Well, the new Adobe CS4 is looking pretty awesome - especially all the new integration options between products like the InDesign export feature to Flash in order to animate PDF's. In E-learning we are still using "traditional" print methods to create simple job aids and giving the learner access to the documents as PDF's. Making the reading experience more interactive and visually relevant - like a simple animation of how to put together a desk or chair (thin of those impossible to read Ikea instructions).
Flash paper magazines (http://issuu.com/)and ads are going to continue to grow in popularity and I predict will eventually go a long way towards replacing printed magazines. The new conditional text feature is also very cool - we are now expected to produce training for a global audience and this gives us the opportunity to produce materials for instructor lead training and e-learning in several different languages with the same layout and consistent look.
The ability to create animations, interactive buttons, and page transitions with out having to know or use Flash is also a great feature for instructional designers who do not trained instructional technologists - or who simply don't have the time or budget for custom Flash development.
I'm off to explore the new Flash features now and will post on what I learn and how it can be best applied to improving e-learning and training in my next post.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
E-Learning Simulation: Global Managment Skills
Wow,
It's been a while since I wrote on my blog. Being swamped with work doesn't help - but a guess most anyone could say that. As for new developments in the world of e-learning, I would like to share an update on the latest project I have designed and assisted with development on. The project is a conversion of an 8 hour workshop into five online modules that are a total of 1 hour and 25 minute. They are approximately 25 minutes in length each. Just the right "sit-and-learn" time most adults can stand in one shot.
I decided to follow a very real world and highly interactive approach when designing the modules. The learner is cast as the project lead of a negotiating team in the modules in order to simulate the activities, and acquire the knowledge and skills, that are required to become an excellent global manager.
In the simulation the learner is assisted and taught by a mentor who communicates by phone and email. When on phone calls with the mentor, the knowledge imparted is supported by emails and images that support the learning content. The activities the learner engages in are also based around the everyday tasks required to manage a culturally diverse global virtual team, such as sending out kick-off meeting invites, facilitating video conferences, following up with communication concerning action items and objectives, and finally meeting the opposing negotiating team in Spain to conduct face to face negotiations. The modules conclude with a dinner where the virtual team finally meet and debrief about the success of the project.
In order to not break the "spell" of the immersion into the simulation - all feedback, practice items and assessments are presented as everyday project requirements. The learner is "assessed" and given feedback at the end of every module by being required to write a report to their boss on project updates. using a company "report template" the learner needs to input (though multiple chose section) the relevant information they have learned or tasks they have completed into the report.
It has been interesting to see my excellent graphic designer/developer, Heather Gee, create the interfaces and graphics that support the content. Through the use of folders and newspapers that provide information and learning points, to the inputting of user names to log-in to the laptop computer used by the learner in the simulation(which allows the simulation to be personalized as the user name appears in email greetings and on reports), the entire learning experience is based on total immersion in the environment and storyline.
Though these ideas took off on paper as I was designing the content, and knowing that this was fully possible to do with Flash, I have been truly amazed that Heather has been able to develop the entire module interactivity in Captivate 4 with some Flash elements thrown in. We have used CrazyTalk to animate the characters, such as when we have "reality show" confessional screens of the learners team members give feedback on performance or just to provide additional learning content.
This project has shown me that if you can imagine and properly design how you would like the instruction to be presented - it is possible as long as you have a strong developer and graphic designer. I will provide some screenshots of the modules once they are finished.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Found a great resource on Dr. Kapp's blog for an ID book that has great project templates to work from. This was one thing I was really worried about in taking a position as a contractor - do I have the necessary templates to work from when designing the instruction.
To check out this awesome resource just visit: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34592362&postID=5137641322198812805&page=1
Fears of not having the time to come up with good templates are over - just remember to keep your files organized - case in point: I lost my text file for keeping tabs on my blogging - that's why I'm reduced to writing new material up at the last minute.
I need a digital secretary to organized my files!!
To check out this awesome resource just visit: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34592362&postID=5137641322198812805&page=1
Fears of not having the time to come up with good templates are over - just remember to keep your files organized - case in point: I lost my text file for keeping tabs on my blogging - that's why I'm reduced to writing new material up at the last minute.
I need a digital secretary to organized my files!!
So, the end of the semester is here and more importantly the end of my time in the IIT department at Bloomsburg University. This has been a couple of hectic weeks of interviewing and applying to jobs and internships, which is what I wanted to comment a little on.
First off, be careful of the CareerBuilder and Monster sites, or any job site. Insurance agents will bomb your email and start calling you to offer training as a sales rep. I've fended off five of them since posting my resume to CareerBuilder. I just tell them I'm looking for ID work, not sales, and offer to design some training for them - that usually gets them to stop bothering you.
Second, if your resume looks good - people with real jobs will contact you, so be prepared! If you see a listing and apply for the position, immediately follow up by going to the company's website! Do the research so you're not wrong footed if they call you, it's probably best to have a folder in your bookmarks with all the companies that you have applied to. This way you can easily access their info if they contact you.
Thirdly, manage your schedule well with the interviews. Usually they'll contact you by email first (but not always) and follow through with a phone call before inviting you to a face to face interview. This can become a juggling game if you don't have your schedule well blocked to accommodate the whole process. With end of school work due and other commitments you might be put in a bad spot, especially since you are trying to work around their busy schedules.
Forth, don't panic. If they don't get back to you, especially on a Monday - don't sweat it - they are probably catching up on emails and work related stuff that languished over the week-end. If they don't get back to you at all - don't lose heart and try to figure out if you did something wrong that offended them. You don't know what other candidates they are looking at - there's a good chance someone with a stellar resume applied after you and that just took you out of the race.
Fifth, It's nice to be a friend and good sport but your classmates and friends just became your competitors. They might be moping about complaining nobody is contacting them - that's not your problem. If you did the work and found a position that sounds good and would be a right fit for you - keep it to yourself. Your "best" friend just undercut you by applying to the position - and frankly, they might not be very generous to you in the future, even if you did give them leads on work.
Networking is good and dandy - don't take it to far by cutting yourself out of the running! Listen to what people say happened in their interviews, this will give you a heads up when going in for one yourself. Remember, companies seem to like playing good cop, bad cop - one person to stroke your ego in case they decide to offer you the position (and not offend you into rejecting them), and another to play the big, bad wicked HR person. Smile, relax and answer their questions - nobody knows the answer to everything, so if you can't give them a good one - tell them you'll get back to them on the subject, or that time is an area you need support and development on.
Most importantly, you're going to get some pretty informal emails from some people. Either they are to busy, or they just don't have time for anything but one liners. Don't follow suite! You are asking them for a job - keep being very polite and semi-formal, but don't sound like a windbag! You can probably drop the title after the first contact - unless they are continuing to be formal, but do not send an email with spelling mistakes or in a texting format!
Oh, and contracting work - well, as I said before - you might end up with far less friends then you started with if there is a contract on the line. Hey, you thought you were lining up a little support by recommending a friend, and then you ended up losing the contract!
Ok,
This was my little interviewing advice based on the last two week of my experience. I'll keep posting on this subject to let you all know how it turns out.
First off, be careful of the CareerBuilder and Monster sites, or any job site. Insurance agents will bomb your email and start calling you to offer training as a sales rep. I've fended off five of them since posting my resume to CareerBuilder. I just tell them I'm looking for ID work, not sales, and offer to design some training for them - that usually gets them to stop bothering you.
Second, if your resume looks good - people with real jobs will contact you, so be prepared! If you see a listing and apply for the position, immediately follow up by going to the company's website! Do the research so you're not wrong footed if they call you, it's probably best to have a folder in your bookmarks with all the companies that you have applied to. This way you can easily access their info if they contact you.
Thirdly, manage your schedule well with the interviews. Usually they'll contact you by email first (but not always) and follow through with a phone call before inviting you to a face to face interview. This can become a juggling game if you don't have your schedule well blocked to accommodate the whole process. With end of school work due and other commitments you might be put in a bad spot, especially since you are trying to work around their busy schedules.
Forth, don't panic. If they don't get back to you, especially on a Monday - don't sweat it - they are probably catching up on emails and work related stuff that languished over the week-end. If they don't get back to you at all - don't lose heart and try to figure out if you did something wrong that offended them. You don't know what other candidates they are looking at - there's a good chance someone with a stellar resume applied after you and that just took you out of the race.
Fifth, It's nice to be a friend and good sport but your classmates and friends just became your competitors. They might be moping about complaining nobody is contacting them - that's not your problem. If you did the work and found a position that sounds good and would be a right fit for you - keep it to yourself. Your "best" friend just undercut you by applying to the position - and frankly, they might not be very generous to you in the future, even if you did give them leads on work.
Networking is good and dandy - don't take it to far by cutting yourself out of the running! Listen to what people say happened in their interviews, this will give you a heads up when going in for one yourself. Remember, companies seem to like playing good cop, bad cop - one person to stroke your ego in case they decide to offer you the position (and not offend you into rejecting them), and another to play the big, bad wicked HR person. Smile, relax and answer their questions - nobody knows the answer to everything, so if you can't give them a good one - tell them you'll get back to them on the subject, or that time is an area you need support and development on.
Most importantly, you're going to get some pretty informal emails from some people. Either they are to busy, or they just don't have time for anything but one liners. Don't follow suite! You are asking them for a job - keep being very polite and semi-formal, but don't sound like a windbag! You can probably drop the title after the first contact - unless they are continuing to be formal, but do not send an email with spelling mistakes or in a texting format!
Oh, and contracting work - well, as I said before - you might end up with far less friends then you started with if there is a contract on the line. Hey, you thought you were lining up a little support by recommending a friend, and then you ended up losing the contract!
Ok,
This was my little interviewing advice based on the last two week of my experience. I'll keep posting on this subject to let you all know how it turns out.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Started blogging on Politico today
First blog ever was on Politico today - just couldn't take the nasty woman hating and gay bashing going on with some of the guys on that website. I guess when you have problems getting a relationship going with people in the real world, you figure you'll take it out on casual readers and writers on the web.
Anyway, so I'm getting into the blogging bug now and will be out there on the web letting people know what's on my mind about any and all topics that come to mind. One of the first, besides politics, is - I really miss restaurants in NYC. I was reading the Dinning Out sections of the NY Times today and I almost cried over what I'm missing in the way of great eats.
I think I'll be looking into moving back to a city soon because this dearth of good dining spots around here is really starting to get on my nerves.
I might be posting some excepts from my novel Datura Blue on my next blogs, - mainly to remind myself to find some time to get back to editing the first half.
Anyway, so I'm getting into the blogging bug now and will be out there on the web letting people know what's on my mind about any and all topics that come to mind. One of the first, besides politics, is - I really miss restaurants in NYC. I was reading the Dinning Out sections of the NY Times today and I almost cried over what I'm missing in the way of great eats.
I think I'll be looking into moving back to a city soon because this dearth of good dining spots around here is really starting to get on my nerves.
I might be posting some excepts from my novel Datura Blue on my next blogs, - mainly to remind myself to find some time to get back to editing the first half.
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