Archive for eLearningDevCon 2009
MetroStar is Attending “BYOL eLearning” This Week
Posted by: | CommentsThis week, I have the wonderful pleasure of attending my second eLearning conference in Salt Lake City, Utah: BYOLTM eLearning.
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.
Liveblogging eLearningDevCon 2009, Day 3
Posted by: | CommentsIt is my last and final day here at eLearningDevCon 2009. It has been an incredibly productive and educational few days. But, why bore you with an introduction. I’ll just jump straight into boring you with the details.
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.:
- Avatar is a human representation (actual photo, or digital/graphic depiction)
(“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?
- 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.
- 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. - Brainstorming:
- Quantity, not quality
- Have toys and candy on hand to get creativity flowing
- Everyone is an equal
- Limit sessions to 1 hour
- Get everyone to focus
- Break and flow
- 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
Question 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.
Liveblogging eLearningDevCon 2009, Day 2
Posted by: | CommentsBack up and running here in beautiful, mountainous, and cloudy Salt Lake City, Utah. Ready to go for our second day of eLearningDevCon.
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:
- Learner’s own psychological status
- How does learner feel about course? Do they feel it is relevant to them? Use stories, cases, allegories to establish relevancy.
- Do they know how to be successful in the course? State the course structure clearly, and provide study skills. Promote the learner’s metacognition.
- Interpersonal connection
- Increased connectivity leads to positive emotions.
- Can the learners connect and share with other learners for support?
- Do they know the instructor/content creator?
- Learning environment
- Can learners choose their environment?
- Is the instructional environment easy to use and stimulating?
- Customizability
- How much control do the users have over the control of the content?
- Can they skip information they already know? Does the system provide a pre-assessment?
- Does the system remember the learner (their name, their settings, etc.)?
- Support
- Academic support: does the system solicit feedback from the learner?
- 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
Liveblogging eLearningDevCon 2009, Day 1
Posted by: | CommentsThe latest dose of my liveblogging binge is taking place in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah. I’m here for the eLearning Developers conference, sponsored by Rapid Intake. The weather has been cloudy since Monday, when I arrived. Fortunately, I missed the thunderstorms that had called the city home for over a week before my arrival. The clouds are keeping the weather cool, and offer a peaceful backdrop to the mountains. Here’s the view from just outside my room:
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.
- 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):
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.
.
