Do you have a favorite freebie, cheapie, or goodie? Add a comment with the link.
Inspirational e-Games February 9, 2009
“e-Games” is my spur-of-the-moment expression. Perhaps “video game” is what was really meant. Anyway, I found a set of fun cognitive games at Lumosity, a site developed by San Francisco-based Lumos Labs, to sharpen your cognitive skills.
Flash-based games like Monster Garden flash images of childish monsters on the screen, after which you create a path for the little girl to follow to a garden plant. Then there’s Word Bubbles, a game in which you must create as many real words as you can think of that begin with a given 3-letter combination, while a buzzer ticks down to zero.
Each of the games at Lumosity exercise one or more cognitive abilities simultaneously. The system keeps score during the game, and calculates a Brain Performance Index (BPI) score. As you improve with each game, the games become gradually more challenging. The system keeps track of your progress over multiple sessions using charts to help you see your own mental improvement over time.
Lumosity’s program begins with the basic course, a set of games that exercise each cognitive skill in the system. After completing the basics, you can sign up for any of the advanced courses, such as Speed Boost, Memory Boost, Basic Training: High School Version (with SAT/ACT prep exercises), and Advanced Attention Training (currently in development, targeting symptoms of ADD).
At first glance, Lumosity’s site is simple to navigate and friendly for any user. Users sign up for monthly or annual membership, but there is a 7-day free trial.
Overall, the games are fun, engaging, and inspirational for any e-learning developer.
DYI Multi-Point Interactive Whiteboards January 5, 2009
Johnny Lee should win the award for the cleverist idea of 2008. For anyone in training or communications who did not get the multi-point interactive whiteboard they wanted in their Christmas stocking, Johnny Chung Lee has come up with a do-it-yourself alternative using the Wii technology for a fraction of the price.
Fast and Easy Animations with Gizmoz December 23, 2008
Add an engaging touch to your courses using Gizmoz. This free tool lets you create 3D talking head animations that lipsynch any message. Pick an animation from their library or upload your own image, then upload a recording or type a text message, and let Gizmoz do the rest.
Use this tool to bring characters to life, make up your own animated spokesperson, or create a characature of yourself. Slipping an animation into an online quiz or as a transition message is sure to engage learners of any age.
http://www.gizmoz.com
Creating Objectives with SMEs August 18, 2008
I love working with my SMEs. They know their subject matter, have been teaching it for a long time, and understand what they need to do.**
But oftentimes when an ISD starts to work with a SME in a training project project, is that they know what they want to cover. So I can go ’round and ’round trying to get to the point of creating an objective.
Perhaps it’s time to stop talking trainer-speak with SMEs. Perhaps we ISDs should refrain from talking about objectives, and keep the planning level at goals. Goals they know. They got that. Oftentimes, in our industry, we want to convince people to do something, or get them to understand why something is important. Hopefully, there is an ultimate goal of implementing something, but that’s post-workshop results. The goals all sound fuzzy because they are, but that’s okay.
If SMEs know the ultimate goals, and you have hammered out the main topic areas to cover, then the objectives can flow through. Perhaps add a question to the planning dicsussion: ”Yes, that’s great that you want them to understand it. But how do you know that they actually do, and that they’re not just nodding politely at you?” Normally a blank stare follows, if the SME is an academic, pontificating type (none of mine are**). Sometimes a reminder that students like to talk, share, recommend, and problem-solve is what it takes to align.
After a while, try plugging in a sentence that incorporates a “Bloom verb”, as I call them, as a suggestion, such as “How’s about ’students will list the components out’ to you?” or some such thing. Usually, eventually, an agreed-upon set of objectives emerge from here.
On a related note, I recently heard a suggestion that sounds equally interesting. That no one is really as obsessed with properly-worded objectives as ISDs. And I agree with that. Think of the last time you took a course. Did you really care how much care was taken on writing the objectives? Really? No? Me neither. Objectives help to guide your course-writing project, to keep it on topic, and to keep the materials relevant, to see the end-point and work in a straight line to get to them. The rest of the world only cares about what’s in it for them. This means that, instead of listing out those beautifully-crafted works of instructional design art in the materials book, on the PowerPoint slide, or in that first module of the e-learning course, remember to keep the student in mind even then. Write instead an overview of what they, the students, will get from the course, what they will accomplish, and how it will relate to their jobs and lives.
It’s as simple as re-wording your objectives sometimes in more of a marketing style, similar to how you would write for the back cover of your next book. Instead of listing an objective that says “Using a given set of four document layouts, participants will identify the layout that best matches the content style” how about “Select document layouts that will give your content impact.” The idea is that the second version tells your participants what’s in the course for them.
Ultimately, remember that objectives indicate an end destination. They drive the content, and student knowledge, to an ultimate ability. Make sure that everyone, instructor and participant, is on board with where they are going to the most successful learning destination.
** SME donations can be generously sent to my home address. Make checks out to “Cash”.
Keeping the Flow in the Classroom January 25, 2008
One of the most common struggles for new trainers is keeping the flow in class. You find yourself moving along in your lecture, then get to an activity, and have difficulty keeping it flowing. Or you find your participants drifting off without knowing how to get them back. If you are a new (or not so new) instructor, keeping an even flow can be a challenge.
Remember that participants complete activities at different paces. To manage the flow, tell participants a specific amount of time they have for the task. How long? Don’t set the time based on the slowest group, but set a time that is about what you predict your quickest groups require to complete the activity, or perhaps a little more, based on your experiences. Participants should have enough time to figure out the activity and complete some amount of it, but need not fully complete all activities.
The second flow challenge newer instructors often have is knowing how much to talk, and how much to allow for discussions and activities. Too often, instructors (and training manuals!) take an “if time permits” attitude to discussions and activities. The problem with this approach is that the activities themselves provide the “active” in “Active Learning”. My rule of thumb is to review the course and lesson objectives. If an activity directly performs the action of one of the objectives, or develops a skill essential to accomplishing an objective, then it is not optional.
What are optional are any explanations that do not lead to participants’ accomplishing those skills. Another rule of thumb is to imagine yourself as a participant in the class, with Ben Stein as the instructor. Ask yourself a few questions as that participant: “What would I rather do to learn this content: play and talk, or listen to someone else talking?” If you’d choose not to listen to someone else lecturing incessantly, then verbose explanations should be optional in the class, not activities.
When training, note in your manual any place where instruction drags. After class, review your notes, and look for ways to keep participants actively thinking and doing during the pauses. Creating flow will go a long way to keeping participants engaged and learning.
Examples of E-Learning Courses November 14, 2007
For this month’s blog, I’m actually writing a “note-to-self” that I’m sharing with the world. We all need to take a look aound every once in a while and see what the other gals and guys are doing. Here’s a list of places to look for sample eLearning courses:
Allen Interactions - Requires a login
Kathy Moore’s E-Learning Page - I just found this in an eLearning Guild message board, and it has lots of neat examples.
Want to share a favorite? Submit a comment.
New Blog Name! October 3, 2007
Today I changed the blog title. The previous title apparently was being shared with another blog. While this does not change the URL of the site, it will hopefully make it easier to find the site using a search engine, if the search engines ever find the site again (and yes, I know that the site was dropped from search engine listings last month, and I’m trying to get those guys to find me again!).
So in the meantime, if you have any suggestions, drop me a line.
Designing for the International Audience September 29, 2007
Every training environment comes with its own set of considerations and restrictions. For my work, I need to keep in mind that my courses will almost always be delivered to an international audience, in any language. Here are a few things I have learned about designing for foreign languages.
Design for Translation
When you design a course for a foreign language audience, you must keep in mind always that every word must be editable. If courses are destined for multiple languages, then you should address in the design phase how they will be created so that every word, every flying image, every picture can be changed easily. Consider each component of the training that would be translated: student manuals, posters, videos, graphs, worksheets, assessments, even sign-in sheets.
Contact Translators in Early in the Process
If your company has identified the language(s) and translators you will be using, contact them during the design phase, or even the analysis phase, to discuss their techical capabilities. Someone will have to upload the translated text into the program. Many translation/localization firms will have the proper tools in-house to meet your needs easily. However, some freelance translators do not possess – or understand how to operate – less common software like WordPerfect, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Flash, etc., or they may be less-familiar with advanced features, such as PowerPoint’s slide masters and animation. Understand your translator’s available resources and familiarity with your software up-front. You can plan for additional project steps, if necessary, such as uploading text in-house and QC reviewing.
Keep it Editable
During the development phase, keep in mind that all graphics, including pictures, graphs, and charts, will have to be translated, as well. Keep all text in editable boxes, and do not insert graphics with text “hard coded” into the image. For example, in a recent course I created in PowerPoint, I wanted to label a pyramid, similar to the food pyramid. I created a pyramid in a grapics program (Fireworks), unlabeled. I then inserted the image into PP, and added my labels in text boxes. That way, a translator can replace the text in PP. I don’t add it in Fireworks because most translators I work with neither have access to Fireworks, nor understand how to work with layers, etc.
Embrace Unicode
When designing your courses, consider also whether the target languages are supported by your software. Some programs work easily with different character sets by including UTF-8 encoding, and only require that you obtain the font. Your translator usually can advise you, and provide font files as necessary. Researching your software capabilities for multilingual support before developing will save you a painful surprise down the road.
Plan for Translations Early
Consider translation needs for all of your materials, including audio and video. If you use a video clip, discuss how it will be translated up-front. Take a video clip embedded in a presentation, for example. You may simply choose to add open/closed captions under the video. If you are developing an instructor-led course, you may plan to have the instructor or interpreter translate the dialogue in class.
In the case of an audio file, you might hire voice talent to re-record the audio. Some large translation companies offer voice talent services in addition to translation. Here is one company I happen to have off-hand: Magnum Group (www.magnumgroupinc.com). As a disclaimer, I have never used this company; I just happen to have a pad of paper next to me with their name on it.
Left-to-Right or Right-to-Left?
Plan your visual formatting with other languages in mind. Would your text and images make sense in a language that reads right-to-left? Would you have to adjust your justification or the format of a form if the materials were written in Arabic or Hebrew? One way to test: change your text direction to right-to-left, then write a sample of your document text backwards. Create your materials so that any formatting adjustments can be made easily.
Languages are not One-Size-Fits-All
Finally, plan your formatting for longer text. When translated, text may be longer or shorter, so you should plan for extra room. Here’s how the phrase “My sister’s ring” (16 characters) looks in different languages:
Dutch: De ring van mijn zuster (23 characters)
Spanish: El anillo de mi hermana (23 characters)
Russian: кольцо моей сестры (19 characters)
Greek: δαχτυλίδι της αδελφής μου (25 characters)
In addition, Chinese is usually shorter than English. Have you ever seen (or created) a slide that was completely filled with text? Imagine what could happen if the slide were translated. Depending on the language, the text could condense or run off the screen. As a rule of thumb, format your materials so that they will look just as professional, and just as readable, if the English text were 30%-40% longer.
Of course, there are other issues to consider as well in design, such as cultural considerations, and the technical environment of the target audience. But I will save those for future entries. These tips should help to start you off right in your next international project.
Drop me a line if you have any tips to add to this list.
Favorite PPT Template Sites August 13, 2007
Talking about PowerPoint, these are my favorite sites for slide templates. Not only do you receive the background templates, but a host of charts, developed in PowerPoint, which you can modify, animate, and re-use on multiple presentations:
Thanks, Wassim Subie, for the info on PoweredTemplates resource.
