Help Stop SOPA/PIPA

Help Stop SOPA/PIPA:

You are an agent of change. Has anyone ever told you that? Well, I just did, and I meant it.

Normally we stay away from from politics here at the official WordPress project — having users from all over the globe that span the political spectrum is evidence that we are doing our job and democratizing publishing, and we don’t want to alienate any of our users no matter how much some of us may disagree with some of them personally. Today, I’m breaking our no-politics rule, because there’s something going on in U.S. politics right now that we need to make sure you know about and understand, because it affects us all.

Using WordPress to blog, to publish, to communicate things online that once upon a time would have been relegated to an unread private journal (or simply remained unspoken, uncreated, unshared) makes you a part of one of the biggest changes in modern history: the democratization of publishing and the independent web. Every time you click Publish, you are a part of that change, whether you are posting canny political insight or a cat that makes you LOL. How would you feel if the web stopped being so free and independent? I’m concerned freaked right the heck out about the bills that threaten to do this, and as a participant in one of the biggest changes in modern history, you should be, too.

You may have heard people talking/blogging/twittering about SOPA — the Stop Online Piracy Act. The recent SOPA-related boycott of GoDaddy was all over the news, with many people expressing their outrage over the possibilities of SOPA, but when I ask people about SOPA and its sister bill in the Senate, PIPA (Protect IP Act), many don’t really know what the bills propose, or what we stand to lose. If you are not freaked out by SOPA/PIPA, please: for the next four minutes, instead of checking Facebook statuses, seeing who mentioned you on Twitter, or watching the latest episode of Sherlock*, watch this video (by Fight for the Future).

Some thoughts:

• In the U.S. our legal system maintains that the burden of proof is on the accuser, and that people are innocent until proven guilty. This tenet seems to be on the chopping block when it comes to the web if these bills pass, as companies could shut down sites based on accusation alone.


• Laws are not like lines of PHP; they are not easily reverted if someone wakes up and realizes there is a better way to do things. We should not be so quick to codify something this far-reaching.


• The people writing these laws are not the people writing the independent web, and they are not out to protect it. We have to stand up for it ourselves.

Blogging is a form of activism. You can be an agent of change. Some people will tell you that taking action is useless, that online petitions, phone calls to representatives, and other actions won’t change a single mind, especially one that’s been convinced of something by lobbyist dollars. To those people, I repeat the words of Margaret Mead:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

We are not a small group. More than 60 million people use WordPress — it’s said to power about 15% of the web. We can make an impact, and you can be an agent of change. Go to Stop American Censorship for more information and a bunch of ways you can take action quickly, easily, and painlessly. The Senate votes in two weeks, and we need to help at least 41 more senators see reason before then. Please. Make your voice heard.

*Yes, the latest episode of Sherlock is good. Stephen Moffatt + Russell Tovey = always good

Year of the Meetup

Year of the Meetup:

We hereby declare 2012 as the Year of the WordPress Meetup. You’ll want to get in on this action.

meet·up \mēt-əp\ noun

A meeting, especially a regular meeting of people who share a particular interest and have connected with each other through a social-networking Web site: a meetup for new moms in the neighborhood; a meetup to plan the trip; a meetup for WordPress users.¹

So what is a WordPress Meetup? Basically, it’s people in a community getting together — meeting up — who share an interest in WordPress, whether they be bloggers, business users, developers, consultants, or any other category of person able to say, “I use WordPress in some way and I like it, and I want to meet other people who can say the same.” Meetups come in different shapes and sizes, but they all carry the benefit of connecting you with potential collaborators and friends, and helping you learn more about what you can do with WordPress. Here are some of the common types of WordPress meetups:

• Hang out and work on your WordPress sites together


• Social/happy hour type gatherings


• Mini-lectures/presentations


• Developer hacking meetups


• Show & tell of how group members are using WordPress


• Formal instruction on how to use WordPress


• Lecture series (possibly with visiting speakers)


• Genius bar/help desk

There’s no prescribed format, as each local group can decide for itself what they want to do. Some groups mix it up from month to month, while others have multiple events each month to satisfy the needs of their community.The tough part? Running a popular group takes time and money. Just as we worked last year to remove the financial burden for WordCamp organizers and provide logistical support so they could focus more on their event content and experience, we want to start extending that kind of support to meetup groups as well. We don’t want it to cost anything for someone to run a WordPress meetup, or to attend one — building local communities should be as free as WordPress itself!

Since there are so many more meetups than there are WordCamps, we’re going to start with the cost that is the same for every group: meetup.com organizer dues. We’re setting up an official WordPress account on Meetup.com right now, and over the next couple of weeks will be working with existing meetup group organizers, people who want to start a new meetup group, and the helpful folks at Meetup.com to put this program in place. WordPress meetup groups that choose to have their group become part of the WordPress account will no longer pay organizer dues for that group, as the WordPress Foundation will be footing the bill.

This is exciting for several reasons. First, it means local organizers who are giving something back to the project by way of their time won’t also have shell out $12-19/month for the privilege. That alone is a big step. Second, it will open the door to more events and leaders within a community, since leadership and event planning won’t need to be tied to “owning” the meetup group. Third, more active meetup groups means more WordCamps, yay!

In addition to the financial aspects, we’ll be working on ways to improve social recognition of meetup activity by incorporating feeds from the official meetup groups into the WordPress.org site, and including meetup group participation in the activity stream on your WordPress.org profile.² I’m also hoping we can do something around providing video equipment to meetup groups (like we already do for WordCamps) to record presentations and tutorials that can be posted to WordPress.tv, helping meetup groups offer WordPress classes in their community, and getting involved with mentoring WordPress clubs at local schools and universities. Oh, and we’ll send out some WordPress buttons and stickers to the groups that join in, because everyone loves buttons and stickers.

We’re also putting together some cool resources for people who want to start a new meetup group. There will be a field guide to getting started and some supplies to help you get your group going, and a forum for organizers to talk to and learn from each other.

Over time, we’ll be talking to organizers and looking at what other expenses we can absorb and what other support we can provide to local groups. For now, we’re starting with the organizer dues. If you currently run a WordPress meetup group (whether you are using Meetup.com or not) or would like to start a WordPress meetup group in your area, please fill out our WordPress Meetup Groups survey. Filling in the survey doesn’t obligate you to join the official group, it just gives us a starting point to a) find out what groups are around/interested, and b) get some information on existing groups and their expenses and needs. Meetup.com will contact the group organizers who’ve said they’d like to join the new program, and will walk them through the logistics of the change and answer questions before helping them to opt-in officially.

So, if you currently run a WordPress meetup group, or you would like to start one, please fill out our WordPress Meetup Groups survey. I can’t wait to see more meetups!

1 – Adapted from “meetup” definition at dictionary.com.

2 – Didn’t know about profiles? Check out http://profiles.wordpress.org/users/yourwordpressdotorgusernamehere (put in the username you use in the WordPress.org forums) to see yours!

SEO Services for Business Promotions | Business World

SEO Services for Business Promotions | Business World:

We optimize websites on variety of search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, and so on.

Visit link:

SEO Services for Business Promotions | Business World

The top 5 mistaken beliefs about content management —

The top 5 mistaken beliefs about content management —:

Article discusses the need for creating a strategy for managing the 80% unstructured information in an organization that is not managed in the ERP /SIS.

Read the original:

The top 5 mistaken beliefs about content management —

Summit 2012 Highlights Exhibitors’ New Announcements

Summit 2012 Highlights Exhibitors’ New Announcements:

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Summit, produced by UBM TechWeb, today previews news happening at or leading up to the industry’s premier digital event next week. Summit, happening February 6-9 …

Visit link:

Summit 2012 Highlights Exhibitors’ New Announcements

My SAP ERP Journey: What is ERP?

My SAP ERP Journey: What is ERP?:

What is ERP ? Enterprise Resource Planning . By understanding what ERP is all about, you also then understand what SAP is, because SAP is an ERP software

Continued here:

My SAP ERP Journey: What is ERP?

Recent Trends in Software Licensing Transactions & Disputes CLE

Recent Trends in Software Licensing Transactions & Disputes CLE:

In 2012, business software end-users will face increased hostility from software vendors seeking to increase revenue through license compliance audits.

Link:

Recent Trends in Software Licensing Transactions & Disputes CLE

Skype Falls Short as a Web Conferencing Tool for Everyday …

Skype Falls Short as a Web Conferencing Tool for Everyday …:

The Internet telephony and chat application Skype is not really suitable for online business meetings and web conferencing . That is the conclusion of the testing portal webconferencing -test.com, which has taken a closer look ..

Read more from the original source:

Skype Falls Short as a Web Conferencing Tool for Everyday …

Web Conferencing – A Must Have Tool For On and Offline Businesses

Web Conferencing – A Must Have Tool For On and Offline Businesses:

Staff members, customers, prospects can simply click on a URL and be transported to a virtual meeting room. This could save your business … With web conferencing , your students can sign in to your conference room and learn from the convenience of their computer

Read more:

Web Conferencing – A Must Have Tool For On and Offline Businesses

Internet Marketing Methods Revealed: The Complete Guide to …

Internet Marketing Methods Revealed: The Complete Guide to …:

In this detailed Marketing book, Todaro discusses in-depth SEO ( Search Engine Optimization), Optimization, PPC ( pay per click ), Keywords, Ads , Newsletters, E-Mail Marketing, E-Commerce Strategy, CMS (Content Management …

See more here:

Internet Marketing Methods Revealed: The Complete Guide to …

Anywhere Working Consortium launches online aide for businesses

Anywhere Working Consortium launches online aide for businesses:

An online portal has been launched by the Anywhere Working Consortium to help UK businesses adopt more flexible working solutions as well as training exercises.

Employers and employees will both be able to use the e-learning platform for training, guidance, case studies relevant to their business practices and also to view products offered by the consortium.

Current members of the organisation include Business in the Community, Microsoft, Nokia, Nuffield, Regus and Vodafone UK.

Transport minister Norman Baker unveiled plans for the consortium in November last year in a bid to gain the support and communication of 30,000 companies for this new way of distance working.

Mr Baker said: "It's simply not necessary for us to always trudge to and from meetings when modern technology allows you to circumnavigate the globe virtually from the comfort of your front room, local coffee shop or when you're on the move."

He added that new technologies provide a way to share information that can be accessed by all people within a business. The information could be used for ongoing support and to provide information about? how a job should be done.

"Working flexibly by using video conferences, webinars or cloud computing can help increase productivity as well as employee wellbeing, not to mention dramatically reducing our carbon footprint," Mr Baker commented.

Driving productivity and better business practices is the main aim of the consortium, according to the MP.

The initiative is also supported by the Department for Transport, Transport for London and the Trades Union Congress.

Additionally, Mr Baker explained that the online portal will help businesses to further understand the benefits of flexible working and training.

Online computer systems such as e-learning platforms are a significant factor in the success of businesses looking to recruit new talent, according to Neil Richards, European mainframe director at Compuware, a provider of IT software.

He explained that technologies can help small to medium-sized businesses adapt to a more flexible and efficient way of working and that this will boost the level of communication between staff and bosses.

Technology 'will help to develop online learning'

Technology 'will help to develop online learning':

The e-learning industry is to see considerable growth at the hands of developing technologies.

Miles Berry, senior lecturer in ICT education at the University of Roehampton and vice chair of Naace, the ICT Association, suggested that modern technology can provide many opportunities for learning and could help to stimulate the development of new teaching techniques.

"There's much that technology can do to provide opportunities for learning for those who've found traditional classrooms quite a challenge," Mr Berry commented.

He mentioned that online platforms can help students who have trouble digesting information given to them in strict classroom settings.

Mr Berry continued that assistive technology and automated translation though interactive activities allow learners to progress at their own pace.

Online resources and communities will also offer students who wish to do extra research beyond the national curriculum the chance to do so via remote access.

Naace works to promote the benefits of e-platforms and is made up of a community of educators, technologists and policymakers whose aim is to implement technology in learning environments.

According to a report from The Education Arcade at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, technology can have a reciprocal relationship with teaching.

Led by Eric Klopfer at the institute, the researchers found that the emergence of new technologies pushes educators to understand them for classroom use and allows them to implement original modes of teaching into schools.

Commenting on the emergence of new virtual systems such as cloud computing, Jonathan Bishop, chair of The Centre for Research into Online Communities and E-Learning Systems at Swansea University, explained that virtualisation platforms are set to have a significant impact on the way online platforms are used for both distance learning and within a classroom setting.

"The holding of e-learning content in the cloud will enable faster deployment and sharing of resources," he commented.

Westfield State University tops US e-learning league

Westfield State University tops US e-learning league:

Westfield State University (WSU) has been recognised for offering the best online learning-based bachelor's degrees in the US.

The league table, published by US News and World Report, saw the Massachusetts higher education institution ranked top of the list with an overall faculty score of 82 points, putting it ahead of the second-placed United States Sports Academy, which scored 80.9.

According to the study, 81 per cent of staff at the WSU faculty have at least two years of online teaching experience, while the university was also found to finance online instructor training. Completing training on web-based learning is a requirement for teachers at Westfield State.

St Mary's College of California came third in the list, while Pace University in New York and Sam Houston State University in Texas rounded out the top five.

Florida Institute of Technology, which was ranked in 15th place with a total faculty score of 65.4, welcomed the news that it is one of the nation's top e-learning providers.

The school's 100 per cent online bachelor's degree program was one of only four in the country to be recognised as scoring within the top one-third for teaching practices, student services and technology, and faculty credentials and training.

Florida Tech offers 36 degrees online in a wide range of disciplines, including accounting, business, computer technology, criminal justice and applied psychology.

Dr Mary Bonhomme, associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of online learning at the institute, commented: "Our goal has always been to provide online students with the same quality education our main campus students receive.

"These rankings are validation of that and we're thrilled to be recognised for our commitment to online excellence."

Misericordia University Center for Adult and Continuing Education also hailed the news that its online learning courses have been ranked 17th in the country for student engagement and assessment.

E-learning 'provides charities with affordable training solution'

E-learning 'provides charities with affordable training solution':

Online learning could help charities provide affordable and effective solutions for the training of employees.

This is according to Martin Baker from The Charity Learning Consortium, who stated that continuing professional development is an issue that could be made easier and more efficient through the implementation of e-learning systems whereby staff can access information at their own pace without the need of extra company resourcing.

Writing for the Guardian's Voluntary Sector Network blog, Mr Baker said that social networking sites such a Facebook could even be used to share information between charity employees.

"In past recessions e-learning was seen as the saviour of learning and development purely on cost - only to fall out of favour when the good times came around again," the expert added.

"For a start, the internet has revolutionised the way that society communicates, forever. Technology is such a part of everyday life that the barriers to learning technologies are not anywhere near as great, even among the older generation. This has created a tech-savvy society with far higher expectations."

Mr Baker explained that the premise of online learning has evolved for the better in recent years, with the idea of spoon feeding as much information as possible to the user becoming somewhat obsolete. Nowadays, he said, education programs are increasingly carefully crafted and more useable.

Additionally, the expert commented that whether a charitable organisation uses its own online systems to deliver e-learning content or if Facebook is the preferred method, the cost will be in an area that is easily affordable for "cash-strapped" organisations.

Mr Baker's comments come in the wake of an announcement from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, which recently suggested that each member of staff should receive 40 hours of development training every year.

The organisation claimed that face-to-face and online training schemes should be a key point in the treatment of employees, with features including accessible mentoring and coaching projects for new and existing members of a workforce.

"Significant lack" of qualifications in science and maths subjects

"Significant lack" of qualifications in science and maths subjects:

More students need to improve their skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) qualifications as there is a significant lack of such knowledge among young people.

This is according to the Independent Games Developers' Association (TIGA), which stated there is a "fundamental issue" surrounding the number of 16 to 18-year-olds who are qualified in subjects of this nature.

Dr Richard Wilson, chief executive officer of TIGA, said: "Technology such as tablets in schools is always nice to have, and it's quite possible that with the advent of academy schools, which will often be supported by businesses or private sector organisations or charities, there will be opportunities to bring in [better] technology, software and hardware."

People may like to improve their skills and gain extra qualifications though online learning strategies that can provide easily-accessible materials for learning on the go and at a person's own convenience.

Mr Wilson added that the shortfall of STEM qualifications should be seen as "the biggest area of concern" for the UK's science and technology industries.

According to the expert, there was a 25 per cent drop in the number of STEM graduates in the years between 2004 and 2008.

These comments come in the wake of an announcement from secretary for education Michael Gove, who recently stated that the current ICT curriculum is not adequately preparing students for jobs in later life and should be reformed to focus more on computer science rather just lessons on how to use a PC and software systems.

Speaking at the BETT education technology trade fair, Mr Gove said the curriculum will be overhauled to reflect the demands of advancing technologies.

The Department for Education is to launch a consultation on withdrawing the current ICT lesson plans and schooling requirements from September this year. It is proposed that this will be replaced with a more intensive approach to the science of computers in line with STEM subjects.

Canadian schools 'falling behind with e-learning implementation'

Canadian schools 'falling behind with e-learning implementation':

Schools in Canada are failing to fully embrace the idea of e-learning, a new report has found.

A study by the Society for Quality Education suggested that Canadians are falling behind in the number of virtual learning opportunities provided to students and that a lack of use of the internet in schools could damage youngsters' qualifications.

Paul Bennett, an education consultant and author of the study, said: "We lost the competitive edge because we didn't follow up the infrastructure and the deployment of computers to the schools with any meaningful initiatives to lower the walls and open the doors to online learning."

He added teacher union contracts that contain a number of clauses relating to e-learning and administrative concerns about internet access could both result in a reluctance to fully integrate the learning experience with virtual solutions.

"It was a critical issue five years ago," Mr Bennett commented. "Before cell phones became ubiquitous and smartphones became something that every child had to have."

However, Michael Barbour, an assistant professor at Wayne State University in Detroit and one of the authors of the report, suggested that online learning in the North American country is thriving.

"Canada along with New Zealand are probably the two jurisdictions where unions have been most supportive of K-12 distance education," he explained.

Figures from the International Association for K-12 On-line Learning (iNACOL) showed that around 30 per cent of elementary schools and 40 per cent of high schools offer internet-based learning as part of their curriculum and 13.5 per cent of the student population have been involved in such courses.

According to the authors of the analysis, distance e-learning could provide particular benefits to those in remote areas of the country with widely dispersed student populations. This could minimise commutes and provide access to a wider variety of courses.

The iNACOL released a report in November last year that showed that almost 60 per cent of the more than 60 countries from around the world included in the study received government funding to boost blended classroom and distance learning as well as full-time virtual solutions.

E-learning index shows improvements in online learning implementation

E-learning index shows improvements in online learning implementation:

A report has been compiled to help schools, universities and organisations see the significant benefits that e-learning can bring.

US higher education marketing information and technology services company EducationDynamics released its 2011-12 eLearning Index, which includes a five-year trends analysis to show how the distance learning sector has grown.

Carol Aslanian, senior vice president of Aslanian Market Research at EducationDynamics, said: "This incredible resource takes the guesswork out of the online education market, enabling institutions to better determine what program levels, fields of study and majors will serve students best, while also providing return on investment."

She added that for the past five years the index has provided a comprehensive resource for colleges and universities as they develop their online program and course offerings.

The index looked at more than 3,400 degree programs in more than 200 institutions and found that the most popular areas of study that had successfully implemented e-learning as part of their curriculum were health professions business, humanities and social sciences.

Other subjects that were popular for their use of online learning were law and criminal justice.

The report revealed that health subjects have risen from number three to number one in the past year, while business studies has dropped from the top spot to second place.

Furthermore, online education degrees have seen the greatest growth in demand, moving from number three in the 2007 report to number one in 2011.

Data collected by the online learning market watchdog the Sloan Consortium recently revealed that the number of students taking at least one online course has now surpassed six million across the US.

The report, entitled Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States 2011, also showed that nearly one-third of all students at higher education level are taking at least one course based in the virtual classroom.

Distance learning 'preferred option for UK students facing high university fees'

Distance learning 'preferred option for UK students facing high university fees':

An increasing number of UK students are choosing to sit their degree via distance learning platforms.

This is according to research conducted by Bournemouth marketing company TA Solutions, which found that as tuition fees reach the maximum cap of £9,000, more and more people are looking into distance learning for a more cost-effective option.

"There has been a significant increase in the amount of people I have met in the last year who do not have a university degree and are between the ages of 18 to 21 years old looking for a work opportunity," Michael Adetona, managing director at the company said.

He added that there has been a significant increase in the number of people applying for online learning courses since the latest A-level results were published in August last year.

"I think the main reason is due to the increase in student tuition fees and also the lack of guarantee of a secure job with no work experience and large debt at the end of the three-year minimum degree time," the expert commented.

This was furthered by the large number of 18-year-old college leavers who were put into the UCAS clearing system due to a lack of available university places and the stricter entry requirements in relation to this.

Research from the company revealed that 90 per cent of distance learning students work full-time while studying. This results in them leaving higher education with significantly less debt than the average student who attends university.

According to research by the Push university guide, the average student debt could hit £53,000 for students enrolling on courses after the cap on fees was announced last year.

For those students who enrolled in 2011, the average debt will be around £26,100.

Under the new rules, university leavers will start paying back their fees when they earn a salary of £21,000 or more. Previously, those who attended university before a cap on fees started paying loans back when earning £16,000.

5 Free Online Image Editors for Rapid E-Learning

5 Free Online Image Editors for Rapid E-Learning:

In a previous post, we looked at five free desktop image editors. Here are a couple of additional free desktop applications shared by some blog readers. They both look very capable.

• PhotoPlus SE


• PhotoFiltre

A challenge with free software is that sometimes your organization isn’t comfortable with you downloading and installing applications that aren’t approved. This is where the online graphics applications come in handy. Of course, you’ll need an internet connection and hope that your organization isn’t blocking its use.

If you do a search, you’ll find that there are a lot of online image editing products. The problem is that many are spammy or full of ads that they’re useless for real work.

In today’s post we’ll look at five very capable online image editors. I tried to stay clear of the ones that were too ad heavy or seemed kind of spammy. I only added the apps I’d be comfortable using for my own work.

Aviary

Aviary has a few image editing tools and offers a pretty complete solution for most of what you need to do. They also have a very active user community which is a plus and lots of tutorials.

• Aviary Feather is a basic image editing tool. You can crop, adjust the image, add some text, and apply filters.


• Aviary Phoenix is a more robust application and close to something like Photoshop with the layering and more complex editing capabilities.


• Aviary Raven is a vector editor similar to the free Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator.

Pixlr

Pixlr has all of the standard features you’d need. I like some of the pencil drawing effects and it can output to Flickr and Picasa. I find it really easy to use and one of my favorites of the online tools. They also offer Pixlr Express, a streamlined editing tool.

Splashup

Splashup is an image editing tool and photo manager. I like that I can bring in images from sites like Flickr and Picasa, which I already use. It has all of the core features you’d expect in an image editing application. They also offer Splashup Light for download.

• Tour of features

Sumo Paint

Sumo Paint is a very capable tool and comes with all of the core editing features. They also offer a Pro upgrade that gives you a desktop version with additional features.

• User community


• Tutorials

Simpler Tools

The following tools are honorable mentions. They do a decent job with simple edits but don’t have all of the features of the applications above.

• Photoshop.com offers simple image editing, but not the layering that you get with its desktop cousins.


• Picnik is already integrated into a number of sites. You’ll find it in Flickr and Picasa. It’s easy to use and has a lot of filters. Of course, I just found out that Picnik is being shut down. I believe that it will make its way back in Google+.


• Dr.Pic seems to have all of the basic features. I like the framing feature. My guess is the Polaroid frame would work well with some elearning screens.

As you can see, there are plenty of options for free graphics editing. And you have a good choice between desktop applications like I mentioned in the previous post, or go with an online solution.

---

Tidbits




The early bird discount for the workshop in St. Louis expires today. Make sure you sign up to get the best price.




Had lots of people ask about the Articulate Storyline at the recent conference. If you’re interested in learning more, you can add your name to this link and we’ll update you when more information is available.




Upcoming Events





• 
  

  February 13-14: Atlanta (Training Magazine). I’ll be doing a session on PowerPoint and we’ll have two Build-A-Course sessions.

  
  


• 
  

  February 22-23: St. Louis (ASTD). Rapid E-Learning Workshop. This is a great deal for a full-day workshop that also includes a full breakfast and lunch. PowerPoint Doesn’t Have to Be Boring. We’ll follow the presentation with a free Articulate jam session.

  
  


• 
  

  March 21-23: Orlando, FL (Learning Solutions Conference)

  
  


• 
  

  April 10: Jacksonville, FL (NEFL ASTD). Details coming.

  
  


• 
  

  April 17: Virginia (SEVA ASTD). Details coming.

  
  


• 
  

  April 5: Portland, OR (OpenSesame). An E-Learning Heroes Roadshow workshop where we’ll look at ways to build elearning courses and learn some great PowerPoint tips. Excellent price and great coffee!

  
  


• 
  

  May 17: Orange County California. Details coming.

  
  


• 
  

  May 24: Articulate Conference hosted by Leeds. Also will present a rapid elearning workshop. Details coming.

  
  


• 
  

  October 4: Seattle, WA (ASTDPS). Details coming.

  
  


• 
  

  October 17: Bloomington, IL (CIC-ASTD). Details coming.

  
  

---

Download your free 46-page ebook: The Insider's Guide to Becoming a Rapid E-Learning Pro

ARG and ARG --What are they? What does it mean? Should you care?

ARG and ARG --What are they? What does it mean? Should you care?: In addition to discussing Gamification, I also wanted to take one of my January blog postings and talk about ARG.

The term ARG is batted around from time to time as a method of conducting training programs but there is a lot of confusion around the term.

Let's look at the terms, to help define the terms, I asked Koreen Olbrish who is a self-described--opinionated and snarky entrepreneur, instructional designer, learner and mom who has experience developing ARGs and who blogs at Learning in Tandem for her expert input.

She contributed an entire chapter to my upcoming book explaining the two terms and has created ARGs and implement them successfully.

Here is what Koreen wrote in the chapter:

Alternate reality games (ARGs), also sometimes called pervasive games or transmedia storytelling, are designed to combine real life and digital game play elements. So that you are playing the game in the real world but doing behaviors that are linked to the game. (my addition.)

Typically, Alternate Reality Gamess are "tracked" online but the actual game play consists of real life activities. There are many entertainment-based examples such as the games, I love bees, The Lost Experience,Numb3rs Chain Factor and examples of ARGs for social issues such as Urgent Evoke, World without Oil.

Here is a video explaining "I Love Bees"


There continues to be a lot of confusion in the term ARG--some people use "alternate reality games" and "augmented reality games" interchangeably. For a point of clarification, alternate reality games refer to game play that integrates real life and online game play through a storyline that seeks to engage learners in an experience that seems real. While augmented reality enhances reality or adds something to it. For example the yellow first down line superimposed on the football field is augmented reality. Often smartphones are used with Augmented Reality Games.

Here is an example of an augmented reality game.


The really confusing part comes in when augmented reality is used as part of an alternate reality game. To keep them straight, think about the meaning of the words; “alternate reality” seeks to create a different reality for game play purposes. “Augmented reality” adds additional information to real life environments and objects.

Here is a great video from BMW that shows the potential of augmented reality in the realm of training:


Here is one done for the military. Notice all the heavy and bulky equipment...remember, cell phones used to be heavy and bulky as well. The technology is shrinking and will soon be in a training center near you.


So yes, you should begin to care about ARG, they have the potential to be powerful instructional tools that can allow a true performance support system. I think the BMW example clearly shows how to mix training with on the job actions. The military example could be used for teaching such skills as negotiations in a highly sophisticated branching simulation or for teaching people how to insert artificial hips or even how to deal with upset customers.

Technology is driving a number of interesting advances in learning environments. The important thing for learning and development professionals to realize is that the basic understanding of how people learn and what it means to motivate learners does not change with technology. Now more than ever we need to know and put into practice evidence-based guidelines for developing instruction.

ASTD TechKnowledge Happenings

ASTD TechKnowledge Happenings: Well, my time blogging here at The Learning Circuits Blog is quickly coming to an end. It’s been a great time with some awesome discussions. So, I hope to meet a number of readers, commentors and lurkers in person at TechKnolwedge 2012 at the end of this week.

If you are going to TechKnowledge 2012, stop by and say hello, I will be doing a number of different events and I love meeting new people as well as past, present, or future students.

TechKnowledge 2012 Twitter Game

For the first part of the conference, I have co-created a game that is designed to increase conference learning and give attendees the opportunity to network with peers or play solo.

In the game, you’ll hunt for answers to questions supplied by speakers by attending sessions and viewing session slides online and on the mobile app. The game card of questions can be found online www.tk12.astd.org/materials and on the mobile app under session number Game 1. Answers to the questions will be found in the session slides identified by a special icon. If you’d like to partner with others, use Twitter hashtag #TKgame at the conference.

A debrief of the game as a learning experience will be held in the Tech Kafé on Thursday from 5:15–6:00 p.m.

My TechKnowledge 2012 Presentation

Here is a description of my session. It will be held on Wednesday, 1/25 11:00a.m.–12:15 p.m., Room Miranda 7/8. Please stop by and say “hello.”

What Research Tells Us About 3D Avatars, Storytelling and Serious Games for Learning and Behavior Change

This decidedly unacademic presentation provides a broad, scientific overview of what we know from research about the effectiveness of today’s technology for changing learner behaviors. We will discuss the use of 3D avatars to change learner behaviors; we will consider how playing a video game changes a person’s behavior and how storytelling helps learners memorize facts. We’ll answer questions like: Are two avatars better in an e-learning module than one? Does the appearance of an avatar impact the person when they’ve finished working with the avatar? Do serious games have to be entertaining to be educational? This exciting session shows you how to use the existing research literature in your own design and delivery of online learning. You will be provided with tips and techniques for matching research findings to your own e-learning design. We’ll move the concepts from research to practice. The presentation ends with a practical case study outlining how the research tips, techniques, and practices can be applied in a real-life online learning situation. Discover how research-based practices really fit in with today's fast-paced need for quick, effective online instruction.

TechKnowledge 2012 Chats

I am participation two TK Chats. One is about Gamification on Wednesday, 1/25 from 2:00–2:45 p.m. It will be a lively discussion with Rick Raymer, Koreen Olbrish,Kris Rockwell, and myself facilitated by Judy Unrein. This will be a fun and thought-provoking discussion. Join us for the controversy.

The second might not be as controversial (or will it)? The topic is Instructional Design, which is as critical to what we do as professionals as you can get! With thought leaders like Ellen Wagner, Allison Rossett, and Steve Villachica and faciliated by Cammy Bean, it’s bound to be an engaging and thought-provoking review of the field and where it needs to go.

Performance-centred Learning Content Management System for e-learning and m-learning (Part 1/2)

Performance-centred Learning Content Management System for e-learning and m-learning (Part 1/2):

Part 2 / 2 of the Conference of Nevena Mileva of the University of Plodvid given.

Part 2 / 2 of the Conference of Nevena Mileva of the University of Plodvid given.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Wolfram Education Portal

Wolfram Education Portal: From the Wolfram Education Portal:

Wolfram has long been a trusted name in education—as the makers of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Demonstrations Project, we’ve created some of the most dynamic teaching and learning tools available. We are pleased to offer the best of all of our technologies to you here in the Wolfram Education Portal, organized by course. In the portal you’ll find a dynamic textbook, lesson plans, widgets, interactive Demonstrations, and more built by Wolfram education experts.

Hands-On With iBooks Author

Hands-On With iBooks Author: Check out what it is like to author textbooks using iBooks Author.

Everything feels very fluid and it’s obvious that the same team that worked on iWork was also responsible for this product. This isn’t iPhoto for books, by any means, though. While it’s not Adobe InDesign or a complex design tool like either, it’s clearly meant for users who are willing to put in a bit of time to create the best possible product…

1,300 iPads for Level 3 Sales Team - Perfect Mobile Learning Tool

1,300 iPads for Level 3 Sales Team - Perfect Mobile Learning Tool:

So, if you are one of the people mad about the EULA for iBooks2. And you are convinced that companies will not use Author for training materials? THINK AGAIN!!!




MacTrast posted "Level 3 Looks to iPad to Reinvent their Sales Team". They are relaying the story from Information Week's article "iPad's for All: One Sales Team's Story".

While neither article specifically mentions iBooks as part of the intended use, I can bet that it's coming. I mean, why not? Right? 1,300 Sales people outfitted with iPads means the delivery channel is ready and the sales team will expect it.



The last paragraph of the article states:

What's next for Level 3's iPad app? Taylor doesn't pretend to know. "Enterprise IT is dead," he likes to say--meaning IT needs to take the consumer tools people like to use, watch and learn how people work best, and then provide systems that fit. He's convinced there's something important and different in how efficiently people interact with the tablets' interface, and that "we've only scratched the surface of using that."

If you work for Level 3 in the training department will you please contact me :)

Interview with Shawn Alyea, Innovators in Education Series

Interview with Shawn Alyea, Innovators in Education Series: Using art and art therapy to reach at-risk students and to help achieve academic goals is an extremely important strategy. Not only does it allow freedom of expression, it is also motivating and it helps develop self efficacy. Welcome to an interview with Shawn Alyea, who develops approaches using different types of art and expressive media to develop innovative instructional programs. 1. What is

A welcome to Elearnity Vendor Perspectives

A welcome to Elearnity Vendor Perspectives:

UK-based learning and talent analysts Elearnity have come up with a new service geared specifically to the UK and European e-learning market. Called Vendor Perspectives (slightly ironic as 'vendor' is very much a US expression, where we tend to say 'supplier') the service provides intelligence about available solutions to potential buyers in all the usual product and service categories, including custom content providers, authoring tools, learning management platforms, etc.

Vendors pay to be included, although this buys them no influence on the ratings they receive, which are calculated by Elearnity based on their own knowledge of the market and interviews with a selection of the vendor's clients. Customers get to see Summary Perspectives for free but must pay for 'Deep Perspectives' (is that a mixed metaphor?).

In principle, I like the idea, because it is really hard for potential customers to make sense of all the competing solutions available and objective advice is hard to come by. I know this service is already available in the USA from Brandon Hall, Bersin and others, but the European market is different and local suppliers may not get much of a look in.

For this service to really take off it must first of all get buy-in from vendors. I know that quite a few LMS providers are on-board but this is not enough, because in many ways products like these are truly global in scope. The main regional variation come in terms of services, particularly content development. It will be interesting to see whether Elearnity will be able to persuade enough developers to throw their hat in the ring. The next big question is whether they will stay on board if they get rated harshly.

Another complication is how Elearnity treats open source products. Can you really get a true picture of the LMS market without an appreciation of what Moodle has to offer?

I hope the service takes off, because customers could do with the help. What it mustn't do is crowd out the smaller, niche players without the big marketing budgets.

HootSuite Hits 3 Million Users

HootSuite Hits 3 Million Users:

Social Media has become so diverse, so multi-faceted that users the world over can’t seem to handle the space without some sort of tool. And when it comes to tools that work, few are as efficient as Hootsuite.

Launched a mere 3 years ago, the tool has grown to become one of the top social networking management tools online or on mobile platforms. The company recently announced the hitting of the 3 million user mark after one lucky new user from Brazil pushed the tool onto the threshold. The growth of Hootsuite to this mark is nothing less than spectacular for it was only in July 2011 that the tool hit its 2 millionth user.

In the intervening months Hootsuite added integration for Google+ pages, Facebook groups and both LinkedIn groups and pages. These moves obviously paid off well and today Hootsuite has over 3 million users to prove it. Hootsuite is seen by most as just another Twitter client, but it is far from that. In addition to handling and distributing tweets, Hootsuite allows management of accounts on several platforms including MySpace, Mixi, WordPress and Foursquare.

Users obviously vote with their memberships and today Hootsuite has people signing from every corner of the globe. One just wonders now if it will be acquired by any of the social media giants, and if so, what next for the services integrated into it. We’ll just have to watch the situation closely.

Are you a Hootsuite user? Share your experience with the tool using the comments below.

SendGrid Raises $21 Million In Funding To Deliver More Emails

SendGrid Raises $21 Million In Funding To Deliver More Emails:

The delivery rate of email is not as spectacular as it once was and so many companies are stepping in the space in an effort to maximize on the email marketing efforts of companies and those institutions that rely on having their emails delivered and read. One such company is SendGrid, a graduate of the Techstars program started in July 2009.

Since striking out on its own, SendGrid has grown from strength to strength, so much so that it has managed to attract serious backing from top VCs. Its latest funding round was led by led by Bessemer Venture Partners. Other investors included existing backers, Foundry Group, Highway 12 Ventures, SoftTechVC, 500 Start-ups and Bullet Time Ventures. All told, the effort raised a whopping $21 million.

The new round of funding is expected to shore up operations as SendGrid prepares to scale its business and clients who currently include the likes of Foursquare, Twilio and AirBnB. Said CEO Jim Franklin: “We want to be the go-to company for transactional email.”

By the looks of things SendGrid is on its way to becoming that go-to company for mass email management, but it will still need to watch out for the big fish in the sea. Presently SendGrid faces stiff competition from Amazon Web Services and AuthSmtp and will need to step its game if it’s to compete with these heavily-funded companies.

What is ERP? | ERP Software Blog

What is ERP? | ERP Software Blog:

As a growing business you may often hear that you are outgrowing your accounting system and you should look at an ERP Solution that will fit your functionality needs.

More here:

What is ERP? | ERP Software Blog

Distance learning 'preferred option for UK students facing high university fees'

Distance learning 'preferred option for UK students facing high university fees':

An increasing number of UK students are choosing to sit their degree via distance learning platforms.

This is according to research conducted by Bournemouth marketing company TA Solutions, which found that as tuition fees reach the maximum cap of £9,000, more and more people are looking into distance learning for a more cost-effective option.

"There has been a significant increase in the amount of people I have met in the last year who do not have a university degree and are between the ages of 18 to 21 years old looking for a work opportunity," Michael Adetona, managing director at the company said.

He added that there has been a significant increase in the number of people applying for online learning courses since the latest A-level results were published in August last year.

"I think the main reason is due to the increase in student tuition fees and also the lack of guarantee of a secure job with no work experience and large debt at the end of the three-year minimum degree time," the expert commented.

This was furthered by the large number of 18-year-old college leavers who were put into the UCAS clearing system due to a lack of available university places and the stricter entry requirements in relation to this.

Research from the company revealed that 90 per cent of distance learning students work full-time while studying. This results in them leaving higher education with significantly less debt than the average student who attends university.

According to research by the Push university guide, the average student debt could hit £53,000 for students enrolling on courses after the cap on fees was announced last year.

For those students who enrolled in 2011, the average debt will be around £26,100.

Under the new rules, university leavers will start paying back their fees when they earn a salary of £21,000 or more. Previously, those who attended university before a cap on fees started paying loans back when earning £16,000.

Sharlyn Lauby’s Three Learning Trends

Sharlyn Lauby’s Three Learning Trends:

In response to TrainingMag.com’s recent industry report, Lauby sees the probable increase in training expenditures as an indication that training will continue to be a major focus for organizations. More importantly, organization will have to actively engage participants and create learning retention. She discusses in detail three trends:

1. Social Learning

2. Social Networking Techniques

3. Gamification

eLearn Magazine’s Jane Bozarth and Karl Kapp both offer their insights.

“Social media tools help to amplify the social and informal learning already going on in organizations all the time, every day, and make the learning available on a much larger scale. They provide ways to connect talent pools and expertise in an organization or within a practice area, and can offer just-in-time solutions to problems and performance issues.”

Read the entire article at Mashable

Moodle in over a hundred languages!

Moodle in over a hundred languages!: di Helen Foster.

I'm pleased to announce that Moodle is now being translated into over one hundred languages!

Recently started language packs include Romansh Sursilvan (spoken in southern Switzerland), Wolof (spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania), Nepali (the official language of Nepal) and Faroese (spoken in the Faroe Islands, Denmark and Norway). Many thanks to all our translation pack maintainers for their ongoing work.

If you'd like to help with translating Moodle into your language, please see the Translation documentation for further information.

If you'd like to install additional language packs on your Moodle site, login as an administrator and go to Settings > Site administration > Language > Language packs.

E-learning index shows improvements in online learning implementation

E-learning index shows improvements in online learning implementation:

A report has been compiled to help schools, universities and organisations see the significant benefits that e-learning can bring.

US higher education marketing information and technology services company EducationDynamics released its 2011-12 eLearning Index, which includes a five-year trends analysis to show how the distance learning sector has grown.

Carol Aslanian, senior vice president of Aslanian Market Research at EducationDynamics, said: "This incredible resource takes the guesswork out of the online education market, enabling institutions to better determine what program levels, fields of study and majors will serve students best, while also providing return on investment."

She added that for the past five years the index has provided a comprehensive resource for colleges and universities as they develop their online program and course offerings.

The index looked at more than 3,400 degree programs in more than 200 institutions and found that the most popular areas of study that had successfully implemented e-learning as part of their curriculum were health professions business, humanities and social sciences.

Other subjects that were popular for their use of online learning were law and criminal justice.

The report revealed that health subjects have risen from number three to number one in the past year, while business studies has dropped from the top spot to second place.

Furthermore, online education degrees have seen the greatest growth in demand, moving from number three in the 2007 report to number one in 2011.

Data collected by the online learning market watchdog the Sloan Consortium recently revealed that the number of students taking at least one online course has now surpassed six million across the US.

The report, entitled Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States 2011, also showed that nearly one-third of all students at higher education level are taking at least one course based in the virtual classroom.

A Year’s Worth of Free E-Learning Assets

A Year’s Worth of Free E-Learning Assets:

It’s hard to believe but another year’s come and gone. The good thing is that it looks like 2012 will be a good year. Although sometime in June, you may want to break out the DVD player and watch 2012. Then practice your survival skills because come December, things may change. But until then, just put your feet up and enjoy the year.

To ease your burden, I put together a list of all of the posts from 2011 where I shared free elearning assets. They’re yours to enjoy and use as you wish.

Free E-Learning Templates

• Here’s a Noteworthy PowerPoint Template (and It’s Free!)
  


• Here’s a Free PowerPoint Template & Font
  


• Use This Free E-Learning Template to Inspire Your Next M-Learning Course
  


• 5 Free PowerPoint E-Learning Templates
  


• Check Out This Free PowerPoint Template & Tutorial
  

Free fonts

• Over 150 Free Fonts to Use in Your E-Learning Courses

Miscellaneous Free Tools

• A Free Tool & Free Graphics to Simplify Your E-Learning Course Design
  


• Here’s a Simple Way to Save Time When Working with Graphics in PowerPoint
  


• 5 Time-saving Tips from the E-learning Community
  


• Tips on Managing All of Those Free Fonts
  


• You May Already Own the Tools to Create Simple E-Learning Avatars
  

Free graphics

• Over 45 Free Speech Bubbles to Make Your E-Learning Courses Talk


• Dozens of Page Curl Graphics


• Here’s a Free PowerPoint Template & Laptop Illustration


• 15 Free Display Graphics to Use with Your E-Learning Courses


• 25 More Free Display Graphics for Your E-Learning Courses

Free Expert Advice

• 3 Things You Can Only Learn from a Real E-Learning Expert
  

Don’t forget to take advantage of all of the free downloads available in the elearning community and next time you’re stuck on a course, feel free to post a question. You’ll get plenty of help.

I hope you have a great 2012. Thank you for reading the blog, sharing your own expertise in the comments and emails. I hope to see many of you during my travels this year.

---

Tidbits

I’ll be in St. Louis for two days; make sure to check out the sessions below. I’m also thinking about doing some workshops in Australia in August. If you’re interested, let me know.

Upcoming Events

• January 11: Training Magazine (free webinar): Learn to Use PowerPoint for More Than Boring Presentations.


• January 17: eLearning Guild (webinar): The Secrets to Rapid eLearning Success


• January 25-27: Las Vegas (ASTD TechKnowledge 2012).


• February 13-14: Atlanta (Training Magazine). I’ll be doing a session on PowerPointand we’ll have two Build-A-Course sessions. Details coming.


• February 22-23: St. Louis (ASTD).
  
  
  
  • 22: Rapid E-Learning Workshop. This is a great deal for a full-day workshop that also includes a full breakfast and lunch.
  
  
  • 23: PowerPoint Doesn’t Have to Be Boring. Will follow the presentation with a free Articulate jam session.
  
  
  
  
• March 21-23: Orlando, FL (Learning Solutions Conference)


• March: Knoxville, TN (Smokey Mountain ASTD)


• April 10: Jacksonville, FL (ASTD). Details coming.


• April: Virginia (SEVA ASTD). Details coming.


• May 17: Orange County California. Details coming.


• May 24: Articulate Conference hosted by Leeds.


• May 21-25: Somewhere in the UK. While in the UK I’ll try to visit a few other cities. Details coming.


• August: Australia…would be great. Let me know if you’re interested.

---

Download your free 46-page ebook: The Insider's Guide to Becoming a Rapid E-Learning Pro

The Dire Outlook For Middle Class Jobs in the U.S. — And Other Top Stories on LinkedIn This Week

The Dire Outlook For Middle Class Jobs in the U.S. — And Other Top Stories on LinkedIn This Week:

Is SOPA really dead? If you believe Mashable’s headline – in what is our most shared story of the week – the Stop Online Piracy Act has moved on to its final resting place.

But if you read the words of the act’s chief sponsor, Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, it sounds more like SOPA is just getting smelling salts in the corner. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach,” says Smith. “Congress cannot stand by and do nothing while American innovators and job creators are under attack.”

This is the second week in a row that SOPA news has topped the professional conversation. Last week, workers from all industries shared articles about the Internet taking on Hollywood (with Congress trying to measure the shifting winds).

This week, most of the sharing was done in industries that would have been impacted by SOPA: largely, software, online, publishing, and TV and film. The rest of the working world had turned to other matters. For instance, would there be jobs for them, and if there were, would those jobs require them to live in a dormitory in China? Here’s the list:

Top 5 most-shared articles on LinkedIn (Jan 19, 2012 – Jan. 26, 2012)

Follow @LinkedIn_Today

1. SOPA Is Dead: Smith Pulls Bill (Mashable)


2. Seth Godin: If You’re An Average Worker, You’re Going Straight To The Bottom (BusinessInsider)


3. McDonald’s Twitter Campaign Goes Horribly Wrong #McDStories (BusinessInsider)


4. Online Ad Spending to Surpass Print for First Time in 2012 (Mashable)


5. Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch (FastCompany)

It was Seth Godin, marketing consultant and prolific author, who was the harbinger of bad news on the jobs front. “If you’re an average guy doing average work,” a company is going to find someone to do the job in India for cheaper. Said Godin:

2012 isn’t going to be more of the same, it’s going to be worse.”

Why? Because we’re not in a cyclical recession, but a “forver recession” caused by the end of the industrial revolution. The the only way to make good money is for workers to invent their own jobs rather than counting on finding low level or middle management positions that will pay well.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the article resonated with industries that either delivered that message in form of cost-savings mandates, or had plenty of middle management positions still being filled: management consulting, banking, financial services and consumer goods.

And while it didn’t grab the overall top spot, a New York Times story about the factories in China that make iPhones showed the other side of Godin’s barbell-shaped world: the place where unskilled jobs have migrated. They’re gone for good, says BusinessInsider’s Henry Blodget.

Writes Blodget, summarizing the Times piece:

So, yes, money is part of why all of our gadgets are built in China. But what started a couple of decades ago as a reach for efficiency has now resulted in the entire electronics-manufacturing ecosystem being lifted up and transferred to China.

Apple doesn’t build iPhones in the United States, in other words, because there is no longer an ecosystem here to support that manufacturing.

One thing for those who are thinking of making the move to China, whether to set up factories or work in them, it’s probably best to avoid sneaking over any fine wine. The most-shared story in the wine and spirits industry was a Decanter.com article about a Chinese exec given life in prison — life! — for not paying import duties on over 70,000 bottles of wine, possibly including Chateau Lafite and Chateau Latour. His defense:

The punitive tax rate of up to 50% on wine left him no choice but to smuggle.

Here are the most shared stories by professionals in the following industries:

• Investment banking:This Article Explains Why Apple Makes iPhones In China And Why The US Is Screwed (BusinessInsider)


• Real estate: Housing May Turn the Corner in 2012: CoreLogic (DSNews)


• Biotechnology: Roche’s Hostile Bid For Illumina Ups Stakes In DNA Tech Race (Forbes)


• Investment Management and Venture Capital: Why some startups succeed and others fail (BusinessInsider)


• e-learning: Apple and the Digital Textbook Counter-Revolution (Hacking Education)


• Wine and Spirits: Chinese businessman given life sentence for smuggling” (Decanter.com)

Latest Learning Management System Comparison News

Latest Learning Management System Comparison News:

Prepared text of Gov. Kitzhaber's 'State of the state' address
Furthermore, a system support with these results can no longer be acceptable to everyone. In health care we have the state of the first health insurance exchange for individuals and small businesses with simple offer compare information about …
Read more on Statesman Journal

Letter to Education Secretary from Ewan Smith, Muirfield Action Group
During the same period, Warddykes Primary School – which achieved a rating of C for Mechanical Services – £ 12,110 was spent in comparison £ 2683 to Muirfield. That’s a difference of £ 9,427 on a heating system that was graded better than with …
Read more on For Argyll

Top CEOs got 189 times the average worker's pay in 2010
The 189-fold difference between the top of CEO pay and worker pales in comparison to close the gap between high paid and the average full-time minimum wage worker earns just $ 19,798 in 2010. Against the trend, says Mackenzie, …
Read more on CTV.ca

Benefits of Loading Test in the Cloud (Part 1)
Is the solution easy to use, or are we learning weeks and its configuration? If the solution includes a full-featured reporting and decision making modules to help our team the best of the results? Is the solution to support the technologies that we …
Read more on SYS-CON Media (press release)

• compare learning management systems
• comparison california course management system or learning management system
• chamilo comparison moodle

DCHR Training – Sharepoint Overview

DCHR Training – Sharepoint Overview:

About this course: In this review we will learn what SharePoint is 2010, and what is not. About 54 000 tutorials and courses are offered by Lynda.com, a high-quality online training provider, we are proud to be associated with available. We recommend signing up for the annual subscription conveniently priced at $ 375.00 for unlimited access. www.lynda.com # # # Disclaimer: This is a “proof of concept demonstration pilot for this program is currently no agreement between the DC government and the David Hoffman Agency and it is JOB FORCE (r) programs, the need for a.. “Proof of Concept ‘demonstration was identified when multiple mobile platforms including Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, Droid, were confiscated, etc. on the market since the last time the DC government introduced and received a multiyear contract learning management system. A provider (DHA JOB FORCE) wanted to know if it was possible to get to DC government employees on training courses on mobile platforms, although the DC government does not explicitly ask about this ability at the time. This video sample is in collaboration with DC Sol # DCBE-2010-B-0001 and our proposal for services provided therein. No employee, agent, or the participants are entitled to receive an education in exchange for compensation and reimbursement of contractor, if an authorized contract is executed. If you are interested in training directly, without government funding, you are encouraged to use the link above …
Video Rating: 5 / 5

The SharePoint Portal contains a Higher Education course management or LMS component, the data from your schools student information system to create course sites programmatically semester enrollment data, and assign permissions based access control uses. Web sites are created from templates, but can be followed on a single area will be adjusted if necessary. A sampling of portal suite LMS course site include: announcements, links, contacts, calendar, course description, course materials, Course Roster / e-mail utility, copy / Clear List Maintenance Utilities, instructor profile, forum, wiki and Drop Box.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Upcoming E-Learning Webinar to Demonstrate Tips for Assessments

Upcoming E-Learning Webinar to Demonstrate Tips for Assessments:

Upcoming E-Learning Webinar to Demonstrate Tips for Assessments
New stand-alone issues in a course that is graded as a final assessment. • Combine several notes to assess an overall grade for a LMS submit . Informed to seek “inspiration Wednesdays” webinars, and on e to educate – learning tips.
Read more on Chier Learning Officer

Hong Kong Open School Platform to Get Raptivity's Rapid Interactivity Building
Dubbed the “E4Learn system” is the platform of a “ e Toolkit for Teachers’ that contains a Learning Management System ( LMS ) and a school-wide management system . The LMS is an all-in-one platform that schools in developing their own curriculum supports …
Read more on PR Urgent (press release)

arvato Systems to Debut at Learntec
The ALS is the resource controls to manage required on-site courses. For the implementation e – learning courses, it is possible to use existing learning management systems or how ILIAS Moodle link. To learn more about arvato systems’ learning …
Read more on openPR (press release)

Latest Learning Management System Reviews News

Latest Learning Management System Reviews News:

Lumesse launches 'Lumesse Learning' at the Learning Technologies exhibition
Conference attendees can stop by the Lumesse booth (Booth 121) to talent development and learning specialists to meet, and see demonstrations, including: Lumesse Learning Gateway a SaaS-based Learning Management System to used more than half a …
Read more on Reuters

KnowledgeVision for eLearning: On-Demand Training Content Comes to Life
knowledge vision new features include support for SCORM, the global standard for shareable multimedia content that enables all knowledge vision presentation, easily into most companies Learning management systems are integrated .
Read more on PR Web (press release)

Jane Hart in conversation with Jane Bozarth: Webinar

Jane Hart in conversation with Jane Bozarth: Webinar:

In my new monthly series of webinars at the Social Learning Centre I will be talking to industry practitioners and thought leaders from around the world about their work with social media and their current thinking about its use in the workplace.

I am very pleased to announce that my friend, Jane Bozarth has agreed to be my first webinar guest. I’m sure you all know Jane, as she has written lots of useful practical e-learning books including the recently published Social Media for Trainers, and speaks widely about the use of social media in the workplace.

I’ll be talking to Jane about her job as the Elearning Coordinator for the North Carolina, USA, Office of State Personnel, about her book, and also about some of the myths around the use of social media in the workplace.

The In Conversation with Jane Bozarth webinar is scheduled for

Wednesday 22 February
18.30-19.30 pm GMT, 13.30-14.30 pm ET, 10.30-11.30 am PT

As these webinars won’t be traditional presentational-type webinars, but a dialogue with my guests, I also want to include questions from the audience.too, so if you’d like to find out more about this webinar, how to register and how to leave your questions for Jane, you can do so HERE. I hope you can join us.

BTW I’m gathering together a line-up of future guests, and those that have agreed so far, are listed on the Webinars page.

As a final note, the picture of us together was taken at DevLearn 2010 in San Francisco, as we were just about to start a live #rnchat Twitter session.

Introducing the Social Learning Centre

Introducing the Social Learning Centre:

I’d like to introduce you to my latest venture, which I’ve been working on over the last few weeks with a number of early users: the Social Learning Centre.

The Social Learning Centre is the place where learning professionals can find out more about the use of social media for learning, as well as exchange thoughts and ideas with their peers and leading practitioners and thought leaders around the world. Become a member of this global learning community and get involved as follows:

• Take part in scheduled (or on demand) online programmes - which offer a structured approach to learning about social learning


• Participate in webinars - where I will be having conversations with leading practitioners and thought leaders


• Join a range of special interest groups - for continuous updates and discussions on social learning topics.

In addition to these Community activities, the Social Learning Centre also aggregates a number of resources about social learning, which can be viewed without being a member.

To become a member of the Social Learning Centre‘s global community of learning professionals: register for a free account on the site, and this will enable you to join any of the public groups set up for the interest groups, webinars and some social programmes. Note: a number of the online programmes require a small fee to join.

If you want to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Social Learning Centre, you can read the News here and/or subscribe to the news feed.

I’ll be featuring some of the current and upcoming activities at the Social Learning Centre in further blog posts during this launch week.