REPOSTING - Articulate Interaction - How to Navigate an Articulate Based Course

This is a reposting of a previous post.  Someone requested the files because the links were not working. 

Here are 3 variations for "How to Navigate",  for those users that choose to look at it, how to navigate an Articulate course.  There is lots of discussion about the need for this and I am on the side that I would hope most users can figure this out on their own.  However, I have yet been able to create and launch a course without it in some form or another.  When I do I get complaints from someone that they didn't know what to do to get started.

At the least, when these are insterted as tab activies it is then there for those that need/want to work through "how to navigate" and those that don't need it can by-pass it.  It keeps the whole course less cluttered on the front end as well.

• Simple 1 slide version (okay for simple and easy navigation points that are need to be pointed out)
• Hotspot version - simple (used more often because user can click just the items they need information on)
• Labelled image - complex (least favourite, trouble with this version is that the user has to watch each and every item that is labelled and there are a lot)

Links can be found on the Articulate Community site: here.

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Original Post
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I've been working for months and months to get an LMS up and running for my organization (do a search for LMS on my blog and you'll see the overall journey) now the real fun begins. I now have so many people coming to me asking for this course to be created and that one. Seems as if everyone has something that has to be taught by the end of the year to all staff because the Ministry of Health says so. Regardless of that fact the LMS is now slowly being populated with courses and not just classroom based.

One of my concerns though is not everyone in our organization is familiar with taking an online course. Many would be able to just sit down at a computer and know immediately how to navigate though a course. Some who have never taken an online course would still be technically savvy enough to work their way through on their own. But, then there are all the others who are less technically inclined and perhaps even a little afraid of trying this "new" method of learning.

These are the staff that I need to consider when creating a course and need to include a "how to navigate" lesson or tutorial. I'm using Articulate to create courses for our learners. During the pilot of the LMS one of the courses created had many slides at the beginning (that could be skipped) that explained all the components that the learner would see or could see while taking the course. Once the pilot was over I discovered that this was probably not the best method for delivering the tutorial piece. Letting them skip over it was good, but it still muddled the over all look of the course. So what I have done now instead was to create the same interaction, but have included it instead as a help tab that can be accessed at any point during the course.

I've included a short Screenr video below that lets you see the interaction as it runs within a course. I have tried to make it "neutral" so it could be inserted into any course and that anyone could use it in their courses outside of our organization.

It's all about REUSE! So, if you'd like to use the interaction yourself please feel free to download and use it in your own courses.

From Evernote:

#devlearn Implementing SCORM in serious games - Kris Rockwell

Http://www.oracle.com/goto/oll

Http://apex.oracle.com

 

Defining serious games. 

 

• Games can be cost effective and engaging.
• They can be customized to the user experience. 
• Wide ranges of interactions can be allllied
• As you move along the challenges can become greater and greater based on the learners progressing abilities 
• Games can capture a great deal of metrics

 Game metrics example

• Call of duty: Black Ops Metrics (infograpnic). If they can collect this kind of data in a game, imagine being able to analysize who is performing how well, who is working together and how and they do it successfully 
• Starcraft/Starcraft II metrics: Korea esport, people are sitting and playing these games in front of hundreds. Look for the video. Champion players have and average 200-300 clicks per minute while playing. Not only that, but every click is a decision as well. That is a lot of data that can be captured
• Other examples Civialization as a teaching tool. Metrics a little harder to get

 Case study

• Needed simple gem using decision tree and quizzes
• Flash based
• Components needed to be tracked
• Multiple choice style questions using cmi.core.score.raw
• Capture freefrom elements cmi.suspend.data
•  Completion of the game cmi.suspend.data cmi.core.lesson_status
• Overall time in game. cmi.core.total_time

 What went right

• Data was tracked into LMS
• Implementatn easy
• Data model elements were easily adapted to the required functionality

 Improvements

• Journal enteries not truly "tracked". Entered, but not truly comparable. 
• Game play was limited
• If it was an off the shelf game with no open API then it can be exemely difficult to integrate
• No tracking of a player throughout the game. Not the choices made along the way. 

CMI 5 

• next generation of data tracking specs that will come out in the near future
• Intended to replace AICC and SCORM  
• Core set of pre-defined  data tracking elements
• Ability for the content to define what data is to be collected  

 

  

From Evernote:

Designboarding: Leveraging good treatment for your content - Jane Bozarth, Kevin Thorn

 Www.diigo.com/user/jbo27712/thorn. Links to all the slides and examples within this session. 

 

What do you do when you have no budget, few resources and you are aof one. (or at least small)

 

How bad can elearning be?

• Clipart that has nothing to do to with the topic
• Too many words
• Narrator reading every word on the screen 
• Text place that reads like a book
• Courses that take hours and hours to get through

 REMEMBER Classroom training can be just as bad

 

Think about transforming learning. Not converting learning.  

 

A. Pintura Art Detective. Example of learning with context. 

 

You don't need an army of artists and developers. Think more and only about the learner's experience. Think of something better to do with the content. Bullet points can be turned into a situation. The info on the text can be introduce with links, pop up, images, etc. 

 

Use more links (images, icons, popups) that allow the users to explore the content as they wish to. Some can be push, but much can be their choice to explore as much or as little as they may need.   Or the more they explore they more they will be able to apply the information, better answer/solve a solution. 

 

Look to Kevin Thorn's Turf Wars

http://elearning-examples.s3.amazonaws.com/MissionTurfgrass/player.html  

 

• Context
• Engaging
• Challenge
• Narrative 
• Characters

Where can you find narratives?

    

Listen to the stories that SME's are coming in with

Ask for the top 5 questions

Ask how users handle it

Look where mistakes did go wrong

Look to real world news stories 

 

Listen for keywords that the SMEs are using 

 

Beware of your audience though. Don't go too cute if your audience is not appropriate for the audience. Make sure your narrative works with the group. 

 

Examples of engagement using the scenario of election procure changes   

• Allow them to make mistakes
• Follow the process through
• Headlines from failures
• Managing a situation vs not

  Take a chance by asking a end user what experience they may want to go through. 

 

We must look outside our "worlds" for inspiration. Sharing our stories often inspire others.  

 

Map out the experience. If you are designing for yourself how would you like it delivered. 

 

Take images out and focus on the story or treatment.  Get approval on the content and then put the images in. Elearning development tools last.      

#devlearn - The Future of Learning is Context - Steve Rosenbaum (keynote notes taken)

Within the room 90% of attendees were checking email before coffee. We are not unique in our profession. A year ago it was about 35%. 

 

Curation is a good news bad news thing. 

 

The Cloud is everywhere and all we do will be linked into the cloud. And it is presented as good. 

 

However, often the are storm clouds too.  Essentially all information is now in the cloud and available, but sometimes our job is truly to get less information. Or at lest key information. 

 

30% of people get up and check email in the night. Not good,  there's to much informiton and we need to learn to mange it. Our org want us to come up with the right information the right time.   

 

We create 5 exabytes of information every 2 days.  In 2003 that was created in the entire year. 

 

Imagine....how old you feel instead of getting a meal you ordered, everything on the menu. 

 

We are on our way to 10 million tweets

120 days of content is uploaded every 3 hours. It would take you 8 years to read one day of content. 

Facebook has 140 billion photos. 70 billion to be added this year.  

 

This is why we can keep up with it all. This explosion has happened quickly in the last year or so. 

 

The job that will increase is a curator of all this information.  Making sure our communities are getting the information they need. 

 

July 2010 the Internet went from a more organized corporate entity (loosely said) to anyone can publish any piece of content. 

 

Is this just a US thing?

 

Not at all.  The US is ranked 6th in creating and adding content to the web. 

1. China, 
2. India, 
3. Nigeria, 
4. Russia,
5. Iran, 
6. USA 

 

We need to being to get rid of SEARCH.  

Data is suppose to be accurate. But try searching your name on Google. You will find many images, but many that are not you or even not similar to "you" in any manner. Ie a dog named Steve. 

 

What is curation 

 

We are able to organize things in away that algorithms often can not. 

 

Example: 3 foods that go together that are all sweet, but labeled quite differently ad not just "food"

 

Men and women and machines taking information and collecting it into groups of information. 

 

When someone asks you "did you see something?" then we need to another thanks for sharing that. We become and need to be curators for one another.   

 

Publishers repeople that find information gather and share/broadcast with others. 

 

Example

• "Taste of Home" magazine is completely user generated content.  
• TEDx anyone can take the TED logo and use it to create local TED gatherings and sharing of into. 
• Patagonia 
• You!!! We are also a part of this large set of publishing. 

 We need thoughtful filters though. This is where humans replace the algorithms that gather information together. We are putting the most relevant information together into groups. 

 

powerful tools    

 

• Think of choosing your clothes each day. You think about what your day involves and choose appropriately. Many us tweet and reshape everyday. 

Each of us have unqiue interests , these become part of our indenting. 

Perhaps we check in somewhere, but not everywhere. We check in at the places that matter most likely because we want to share the experience and chat with other about sharing the same experience. Example a movie showing.  

 

Gather organize and collect the things that are of interest to you.  

 

Try a curation tool

• Pearl trees
• Scoop.it
• Paper.li
• Storyify

 Experiment with these tools. Use them. Try them. Keep the one you like and collect with. 

 

Best practices

• Define quality for your readers. Only share and post the things that matter or fit into your "voice and tone"
• Make context matter. Say something people will remember. Take the time to update headlines. Point out why should it matter to the reader. 
• Well-curated will tell a story.  This will give it all more value. 
• Keep a theme and point of view. People will come to you for your specific point of view on the topic, story. 

 The web is becoming a human network and no one specific organization. 

  

Sent from my iPad

#devlearn - Agile project management for Elearning development - Don Bolen (notes taken)

Http://tinyurl.com/bolenagilepm
(blog and slides)

Presented by Don Bolen

We manage for:
Cost
Time
Structure that can be repeated

Key. Do what works on your environment.

PMBOK - project management body of knowledge guide

WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS WITH PROJECTS
People
Stuff happens and plans change (IT projects 1 in 5 successful. 37% are troubled)
Agilemanefesto.org
It seems counter productive to projects

....org/principles
Partnerships
Customers

Iron triangle limits our choices on how we deal with issues in projects
Scope - what you are going to get done
Cost
Schedule
(but quality is missing)
Titanite the movie was a failed project... With this model. It was off schedule and over costed. But it was successful in box office and won awards.

Traditional projects - filled with gantt charts. And even if things happen you often have to stick to what ever plan was laid out.

Agile
filled with iteration
Adaptation
Proactively manage change
Why use agile
Less defects and improved quality
More value
Often faster to market
Quicker ability to find the bad projects
LEAN
Agile Development - "version one" poster

HOW DOES THIS WORK?
Uses stories to gather customer needs
Backlog is created (the stuff you are going to do to create your product)
Tool

AS A .......presenter
I WANT ......the projector to work
SO THAT ....... people don't leave

As a learner
I want to increase my knowledge if new material
So that I don't feel my day was a waste of time

Think about doing this for each of your stakeholders or have them doe the "stories" themselves.

Which is better?
Fork and knife or chopsticks
It will depend on the task and the culture
Know that not everything is not going to work for every org. You fit it to your needs

SCRUM
Tool, methodology, framework - Forces focus on highest value in shortest time

2-4 weeks (software development)
Small teams 5 to 9 people
Decided a small portion of project

"The SCRUM guide" available online

There is a scrum master that gets rid of obstacles and makes sure rules are followed. Also, protects the team from distractions. Set meetings with specific timelines. Timeboxed

sprint plans
Defines the goals
Time estimates
Select stories for the sprint
Times for daily scrum are set
DONE is determined
Backlogs of stories may be prioritized

This must be an organization wide culture

#devlearn How experimental, social, and on-demand learning trends impact your design

Reuben Tozman and Aaron Silvers

Notes taken during session.

Experiential learning.

on-demand learning 

Social learning

 

A grok - comprehend and understand

Inquire

Design

 

 

 

Assumptions

• All objects are identifiable
• The cloud is a single system, connecting what we all know
• We want to and will share information

Quality of learning

• Knowing that one can improve
• Joy and surprised is involved
• Want to connect with others

Not only creating a separate experience but often just changing or augmenting the current experience. 

 

What is one experience you wre invovled I that changed you, influence you, and makes you do different today. 

 

What does a successful learning experience look like

• Motivation
• You do something differently
• More comfortable
• Ability to do a new task
• Awareness (ambient as well)
• Joyful feeling
• Sharing about the learning and the experience (thoughts and emotions)

This list is not something that is easily measurable. 

 

Think about the last Elearning project you had. And what performance outcomes were attached to it. 

 

Learning in demand

• Learners don't know what they don't know
• Some blend needs to be in there
• There are increased catalogs
• Some is delneded on the quality of it

No objectives. Only your objectives as a learner 

It doesn't necessary need to be "pretty". Maybe we should focus on context not what it looks like.  

•  

Giving a standard and then being able to let the user interact and explore or tweak. 

 

Social learning  

Social learning has been around forever

Just getting a toll to do it will not make people start using it

Sometimes talking the word social out and collaborative in sometimes takes the fear put of it. (right or wrong) 

 

Social learning design 

• You might want to point the learner to a menu of things that they can look up, or people they can talk to. 

Design considerations

 

1. Thing beyond the one instance or situation. Think about ways that the information can be used later on in pieces. 
2. Pieces of content withing a course can be indexed separately and found when needed. Let The learner Get acces beyond the "path" you have designed it for them. 
3. Let the web understand your content. Don't be stuck into your LMS.  (when your LMS dies or you want to move passed it you will be stuck).   

Sent from my iPad

#devlearn - Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku (keynote notes)

Michio Kaku

Woody Allen - eternity is a really longtime, especially towards the end.

Education hasn't changed much in 2000 years. 1:1 mentoring, classrooms.

Moore's law - computer power doubles every 18 months. The little chip in birthday cards have more power than the Allied Forces of 1945. Cellphones have more than NASA had sending human people to the moon.

This change takes us into the future. In 2020 computer chips will cost a penny. The future of the computer then is to eventually disappear. Example. Electricity is everywhere and no where. We don't even think about it because it is everywhere. The same will happen with computers. The Cloud is an extension of the Moore's law curve. The Internet too is becoming very much everywhere and no where.
Glasses will be something we all wear as a portable computer screen. Translating languages. Recognizing the world around us and giving us information. If not glasses, then on to contact lenses. Blink if the eye and you'll be online. Politicians will see telepromters on their lens. Actors could see their lines. Jet pilots could see everything that is around them. Cameras on all sides of a plane and they will "see though objects".

In other words....augmented reality. Everything becomes annotated. Think of The Terminator. Everything we see and touch will have notes, information, extra pictures, notes from other people.

In the future their will be a continum between all devices. Watches, cellphones, tablets. Even paper will become intelligent....flexible screens.

Imagine wallpaper that you just touch to change it. Wallpaper imbedded with chips. Walls will also have screens built right into them. (edocs answering medical questions, elaywers answering legal questions). Wall screens covering each surface. We will go to wall screens to find friends, see who else is "looking at their screens". We will watch movies on our wall screens, but we will be able to put our faces into the movie and onto actors within. Cyber pets that will run from one wall screen to another.

Internet was initially "male" created to dominate and take over the Soviet Union. Now it is "female" all about connections and reaching out to others.

We are building up to true 3d holo deck situations. Full emersion into our studying and work environments.

Seemless interaction everywhere you go. Hardware will be cheap, software to do all this interaction will be the expensive commodity.

3D tv without glasses. Lenticular lens. More than one images is projected to left and right eyes to give 3D effect.

Cars of the future will drive themselves for us. Using GPS, radar and chips. These already exist. We can take this travel time and turn into learning. This will be available opinion 8 years.

Surgery, cancer diagnosis, MRI, will never be touched by this technology.....wrong. It will. Experts knowledge will be put knot software. Artificial intelligence. Tv cameras and chips small enough to swallow in pill form. For coloscopies (example).

Can already get these down to the size of molecules. These tiny ones will target and kill cancer cells. Cancer diagnosis from a toilet. Toilets will be able to detect certain proteins that will alert you to the first signs of cancer cells. Miniature MRI machines. Size of a briefcase, but they will be able to get them down to a cellphone size.

30 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE

Paralyzed man with chip implanted into brain. He can move cursors and interact with any computer software. Another person will be able to interact with a robot, creating and
Avatar experience.

$50000 today okay to sequence genes right now. In 30 years it will be $100. This will enable us to see if we have predispositions to various diseases. We will also use this to create organs, lines, bones (we can do this now with ears, noses, blood, bladders, wind pipe, in 1 year a liver).

50 YEARS
Growing entire organs. Learning. Will be everywhere. Discovery Channel video - 2057
Clothing will have chips in them and monitor our health. If you fall or injure yourself the clothing will be able to notify for medical help.

Human body shops to fix any medical issue we have. New hearts, valves, hips.
Surgeons will manipulate 3d images of our bodies. Virtual surgery will be done while robots do the actual cutting.

Our children are wired and they will love thirst changes. We may be fearful, but think back to how people of the past may have thought about electricity. At one point we point everyone may be electrocuted. Fear is a part if each modern change. We love electricity. We love phones. We will love all this change eventually as well.

Example. Facebook has spread democracy around the world. This is all bigger than just education
But, the human in the loop will always be needed. The computers are not

#devlearn - How to create a successful mobile learning strategy - Clark Quinn (notes taken pm)

"what partner's do we need?"

• Fundamental (the people you need, IT, stakeholders) (security)
• Strategic (the people that are there to help because they make sense, vendors, politics)

 For me:

• Those that create buyin within an organization
• Security personal
• IT
• Senior team
• Policy makers
• Hr - for equity
• Legal team
• Diversity and inclusivity
• Vendors 
• End users (participatory designers)   
• Support teams (anticipating problems that you can't)
• Corporate communication

"issues you need policies to address"

• Devices you will and wont support
• Platforms you support
• Viruses
• Support provided 
• Time when it can can't be supported
• Service costs, data access
• Purchasing of devices hardware, Reimbursement policies   
• Ettiquette
• Global issues, language, services, images   
• Info access
• Intillectual
• Personal info
• Compliance
• Info security, authication
• Digital rights management
• Accessibility
• Branding, consistency 
• Discovery when using interal and personal devices 

W3C - has a working group for accessibility and mobile learning. Both are similar in how they work for the user. 

 

RESOURCES

• money
• Time
• People, designers, developers, 
• Content, words, audio, images, 
• Software, compression software, tracking, LMS
• Production 
• Devices
• Tracking services, software, reimbursement, time 
• Translators
• Testers evaluation, testing, tweaking,
• Trainers
• Support, users, creators, they all need tools 
• Project management (timelines might be different, Devices change, development times)
• Mobile enabled management 
• Continual skilling of the team
•  

 

 

SUPORTS NEEDED

- the performers

- the devices (how do i get it, it broke, software not working,) make it look like stuff they already know.

- the team.   

 

GOVERANCE

• templates
• Standardized - quicker to migrate from area to area 
• Product life cycle - off the market as well as archiving requirements
• Training cycles earlier than later 
• Metrics, evaluation standards 
• Yearly updating
• Regional updating 
• Unionized vs non
• Corp and biz sign off
• Solution governance 
• Blends
• Schedule alignment
• Go/no go 

WHAT DO WE MEASURE

• Bandwidth limits
• Time saving (learning, developing, designing)
• Accessing the tool
• Measure the experience, do they go back once because it's good, or bad
• Is there a difference between one device and other 
• Mobile environment itself, is it meeting the needs. Are people accessing because it is easy or are they jumping to the paper version
• Is the user getting the info they want.  How much do they need?
• Measuring the deployment of the device
• Unique users
• Are they using it vs changing performance
• If they are creating their own job aids (something's not working well)
• Impact of training should go up
• Completion rates - yes and ... some mobile is only for on the fly training  

 Anything you do develop,....

Ou should have a measure to say YES LET'S KEEP IT, NOT QUITE WORKING TWEAK IT, KILL THE PROJECT. 

 

The percentage where you go or stay with projects should changes as you go along as well to the point you either keep or kill. 

 

BARRIERS

From Elearning Guild report. (biggest to least)

• Integrating with enterprise tools
• Security
• Lack of standard
• Content for other devices does not translate
• Cost
• Bandwidth
• Management resists
• Screens to small

Culture eats strategy for breakfast. You need a culture that is experimental, innovative,and want to try and grow. 

 

HBR article. March 2008 by Garvin, Edmunsin, & Gino

 

Custom content delivered to be specific to where you are and what you are doing. This will be where we will and should be going. Example Yelp restaurant discovery app. (augmenting reality + learning).   

   

Mobile in the workplace should not only be about training. It should be about:

 

Some mobile solutions might be more about connecting you to the people you need to speak to to work in complex problems and solutions. Formal solutions. Performance support. 

 

  

Sent from my iPad

#DevLearn - How to create a mobile learning strategy - Clark Quinn (notes from am session)

Continual innovations is the way that organizations are going to be able to change and move forward. 

Mobile is only one part of moving forward. 

There aren't lots of strategies out there to do this, but it is being discovered and there are elements that need to be encompassed. 

Internet time alliance. - great resource for social learning. 

Look to "mobile learning: landscape and trends" - Elearning Guild

 

MOBILE BACKGROUND

 Palm pilot was one of the first real successful device - pseudo recognized hand writing 

• 4 core apps , memo, calendars, tasks, address book
• It synced 
• Designinglearning.com - zen of palm 
• Accessed many times a day but on for short periods of time
• Laptop may not be mobile because it doesn't quite fit in a pocket or purse, needs long life battery use, you don't use it for long periods of time. 
• Laptop doesn't do something unique to the location you are using it in. 

Differentabf mobile tools have different affordances. The devices needed sometimes dependsbb mL

 on the co text in which it is being used. 

We use devices. For getting content, computing, capturing, communicating. 

Companies maybe be blocking social networks, but staff are finding work abounds with their own devices. 

Methods of disseminating info:

           Learning            performance support          context       

SMS

Voice

Audio

Video

Doc

Interactive 

 

Content specific -  we might know where and when you are, so we can push out the need info to you for the situation you are in racers

Knowledge dump and test does not get people learning. 

Putting them in the situation where they have to practice what uou want the  to learn is a better format. 

Mlearning

Biggest improvement from use (most to least) 

• Increase learner access and availability
• Accomodate learner needs
• Increased speed of content delivery
• Improver learner performance
• Reduce costs 

 72% of the workforce is a mobile worker. (those that don't sit at a desk or on a line "all day"). These are the people that can benefit from mobile learning. 

Innovation comes from people working together and work comes from conversations g

 We want our performers to have the tools they need when and where they are.  

 

STRATEGY

 "What is a strategy?"

Who are we going to involve 

Define steps

Milestones

Means to get to targets

Who is involved

Resources including proper skills needed

Measurement

Vision of what you want to accomplish

You may need to be ready to be to change it at anytime

Feedback loop for reassessment

Plans for action and reaction

Methods, tools, content to move forward on steps 

Objectives  

Tactics

Messaging needs to be in place to get buyin

 

 

"what is different for mobile strategy"

What is users comfort level

More flexible, it's a new world

Company's culture and adoption to mobile learning

 

Mobile should be something that improves performance learning or skill set. 

 

• GOALS augumenting org strategy unit goals
• TACTICS Augmenting formal performance support  context sensitive
• RESOURCES Devices, tools, infrastructure, designers, developers
• SKILLING Tools, designers. Developers, managers
• MESSAGING Advantages, issues
• PARTNERS IT, Hr, vendors, ?

METRICS Access, unique contribution  

Make IT your friends they work hard to keep they network safe, but they do need to move with the times

 

WHAT'S THE PROCESS

Where do they desire to go?

Staff and mgmt

Analysis

Surveys

Plans

Marketing - describing advantages 

Measuring

 

• Needs, problem analysis 
• Surveying and data collection (what do people already have, tools. What are their experiences and preferences with using them). Is anyone doing any currenty with them. What tasks are they already doing on them?  What effiecienciens do we want to improve.  Are there costs we can cut back on going with this.  
• Business case 
• Metrics
• Sr sponsorship
• User involvement (plan, pilot, evaluating) 
• Goals
• Plan
• Train trainers
• Pilot 
• Evaluate
• Train
• Execute
• Evaluate

• Remember to be fluid to make changes if needed

"what info do you need to gather"

• Infrastucture support for one building many countries
• Knowledge level of users, competencies
• Who has what already
• Motivation level
• Is corporate culture equal enough to push through the entire plan
• How many languages do you need to broadcast in (4, 10, 25)
• Pictures appropriate for everyone every country
• Tools that they have comfortable with
• What platform will be used
• Metric requirements
• People profile (skill, education level) 
• Organizational strategy
• Special tech requirements 
• What's going on else where
• Legacy training (impact)
• Cost, business case - but for later
• Legal concerns
• Gap between where you are and want to be

 

"What components should the strategy specify?"

 

• Policies to guide people
• Other existing plans
• Timeline, schedule
• Stakeholders, partners
• Evaluations
• We want a plan that is adaptable for anything. But then is flexible too  
• Governance - scrutiny, have everyone on board, self oversight, continually overseeing what you are doing and make sure you are hitting your overall goal, 
• Resources include do we even know how to doe what we want to do.   

Sent from my iPad

How Many Passwords Are Too Many?

In all honesty I have no answer to that question.  However, I'm was really disturbed and thoroughly annoyed today to find out that a particular "fantastic" initiative that would improve customer service 100% was not followed through upon because it would require users and staff to remember another password.

Seriously?!?  How many times and for how long can this be an excuse to follow through with innovation?  There are numerous ways that single sign on or Open ID can be implemented.  If it something very personal then I would indeed want a fancy alpha-numeric password.  Like many I would assume that if it was a complicated password I would most likely record it into a secure location.  There are also a ridiculous number of applications for doing this for every device imaginable.  Oh and don't forget the handy note pad beside the phone.  How many people have all their passwords written down there.

In an ever growing world of applications (and I use that term very very loosely - cars even have passwords sometimes) with usernames and passwords how can we ever decide and assume that there is a MAGIC limit to the number we need our customers and/or staff to have.

I'm open and curious to any and all thoughts that you might have on this.

Dan Pink: Drive

Drive: The Science of Motivation and its Connection to High Performance
Notes taken during live keynote.

"The Truth About Social Learning" - presented by Jane Bozarth

Speaker: Jane Bozarth, Ph.D., eLearning Director of the State of North Carolina
Some of my webinar notes from today's session.


Helping us all to gain better understanding what is indeed Social Learning.

Hash to look for - #SocLrnTruth
Links and References - www.delicious.com/jbo27712/SocLrnTruth
http://bozarthzone.blogspot.com/


What is Learning?

We learn from others, we often don't know when we are learning.  We notice it more when it is not there.

Most decided we need to start social learning.  We are already doing this daily. The moment you are talking with someone else and are discussing any topic you are learning.

-Case studies,
-games
-role plays
-asking an expert
-book clubs
-group work
-etc.

Social MEDIA tools HELP US TO LEARN on a large scale.  The media is only the tool.  The tool has nothing to do with the social aspect.

As the training people it is our job to help people connect.  Find out what the similarities are between them.  What are they working on?  Are there things they can work together on?  Group them together.  Mentors and mentees. 

No need to teach them more, connect them so they can teach one another.

Any of the tools out there can be used to support these types of functions.
It is about supporting them rather than interfering them through the learning process.

From webinar particpant - Marie Sanguinetti - Companies that control it too much have lots of learning under the radar.  It goes underground.

Community

There are communities all around us.  We can help to set them up and utilize them.  Do no make them feel like they are mandatory or like committees.  They need to be nurtured within the community - not managed.

Typically don't have names.
Are about a certain practice or item of interest.
Are not classes.
Do not have agendas.

Fun
If it isn't fun, people will not do it.  You can't convince them they are having fun either.

Participation
Pay attention to what grabs people...what it is that keeps them participating.

Measuring
Some organizations are able to ROI on their social learning. (IBM, Ace Hardware, Caterpiller, Ford Sync).  Time savings, cost savings, etc.

You must engage in your community if you want help from your community.

Value can be found from:
The immediate interaction and quick response to questions and discussions.
Potential value comes from new skills, tools, perspectives.
Applied values comes from new innovation, new connections, new approaches.
Realized values come from personal and organizational performance improvement.
Reframed value comes changes in strategies and expectations.


What can you do?
Pay attention to what is happening in your organization.
Ask for Stories
Look for where the gaps and mistakes are happening.
Capture those moments of learning (share videos, share screenshots, etc)

The cost of not supporting social learning?

NOT THE TRUTH
Social learning = social meda
Social learning requires tools and social media
Social learning is new
It can be sold by a vendor
Depends on generations to adopt

#lrnchat - Top 10 Tweets for the AM Session.

As always, tweets were judged on costume, design, and choreography.  And usually there are more then 10.

• @5StarDeveloper: Q1) Woodchucks are more difficult to trap than I thought, plums make good bait. #lrnchat
  
• @KoreenOlbrish: Q1. I learned that you cant force a dance party, but sometimes they sneak up on you - never happens to me :( #lrnchat
  
• @LnDDave Q1) I learned that 'eye candy' isn't enough; you still need substance. Thanks #GreenLantern! #lrnchat
  
• @bschlenker Q2) Referencing Q1) I had to teach my kids the difference between a leech and a tadpole. I think they're scared for life :) #lrnchat
  
• @brandColby Now accepting pre-orders! RT @JaneBozarth: @brandColby lol. "Who Moved My Cat?" Thatll be $19.99 please. #lrnChat
  
• @brandColby Q3) I found out that a great way to get noticed online is to tell a story about cats. #lrnChat
  
• @ZaraLynnKing #lrnchat i learned that i shouldn't have went blueberry picking in the woods by myself cause Bears are bad this yr...opps
  
• @LnDDave #lrnchat i learned that i shouldn't have went blueberry picking in the woods by myself cause Bears are bad this yr...opps
  
• @DaveHildebrandt: Q4) How to clone myself. < um, AWESOME! although I'd want to tweak a few things... #lrnchat
  
• @DavidDLaCroix Q5 Throw tennis balls for labradors and labrador mixes. No thumbs, they need you! #lrnchat
  
• @JaneBozarth Q5) I ran into a social media 'expert' and ran away screaming. I suggest you do the same. #lrnchat
  
• @JaneBozarth: FYI The hashtags currently being offered by @LndDave for $19 are knockoffs of my official, authentic hashtags. #AcceptNoSubstitutes #lrnchat

It's that time of year....upgrading and improving my courses

It's that time of year when once again the kids are back in school, the evenings are getting cooler, the leaves are just starting to change colour, and I'm stuck looking at our Core Curriculum courses.

I've learned a lot from so many great elearning people and resources over the past year that when I look at my courses from last year I cry. They could be sooooo much better, but when you're a department of one with limited time, money and resources you often get stuck with something that gets you by, but not the something you're truly happy to put out to the masses.

My first struggle for this year's revamp is WHMIS. The mere word makes one cry. Last year's attempt to put this online for 2700 staff, all with many different roles was successful in that they completed it. It was unsuccessful from my point of view in that it was very very boring. Read, click, read, click, quiz. This year I wanted to try (at least minimally) to make this and a few other courses better. Still with a very limited amount of time. Facing 6 courses and about 4 weeks to fix them up...the odds are not in my favour.

I did get a really good start on taking the language of the courses and scaling it back dramatically. The number of words per screen were okay, but still way too wordy. The level of the language was also to high for some within our organization. Paring this back and simplifying the wording should at a minimum get the courses down 5-10 minutes each in time. (I refuse to tell you how long some are....next year's task).

After the language improvements the next part I want to tackle is the engagement the courses include. I'm having trouble coming up with global scenarios that apply to all types and levels of staff. Perhaps I'll brainstorm something next year. What I have started to do is at least change some of the placement of quiz questions. Instead of being lumped at the end they are embedded into the material. My goal is to create "mini" scenarios that can be answered regarding various pieces of information instead of one overall scenario for the course to be centered around.

I'll share one example here. It's still not exactly the level I'd like to get this course to, but it's a start and it's better than last year.

Last year I shared my use of the Carousel Engage activity to explain various WHMIS (my activity) symbols. This year I decided I didn't just want people to just read through all the material that this interaction held, I wanted to take it a little farther and turn it into more of a "scavenger hunt". Using the interaction can they answer questions about the various symbols or hazardous materials?

I've added 2 screenrs below to show how I created this. You can also find detailed explaination on how do to this from Dave Moxon's Articulate eLearning Blog - "How to embed engage 09 within quizmaker 09"

• Embedding an engage carousel interaction into an #quizmaker quiz. #Articulate (part 1)
• Embedding an engage interaction into quizmaker - part 2. #Articluate (thx @articulatedave http://bit.ly/vAudW)

Here's to hoping the feedback this year from participants is that they like this new format to the material.

Beyond Social Media - webinar by Tara Hunt

All though I don't use Twitter for marketing, many of these tips could be used or implemented in some form towards training.

Presented by Tara Hunt, @missrogue
Http://www.horsepigcow.com
Http://www.buyoshphere.com

Smart ways to use social media throughout your business
1. Reward customers for sharing
2. Help customers make better decisions
3. Get customers involved in making better products.
4. Customer centric partnerships
5. Amazing customer service

1. Rewarding customers

Star wood - foursquare gives extra point s for checking in and notifies desk you are there
Chilis - gives discounts and free appetizer to 3 or more
Discounts if you are the mayor of a location
Some tools allow you to see who is tweeting in any specific area. You can then look to see what type of customers are in the area, what do they like and want and tailor what you can supply to their needs.

2. Some stores allow you to check in, scan items around the store and coupons are sent to your device. Others are connecting though social media to find some products and/or send you to where you can find similar ones you are looking for.

Foodspotting allows you to rake pictures of food within restaurant and allow you too see the food in conjunction to what is on the menu.

3. Crowd sourcing to help make better products.

Examples - fluvogs. People submit shoe designs. Customers build and improve upon them, the best become real products.

Netflix prize - a community of members that did a "you like this movie then you might like this one too"
ModCloth - offer customers to be the virtual fashion buyers for the company. It also allowed these new "buyers". The option to buy the products early.

4. Customer centric partnerships

RunKeeper Store - out doing Nike
Found various health tools that many of their customers liked and worked with other tools to come together with one product for the customers to use.

5. Amazing customer service

Example - AirBnB's
Rent out your house when traveling.
2 million bookings without incident (but 1 bad one happened recently). But they created a hold trust centre, tighter measures now in who rents, added insurance. Got feed back from customers immediately and added in the trust center based on their feedback.

STEAL THESE IDEAS

Partner with other stores. Create a a scavenger hunt - example Montreal Tourism
(tool- gowalla, scvngr [challenges, treks, rewards])
Create a Foursquare brand page
Http://aboutfoursquare.com/foursquare.com

Examples - lululemon's foursquare page
Create a photobooth/instagram
Set up a spot where they can take a picture of them selves and send it out. On a certain display. Around a particular product.
Give free wifi
Give it out free, but encourage checking in. Gives you the option to interact with the customer afterwards to ask how their experiences was.
QR codes
QR code easter egg hunt. Directs person to somewhere (URL often)

Is Scoop.it worth it?

I got my hands on a Scoop.it beta account and set up a few topics to be "curated" (as they word it).  I have a few questions though.

It appears to me that it is a little more robust in it's information from Paper.li, in that it pulls information sources from more than just Twitter.  It, in fact, allows you to pull from Google News, Blogs, Videos, Twitter, RSS Feeds, Youtube, Digg.

It also not only pulls from all these sources, but it also allows you as the curator to choose which of the items, it finds, to publish.  So in this respect more info is posted to your Scoop than your Paper, however there is more work involved for the curator.  Paper.li posts automatically and distributes via Twitter for you.

The fact that it uses the word CURATE on the dashboard of the manager of any particular Scoop I think is what gets to me.  Sure I'm curating relevant items for the day, however there does not appear to be any historical view for the topic.  So I'm confused by content curation.  I for some reason thought that curating meant collecting, sharing, and archiving.  I appear to be wrong.

I found this useful article "What is Content Curation? And how it’s useful to you and your network", by Michael Gass, that doesn't mention archiving at all, so I suppose it is not a part of curating.  Maybe I'm just wishfully thinking that by collecting and distributing that I am also tracking for later use.  Oh well.

I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on this topic.Do you want and need another resource to look at for content curation?



UPDATE....So I have just myself followed several topics in Scoop.it.  I then added the feed for the over all pages I follow to my Google Reader.  I also now am using Zite more often too read all these feeds.  So in fact, I suppose having another feed for info is fine.  One more place that collects the stuff I want to know about....great, bring it on.  I don't need sleep...I read.

How to Create Slides that Don't Suck

Notes from Sonic Foundry's webinar - Aug. 2, 2011

Webinar link to rewatch - 
How to Create Slides that Don't Suck

Seeking an Encompassing Term for the Benefits of Using Social Media

I'm looking for the term, or a term, that explains to someone who just doesn't get exactly what using social media can provide to a person or a group of people.

As Clive Shepherd mentioned earlier today on his posting "Social learning is not the same as social media," social learning has been around as long as there have been humans.  The introduction of social media has only provided yet another means to learn together.  Social media also provides us with the ability "to collaborate on tasks, to promote goods and services, to entertain each other, to exchange information and so on." - Clive Shepherd.

So if social learning doesn't cover it all what term does? Perhaps "Social Media Experiencing"?

Top 10 Tweets from #lrnchat - July 7, 2011

Let's face it; I can never pick just ten.

These entries have won the coveted "Top 10 Tweets" award based on originality, costume and choreography.

Photo by opensourceway.com
Created by Colleen Simon for opensource.com
CC: BY-SA

Early Session
Q0) Introductions
@Robin_Bridson: Do you play one on TV? RT @JaneBozarth: Note: I am NOT a social media expert. #lrnchat

@aaronesilvers: #lrnchat oh, btw, I’m Aaron Silvers. I like to rock the party


Q1) Social media has changed how people learn forever. What else has it changed forever?

@trinarimmer: Q1) Great quote I saw the other day, “I love my computer because that’s where all my friends live.” That sums it up for me. #lrnchat


@edCetraTraining: Q1) introduction of Acronyms… birth of a new language. English? Grammar? Syntax?? #lrnchat


@ddogaudium: Q1) It has forever changed the power balance between those who hold information and those to whom it is disseminated #lrnchat


Q2) How do you learn differently now, because of social media, than you did before social media? 


@StephanieDaul: Q2) I feel like I have more control over my learning – I decide what, where and when I learn #lrnchat


@LnDDave: Q1) My ability to know almost anything at any time. I carry the world in my pocket now. #lrnchat


@ChelleRobertson: My learning is in continuous beta version, meaning its ALWAYS improving and never static. #lrnchat


Q3) What are some ways you learn through social media that aren’t collaborative, with other people per-se?


@AndreaMay1: Q3) The conversation is “recorded” with SoMe. I can go back and explore on my time line rather than anyone else’s #lrnchat


@NolanHabegger: Q3) Quiet observation (“lurking”) and watching others collaborate – sometimes you learn more by NOT asking questions #lrnchat


@ChristyATucker: Q3) I do a fair amount of lurking (ie “legitimate peripheral participation”) #lrnchat


Q4) How are social media and social learning different? Is it important to explain the difference to people? 


@espnguyen: Q4) Social Media = the tools. Social Learning = Leveraging the tools to do the learning. #lrnchat


@Tracy_Parish: Q4)Watch kids do something & then follow 1 another doing same thing. Social learning-no media involved, just mud. #lrnchat


@kelly_smith01: Q4) Social learning does not have a schedule, appear in a catalog, or have a lesson plan. It happens. Anytime anywhere. #lrnchat

eLearning Should be a Walk in the Park - or a story about my lunch hour.

Imagine you're taking a walk down a path in a park.  It's hot and sunny, but there is a nice breeze blowing.  You're alone just enjoying the day.  As you walk the path you notice in front of you that is is turning to the left, but you can't see what is around the corner.  You continue on wondering what you will find if you keep going.

As you round the bend you can see that there is a stream running along the path.  You look down and see a Mamma duck and her 3 teenage girls.  You think to yourself:

• I've never seen ducks this old still with their mom
• how old are they?
• when will they leave?
• why haven't I seen this before?

You walk further wondering if you will see the same snapping turtle you saw a few weeks ago.  Sure enough he is out of the water on the bank.  You wonder:

• how old is he?
• how long will he stay out?
• how big is he?
• will my picture be able to convey how big he is?

Continuing along you pass people walking dogs, playing with kids, out running enjoying the weather and you think to yourself....

• Why can't elearning be like this?
• Why aren't courses more self exploratory?
• Why can't I discover my own answers?
• Why can't I come up with my own questions about the material?
• Why can't it be this fun?

Matter of perception must be considered.  What is a giant flower to you may be only 1 cm big to me, but it's still a flower.  Fun elearning to you might not be to me, but it may still be required for us each to learn.

How do you try to appeal to the many that might have to take the course you are required to create?

How do you make it more about discovering?  How do you let the learner make their own decisions?  Would it not make sense that if they can do these simple things they would have greater interest in the material.

Let them explore.  Give them a path to follow, but they them wonder what else is out there.  Let them wander off the path and explore on there own.

Make it fun.

For a great collection of resources that can be used to explore on your own and come up with ways to let your learners explore; take a look at what's come out from the Backchannel of #mLearnCon.

A big thank you to David Kelly (@LnDDave) for his tireless dedication to collecting the resources for all in his blog "Misadventures in Learning".