Ditch The Rules

1. You are assuming length ONLY by audio. There is no way to know how long the learner actually spends reading/exploring (assuming that you built in the option for the learner to explore **eyebrows raised**);

2. Every topic isn’t the same and therefore can’t be treated the same;

3. Every learner isn’t the same and therefore can’t be treated the same (different pace);

4. What if someone already knows a great deal about the topic? (different schema, background knowledge);

There are a few other reasons I can think of for not locking into specific lengths and numbers. Some objectives might be combined into a larger objective. Some thoughts can be clarified more easily than others. Some activities may cover more than just one objective. There are a lot of variables.

Since learners are individuals, each course must be treated as such. I am not suggesting that we create different courses for every person on the planet. But you really need to analyze the content for what it is and then determine how to purpose it for the learner rather than shoving the content into a pre-fab box and hoping that it fits. The square peg and round hole theory comes to mind. Of course there are principles that we should keep in mind. But with regard to some of these specific rules, I say, ditch ‘em. Who made them up anyway?

What are your thoughts?

We Spoke, They Heard, They Did!!

Well, here’s the game changer. TechSmith has just released its 1.1 update for Camtasia for Mac. Prior to this update, Camtasia could only record in full-screen mode. This is also the case with ScreenFlow. Mac users who take advantage of Expose found this fine and worked around it. But if you wanted to record only one specific portion of your screen, you were out of luck or you could use TechSmith’s limited freeware, Jing. Now, with the 1.1 update, TechSmith has included region capture. For those that do not get the difference here, when you have to record full screen, then zoom and crop, aside from the additional steps you must perform, there are subtle differences in pixel clarity. It’s like being forced to take a picture of a crowd and zoom in to one person when you only wanted to take a picture of the one person anyway.

So, kudos to TechSmith for listening and quickly adding this feature. They have also added the option to record on multiple displays, pause and resume recording, and record audio without video. I have not used all of these features just yet, but I can already envision times times and situations in which I might.

Again, it’s always impressive when a company listens and quickly implements. Hats of to you TechSmith!!!

How Sweet Is Your Buzz

Now, Google Buzz, if you have not checked your gmail account recently, is a stripped down version of the GoogleWave that many have been patiently awaiting. This looks to be a competitor to Twitter. However, so far, although I’m sure that one can use anything productively if they try, I just have not gotten the Buzz as yet. The drawback for some is that you have to have a gmail account and the people you “buzz” and follow must also have a gmail account. Now, how is that different from Twitter, you say? On a basic level, it’s not…really. The winning assets for me currently are usability and availability. Many more folks are on Twitter it seems and it has become a social networking bear. Although, you can do the same things with Buzz, at the end of the day, on a business level, it becomes about reach. Right now, Twitter has the REACH that Buzz does not. Of course, humans are fickle and that could change at any minute.

Advantage for Buzz? It’s easier to use as a collaboration tool since its already built into your email. You can create groups and make conversations somewhat private (well, except the people at Google who are monitoring them, but that’s another conspiracy story). Virtual projects might find this an easy way to connect the members of the team. With the disposability of the gmail addresses, it might be easy to simply use this for a project and then get rid of it. For some level of confidentiality, I might see that as a plus, especially for business that already use Google Apps to run their email.

Now the iPad….ahhh the glorious iPad. My joke with my friends is that if you put a magnifying glass to the iPod Touch, you would essentially have the same device. As with every other device, there is a way to use this productively if you really wanted to. Now, the disclaimer here is that the thoughts about the iPad come strictly from reading specs and other reviews on the device. (Apple has not been so kind as to forward me a review device. I will keep working at that though.) I have some thoughts about the device that are not so great. However, I will share my positive thoughts. Upon learning about the device, I immediately saw it as a device that could be used brilliantly in a classroom setting. The integrated Wifi makes it easy to set up a network atmosphere that an innovative teacher could utilize for different purposes. Classwork, research, assessments, individualized questions (for the shy students) could essentially be pushed back and forth between the devices. Of course, that leaves room for other shenanigans by student, but that depends on how a teacher would manage that classroom atmosphere (again, a discussion for another day). I suppose, the same could be said of tablet pc’s as well and some of these things are already being done in a variety of ways.

So, (because I always end posts with a question or two) what is one way that you personally use Google Buzz? If you received an iPad today, how would you use it?

1. My Top Ten Tools for Learning – 2009

2. 5 Ways of Spicing Up Your E-Learning Narration

3. Getting Rid of the Glue

4. The 10 Commandments of e-Learning

5. Tie between:
Can You Hear Me Now
&
Tips For Writing Good Test Questions

Let us know your thoughts about these posts. If you are a blogger, feel free to leave your Top 5 list in your comments.

1. iMac – (Just purchased the 27 inch quad core. It’s a beautiful machine and transfer of all my info has been easy. I will post later on some of the things I am doing with it)

2. Flip Ultra HD

3. Kodak zi8 (Yes, I have 2 pocket camcorders on my list. I plan on doing a few more things with video this year)

4. Parallels 5 (Yes, even with the new iMac, much of the eLearning software that I need is still Windows only. So, this fits the bill and does it well)

5. Articulate Studio 09 (Already use this as a main tool. Plan to find more creative ways of using it)

6. Adobe AfterEffects (Already own this but do not use it well. Plan on learning it better so that I can incorporate vid into presentations in more creative ways)

7. Final Cut Express 4 (Just purchased this for the same reason as above)

8. Camtasia for Mac/Screenflow (I put these both on the same line because they are almost the same program. Great screen capture programs for Mac OS X)

9. TweetDeck (I have used this, but not as effectively as I might have liked. Will get better at networking and marketing in 2010)

10. Moodle (Open Source LMS. Will set up different options for hosting for clients/courses in 2010)

Those are my 10. What are some of the tools that you are using this year or hope to use?

Ohhhhh, pretty ball!

So what are the trends? What is the future of eLearning, really? With regard to education specifically, elearners.com notes that “corporations will compete directly with colleges and k-12 schools.” I’ll take it a step further and say that some colleges and k-12 schools will become corporations. I believe that “opinion” is bolstered by the fact that an NFL team already plays in an arena called the University of Phoenix stadium. This also goes to the second point that I noted from elearners.com: “Partnerships and mergers between learning institutions, publishers, technology companies, learning providers will consolidate the marketplace.” I add that the partnerships will take place between companies and organizations that at first glance might not seem like they would have anything to do with each other. Football? Online education? Nahhh. It just doesn’t make sense.

An article written in 2002 in Open Learning Today (July 2002), suggested that various peer to peer networks would bolster the propagation of eLearning via a “Napster-style” solution for training and development. Well, the term Napster is so dated now that many don’t remember it but the existence of sites such as lynda.com affirms the truth in this oh so prophetic statement made 7 years ago.

Tony Karrer has previously posted about the Learn Trends 2009 conference. I am going to attend this conference because as I ponder about the future of elearning, it makes no sense for me to ponder while standing on the periphery. So, I’ll dive in and be a part of the future solutions. As I wonder what the future will look like, I am helping to shape it according to some of my own visions of learning and development. What are some of your thoughts about the future of eLearning? How does it look to you?

Work Healthy

The second one that connected with me was #3 – Hit the sack. #10, then #3?? OK, so I read backwards a little. In any case, the benefits of getting to bed at a certain time and getting a sufficient amount of sleep cannot be denied. I have 3 young kids and so I am definitely guilty of not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. In fact, I often wonder if it is even possible to get everything done, take care of a family and still get enough sleep. Yeah, it is. I definitely have to re-prioritize some things. But, it definitely is possible.

We hit writer’s block, ID block, e-learning blocks and all sorts of things that keep us from functioning at maximum capacity. But, we definitely have to keep in mind that there are many things that ARE under our control that can be helpful to us. Eating right, exercising, sleeping and properly managing our stress levels give us the benefits of sharper memory, more energy, and a more creative mind. And who wants to hire a dull, tired e-learning developer that can’t remember a thing? Bottom line. Get some health into your day. Now here’s a plug. If you want a little bit of solid health advice, go check out my friend over at Hardbody Outdoor Fitness. He has some great exercise, health and diet tips. In the long run and even in the short run, you can’t do e-learning if your calories ain’t burning. Yes, I ended with a rhyme. Now stop reading this and go for a quick jog!

OK.  So, now it’s time to put yourself in the seat of the learner.  Get rid of the ego for a moment.  Yeah, I know you put your blood, sweat and tears into this thing and it’s hard to hear criticism, but listen for a moment.  Don’t worry.  I have to pay attention to this myself so I’m not preaching at you.  But, put yourself in the learner’s chair for a moment.  What would you want to hear?  What would keep you interested?  What would keep you awake? Some of us have the liberty of hiring professional voice talent while others are forced to cost cut and do certain things themselves.  Just because the word “professional” is before the name does not always mean the voiceover artists don’t need feedback either.  So there are some basic things that can be done to help bring a little more life to your elearning.

1. Change voice tone.  There are naturally going to be some areas that cause your natural pitch to vary.  But, in looking at a script, you may need to purposefully mark areas that your voice pitch will need to be higher or lower.

2. Change emotion. Many elearning narrations sound dry, read, and emotionless.  In creating the modules, there are probably certain things you are excited about.  Make the VOICE sound excited.  There are probably things you want the learner to stay away from.  Yes, the all important DON’T-DO-THIS list.  Well, make the voice sound like it’s important for them to pay attention here or even a bit sad in some cases.  Whatever the case, make sure there is an audible difference.

3. Change the rhythm.  No, not the beat…the rhythm.  There is a natural cadence to the way most of us talk or read.  Many rhythms can be hypnotic and the same can be painfully true as we listen to a narration that sounds the same all the way through.  Be sure to regularly and specifically take pauses and even speed up a couple of areas.  The voice narrator may have done everything else perfectly and forgot to do this.  So, there are times, where the developer may have to get dirty with some audio software (Sound Forge, Audacity, Sound Studio, etc) and create some pauses themselves.  This may be especially necessary when animations or lists are taking place.

4. Add other sounds.  Have you noticed that things sound a bit more interesting if there is music playing underneath it?  That’s done for a reason.  Because it works!  Think about walking down the aisle in the supermarket and hearing the daily specials announced over the system.  This is almost always done with music in the background.  Music rarely uses one note all the way through.  It uses a range of notes and gives your ears something else to listen to.  Music does not have to be your technique or your only technique.  Other sound effects or sound beds can make a difference in how the learner interprets or receives the presented information.  As a disclaimer, I take no responsibility for use or rather, overuse of the 1984 Powerpoint sound effects that some are fond of.  But even the “cheesy” sound effects (used in moderation) don’t put you to sleep.

5. Stop talking. There are some times, some screens, some activities that just do not need a voice.  Stop talking.  Let the learner look, explore, discover.  Give them an instruction and watch ‘em go.  Quiz? Assessment?  The narrator does not necessarily need to read over all the questions.  Yes, section 508, I know.  While, I will not get into 508 discussion in this particular post, there are things that you can do, such as providing a extra link to hear audio for this question or having an audio on or off option.  My point is that having the audio off in certain areas by default sometimes provides a different perspective for the learner who is assumed to have minimal physical challenges as well as those that have challenges.

These are just basic techniques some of which you may already use and others which are so simple you may not have paid much attention.  There are also some that I may be missing.  What techniques do you use to “spice up” your narration and keep learner engaged?