If you recall, in June of this year, I represented MetroStar Systems at Salt Lake City, and liveblogged eLearningDevCon 2009 (you can find those posts here, here, and here). eLearningDevCon was hosted by Rapid Intake, makers of the eLearning development tools ProForm and Unison. Several sessions offered in that conference were labeled “BYOL,” standing for “Bring Your Own Laptop.” These were hands-on sessions where the instructor would guide attendees through a project, whether it was to produce something, or to learn a tool, or both. These sessions were a huge success, and the folks at Rapid Intake Conferences announced the first instance of their new conference, BYOL eLearning.

It is a one-of-a-kind eLearning conference that is 100% hands-on. One can’t help but appreciate a conference that strives to be so tangible and effective, nor can one help but crack a smile upon hearing the conference tagline (and noticing what it’s implying):

BYOL. Actually learn something.

Of course, all joking aside, the very fact that I’m here stands as testament to how much I learned at eLearningDevCon. I’m sure this conference will be no different. As all the sessions are hands-on, I won’t be liveblogging this event, but I will be recapping my experience at this conference in the near future.

So tune in later to catch my post on the conference. But in the meantime, keep up with what’s happening here on Twitter by following the hashtag: #byol.

Thanks!
Janis

Introduction to SharePoint

Working With Libraries

What is Change Management?

Change management is a structured process and a set of tools to effectively managing the people side of change. – Prosci

Critical Change Facts:

1. Employee resistance and ineffective management of the people side of change is the #1 obstacle to successful change projects
2. You can have the best vision, the best training and communications that exist, but if you cannot get your people (the organization) to adopt that change, the initiative or project will FAIL.

Interesting Change Quotes:

“We do this (change management) everyday!  No matter if we are aware of it or not, it (change) is part of every project that we work on.” – Melissa Dutmers (Change Manager @ RiverFork Consulting)

“People react to change in a very similar way to the stages of death” – Butch Alligood (Senior Change Management Instructor)

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy

“Research says that most change management initiatives fail.” – Butch Alligood

“Resistance to change is a natural human reaction.” – Prosci

“Never underestimate the power of the current state.” – Butch Alligood

“We see things not as they are, but as we are.” – Anais Nin

“Organizations do not change, people do.” – unknown

“You can never change unless you know what you want and how you are going to get it” – Butch Alligood

Terms:

• CM = Change Management
• ADKAR = Awareness Desire Knowledge Ability Reinforcement (Prosci Model)
• FUO = Fear of Uncertainty and Doubt
• WIIFM = What’s In It For Me

Why Change Management?

Here is a conglomerate of reasons why change management is important to organizations, businesses & clients:

1. Because your business, products, markets, people, clients and tools will change over time weather you like it or not. To not have a change plan is to invite disaster and failure into the org.
2. CM can improve the success and delivery of projects (internally & externally)
3. CM processes can facilitate better team cohesion and organizational moral.
4. CM can unite people around achieving common goals that mutually benefit everyone in the org.

States (No I’m not talking about Texas)

With any enterprise level transformation or change campaign there are different states.  How things are now is referred to as the current state, how things are after  changes are in the process of being implemented is a transition state, how things will be when a change is completed and your vision becomes actualized is the future state (how things will be).  These notions of state do not just apply to change management initiatives, they are also popular in Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR) and Organizational Design (OD).

Understanding states is important so that you can figure out where you are, what you need to do, and how that will get you to where you want to be. Seems simple right? Well try assessing just your current state when you have 10-20 disparate and/or overlapping changes going on in and you can quickly become immersed in fog!  To put it another way, it’s like trying to play to play multiple songs and instruments at the same time.

Individual Change ≠ Organizational Change

Though they have similar change attributes and processes, what is required to change an organization is not the same as what is needed to change an individual. The differences lay in the strategies, tactics, scope, resources, time, training, communications, leadership, sponsorship, planning and project management. A change that effects one individual in an organization (say for example a compliance officer being effected by regulatory changes) is vastly different then implementing a new computer Operating System (say for example an enterprise wide switch from Windows XP Pro to Windows 7) in a medium sized company with 750 employees.

100% Change is a Myth

(Don’t Confuse Icarus With Reality)

What did that old Greek tale of Icarus teach? Fly too close to the sun and you will get burned (set realistic goals, heed knowledge, lessons learned and advise).  No change will ever be executed and 100% adopted in a organization.  Know up front that you will deal with resistance on may different levels (bottom, middle, top) in a variety of ways (active/passive, direct/indirect).  Prepare yourself for it and have a thick skin.  Remember to keep your enthusiasm for change in perspective, and set reasonable achievable goals.

Also, remember to keep the individual perspective in context because organizations are composed of individuals, and every person will ultimately make their own decision weather or not to support/adopt the change, thus having a tangible impact on the overall change.  Not everyone will get on board with change (for a variety of reasons) and know that some people may actually not be capable of change (depends on what type of change it is).

Many Models for Change

(Do not Worship a Single CM Model)

Change management is a large and growing field.  Several models have been developed to explain change and to give structure to approaching that change in organizations.  From what I have encountered Prosci & Kotter are the two most popular that I have seen in organizations, but that is just my perspective.

There are other models for change out there and I think that the field has some emergent areas which are still untapped.  One of the things that is really important is to know the different models, the difference between them, and which one is the best fit for your organization or client.

Perspectives on Change Will Vary

(No Two Change Projects or Vantage Points are the Same)

One of the central takeaways from everything I have learned over this knowledge crammed week is that no two change initiatives are the same so virtually everyone is written from scratch and adapted to individual organization, it’s unique attributes.  No matter what the change is in the organization everyone has a different perspective or vantage point of that change.  Not all of the stakeholders or team members are effected the same by the change.  So it goes without saying that when you do managing change you must keep in mind individual perspectives and that each person has a unique perspective on the impending change.  Effects on projects, services, will vary

Perspective 1 (Direct/You are looking straight at it)

Perspective 2 (Indirect / It’s right in front of you but you don’t always see it)

Same clouds and vista but completely different ways of looking, seeing and interpreting them.  Change is the same exact way and using cloud as a metaphor for change can carry many parallels.   Clouds look a certain way then you move or they move and the way they look can completely change from moment to moment.  They are dynamic, like your people, you business, the demands on your business, and the markets you work in.  Just like there are many different types of clouds (cirrus, stratus, etc) there are many types of organizations (government, non-profit, NGO etc) The more you understand about change and how to manage it, the more agile, adaptive and responsive your organization can be in any situation.

Last Updated: 6/25/2008 4:55PM

For more on the conference, check my previous posts (Day 1 and Day 2) . Also, check out:

Conference URL: http://www.elearndevcon.com/

Twitter handle: @elearningdevcon

Twitter hashtag: #devcon09

Conference Sponsor: http://www.rapidintake.com/

And, on to the day’s first session:

The Missing Link: Rehumanizing eLearning

with Sarah Williams

E-Learning is mistakenly defined (by reference.com) as “a type of education where the medium of instruction is computer technology. In some instances, no in-person interaction takes place…”

Why? The best learning happens when there’s some form of human interaction–real or simulated.

Well, to solve the dilemna this definition poses, Sarah is taking us through concepts, beginning with “easy” ones and getting increasingly more “involved.”

Easy:

• User interface design – make it simple, and conversational. Avoid conflicting stimuli.
• Narrating the text that is visible on screen is generally a bad idea. People prefer to either read, or be read to, but both is confusing.
• Metaphors – Use things from the learner’s pre-existing knowledge, to evoke–or more specifically activate–certain thoughts and emotions.
  • Use the principle of Einfühlung:

Einfühlung: “understanding so intimate that the feelings, thoughts, and motives of one person are readily comprehended by another.” (from Answers.com)

• Use the principle of “Mirroring” – Cells in the brain mirror what the brain sees.
  • If we see something happen, the same neurons fire off in the brain that would if we were actually doing it. (Also called co-cognition.) Make the learner imagine themselves doing what you are demonstrating.
• Know your audience. Be mindful of “In-groups” and “Out-groups.” For eLearning aimed at a certain demographic (gender, ethnic, occupational, etc.) use imagery from that same demographic (In-groups), not different demographics (Out-groups).

Medium:

• Avatars v. agents:
  • Avatar is a human representation (actual photo, or digital/graphic depiction)
    • E.g.:

(“Mii characters” also count as avatars)

• • Agent is a non-human representation, such as:

Use avatars. They are best for creating the human connection.

Be careful with digital Avatars! Cartoony avatars are ok, people can still relate (in fact, three dots, representing two eyes and one mouth are almost always recognized as a human face). If a digitally generated avatar looks too realistic, it can be off-putting.

Involved:

• Video production – Show an actual actor or cartoon character talking to your learners. Caution: This solution is almost always expensive. (For a good recap of this, see “Cognitive Learning” from Day 1 and “Interactive Video from Day 2.)
• Video conferencing – This can also be an expensive solution, but it is a superbly effective way to connect with your learners–Live! Could be done in realtime, or used for support after the fact.

Final Takeaways:

• Take advantage of human psychology
• Use human imagery (cartoony is OK!)
• Have human interaction whenever possible

–

Next Session:

Getting the Most Out of Your Tools

with Jason Bickle

There is no magic bullet. No one tool does it all. E-learning professionals have to amass a repertoire of tools, and use some of them in conjunction to tackle each assignment.

Questions to ask before beginning any eLearning project:

• What is your skill set?
• What is your team’s skill set?

Select your tool(s) in accordance with your answers to these questions.

Basic tools:

(Note: These tools are categorized only based on their primary uses.)

• Web:
  • HTML Editors – Dreamweaver, UNV, etc.
  • A great online learning resource for HTML, XML, etc: W3Schools.com
  • Discussion forums & Wikis
  • PDF – Adobe Acrobat (audio and video are now possible to integrate)
  • Documents – PowerPoint and MS Word

How you use these tools can be varied. Jason, for example uses discussion forums to interact with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). All of these tools can have both internal and external uses.

• Audio/Video
  • Audio editing – Audacity, Soundbooth, Sound Forge, GarageBand
  • Video editing – Vegas Video, Adobe Premiere (+ digital video camera, make sure you use one that has an input for an external microphone)
• Graphics
  • Adobe Photoshop (the premier tool, great for larger, more involved projects)
  • Adobe Fireworks (great for quick and easy photo editing for web)

• PowerPoint Conversion
  • Articulate
  • Adobe Captivate (although PPT conversion is not its primary function)
  • Adobe Presenter
  • ProForm
• Screen Video/Capture
  • Adobe Captivate
  • Camtasia
  • Snag-It
  • CamStudio (free software)
  • ProForm
• SCORM Content Shells
  • Captivate
  • Articulate
  • ProForm/Unison
  • CourseBuilder – Dreamweaver
  • Lectora

Be diverse in your use of these tools, and use many simultaneously. E.g.:

Using Articulate as your PowerPoint conversion tool, you can then incorporate Flash, Quizzing/SCORM, Graphics/Audio, HTML

Same principles apply whatever tool(s) you’re using. In fact, replace “Articulate” with “Captivate,” and this graphic still holds true.

Good tip: Record demos from your SMEs, both video and audio. Capture as much of these brain-dumps as you can (Even profanity. An SME’s profanity will almost always translate into a point of caution that your learners need to be warned about–tactfully.)

Tips for choosing an LMS:

• Does it match your business?
• Will the vendor support you?
• Do you have access to all your data?
• Again: Will the LMS provider support you?

–

Next Session:

Quick Prototyping Techniques

with Nick Floro (@nickfloro)

It’s all about communication and problem solving.

Use prototypes to help customers understand what it is you are trying to do.

Questions to ask:

• What is the goal?
• What are the learning objectives?
• What is the time table?
• Does content exist?
• Who is the audience?
• What current technology (if any) is in place?
• What type of delivery method is required?

1. Begin with sketching. In his office at SealWorks, Nick uses a Fujitsu SnapScan, which scans his sketches into PDF, and recognizes & converts handwritten text into type.
2. Then move on to wireframing. Nick puts his wireframes into PDF format, with Adobe Acrobat Pro. By dragging worked out JPEGs into Acrobat, and in multi-page prototypes, using the note tool (), simulates linking from page to page.
3. Brainstorming:
   1. Quantity, not quality
   2. Have toys and candy on hand to get creativity flowing
   3. Everyone is an equal
   4. Limit sessions to 1 hour
   5. Get everyone to focus
   6. Break and flow
4. Selecting tools – key is to be compliant with client’s requirement.

Great tip: For design purposes, carry a camera (digital or on your cell phone) with you wherever you go. You never know when you’ll be inspired.

-

To check out Nick’s slides (including his slides from other sessions which I wasn’t able to attend–I’ve heard nonstop praise for his “Social Media Demystified” session) go to http://www.slideshare.net/nickfloro

–

Last session of the day and of the (*sniffle) conference:

Interactive Branching Simulations in Flash

with Nigel Dobereiner

The Value of Simulation

• Why simulation? – Adult learners want to solve problems; be challenged.
• What’s the value? – Makes for more enjoyable learning and better information retention.

Instructional Design

• Think of interaction as quizzes (posing questions as statements of need)
• Think of customer statements as questions based on learning objectives
• Create convincing distracters
• Work with SMEs who have experienced the simulation targets

Video Recording

• Overacting is actually prefered in simulations
• Keep talent movement to a minimum
• Convert videos to .FLV (deinterlaced, high bandwidth/small img size)

Putting it All Together in Flash

• Use external assets to simplify updates and reuse sections of code
• Code*:

stop();

var netConnect:NetConnection = new NetConnection();

netConnect.connect(null);

var netStream:NetStream = new NetStream(netConnect);

yourVideoInstance.attachVideo(netStream);

netStream.play(“yourFLV.flv”);

*Code given is in ActionScript 2.0 (not 3.0)

Selling it to Your Customer

• Remember the values from before
  • Increased retention
  • Greater usage
  • Better mastery of material

Learning + Simulation = Better Learning

–

My Closing Remarks

First and foremost, thanks for reading. I hope these few posts were able to do justice (as much as is possible) to the quality of the conference. I also hope you found it worthwhile and insightful. I was impressed with every single session I attended. It has been a remarkable experience. A BIG SHOUTOUT and thank you to Rapid Intake (http://www.rapidintake.com/) for the great work and effort they put into the conference. As you can tell, they picked an incredibly far reaching range of speakers, experts and presenters. They do also have another conference coming up in October, which will be an all-application, hands on conference titled: “BYOL” (Bring Your Own Laptop). Check that out at: http://elearning.byol.com/

Finally, a great many thanks to all the incredible people here at eLearningDevCon! It has been a pleasure meeting so many experienced and accomplished professionals. As great as all the sessions were, the opportunity to have met the people I’ve met here at the conference was the best part of the entire experience.

I hope to see you all again very soon.

As always, do share with us your thoughts, comments, reflections. A conversation this good should keep on going…

-Padawan

Thanks for joining us! Again, some info about the company:

Conference URL: http://www.elearndevcon.com/

Twitter handle: @elearningdevcon

Twitter hashtag: #devcon09

Conference Sponsor: http://www.rapidintake.com/

Today’s first session:

Panel: The Future of Mobile Learning

Moderated by Bob Sanregret

Bob served as CEO of HotLava Mobile, which has since merged with OutStart. He is now VP of Mobile at OutStart.

Panel Members: Jason Bickle of AMX, Nick Floro of SealWorks, and Art Paton of Motorola.

From Left: Jason Bickle, Nick Floro, Art Patton, Bob Sanregret

The key to mobile learning (mLearning): Just get something up. No need for flashy multimedia. Just do something.

• Key subsets of mLearning: Supplemental, Ad hoc.
• In some environments, students are not physically meeting with one another anymore for class assignments. They are meeting via mobile services.
• In 2003, for the first time in history, the number wireless subscribers passed the number of wired subscribers (then, 1 billion; up to 4.1 billion today).
• All learning (mobile included, of course) must be trackable. If you can’t track, you cannot justify the investment.
• Most successful mobile learning applications: Simple graphics, and Text.
• Format for apps: XHTML, and WAP. 95% of phones run Java (JAR) files, but not on iPhones out-of-the-box.
• There are over 375 mobile device configurations. Never launch without first launching a pilot program to discover issues.
• For any course that can be on both eLearning and mLearning platforms, simplify content delivery. It will greatly increase the reach.
• Revisiting content in mLearning: Storyboard standard content, and minimize it as much as possible. Then test it on different devices to find out what works, and what doesn’t.
  • The last few years taught us: Not all instructor-led training can be eLearning.
  • Now we learn: Not all instructor-led training or eLearning can be mLearning.
  • mLearning should enhance instructor led and e-Learning; not (necessarily) replace them.

On to the next session of the day:

Cognitive Learning

with Curtis Morley

Curtis handing graphics to his presenter

Learnability v. Usability – Nothing is usable, until it is learnable.

Curtis is presenting on concepts of learning that bring new interactive methods to teaching, powered by eCANDLE with support from facilitator Agilix. Emphasis is on using talking heads, but they talk out of the box. The talking head moves around the screen, interacts with the screen, captions, even physically places graphics onto the screen.

As the learning is delivered, the user is presented with options as to which path to take, which topic to learn and when. This engages the user and lets her appreciate the learning more–fueled by her ownership of the material and its delivery. The progression of the learning also makes use of machine-learning, as the system includes retention of what paths were taken, which topics already covered.

The impact? They took the content of a 3-hour conference presentation and wrapped it into this method. The material was shortened to fit into 10 minutes (including all different paths). The result of the 10-minute module was significantly better retention and comprehension than the 3-hour presentation.

Cognitive learning: Let your learners hear it, see it, do it.

As the learners were given the material, they were given assessments. In turn, these assessments interacted with the learning modules, to inform them which topics within the modules need to be repeated for the learners, and which do not.

Next session…

Emotional Foundation for Developing Higher Order Thinking in E-learning

with Peter Chan, Thad Scott, and Ryan Dean

Dr. Chan is the founder of the Instructional Design and Development program at Brigham Young University – Hawaii, “which trains students to apply instructional theories and advanced technology in designing effective and efficient instructions in various settings.” (from bio at eLearningDevCon)

From left: Thad Scott, Dr. Peter Chan, and Ryan Dean

Higher Order Thinking (H.O.T.) – Thinking that requires the higher cognitive abilities of the brain: Synthesis, Evaluation, Analysis. (see Blooms taxonomy here and here).

“The significant problems we have cannot be solved with the same level of thinking we were using when we created them.” -Albert Einstein

To start from the basics and work from the ground up: An instructional framework of H.O.T.:

• Emotional State has a direct impact on learning.
  • Primary emotions are our reactive emotions (fear, anger, etc) that we share with animals.
  • Secondary emotions (found in humans, not animals) are what regulate and control our primary emotions.

With these two points in mind, how can we facilitate a positive emotional state for the learner?…

Factors affecting learner emotions in an online environment:

1. Learner’s own psychological status
   1. How does learner feel about course? Do they feel it is relevant to them? Use stories, cases, allegories to establish relevancy.
   2. Do they know how to be successful in the course? State the course structure clearly, and provide study skills. Promote the learner’s metacognition.
2. Interpersonal connection
   1. Increased connectivity leads to positive emotions.
   2. Can the learners connect and share with other learners for support?
   3. Do they know the instructor/content creator?
3. Learning environment
   1. Can learners choose their environment?
   2. Is the instructional environment easy to use and stimulating?
4. Customizability
   1. How much control do the users have over the control of the content?
   2. Can they skip information they already know? Does the system provide a pre-assessment?
   3. Does the system remember the learner (their name, their settings, etc.)?
5. Support
   1. Academic support: does the system solicit feedback from the learner?
   2. Is there technical support provided?

Collectively, a Positive Affective environment can lead to Higher Order Thinking.

Case study: Peacebuilding innitiative headed by the Arbinger Institute and students & faculty at BYU-Hawaii: “A Single Idea that Changes Everything”

–

Interactive Video

with Curtis Morley

Second session of the day with Curtis. In his first session (“Cognitive Learning,” above) he demoed videos with highly innovative interactivity.

To begin this session, Curtis is showing us a demo you as well can view at Direct Pointe Solution Overview, all designed in Adobe Flash.

The most important part about all interactive video is not the production, but the pre-production, mainly, the script.

Extensive scripting/storyboarding done in MS Excel

Interactive video window on top of its script/storyboard.

Most of the videos shot are brought in using Adobe Premiere, but for editing purposes, all video was brought into Adobe After Effects. Using After Effects, green screens were very easily removed. And After Effects was a better option than Final Cut Pro and the like, thanks to After Effect’s simplicity in setting cue-points, which can then be easily called by the Action Script code in Flash.

–

Well, that brought our day to a wrap. I hope the post has been useful for you. Join in, share with us your thoughts, and leave a comment. Until tomorrow,

-Padawan

But to get back to the conference…I will be attending several sessions today and will keep you all posted.

In the meantime, you can find out more about the conference here:
Conference URL: http://www.elearndevcon.com/

Twitter handle: @elearningdevcon

Conference Sponsor: http://www.rapidintake.com/

Check back in as I will be summarizing sessions on:

• Instructional Design
• Mobile Learning
• Educational Gaming

First session:

“I See What You Mean!” Visual Design in eLearning

with Lee Bandy (@LBand)

This session was a quick but very useful crash course on using graphics in eLearning modules. Lee took us through some visual design concepts, and showed us some practical examples from her own work.

About Lee (bio from eLearningDevCon):

Lee Bandy is an Instructional Systems Designer at Magellan Health Services in Columbia, Howard County, Maryland. In addition to designing and developing e-learning products, Lee brings a creative design perspective to her role on the Corporate Learning & Performance Leadership Team. With eight years of experience and an M.A. in Instructional Systems Development, Lee’s technical and creative areas of expertise include instructional technology, interactive web-based e-learning, visual screen designs, blended training program designs, and competency-based instruction.

Selecting Graphics to illustrate and communicate ideas:

• Use metaphors that are readily apparent.
• To evoke provocative messages, use grayscale images. In grayscale, focus on balance.
• If you can’t find the right image, make your own, take a photograph, or modify already existing clip-art, auto-shapes, or stock images.
• Follow the “rule of thirds” to compose a picture
  • Divide layout into thirds (vertical and horizontal)
  • Primary focal point should be off-center on one of the vertical lines.
• Balance a photos foreground and background by reducing compression of background
• Another method for bringing in your own graphics: Screenshots.
  • Don’t use “Print Screen”! It doesn’t have fast editing features.
  • Use screen capture software like FastStone or Snag-It.
  • Adding effects (drop shadows, etc.) can strengthen and enhance screenshots.
  • To sample screenshots without blurring, use “Nearest Neighbor” sampling.
• Tip from the audience: Spend some hours to create vector-based templates that you can use to drop in screenshots when necessary. Could be graphic templates for images, or movie-clip templates for Flash animations.
• Don’t hesitate to crop images if/when necessary.
  • This can be very useful when dealing with limited screen size.
  • And the mind tends to ignore the missing portions of familiar images and mentaly “fill in” the rest.
  • Cropping can be great to keep the original resolution but fit only the necessary part of an image to a limited size.
• Of course, when you can’t find the right image, make a new one.
  • Combine elements from different images, stock photo, etc. to generate an image with impact:
  • 
  • Here, she used a picture of a laptop, and a software screenshot, tilted and overlayed on using layers in Fireworks..

Next session…

Flash Character Animation tips and tricks

with Ryan  Simmons

About Ryan (bio from eLearningDevCon):

Ryan Simmons has been working in animation for 13 years at studios such as Warner Bros. and Dreamworks on numerous feature films. His Flash animation skills have won many awards for his short films and TV commercials. Ryan is the co-owner and art director of Cartoon Solutions.

(You can find all kinds of tools, tips and tutorials at http://www.cartoonsolutions.com/)

In any animation, begin with observing yourself and other people.

While creating character animations, Ryan’s method is to use a tablet to draw straight into Flash. But in Flash, motion tweens used on symbols tend to skew images too much. His method to alleviate this: Use the motion tween on the first image until he has gotten it to the limit, just before it starts to skew. Then, he draws a new image from where the last motion tween’s movement left off. How many original drawn images are required depends on the frame rate. Lower frame rates require less images; at 24 f/s or greater, more are required.

Using bones tool in Flash CS4 is still a difficult process, as there are still bugs that need to be fixed.

Instead, for our example, Ryan manipulated motion tweens along the timeline (as well as two separate hand images) to animate a rather sinister-looking masked man to simply raise his arm. Class example:

In animating, make all movements to take place on arcs. This makes the flow look more natural.

He first set the motion tween in the movement of an arc. Then, used some simple strokes to make the motion flow smoothly:

And for lip-syncing, he made sure to make seven different mouth shapes to represent the different mouth positions:

• Closed (M, B, P)
• Open (Ahh)
• Consonants (C, K)
• Consonants (T, D)
• Consonants (Th and L)
• Consonants (F and V)
• O, U, or W

Examples:

On each frame, create a new key-frame, click on the symbol, and select which frame to use. Or, use a tool like Anim-slider pro from animonger.

This is why for lip-sync animation, you want to use graphic symbols . It’s way way way easier.

Also, if you’re changing facial expressions (such as eyebrows) repeat all seven mouth frames.

Next session…

Mobile eLearning: A Reality

with Robert Sanregret

About Robert (bio from eLearningDevCon):

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board Bob Sanregret, a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in California, has over 20 years experience in learning, distance learning and knowledge development. Bob blends his senior executive experience at three of the largest learning companies in the world-Sylvan, Global Knowledge and Learning Tree International-with his education and training to bring you Mobile Technologies. Bob has worked with over 50 companies and government organizations to define and design mobile technology content solutions.

The Basics of M-Learning:

• Portable - Users have to be able to take their learning anywhere and everywhere
• Remote - Should be able to have it regardless of WiFi/Broadband connections
• Handheld Devices - not laptops
• Quick Access - Can I be up and running instantly?
• Urgent/Required Information - Mobile learning is not the resizing of standard eLearning modules

There are 4.1 Billion mobile phones out there today. There upwards of 47 million BlackBerry subscriptions, and 11 million iPhone subscriptions worldwide.

“[Mobile phones] have replaced keys as most the most important thing that people take with them before leaving their homes.”

So how do we leverage mobile tech for our organizations? What kinds of things can be done on mobile devices?

• Learning
  • Courses  (possible, but not the best medium)
  • Assessments (can be instant, and very effective)
• Marketing
  • Surveys
• Performance Support
  • Job aids
  • Check lists

Robert’s organization teamed up with the Kauffman Foundation to encourage youth interest in math and science, to help American educational competitiveness. In sports arenas nationwide, they implemented the Sports Bytes Challenge (powered by HotLava Mobile):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ygus7OG6fA

Robert gave a great example of a mobile survey you can take (on your mobile phone, or on a laptop/desktop) at jamwap.com. This survey took him 2 minutes to prepare using the HotLava software.

2 Key takeaways:

• Don’t mistaken mLearning for shrunken eLearning. You’re better off just sticking to eLearning.
• Make your applications universal. Target as large a portion of the 4.1 billion as you can. Don’t lock yourself into a single platform.

Next session…Lunch! I’ll be back in the afternoon (again, mountain time) to fill you in on more sessions. For now, leave any questions, comments, feedback, responses to anything covered so far. I’m in sponge mode right now, and I’d love to hear from you as well!

And, back to the sessions:

RISC: A New Model for Measuring eLearning Success

with Jacob Bunker

About Jacob (bio from eLearningDevCon):

Jake Bunker is the performance improvement specialist for FamilySearch —a worldwide non-profit genealogical services organization. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and has taught as an adjunct university professor in management and organizational behavior. Jake has many years of management experience including management in retail, training coordination, and volunteer coordination and training, and brings a business results approach to training and evaluation. He specializes in training, measurement, and performance improvement.

In a study done by Corporate University Xchange, 28% of companies accept solid anecdotal recap of eLearning assessment, along with conservative estimates as backup.

All that companies want from training boils down to two things: Efficiency, and Effectiveness.

Enter the RISC model:

Efficience	Effectiveness
Cost/Time	Reach
Impact	Satisfaction

Make evaluation metrics to fit these four categories.

Example:

As a Satisfaction metric, use the Net Promoters Score (NPS). NPS asks the key question: “How likely is it that you would recommend this course for colleagues?” Then, this needs to be tracked and calculated (click NPS link to see calculator).

Key takeaways:

• Establish a desired (measurable) result for your eLearning program with management.
• Using the RISC model, create and implement an eLearning evaluation program.

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In the interest of practicing what we preach, yes, we are liveblogging this unmeeting. We’re liveblogging by talking about our talk on liveblogging. After that quasi-palindromic sentence, I’ll have to pause, to give some of our readers a moment to pick up the pieces of your blown mind.

So, if you are reading this in real time, keep in mind, it is being written in real time, so bear with us through and typos, or lack of linearity, as we type and click away,  to get you the most up-to-the-minute information from out lunchbox.

Without further ado, let’s get to the meat of the matter.

1. Why LiveBlog?
2. Posting Preparedness
3. Physical Considerations
4. Live by the Microchip, Die by the Microchip

Why LiveBlog?

The “Value Add”: Liveblogging give your readers access to the exclusive conference or event you’re going to. It provides them with content.

Why not just blog later? Because the most authoritative reporter is the one who breaks the story. We care about immediacy. We want the inside scoop, as fast as possible. In the case of conferences and events, if you can’t be there, following it in real-time is the next best thing. Remember, this is a form of citizen journalism.

Promotion: Anyone can blog about an event. But liveblogging is your way to stand out among the pack. Not to mention, it gets the attention with the conference organizers and presenters.

Posting Preparedness

Do the event organizers know you will be liveblogging the event? Send a quick e-mail to let the event’s organizers know. Be courteous, but more importantly, be convincing. This will not be difficult: It’s more exposure for them.

Will you be posting in advance to announce that you will be liveblogging said event? You can post this announcement on the blog, you can announce it via Twitter, you can make the announcement via mass e-mail.. Do so at your own discretion! What happens if your technology fails (More on this later)? What if you miss part of the event? It is better to announce and not liveblog? Or to not liveblog at all?

Draft your post beforehand. Put together a draft frame for the article. Include the event’s (and/or organization sponsoring the event) website. Does the organization or the event have a blog? A Twitter handle? A LinkedIn or Facebook page? Include them all. Post links, and check them. Then check them again. Include any images that you already have. Are there specific sessions that you will be attending? Put in all the necessary headings. A good rule of thumb for your draft post is to include all information that you already have and will be planning to post. Also, remember to include in your post title that you are liveblogging “X” event.

Use blog drafting software. We recommend ScribeFire. ScribeFire is a Firefox plugin that saves your drafts locally, freeing you from your blog’s server, so if your internet connection fails, you don’t lose your unsaved changes.

Physical Considerations

Pick a logistically optimal spot in the event. If you plan on taking pictures, or recording videos, make sure to sit somewhere so you can see all the speakers and any projector screens.

Live by the Microblog, Die by the Microchip

Prepare in advance for Murphy’s Law!

Don’t rely on the internet connection provided. If any is provided at all. Have a backup plan handy.

Prepare all your computer’s hardware and software. The last thing you want to do is to arrive and realize that your computer doesn’t have the right driver for your air card–and the event has no WiFi. Check all your hardware and software in advance. Provide yourself with a hardware checklist: Laptop? Charger? Extension cord? Air card? Camera (see below)? Check the list again. Then once more.

Pack extra camera supplies. If you plan on taking pictures/video, make sure your camera is prepared, and with backups. Make sure to bring extra batteries. Have a spare memory card on hand. If your laptop doesn’t have one built in, bring a card reader or USB cable. Set up a folder on your computer where you’ll be uploading the software. Have your photo-editing software ready (and tested) to resize any pictures down to the appropriate size (and have an extra folder where you’ll put these optimized images, so there’s no need to fish for them when you’re uploading).   

Some Final Considerations:

If you plan on taking video, it’s always a good idea to post video after the event the is over, because this process always takes a much longer time. At your own discretion, you can indicate that you will posting video.

Always allow for ample time post-event. You need 20-30 minutes to finish the pieces, tie up loose ends, and get the post out. If anything went wrong during the event, you’ll obviously need more time than that.

Most importantly: Don’t panic! Keep your cool, and take pride in being the journalist with the inside scoop. Be good to your readers, and give them what they came to see.

Good luck, and give us some great live posts!

Update (6/10/09 1:30pm): I used ScribeFire for liveblogging. I had followed my own advice and prepared draft posts in advance, and was publishing as I went. Lo and behold, ScribeFire gave out! (OK, in its defense, I probably hit the “Clear Content” button myself on accident.)

Fortunately, I had a hardcopy available, and our Fearless Social Media Leader, Todd Pitt, stepped in and retyped the post and kept updating as I spoke. So, yes, Murphy’s Law is alive and well. HAVE BACKUPS! Then have backups to your backups.

And thank you, Todd!