May’s Big Question
Learning Circuits’ Big Question for May is “So what can, should, or will, we offer the digital generation by 2015?”
Five years is not very far into future, but in terms of technology things can change immensely in that amount of time. Just think of how learning technology has changed in the past five years. Off the top of my head here are a few things I think we will be offering in 2015.
- We are already seeing the impact of social media and informal learning, but we will see it blend immensely with both classroom and e-learning. Asynchronous e-learning will incorporate social media into courses allowing for more collaborative learning and formative evaluation by the course designer. As for the classroom, we already see a “back channel,” but it will be more prevalent and more accepted, even encouraged, by facilitators. More access and advances in smart phones, tablets and smart boards will help blend e-learning, social media and classroom training.
- The cloud has also grown, but I see in five years much more robust development tools on the cloud. There are already great cloud tools out there, but I think we will see more e-learning development tools at the level of Flash, Captivate, Articulate, OutStart Trainer, etc. on the cloud. Much of which will be courtesy of open source projects. Among the many benefits, it will increase mobility on the developer’s end. We designers/developers won’t be limited to working only on the computer in which we loaded our Flash CS10.
- Adobe Flash will be alive and well. HTML5′s full release is two years away. We probably will see it replace Flash for video/audio support, but it will fall short in its quality and level of interactivity and animation. HTML5 development tools will not provide the ease of creating rich Internet applications… at least not after only three years in. We will see Flash be the preferred medium of e-learning developers and a favored output (SWFs) of other e-learning dev tools. Upside Learning Blog has a good post on HTML5 and e-learning development that is a worthwhile read on this subject.
- We will offer even more edu-games. Again Flash will still be preferred as HTML5 just won’t be there yet.
- On the design end, the industry will focus much more on offering truly engaging, instructionally sound courses and our audience will demand it. Hopefully page turners will be extinct by 2015.
Keeping Up – April’s Big Question
April’s Big Question from Learning Circuits is “How to Keep up?” This is in reference the immense and rapidly expanding technology tools.
It is tough to stay on top of all the emerging tools. However, being involved in an e-learning community is a big help. For me it is a blog community and following many experts on Twitter. Not only am I often made aware of new tools, but also get opinions, tips, and examples of their use. You can never keep up with it all, but access to many experts who are also finding and sharing the lastest tech tools make it much less daunting.
Many of the blogs I follow are part of the eLearningLearning community. So, I browsed “Tools” by keyword on eLearningLearning. Here are the results and the level of exposure to technology tools this community provides:
That is a lot of tools this blogging community has discussed and introduced to its readers. I also like to make occasional visits to Google Labs and Adobe Labs to “keep up” with the tech tools they are working on and to test drive any beta versions available. When I do find interesting tools I will keep track of them using my Delicious account. Tagged either under Development Toolsor Cloud. When it comes to free cloud apps, I also share them on my blog’s Free Cloud Apps page.
It is tough to stay on top of all the great stuff being offered out there, but the blogs and social media certainly help.
2010 Predictions – Big Question
January’s Big Question at the Learning Circuits blog asks for our 2010 predictions. So, here we go;
- m-Learning continues to grow. I think the growing popularity of social media apps on mobile devices will assist with a growth of social learning (I consider social/informal learning on mobile devices m-learning too). Micro-courses for mobile devices will become more prevalent too.
- Google Wave will be released as a much less cumbersome application than the current beta version, but will struggle with adoption by general public.
- Those corporate training departments that moved so much training online in a haste to cut costs will recognize the ROI of quality classroom training. There will be much more reflection on what works online and what is more effectively taught in the traditional classroom…. and what is best blended.
- Tablets will be very popular in 2010 and eventually some will add ability to effectively display reader friendly book text. Perhaps an e-reader mode.
- I recently started using Yammer so I will make a few predictions regarding Yammer. They will expand many of their business friendly features. This will include better search functions, a mobile app that actually works (yes, I went there), and a TweetChat style app (increasing its ability to function as a social learning tool).
- We will begin to see more growth of Adobe AIR, including uses in e-learning.
- Some large corporation, maybe Microsoft, will buy Adobe. I don’t wish it, but predicting it.
Informal Learning – 2010
Informal learning (a.k.a. social learning) grew immensely in 2009. I think there is little doubt that it will grow further in 2010, but I also expect it to find more of a foothold in corporate training departments where its adoption been a challenge. Now I know there are corporate training departments that have embraced informal learning, but those are the more innovative companies. There are many that are slower to change and often do not adopt new approaches until they see others, including competitors, reap the benefits of such approaches.
As I am confident we will see informal learning become more prevalent in the corporate environment, companies must also be cautious when jumping into the social media and informal learning stampede. There are many social media tools and approaches. Be strategic when identifying social media tools, how they will be implemented, and how you can facilitate learning within the media. Remember, you cannot truly manage informal learning, but you can facilitate learning along with coaching others to facilitate learning. You can also coach learners on how to effectively use social media to meet the learning objectives they set for themselves.
Here are some great resources on informal learning that help us understand this transition from the formal to informal.
First off, Jay Cross and Clark Quinn on how meta-learning subverts the traditional training hierarchy.
Jane Hart’s “From e-Learning to Social Learning.”
Plus, last November the Learning Circuits blog’s Big Question was “Presenting the Value of Social Media for Learning,” which had many valuable comments and advice for anyone implementing social media in the workplace.
I think this democratization of learning will be a benefit to corporate staff and if engaged by corporate training departments it will be boon to their ability to assist learners in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for their success.
What Makes Yammer Different?
I have started test driving Yammer. For the last six months, I have been using Twitter and getting great rewards from using it. So naturally a similar application that is tailored more for use in a corporate environment would spark my interest. Thus, I have created an account and convinced a few of my teammates to do the same.
It is a microblogging application like Twitter and is a fantastic app for collaboration and knowledge sharing. So, what makes it different?
- It is a social network for only members of your organization. Only staff within your organization can sign into your network (i.e. they must have company email address to sign in).
- Groups can be set-up (e.g. the training and development department can have its own separate group within the organization’s Yammer network).
- You can go beyond the 140 character limit.
- You can attach files (e.g. docs, presentations, etc.).
- Detailed profiles for each member. This brings an important networking element. Like LinkedIn, it allows one to view a member’s employment and educational background, skills, interests, contact information, etc. So much of networking is the ability to know who you are interacting with and what they bring to the table.
What Yammer does not have:
- There is no search feature for member profiles. At least not yet that I can see. Hopefully they will develop that ability. Being able to search for staff with a specific expertise would add a great deal of efficiency in using it for networking.
- It does not have a TweetChat or TweetGrid type app that allows using hashtags to have a synchronous chat among numerous members. I have searched for such an app and have had no luck. Maybe Yammer or a third party will create one soon. If you do know of one, please let me know.
I am not promoting Yammer over Twitter, quite the contrary. Twitter is one of my most cherished apps and Yammer is quickly winning me over too. However, I will use Yammer to network and collaborate within my organization because it is tailored for the corporate environment. When it comes to networking with the greater e-learning world and then some, Twitter is my app for that.
If there is anything I missed in regards to what makes Yammer different, good or bad, please add a comment and let me know. Thanks.
TweetDeck and Adobe Air
Here is an interesting interview with Iain Dodsworth, TweetDeck founder, about his experience developing his now prolific Air application.
Want to create your own Air app? The video below will show you how to convert a Flash project into an Air app.
Hanukkah e-Learning Wish List
My kids are making their wish list for Hanukkah, which inspired me to make my own. I do not necessarily expect to receive any of these things, but if Hanukkah Harry reads this blog, which he may, their is a chance he will grant at least a few.
- Adobe CS4 eLearning Suite – I am still working with CS3.
- High end microphone – It will come in very handy for adding audio to courses, plus it will look great on my desk.
- OutStart Trainer – I am currently using another DHTML editor in which I am not enthralled at all.
- The not yet released, possibly mythological, Apple Tablet – It does not exist yet, but I am willing to take a rain check in case it ever does.
- m-Learning development tool that produces courses compatible with ALL mobile platforms.
- DevLearn 2010 conference – It has been quite a while since any budget has allowed me to attend a conference.
- Supreme knowledge of ActionScript - To know it to a point that there is nothing I cannot do with Flash (that’s on me isn’t it?).
- Open access to all social media for the workers of the world - I am lucky to have access to such things as LinkedIn and Twitter, but not all do. Some organizations block social media sites from their staff. I wish this to end.
If you have your own wish list, please share it in the comments section or add a link if it is on your blog. Of course it does not have to be a Hanukkah list, it can be for whatever holiday you celebrate.
LearnTrends 2009 Archive Videos Now Available
If you were not able to attend this past week’s LearnTrends Conference, they have recorded the sessions and made them available at the link below.
http://learntrends.ning.com/page/learntrends-2009-november
The sessions were wonderful. Thank you to everyone who put it together. I learned quite a bit during these 3 days and plan to visit the recordings of the few sessions I was unable to attend.
Big Question – Presenting the Value of Social Media for Learning
Learning Circuit’s Big Question this month is ”How do I communicate the value of social media as a learning tool to my organization?” In response, I have put together a list of strategies I feel are important and if done right can be effective.
Management buy-in
- Demo its use to decision makers.
- Show them case studies (from your industry, if possible, and emphasize return on investment (ROI)).
- Emphasize ROI again. Can it increase sales, reduce losses, limit errors, etc.?
- Teach them how to use it and continually encourage them to use it.
Staff buy-in and prototyping
- Get a willing group of staff to use and evaluate the prototype.
- Make sure content/communications are relevant to its users.
- Stay very involved in its implementation, facilitating discussion.
- Get its users to help you market the course…creating a “buzz” about the initiative.
- Document any success stories that come from the prototype and share with the entire organization.
Get IT buy-in early
- We all now IT can sink your initiative quickly, so get yourself buy-in from a decision maker in the IT department.
- Do as much leg work as you can before you bring it to IT. Not only will they appreciate any prerequisite work you have already done, but you will be that much closer to implementing the initiative.
- Find numerous people in IT who are already using social media and ask them to use the prototype. They mayhelp you push the initiative through the possible IT bureaucracy and can provide additional evaluation and advice from a tech perspective.
- Read more about Working With IT.
Communicating the value of social media and informal learning is far from an easy task and overcoming the challenges of getting management and staff on board differs with every organization…some are more open to it than others. Either way, communicating its value does not have any end point. Like any learning initiative, it needs constant encouragement.
Using Screenr to Create a Video Post
With all the hub-bub around Screenr, I had to check it out. It is extremely easy to use. If you have not heard about it yet, Screenr gives you the ability to capture your computer screen, mouse movements and audio (e.g. software simulations). Once you click done, it compiles it and sends it and your text description out as a tweet.
While I was playing around with it, I realized I can capture my webcam on it…what an easy way to create a video post that I can tweet. Here is the result of a 2 minute investment of time.
If you would like to see it in my Twitter timeline, you will find me at http://twitter.com/minutebio (@minutebio).
