As I mentioned several weeks ago, in February at the SALT Conference in Orlando, Adam Kovic and I presented our ideas relating to the topic, “Instructional Designers Have Failed E-Learning.” After our presentation, several attendees asked why our emphasis had focused on full-motion video and optional word-for-word audio as the key ingredients for successful online instruction. And, they were correct in those observations as long as it is equally recognized that instructional...
It’s time to re-visit the many benefits that multisensory media (and specifically, E-Learning) bring to organizations everywhere. No other training method comes even close. And, in most instances, the traditional “lecture/reading” method of instruction brings up the rear. Today’s E-Learning (provided it is grounded in full-motion video and optional word-for-word audio) offers many important considerations: • Because it is easily customizable, you can tailor training to your own needs. • Effective learning...
Change is inevitable. It’s guaranteed. The questions you must ask are, “How will I react to the change? Will I resist it? Will I foresee it coming and help my organization prepare?” You know the right answer. So, the quicker you get on-board, the more quickly you’ll help your organization move forward into the next decade. To be successful, an organization needs managers and planners who can see the potential of the...
In a previous Blog, we examined the importance of the Khan Academy (www.khanacademey.org) to the future of learning. (Learning that is readily available to all individuals, regardless of age or position.) A couple of week’s ago, NBC Nightly News produced a segment on the Khan Academy’s potential importance to public education. And thanks to the Gates Foundation, actual classroom incorporation is underway. The Los Altos School District in California (5th and 7th...
“Good ideas are a dime a dozen!” And, so they are! But, too many of them prove of little value, simply because the premises are not thoroughly examined. If the more important questions are not asked –- the more important answers are never found. Within training departments, success or failure resides in the ability to understand, motivate, and adapt the learning initiatives to the workforce to-be-trained — and not in the technology!...
I grew up in the Northern Great Plains many years ago. During those formative years, the culture I encountered valued certain professions above others: doctors and nurses, police, firefighters and teachers. Those were considered the noble professions — individuals who had chosen a career of service to others. My respect for those chosen careers has not waned. Oh, I’ve been made aware of some of the abuses: redundant medical procedures, strikes and...
Our newspapers and cable news channels are full of “education” stories these days. One group wants to increase government investment while the other decries even the idea of a “Department of Education.” I think they’re all overlooking “the forest for the trees!” 75% of the high school students that our education system graduates each year are not likely to earn a college baccalaureate degree. These students eventually comprise the majority of America’s...
When talking about the challenges facing both education and training today, one size no longer “fits all.” Stand-up instruction, videotapes, distance learning, books, desktop delivery of networked computer-based instruction, and multi-sensory E-Learning all have a place. It is important for this nation to support education and training professionals in dealing with these increasingly complicated challenges that effect learning. The challenges facing trainers and educators outstrip the time-demands necessary to stay current. In...
Along with ITC’s Adam Kovic, I had the privilege of co-presenting at last week’s SALT Conference in Orlando. The title of our presentation, “Instructional Designers Have Failed E-Learning,” says it all. In sum, too many of our current E-Learning courses are being designed by individuals who apparently have forgotten that full-motion video and optional word-for-word audio are the keys to successful learning for the majority of our population. Instead, the E-Learning courseware...
As the United States continues an uphill battle to reform its education system in an attempt to successfully compete in the global economy, many educators are seeking new and innovative programs in order to better prepare tomorrow’s students while, at the same time, upgrading the skills of today’s workforce. Rapidly changing learning technologies are accelerating their efforts — and, often, our community colleges are leading the way. Many small to medium-sized industries...
