Amazing what you can do with MS Paint and some talent

Wasting away some time I came across this incredible video. It's from earlier in the year, so my apologies if you have seen it. If you haven't watch the first little bit so you can see it is definately done in MS Paint and then if you want, fast forward to the end to see the final result. It's about 4 min long, but quite amazing.

I'm a PS3 Widow

My friends said I was foolish. They said I was nuts. I was crazy. They asked if I knew the consequences. I of course ignored them. I wanted to spoil. I wanted to be the best. I wanted give something wonderful.

And now......

Now I'm a PS3 Widow. I haven't seen my fiance since Christmas morning. I've been demoted to the portable dvd player. I'm watching old tv show dvd sets. I haven't been out the door.

Where was my mind??????

Looking for input on a new job title

I'm looking for any suggestions for a new job title. Perhaps there is something standard out "there" that would be appropriate and make sense to others outside of my organization. Currently my title is Education Assistant and I work in the Organization Development department. We generally look after corporate education, training and development needs. This includes everything from computer training, team building, management training/development, to assisting in the creation of corporate behaviour standards.

I refer to my position as lackey. I tend to do many of the background activies that makes the department look good during their training. I offer one-on-on computer training sessions for various programs. I offer some training on temperament theory and administer corporate wide core curriculum training. However, starting NOW I'm also adding to my plate the tasks of ruuning, administering, controlling (insert thunder, lightening, evil laughter here), monitoring, training, etc the LMS that just came to life (more evil laughter).

So now I'm stuck wanting to find a new job title. One that demands respect (ha, yes that's a bit of a dream). One that perhaps puts me into a new corporate income bracket (that's actually slightly more of a possibility). Any suggestions anyone can put forth regarding this and help me out with my corporate domination....I mean furthering my career, would be greatly appreciated.

2008 eLearning Guild Annual Gathering Announced

Okay, call me excited. I received a wonderful email last night in my inbox....

"Annual Gathering 2008 Registration Now Open! "

So immediately I start wondering..."hmmmm, is my boss actually going to approve me attending in April? Just how to I get her to understand this is a good idea (again)?" So I started this morning printing off everything I could, registration costs, flight, hotel, agendas, etc. I took all my papers into her office and said guess what I just got in the mail?

Well, much to my surprise she was almost more excited then me. So now I need to thank the Guild for putting this info out right near my birthday and Christmas time. I think this time of year puts bosses in the more giving and sharing mood.

So I'll see you there!!!!!
Love you Mickey Mouse!

School wasn't a complete waste....

Good news Mom. All that money spent on my education (that's still continuing to this day) hasn't gone to a complete waste. Changing jobs a billions times, being a jack-of-all-trades master of none, has allowed me to succed with my blog obtaining a readability level of Postgrad College. Yippee!!!

LMS Training Finally Here

Well Yeee Haaa!!! I'm finally getting my training as administrator for our new LMS. I've been collaborating, or to put it more accurately, giving my two cents in on the new intranet that is 80% ready to go. We've got our layout all set up with minor fixes to change. The content needs to be inputted or transferred from our old site. We are surprising still scheduled for a January launch.

And now.....the LMS. Now that we have an intranet look and feel, the LMS design has be created so that the two compliment one another. I finally get some training on how to use the system and design courses. If all goes according to plan, it too will be up and running January. I'm a little less optimistic about that, but if it's before March I'll be ecstatic.

I'm even going to be thrilled if it purely is a management system for a while with no elearning. I need some sort of concrete package to track all our training and in a hospital you can image that there are lots of different programs going on all the time.

I shall keep you posted as events unravel around this new adventure.

What is Proper Etiquette for Conversing with Another Blogger?

An interesting thought came up last night as I yet again was contacting Tony Karrer for advice and "how to's". What is the proper way to ask a question of another blogger? Many times you might see an element they have added to their page and wonder, "Just how did they do that?". Other times you may know they are an expert in a certain field and want some advice on how to proceed with your own project.

I have thought it best that if the blogger offers their email address within their profile, or better yet directly on their blog that is the "international symbol" for FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME (with questions/comments of course). However, maybe it is better to use the comment fields that people set up at the end of their posts. I however, have not used this method when my question is of no relation to the post. I figured it would be cluttering up the bloggers post and more so taking away from the intent of the post.

A bit of the challenge though is that, my question may be of interest to many others. So how does anyone else answer it or read the answer to the question if it is only ever hidden behind the scenes in email.

Tony and I agree that neither of us mind getting emails, but also were not sure what others may think either about the whole subject. So, I've added a couple of polling questions to my blog. Hopefully you'll take a moment to answer. Perhaps we will agree as bloggers-united that if you see an email address as contact information that it is indeed the "international symbol" for "I WELCOME YOU TO CONTACT ME".

Opening you Mind, Eyes and Ears with Facebook and YouTube

One of the applications I do like through Facebook is the FunWall. My friend Peter seems to find and share some of the best videos on YouTube. Certainly ones that are guaranteed to make me laugh out loud or stop everything I'm doing to look and listen intently to what is showing on my screen.

What I love is that Facebook as a tool is a great way to share those interesting videos that just spark something in your imagination. YouTube is a great tool for posting, sharing and searching out more of those moments that make you go....Cooool!

Peter sent me this one other day of the a cappella group Straight No Chaser and I just loved it. Especially for the holidays. What it did though was trigger that "I need to find out more" itch. Once again in a matter of a few minutes I've found the group's website, more video clips, where to buy a cd, and more and more.

I hope the clip inspires you to dig and explore a little further to see, listen and observe things you wouldn't always stop and give your attention.

check these out too 1, 2, 3, and for a little fun 4 (the funniest)

Blearning - yes it's new, it's exciting, it's cheap, it's free

Well my blogging buddy Brent commented on a post of mine today regarding the DevLearn 2007 DemoFest winners. One type of topic I like blog on is webinars and web meetings or more specifically taking notes during them and posting the info onto my blog site.

I do this for 3 reasons, one is that I can share the info I learn and gather with others, secondly I can take notes and keep them for my own reference later on (and being in a blog they are searchable). Third, I have found that it has become a great way for me to really concentrate more fully on a webinar. Often, and I've seen this polled a bunch of times during webinars, that most participants are doing several tasks at once while listening to a webinar. From answering emails, to filling reports, to having meetings with others as people walk in the room. Blogging for me as I listen/participate in the webinar forces me to pay more careful attention so that I can better "report" what it is I hear, learn and see.

Brent commented that he has looked at a couple of just such postings of my and jokingly referred to it as perhaps a new modality for learning. "B"learning. Now, I'm going to give him full credit on the term, but if it somehow turns into the "B" standing for Brent-Learning then I may just have to re-term it T-Learning....and I like the hyphen...looks meaner (i.e. T-Rex).

DemoFest 2007 Winners from DevLearn 2007 (eLearning Guild)

DemoFest Winners 2007
Based on demonstrations run during the DevlLearn 2007 in San Jose, CA Nov. 2007.
Winners
Seal Works - Ariel
Can Do It, LLC, 3-D Instructions
Sun Microsystems
OnPoint Digital, Sales Quenchers - mLearning
KPMG - Expense Reimbursement Training
Oxygen Education - Emag machine

Nick Floro - Ariel - A Reader's Interactive Exploration of Literature

Team of 6 people, 6 months to create
Budget of $80,000.

Goal: gain resources to better understand literature content
Objectives: creating a cdrom, or webserver could deliver content along with book.
Audience: college students
Created from scratch not existing technology or solution.

Used 5D's of project management
Discovery
Define project
Design
Develop
Delivery

Created a flowchart for each author flowing through the content of the book.
Each would have some activity associated with them.

Tools used:
Html, flash

Created wire frames on how to interact with the content.
27 authors
Wanted interactivity (on web, or cdrom)
Each author had their own logo and a font based on their particular work.
Banner, Content in middle. Left side user choices to pick a particular piece of author work, picture, or audio related to author.

Glossary based on material, but could be pulled from and turn into a pop up within each author window content.

Project management tools used.

Basecamphq.com (recommended by Nick and participants within the online too.)

Program had a poem creating tool such like fridge magnets.

Nick@sealworks.com
http://tinyurl.com/3y8pyx


John D'Amours - 3D Instructions, An EPSS Prototype (Can Do It LLC)

Mission: Deliver low-cost 3d Assembly instructions and lead consumers to expect this quality level for all do-it-yourself tasks (eg. Ikea products, not just using paper instructions)

Tools:
Deep Exploration (5.1 beta)
Right Hemisphere (alpha and beta version)

Items are displayed on screen in 3D, user can shift screen perspective to see each angle of item being put together.


Sorry I don't have more notes than this....I had to leave the demonstration early to go to another webinar. Recordings of the presentation will be found on The eLearning Guild website.

9:15pm...later this evening....I just saw that Cammy Bean posted information on a few of the other presenters at this webinar. (thanks Cammy)

So Just What is a Blog?

Another great production from the Common Craft Show. Blogs in Plain English is well done and follows similar formats to other pieces done by the group. I especially liked about 3/4 of the way though when they explain why people use them, or what's more important is how you use them. I like how blog communities are explained because it is one of the greatest advantages I have found and experienced since starting my own.