knowledge management, networks, technology, community development, and corporate learning. Also, check out his Knowing Knowledge book (Free!), which reflects the future of knowledge and learning. Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day (Jane Hart)If you are looking for the latest e-learning (or 'learning') tools and resources, Jane Hart's blog is simply 'Toolicious'! Also, check out Jane Hart's amazing directory of 3000+ learning tools. In addition, I love the fact that she provides us with a weekly round-up of the new learning tools added to the tools directory. Her blog posts are concise, attractive, and juicy. Besides that you just have to check out her Social Media in Learning guide, which is simply a goldmine for anyone who is clueless, or wants to learn how to implement social learning, or web 2.0 tools in their teaching and learning environments. The Rapid eLearning Blog (Tom Kuhlmann)When you think about improving your rapid e-Learning, instructional design, PowerPoint or graphic creation skills, Tom Kuhlmann's Rapid eLearning blog provides you with a lot of great advice, tips, examples and short-cuts (One word = Amazing!). Also, don't forget to get his free elearning ebook while you’re there. In short, this blog is my favourite 'Rapid e-Learning' learning blog!Clive on Learning (Clive Shepherd) If you are looking for reflections from an experienced expert on instructional design and insights on educational trends, I believe Clive Shepherd's excellent blog will nourish you well. He is also the man behind the 30-minute and 60-minute Masters in Instructional Design (or rapid e-learning design). Also, check out Clive's 33 Columns! Although, he does not post as often as some of the other super learning bloggers, his reflections and insights into education, instructional design, online learning, etc. is worth the wait.Online Learning Update (Ray Schroeder)Ray Schroeder's Online learning blog is a great learning place to discover research articles related to online learning being published all over the world (Europe, Middle-East, Asia, Australia, US, Canada, Africa, etc.). This amazing dude publishes 3 new posts (linking to articles and papers) every single working day (as if his life depends upon it!), and this has to be a compulsive disorder that we all can live with. Also, check out his Educational Technology blog, too. I love his dedication, consistency and passion to share.Mission to Learn (Jeff Cobb)Jeff Cobb is certainly living up to his mission. In addition, to all his great blog posts, you got to subscribe to his Free Learning Monitor Newsletter, which will bombard you with the most amazing free learning resources you can imagine. Besides these two gems, he also does podcasts in which he interviews thinkers and doers in the world of lifelong learning (Subscribe via RSS or with iTunes). Finally, you might just want to follow his continuous Twitter stream of lifelong learning resources and updates. My kind of learning dude!Using ICT in Further Education (Patricia Donaghy)If it wasn't for Patricia's persuasion to join the Twitter world, I suppose I would still only be blogging (Thanks for the push!). I always seem to discover some new learning or graphic tool, or resource every time I visit her blog. Besides her wonderful blog, we just got to take our hats off to her exceptional work developing and nurturing the International Edubloggers Directory and Free Resources for Education blogs. WOW!Random Stuff that Matters (Stian Haklev)I have predicted big things for this Norwegian Viking (to him personally a year back). And his contribution to conceptualizing and setting up the Peer 2 Peer University is just the beginning. I love his energy, talent, inter-cultural intelligence and passion to change the learning world for the better (whatever that means!). Stian your the MAN!Singapore Educational Consultants (Amran Noordin)If you want to know how crap the Singapore schooling system is (according to him in his own words), then you just have to visit this blog. Besides the bashing, you will also discover a lot of useful ideas on how schools ought to nurture 21 century learning and so on. In addition, I would like to mention and promote Sathish (E-Learning Planet), Ismael Peña-López (ICTlogy), Jamie Littlefield (Self Made Scholar), Dr. Neelesh Bhandari (Digital Medicine), Manish Mohan (Learn and Lead), and Vanessa Ruiz (Street Anatomy), as these excellent learning bloggers have not been mentioned before in my previous lists.I know the male-female distribution of learning bloggers just mentioned is 12-4 (please don't ask about the racial breakdown!), but these are those blogs that I would like to appreciate with a 'Special Mention' (whatever that means!). If you are looking for other great learning blogs, please check out my previous lists (above), and all the other great lists I have shared in this post. I am pretty sure you will discover a few interesting blogs to add to your RSS reader.Let's just enjoy blogging brilliance beyond gender, race, age, religion, and whatever. Is that so difficult :)

ZaidSwooshREAD ALL ABOUT IT!'Simply Too Juicy and Annoying to Ignore!'http://zaidswoosh.blogspot.com/

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson MandelaFUTURE LEARNING FINLANDA couple of weeks back (16th September), I attended a Future Learning Finland one-day seminar & networking session. Finpro had invited a few dozen people from Malaysia for this session. Their goal was basically to share and market their world class Finnish education system and related educational products and services, and also gain more insight into the current and future learning trends and needs in Malaysia. Basically, it was an opportunity to learn, network and explore potential educational business/collaboration opportunities with each other.Though, how come they invited me of all people? I found out during the seminar that one of the Finpro consultants had actually discovered me searching for information about e-learning in Malaysia. I suppose they saw me as a good source to find out more about the current and future e-learning trends in Malaysia. Anyway, whatever reason, I was just happy to be part of it, and make some noise.READ THIS FIRST!But before sharing with you some of the things I learned about the world class Finnish education system, I would strongly recommend that you explore Amran Noordin's excellent 6-part series, where he compares Singapore and Finland's schooling models (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), summed up nicely in his diagram below: In short, Singapore and Finland have become world renowned for their education systems, but interestingly they have achieved their success using quite different approaches (to say it mildly!). To get the juicy details of both, please read Amran Noordin's 6-part series mentioned above.MY LEARNING NOTESDuring this one day session of sharing, networking and exploring opportunities, I learned a lot (and scribbled a lot of notes, too) about why Finland's education system is so good (well at least according to them and many others around the world).The first clash of cultures (Finland and Malaysia) started even before the learning session began. The main representative from the Ministry of Higher Education (MOE) came 30 minutes late, and the seminar could not start before he came.If you don't know, Finnish people in general are very time conscious, and you should have seen how stressed out they were waiting for the main dude from Malaysia. Since we started 45 minutes late, most of the Finnish presenters swooshed through their presentations, and made a point reminding the audience that they will be on time, and not overuse the time been given. In short, even though they were extremely polite, I could see on their faces and body language that they were rather pissed off with the scheduling being put to shambles due to the initial delay.Though, I found out later that the MOE representative actually had to attend another meeting earlier in the morning, and was delayed because of that. But, keep this in mind, especially with Finnish people (and Germans, British, Americans, Japanese, etc.):PUNCTUALITY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!Yeah, and if you want to present and convince Finnish people, please use research data and findings to back up your ideas and proposals. It was also interesting to compare MOE's presentation about Malaysian education with Dr. Heikki's presentation about the Finnish education system.While the MOE's presentation talked about vision, mission, and some current student mobility programs (the objective was probably more to market the Malaysian education system, rather than tell the full story), the Finnish counter parts covered basically everything about their education system, including a few centuries, current and future scenarios, and reasons why its education system evolved that way, and the secrets behind its current success. Although, it was comprehensive, it was told in a very constructive and time-efficient manner.BEING EFFICIENT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! Based on what I saw, Finnish people strive to be very efficient in whatever they do, and that includes giving presentations. No swimming here and there, just get to the point and solve the problem. We have a lot to learn here, as we often let our emotional feelings and ego take control, and forget about solving the real problem.If you ask me, I felt most of the presenters lacked a bit in terms of exciting the audience with what they had to offer. In layman terms, they were a bit stiff, monotonous, and perhaps too efficient in delivery (the initial delay is probably one reason). Don't get me wrong, they were very well-rehearsed (like a program), but you need some emotional outbursts and connections to really touch the audience (well, at least me!).Oops, let's get back on track...SECRETS TO SUCCESSWhat is the secret to Finland's success (5.3+ million citizens only)? NOKIA! Besides that?Basically, due their tough environment (just look at their neighbors and climate!) and limited natural resources (except for large forest reserves), they have had no choice but to invest in educating their brains (Just like Singapore!).INVESTING SIGNIFICANTLY IN EDUCATION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!Here are five reasons, why Finnish people have been, and are successful: Quality education with equal opportunity High level of investments in R&D for technology development Good regulatory framework and efficient public service Open economy: competition has to prevail Social model: social market economy, welfare society As we are talking about education in this post (and blog), I will limit my observations and reflections to that next. If you want rough notes regarding the rest, click here for more details.Besides free and universal high-level education from comprehensive school to university (6% of GDP directed to public education), Finland stresses also equal opportunity for all, irrespective of domicile, sex, economic situation or mother tongue. Teachers are required to be trained in dealing with low-achieving students, as well as students with disabilities and learning difficulties.The fact that education is free, including travel expenses, welfare services, accommodation, books and other school material, means that students can focus more of their time on learning, rather than all the other distractions that might come with it.However, besides all the student rights to this and that, students also have three main duties that they must fulfill, which are to attend classes, obey discipline, and complete their courses and programs. I suppose most education systems will have something like this documented, but in Finland it is strongly emphasized, and it is probably working better there than in most other countries.They are really proud of their students' PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) achievements, where they are ranked number one in the world in most categories. To be honest, I had never heard of PISA before this event (Except the Italian one!). How ignorantly ignorant can you get! I am still learning!Interestingly, a teacher must have a master's degree to teach in Finland, and also have a lifelong learning program mapped out for them. They emphasize a lot on lifelong learning, and it is kind of embedded into the their learning culture.TEACHER EDUCATION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!More importantly, the teacher profession is highly valued in Finland, meaning more people with the right attitude, mindset and skills will apply for such jobs, and in the end you will get better qualified and passionate people educating the future people of the country. I suppose that is why the Norwegian education system (where I studied), especially the schooling system is really crap (hopefully better now!). I remember most of my teachers as miserable creatures, who had failed in what they set out to be in life.For example, my music teacher really wanted to be a singer (But her voice was horrible!), and due to her failure we students had to suffer. She really hated our guts, too! I had a gym teacher that used to throw his huge key chain after us, every time we pissed him off. He even threw a hammer after one student, but luckily he missed. If you wonder why Norway until today cannot create and innovate globally renowned products and services like the Swedes and Finnish dudes can, I suppose their lack of appreciation, dedication and emphasis on education is one reason for that. But then again, Norway is blessed with all sorts of natural resources (especially oil and gas), and therefore is one of the richest countries in the world. I can't imagine what Norway would be today, without their oil and gas. Let's get back to Finnish education...In contrast to Singapore (please read Amran Noordin's articles. Links above!), Finland don't rank students or schools, and they don't emphasize on standardized nationwide examinations that drive students, teachers and parents nuts. I suppose Singapore's model is good for nurturing a competitive mindset, and encouraging students to work hard (and memorize everything you can think of). However, I believe the side effects are too many, and we need to question whether they are really preparing students for the 20th century, or for the 21st century (now and future)?I personally believe (based on my shallow understanding) the Finnish education system has managed to infuse discipline, hard work, and competitiveness, but at the same time also infuse the right balance to nurture critical skills required for the 21 century, which include communication, collaboration, creativity (innovativeness), critical thinking, problem solving, digital literacy, flexibility, adaptability, global care/awareness, and emotional intelligence.In addition, the Finnish education system is rather decentralized and schools are given a degree of freedom (independence) to develop their own curriculum. The problem with having a centralized system and curriculum, is that if you get it wrong, the whole country will suffer. Also, with a top-down model, it is difficult to quickly innovate and spark changes to the curriculum that is needed to deal with the increasingly disruptive learning world that we are experiencing today. However, in a decentralized system, schools can easily change and adapt as they learn, and also they have more freedom to explore and try out new things, without needing to worry about ranking of this and that.Actually, ranking of schools and students is a disaster (if you ask me), if you really want to encourage universities, colleges, schools, students, and teachers to openly share, learn, discuss, reflect, and collaboratively innovate. It can be done, but it is very difficult because of our internal urge to be the best, or be better than our neighbors. In the world of sports, I can understand it, but for education I believe that might not be the best solution to move forward.For example, If I want to be higher ranked than you, then probably I would want to keep some of the juicy stuff secret from you. Otherwise, you might overtake me, and if the government is nasty, give me less funds to innovate further. However, if ranking is put aside, we can instead focus on transforming the education system, nurturing dynamic learning clusters, and becoming a learning nation together.Finally, Finland emphasizes big time on research and development (around 4% of GDP), and have interlinked companies with the Universities to collaborate on new innovations. Whatever they do, their approach is very scientific, which of course includes how they are continuously improving their education systems.The only thing I felt was really missing from this seminar, was learning more about Finland's e-learning initiatives and success stories, which was not really discussed.MOVING FORWARDSo, how can we transform our education system right here?Here are three (3) small suggestions to consider (more will be elaborated in a future post):Focus less on exams, and more on learning.Exams should resemble and test what we want them to learn (authentic). Not how much they can memorize. They need to be able to understand and apply what they learn, otherwise what is the point? Group/Individual project-based exams, using well constructed assessment rubrics would be a good start (peer-assessment next!). And let them use all the tools they need to complete the project, because in the real world we would use the tools necessary to solve the problems and challenges we face. Why just give them a pencil/pen and paper (oh, I forget the eraser)? Of course, if it is a memory test, it makes sense :)Focus more on teacher education, and less on centralized content/curriculum.You can have the best curriculum in the world, but if your teachers stink, I 99% guarantee you that you will fail. However, if you have a crappy curriculum, and great teachers, I can guarantee you that you will 99% succeed. Because, the great teachers will transform the curriculum and inspire the students to learn. In short, invest in teacher education, hire the best people to educate, and let them innovate the curriculum as they facilitate and learn together with the students.Focus less on investing on flowers and big buildings, and more on equipping educators and students with the learning tools needed to transform the way they learn.The Internet is the 21st century's oxygen for communicating, collaborating, and learning (without it, you or your institution is going to suffocate into ignorance and irrelevance). If you can afford it, spoil the educators and students rotten with learning devices and great Internet access. Provide training online and face-to-face often, exploring with them how they can utilize all these learning tools to transform the way they learn. If you are looking for world class inspiring free learning content, click here for starters. For free learning tools, click here for starters.Can we do it? Yes, we can! But do we really want to? You decide? If you ask me, my answer would of course be... :)