Concise writing is best for elearning � Making Change

Concise writing is best for elearning � Making Change:

Cathy Moore points to some research that indicates that lessons with more words result in poorer test scores.

"The study compared three lessons about the same weather process. All lessons used the same illustrations but varied in the number of words.

The lesson with the fewest words resulted in the most learning."

Elearning!: Learning Leaders 2008

Elearning!: Learning Leaders 2008:

"The 2008 Learning Leaders [...] represent a wide range of innovative solutions to training and business challenges. The 26 winners of this annual program from Elearning! magazine and Bersin & Associates include 16 organizations from across the telecommunications, technology, military, manufacturing, consulting and retail segments and 10 providers of training and development solutions and services."

Here's the run-down on the "Vendor Innovation" category:

> Allen Communication Learning Services: The Allen Learning Portal.
> Brainshark: a YouTube-like open market for e-learning.
>InnerWorkings: a structured learning and testing environment integrated within Microsoft Visual Studio.
> Kognito Interactive: The Investigator is a Web-based, interactive learning simulation.
> Mzinga: Social Learning Suite
> NIIT: a global LMS.
> PDI Ninth House: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Interactive Edition”.
> Richardson: Richardson QuickSkills, a package of Web-based courses.
> Saba: The Saba Knowledge Center
> Suddenly Smart: SmartBuilder v3 Flash-based Web e-learning development platform.

Rapid authoring for immersive 3D games

Clive on Learning: Rapid authoring for immersive games and sims:

Clive Shepherd points to an upcoming release of a 3D "elearning" game engine:

"Caspian Learning's Thinking Worlds, the first tool that I know of to support the rapid creation of immersive, single-player 3D worlds for learning."

The product looks interesting, although I have to say that, in general I frown on the use of 3D... unless it is actually warranted by the material (e.g. the 3D representation of an engine part has clear learning value to a mechanic). Just being able to walk around with a 3D avatar and answer multiple choice questions does not good learning make.

2009 Horizon Report | EDUCAUSE CONNECT

2009 Horizon Report | EDUCAUSE CONNECT: "The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years.
The areas of emerging technology cited for 2009 are:
• Mobiles (i.e., mobile devices)
• Cloud computing
• Geo-everything (i.e., geo-tagging)
• The personal web
• Semantic-aware applications
• Smart objects"

e-Clippings (Learning As Art): The U.S. Air Force: Moving Full Scale Into Social Media

e-Clippings (Learning As Art): The U.S. Air Force: Moving Full Scale Into Social Media: "The U.S. Air Force: Moving Full Scale Into Social Media"

Mark Oehlert has an interesting post about how the USAF is utilizing Web 2.0. He points to a longer article by David Meerman Scott:

http://www.webinknow.com/2008/12/the-us-air-force-armed-with-social-media.html

What Happens to Training during a Recession?

The article below is from August of 2008, but as the Recession continues to deepen and the ripple effects are being felt everywhere, I think it is as relevant as ever (although it tends to understate the effect that the recession will have on corporate training initiatives):

Steady Under Pressure: Training During a Recession

"The current climate is causing many training leaders to step back, if not cut back, and rethink how they deliver training."