Choose Our Adventure

Here are our session options for the next two days:

• live (synchronous) learning vs not-live (asynchronous)
• rapid e-learning
• podcasts
• how to make e-learning more interesting
• not just child's play: learning to educate managers and directors
• mobile e-learning
• lessons learned on successful LMS implementation
• blended e-learning
• using simulations

What do you think we should take?? Your votes count!

Helen's in the cot tonight (her feet are hanging off the edge). Who should be up next?

Day One in Denver

Nurit, Helen, Saul Carliner and Margaret Driscoll at our Advanced Design for E-Learning Workshop.

What we see out our hotel window.

Inside our rooom (notice our cot at the end)

We're crazy about the cot!

ASTD Lessons Learned: January 30th, 2006

Today Helen and I went to the Advanced Design for E-Learning Workshop. It was led by Margaret Driscoll and Saul Carliner (co-authors of Advanced Web-Based Training: Adapting Real World Strategies in Your Online Learning.)

I didn't have any great epiphanies, but came away with a numer of tips and tricks for developing e-learning. I'll share a couple:

• Be very judicious in the use of bold text.
  This is a situation where less is more.
• It's worth hiring professional voice talent.
  I would have leaned toward doing this in house, but several participants agreed with this sentiment - I guess they've learned the hard way.
• Write test questions based on learning objectives. And make sure that your learning objectives are clear and acheivable.
• Make sure that the technology/medium of delivery doesn't magnify test "anxiety" and add undue burden onto the learner.
  i.e. make sure that your technology is as user friendly as possible
  

I also learned of a number of books that I think will be really interesting and a whole slew of web sites to go to for the latest in ie-learning, information design and technology trends. I'm REALLY excited about it! Now I just have to find the time to read and digest everything.

One of the things from today's session was that they showed us a bunch of really cool, interactive sites. Here are a couple of examples of web interactivity.

• http://www2.saabusa.com/build/step3.asp
  build your own saab
• http://www.mtv.com
  the latest in multimedia functionality
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/mulimedia_zone/
  some amazing games to enhance learning from the BBC
• http://www.speak2me.net
  a site developed to help teach English. you should really check this one out!
  

Ok - more later tonight. I'm off to dinner with some old friends (and their newborn baby, Lydia) while Helen and Mary live it up!!

BlogFAM!

Here's the first post for the Education and Training Blog. This is just a test at this point. But let's see where it takes us.

We hope that all of you take a second to post a comment on the blog and try it out. Happy Experimenting!!


As leaders in our field, we are committed to continuous learning and improvement. We challenge ourselves to ask questions, seek solutions, and embrace new ideas. - HEART Principle