Tech4learning

Mobile First - Time to Rethink Learning Design?

One of the most thought-provoking events I've had over the last 12 months occurred when I was first piloting mobile learning.  Taking on board prototype feedback, I shaved one third off the length of the exemplar module.  Quite a challenge, but the end result proved that by stripping out superfluous elements and identifying and concentrating on the absolute core concepts, you could deliver a piece of learning that was both effective and efficient.  

My latest - and surprisingly successful - project of delivering short burst of learning to mobile devices in PDF format has again made me question whether we need to rethink everything we've done over the last decade or so.  With today's fast-paced business environment and the major change in how we consume information and knowledge today, outside of the workplace, I'm starting to think that short, sharp and to the point will the mantra for future development.  Maybe controversially, I wonder whether our future learners will have the time and appetite to always learn through traditional instructional design approaches.  Is it time to through away all those e-learning design books I've got?  In our attempts to replicate the best of the classroom in our on-line learning, are we now out of step with the modern learning scene?

So, when I spotted Mobile First, I was interested to see what its author had to say, given his view that web developers should now start with the mobile version of their site, before building its bigger brother.  His views seem to reflect mine.  Start with the mobile version, cut out all that extra "stuff" that sometimes gets in the way and really hone in on what the customer needs.

This is an easy-to-read book, packed full of colour examples that illustrate the points being made.  Although part of a series aimed at web developers, it's not a technical book. Aside from one or two references to specific coding, for which the author apologises, this is a great book for the lay person (me included) to really get to grips with the key issues that matter when designing a mobile website.  [It's important to stress that this book is not about mobile app development.]

Mobile First explores the many constraints that developing for mobiles impose, such as the screen size, overall performance and the influences of time and place on the user experience.  It then goes onto look at the sometimes unique capabilities that mobiles offer developers such as rotating browser views, location services and touch screens.

The chapter on Organisation explores the important requirement to re-think what a mobile website is all about and has only served to provoke me into examining the whole business of e-learning design.  I think the breakdown of interaction types into Lookup/Find, Explore/Play, Check In/Status and Edit/Create offers a great model for mobile learning. And this gives a powerful example of how easy it is to forget the "consumer" of our information.  This chapter also covers navigation and keeping the focus clear.

The next chapter looks at how the user interacts with the site in terms of user controls, by touch screen and via other means, with the following section exploring how to make entering information into the website (i.e. inputs) as straightforward as possible.  

The final chapter concentrates on the subject of layout and how some now-standard coding can help to create the best user experience on all manner of device types.

I mentioned that this book is easy to read.  But if you want more detail, then there are 67 shortened URLs (later stated in full in an appendix) that will take you to more detailed research into - or examples of - each point being made.  Very valuable.

If you're involved with mobile learning, I'd recommend this book.  Although that wasn't its intention, it's helped me to refine my thinking as to the shape of learning to come.

*** PLEASE NOTE *** The edition of this book on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com is the French language version.  It would appear you can only order the English version direct from the publisher, but delivery from the US was relatively inexpensive and very quick.

 

 

More Online Learning Ideas

Over four years ago, I reviewed the first volume of The Online Learning Idea Book.  Then I expressed my disappointment that most of the content was biased towards academic applications of online learning.  Of course, things have moved on and the corporate market has continued to develop and some of the early experiments that originated in the education market have trickled into the corporate arena.

So I was keen to read this second volume:

The Online Learning Idea Book: v. 2: 95 Proven Ways to Enhance Technology-Based and Blended Learning

There is a better balance now between ideas that would be best suited to academic projects and those that would be meaningful to a corporate training audience.  Chapter two is probably the one that has least to offer an organisational L&D practitioner, though having just started to experiment with using Yammer to facilitate group analysis of case studies, some of the content on reviewing online project work has given me food for thought.

Back to chapter one - Ideas for the Design and Development Process.  The ideas here will apply to all types of project and concentrate on tools and techniques for defining learning objectives, delivery approaches and working with subject matter experts, amongst other design considerations.

Chapter two - Ideas for Supporting Learners and Learning - mostly contains ideas for supporting students in an academic setting as they work with asynchronous learning materials, starting with engaging the audience, through to evaluating the contributions from those taking part.  As well as the latter, another interesting idea that would work in a business setting is the idea about reading guides. The suggested templates would help employees to get more from any pre-reading that you might set as part of a blended programme.

The third chapter - Ideas for Synchronous and Social Learning - starts to increase the usefulness of this new book for the corporate world.  I loved the opening "Open House" idea for using virtual breakout rooms to cover multiple topics in one session, by rotating the audience around a number of rooms and facilitators.  There were also some great ideas for breaking up the monotony of webinar lectures in the topic on "re-energising lectures with insert-learner-activity-here strategies; and some new ideas for how to use discussion forums, which I'll definitely look to use with Yammer.  There were also some interesting ideas about how to integrate third-party polling tools in your programmes.

In chapter four, the focus changes to Ideas for Self-paced Learning.  As a user of Articulate, this also saw the first of many valuable contributions from the team at Articulate providing their own ideas, starting with a very clear overview of how to use PowerPoint to create branching scenarios within the software; though a lot of this chapter will be of greater value to Flash developers using web-development tools.  The most valuable idea in this chapter looks at how to reduce the amount of on-screen text, a problem we all face.

The final fifth chapter - Ideas for Media and Authoring - as the editor notes, is the largest in the book and this is the one that offers the most value to those designing e-learning in the corporate sector. I've often thought that the Pecha Kucha format could work well as an e-learning format - and that's covered here.  There are then some great tips for finding and then doing great things with standard clip art graphics.  The team at Articulate are on a roll in this last chapter, with ideas - some of which I've seen before on their blogs - such as creating a TV-style video player, using silhouettes to great effect and recording better audio.  I'm particularly keen to try out their ideas for integrating non-Articulate Flash files into Articulate Presenter as tabs, as well as different ways of embedding PDFs into courses.  Integrating online polls and word clouds into courses are also covered, along with a number of tips for uses of Captivate 5.

Overall, as you get further into this book, there is lots of good content for enhancing all forms of technology-based learning in the corporate L&D world.  Interestingly, this book is available in a Kindle edition too, but given the issues with rendering illustrations on Kindle pages, I'd recommend buying the softback version.

 

 

A Complete "Skill-Builder" Blend

Now I'm a big-picture thinker (INTJ in the MBTI world) and in my ideal world, completeness is the key to success (and global domination, but that's for another day).

So I was very impressed to discover the Rapid Skill-Builder solution from the Worldwide Center for Organizational Development.

I discovered them from an e-learning perspective but - as part of their "completeness", their solution is also available as an m-learning solution and t-learning (yes, t-learning - or trainer-led).

Essentially, via either a face-to-face route (short 2-3 hours workshops), or one via e-learning or a mobile device, you can offer your employees a complete competency development programme that literally covers every topic you would hope to find.  You could seamlessly blend the different methods too.

Whichever route you take, the formats are the same, with video scenarios used to demonstrate the theory and either trainers' notes or audio narration to deliver the facilitation aspects.  Consistent supporting materials help both the trainer and learner through the material.

The material has also been validated by the UK's Institute of Leadership and Management, an organisation I particularly respect, having worked with them in previous roles.  In fact, the material can be studied as part of more formal accredited programmes.

The pricing is transparent and very attractive, especially as you are offered a complete out-of-the box skills and competency development approach.

This is definitely a solution worth investigating if you have a clean sheet and are looking to introduce blended learning into your learning and development strategy.

To Twit or Not To Twit...

This article on the BBC News website has stirred up some discussions on some training forums.

It would seem that the vast majority of postings are from a small minority of users and that many users fall into the categories of either those who visit the once only, or only post every few months.  To date, I'm very much in the latter camp as I too have struggled to really get going with this as a communications or social networking media.

I've struggled with its usability and - to be honest - its purpose.  And I've not really seen any evidence of its wide-spread adoption in corporate learning and development solutions - even as a pilot.

But I've recently added two books to my bookshelf in an attempt to get "under the bonnet".

The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein (hashtag #TwitterBook - read the book to find out what that's about) was my first investment - hot of the press as it was only published a few days ago.

This is a very quick read - it keeps moving apace - and works by using a written commentary on the right-hand side, opposite one of more screen grabs of real Twitter examples.  I liked the honest of the authors when they wrote, "[Twitter] can be surprisingly hard to figure out.  The screens aren't particularly intuitive, and the jargon and symbols are obscure.  Even more vexing, it's not clear at first why people are so enthusiastic about Twitter."  Given the results of the recent survey and my own thoughts, this one comment made me want to read the book so I could be enlightened.

The book covers the basics of getting started, goes on to get you familiar with "listening in" to existing Twitterers, then leads you through posting your own comments, using the service to share information and ideas, enhancing your personal profile and finally looks at how Twitter can be used for business purposes.

As I mentioned earlier, it's a fast read and maybe - at times - some of the detail was skipped, which meant I was still unable to fully comprehend some of the aspects.  I realise though, that that's a personal thing.

But my interest was definitely stimulated, so I went on to add "Twitter Tips, Tricks and Tweets", by Paul McFedries to my collection.

This is a more traditional "how to" book.  It's very detailed, with clear step-by-step instructions and illustrations that helped me to begin to appreciated the concepts covered in "The Twitter Book".

The content is similar - how to get started, customising your profile, sending Twitter updates and following other Twitter users - but then goes much deeper into areas such as using Twitter on your mobile phone (which is less useful for UK users), searching for information on Twitter, displaying your Twitter feeds on other sites (I'll be trying that out on this blog) and becoming an advanced Twitter user by using the ever-growing range of tools and applications that extend Twitter's power and reach. And there are some really interesting ways to make Twitter a very powerful tool.

This book is marketed at both the novice and more experienced user.  Again - and refreshingly given the "hype" - the author writes, "If you hate Twitter or are simply mystified by the whole thing, I hope this book will show you that although Twitter isn't the life-changing event that some folks make it out to be, it is useful and entertaining if you use it in a way that suits you."

Based on these two books, I will certainly be taking more time to explore its potential as a corporate learning and development tool.

E-learning 2.0

It was with great interest that I started to read this new book.

Not only because I used to work for the publisher's sister company in Europe, but because this was one of the first books I'd seen focusing on e-learning 2.0.

If you buy this book, get it for the good up-to-date chapter (3) on what constitutes e-learning today, including synchronous (live) e-learning and some comprehensive coverage on the "new" phenomenon of rapid e-learning and when you might use it versus the more "traditional" forms of e-learning.  It must be mentioned that the author runs a company that sells a rapid e-learning authoring tool, but although the examples in the book do reference this product, overall, there is little "hard sell".

Buy it for its reference to the concept of social networking in the business world and among adults (chapter 4) and its discussion about podcasting (chapter 5); also for the first specific coverage I've seen in a book about the use of m-learning within the corporate learning arena (chapter 6).

Chapters 7 and 8 focus on what makes a successful e-learning course and if you're using a rapid e-learning authoring tool, then the clearly presented discussions about all manner of design issues will provide a crash course in creating an effective course.

Chapter 9 brings the book to a close with another "first" for an e-learning book - a good attempt at demystifying the world of standards and integration, in which AICC, SCORM 1.2 and 2004 are clearly and simply explained.  I also welcomed the author's realistic take on the subject of reusable learning objects and her honest view - shared by me and others - that there are probably few real good situations where a "pure" learning object strategy would make sense.

Although I enjoyed reading this book, I did struggle with my first reading of chapter 2, in which the author explains the stages that an organisation will go through with an e-learning strategy.  The discussions here seem to align e-learning with website development, which I've never really seen myself, but that's not to say there weren't some good observations.

There is one section though - the author's review of audio within e-learning courses - where I have to use my own 15-plus years of experience to provide an alternative viewpoint to her comment that you should "think twice about deploying audio for your courses".  And I can only speak from my own experience, but from my days of deploying e-learning to over 70,000 staff at a large retail bank (where staff openly requested courses with audio, over those without);through consulting into large multinational organisations; working with two Brandon Hall award-winning e-learning development houses where audio was used throughout every title; to my more recent projects of rejuvenating Captivate-authored software training modules by re-purposing them with audio narration, I can testify that audio does make a very positive difference to an e-learning module. 

This doesn't mean (and here I agree with the author) the narrator reading word for word what is presented on the screen.  Instead the narration should only be reinforced with short bullet points or appropriate graphics.  With in-house rapid e-learning projects, including the voice of the subject matter expert can add the authority and credibility that some learners need to "trust" the content. 

In response to the comment that audio adds considerably to the production times, with my own rapid e-learning projects, it generally take two hours to record an hour of final audio and less than half that time again to perform any edits.  I'm currently able to produce a finished hour of content with audio in about 6 to 8 hours, which is less than half the time mentioned in the book.

But that aside - and thanks for bearing with me and my own personal opinions above - this is a good book for anyone new to e-learning and who's looking for up-to-date messages, which are lacking in the other books on the subject, many of which are now dated in terms of their messages.

Boost Your Googling Skills

I'm focusing on a content solution for this posting.  I was trying to find some statistics I saw a long time ago about how much employee time is wasted by poorly executed Google searches - and it did feel slightly odd googling for such data via Google!

I didn't do too badly though with my search, as I not only found some data that looked similar to that I had seen before, but I also uncovered this e-learning solution from Boost eLearning, a company that specialises in providing training to help corporate knowledge professionals get the most from their online searches.

There are two types of course on offer:

1. Quick Lessons - 2 to 4 minute long skills-based modules that teach the key search skills quickly.  The total course in this format would take about an hour to complete.

2. Step by Step Lessons - 6 to 18 minute long scenario based modules that present the techniques in the context of everyday search requirements.  Studied this way, the total course time is 2 hours and 40 minutes.

What's more, you can preview one of each of the above without the need to part with your personal details.  I found both modules of interest, particularly the Step by Step Lesson.  The scenario, whilst not in my field of work, was one I could easily relate to.  The fact that I knew I was learning a valuable skill that would make my own Google searches more productive seemed to draw me in to this training.  It was actually refreshing to take an e-learning course that screamed "this will really help me straightaway!".

You can buy the course for personal use for $50, but corporate pricing is also available.  The enterprise solutions can be hosted on your own LMS or by the vendor.

Oh, and the data I was looking for:

• Average number of searches per day - 12
• Average number of failed serches per day - 4.7
• Percentage of searched that did not obtain the desired results:  39%
• Number of minutes spent daily on unsuccessful searches:  12.12

If this training can address the above, then it would be a powerful e-learning resource to have in any organisation.

Streaming Video - and Keeping it Simple

One of the key elements of today's Web 2.0 world is the dramatic expansion in video-sharing websites, such as YouTube.  I've commented before on how trainers have been using this site and others like it (often set up specifically with learning in mind) to enhance their training programmes.  But I've also remarked about some of the legal complexities surrounding the use of third party content in this way.

So risk averse trainers have picked up on the new digital video offers from companies such as DTVuk and Video Arts, whereby you can guarantee that the content you'll be accessing will be A-OK to use.  Each of these suppliers has their own business model for this service, based on the number of users and/or downloads.  These approaches have their merits, depending on your requirements.

But I've just discovered that Scott Bradbury has simplified the online video model even further.  As they say on their website, "The idea is so simple".  For just a one-off fee of £995, you can stream digital versions of all the DVDs of theirs that you own, all from a simple customised website.

Now given how I'd like to use video within a blended learning programme - pre and post-work viewing selected sections, supported by more in-depth viewing in the classroom - this seems like a really flexible model.

Virtual Training - Walking the Talk Online

Now it's rare for me to post a piece about a particular training provider, as the focus of this blog is on the tools you can use to deliver corporate learning and development solutions using learning technologies.

But today I learned about a particular provider, TMA World, whose newly promoted blended learning offer, via an informative video piece, provides a clear example of how we should be using webinars, together with e-learning modules and podcasts to deliver technology-driven blends.

Over the last four years, I've worked on similar programmes that delivered training in international leadership and teamworking using the same tools that a virtual/remote team would (or in some cases, should) use on a day-to-day basis. 

I've long felt that the best way to teach remote working skills is not with everyone in the same face-to-face classroom.  We need to take people out of their comfort zone and I've seen first hand how trainees learn from their first faltering web-conference session experience and build confidence over time to finally deliver a confident performance in the final programme webinar.

TMA are experts in their content field and I hope we can learn from how they are using web-conferencing alongside other media types to challenge any myths that remain that the virtual classroom cannot match a more traditional workshop.

bITe Size Microsoft Training

Browsing through the list of exhibitors at this week's World of Learning Conference and Exhibition, I noticed this provider of Microsoft Office training, Bite Size.

What I particularly liked about their offer was their approach to IT skills training.  Just as we've moved away from 3 to 4 hour long soft skills e-learning modules, in favour of much shorter 30 minute chunks of learning, it's right that we have taken a similar approach to e-learning for PC applications.  Indeed, we can dice up this training to much smaller pieces, as quite often we're more after performance support - help me to get passed this "block" - rather than longer sessions of traditional "tell, show, try" type learning.

Bite Size provide 5 examples of their short  minute bursts of learning, to highlight how they treat each nugget.  First of all you can read a short passage about the background to the topic to be covered - useful to give context to the content and to highlight possible objectives for using that aspect of the software; then you are presented with step-by-step written instructions, followed by a short video demonstration.  The fourth stage is to receive a useful tip, before being able to download an example with which you can practice. 

The model presented here also got me thinking about how it could be applied to any custom IT software training that we might need to deliver.  Using tools such as Adobe Captivate, Camtasia or Kallidus Simulate, it's easy to replicate the "show" stage.  But often our IT skills training lacks the "why?", the "what's in it for me?" and an opportunity to practice (the complexity of our own applications is often beyond the "simulation" power of these tools).  But it's relatively easy to embed an attachment of a sample page or whatever from the application that can be used to try out the new skill and the background can easily be slotted in.

Using my favourite rapid e-learning authoring tool, Articulate, it would be very straightfoward to construct a custom module using this model, using one or more of the Engage templates, with some embedded Flash video.

Death Prevention by PowerPoint

One of the areas of training where I am keen to see the use of more technology is in the corporate training room.  And I'm not talking about using a DVD player or showing an e-learning course on a big screen.

Instead, I'm interested in how we can introduce collaborate learning tools into our training sessions, similar to the ones that we can use in webinars.  In fact, in my opinion, having delivered webinars for over three years now, I'm increasingly convinced that we should retro-fit some of the web-conferencing techniques we use in virtual classrooms back into their face-to-face equivalents.

I'm sitting on the fence when it comes to interactive whiteboards.  Whilst popular in schools, where the teachers have the chance to become very familiar with them through constant use, in the corporate world, my own experience has shown that we don't use them enough yet to truly understand how to get the most from them.

So I was very interested to see the new YawnBuster tool from Harbinger Knowledge Products, which enables you to add interactivity to your PowerPoint slideshows.  There are eight templates to choose from which cover exercise types such icebreakers, activators, group exercises, energiser and closers.

Personally, I liked the Show of Hands (polling), Brainstorm and Sequence (ranking items), along with the Key Takeaway (the ability to create summaries and next steps, etc. at the end of each session topic) interactions the best.  The others were based on quiz or competition formats, so maybe less popular for a UK/European audience and I would have preferred these interactions to have the automatic marking of the answers, as they currently rely on the trainer manually clicking "correct" or "incorrect buttons each time.

For me, without the need to get to grips with an interactive whiteboard, YawnBuster allows us to introduce more interaction into our training rooms alongside a tool that we've been using for many years now.