Connecting Real-Life Issues and Writing Courses: A Few Sample Topics for Essays and Research Papers

A great way to motivate students to conduct research and to write with true enthusiasm and passion is to let them select writing prompts that relate to everyday life and occurrences, and which give them an opportunity to express their point of view. Engaging students in issues they care about, and making sure that the topics are current and up-to-date helps writers avoid the problem of cliched responses, stale statistics, and a flat emotional appeal. Further, guiding students away from cliched, standard prompts may help eliminate copying and pasting and retrieving canned papers from repositories.

1. Human Encroachment and Animal Maulings (why are so many people mauled by bears, etc each year?)

A. Opening -- an illustrative example. Show an example. Follow with a thesis statement and overview.
B. What is going on? What is the problem? Describe it. (Use current examples, and cite sources. The examples should be real. If they are composites or hypothetical examples of what could have likely occurred, be sure to mention so.)
C. What is the extent of the problem? Provide statistics and examples. (use reliable sources, and try to obtain the original statistics, not a watered down version from an excerpt or press release)
D. What are possible explanations? Provide two sides of the story. What do you think?
E. What can be done? Describe possible solutions. What are some communities doing? Do you agree? What would you do?
F. Conclusion (more than a summary) -- Restate what you believe to be the most urgent aspects of the situation, and the most pressing moral or ethical dilemmas. Discuss what you think would be the best approach.

Brown Bears in Kamchatka

2. When Pets Become Predators: What Happens when "cute" and "exotic" pets are released into the "wild" (aka the neighborhood) by their overwhelmed owners?

A. The Nightmare Scenario -- worst case situation (!) Opening -- an illustrative example. Show an example. Follow with a thesis statement and overview.
B. What is going on? What is the problem? Describe it. (Use current examples, and cite sources. The examples should be real. If they are composites or hypothetical examples of what could have likely occurred, be sure to mention so.)
C. What is the extent of the problem? Provide statistics and examples. (use reliable sources, and try to obtain the original statistics, not a watered down version from an excerpt or press release)
D. What are possible explanations? Provide two sides of the story.
E. Common responses and solutions: what are communities doing? Do you agree? why or why not?
F. Ethical Dilemmas: What are some of the issues?
G. The Ethics of the "Easy Answer" -- is the easiest, most expedient solution the most ethical one? Why or why not?
H. What might happen in the future?
I. Conclusion (more than a summary) -- Restate what you believe to be the most urgent aspects of the situation, and the most pressing moral or ethical dilemmas. Discuss what you think would be the best approach.

Pet Boa That Swallowed the Family Cat

3. The New Homelessness in America: Mortgage Crisis Consequences on Families

A. The Faces Behind the Statistics -- Did you know...? Opening -- an illustrative example. Show an example. Follow with a thesis statement and overview.
B. What is going on? What is the problem? Describe it. (Use current examples, and cite sources. The examples should be real. If they are composites or hypothetical examples of what could have likely occurred, be sure to mention so.)
C. What is the extent of the problem? Provide statistics and examples. (use reliable sources, and try to obtain the original statistics, not a watered down version from an excerpt or press release)
D. What are possible explanations? Provide two sides of the story.
E. Common responses and solutions: what are communities doing? Do you agree? why or why not?
F. Ethical Dilemmas: What are some of the issues?
G. The Ethics of the "Easy Answer" -- is the easiest, most expedient solution the most ethical one? Why or why not?
H. What might happen in the future?
I. Conclusion (more than a summary) -- Restate what you believe to be the most urgent aspects of the situation, and the most pressing moral or ethical dilemmas. Discuss what you think would be the best approach.

The New Homeless: The Mortgage Crisis and It Human Impact

4. New Homelessness in America: The Pet Face of the Crisis (Princess Chunk, etc.)

A. "Left Behind" -- and it's not a very nice place to be... if you're a cat, dog, ferret, or iguana...
Opening -- an illustrative example. Show an example. Follow with a thesis statement and overview.
B. What is going on? What is the problem? Describe it. (Use current examples, and cite sources. The examples should be real. If they are composites or hypothetical examples of what could have likely occurred, be sure to mention so.)
C. What is the extent of the problem? Provide statistics and examples. (use reliable sources, and try to obtain the original statistics, not a watered down version from an excerpt or press release) .
D. What are possible explanations? Provide two sides of the story.
E. Common responses and solutions: what are communities doing? Do you agree? why or why not?
F. Ethical Dilemmas: What are some of the issues?
G. The Ethics of the "Easy Answer" -- is the easiest, most expedient solution the most ethical one? Why or why not?
H. What might happen in the future?
I. Conclusion (more than a summary) -- Restate what you believe to be the most urgent aspects of the situation, and the most pressing moral or ethical dilemmas. Discuss what you think would be the best approach.

Princess Chunk

The Best Way to Learn in an Online Course

A well-designed online course will guide you through the course content, and will also guide you in the best way to learn the material and to achieve desired learning outcomes. The course will bring together cognitive and behavioral approaches. In addition, self-regulation (motivation, goal-setting, etc) will be incorporated in a seamless way so that you're learning how to manage time, how to practice for exams, and how to plan for achieving outcomes.

There is quite a bit of support for an integrated learning approach. In 1996, H. Tait and N. J. Entwistle published the results of a study that revealed very useful connections between behavioral, cognitive, and emotional strategies. They concluded that the most effective learning strategies were ones that reinforced each other in a seamless, integrative manner. These insights are very useful for designers, instructors, and administrators who can develop and guide courses in ways that can naturally incorporate the acquisition of learning strategies.

In fact, a well-designed online or hybrid course can (and probably should) teach learning strategies as well as the course content. Needless to say, achieving learning outcomes requires one to have at least some facility with multiple learning strategies, particularly when learning styles differ. Further, external factors such as lack of access and confusion can create anxiety, frustration, or confusion and can act as barriers to persistence.

Cognitive Learning Strategies
1---Rehearsal

Rehearsal is not simply a matter of repetition. It involves organizing information so that it is easy to retrieve. In a traditional setting, students often copy notes, or recopy the content. Studies have suggested that this is not particularly effective at achieving deep learning, but it does help students in classification and identification of content.

In an online environment, "rehearsal" is an automatic, and is often built into navigation tools, and reinforced by using color, typography, and design. Learning activities can also ask students to type categories and to rehearse knowledge. This approach is most effective when it requires students to make connections or to classify and organize content.

One effective to rehearse knowledge is to take practice tests and quizzes (when available). Another is to share information in the discussion board.

2---Organization
Organizing involves placing information into a form that allows you to retrieve information. This may involve creating key topics and issues, and to build cognitive structures that allow classification, grouping, and inter-relation. It requires synthesis, evaluation, and higher-level activities which can lead to deeper learning.

In an online environment, if you are required to engage in an instructional activity that requires both rehearsal and organization, you will be more able to be flexible in your thinking and to use the information in more than one setting or context.

3---Elaboration
You may need to describe, define, or explain a topic. You are elaborating. This procedure is deeply constructivist in its epistemological underpinnings, which is to say that it requires students to not only repeat, restate, classify, organize, it requires you to make connections between seemingly unrelated chunks of information. It may also require making connections between course content and the your own knowledge or experience.

An online course can require you to write essays, or provide brief analyses that require the learner to engage in elaboration. To be most effective, a set of procedures or "guiding questions" can provide the scaffolding needed. Modeling elaboration by providing examples of "situated learning" -- learning that places the content within a certain context and asks the student to transform it -- can lead to the acquisition of effective learning strategies.

Behavioral Learning Strategies

1---Interpersonal help-seeking
In a classroom setting or traditional face-to-face environment, in-class group work or study groups outside the class provide an easy way to seek help.

In an online course you may wish to find answers to questions by using the discussion board, asking fellow students, posting to a wiki, doing research, finding an online tutor, or going to a virtual world or serious game for simulation(s).

2---Interaction / social reinforcement
Interactivity in a face-to-face setting is often most effective when a facilitator moderates discussions and models the behavior that is deemed desirable.

In the online environment, chat and discussion areas can be very effective, particularly if there are multimedia aspects -- video and audio -- that are easily accessed.

Blogs, instant message, informal webinars, collaborative projects and games can be ways of modeling positive interaction, and one can "reality check" one's ideas and/or thoughts. One of the most effective methods of achieving social reinforcement in an online environment is to ask students to post a project or paper in order to allow others to see what they are doing and to comment.

Establishing a group and putting together a way to communicate with online study buddies can be a very nice and effective approach, as well. Instant messaging can work, as well as other approaches.

3---Seeking help from written material
This strategy involves procedures for obtaining information from books, digital resources, and other items. Key strategies involve teaching how to narrow a search, how to recognize the correct information once it has been retrieved, and how to apply it in an appropriate manner.
The online environment offers many opportunities to coach students on how to retrieve and use information. This can range from the use of a virtual library, or the use of learning objects.

Learning objects may be informal as well as formal. For example, you may find a number of useful videos posted in YouTube or on Google Video, or in free services such as Neulio. You may also find quizzes and interactive games, or informal assessments in queendom.com or learnhub.

In fact, this is one of the best places for learning objects. Small, highly granular objects -- interactive maps, online dictionaries, diagrams, guides and flowcharts -- can be quite helpful. They can also link with cognitive strategies that involve making connections, organizing, and repeating.

4---Practical application
These procedures ask you to try things in the real world. Effective learning strategies can be modeled and transferred by using simulations, games, and virtual worlds.

Self-Regulation Strategies

1---Time management
Using the calendar function can be very helpful for organizing and planning your time. You may also wish to analyze the tasks and match the tasks to the chunks of time you have available.
Timed deadlines, and disabling/disabling access to Instant Messanger, chat, Skype, internet, and games may help.

2---Emotional control (anxiety and concentration)
Effective learning strategies in this area include procedures for minimizing and reducing anxiety, lack of concentration, and frustration.

Because of the nature of technology, the online environment can, at times, create anxiety and frustration, particularly when there are technical difficulties and access is interrupted. Poor design and navigation can create anxiety, while good design, navigation, support, and instructional activities can help the learner gain an enhanced sense of self-efficacy and self concept.

Keep in mind that the online environment (including the interface, the nature of navigation, the kinds of features), will always be in flux. This is even more the case in the Web 2.0 environment, which incorporates a great number of mashups and other informal integrated web applications. To know how is to feel confident. On way to keep emotionally calm is to try to create your own integrated web applications, or to build your own sites in myspace, facebook, linkedin, or other social networking areas.

3---Motivation
Part of the face-to-face instructional environment includes procedures to motivate individuals who are not interested in the material, or who do not like the instructional environment.
Good instructional design can be very effective in motivating you, or teaching yourself how to motivate yourself by adding interest, making connections and points of reference to your lives, establishing relevance, and instilling a sense of the usefulness and even urgency in mastering the topic.

A course that helps you connect with other people and to get the information you need can be very useful. Having access to social networking can be good in creating study buddies, sharing helpful tips and hints, and setting up mentoring. Facebook, Linkin.com, myspace, bebo.com, and a number of sims in virtual worlds (Second Life, there.com), encourage social networking in a productive, learning outcomes-oriented way. For example, you may find a tutor for Spanish in Second Life or through ning.

4---Comprehension monitoring
In the traditional environment, these refer to procedures that assess the degree to which learning objectives have been attained, and they help the instructor identify where gaps in learning exist.

In the online environment, the successful student has methods of testing, tracking, and checking his or her comprehension of the content and mastery of learning objectives. This often takes the form of e-mailing the instructor to obtain feedback. However, it can also be automated, and students can take online quizzes and/or engage in activities that help them assess whether or not they are on track. You may also take advantage so social networks for feedback and monitoring.

Conclusions
Planning an online course so that it helps guide you and your fellow students in the acquisition of effective learning strategies is a multi-pronged endeavor.

It requires a thorough understanding of a) your fellow students, their abilities, backgrounds, language, contexts, beliefs, core values, and reasons for taking the course; b) the technological environment, which includes access, hardware, variability of access, complexity of interface, etc.; c) the kinds of learning objectives that the course of study will generally involve; d) the instructors, their backgrounds and technical ability, their understanding of effective mentoring, and their willingness to adapt to ever-changing technological requirements.

Finally, be sure to employ Web 2.0 tools, tips, and strategies for access to people and resources. Social networking, collaborative information building, and informal learning tools (mashups, etc.) are constantly evolving and can help you.

Useful Resources
Ackerman, P. L., Sternberg, R. J., and Glaser, R. (Eds.) (1989). Learning and individual differences. New York : Freeman.

Caverly, D. C., and Orlando, V. P. (1991). Textbook Study Strategies. In R. F. Flippo and D. C. Caverly (Eds.), Teaching reading and study strategies at the college level. (pp. 86-155). Newark , DE : International Reading Association.

Driskell, J. E., Copper, C., and Moran, A. (1994). Does mental practice enhance performance? Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 805-814.

Schmeck, R. R. (Ed.) (1988). Learning strategies and learning styles. New York : Plenum Press.
Tait, H. and Entwistle, N. J. (1996). "Identifying students at risk through ineefcitve study strategies", Higher Education 31, 97-116.

Weinstein, C. E., & Mayer, R. E. (1986). The teaching of learning strategies. In M. C. Wittock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (3 rd ed. Pp 315-327). New York , Macmillan.

Blended E-Learning, F2F, and Mobile Learning in Banking

New developments in e-learning are enabling corporations to find new ways to train and support employees to enhance the organization’s effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

As a result, the nature of training has changed. Instead of being considered a one-time event to be completed upon hiring, training is now viewed by the organization as continuous, ongoing, and flexible. Further, in an environment that requires offices and people to coordinate from different parts of the globe across time zones and cultural differences, the new approaches to online training and support can assure consistency and continuity.

To illustrate, it is helpful to take a look at a case that is representative of the experiences of many banks that have made it their goal to increase value-added services in order to maximize revenue streams and to build customer loyalty.

A Success Story -- 24-7 Banking: ABC Bank wanted to offer its customers the opportunity to call in and speak to a live banking associate in order to conduct a wide range of banking functions 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. By offering this service, ABC Bank would be able to provide their best and most complex services for which they charged a fee that was, while modest, an important revenue source for the organization. In addition, they could gain new customers and assure customer loyalty.

The idea was not without risk, however. Processes and procedures constantly change, and the customers who called in would be very likely to have complicated problems, or need urgent, time-sensitive assistance.

In the past, ABC Bank was hesitant to offer the services. They realized that if their employees were not very highly trained, and did not offer the highest quality of service to their customers, the entire corporate image could be damaged. On the other hand, by being able to open accounts, research transactions, conduct transfers, work with legal documents (escrow, letters of credit, trust documents), the bank could have a significant edge over the competition.

ABC Bank wanted to make sure that 24-7 banking service employees had the same information and access to databases as those located in all the branch locations. Further, upper management wanted to make sure that if 24-7 customers had questions outside of normal business hours, the 24-7 banking center employees would be able to find accurate answers to complex questions, and to provide them in a secure environment.

Hybrid Training Solution: F2F, E-Learning, Mobile Learning

A hybrid web-based training solution and ongoing support database provided the ideal solution for the bank. The first step was to provide online content modules to enable the employees of the 24-7 banking service to obtain the training in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

The delivery of the training was of critical importance. In the past, the employees were issued a procedures manual and then asked to click through a Powerpoint presentation.

However, that would not be sufficient for 24-7 banking training because the employees would need to be able to perform more tasks. Further, a static presentation is simply ineffective for employees who have different learning styles, and who need hands-on practice, or who may be auditory or kinaesthetic learners.

Modules in a Web 2.0-friendly LMS

ABC Bank’s management decided on a multi-pronged approach. The learning modules, available on-demand , and repeatable as needed, consisted of multimedia presentations and audio presentations that could be downloaded and listened to on portable devices such as an iPod.

Using a platform such as Haiku, (http://www.haikuls.com), or Nfomedia (http://www.nfomedia.com), the courses were easy to assemble, and could incorporate Web 2.0 interactivity.

They also provided interactive practice and review, and “smart” assessments that immediately diagnosed where a learner needed further reinforcement, practice, and training. After diagnosis, the program automatically directed the learner and opened access to additional content modules.

Quizzes and Reviews Via Cellphone / Blackberry

After initial training, weekly interactive quizzes and reviews were made available. They were enjoyable and affordable – the links to content were provided via e-mail, and also appeared in an instant message in the corner of the employee’s screen.

Using software for mobile learning such as Hot Lava (http://www.hotlavasoftware.com) , it was possible to design and develop mobile learning components very quickly.

Review Documents in Repository

A repository of FAQs was made available and it utilized a very convenient key word search so that employees would have answers to their questions at their fingertips. The FAQ pages had links to the training modules so that individuals would go back and review the specific training elements as needed.

With a multi-pronged approach to e-learning, with continuous availability of content modules and support information, ABC Bank was able to launch 24-7 banking and to obtain positive feedback from customers. In addition, the volume of fee-based banking services increased dramatically, making the 24-7 banking one of the most profitable branches in the entire enterprise.

Webinar

Using Elluminate, Adobe Connect, and Webex, ABC Bank is able to bring employees together to review and update new procedures.

Virtual World Role Play

In the future, ABC Bank will expand its e-training by making it possible for employees to role-play and engage in interactive simulations. They have already developed a world in Second Life for customer service.

In the virtual world, employees design their avatars and then they practice greeting customers and make sure that they follow a certain bank-prescribed protocol or checklist of behaviors. Did they greet the customer by name? Did they offer new services? Did they explain the new services?


Leadership and Vision

By using a customized approach to e-learning and training, and integrating the new techniques and technologies to meet the unique needs of the organization, companies will enjoy the added benefits of enhanced communication across the organization. Individuals in a position of leadership will find that it is much easier to assure that employees across the organization feel a sense of commitment and personal dedication to the company mission and vision. Further, employee morale and motivation are enhanced as individuals feel empowered and eager to share ideas about how to enhance profitability, respond to customer needs, develop new business, and to propose process improvements.

Health Serious Games and Virtual Worlds: New Developments and a Few Favorites

Several new and expanded health-related virtual worlds and serious games are good reminders of ongoing advances in the way that health education, information, and collaborations are being developed and promoted. Virtual worlds are extremely effective where and when collaborations and interactions are key to obtaining information or education. In contrast, serious games are widely employed to train health professionals who need to understand concepts, analyze situations and scenarios, and respond to lifelike simulations.

Knowledge-Building with Information and Health Library Resources
Veteran's Health Administration in Second Life
http://slurl.com/secondlife/depo%20business%20hub/166/169/37/
http://www1.va.gov/HEALTH/VHAinSecondLife.asp

The Veterans Health Administration has entered Second Life, the 3-D, online virtual world to provide veterans with another means of accessing important health and benefits information. VHA has leased a virtual three-story, contemporary office building in a professional office park as part of pilot project to extend their outreach efforts.

Health Info Island
Funded by the Greater Midwest Region of the National Network/National Library of Medicine (GMR NN/NLM) through a grant written by Lori Bell, of the Alliance Library System, Illinois, librarians at Healthinfo Island in Second Life explore the provision of consumer health information services in a virtual environment. The island is home to a consumer health library and a medical library, as well as virtual outposts or displays run by the National Library of Medicine's Special Information Services, contractors for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and our newest building, the Accessibility Center. This center houses another GMR NN/NLM funded projectwith the aim of encouraging awareness of vision, mobility, learning, and other disabilities.

Cigna deploys a Second Life island for health education
With the goal of making healthcare education engaging and accessible, Cigna Healthcare has created a virtual environment in the Second Life virtual world to educate people on how to improve their health.


The Cigna Virtual Healthcare Community is an “island” in Linden Lab’s Second Life world where users can walk through 3-D interactive displays with their avatars, play educational games, listen to seminars on nutrition and health, and receive virtual health consultations.The pilot will offer virtual seminars, interactive displays and educational games that encourage preventative care, improvements in healthcare behavior, as well as help to sustain these changes.



The pilot, which will be conducted in the United States and the United Kingdom, is designed to encourage healthcare dialogue among users, healthcare providers and peers says Peter Mills, chief medical officer, Cigna Vielife Division. Mills emphasized that the program is "not replacing anything, but that people might find it a more preferable medium to engage in conversations about healthcare."


Health Care Serious Games

Pulse!! Virtual Clinical Learning Lab for Health Care Training
http://www.breakawaygames.com/serious-games/solutions/healthcare/pulse.html

Pulse!! is an effective immersive virtual learning space for training health care professionals in clinical skills. Graphics recreate a lifelike, interactive, virtual environment in which civilian and military heath care professionals practice clinical skills in order to better respond to injuries sustained during catastrophic incidents, such as combat or bioterrorism.

Pulse!! ws developed in partnership with Texas A & M University - Corpus Christi and funded from a federal grant from the Department of the Navy's Office of Naval Research.

Free Dive: Pediatric Pain Management http://www.breakawaygames.com/serious-games/solutions/healthcare/free_dive.html

Free Dive is a virtual reality-based, 3D undersea exploration adventure that invites players to swim with sea turtles and tropical fish as they hunt for hidden treasure.

The game was designed to distract children who undergo frequent and often painful medical procedures in conjunction with the medical researchers at University of Maryland Medical Center and the non-profit foundation, Believe in Tomorrow. A study involving Free Dive demonstrated that children better withstand painful medical procedures while engaged with Free Dive.

Escape from Diab
http://www.archimageonline.com/diab.cfm

Escape from Diab is a serious videogame adventure in healthy eating and exercise. The project is a production of Archimage, Inc, in collaboration with the Children’s Nutrition Research Center of Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine. Escape from Diab was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

Infection: Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space
http://www.archimageonline.com/nanoswarm.cfm

Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space is a serious videogame adventure in healthy eating and exercise. Archimage, Inc. collaborated with experts at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center of Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine. The project was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

Authority and the Essay

Here is a video with revision strategies and ideas:

And here is another:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5146101322017919869&hl=en

Learning Objects in Virtual Worlds

Learning Object Repositories (LORs) have emerged as more collaborative and participatory than ever before, thanks to the nature of Web 2.0. The learning objects (LOs) have more variety and they encourage sharing, personalizing, and storing. In many cases, the LORs are inter-institutional, which is to say that they were created by more than one entity, often as a collaboration within a consortium. For that reason, the LOs have needed to be multi-purposable, as well as reusable.

The virtual world, Second Life, offers numerous educational institutions an opportunity to create highly effective sims (islands). The learning objects developed by one educational institution are often utilized in other islands, often because the same design team has created many "builds" for numerous clients.

1. Virtual labs. A wide variety of learning objects exists within virtual labs. The objects are representational of real lab equipment, and they provide an opportunity for an immersion experience or a simulation. For example, on Nanotechnology Island, there is a virtual observatory in which visitors can look through a robotically controlled telescope.

2. Information kiosks. Second Life sims often feature objects that look like computer stations or workstation touchscreens. They allow the visitor to click on them and obtain information. Often, the visitor clicks the object and is taken out into the web, where there is information not yet incorporated into the island itself. For example, the University of the Pacific's visitor and orientation center allows individuals to click on their information kiosk. The kiosk contains a link to an external website, where the information is housed.

3. Calling cards. Calling cards let visitors share information about each other. A calling card is a digital object containing information -- often contact information - about each other. They can include information, capabilities, skills, even something to wear.

4. Community outreach LOs. Often it is possible to incorporate a learning object that automatically sends an instant message or designates as a "friend."

5. Simulations. Participatory, with larger community of distributed resources. For example, there are places within Second Life which allow individuals to build their own simulations, and to place interactive objects there. In this case, the builder is interacting with Learning Objects (LOs), and working within a larger asset base of distributed resources. An example is an emergency room simulation that allows health professionals and nurses to become familiar with equipment and procedures.

6. Visualization tools. Perhaps the most innovative of learning objects, these tools allow users to perceive and "see" the physical world in a new way. They can magnify (in the case of microscopes and scanning electronic microscopy in the CDC Island). They can also distort, as in the case of the Health Info Island's vision impaired kiosk, where visitors are able to enter a "cave" where they are only able to see in the way that a seriously vision impaired person might.

7. Force of Nature experiences. LOs that allow one to experience being in the eye of a hurricane, on the wave front of a tsunami, or within an EF-5 tornado, are some of the new force-of-nature immersive experiences.

8. Touch-based Learning. Some learning objects allow individuals to learn by using touch. This can occur with a touch screen, or perhaps with joysticks. The touch screens are particularly useful with respect to learning how to use equipment that has similar equipment and techniques.

9. Streaming Media. Learning objects allow individuals to watch presentations while chatting and posting comments. The experience is very immediate.

Interview with Ron Hart: AAPG's Datapages

Welcome to an interview with Ron Hart, who is in charge of the operations of Datapages, a digital information repository and a subsidiary of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Information from Datapages is used in a number of applications, ranging from education and training, to exploration and development of oil and gas resources.

1. Please describe your position and your involvement with digital materials.

Datapages began in late 1989 with the idea that information libraries could be built on time-share computers. I was hired by Masera Corporation of Tulsa, Oklahoma, to help organize and capture selected exploration and production data in the published literature of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). Early in the 1990s it became apparent that time-share computing was obsolete with the advent of new storage technology (new, cheaper media and larger internal drives) and with the ultimate time-share computer – the internet. Since those early days, Datapages spun off from Masera Corporation and has since been purchased by AAPG (we now are a wholly owned subsidiary).

Since 1992, Datapages has captured the full-text archives of AAPG and 29 other publishing professional societies, including all text, images, and any oversize maps, etc. We also are capturing new material in all media (GIS mapping files, streaming video of keynote lectures, etc.). I am the manager of the Datapages unit and I have been with the program since 1990 when it began.


2. What is Datapages? What kinds of materials are involved?

Datapages is the digital publishing program within the AAPG. We have responsibility for any non-print technical publication. Our archives now comprise more than 90,000 full-text documents and our goal is to gather all publications from the affiliated professional sister societies of the AAPG into a single comprehensive archive database. Our collection includes mostly HTML text with associated JPG images and PDF scans of the source document.

We also maintain a public-access online magazine for the exploration and production community (http://www.searchanddiscovery.com), featuring abstracts, short papers, and video archives from Keynote speakers at our annual Conferences.

Since 1998 we have been building a parallel database of mapping files in GIS formats. GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is used extensively in the petroleum industry in specific, and in the geological sciences in general. We launched our project with a $1 million industry-sponsored program to convert much of our published archives into GIS-formatted mapping layers or coverages. Now we receive original GIS coverages in the form of research reports from authors seeking to publish their work. We believe GIS is a viable publishing program alternative to traditional text-and-image publishing. A map is really a visual representation of a database or, as the Chinese philosopher is credited, a picture is worth a thousand words. Geologists speak in the “map” language so we wanted to begin publishing original science in that same language. We recently received a $9.4 million gift from an industry source to help endow the future of our GIS publishing program.


3. What are a few ways that the materials can be used in college courses?

The usefulness is obvious. We offer instant access to an entire research library. This is the essence of the internet – to provide 24/7 access to sources of information. A student can search our database and download entire full-text articles, use the maps and images as source documents. Using our GIS database of maps and map images, the student can download entire databases (with georeferenced links to map layers), and add his/her own data to the archived database expanding the data set.


4. How might they be used for professionals seeking to update their skills or knowledge base?

Our databases feature text and images extremely useful in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. We offer ready industrial application. These same materials can be used as real-time data sets in training by short course instructors, workshop facilitators, and professors at universities who advise candidates for advanced degrees.


5. What do you think is the next big thing with online materials such as those included in AAPG’s Datapages?

Many commercial publishers are questioning what constitutes a publication. For the last 500 years we have been putting ink onto paper and science has advanced. This is called the “dissemination of information.” Traditional publishers have compiled discourses between the covers of a book and forced readers to purchase an entire collection of papers at once. Today we are re-defining the journal concept and anyone with a story to tell can report their research as a single paper, or even as a single map. Many research papers have been overlooked because they were included in unpopular volumes or journals, but researchers today are beginning to see their work appearing in online aggregations of many journals, appearing through the large search engines like Google, or posted to open-access websites offering legitimate peer review.

E-Learning Queen's "Corgi Big Bark Awards" June 2008

This month marks the inauguration of E-Learning Queen's Corgi Big Bark Awards. Created to recognize innovations in e-learning, the awards are a way to encourage people who have a dream and a vision, and whose energy provides very welcome inspiration and affirmation for all involved in e-learning.



The Corgi Big Barks are awarded to products and services that achieve a high score in the following categories:

* meets a need in a new way
* is easy to use
* encourages the user think of new ways to teach and learn
* makes one think of new ways to communicate / share / collaborate
* demonstrates a sense of whimsy, humor, beauty
* is practical and affordable
* promotes social responsibility

Elluminate Publish!
http://www.elluminate.com/
Elluminate consistently innovates in a positive and useful way, and the company updates its webinar and other collaborative tools in response to evolving uses of elearning technologies.
The new product, Publish!, is an authoring tool that streamlines the process of using webinars for instructional material for asynchronous as well as synchronous courses.



Revoluminary
http://revoluminary.com/
Revoluminary is a student-based initiative to encourage grassroots tutoring and mentoring efforts. Revoluminary contains classifications of tutoring offerings, a rating system, whiteboards, and other tools that encourage interaction. The flexibility, ease of use, and profoundly inclusive approach to tutoring and mentoring are to be commended.



Narrator Files: Sparrow Interactive
http://www.sparrowia.com/
Profesional voiceovers and stock photos may not seem like a very big deal until you find yourself spending days upon days trying to generate good audio and multimedia content. Sparrow Interactive has created an approach that will work very well with programs of all scopes and sizes, from training to graduate education.

Instructional Spice
http://www.instructionalspice.com/activityspice/
Custom flash activities. Activity Spice is an online application that builds custom eLearning flash activities to be inserted in whatever eLearning platform is in use. This is a web-based application, meaning that Activity Spice be accessed from anywhere. As a result, it can be used work, at home, or at the client location. In a matter of minutes one can have a flash activity customized and downloaded, ready to insert in a course. What used to take days now takes minutes.

LearnHub
http://www.learnhub.com/
Learnhub is a social learning network that gives individuals the opportunity to use a friendly interface to upload video, audio, pdfs, images and other course content, and then to schedule courses, tutoring sessions, and more.

Learnhub incorporates Web 2.0 applications and philosophy in a very clear and straightforward way, resulting in the empowerment of instructors and students. Individuals can form communities and share content. In addition, learners can charge for courses and tutoring sessions, participate in others' sessions, and rate their experiences.

How to Use Elluminate's New Program To Fast-Track Branded Online Course Creation

This is an expansion of an earlier post on how to fast-track the creation of online courses using recorded webinars. I’m applying the concepts to Elluminate’s new new product, Publish!, designed to help users do all the things in my May 2008 "wish list" post, and more. In my post, I discussed how archived webinars (using Elluminate, Adobe Connect, Neulio, LearnHub, etc.) can be saved and then used as the core instructional content for web-based courses and/or hybrid courses. Here's the article again, which has been updated to reflect Elluminate's new product, which is called Publish! (http://elluminate.com/publish/).

Recorded and archived webinars can have very high value as instructional material for online, hybrid, and web-enabled face-to-face courses. Further, well-designed and executed webinars can create an outstanding library of useful information.

The key to success is good planning. It is important to make sure that the following items are covered in the webinar:

1.The objectives of the webinar are clearly stated.
A bullet point list of topics, goals, and desired learning outcomes can help guide the participant.

2. The content is organized in a clear sequence, with a logical flow.
Powerpoints should be clear and not distracting. Avoid too many all-text powerpoints, and use engaging and meaningful graphics when possible.

3. Audience participation is encouraged (even when recorded, seeing audience participation is engaging) with use of polls, surveys, and interaction.
Pace the insertion of polls and audience participation so that they are presented in regular intervals.

4. Audio should be spontaneous, conversational, and related to the content.
Avoid reading the powerpoints. Respond to questions from participants in a clear, relevant, and respectful way. Encourage individuals to use their audio. If they text message their question, be sure to read their question aloud in order to record and capture it for the archived webinar.

5. Use high-impact images that reinforce the objectives of the webinar.
In addition to powerpoints, it is possible to incorporate video, maps, graphics, tables, and other high-impact media. Make sure that you are making the connection between the course goals and the presentation.

Discussion of virtual world library resources.

6. Encourage participants to respond, not just with text messages, but also with audio questions.
You may also wish participants to send links to their own sites and to information that others will find helpful.

7. Content is of high quality and relevant to the objectives of the webinar.
It is a good idea to go through an prune material that does not directly bear on the goals and objectives of the webinar. A distraction or a dash off into the wrong direction can be devastatingly time-consuming in a synchronous webinar format. It’s even worse if the webinar is being archived for future use. Editing out the digressions later can be a real headache.

8. Content is aligned with the level and needs of the participants.
Before you start do the webinar, get an idea of the participants. Who are they? What is their background? Why are they attending? Be sure to gather the information and keep it in mind as you prepare the material.

9. Quizzes, questionnaires, and other interactive elements are included.
Again, don’t overwhelm, and pace them well.

10. If the webinar is a part of a series or a sequence, the place in the sequence should be clearly marked.

Screen shot from an Elluminate webinar

A number of webinar providers have targeted the education market and have made their products effective for classroom learning. However, Elluminate is leading the pack at this point with a number of useful attributes:

Attributes of the most Elluminate’s Vrooms include:

1. Interactivity with multiple participants;

2. Interactivity includes polling, questionnaires, surveys, and quick quizzes;

3. Individuals can write, draw, doodle in whiteboard area;

4. Participants can chat with the group;

5. Participants can send messages to other participants;

6. The interface supports audio and video demos;

7. The interface allows the presenter to move graphics and slides at own pace;

8. A log of presenters with contact information can be made available;

9. The interface allows for orderly interactivity (raise hands function, mute, etc.)

10. A moderator / administrator can archive the webinar.

When utilizing the archived webinars, it is very important to not simply create a "wraparound" shell to house the content. Instead, it is important to create a lesson plan that incorporates effective flow, and has learning objectives as well as clear outcomes assessment. Follow the steps outlined above, and you’ll have high-quality instructional material that will form the foundation of an excellent course that is unique to your organization, and which builds your brand.

Elluminate Learning Suite - http://www.elluminate.com/press/learning-suite-2008.jsp

Elluminate Next > Bundle - http://www.elluminate.com/press/elluminate-next-2008.jsp

posted by susan

Useful book that will help you develop effective online and hybrid courses using archived webinars:
http://ccthomas.com/details.cfm?P_ISBN13=9780398077501

just for fun - new book for teens stresses social responsibility:
http://www.gooddeedssociety.com

Research Paper Sources: Is Your Data Original or Derivative?

Conducting research for a paper or study requires students to be able to determine where and when their sources are reporting information derived from the primary research, which is, in essence a derivative or second-order reporting. Needless to say, this could lead to errors. Here are a few ways to avoid the problems.

Seek the Primary Source of Statistics and Studies:
Using a web-based search engine such as Google, or a database such as Lexis-Nexis that contains a large number of newspaper articles, can yield excellent preliminary results if one is seeking statistics or the results of research to provide evidenciary support for a position made in one’s primary thesis.

However, it could be a bit risky to use the information from the newspaper source, since it could have been slightly distorted or mistyped (scrivener’s errors, etc.). Even worse, the information is often gleaned from a press release, which was created with a definite agenda in mind, resulting in potential skew or bias.

The best approach is to use the newspaper articles as a good first step. After finding who conducted the research, where the results were published, and when, go online to online information repositories and obtain the actual report.

Many times, the report or original publication will be housed on the website of the organization that is publishing the results. This is many times the case with government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and think tanks.

Identify Second-Order Derivatives of Primary Research-Use as Points of Departure:
A reference to a published report or statistics can be thought of as second-order derivatives of primary research. While these are very useful, the information can be a confusing, especially if the article contains a combination of original research and other peoples’ findings.

Sometimes it is not easy to determine that an article is referring to the results of studies contained in other published reports.

While reading the article, it is often useful to develop a diagram that lists the research, the dates, and the names of the primary researchers.

If several studies are being mentioned, it is important to be able to differentiate them. Once the second-order derivatives have been identified, make list and start to construct a brief annotated bibliography. If the results are to be quoted or used in one’s own paper, it is important to obtain a copy of the original report.

Here is a video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2165370213936058620&hl=en

Using Django for Website Development

Ayman Hourieh's book, published by Packt Publishing, is a convenient way to get started developing websites using Django. This book's major virtue is that it provides guidelines to the full process of developing a website with Django. It moves from getting started to actually starting to construct and deploy the framework. Thus, the project-oriented approach is extremely effective. This book is a welcome addition to open-source software resources, and allows users to increase the power and functionality of all solutions.



Django is a framework for Python, a programming language that many consider to be one of the best general purpose languages for developing web applications. Python has a clean and elegant language, but also a huge library of modules and components. It's a stable language, which is appealing to programmers. Further, it works on many web servers, including UNIX/Linux, Windows, Mac. Python is free.

As a framework for Python, Django makes a clean, powerful language even sweeter. While the framework works well as a content manager, especially since it was originally created to manage newsgroups and news-oriented websites, Django also accommodates deadling-driven environments.

The book is very clear. It starts with the basic information one would need to get started (Python, a server, and a database system such as MySQL, Oracle, etc.). It then proceeds with examples, such as a step-by-step description of how to create a social bookmarking application. Django is Web 2.0-friendly, and accommodates tags. It can also be integrated with AJAX, although many would recommend against it since Asynchronous Javascript & XML (AJAX) sounds a lot more useable than it really is.

Learning Website Development with Django

The book emphasizes that with Django, one can create templates, and there is an emphasis on reusability. The problem with the book, though, is that it does not include a link to downloadable templates or code.Thus, the deployment of the solutions is a bit limited.

Trends in Technology and Learning: NMC Summer Conference Plenary Stresses Contextual Constructivism

The opening plenary address of the New Media Consortium (NMC) Summer Conference stressed the importance of community and context when developing educational programs, particularly those using innovative technologies. Delivered by Dr. Diana Oblinger, President of EDUCAUSE, the speech took place on the campus of Princeton University, host for this year's conference. The New Media Consortium (NMC) is a community of hundreds of leading universities, colleges, museums, and research centers. The NMC stimulates and furthers the exploration and use of new media and technologies for learning and creative expression.

In keeping with the goals of the NMC Summer Conference (June 10-14), Oblinger's address focused on where and how Web 2.0 and "Learning 3.0" will bring new opportunities for learners that will accommodate preferences and the need to work in a collaborative dynamic.

Stressing the notion of "contextual constructivism," Oblinger discussed how students now expect to connect with each other and to participate in experiential learning activities. Learning takes place as much in informal settings as in the formal "classroom" (face to face or virtual), in those situations, social networks are of paramount importance.

Learning environments have changed, asserted Oblinger, and models of ideal instruction have followed. For example, instead of passively reading texts, students prefer to work with the information. A culture of participatory knowledge creation has emerged, and amateurs are often accepted as authorities (wikis, etc.), and information is viewed as something to be mashed up and integrated with web applications.

While the new paradigm has truly opened new opportunities for learners, it is dependent upon access, cautioned Oblinger. America needs a broadband policy in order to assure universal access.

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus - NMC Summer Conference, Princeton, NJ

After Dr. Oblinger finished her presentation, Larry Johnson, CEO of the NMC announced a few special events in addition to the full schedule of workshops and breakout sessions. One event included the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, available for conference participants who wish to learn about some of new trends in multimedia and immersive / collaborative learning.

Interview with Barbara Lauren, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

Welcome to an interview with Dr. Barbara Lauren, Associate Director, Compliance and Professional Development for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO).

1. What is your name and your relation to education, especially distance education?

For five years I have supervised and taught in the online continuing education offerings of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). I work in concert with Don Bunis, American University Registrar (retired), who serves as technical consultant to our online offerings, and who trains and guides our online faculty (including teaching the advanced registrar course himself).



2. Please describe a few of the projects you have been involved in.

We offer four-week courses for our two major constituencies – registrars and admissions officers – at two different levels: one each for registrars or admissions officers who have entered the field within the past three years, and one for people in each field who are managers, or are aiming to be managers.

All four courses are offered asynchronously, on the Blackboard platform. For each course, we provide a three-day orientation, so that everyone learns how to enter the Discussion Board, start a new thread, and otherwise use the technology. Each course consists of four segments, and we post them week by week, to encourage people to think through each segment, rather than “getting through them, all in one fell swoop.” In addition, we have an open forum – the “Cyber Cafe” – available throughout each course. There, people can raise issues of particular interest to them that may not have emerged otherwise. We encourage participants to respond to each other, so that everyone can benefit.
3. The College Admissions Officer’s Guide has just been published and you were the editor. What was the goal of the publication? What was the scope? What were some of the challenges? Please describe how the Guide could be valuable for online programs.

The College Admissions Officer’s Guide (2008) is a companion volume to The Registrar’s Guide (2006). Both are hard-bound volumes of 500-plus pages, and they have been written by our public-spirited members in the field. Both books address a wide number of current issues in their areas. What I wrote in the Introduction to The Registrar’s Guide could stand equally well as a summary of the purpose of the admissions guide, too:

“This book was planned to enhance the skills of the seasoned registrar, while also being written clearly enough to aid the new registrar – or the veteran registrar who is venturing out of his or her comfort zone, by choice or by assignment, into a different part of the field…. These chapters represent the distillation of years of experience of very thoughtful people.”

Already, we are making use of one of the chapters in The College Admissions Officer’s Guide in our online course for admissions managers. One of the segments in the managers’ course concerns, as you would expect, “Best Practices in Recruiting and Marketing.” One of the readings in that segment is a very helpful chapter on “Technology-Enhanced Recruitment Communication,” by Dr. Dean Kahler of Western Kentucky University. This chapter offers a wide-ranging introduction to many of the newest ways of communicating with a high-tech generation.

As to challenges, the greatest challenge in creating and shepherding a book is simply deciding what we need and want to cover, and then recruiting authors to do so. Once you devise the roadmap, everything else follows.

4. Based on your work with AACRAO’s online continuing education programs, what do you see as the top trends in distance education?

I would say that a top trend, and challenge, in online distance education is to emphasize to the learners the importance of their interacting with other participants. We emphasize to those who have signed up that mere passive “listening” will not give them the maximum benefit from the course. We explicitly offer such tips as: Take full advantage of the interactivity of this medium. Participate! Log on to the workshop every day, and take full advantage of the fact that you will get to know your fellow-learners well over the course of the four weeks. Only by involving yourself actively will you gain the most from the course.

5. How can individuals and organizations obtain a copy of The College Admissions Officer’s Guide?

For orders, please call (301) 490-7651 (Eastern Standard Time), or go to http://www.blogger.com/www.aacrao.org/publications. The item number for The College Admissions Officer’s Guide is 0120. If you are interested in The Registrar’s Guide, the item number is 0110.

6. Is there a quotation which inspires you?

I really would like to share with everyone the quotation I chose to lead in to my Introduction to The Registrar’s Guide. The thought is short but wise:

“We are all of us ignorant, but on different subjects.”
Will Rogers, humorist-philosopher

The ability to enlighten people speedily on a variety of subjects is what continuing education, especially online, is all about!


Dr. Lauren can be reached at http://www.blogger.com/laurenb@aacrao.org, or at 202-293-9161, ext. 6502

LearnHub: Web 2.0 Social Learning Network with Courses, Tutoring, Content Sharing

LearnHub is a fresh approach to online learning that combines social networks and content management to allow users to create, use, and manage online learning (training, tutoring, mini-courses, reviews), all in an easy-to-use platform that encourages multimedia, graphics, and interactivity. What makes Learnhub unique is the fact that it contains an easy-to-use content management system that allows the user to create courses. Despite still being in its rollout phase, individuals and groups are using LearnHub, including such colleges as Athabasca University and several other Canadian, U.S., and global associations and learning organizations.

The flexibility of LearnHub allows an individual to take courses, host content, offer synchronous courses, and to provide synchronous tutoring services. The resources include a whiteboard, chat with threaded discussions, quizzes, downloadable pdfs, audio, and video. Courses can be free, or can have a fee associated with them. They can have fixed start and end dates, rolling start dates, or be completely open.

Tutor offerings are synchronous, live sessions between instructors and students including a whiteboard, video, audio, and document sharing. They can be free or have a fee associated with them. To participate, one should request a session, and the instructor sets up a time.

Upon first glance, the interface does not seem to be too far unremoved from social networking sites such as Bebo (http://www.bebo.com) that offer the opportunity to develop different channels for networks, and which encourage you to create your own content and share it in innovative ways using integrated web applications and other mashups.



The features of LearnHub differentiate it from other portals, start pages, or web application integrators. The focus on learning, the ability to take rate, and comment on content, providers, and learning experiences make it a unique service. Further, with the ability to charge (and collect) fees, the incentives for individuals to put their best possible content, and to take instruction to a level not found in free offerings.



It is important to keep in mind that at this point, LearnHub does not offer a full-fledged learning management solution. It does not have a gradebook, and some of the other features that one might expect with an LMS.

LearnHub allows one to record and archive synchronous sessions (as do web-conferencing programs such as Elluminate or Adobe Connect). This expands the scope of instructional materials. Those who have used archived webinars as building blocks for the instructional content in a course will appreciate this option.

LearnHub's communities and open structure encourage individuals to be creative about the type of ways to use the training and collaboration potential.

The flexibility, social networking, and overall ease of use make LearnHub a compelling option. Not only is it effective for individuals who may wish to offer training, it also encourages colleges and universities to supplement their face-to-face courses with the rich Web 2.0 environment offered by LearnHub. As in the case of the best Web 2.0 applications, LearnHub promotes interaction, collaboration, sharing, peer networking, as well as innovation in multimedia self-expression.

Here is an example of the content that has been placed in a video lesson module in LearnHub (beyondutopia):

Interview with Veronica Inoue, Learning Review

Welcome to an interview with Veronica Inoue, managing editor and director of Learning Review, the first publication in Spanish dedicated to elearning. The interview appears here in both Spanish and English.

1. What is your name and what is your connection to e-learning?
Soy Verónica Inoue y me desempeño como Directora Editorial de Learning Review, una publicación que aborda los temas de capacitación y desarrollo con nuevas tecnologías, donde se incluye el e-Learning. Learning Review comenzó como una revista latinoamericana y ahora ya tiene una edición completamente exclusiva para España. Además, soy alumna de una Maestría por e-learning y realizo otras actividades a veces como tutora y otras como participante.

I am Verónica Inoue and I’m the Editorial Director of Learning Review, a publication that presents themes of training and development with new technologies, which incluyes e-learning. Learning Review began as a Latin American magazine, and now it has an edition that is completely exclusive for Spain (here). In addition, I have a master’s degree in elearning, and I am often involved in other activities; sometimes as instructor, and sometimes as participant.


2. How did you first become involved in the topic of e-learning?
Estudié Recursos Humanos en la Universidad y vimos este tema en la cátedra de Capacitación. Dado el interés que me causó este tema (allá por el año 2001), realicé mi tesis en este tema; investigué sobre las implementaciones que se estaban haciendo en distintos ámbitos en Argentina en ese momento.

I studied Human Resources at the university and we say this theme in the department of Training and Development. Given the interest that this topic inspired in me (back in 2001), I decided to do my thesis in this area. I investigated the way that elearning was being implemented in several different areas in Argentina at that moment in time.

3. What is the Learning Review LatinoAmerica, and how did it come into existence?
Learning Review Latinoamérica es una publicación sobre capacitación y desarrollo mediado por tecnologías (e-learning, m-learning, blended learning, educación en mundos virtuales 3D), así como sobre mejora del desempeño humano, gestión del conocimiento y capital intelectual. Produce una revista trimestral en papel para toda Latinoamérica, un newsletter mensual con noticias, eventos y adelantos de la edición en papel, y un sitio web que se actualiza diariamente. (www.learningreview.com).

Learning Review Latin America is a publication that covers technology-mediated training and development (elearning, mobile learning, blended learning, and education in 3D virtual worlds), with the goal of improving human performance, the development of knowledge and intellectual capital.


Learning Review Latinoamérica nació para cubrir la necesidad de información y actualización que demandaban los profesionales de capacitación y desarrollo de las empresas de esta región. Es la primera revista sobre esta temática específicamente, en habla hispana.

4. What is the magazine's primary mission? Who is your target audience? Why?
Our primary mission is to be the partner enables training and development professionals to demonstrate the commercial value of their skills and specialties. We would like to establish a space where training and development professionals find, in a single place, all the information they need to keep current. We also aim to share experiences, trends, research, opinions and news in the training and development sector, that boost one’s knowledge in a continuous and accessible way.

Nuestra misión principal es ser el socio que permita a los profesionales de capacitación y desarrollo rentabilizar las prácticas de su área, así como generar impacto en el negocio.
Establecer un espacio donde los profesionales de capacitación y desarrollo encuentren, en un solo lugar, toda la información para mantenerse actualizados.
Difundir las experiencias, tendencias, investigaciones, opiniones y novedades del sector de capacitación y desarrollo de personas, que permitan crear conocimiento en forma continua y accesible.

Our target audience consists of the following:

Directors of human resources
Training and development managers
Directors of consulting groups that specialize in e-learning, corporate training, continuing education
Leaders of e-learning projects
Instructional designers and instructional technologists who work in e-learning projects
Chairs and others responsable for human resources careers and those affiliated with universities that offer e-learning

El target de nuestra audiencia conforma:
· Directores de recursos humanos.
· Gerentes de capacitación y desarrollo.
· Directores de consultoras de e-learning, capacitación corporativa, educación continua.
· Lideres de proyectos de e-learning.
· Diseñadores instruccionales y tecnólogos que trabajen en proyectos de e-learning.
· Responsables de carreras de RRHH y afines de universidades con oferta presencial y por e-learning.

5. What do you see as the most exciting new directions in elearning in Latin America today?
Creo que finalmente está insertándose en la mayoría de las empresas medianas y grandes. Latinoamérica siempre se encuentra uno o dos pasos atrás de las tendencias mundiales que suelen darse inicialmente, en Estados Unidos, Europa, Japón. Entonces, si bien en las grandes empresas el e-learning es un hecho y ya están yendo en busca de integrar el m-learning o los mundos virtuales, en las empresas medianas está iniciándose el proceso de incorporación y de integración a la modalidad presencial de capacitación. Desde muchos gobiernos de países latinoamericanos, se está comenzando a incentivar estas prácticas de e-learning, principalmente desde la incorporación de esta modalidad de aprendizaje a instituciones públicas. De hecho ya hay interesantes casos de e-learning gubernamental en Latinoamérica.

I believe that elearning is finally being incorporated in the majority of mid-sized and large companies. Latin America always seems to find itself a step or two behind global trends that tend to be initiated in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Then, in large companies, if e-learning is a given and they're already looking for ways to integrate mobile learning or virtual worlds, then we'll start seeing medium-sized companies initiating the process of incorporating those modes of training. Quite a few governments of Latin American countries are starting to provide incentives to incorporate elearning, mainly in public institutions. In fact, there are already interesting cases of government elearning in Latin America.

6. What are some of the main barriers?
Lamentablemente, la conectividad sigue siendo una de las barreras más difíciles de quebrar en esta región. El problema nunca está en las capitales de los países o las grandes urbes, sino en las pequeñas poblaciones más alejadas de los centros urbanos.
También falta mucho más incentivo, capacitación, iniciativas por parte de los distintos ministerios o dependencias del gobierno (los ministerios de educación, de trabajo, deberían generar políticas y ponerlas en práctica para hacer de esto una cuestión de interés nacional).
Y por supuesto, no puedo dejar de mencionar la barrera cultural que en muchos países aún se torna como principal dificultad. En este sentido será fundamental el rol y la posición que tomen las universidades y los colegios; integrar el e-learning en la educación (en todas las etapas) es fundamental para ir rompiendo esta barrera cultural.


Sadly, connectivity continues to be one of the most difficult barriers to overcome in this region. The problem never occurs in the capitals of countries, or in the large cities, but in the small population centers more distant from the urban centers. Also lacking are incentives, training, and initiatives on the part of different ministries or branches of the government (ministries of education and of labor should generate policies and put them in practice in order to make this a question of national interest.)

Of course, I must not fail to mention a cultural barrier that in many countries still presents itself as the principle difficulty. In this sense, the role and the position that the universities and high schools take is absolutely fundamental. It is important to integrate elearning into education (at all stages) because it is vital in order to go forth breaking down cultural barriers.

7. How can more people have access to elearning?
Esta es una pregunta que es sencilla de responder; el problema es poder poner en práctica aquello que decimos (que es lo más difícil en Latinoamérica). El e-learning puede hacerse accesible a más gente si se pueden concretar iniciativas desde distintos frentes: gobierno, empresas privadas, instituciones académicas. Todos estos actores tienen una responsabilidad social; en este caso, hablando sobre e-learning, su responsabilidad es hacer del e-learning algo accesible. ¿Cómo? A través de capacitación online en cibercafés (que están muy difundidos en toda Latinoamérica); integrando esta modalidad en todas las cátedras de las universidades; promoviendo la capacitación online en centros comunitarios (ya sea tengan o no Internet); integrando el e-learning en la escuela (primaria y secundaria) y sobre todo capacitando a los maestros y profesores.

This is a question that's easy to answer, but the problem is having the power to put into practice what we're talking about (which is most difficult in Latin America). E-Learning can be made more accessible to more people if it's possible to firm up initiatives on different fronts: government, private industry, academic institutions. All the parties have a social responsibility; in this case, speaking of e-learning, the responsibility is to make elearning something that is accessible. How? Through online training in cybercafes (which are widely available throughout Latin America); integrating elearning in all university departments; promoting online training in community centers (whether or not they already have Internet); integrating elearning in primary and secondary schools, and above all, training teachers and professors.

8. What would you like to see happen in the future?
Me gustaría ver que en Latinoamérica se aprovechen todas las oportunidades y ventajas que tiene el e-learning y el blended learning, no solo en las grandes empresas sino en todos los sectores.

I'd like to see all the opportunities and advantages that e-learning and blended learning have to offer come to be taken advantage of in Latin America -- not just in large enterprises, but in all sectors.

Online Courses Directory:
www.cursosyposgrados.learningreview.com

News Blog for Human Resources
http://noticiasrecursoshumanos.blogspot.com/