663 - Virtual Snow Days, Skill Transcripts for Workers, Next Learning

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - May 18, 2011.
#663 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,276 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: LeadershipDev 2011 - June in Las Vegas.

1. Virtual Snow Days Grow in Schools.
2. Transcripts for Workers?
3. LeadershipDev 2011 Hotel Discounts.
4. Next Learning, Unwrapped by Nick van Dam Published.

1. Virtual Snow Days Grow in Schools: When I was growing up, a snow day meant a play day for students (and also teachers). Now, digital learning resources are turning snow days to at-home learning days.  Schools are experimenting with Virtual Snow Days, where snow just means a change in venue from the classroom to the home. Students are provided with asynchronous and live - via video - learning activities. Teachers work from home and students continue with their studies, or engage in special snow day learning projects. “Even if you can’t continue on at the same pace, being able to keep students on track can make a difference,” said Doug Levin, State Educational Directors Association.

There are obstacles, including access to broadband and at-home computers. And, some students/parents are mourning the loss of the days off. But, Virtual Snow Days are being built into state funding equations, allowing school districts to receive state aid, even when snow has grounded the school buses.

2. Skills Transcripts for Workers? We are seeing continued pressure from workers and employers to move towards a Skills Transcript that could be grown over a career, with inputs and skills verifications by multiple employers along the way. In a nutshell, a person might work for a company for 2 or 20 years, attend a range of training programs, engage in e-Learning activities, acquire new skills, and, upon departure (voluntary or involuntary), all that many HR policies allow is a statement of his/her role, duration and salary. As our careers stretch across multiple jobs, it would be so valuable for workers to have Skills Transcripts or Portfolios that would increase their marketability for their next role or organization. These could be built in a way that protects the liability of the organization adding to the transcript, while adding knowledge about the worker’s learning history and status. Comments please! Send me a note to emasie@masie.com

3. LeadershipDev 2011 Hotel Discounts: There are only 2 more weeks to use the hotel discount in Las Vegas for our upcoming LeadershipDev 2011 event (June 14 & 15 in Las Vegas). Rooms at Green Valley Resort are quite affordable, along with great airline fares. Come join other Leadership Training and Development coordinators from around the country at LeadershipDev. We will take a deep drill down look at the learning designs, assumptions and practices for building leadership skills in our organizations. Details and access to the hotel discounts at http://www.leadershipdev.com

4. Next Learning, Unwrapped by Nick van Dam - Published! I am proud to announce a new book from Nick Van Dam, a great colleague and the founder of eLearning for Kids. In this new book, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) Talent leader Nick van Dam presents new technology-driven learning concepts in the context of nearly 40 business cases from leading organizations that use technology-based learning to achieve business goals. Business and learning leaders can use these success stories and lessons learned as blueprints to embed technology-based learning deeper into the culture of their organizations. “Technology has created a fantastic opportunity to provide people around the world with ‘any time, any place’ access to knowledge and learning that can help them to be more successful professionally,” says van Dam, Director and a Chief Learning Officer in Global Talent for DTTL. “Essentially, this book ‘unwraps’ the concept of technology-based learning and shows organizations how they can benefit from this’. I wrote the introduction to this book and the proceeds go to eLearning for Kids. Order a copy at http://tinyurl.com/6z82zb7

5. Guest Tickets to President Clinton Session at Learning 2011? We have had many calls about the possibility of bringing friends and family to the President Clinton session at Learning 2011 (Nov 7th). The answer is Yes! Family or friends of participants who are coming to Orlando will be able to get a free ticket to the session, as well as the Learning 2011 Party on Tuesday night. Due to security requirements, we will issue these tickets on site on Sunday, after registration. To register for Learning 2011, go to http://www.learning2011.com

Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* LeadershipDev 2011 - June 14 & 15 - Las Vegas, NV.
* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com