TweetDeck and Adobe Air

Here is an interesting interview with Iain Dodsworth, TweetDeck founder, about his experience developing his now prolific Air application.

http://images.tv.adobe.com//swf/player.swf

Want to create your own Air app? The video below will show you how to convert a Flash project into an Air app.

http://images.tv.adobe.com//swf/player.swf

Hanukkah e-Learning Wish List

My kids are making their wish list for Hanukkah, which inspired me to make my own. I do not necessarily expect to receive any of these things, but if Hanukkah Harry reads this blog, which he may, their is a chance he will grant at least a few.

1. Adobe CS4 eLearning Suite - I am still working with CS3.


2. High end microphone - It will come in very handy for adding audio to courses, plus it will look great on my desk.


3. OutStart Trainer - I am currently using another DHTML editor in which I am not enthralled at all.


4. The not yet released, possibly mythological, Apple Tablet - It does not exist yet, but I am willing to take a rain check in case it ever does.


5. m-Learning development tool that produces courses compatible with ALL mobile platforms.


6. DevLearn 2010 conference -  It has been quite a while since any budget has allowed me to attend a conference.


7. Supreme knowledge of ActionScript - To know it to a point that there is nothing I cannot do with Flash (that's on me isn't it?).


8. Open access to all social media for the workers of the world - I am lucky to have access to such things as LinkedIn and Twitter, but not all do. Some organizations block social media sites from their staff. I wish this to end.

If you have your own wish list, please share it in the comments section or add a link if it is on your blog.  Of course it does not have to be a Hanukkah list, it can be for whatever holiday you celebrate.

Using Blogs and Social Networks to Engage K-12 Learners

Here is a nice video that shows good use of blogs and social networks in K-12 education.

Free e-Learning Additions

It has been a while since I have added anything to the Free e-Learning page. With a little extra time this weekend, I have added a history section, which includes the courses below.

History

An Overview of American History (video) - Digital History

Ancient History - BBC

British History - BBC

Native Words, Native Warriors (Codetalkers) - NMAI

The First Thanksgiving - Plimoth.org

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization - PBS

The Roman Empire in the First Century - PBS

U.S. History Timeline - Digital History

If you have any free e-learning that you would recommend, please leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail.

Need a Storyboard? Here's a Place to Get Them

The eLearning Coach now has the "Storyboard Depot," where you can download free storyboard templates. If you have a storyboard template of your own that you would like to share on the depot, you can do that too.

The eLearning Coach is also full of other great resources. Take a look around at http://theelearningcoach.com.

Video on SixthSense Technology

Here is a great video about the potential of sixth sense technology. It will be very exciting to see this technology take hold and certainly exciting to think about all the potential it will have in e-learning.



This was presented at TEDtalks, which after seeing this, I will be watching more often.

On The Cloud

On occasion, I have written about the "Cloud" and have expected to use cloud computing more and more. So, it is time to reflect on how much cloud computing I do. Here are the tools that I use while on the Cloud, in no particular order:

WordPress - my blog

Delicious - bookmarking and sharing my bookmarks

Twitter - sharing my incoherent thoughts on e-learning

LinkedIn - professional networking, participating in e-learning/ISD groups and keeping an updated professional profile

Google Docs - occasionally creating docs and spreadsheets

Gmail - easy, simple e-mail

Picasa Web Albums - store, view and share my photos

YouTube - everyone knows what this is for... my videos

Screenr - creating quick, easy screencasts that I can Tweet and/or embed in my blog

ChartGo - this one is new for me, but I like how easy it is to make charts that I can keep on the cloud or save on my hard drive (yes, I have a hard drive too)

I think I have established a bit of a residence on the Cloud. Are there cloud apps that you would recommend? I would love to here about them.

Google Chrome OS Announced

Google has announced they will release the Chrome Operating System in 2010. This OS is for netbooks and takes full advantage of the cloud. Thus, less of a need for a hard drive and a much quicker machine. In fact, they are currently boasting of a 7 second boot-up time. The success of a Chrome OS can mean a huge leap in cloud computing and hopefully more e-learning tools and apps on the cloud too.

Here is a video preview of Chrome OS.



Not sure what cloud computing is?

• Cloud Computing in Plain English (explanation from CommonCraft)


• Cloud Service and Deployment (Brandon Hall)

LearnTrends 2009 Archive Videos Now Available

If you were not able to attend this past week's LearnTrends Conference, they have recorded the sessions and made them available at the link below.

http://learntrends.ning.com/page/learntrends-2009-november

The sessions were wonderful. Thank you to everyone who put it together. I learned quite a bit during these 3 days and plan to visit the recordings of the few sessions I was unable to attend.

Free and Easy Chart Creation Tool

Here is a free, practical tool for creating charts.

ChartGo.com provides an incredibly easy to use web-based tool for creating charts, including bar, pie, line and area charts. You can quickly create a chart, save it, and add it to a course, website or blog. They also provide numerous avenues of sharing your chart (URL, e-mail link to chart, social bookmarking, Twitter, etc.).

If you want something more sophisticated, stick with Excel. If you want something you can create in a matter of minutes, this is the tool for you. Here is an example of a chart I made.

Here are some more examples of the types of charts you can make.

Interested in Creating an Alternative Reality Games (ARG) for learning?

The elearning Guild's Learning Solutions e-magazine recently published an article by Brandon Carson, Dolly Joseph, and Enzo Silva tilted "ARGs Leverage Intelligence: Improving Performance through Collaborative Play."

It is a worthwhile read. It includes some great examples of ARGs and a case study of an ARG implemented by Sun Learning Services (Sun Microsystems). Plus, there is practical advice regarding designing ARGs for learning, who should be on an ARG design team and their roles, and design risks.

FYI: You will need to log-in to the e-Learning Guild to access the e-magazine. If you are not a member, you can join as an Associate Member for free.

Here are few more resources on ARGs and learning:

Alternate Reality at the Smithsonian

Innovative Learning (including examples and design principles)

ARGology.org - ARGs in Education & Training (contains resources for getting started and examples)

Series of video interviews regarding games and learning from Frontline (PBS)

Big Question - Presenting the Value of Social Media for Learning

Learning Circuit's Big Question this month is "How do I communicate the value of social media as a learning tool to my organization?" In response, I have put together a list of strategies I feel are important and if done right can be effective.

Management buy-in

• Demo its use to decision makers.


• Show them case studies (from your industry, if possible, and emphasize return on investment (ROI)).


• Emphasize ROI again. Can it increase sales, reduce losses, limit errors, etc.?


• Teach them how to use it and continually encourage them to use it.

Staff buy-in and prototyping

• Get a willing group of staff to use and evaluate the prototype.


• Make sure content/communications are relevant to its users.


• Stay very involved in its implementation, facilitating discussion.


• Get its users to help you market the course...creating a "buzz" about the initiative.


• Document any success stories that come from the prototype and share with the entire organization.

Get IT buy-in early

• We all now IT can sink your initiative quickly, so get yourself buy-in from a decision maker in the IT department.


• Do as much leg work as you can before you bring it to IT. Not only will they appreciate any prerequisite work you have already done, but you will be that much closer to implementing the initiative.


• Find numerous people in IT who are already using social media and ask them to use the prototype. They mayhelp you push the initiative through the possible IT bureaucracy and can provide additional evaluation and advice from a tech perspective.


• Read more about Working With IT.

Communicating the value of social media and informal learning is far from an easy task and overcoming the challenges of getting management and staff on board differs with every organization...some are more open to it than others. Either way, communicating its value does not have any end point. Like any learning initiative, it needs constant encouragement.