Via Todd at A Penny for

If only we could see…

Learning can be as creative and as fun as we choose to make it…

A brilliant project to teach kids to learn the alphabets by keeping “An Eye for an Alphabet”

Via Maish Nichani’s e-learningpost

Masie Centre has compiled a set of 701 e-Learning tips as a free download. It is neatly arranged under different categories; offers ?tried and tested bits of wisdom from the trenches?.

Keeping it short and sweet, interactive and interesting is advice shared by many contributors, emphasizing one of the key tenets of Learning ? be it in any form.

Some of the tips I particularly liked:

#154 Learn over Coffee

A success in course development was to take an 18 hours total training time and break it into 15 minute learning segments. This allowed a very busy work group to complete a segment in brief periods before starting work, lunch hour, or coffee breaks. Our unofficial theme was ?Improve your skills with a cup of coffee.?

Dan Castro
Retired GE Company

#157: Keep them Active

Always think of the learner having thousands of things to do that are more enjoyable and defineltely more urgent than your training program. As soon as your learning offering puts them in a passive reading/listening/watching mode, you’ll lose them. So most of your storyboarding efforts will have to deal with designing learning environments that make people do something (reasonable). It is less a question of a fashionable mutli-media show, than it is to think of real interactivity and authentic tasks.

Philipp Starkloff
b-educated!GmbH

#159: Help out the Help Desk

A good place to start when deciding what content to provide in an e-learning format is to identify the Top 10 questions that are received by the Help Desk. These questions (such as “How do I change the toner cartridge in my printer?” and “How do I print to a different printer?”) can often be addressed by short and effective e-Learning modules. The Help Desk Staff and senior management love this because it reduces calls to the Help Desk and employees love it because their queries are answered quickly. It’s a great way to introduce e-Learning in a firm.

Sally Heinz
St. Paul Travellers

#202: Make it personal and Informal

Use names, stories personal accounts or case histories to reveal the living organization. Use naturally occurring language, actions and other traits to reveal the informal organization.

Maish Nichani
eLearning Post

#242: What do your learners say?

Our e-learners love our 15 minute courses (business pieces.) They dislike our 1-hour segments.

Laura Mankowski
Mercury Insurance Group

#260: Know your Learner, Give them Choice

Reasearch learners’ needs and attitudes in advance as much as possible, don’t assume that “one sizefits all.” Design in bite-sized chunks that can be “driven by the learner.” Build interactivity (and no, pressing the “next” button doesn’t count as interactivity!. Allow learners choice-choice of media, learning style, and levels of learning. And build in fun!

Ana Karakusevic
BBC Training and Development

#544: Be Flexible & Don’t Keep Users in the dark

Define what you expect from users and be flexible when you can. For example: voice connection. Don’t think all or nothing. Everyone won’t have a great connection, so Voice Over IP won’t work for all. Have a phone link and let the user decide whether to do Voice Over IP or use a land line or cell phone. Second example: Internet connection: Can they attend in groups or are you doing interactive polling or tests that require each individual to have a connection? Users need to know ahead of time.

Patty Crowell
LSI Logic Storage Systems

One of Elliott Masie’s 12 tips

#2: Watch the rise and evolution of search engines like “Google.”

I believe that Google is the number one e-Learning tool in the world. It is how workers and customers learn through their browsers.

Some interesting findings from recent surveys conducted in UK on stress levels at the workplace:

-Most people are running on empty as they are coping with higher workloads and longer work hours. In fact workplace stress is now the fastest cause of absence from work in Britain.

- Managers say they are missing important family commitments because of work pressure that leaves their batteries flat by the weekend.

- Most office workers admit to being rude or bad mannered at work - two-thirds blamed pressure of work for their outbursts.

- Respondents want to see companies offer more career breaks, sabbaticals, term-time working and subsidised home working.

However long hours and work related pressure and stress become irrelevant if employees are clear of their contribution, had a sense of purpose, are appreciated for their efforts and feel empowered to do their jobs.

Read more at BBC News

The opening line certainly creates a vivid picture: ?It can be lonely at the top - especially when it feels like a boa-constrictor is wrapping itself around your chest.

Giving number problems to solve in an attempt to attract smart engineers. Google is using a novel way, through a billboard to invite smart engineers to join them.

Read more at Google Blog

Welcome to this ‘Sarai’.

Ancient India had many ‘Sarais’; a Hindi name for shelter. These would be located along long routes used by caravans. In ‘Sarais’ travellers could break a journey, take rest, catch up on the news, exchange views, interact and get rejuvenated before continuing on their journeys.

I would like my fellow journey men to discover this Sarai along the information highway. Share their thoughts, and take a few ideas before continuing their quest.

Here are some reasons why I have decided to plunge and join the growing band of bloggers.

• Deepa