Writing about writing
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There are many definitions for mobile learning (mLearning). The definition that resonates most with me is learning that is delivered using a device that fits in one’s pocket. These are devices that people take with them all the time (such as mobile phones or iPods). By this definition, the laptop or netbook is not an
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This week the discussions around the edublogs are about the role of audio narration in eLearning. Both Cathy Moore and Ethan Edwards re-enforce the research that audio narrative that is the same as the text presented on the screen actually hurts learning. One reason for this is that learners are forced to go through the
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Whenever I get the chance to talk to other training professionals, I ask the question "what does innovative eLearning look like?". So far, the biggest thing I've seen in "innovation" is a design characteristic rather than a technology. The designers build "choose-your-own-adventure" type scenarios that require the reader to use critical thinking skills rather than
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The business plans for online schools conflict with student success. In several cases that I've seen, a successful student actually costs the company more than an unsuccessful student. Case 1: coastalnavigation.com is an online course that allows students to complete the Canadian Yachting Associations Coastal Navigation Standard. When a student completes the course material, they
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In the last few weeks, I've been taking some of the free workshops provided by the Entrepreneurship Centre in downtown Ottawa. I'm rather impressed at the quality of the presentations. The presenters have been excellent, colouring their presentations with interesting stories of what to do and what not to do. If you are in Ottawa
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Innovation is the act of creating something new. Paul Sloane at Innovation Blog explains that: “We tend to think of an innovation as a new product but you can innovate with a new process, method, business model, partnership, route to market or marketing method. Indeed every aspect of your business operation is a candidate for
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I watched a great TED talk today on open-source learning modules. If you are a science or technology teacher, I highly recommend this talk and looking into the Connexions website (http://cnx.org). At Connexions, authors contribute content licensed under Creative Commons. Anyone can take that content and re-mix it, combine it, and make it into a
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Have you ever experienced a software product that wasn’t intuitive to use? I once worked on a product that I just couldn’t grasp. When the product manager explained it to me, I finally understood what it was all about. The problem was in the name- specifically, in the names given to objects on the screen.
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Last week, I had the opportunity (and pleasure) of attending two public talks given by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama (one talk in Ottawa and another in Toronto). I was struck by his warmheartedness and the fullness of his laugh. The following paragraphs describe my interpretation of the various messages presented by His Holiness. From
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Inspired by Harold Jarche‘s unworkshop on informal learning, on September 26, as part of Learn @ Work week, I hosted a world cafe on Informal Learning for the Ottawa Chapter of the Canadian Society for Training and Development. The event was attended by 17 amazing people who work within the training industry in the Ottawa
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What makes informal learning “informal”? Is it the lack of a certificate of completion? Is it the lack of an instructor? Is it the lack of learner evaluation? Is it the lack of a “formal” motivator? I can think of examples for each of these that would qualify as “informal” learning. I can’t think of
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I have been contemplating a lot lately what I think the ideal rapid e-learning tool would look like. I’ve put my current thoughts below. If you are a “text book” ADDIE fan, you will find that I am suggesting the development of some material backwards or completely contrary to good practices (specifically, the learning objectives
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On Jay Cross’ Informal Learning Blog, Jay asked for “what makes for successful online collaboration“. This was a timely question, since I am in the process of preparing a workshop on covenanting. Covenanting is a process that I have used both in face-to-face intentional communities and in online learning communties. It may be called different
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I’m taking an introduction to sociology class at the moment, and in yesterday’s class I had one of those ah-ha moments. Back when I was studying learning theories (as part of the Master of Arts in Distributed Learning program) I had a hard time grasping the relationship between the different theories. I was trying to
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For the last several weeks, I have been riding my bike along the Ottawa river parkway at least twice a week. Each time I come to this one section, I observe with wonder the stone sculptures. I take a brief pause and watch the artist do his work. Today, I choose to get off my
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When the magic rapid e-learning tool comes out, will it suffer the same negative fate at PowerPoint? That is, will the tools be misused to create bad e-learning? Of course! It will just like PowerPoint, a tool that is often mis-used and abused. Making e-learning easy makes it so that anybody can create e-learning. It
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Throughout my years as an instructional designer developing product training for software companies, I have seen both good and bad reasons for product training. It is often the case that the need for training is not clearly understood, but the desire to have something developed is. Here are my thoughts as to when you should
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In Brent Schlenker’s post “20 years of death by PowerPoint“, he talks about all that is wrong with PowerPoint. This has got me wondering, why do we blame the tool for its misuse? Why do we blame the big guy? It is partly this attitude that led me down the path of using more complicated
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The people enter the ritual room, each with a sharp implement in their hand. They carry satchels over their shoulders that appear to contain a variety of different tools. As they enter the room, they stack their satchels around the outside edges of the room. The room is well-lit. It has tables setup in rows
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Since my job ended at exactly the right time, I’m taking a short sociology course this summer. I have wanted to take such a course for a while, so when I saw that the course started just after I finished work, I figured why not. I decided to audit the course, and I’m really glad
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Hi all, This is the first in my series on what I learned in my last job as training specialist at a small high-tech start-up. I picked up the book Beyond Bullet Points and wanted to give the new presentation paradigm a try. I was able to make some minor modifications to the corporate template
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Hello world :). Now that I am soon to be unemployed (at least briefly), I hope to get back to regular blog posts. One of the first series I shall do is, what I learned during my last job. My last job, was a the “Training Specialist” for a high tech start-up. I was the
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It has been awhile since I last blogged. I’ve been reading various blogs, but haven’t felt the inspiration until today. I am about to embark on a new project. I want to figure out how to integrate the good parts of ISD (identifying objectives and outlining the flow before developing) with the concept of storytelling
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In order to be creative (or innovative), you must be allowed to have bad ideas. I recently encountered a situation where I felt that I had to be good at everything I did. When I did something different, and it didn’t work out, I was made to feel bad. In addition, that experiment was later
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Let’s start by looking at a few definitions (source wikipedia):Artist: Artist is a subjective term which describes a person creative in, innovative in, or adept at, their endeavors.Artisan: An artisan, also called a craftsman, is a skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular craft. … How does this apply to instructional
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I have seen many recent posts about “Do-it-yourself” learning management systems, including Harold Jarche’s recent post. It is OK to learn from a book. Yes, the Internet is a great resource; however, I find that I need something to help me find direction. The Internet often provides too many choices for me. (BTW, a great
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This is by far my favourite photo from our November 2006 vacation in Hawaii. The picture is taken from the top of Mauna Kea at sunset. What you are seeing is the shadow of Mauna Kea in the cloud layer which is below us. If you ever get a chance to visit the Big Island
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In my brief moments of reflection (while soaking in the tub or sauna) I’m reading the book “The Progress Paradox” by Gregg Easterbrook. I’m finding the book a great source of reflection. As a result, I only read a small portion each night. The book makes me look at the world in a much more
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So, how is blogging like karaoke you ask? Have you ever been to a karaoke party where everyone that gets up and sings is really excellent? I have, and it was a real drag. On the other hand, I’ve been to a karaoke party where a couple of really courageous people get up and belt
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I’ve been wondering lately, how the Internet will affect the next generation of kids. Their entire lives are stored on the Internet. Parents start blogs with the kids names from the moment they enter the world. It’s a great way to tell family and friends what’s happening without having to make numerous phone calls. But
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I recently attended an Informal Learning Unworkshop facilitated by Harold Jarche. It has inspired me to investigate further blogging and to jump onto the blogging bandwagon. When blogs first came out, I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. I really didn’t see how they could be applied as a learning tool. I dismissed
