eLearning User Groups September 29, 2009
Posted by B.J. Schone in eLearning.Tags: Design, Development, eLearning, ProfessionalDevelopment, software, technology, Tools, Training, usergroup
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Last week I went to the Metrics That Matter user group in Chicago. During my trip, I started thinking about user groups related to learning and technology. Other than conferences, where do learning and technology professionals get together to discuss ideas with each other? Conferences are great; I attend them and present at them on a fairly regular basis. But too often these events are more focused on presentations than collaboration and idea sharing. We can learn a ton from each other simply by trading stories and experiences, and we should do this more often. What other ways do we have to interact directly with each other? I came up with a list of ideas below. Please chime in with your thoughts. (Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the Metrics That Matter user group meeting was excellent.)
Ideas for connecting with eLearning peers
#lrnchat
I’ve written about #lrnchat before. It’s an online discussion that happens each Thursday on Twitter. Dozens of learning and technology gurus join in to have open discussions and share ideas. This is a great way to interact with some of the top thought leaders in our field.
LMS user groups / conferences
Several LMS companies offer user groups and conferences, and I would highly recommend that you check one out if you work closely with an LMS. Most of the well-known LMS vendors have user group meetings and/or conferences, including:
- Blackboard
- Cornerstone
- GeoLearning
- Inquisiq
- Learn.com
- Mzinga
- Plateau
- Saba
- SumTotal
Technology / Development-focused user groups
Adobe has an active user group community, with over 700 groups that meet regularly to discuss products such as Captivate, Dreamweaver, Flash, and much more. Visit the Adobe Groups page for more info. (In fact, a few Captivate-specific user groups have popped up.)
Separate from the Adobe Groups is a user community for Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro.
Many of the “social learning” tools (ex. blogs, wikis, etc.) have user groups or strong online development communities. A few quick examples:
Tools like TweetGrid allow you to track keywords related to your niche of learning and technology. This can help you find others who are working on similar topics or projects, and then you can reach out to them directly.
What else?
What am I missing? Are there other ways you directly connect with peers to exchange ideas and discuss your work? Blogging, definitely. What else…?
Free Online Conference: LearnTrends 2009 September 23, 2009
Posted by B.J. Schone in eLearning.Tags: Conferences, Design, Development, eLearning, learntrends, learntrends09, learntrends2009, technology, Training
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Tony Karrer recently announced the LearnTrends 2009 Online Conference, which will be held November 17-19, 2009. Here’s a description of the conference, straight from Tony’s blog:
The theme/focus this year is on Convergence in Workplace Learning. We will bring together people who look at different aspects of learning and knowledge work to understand better what’s going on in those areas and how we should be thinking about this holistically. I’m particularly looking forward to discussions of how:
- Enterprise 2.0
- Communities and Networks
- Knowledge Management
- Corporate Libraries
- Talent Management
come together to form a cohesive picture. What should L&D managers be doing relative to these related efforts? How does this impact our eLearning Strategy?
You can join the LearnTrends community and keep up with the conference happenings on the LearnTrends web site.
Make Your eLearning Suck Less September 17, 2009
Posted by B.J. Schone in eLearning.Tags: Design, Development, eLearning, Learning, technology, Tools, Training
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Christy Tucker posted a message on Twitter earlier this month about a presentation called “eLearning Sucks” (see below). This presentation is a good reminder that we should continue to innovate and experiment with ways to keep our learners engaged. Check it out. Oh, and yes, it’s a bit ironic that this is a linear slideshow. 🙂
(This presentation was created by a company called Red Magma in London. I spent 5 minutes on their web site and I still don’t have a clear idea of what they do!)
My Peripheral Learning Resources September 11, 2009
Posted by B.J. Schone in eLearning.Tags: eLearning, Learning, technology, Tools, Training
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One of my favorite things about my job is the variety: Some days I find myself playing the role of a consultant, sometimes I act as a project manager, and other days I find myself tinkering with code or troubleshooting the LMS. I’ve been known to build fully functional web sites and web applications, and I’ve coordinated enterprise-wide programs, all in the name of learning and performance improvement. Being in this role requires me to stay sharp in several areas; I wear multiple hats, so to speak. I wanted to share some of the web sites and blogs that help me stay up to date on all the areas outside (or on the edge) of learning and technology. Check out some of the sites below. They may spark an interest for you, or help you peripherally on some of your current projects. (And please leave a comment to share sites that you find useful…)
Business / Leadership / Innovation / Productivity
Achieving Business Excellence
Emerging business trends and insight from thought leader John Spence
Great Leadership
Opinions and information on leadership and leadership development by Dan McCarthy
Harvard Business Review Blogs
A collection of really sharp people blogging about business, innovation, leadership, and more
Read It For Me
The world’s most engaging business book summaries
Seth Godin’s Blog
Thoughts from an exceptional business and marketing guru
TED
Ideas worth spreading, all related to Technology, Entertainment, and Design
The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) – Workforce productivity and Human Resource productivity research
Coding / Web Development
NetTuts
Web development and design tutorials
Script & Style
Links to help you grow as a designer and developer
SitePoint
New articles and fresh thinking for web developers and designers
Smashing Magazine
Expert design and development resources
Technology
Enterprise Web 2.0
A blog about social technologies and their impact on business (and everything else)
ReadWriteWeb
Web apps, web technology trends, social networking and social media
Mashable
Social media news and web tips
B.J. Schone
Eric Matas
kevinthorn
eLearning Weekly 