Tech4learning

Team-building's Gone Digital

I was excited to receive "50 Digital Team-building Games", as here is a book that combines some of my business-world passions - learning technologies, social media and leadership and management development.  

This is probably the first book that considers not only the application of learning technologies to a learning requirement, but considers first and foremost the aims and objectives of a targeted soft skill area.  Yes, this book is aimed at team leaders and members, but I was able to read it from the standpoint of a trainer and see how the various exercises could be dovetailed into a soft skills training programme.

I thought this would be a book I could dip in and out of (an easy-to-use table at the start helps to pinpoint which exercises will be of interest), but actually, having started to do that, I realised that I would get the most benefit from it by returning to the start and reading it cover-to-cover. I've reviewed other books before about how one might use technology to support a learning need, but this book is different.  You can't skip through it. The exercises need to be digested in detail, so that the subtleties of the learning outcomes can be realised.  As the trainer, you will also need to be fully conversant with how each exercise is run, as many of your learners may be using the relevant technology for the first time. Actually, getting people more familiar with Web 2.0 technologies is often a secondary objective for many of the exercises.

So what is covered?

After a good introduction on how to use the book and its contents, the first chapter looks at icebreakers, including using Twitter, chat windows, online whiteboards and - flavour of the month, Pinterest.

In the second chapter, the focus is on communication skills, including how to get an audience to interact with you as the facilitator.  So reference is made to techniques such as getting people to Tweet or text questions throughout a session; filming answers and posting to a site. For those using web-conferencing tools, mention was made of using raise hand tool (and chat window) and two new ones for me - online tangrams and PowerPoint karaoke.

The topic of building trust is covered in chapter three.  Ideas here including using Google Docs to create a trust grid (potentially quite a challenging exercise), a very useful link to an online version of the Johari Window and how to use webcams to practice the techniques of matching and mirroring.

Shared Google Docs and chat windows were featured too in the next chapter about improving performance.

Chapter five is all about problem solving.  Two digital exercises stood out here - an online version of "Move One Line/Add One Line" and a chat window version of the popular game "Survivor".

Creativity and innovation is the focus of chapter six.  Here mention was made of online mind mapping; using iPads to film breakout presentations with each group tasked to make a short film on certain topic; and using an app called Goose Chase for a cell-phone based scavenger hunt.

The important team-working skill of collaboration is addressed in chapter seven.  This includes how different teams can work better together. Online games such as "Office Move" and "Mergers and Reorganisation" are described here, along with a version of "Broken Squares".  You're also introduced to two useful tools Timely.is (a tool that only publishes Tweets when it believes they will have the most impact) and Coveritlive.com (a live-blogging platform).

The author's organisation runs team-building games that use GPS technology, so this forms the basis of the two exercises in the next chapter entitled "EPIC Team Building".

The final chapter looks at Closers.  Included in the different ways to end a team event are using Twitter to acknowledge team members actions and to gain a commitment to change.

The appendix to book offers instructions on how to get connected with some of the more popular technology tools referenced in the previous chapters.  

This is the first book of its kind where I actually felt that the use of technology would assist in achieving the training goals in a meaningful way.  Yes, you'll need to consider the culture (and technical expertise) of your audience in some cases, but overall, I found a lot of valuable content here.

The Learning Explosion

I discovered this book - the latest addition to the growing library of books aimed at new virtual classroom facilitators - by accident.

In fact, I can't even remember how.  But "The Learning Explosion" [Kindle-only version in the UK] caught my eye as it originated from the FranklinCovey organisation and at first, knowing them as I do, I couldn't initially see where this fitted into their highly-regarded portfolio.

It's only when I saw that it was penned as a way to share the lessons they learned when migrating from a predominantly instructor-led, face-to-face approach to virtual classrooms, coupled with their unique take on the challenges faced by every training making this same transition, that I "saw the light", so to speak.

This is a very interesting book, not because it covers anything new, but because of how it covers the subject.

The authors start off by introducing two concepts, what they term "The Learning Explosion" ("The perpetual explosion of knowledge into countless learning fragments...") where "Learning Fragments" are the "scattered bits of information and knowledge...found through many different [offline and online] sources".  Together, these two notions provide the catalyst to make the move to using virtual classrooms within the training delivery mix. They also set the scene for a new learning mindset, which in turns leads the new rule set that comprises the remainder of the book.

To help make the point, throughout the book, pull-out boxes deliver a series of short learning fragments, directing the reader to other useful sources of information or ideas to try.  Each chapter also starts off with a summary written as a Twitter posting - limited to 140 characters.  If you've read The Backchannel, then you'll recognise the usefulness of scoping out your content in terms of what you'd like the reader to tweet about your work.

So what of this new rule set.  Cleverly, the authors have pulled together the various factors, skills and knowledge required to deploy successful virtual classroom training sessions into nine intriguingly named rules.  They do an excellent job of defining each rule, but to guide you through the main content of the book, I've translated each rule into my own description, based on how you might see the material described in other books (the italicised text that follows).

1. The rule of continual change - the changing face of how we communicate and prefer to learn.
2. The rule of knowledge transfer - the key differences between design and delivery in face-to-face and virtual classrooms.
3. The rule of learning circuitry - getting the right team together to successfully deploy virtual classrooms.
4. The rule of overcoming bias - overcoming stakeholder and learner reticence.
5. The rule of virtual accountability - creating engagement and interaction in your sessions.
6. The rule of personal practice - preparing and rehearsing for your first session.
7. The rule of thumbs up - soliciting feedback after your virtual classroom sessions.
8. The rule of global positioning - delivering virtual training across borders.
9. The rule of sustained orbit - launching virtual classrooms in your organisation.

This is a quick book to read.  The content is well presented, full of practical hints and tips - based on first-hand experience - and as well as the learning fragment pull out boxes, each chapter ends with a checklist/action plan.

Of all the chapters, I just want to expand on Rule 5:  The Rule of Virtual Accountability, which looks at how to actively engage learners in your webinars.  Their Virtual Accountability Model, based on how you hold your learners "virtually accountable" during a session, looks at the three dimensions of verbal, visual and kinesthetic.  Given the direct link to learning styles, the twenty suggestions they make provide an excellent introduction to tried and tested ways to easily introduce meaningful interactions into a virtual classroom session.

If I've whetted your interest in this book, then you can read some more about it here.

Webinars on the Move...? Then Light the Fuze!

I was reading about the ten best iPhone productivity apps and noticed that one of them was the app for FuzeMeeting.  

I don't recall encountering FuzeMeeting before and it's one of a long line - and seemingly ever-increasing - range of web-conferencing packages, but what stood out was the fact that they had an app for all of the current main-stream mobile devices:  iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android.  In fact, one writer stated that FuzeMeeting was a reason in itself to buy a tablet PC!

I'm sure I'll now be bombarded with suggestions for other providers that can do this clean-sweep, but as a user of one of the major platforms that doesn't offer this, I was heartened to see that it was possible.

FuzeMeeting does the basics such as sharing documents and your desktop (the sharer needs to download a plug-in), with a text chat window; and all with an integrated teleconference and HD video conferencing - great for those in-built cams on mobile devices.  UK iPhone users have commented on the fact that you had to a call a US telephone number, but since these reviews were posted on the App Store a year ago, FuzeMeeting has introduced a wide range of international dial-in numbers. I particularly like how the system manages your resources, both flat and multimedia.

If you want to record your webinar or run webinar-style events or training sessions, then you'll need to upgrade to the Pro version.

Pricing appears very competitive.

Click here for their demo movie and here for a more detailed training session, including the mobile options.

So if your training audience is global and mobile (that only really rhymes in US English), then this might be a good option for delivering simple straightforward online classroom training.

 

 

Virtual Training - Getting the Basics Right!

I've added quite a few new books on virtual classrooms to my collection lately and have often commented that each has started off well, providing a good grounding in the theory and practice of facilitating a live virtual training session, but then has "gone astray" with the author's choice of virtual classroom exercises, many of which would simply not work in the British and European work cultures.

So I was really pleased to read Virtual Training Basics, part of the ASTD Training Basics Series.  It's subtitled "A Complete How-to-Guide" and the author does just that and refrains from padding out the text with a compendium of exercises.

The book opens with an explanation of virtual training, but in more useful detail than I've seen up to now and acknowledges the different variations that are possible.  Each chapter of this book concludes with a worksheet and this one not only looks at your goals for using virtual classrooms, but also your readiness for them.

Chapter two shows how there need be little difference between the face-to-face and virtual classroom and highlights the core skills required by the trainer.

Chatpers three and four pick up the technology aspects, starting with a virtual learning "geek's guide" - my term not the authors - and then highlighting the various features found in a typical virtual classroom, although the book mostly references the Adobe Connect platform.

In the fifth and sixth chapters you are shown how to prepare your virtual classroom session (with a really comprehensive checklist), before learning the importance of multi-tasking, especially useful f you will be hosting the session alone.

Chapter seven concentrates on harnessing your voice.  I've not seen this topic covered before, so this provided valuable new information, including how to use your voice and choose your words carefully.

We all want to involve our participants as much as possible in their virtual training sessions, so chapter eight focuses on engaging your participants.  The author sticks to some solid basic principles for doing this, rather than trying to suggest "dubious" exercises; and returns to how you can use some of the standard virtual classroom tools to assist in this.

Chapter nine gives lots of hints and tips regarding practicing your sessions before delivering them to a live audience, whilst the final chapter looks at some strategies to adopt when things go (invariably) wrong.

In addition to the regular worksheets, the book is also full of pull-out sections, including 15 Basic Rules and numerous "Think About This" self-reflections.

Overall this is an excellent primer for using virtual classrooms.  It's also easy and quick to read, so should be a top choice for your library.

 

Putting the Wow into Webinars

I've just finished another book aimed at supporting the new virtual classroom trainer.

Webinars with Wow Factor is really two books in one. 

In the first part, you are given a snappy introduction to the various critical success factors for running a successful webinar.

In the first chapter, you're reminded of the ADDIE instructional design model, but offered an alternative - and quicker - 4Ps approach if time is short (Plan, Prepare, Practice and Perform).  This chapter also introduces the different webinar team roles and looks at the importance of building in interactivity and active learning from the outset.  It also introduces the role of webinar champions in your organisation to help to embed this way of learning.

The second chapter introduces the author's "deadly sins of webinars", divided into those committed by:

• Facilitators, including not starting or ending on time and not having enough interaction
• Producers, including not really knowing the platform and not responding to chat questions
• Managers, including interrupting learners; and
• Learners, including arriving late and becoming distracted.

Chapter three looks at the effective use of slides, polling and handouts, whilst chapter four examines the many different tools found in the typical webinar system.  Chapter five, which closes the first part of the book, introduces five different types of interaction and how to use them (CLOSER:  closers, learning activities, openers, soft openers, energisers and revisiters).

This first part of the book is well written and is short and punchy, so it's easy for a new webinar facilitator to get to grips with the key messages.

The second part of the book presents nearly 50 different interactive exercises, each of which covers material that reflects one or more of the five types described in the first part.  Personally, I only found a handful of these exercises of possible interest.  That's in part due to the type of audience I work with, who prefer much more direct and succinct approaches; and culturally, many of the exercises would fit more comfortably with a North American audience.

The book concludes with a series of appendices, including more detail of the ADDIE model, checklists and suggested evaluation questions.

If you're a European webinar facilitator with a more mature audience, then read this book for the excellent Part One, which will give you a good grounding in online training techniques.  If you are based in North America, then you'll also find a good number of interactive exercises that will support your training aims.

 

Virtual Presentations That Work

Years ago, the trend was for publishers to leap on the e-learning bandwagon with a race to release book after book on e-learning.  That flood has now turned into a trickle it has to be said.

I'd always wondered when webinars would become flavour of the month and it seems this time has come.

The first new book on the scene (I'll cover the others at another time) is Virtual Presentations That Work.

Now I'll say at the outset that the title does give the game away - and in their defence, the cover "blurb" doesn't lead you to think this will help with delivering training webinars - but this book delivers the goods if you're particularly looking to exploit web-conferencing for communication and/or sales and marketing approaches.

This is definitely a book for the absolute beginner.  As a more experienced webinar producer, although there was the odd "light bulb" moment, much of the content served as a reminder of things I was already doing.  That said, if you are a beginner, then the author most certainly shares all the key lessons fledgling webinar organisers learn the hard way.

The book begins with some introductory content explaining the nature of virtual presentations and how they differ from live events; and how businesses are using them today.  The author covers when you should consider a virtual presentation and when one may not be the best option.

He then goes on to cover the challenges of delivering a webinar and how to overcome these.  In fact, throughout the remainder of the book he regularly returns to these themes.

The book covers a lot of ground regarding preparing for your virtual presentation, starting one month out and counting down week-by-week.

There are then chapters on gaining attention and establishing relevance, intruding yourself and others, presenting information, conducting demonstrations, taking questions, managing discussions and promoting interaction.  There are also chapters aimed at really creating the maximum impact from your session.

A set of useful appendices - in the form of checklists and suggestions for scripts and other interactions - concludes the book.

Once you take on board the emphasis of this book on delivering a presentation (rather than an interactive learning session) and its target audience, there is a lot of useful information here.  For me though, I believe the author was limited in the range of techniques he could espouse by the decision to keep to the same recurring case study throughout.  This concerned presenting a new product to a worldwide audience.  Had he changed the case study to suit the chapter contents, he could have described even more ways to engage the audience and leverage more of the features of your typical web-conferencing platform.

But for anyone just starting out with webinars - for whatever purpose - this book should have a place in your library.

Learning and Teaching Online with WizIQ

The traditional learning management system has never faced more competition from alternative learning platforms.  Even the VLE variants have to keep an eye on the increasing range of free or low-cost new entrants.

WizIQ - in their own words - enables teachers and learners to collaborate through:

• Virtual classes - the platform offers a free virtual classroom, which is actually feature-rich.
• Online tests - using a simple quiz creation tool.  It only offers multiple choice or essay style question choices.
• Educational content - you can quickly upload a wide variety of document types into an online respository, which you can share with your learners or even use within the virtual classroom.
• Contact network - you can reach out to new learners via the so-called LearnerConnect network.

All of the above is free, with some limitations, which can be removed by upgrading to the Premium version.

Experts on Your Desktop

I've posted about YouTube-like solutions before, but mostly where the idea is you make them yourself or choose from the efforts of others.

Instead Expert Lectures offer a bespoke video e-learning platform, offering material in the form of a hybrid between YouTube video-style and webinar.

They currently offer content in the following areas:

• Accountancy
• Business Skills
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Lifestyle
• Marketing
• Microsoft Dynamics AX
• Sales

The content is provided by a network of providers, currently numbering ten.

From their site you can browse their growing catalogue and review synopses of the different video-based sessions and watch a brief sample.  The videos are broken down into chapters for easier viewing. I got the impression that some were originally recorded live, but edited for this media aftewards.

The ones I previewed would have cost me between £25 and £75 to purchase and I'd have access to them for a year. This fee would also give me access to downloadable supporting materials.  Some of the sessions also offer optional tests to check understanding.

As well as buying access to individual sessions, you also choose from collections of videos brought together in packages.

Deliver Great Webinars? Yes You Can!

I've been producing webinars for over four years now and over that time I've really been drawn in to using web-conferencing tools to deliver training.  But whereas there has been a lot of publishing activity in the asynchronous e-learning market, when it's come to webinars, there has been much less activity.  For many of us, we really have been learning as we went along, trying things out and learning from our mistakes.  In some ways it's been a bit of a lonely experience too and when the technology has failed to deliver the goods, it's been easy to feel a bit exposed.

I've written before about a handful of textbooks aimed at helping trainers (or educators) to deliver sound learning experiences in a virtual classroom, but until now - and with the benefit of hindsight - a lot of what has been written hasn't been as relevant to the corporate setting as it could be.  Many of the examples used have been very much set in the academic environment and no amount of tailoring could repurpose them for a business context.  In fact, the majority of the existing texts have been digests of exercises that really wouldn't work for an adult business audience.

But with Great Webinars from Cynthia Clay, we now have a very useful resource for trainers looking to deliver webinars - and not just any webinars - but highly interactive ones.  I use the term "passive webinar" to describe those where the trainer mostly presents content to an audience that rarely has a chance to contribute in any way.  But with some thought, it's possible to use the tools that the webinar platform offers to engage your audience.

In her book, which is very quick to read - I managed it in about four hours - Cynthia shows you clearly and simply how you can quickly use the full range of available tools to involve your audience with your content.  Cynthia goes beyond my term of "interactive webinar" to define a successful interactive live e-learning session as a "web workshop", a term which I'm sure I will start to adopt.

Cythia's writing style is different too.  She often illustrates her points through scripting each chapter as if it were a webinar session, where we see things from the perspective of her trainees as well as herself and her webinar producer.

In the first chapter, we see how things can so easily go wrong - and here I was relieved to find I was not  alone in experiencing problems with technology.  In the next chapter, we begin to get a sense of how easy it is to create a good all-round experience.

Breaking things down, in the third chapter, we explore getting to know your audience and defining objectives and understanding learning styles.  Objectives are broken down into three types - affective, behavioural and cognitive - and the writing of good objectives is explored through a STAR acronym.  The different types of objective are then mapped to the different types of instruction that are possible in a virtual classroom.  A very useful table then maps the different web-conferencing tools, such as chat rooms and polling questions to the visual, auditory and tactile learning style preferences.

In chapter four, we learn the interesting distinction between "interaction" and "collaboration".  With the former, which describes the two-way communication between the trainer and trainee, we see which tools can help.  We also see how web-conferencing tools can facilitate the more productive "collaboration" between the trainees, where the latter become more involved in the learning experience.

The next chapter tackles the use of PowerPoint as a tool and suggests different ways in which we can improve these within the virtual classoom.  Chapter six covers how you might repurpose a face-to-face session for webinar-delivery.  I've always said that with a bit of thought, there's very little you do in a face-to-face session that you can't replicate in a webinar and the content here reinforces this view.

In chapter seven, the topic of learning transfer is addressed.  For me, this chapter wasn't as strong as the others, but did provide a good overview of some of the issues that need to be tackled if learning transfer is to occur.  The next chapter covers technology issues and how to plan for them.  I found lots of useful ideas in this section, including some that I will implement straightaway to address some current gremlins I'm experiencing with my current web-conferencing platform.

In the final chapter, the discussion concludes with a review of the roles of the host/producer and facilitator/presenter, if you decide - as I do - to double-hand your webinars.  The book concludes with a glossary of terms and a set of very useful, practical appendices that reinforce the messages of the earlier chapters.

If you're a novice webinar presenter, then this book will have you delivering interactive sessions very quickly.  And if you're an experienced presenter, then you'll find lots of new ideas that can help you to improve your webinar training.  Just one final observation.  Like me, Cynthia uses the Adobe Connect Pro web-conferencing platform to illustrate all her points.  She does a great job in highlighting how suitable this particular platform is for delivering flexible and interactive webinars, but if you use a different system, then you may need to tweek some of the ideas.

Video Conferencing - The Next Generation

I've been producing webinars for over four years now, but recently I've been asked to host web-conferencing sessions as a direct replacement for more expensive video conferences.  At times a web-conference has cost less than 25% of the cost of a hardware-based video conference.

So - for once - I was interested in seeing a flyer that fell out of a magazine the other week.

Nefsis offers web-based multi-party video conferencing services that can offer a video wall of attendees, alongside a shared desktop application, document or PowerPoint slideshow.

The all-in pricing starts from £225 per month for 5 concurrent users, enough for a small tutorial class, or £315 per month for 10 users, enough for an interactive webinar audience.  You can get quotes for higher volumes of users.

A variety of screencast demos will give you an idea as to how the service works.