Welcome to these most exciting times in New Learning Technologies! Having lived through the earliest years of industrial videotape training –- with a camera in my hands – an Engineer to provide content and very loose scripting –- and a two-inch reel-to-reel (“black and white”) mastering machine — the evolution in Learning Technologies today is awesome. I was also one of the early pioneers in the giant instructional design steps that Interactive...
Skills Training is in real danger today! So-called “Training Producers” and ill-informed “Buyers” are the cause! Far too many people have forgotten the definition of “Training.” Information is beginning to blur the lines. And, unfortunately, the real losers will be those workers who need to Learn-through-Training—both for themselves and for their organizations. The distinction between Education and Training has been clear for centuries. While “Education” is difficult to pin down, generally, the...
The world is beginning to harvest the advantages achieved by bringing computers into the academic classroom. Many of the foundation skills and competencies — later, so critical to the workplace — can be achieved through the use of technology in the classroom, K-12 and beyond. Students using technology demonstrate any number of improvements: more confidence, higher motivation, peer mentoring, collaboration, and enhanced self-esteem (Means). They are also able to handle more complex...
We all know that the term, “e-Learning,” today stands for almost anything and means almost nothing. The “e” in that term might mean something, but the “Learning” portion of that term is a misnomer in many, many cases. Let’s quickly eliminate the current types of e-Learning that contribute little to the learning challenges of both this decade and beyond. Transporting words, numbers, graphics, and still pictures across digital networks is easy. It...
As industry realizes that technology training is a necessity in today’s business world, the role of interactive training will only expand. And, in many cases, community colleges will lead the way. Industry is rapidly beginning to understand that technology-based training is necessary and that the training platform has to be accessible, affordable and accountable. Today’s e-Learning environment is capable of meeting those requirements. Smaller companies often can’t afford training because it’s not...
In previous blogs, I have extolled the virtues of several training technologies — specifically digitized CD-ROM, extinct Interactive Laser Videodisc, and, of course, knowledgeably designed e-Learning. As a training delivery medium, all three have their specific strengths and weaknesses. BUT, if you are going to make training investments now that are going to commit your organization for the future, there is only one good choice to make — knowledgeably designed e-Learning! We...
The headline above seems a little silly, doesn’t it? Nothing to it — right?!? Just pick out an appropriate title in a catalog or on a vendor website — and, order it. Piece of cake! Not so fast! Assumptions are being made here that may cost you much bigger bucks than the money you peel off to buy the skills-training title you’ve chosen! So, why isn’t it that easy? Well, you wouldn’t...
Today, the e-Learning designs we create should be focused on “The Learner” and on individual learning styles. With some exceptions, these designs must take into account the current infrastructure limitations found in most organizations and businesses. For the moment, because of those infrastructure limitations, we must regard the Web as more like a radio extension and less as a television experience – if we want to heighten multi-sensory learning. (Conversely, we must...
The ultimate test for instrument technicians, electricians and electronic technicians, as well as mechanics and millwrights will be their troubleshooting skills. While most maintenance tasks in a plant are routine, knowing how to systematically think through a problem is vital to a plant’s operating efficiency. Acquiring troubleshooting skills equips the worker with strategic thinking that can be applied to the analysis of problems in any industrial system. Developing logical thinking skills and...