Friday
Dec311999
83 - Voting/Learning On-Line?
December 31, 1999
1. Voting/Learning On-Line? Implications and Opportunities: 74% of the readership of Trends is in the United States and today is our election day. I was called by a journalist this AM with the question: Could On-Line Learning and On-Line Voting Work? Interesting question...had never thought of it. But, we talked for a while and it became quite intriguing.
I went to the voting booth in Saratoga Springs as a relatively learning needy voter. While I had read and heard much about the candidates for the top jobs, I still needed to know a lot more about the people and issues on our ballots. What if I could have gone to an on-line voting booth, assuming that we could guarantee identity, and be able to cast my ballot over the internet and be able to access a broad set of information while voting. Hmm. Isn't that on-line learning? What would be the impact on voter turnout? We could still have the option of voting at the polling place, but the booths might contain network PC's with similar functionality. Comment? Send them to emasie@masie.com
2. Distance Learning Scams: National Public Radio Clip. Distance learning scams have been here for a while, but they now are including bogus offers for on-line learning components. People will pay serious money for the chance to earn a degree and diploma mills are looking at on-line learning as one of their target areas.
Kudos to National Public Radio for doing an investigative report on this topic on a recent "All Things Considered" show. You can hear the streamed audio replay of the report by going to the following URL with a Real Player installed on your system: http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/archives/1998/981030.atc.html The story is called Diploma Mills.
3. Help Desks, Training & Knowledge Management: Many of our colleagues are reporting that organizations are taking a new look at the roles of Help Desks. There has been an ongoing dialogue about ways in which training could be assisted via the Help Desk. The growth of Knowledge Management systems is placing Help Desks in a new light. If your organization is re-designing their help desk to play larger roles with learning, training or knowledge management, please send me an email at emasie@masie.com
4. Growing Up Digital: An Assignment: Don Tapscott, one of our keynote speakers at TechLearn '98, has asked us to refer our participants (and Trends readers) to his new site to prepare for his presentation. Don will be talking about Growing Up Digital and the kinds of changes we can expect in the next generation of workers. His site has a wealth of info and resources. Go to http://www.growingupdigital.com/ and check it out.
5. Resource Backpack for Learning and Technology @ TechLearn: In just 12 days, TechLearn '98 will commence in Orlando, Florida. The first things you will receive when you get to the Conference are a complete Conference Guide with over 200 sessions and dialogues and a Blue Resource Backpack. What's in the Backpack? CD's, literature and resources from the 76 TechLearn Learning and Technology sponsors. We affectionately call this our Bag 'o Expo Stuff, as an alternative to the old model tradeshow. But it really is a great resource and contains a wide range of resources that you can use and distribute to your organization, without getting tired feet. Want to catch a look at the backpack? A picture and a list of sponsors can be found at http://www.techlearn.com/backpack/ (Sorry, only participants at TechLearn can receive the backpack.) To register (there are still 100 spaces available for the event that starts on Sunday, Nov 15th, just go to http://www.techlearn.com
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I went to the voting booth in Saratoga Springs as a relatively learning needy voter. While I had read and heard much about the candidates for the top jobs, I still needed to know a lot more about the people and issues on our ballots. What if I could have gone to an on-line voting booth, assuming that we could guarantee identity, and be able to cast my ballot over the internet and be able to access a broad set of information while voting. Hmm. Isn't that on-line learning? What would be the impact on voter turnout? We could still have the option of voting at the polling place, but the booths might contain network PC's with similar functionality. Comment? Send them to emasie@masie.com
2. Distance Learning Scams: National Public Radio Clip. Distance learning scams have been here for a while, but they now are including bogus offers for on-line learning components. People will pay serious money for the chance to earn a degree and diploma mills are looking at on-line learning as one of their target areas.
Kudos to National Public Radio for doing an investigative report on this topic on a recent "All Things Considered" show. You can hear the streamed audio replay of the report by going to the following URL with a Real Player installed on your system: http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/archives/1998/981030.atc.html The story is called Diploma Mills.
3. Help Desks, Training & Knowledge Management: Many of our colleagues are reporting that organizations are taking a new look at the roles of Help Desks. There has been an ongoing dialogue about ways in which training could be assisted via the Help Desk. The growth of Knowledge Management systems is placing Help Desks in a new light. If your organization is re-designing their help desk to play larger roles with learning, training or knowledge management, please send me an email at emasie@masie.com
4. Growing Up Digital: An Assignment: Don Tapscott, one of our keynote speakers at TechLearn '98, has asked us to refer our participants (and Trends readers) to his new site to prepare for his presentation. Don will be talking about Growing Up Digital and the kinds of changes we can expect in the next generation of workers. His site has a wealth of info and resources. Go to http://www.growingupdigital.com/ and check it out.
5. Resource Backpack for Learning and Technology @ TechLearn: In just 12 days, TechLearn '98 will commence in Orlando, Florida. The first things you will receive when you get to the Conference are a complete Conference Guide with over 200 sessions and dialogues and a Blue Resource Backpack. What's in the Backpack? CD's, literature and resources from the 76 TechLearn Learning and Technology sponsors. We affectionately call this our Bag 'o Expo Stuff, as an alternative to the old model tradeshow. But it really is a great resource and contains a wide range of resources that you can use and distribute to your organization, without getting tired feet. Want to catch a look at the backpack? A picture and a list of sponsors can be found at http://www.techlearn.com/backpack/ (Sorry, only participants at TechLearn can receive the backpack.) To register (there are still 100 spaces available for the event that starts on Sunday, Nov 15th, just go to http://www.techlearn.com
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