119 - Training at Kennedy Space Center; Key Drivers for Learning and Technology; Hip Based Email Pagers

1. Training at Kennedy Space Center: Crack But Not Squash An Egg! Growing
up in the Space Race years implanted a fantasy that came true on Friday. I
got a VIP tour of the launch operations at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Thanks to the folks at Lockheed Martin and United Space Alliance, we spent
the day upclose and personal with the Shuttle Discovery, as it made its way
on to the launch pad for a scheduled mission later in May. It was
fascinating to see the shuttle move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to
the pad at the rate of 1 mile per hour (not bad for an 18 million pad
vehicle and then to stand on the pad where it will blast off into space in
just a few weeks. Exploring the belly of the shuttle, seeing the tiles
being assembled on the skin and getting to ask a million questions turned
the day into a learning event supreme for me and my wife.

We were also briefed on the training processes for the various engineers and
technicians at the Space Center. One process that I thought you would
enjoy was the competency levels required for the crane operator in the 500
feet tall Vehicle Assemble Building (taller than the Statue of Liberty).
They operate a crane device that actually lifts the various components of
the shuttle into one vertical entity. The crane operators must prove their
skills by lowering the crane point down to the floor on top on a hard boiled
egg. The objective is to crack the egg shell but to not squash the egg.
After that, they must lower the crane point down to an aerosol spray can and
push the spray button.

The emphasis on team pride, safety and continual learning was obvious in the
skills and attitudes of the workforce of United Space Alliance. Thanks for
making a boy's dream come true...now, can we talk about the Trainers in
Space Project???

2. Key Drivers for Learning and Technology: A List. Here is a list of
"drivers" of why organizations are investigating and using learning
technology in their organizations. We are using this list as part of a
dialogue trigger at the upcoming Learning Decisions retreat:

a) Time Shifting: Organizations want to offer learners and their managers
the ability to "shift time" for learning. They also want to be able to
extend the impact of classroom experiences after the class is done.
b) Cycle Time: Organizations want to be able to more rapidly distribute
learning, skills and knowledge throughout the organization when a process
change occurs.
c) Distance Distribution: Organizations want to be able to provide common
information and learning experiences to every corner of their operation and
the globe.
d) Logistical Cost Suppression: Organizations want to spend less on the
travel and lodging elements of the learning budget, allocating a high
percentage to direct learning activities.
e) Granularization: Organizations want to be able to offer more granular
and reusable learning activities.
f) Performance Aiding: Organizations want to offer continual performance
support to the workforce.

3. The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention @ TechLearn : We are pleased
to announce a brand new event that will focus on the ever expanding world of
instructor led and technology delivered training for IT, computer and
business applications. The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention will be
held as a part of TechLearn '99 from October 31 to November 3rd in Orlando,
Florida. We will present special keynotes, seminars and task forces
focusing on the critical issues facing the Computer & IT Training
profession:

* Building Enterprise Wide IT Skills
* IT Skills Assessment
* The Impact of the Intranet on Computer and IT Training
* Pushing Computer Training to the Productivity Level
* Budgeting for Future IT Skills
* In House vs. Outsource IT Training
* New Models for IT Training
* Expanding Roles of Community Colleges in IT Training
* To Certify or Not to Certify?
* Combining IT Training, Business Training and Soft Skills Training
* Training Busy, Arrogant and Distracted IT Developers
* The End User of 2001: What Learning Will They Require?
* The Business Models for Computer and IT Training: Profit, Charge-Backs and
Wall Street
* IT Training after Y2K: Blended Models, ERP, On-Line and New Classroom
Formations

Nine years ago we started our first event focused on computer training
(Computer Training & Support Conference). We are pleased to be launching
The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention as an expanded component of
TechLearn '99. (We already have 1,109 registrations and we are co-hosted by
CEdMA, ISA, ASTD, ADL and ALX) Your registration for TechLearn '99 will
give you access to any and all of the Computer and IT Training Convention
events. For information go to http://www.techlearn.com

4. A Learning Quotation: Longer But Worth It!

"The best thing for being sad is to learn something. That is the only thing
that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may
lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss
your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics,
or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one
thing for it then--to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That
is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be
tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning
is the thing for you.

Look at what a lot of things there are to learn--pure science, the only
purity there is. You can learn astronomy in a lifetime, natural history in
three, literature in six. And then, after you have exhausted a milliard
lifetimes in biology and medicine and theocritism and geography and history
and economics--why, you can start to make a cartwheel out of the appropriate
wood, or spend fifty years learning to begin to learn to beat your adversary
at fencing. After that you can start again on mathematics, until it is time
to learn to plough."

from The Once and Future King by T.H. White

5. Hip Based Email Pagers: High Response...BUT! I am testing a new hip
based two way email pager. The technology is pretty good. I can get and
send emails as I walk down the terminals to my gate. Still not sure how it
feels to be that accessible. Clearly the convergence of wireless technology
will place all of us in a more connected context. Next, we will have to
set expectation levels for response. I sent a test message to a colleague
and he did respond to my hip in just 2 minutes. Cool. Yet, later he sent
me an email and when he didn't get a response in a few minutes he sent
another one. Rising expectations? Hmm. The device is Motorola's
PageWriter with service from SkyTel. (www.skytel.com). (In that vein, a
personal note: We will be taking a 6 day trip through Southern Utah this
week on a high tech RV. Email response may be a bit slower, so forgive a
delay in getting back to you.)

Upcoming MASIE Center Events: (www.masie.com)
* Learning Decisions '99 - May 12 to 14, 1999 Las Vegas
* TechLearn '99 - October 31 to November 3, 1999 Orlando
MASIE Center Membership is only $295 per year!

120 - Learners Accessing Real Routers over Internet for On-Line Labs; Universal Learning Technologies: Free Course Delivery Site Offered

1. Learners Accessing Real Routers over Internet for On-Line Labs: We have
been tracking the increased interest in using the internet to give learners
access to real equipment in a remote lab situation. One new example is the
offering from MentorLabs. Today, they announced the launch of vLab, an
online training solution that teaches networking skills by giving users
access to real Cisco routers and switches over the Internet or corporate
intranet. Employing real-world scenarios authored by Cisco networking
experts, vLab's structured curriculum guides users to master the everyday
skills they need to upgrade and improve the reliability of their networks
and advance their careers.

I went on to their site www.mentorlabs.com and signed up for a demonstration
lab. After downloading some control programming, I was able to access
various Cisco routers around the country and experiment with actual
networking commands. As a learner, this gives me the ability to use a wide
range of equipment that would not normally be available to me in a
classroom. And, I can do that from any internet connected computer in the
world.

We think that this is a growth segment! Imagine being able to work with lab
based, on-line equivalents of a wide range of equipment, from IT servers to
printing presses and other hardware components.

2. Report from the High Tech RV Trip: As I mentioned in our last Trends, we
were heading out on a week long trip to Southwest Utah in a RV. I loaded up
the RV with some new technology to see what mobile teleworking and high tech
vacations might look like. Here are a few tidbits:

A- Garmon Street Pilot GPS: This is a small GPS unit, that rests on the
dashboard and provides great up to date mapping for anyone on the road. It
provided super suggestions of nearest gas stations and other facilities as
we made our way around the country. We used it in conjunction with several
mapping programs including Trip Master and Trip Planner. It was
interesting to see the learning aspects of the information that was provided
by the combo of the GPS and planning software.

B- Low Tech Awesome Sound Based Learning: One of our best learning
experiences was a throwback to our days as kids in museums. We found a
simple audio cassette program at the Visitor's Center at Bryce Canyon,
called Through Your Window. Popped it in the car tape machine and it gave
us stop by stop audio and music narration for a 4 hour trip around Bryce.
It beeped when it was time to turn it off, gave hints of what to think about
as we looked at the landscape and filled the longer drives with music and
background history. Imagine applying this for new employee orientation.
Give them a tape recorder and headset and have them visit different places
in the company. Now, the big idea is to bridge A and B. Hook up the GPS
and laptop to audio history databases. As we drive we could be offered
custom history stories about our interests. If you want to start the biz,
give me a call and I will help!

C- Two Way Wireless Paging on the Belt: The last piece of technology that
we brought along (in addition to our cell phones, laptops, GPS and other
gadgets) was a new two way pager with keypad that can be worn on the belt.
This allows instant 2 way messaging to the individual. While the capacity
should soon be built into both cellular phones and PIMs, it is very
interesting to see what happens when the body gets it's own email address.
We are going to do an experiment in on-line learning with folks that have
this device. If you have a 2 way pager from Skytel and would like to be in
a pilot for belt-based learning, please send me an email to emasie@masie.com

D- Teleworking from the RV: Cellular phones, modem connections in the RV
campgrounds and soon to be cable connections right at tent side. It could
work. But, be careful not to stay too connected during the vacation mode.
It might get out of hand!

3. Universal Learning Technologies: Free Course Delivery Site Offered:
Here is another new product on the market for the creation and delivery of
learning content via on-line formats. Universal Learning Technologies is
offering its Bravo product as a course development and
delivery/collaboration tool. As an incentive to get folks to try this new
product, there is an unlimited time offer of free course hosting. Bravo is
IMS compliant and is focused on a wide range of course formats, learning
styles and media types. Check it out at www.ult.net

4. State of Technology Training Industry: Report and Award: I was honored
to be given the Eddy Award by ITTA, which is the industry group for
organizations involved in delivering computer and IT training. I was
touched to receive the honor and was impressed by the degree to which the IT
Training Industry has grown dramatically. Here were some trends that came
out of the dialogues at the recent ITTA conference in San Antonio:

* Emerging new models for delivery of IT training, focusing on combining
classroom, on-line and mentoring.
* Continued emphasis on how to rapidly expand the world of IT training and
provide scalable solutions to meet explosive expansion of technology
requirements.
* Going beyond ERP implementations to Worker and Unit Productivity with new
software.
* What will people pay for on-line learning products? Is there enough
revenue to support the development of high quality simulations for short
shelf life products?
* Recognizing the expanding role of community colleges and other 2 year
institutions in the delivery of grass roots IT training.
* The role of home networking as a new field requiring networking skills.

Thanks again to the Board of ITTA for the great honor of their Eddy Award.
We all have a lot of work ahead of us to continue the skilling of the
workforce to meet the promise of technology.

5. Learning Anagrams: These came across my email pile but I could not
resist. If you like anagrams, where the letters are remixed to create a new
word of phrase, try these out:

"Eleven plus two" ANAGRAMS TO: "Twelve plus one"
"Slot Machines" ANAGRAMS TO: "Cash Lost in'em"

Ready for this one?

"To be or not to be: that is the question, whether tis nobler in the mind to
suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."
ANAGRAMS TO:
"In one of the Bard's best-thought-of tragedies, our insistent hero, Hamlet,
queries on two fronts about how life turns rotten."

We tried one of the anagram servers and found that TechLearn Trends became
CRETAN HELD ERNST .. oops. Try it yourself at
http://mmm.mbhs.edu/~bconnell/anagrams.html

6. Welcome to Heinrich Koenen, New Dean and VP of The MASIE Center: We are
very honored to announce a new key player at The MASIE Center. Heinrich
Koenen, the former Director, Training and Technology of Domino's Pizza, has
moved to Saratoga Springs to take on the key role as Dean and Vice President
of The MASIE Center. Heinrich will be building the curriculum and faculty
roles at our events, including TechLearn '99 and The 1999 Computer & IT
Training Convention; coordinating the TechLearn Collaborative and serving as
an interface for key industry technology developers. Heinrich as been a
member of our "extended family" at The MASIE Center for many years and it is
an honor to have him join us. His email is hk@masie.com if you would like
to propose a session for one our upcoming conferences.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events: http://www.masie.com
* Learning Decisions (just 24 seats remaining) - May 12 to 14, 1999 in Las
Vegas, NV
* The Road to On-Line Learning Lab and Seminar - June 21 and 22, 1999 in
Washington, DC
* TechLearn '99 (with over 1,109 registered) - Oct 31 to Nov 3, 1999 in
Orlando, FL
(Including: The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention)

121 - Can We Multitask and Learn?; Lucent to Roll Out Collaboration Technology Company

(Special Report in Route to Las Vegas, NV - Learning Decisions '99 and
Networld/Interop)

1. Can We Multitask and Learn? As learning becomes more available at the
desktop, in the cubicle and office, we will have to confront the up and down
side of learner multitasking. Over the past few months, I have facilitated
about 1,300 people participating in a range of real-time learning events,
using a combination of telephones and web collaborative interfaces. I have
had the sense that a large percentage of these folks, who voluntarily signed
up for these one hour short briefings, were doing a bit of multitasking.
Check the email, surf to an intranet page, take a phone call on the other
line or other easy-to-do second tasks in the midst of my "deeply engaging
interactive lecture".

I don't know what to think about it! Part of the attraction of on-line
learning IS the ability to take short chunks and fit it into the spare times
during the workday. Yet, can we learn new content in the midst of lots of
side activities? We know how to focus learner attention in the classroom,
at least the appearance of focus. And, if the need or pain is high enough,
we know that learners will focus on almost anything. So, what are we to do
about multi-tasking? We want to open up a conversation with TechLearn
readers about multitasking. This is a critical issue as we expand the
expectations for desktop learning technology. Can you send me your thoughts
on this topic to multitask@masie.com and we will summarize the comments in a
future issue.

2. Lucent to Roll Out Collaboration Technology Company: Lucent is the
latest player to dive into the digital collaboration marketplace. They are
rolling out a new company, called Persystant, with a first application,
"BitRoom Collaboration Systems", focused on blending telephone technology
and collaborative tools such as PowerPoint presentations, whiteboards,
training functions and ultimately videoconferencing. This is a take notice
announcement. Lucent has the strength of technology development, roots in
the telephone industry and powerful partners like IBM waiting in the wings
for this capability.

3. Learning Quotation: Fritz Perls

" Learning is discovering that something is possible!"
----- Fritz Perls

4. Survey on Technical Training: The Chauncey Group International, a
professional testing and assessment subsidiary of Educational Testing
Service (ETS) has recently published a web-enabled survey for all trainers
to take. Certified Technical Trainer (CTT) a credential that Chauncey
distributes is based on instructional performance standards, or
competencies. In order for the certification to be valid in the market,
those competencies need to be validated globally as the industry evolves.
The survey is designed to solicit information about Trainers and the
tasks they perform, and benchmark the results against the current
competencies.

The Masie Center will publish the results after The Chauncey Group finishes
compiling the data which will be interesting to see how the industry has
evolved, on a global basis, specific to Instructor-Led Training. Follow the
URL http://www.chauncey.com and click on CTT Survey to complete the survey!

5. ASTD to Co-Host TechLearn '99 - With Bookstore and Research Sessions: We
are pleased to announce that ASTD, the American Society for Training and
Development will be a co-host of TechLearn '99 to be held in Orlando,
Florida from October 31 to November 3rd. ASTD staff and members will
present a range of sessions and panels, focusing on key Research and
Benchmarking Issues related to learning, training and performance. ASTD
will also build a special Bookstore at TechLearn '99. ASTD joins our other
non-profit co-hosts, ISA and CEdMA and two governmental hosts: Advanced
Distributed Project (Department of Defense) and ALX (Department of Labor).
National and regional ASTD members will be eligible for a discount at
TechLearn '99. Complete registration at http://www.masie.com We are
excited about working closely with ASTD on future events and projects. ASTD
will also be joining our TechLearn Collaborative and I will be presenting a
special session at the upcoming ASTD Conference in Atlanta.

Join Our Advisory Boards for TechLearn '99 & The 1999 Computer & IT Training
Convention: Our TechLearn conference is built from the roots up, with the
active involvement of TechLearn Trends readers. We are seeking several
dozen colleagues to serve on two advisory boards for both TechLearn '99 and
the new co-sited event, The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention, to be
held in Orlando, Florida from October 31 to November 3rd. The Advisory
Boards will help to craft the final agendas and to help facilitate
brainstorming task forces at the event. If you would like to volunteer,
please send a note to me at emasie@masie.com, include your telephone and fax
number.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events: info at http://www.masie.com
* Learning Decisions '99 (May 12 to 14, 1999 in Las Vegas, NV)
* TechLearn '99 and The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention (Oct 31 to
Nov 3, 1999 in Orlando, Florida)
* The Road to On-Line Learning Lab and Seminar - June 21 and 22, 1999 in
Washington, DC

122 - Real Education Becomes e.College; Digital Think Offers Classes Through Fatbrain.Com; Counting to Eight in Class

Hi from Las Vegas, where Learning Decision's 99 is starting today. We have
225 Chief Learning Officers and Training Executives here at the brand new
(by 48 hours) Venetian Hotel. The group is meeting in a retreat format to
look at 3 key Learning Decisions. These include Aligning Learning &
Training with Business Goals; Exploring the Economics of Training; and
Developing a Strategy for Leveraging Learning Technology. We will post a
dialogue summary of this retreat and will expand on it in the next several
Trends. Also, there will be a Learning Decisions Symposium at TechLearn
'99 for a similar audience. Stay tuned!

1. Real Education Becomes e.College & Offers $12 Million in Grants: Real
Education, one of the major players in the delivery of on-line learning to
higher education institutions has evolved its name to eCollege.Com They
have a new web site, an expanded range of programs and an exciting $12
Million Grant Program. Here is their announcement on the grant program:

"The 100 Degrees Online Grant Program is an effort to better address student
and corporate demand for high quality online degree programs. To this end,
we have arranged a grant competition whereby institutions of higher
education will compete for funds designed to mitigate the obstacles of
migrating traditional degree programs to the online environment.
eCollege.com will make grants ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 available to
100 institutions to be spent in areas recognized to be barriers to the
success or accessibility of online programs."

I am serving as an unpaid advisor to this grant program and the information
can be found at http://www.ecollege.com

2. Digital Think Offers Classes Through Fatbrain.Com: In another
announcement about the rapidly changing industry of learning, Digital Think
announced they are teaming with Fatbrain.Com to offer on-line classes.
Here is their announcement:

"DigitalThink, Inc.. today announced an agreement with online e-commerce
leader Fatbrain.com (Nasdaq:FATB), which will allow Fatbrain.com
to sell DigitalThink courses at its site. This partnership expands
DigitalThink's ability to help corporations increase revenue and decrease
time-to-market by ensuring that their employees are fully trained in key
information technology areas. In turn, Fatbrain.com will be able to provide
some of the most sought-after Web-based courses currently in demand by IT
professionals."

"Fatbrain.com will sell DigitalThink courses from its Web site at
http://www.fatbrain.com. In addition, Fatbrain.com will make DigitalThink
courses accessible to employees of more than 70 industry-leading companies
that have launched online bookstores through Fatbrain.com's 'FindITnow'
intranet bookstore program for corporations."

3. Multitasking & Learning Comments Deluge: We touched a nerve with the
question about the ability of people to multitask while learning at their
desktops. Last count, we had over 225 comments and letters from Trends
Readers. We will compile these into a collection in the next several days.
We had over a dozen folks mention the differences between some men and women
on the multi-tasking approach. Here is one comment:

"I read and re-read your "multi-tasking while involved in a learning event
email" - and the thing that keeps popping into my head is that while I, and
my female colleagues, seem to have the ability to multi-task (taking in some
of everything) - our male colleagues (and definitely partners!) don't seem
to be able to do the same. Maybe it's got nothing to do with ability but
more with desire to only do one thing but it may be a part of the answer.

I'm a strong advocate of training options, but grew up in the ILT world so
have lots of my own experiences with both - there is absolute value in
quiet, focused time whether in small chunks or large but, as your email
implies, this doesn't mean stuff is really filtering through. Is it the
pressure of tasks needing to be done that made your volunteers multi-task?
or did they truly learn as well as catch up."

We will post a wide collection of these comments next week. If you would
like to add your 2 cents, send me a note to multitask@masie.com

4. Counting to Eight in Class: One of the most interesting skill for
classroom trainers to perfect is their ability to WAIT. When I was teaching
a series of train the trainer programs, I would observe the average wait
time of trainers. This is the time between asking for questions and when
they actually started to speak again. The average was in the 2.7 seconds
range. Wow!

Think of all the steps that a learner has to go through prior to asking a
question to the trainer. Review of all items covered, finishing their note
taking thought of the moment, testing the question for stupidity, scanning
the classroom for other question askers, wetting their lips and actually
raising their hand. 2.7 Second? No Way!

Simple Change: Extend the WAIT TIME to 8 Seconds. Watch how many new
people ask questions once the wait time is extended to eight seconds. It
will seem like a really long wait to the trainer at first. But, it will
send the message that you are really wanting to give people the time to
process their confusion thoughts into questions.

When teaching live, distance learning classes, the wait time should probably
go up to 10 to 12 seconds. I sometimes even play soft music for 20 seconds
on the phone to give people time to formulate and test their questions.
Start Waiting.. It Works!

5. Learning Quotation: Mrs. Ham, PS 173

"Learning often happens when you are not watching. If you are curious, and
follow your curiosity, you will learn every day. In fact, some of the best
learning happens when you are having so much fun, or are concentrating so
hard, that you don't even notice."

---- Mrs. Ham, PS 173, Manhattan 1956 (Elliott's Second Grade Teacher)

6) Note on Sponsorship Opportunities for TechLearn '99 (including The 1999
Computer & IT Training Convention):

We have had a large number of suppliers and developers ask us about bringing
their booth to TechLearn '99. Since we have built a learning model that
does not include a trade show, we wanted to explain how they could be
involved in both TechLearn '99 and The 1999 Computer & IT Training
Convention:

"We have a sponsorship program, which allows each sponsor to include
literature or CD's in a TechLearn RESOURCE SUITCASE which every participant
will receive at Registration. In addition, Sponsors are included on our web
site, have a Point of Contact meeting place at TechLearn and can do a
follow-up mailing to the participants. We currently have over 65 sponsors,
including Microsoft, Lotus, Cisco, Novell, CBT Systems, Forum Corporation,
SMG, NETg and other key players from both the training and learning world.
Sponsorship is only $2,700 and includes year round resources from The MASIE
Center. Please contact Jen Schwern at jen@masie.com or 800-98-MASIE for
information. Complete details are available at http://www.techlearn.com/sponsor/

124 - Summary from ASTD Expo & Conference - Atlanta, GA

TechLearn TRENDS --- Technology & Learning Updates
The MASIE Center http://www.masie.com Elliott Masie, Editor

(Summary from ASTD Expo & Conference - Atlanta, GA)

Hi TechLearn Trends Readers...

I know that it is impossible to get to every event in the learning and
training world, so we will attempt to bring you some highlights from each
industry gathering.

Today, I am writing this from the EXPO floor of the American Society of
Training & Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. There are almost
10,000 attendees for this event, including many day visitors from the
Georgia area.

Imagine an EXPO floor the size of two football fields (or pitches for our
European readers). There are acres and acres of booths and exhibits
targeted at the training buyer. This morning, before the EXPO opened I
walked around getting a sense of the products and services that were on
display and how they were being positioned. Here are a few of my notes:

* Technology delivery options are being offered in almost 85% of the booths.
These range from training programs that are now available via the corporate
intranet, to at-home learning from the public internet to even a few vendors
of handheld and wireless devices. The product development is clearly
following the trends towards technology delivery.

* Names are changing to sound more internet like. There is V-campus,
E-college, E-learning, Trainingmatters.com and almost every combo of the new
model of internet naming convention. In fact, I saw 15 vendors that had
changed their names in the last few months, as part of rebranding their
companies or getting them ready for IPO.

* More dialogue about systems and delivery capacities than new content
collections. We still seem to be seeing more systems and delivery
technologies than loads of new content via on-line. Major booths from the
makers of on-line learning delivery systems, training management systems and
ERP linked applications. While there were some new players on the content
side, more of the play seems to be in the systems.

* Pricing is still confusing when it comes to content! Wander around and
you get a sense of confusion about what happens to content as it moves
towards the web. Most suppliers were trying to avoid talking about price
and delivery in the same sentence. The approach is to talk about the value
of the content and then to offer it in any format available.

* DVD is popping up. A handful of content players are starting to design to
the DVD format.

* Training consultant, services and solutions companies had huge booths and
presence. Forum, DDI, Achieve Global, Franklin Covey, Blanchard, Richard
Cheng and others large players had massive booths ... with dialogues about
large scale interventions and outsourcing of complete training programs.

* The BIG 4 of management consulting and accounting companies are here, with
new offerings in the learning and knowledge management space.
Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Deloitte & Touche, Arthur Anderson and others are
all direct players in the learning services field, along with technology
companies like IBM Global Learning Services.

* TV to the desktop and business site was a hot topic, including ways of
blending satellite and on-line content delivery.

The dialogues amongst participants was focused on a lot of the key issues
involving the role of training in the changing business environment. Fewer
trainers see themselves as working in training departments for long, many
are already in roles that involve training but are in line operating groups.
How to BLEND classroom and technology was a hot topic at many of the
sessions.

Last night, I led a conversation with 100 training professionals about the
role of Digital Collaboration and the need for processes and focus on "how
we will be collaborating" not just on the latest tools or applications.
More to follow!

Elliott and Cathy Masie in Atlanta

P.S. TechLearn '99 Registrations have now topped 1,200. We are receiving
15 to 20 per day. Make your reservations for our Oct 31 to Nov 3rd event
featuring Dr. Bill Cosby and many other speakers. We are proud to have ASTD
as a co-host of the event and they will offer a series of sessions on
research and collaboration. Go to our new on-line information site:
http://www.techlearn.com

123 - Special Report from ASTD Conference - Atlanta, GA

1. Learning Decisions Perspectives: Social Factors of Learning: 212
Learning Officers and Managers recently attended our first Learning
Decisions Retreat in Las Vegas. One of the "hot" issues that was discussed
was the Social Factors of Learning. The group focused on the critical role
that the culture of an organization plays in the development of learning
programs, strategies and support. As we add technology delivery to the
learning mix, it becomes even more important to address the social factors.
Here is a small sample of the issues that were generated on this topic:

* Reputation of Learning Technologies: What is the "street talk" about the
effectiveness and VALUE of learning via on-line and self-study methods.
What do managers and peers say about people that are taking alternative
routes to learning?
* Reward Considerations of Attending Training: What is the culture of
reward surrounding training and how does that change when people are
learning at their desktops? For example, is permission to attend training
seen as a reward for hard work and a relief from everyday roles. If so,
what happens to the reward element when technology delivered learning is
suggested?
* Coaching and Mentoring Culture: How open are workers to sharing knowledge
with new and veteran employees? Do I give away critical elements of my
unique worth when I share knowledge? Am I making myself less valuable to
the company? Do I receive a reward for assisting others or am I purely
judged on my attention to my own tasks?
* Email Culture: Few organizations in attendance had any programs aimed at
teaching people HOW to use email. As the most widely used computer
application in most organizations, who is setting the tone and process for
corporate communication? What is the protocol for dealing with low priority
email during high stress times?

We will post additional comments from the Learning Decisions '99 retreat
over the coming weeks. The response to this program was so strong that we
have scheduled a special Learning Decisions Executive Seminar @ TechLearn
'99. (http://www.techlearn.com) Attendees of TechLearn who are learning
officers or managers will have the option of attending a high level track to
dialogue on the key issues of Training Alignment with Business, Economics of
Learning and Developing a Strategy for Learning Technology.

2, Stress: Living and Working in a Changing World: One of the members of
our TechLearn Collaborative, Steve McMillen, Director of Executive
Development & Performance Improvement at Hillebrand Industries has
co-authored a great book for our busy times. "Stress: Living and Working in
a Changing World" is a practical look at the challenges of living in the
fast pace of our current society. This is the first book on this topic that
I have read that hits the nail on the head and gives real world suggestions
for coping with the complexity of stress. Check it out at
http://www.amazon.com The authors are Manning, Curtis & McMillen

3. Knowledge Dashboards and Consolidated Views of Information: A theme has
been emerging in the past few weeks from the CEO's of several high tech
companies. In various speeches by Bill Gates and others the concept of a
"knowledge dashboard or performance cockpit" has been heard clearly. The
concept is to provide workers with a highly personalized user interface,
designed with their current needs for information and collaboration and
focused on bringing critical data to their eyeballs without the need to
search or access. A few years ago we were calling this effort "push
technology". Now, the emphasis has changed from seeing it as an application
to seeing it as a design element, hooked to work processes. This is really
where corporate databases, intranets and ERP systems will come alive a the
worker level. Imagine a screen that would reflect the types of information
and knowledge that you need, which is graphical in nature and allows you to
feel connected to every aspect of the workplace. You would have continuous
links to data points, dynamic representations of changing news and knowledge
in your field and collaborative technology to allow you to work with
colleagues, suppliers and customers right from your desktop. This vision
reflects an acceptance that LESS may be MORE. Our workers don't want to
spend the day searching or exploring the intranet or internet. They are
asking for custom views that bring core knowledge to them, to allow them to
get on with the task of work. Watch for this effort to kick in after Y2K!

4. TechLearn '99 New Website Opens - Daryl Conner to Present Keynote: We
are pleased to announce a new website for TechLearn '99 (and the 1999
Computer & IT Training Convention). With over 1,742 registered attendees
already and more than 18 weeks to go, we are rolling out a new on-line
information center for TechLearn. In addition, we are pleased to announce
that Daryl Conner, one of the leading experts on organizational change will
be presenting with me a special keynote focused on the impact of Technology
and Change. Daryl and I are working on an analysis of how technology is
changing our organizations and the role that Organizational Development must
play in helping groups cope with technology. Now is the time to register
for TechLearn '99. We will be beginning a series of pre-conference on-line
learning activities in early summer for all registered attendees. Check out
our new site at http://www.techlearn.com

5. TechLearn Collaborative Open to New Members: There are 12 new spots
available in our TechLearn Collaborative, a small consortium of
organizations exploring the role of learning and technology. The
Collaborative meets at least 4 times per year in person, has more than a
dozen telephone meetings and conferences and is resourced on a continuous
basis by myself and Heinrich Koenen, our Dean at The MASIE Center. Current
Collaborative Members include: . Chase Manhattan Bank, Paine Webber,
Domino's Pizza, KMart, McDonald's, ADL Project, ASTD, HP, Microsoft, Federal
Express and other organizations. Complete details on the TechLearn
Collaborative are available at http://www.masie.com/collaborative

Upcoming MASIE Center Events: (http://www.masie.com)
The Road to On-Line Learning Seminar: June 21 and 22 - Washington, DC
TechLearn '99 (and The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention) - October 31
to November 3, 1999 - Orlando, FL

125 - Special Report from The Hotelschool, The Hague, Netherlands

1. Hotelschool: A Model of Action Learning: We have been the guests of the
Hotelschool in the Hague, Netherlands for the past few days, as part of a
symposium on the role of training in the global hotel, food service and
hospitality industries. The Hotelschool is a delight to visit and a real
example of action learning in practice.

The students come from around the world to participate in a four year
program on every aspect of the industry. Only about 20% of their learning
takes place in traditional classrooms, with the vast majority based in
action projects, internships and very close coaching by their faculty. The
students gain fluency in a host of languages, skills in management, a polish
for dealing with a wide range of people, an entrepreneurial spirit and a set
of experiences working overseas several times during their college
experience. The leadership of the school are some of the finest educators
that I have ever encountered. They have a strong commitment to learning,
training and the development of new models of education. They are actively
involved in the lives of their students and see their task as not just
creating future hotel employees but high powered leaders. Interestingly,
more than 50% of the students will someday move from the hotel industry to
other enterprises, where their strong educational background and
understanding of service make them a treasured candidate.

Thanks to Inekek Witzel for organizing this trip. They are a great role
model for institutions of higher education around the world. Their website
is http://www.tc.nl

2. Training Tackles Child Sex Tourism Trade: While in the Netherlands, we
had the opportunity to hear how training can tackle an upsetting world
problem. Lyndall De Marco, Corporate Director of Education for the Pan
Pacific Hotel Chain, has started a project aimed at the issue of child
prostitution as part of the tourism industry. In many parts of the world,
including Asia and South America, organized travel tours use child
prostitutes, who are often sold into slavery by their families for as little
as $250. Lyndall saw the evidence of this in many of the countries where
Pan Pacific has hotels and started a project to provide training to these
young girls and boys. Her hotel chain is training a number of these young
victims so that they can get employment in the hotel industry. They are
provided lodging, classes and opportunities to work as apprentices in the
hotel. Cathy and I were deeply moved by the commitment made by Pan Pacific
and have adopted the Youth Career Development Council as one of the major
recipients for our annual TechLearn Donation. We will be circulating
additional information about YCDC later in the year, as well as hosting a
web site for their project. If there are any readers of Trends in the hotel
industry, please send a note to me at emasie@masie.com and I will hook you
up with Lyndall.

3. Learning Trends Overheard at ASTD: As we left the ASTD Conference last
week, here were some comments about the "State of Training" that I heard
from a wide range of colleagues:

- "These are very confusing times! We are seeing the PROMISE of technology,
yet it is not fully ripe yet. Our executives are already sold on the cost
effectiveness of delivering training to the desktop, BEFORE we can fully
develop the model that will work in our organization. The next year must
be a time for setting appropriate expectations and doing the innovation
necessary to make on-line learning a reality!"

- "More content! More content! We want to have hundreds of programs to
choose from. We are seeing a consolidation of players rather than an
explosion of learning choices. More content!"

- "I want to shift from training classes to performance consulting, how do I
find that job in the marketplace?"

- "What is all this technology going to cost? How will we pay for content?"

- "Is Knowledge Management REAL or just a FAD?"

- "Training is my dream job. Where else do I get to help people, tell
stories and get free food every day at lunch?"

- "The web is the most powerful tool for learning! Whenever I have a
question, a few clicks puts me in the classroom of my choosing for only as
long as it meets my needs. What a great time to be alive!"

4. The Learning Interface of the Future: TechLearn '99 Project: Have you
ever wondered what your "Learning Screen" will look like in 5 or 10 years?
Have you ever pondered what an ideal learning environment would look
like...how it would combine instruction, content, collaboration, performance
support and other features? Well, many of us have been dreaming about the
Learning Interface of the Future and YOU will have a chance to be part of a
design team at TechLearn '99. Working in small groups, we will design a
range of potential interfaces, screen views and technology applications
during TechLearn '99. These will all be placed in the "public domain" as
focus group tools for technology companies and designers to use in creating
new products. This project will involve all 2,500 TechLearn participants
in considering how technology can be used as a primary and secondary
delivery tool and what YOU would love to see on their screens for learning
resources.

Our intent is to Push the Future into a sooner product. If you would like
to help facilitate one of the design sessions at TechLearn '99, please send
me an email to emasie@masie.com We are now over 1,200 in registrations
and growing every day. To register, just go to http://www.techlearn.com
Get your design hat on!

Upcoming MASIE Center Events: (http://www.masie.com)
- The Road to On-Line Learning LAB & Seminar (Only 9 seats left) - June 21
and 22 - Washington, DC
- TechLearn '99 (Including The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention) - Oct
31 to Nov 3 - Orlando, FL

126 - Feedback on Multitasking & Learning: Reader Responses

The MASIE Center http://www.masie.com Elliott Masie, Editor

Feedback on Multitasking & Learning: Reader Responses

We had over 220 reader responses to the question that I posed on May 10th on
Multitasking and Learning. We decided to put a large sample of these
comments on to our website. It was fascinating to read the range of
attitudes and perspectives from trainers, managers, developers and learners.
Check it out at http://www.masie.com/multitask/

We will be conducting a Problem Solution session at TechLearn '99 on this
hot topic. (http://www.techlearn.com)

127 - First Perspectives on Microsoft Office 2000 Learning Approaches

TechLearn TRENDS --- Technology & Learning Updates
The MASIE Center http://www.masie.com Elliott Masie, Editor
Hosts of TechLearn '99 including The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention

First Perspectives on Microsoft Office 2000 Learning Approaches

Yesterday, Microsoft Office 2000 was launched. This special report of
TechLearn Trends is aimed at taking a first glance at the learning and
training approaches being used by organizations implementing this upgrade of
Microsoft's office suite of applications. We will do similar projects as
other desktop suites are launched.

The staff at the MASIE Center have been working with the BETA version of
Office 2000 and offer these perspectives (and welcome TechLearn Reader input
for additional approaches):

Microsoft Office 2000 is really a matrix of products, including different
versions for the small office, organization and developer. While the
programs such as Word, Excel, Access. FrontPage and PowerPoint have a strong
integration, most users will approach the learning one application at a
time. The development of a learning approach requires the organization and
learner to do a quick analysis of which tools they are using and at what
level of sophistication and depth of function. The ultimate target for
learning will be NEW FUNCTIONS and NEW OPPORTUNITIES.

There are three types of learning programs that organizations are offering.

BRIEFINGS: The first is what we coined as an "Office Briefing" when Windows
'95 was launched 5 years ago. (I was the host of Microsoft TV ramping up
to that launch) The Briefing, which can be conducted in a large meeting
format, as a brown bag lunch, as an on-line learning event or as a series of
bullets on a web page, is aimed at providing the learner with a clear reason
for the changes that will happen to their desktop. The MASIE Center has
tracked the process of upgrading in organizations over a dozen years and we
are convinced that most companies do a POOR job of teaching users the WHY of
the upgrade process. While the decision makers have seen the product
presentations by Microsoft and can see the gains that will be achieved
through greater integration with the internet and better administration
tools, most users are never "pitched" with this information. Take a few
minutes to build a sense of excitement and value perception for the users as
their desktop is altered and the organization wins. It is far better to get
their simple questions about the impact and reason for change answered in
advance of the switch.

FUNCTIONAL: There are lots of new features and procedures in Microsoft
Office 2000. The program offers a lot of learning tools and information for
the highly motivated learner to self-explore the changes. However,
organizations should never assume that users will uncover a new feature, or
more importantly change the way in which they do a task in their jobs. A
good example of this is the Pivot Table in Excel. I think it is the
strongest feature in Office and use it religiously to run the financial side
of The MASIE Center. Most of the people I meet haven't even heard the term,
even though they have been Excel users for years. Here, organizations must
step up to ALIGN LEARNING with the FEATURE GAINS they were hoping to get
through the upgrade. Technical users of Office 2000 will gain dramatically
from having access to CBT, On-Line or Classroom training in the changes in
the advanced features. Pay strong attention to the Internet Integration
capabilities of Office 2000.

PROCESS: To really leverage gains from Microsoft Office 2000, organizations
need to address the process side of how this technology is being used to
add productivity to work. Daryl Conner of ODR and myself are working on
the issue of how technology changes and requires changes all sorts of human
processes in the organization. Daryl uses the phrase "recalibrating
expectations" as a term to address the need to alter people's expectations
of how their work might be different. Take the collaboration features of
Office 2000. We were very impressed with the ability of teams to be able
to use the intranet to work collaboratively on documents and projects, right
from within Office 2000. The members of these teams are going to need to
learn not just the feature set of how to dynamically write a document on a
multi-site basis, but they are going to need to address the PROCESS side of
"who owns the document, what are each person's rights, who even gets credit
for a collaborative project". These are exciting elements to making the
shift to working in the digital age, yet are absent from most learning
plans.

On a feature level, here are a few of the topics that we would add to
learner's radar screens:

* Internet Integration: Office 2000 tightly integrates with the corporate
intranet and the external internet. The ability to use these networks
seamlessly from within an application is a high powered change for learners.
They will need examples, models and a strong FAQ to address some of the free
floating anxiety about security issues when hooked to the "net". Help them
make the evolution from a single user to a truly network office environment.

* FrontPage Integration: More and more documents will be published as HTML
files rather than end up as first generation print documents. In fact, more
and more of what we print will probably have come from a screen displayed
from a browser. FrontPage 2000 has lots of new features to drive content
creation and even site management down from the technical level to the
business unit and user level. We would strongly urge training on these
topics, to make sure that learners have a PROCEDURAL and CONCEPTUAL level of
what they are doing. We set up a pilot FrontPage website in our office, so
that users could play in a no-risk zone. The more you can provide strongly
created corporate templates of pages and forms, the shorter the learning
curve.

* Technical Developer Skills: The high-end version of Microsoft Office 2000
is targeted at the technical developer. Make sure that you integrate this
into the IT training skills for this staff. Some IT folks have asked why
they need to go to training to learn a user application. Don't let that
become the perception ... it will leave your organization unprepared to
leverage the enterprise level of this new edition of Office. There are a
wealth of courses from Microsoft's training partners, from Microsoft Press,
from technology delivery groups such as CBT Systems, NETg and others, as
well as a slew of on-line learning programs aimed at the technical
developer.

* Content Reuse: Remember, one of the shifts is the view of content. We
want to create content to be as fresh and dynamic as possible. More and
more documents will contain active links to databases, will be dynamically
written based on user preferences and will be authored once and reused over
and over again. Give users guidelines on document naming, storage and how
to create these dynamically linked documents. One user wanted to be able to
have the date created and date modified displayed right on a document. Make
sure that your users have the skills to create content that will be an
active part of a Knowledge Management Model.

Microsoft Office 2000 can be used rapidly by current users without a lot of
formal training or learning programs. If the goal is to keep on working in
much the same way, do a good job of explaining why, administer the feature
set and launch it. However, we believe that the time is ripe to help the
organization leverage the capabilities of these programs in a stronger and
more integrated fashion. Learning does not have to mean massive trips to
the classroom for the entire workforce. There are strategic ways to blend
classroom and on-line learning content, along with a process approach to the
upgraded suite to get a new boost from technology.

We invite TechLearn Readers to provide additional approaches, questions and
suggestions, which we will post and circulate rapidly. Send your notes to
msoffice@techlearn.com We are also planning on having a session on
Approaches to Office 2000 Learning in the Computer & IT Training section of
TechLearn '99 in Orlando in early November. (http://www.techlearn.com)
This page is also posted at http://www.techlearn.com/office2000 if you want to
point colleagues to it.

Resources:
Microsoft Training & Certification Page: http://www.microsoft.com/training/
Microsoft Office 2000 Page: http://www.microsoft.com/office/

128 - Telephone Coaching System Saves Awkward Moments & Classroom Learning Tip: Rise and Shine

1. Michael Milken to Host CEO Panel at TechLearn '99: We are pleased to
announce that Michael Milken of Knowledge Universe will be hosting a very
unique keynote session at TechLearn '99. I recently spent an afternoon with
him dialoguing on the future of the learning industry and we discussed the
need to hear from the leading CEO's in the country on their views of the
importance of training and learning investments. Michael has agreed to
play a "Larry King" role at TechLearn and to interview several CEO's live
and via video. We will also stream this presentation over the internet if
you would like to invite your CEO to view this briefing.

The panel will also include Jerry J. Jasinowski, President of The National
Association of Manufacturers, who is an advocate for a 3% of payroll
investment in training. This will be a rare opportunity to see and hear the
top level of management at our leading companies talk about learning and the
future of our field. Registrations for TechLearn '99 are over 1,300 and we
will have a HARD ceiling of 2,500 attendees to respect the design model of
the conference. Dates are 10/31 to 11/3 at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
Registration and information online at http://www.techlearn.com

2. WARNING: Email Virus is Real. Training Alert! The most recent email
virus warning is very REAL! Worm.ExploreZip is a virus capable of
destroying data. It enters your system through email. If you don't catch it,
it may destroy crucial files on your system. Mail systems at major
corporations have been shut down in a protective response to this virus.
Training and Learning professionals should make sure that the IT department
is working on informing the employee base about this latest virus. A great
summary of the virus is located on Jesse Burst's Anchor Desk today at
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/story/story_3500.html

3. Telephone Coaching System Saves Awkward Moments: If you haven't figured
it out yet, I don't sleep a lot! Sometimes I am up at the wee hours of the
morning to do some work or even to make phone calls that will end up in
email boxes. Yesterday, I got a wonderful surprise when the I heard this
announcement after I dialed and before the phone started to ring: "It is
now 4:14 AM at the location of this number." Wow. AT&T has added this
feature to coach you about the time zone difference. Since I am often
returning calls from people that have not left their physical location, this
is great. It is a wonderful tool for when I am calling friends and don't
want to wake them up (as opposed to the people that I would rather actually
send a voice mail message). Kudos to AT&T for adding this coaching system.
Now, if it only could access a database to see when my buddy Mitch Edelstein
goes to sleep at night, it would be awesome.

4. Learning Quotation: Henry Ford: Heinrich Koenen, the Dean of The MASIE
Center, sent me the latest Learning Quotation from Henry Ford:

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether twenty or eighty. Anyone who
keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind
young." - Henry Ford

5. Classroom Learning Tip: Rise and Shine: A simple tip for trainers.
Ask your class to stand up from time to time. When I give keynote
speeches, I always ask people to get up, move a few feet and have a 90
second conversation on a topic with a colleague. The energy that is
created when people stand up is enormous. Most of us are not used to
sitting for an entire day. A few minutes standing up gets the blood
flowing, the mind more active and people love to talk. I keep it short,
though after lunch, I sometimes have folks stand for 15 minutes and work on
an activity. Have them rise and see them shine!

Notes to TechLearn '99 Participants and Alumni:
- TechLearn Pins have been sent to all current attendees. Wear these at
regional and national training events to hook up with other folks that are
planning on coming to Orlando in October.
- Information on the TechLearn Cruise (3 days to Nassau right after the
event for only $330 a person) is now posted on the site at
http://www.techlearn.com
- Case Studies Wanted: We are filling in the last slots of content at
TechLearn. We are looking for a few case studies in the Learning Technology
or Computer and IT Training arena. Case studies must be presented by
organizations that are implementing new models of learning or technology and
cannot be presented by a vendor or supplier. Please email Heinrich Koenen
at hk@masie.com if you want more info on the case study segments of
TechLearn.
- A personal favor. Many of you met Ed DiMiceli, my father-in-law at
TechLearn. He was the man who danced on stage with Loretta LaRoche at the
end of her Joy of Stress keynote. Ed is 60 today. Can you send him
birthday greetings at dimiceli@bigvax.alfred.edu

129 - Special Report from London, England - CBT Systems Conference

1. E-mail Worm is Terrorism! By now, the world has learned and experienced
the impact of the latest virus, Worm.ExploreZip. Even as I was writing a
warning about it on Friday, we received three copies of the virus,
pretending to be from colleagues at major technology companies. The virus
found my name in their address list and replicated the lethal .exe file and
sent it along to my inbox. Luckily, we were on the lookout and caught and
deleted it.

This latest virus really is a form of terrorism. Think about how you would
feel if the local newspaper reported that a group of people were breaking
into corporate headquarters at night, deleting files and stealing the keys
to other corporate locations so that they could do the same. It is
terrorism in the digital age. Several of my colleagues working in military
organizations around the world have reported that they are handling this
virus/worm as an incident of terrorism. Let's not make the mistake of
characterizing it as a prank or game. It is serious and risky. I would
love to hear from TechLearn Trends readers with a short report on how your
organizations are handling the virus/worm: emasie@masie.com

2. Lesson from CBT Implementation: Marketing Internally the Mega-Key.
This morning I presented the keynote speech at the European CBT Systems
Conference in London. The other keynoter was Chris Murray, Global Head of
Technology Education for Warburg Dillon Read, a major investment banking
company. Chris outlined the role that marketing has played in their
dramatic deployment of CBT courses throughout the world. He has mounted a
major marketing and public relations effort to get the story about the power
of CBT courses in front of the tens of thousands of users in their
international company. He made active use of emails, posters, intranet
marketing and open houses to change the image and awareness levels about
their CBT Systems course licenses. He even runs focus groups to measure
the attitudinal aspects of implementing a technology approach to learning.
Chris has moved towards using CBT as the default approach to foundation
level skills, with classroom expenditures targeted at advanced learning.
We can't just implement an on-line learning approach and hope "they" come.
Marketing must be an integral and continuous core component of
implementation!

3. Barnes & Noble On-Line Bookstore Selling Learning: O'Reilly &
Associates, Digital Education Systems (DigitalEd), and barnesandnoble.com
have signed an agreement for barnesandnoble.com to resell O'Reilly/DigitalEd
web-based courses. As part of the agreement, barnesandnoble.com will be the
exclusive online bookstore to resell the courses. The O'Reilly/DigitalEd
courses, based on O'Reilly's bestselling technical books, provide a
self-paced online learning experience that takes full advantage of the Web's
interactivity. barnesandnoble.com will offer 12 courses in O'Reilly's Web
technology series plus "Introduction to the Palm Pilot." The required books
for all courses will also be available at barnesandnoble.com. Info at
http://www.digitaled.com

4. Training Tip: Teaching Backwards: Trainers, start at the end!
Technical training can be accelerated by reversing elements of the
curriculum. Start at the end. Start with the output of the application
such as a report, order or printout. Then, work backwards through the steps
necessary to create this output. The output makes the theory of the
application real. I used this approach when teaching folks how to use an
accounting system. We created a payroll check (non-negotiable) for each
learner. Then, we went backwards through the steps it took to "cut" the
check. It is easy to slip into a step by step approach without thinking
about the learner's ability to understand where the steps lead.

5. BIG PLANET: IPhone and Network Marketing Applied to Internet Community:
On the way to London, I stopped in Salt Lake City for the Big Planet
Conference. Big Planet is a network marketing company that is focused on
new approaches to thinking about the internet. The core of their new
strategy evolves around the I-Phone, an integrated device that combines a
telephone, modem, screen and keyboard. It has a touch-screen interface
that makes it easy to introduce new users to internet use and e-commerce.
Using network marketing, the Big Planet distributors are building a business
model based on personal selling of both communication services and the
e-commerce that will be conducted on the device. Richard King, the former
Chief Technology Officer of Novell, is the CEO of Big Planet. Network
marketing approaches are new to the internet space and may provide a unique
way to aggregate e-commerce buying potentials. Their web site is
http://www.bigplanet.com

Upcoming MASIE Center Event:

TechLearn '99 (including The 1999 Computer & IT Training Convention and
LEARNING DECISIONS Seminars) - October 31 to November 3, 1999 in Orlando,
Florida. Attendees have the option of booking a unique Behind The Scenes
Tour of Disney or a trip to the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday prior to
TechLearn. There are currently 1,297 attendees registered for TechLearn.
Register on-line at http://www.techlearn.com

130 - Convergence in The Training Profession: A Perspective Viewpoint

TechLearn TRENDS --- Technology & Learning Updates
The MASIE Center http://www.masie.com Elliott Masie, Editor

Convergence in The Training Profession - A Perspective Viewpoint

Things are converging in the world of training. Over the past year, we
have been tracking a number of convergence trends that seem to be popping up
in corporate case studies, product announcement and surveys of training
patterns. Here are a few of the convergence themes:

* IT and Computer Training is being welcomed home to corporate training
departments. Over 75 major corporations have shut down their stand alone
IT Training department and have shifted the control of technical and end
user training to the core corporate training group, often with a specialized
coordinator.

* IT and Computer Training vendors are eyeing the management and soft skills
arena. Many of the developers and marketers of technical training products
and classes are expanding their offerings to include soft skills and
management skills in their portfolios.

* Management and Soft Skills Training is adding a technical aspect. Almost
every job in the organization requires a mixture of both process skills and
technology. Time management classes are including training on using
calendar programs. Leadership classes are addressing the use of intranets
for corporate communications.

* ERP and other Enterprise Wide Systems are addressing work processes. As
ERP moves to the core of the organization, it triggers a demand for business
unit training in how to leverage information for productivity. Ultimately,
each ERP gain requires a change in a business or work process.

* On-Line Learning and Classroom Training blend. A large number of
corporate trainers report that the strongest use of on-line learning is
often as an extension rather than a replacement for classroom. On higher
education campuses, distance learning tools are often used most robustly as
digital extensions of traditional classrooms.

* Telephones and Intranets blend for multimedia. Rather than use the busy
network for audio over IP, a good number of companies are turning to the
telephone system to provide the audio connection for virtual classrooms,
blending the telephone call with a visual delivered via an audiographic
collaboration tool.

* CD's and Internet blend for bandwidth fixes. Take a CD, loaded with
graphics, sound and video. Blend it with a connection to the internet for
interactivity and updated info and you have a powerful blend.

* Knowledge Management and Learning Function target same goals. Our email
is filling with parallel content from the world of learning and the world of
knowledge management. Different populations, different vocabulary, but
similar goals, aspirations and dreams.

* Consolidation and Mergers top the list. The number one topic at almost
any gathering of training vendors is merger and consolidation. Take a few
key vendors and there is a good chance that one of them will be owned by one
of the others in the next 2 years.

The world of training and learning is evolving and converging. Watch the
points of convergence for a good sense of where your profession, vendors and
customers are heading.

(Convergence will be a key topic at Elliott Masie's State of the Industry
Address at TechLearn '99 - October 31 to November 3rd in Orlando -
http://www.techlearn.com - Over 1,320 people registered already. Limit of
2,500!)

131 - Exit Checks Proposed & UNext Enters On-Line Graduate Course Field

1. Exit Checks Proposed: Let's Gather Data on Departures: I would like to
use TechLearn Trends as a mild "bully tool" to suggest a new feature that
should be added to both authoring tools, learning systems and on-line
content collections. Let's call it an Exit Check. A simple box would pop
up whenever a learner was exiting an on-line learning event. They would be
asked WHY? and WHAT NEXT? WHY are they leaving now. Are they "done", are
they needing to do something else, are they finished with a segment or did
they not get what they need? WHAT NEXT would ask are they coming back soon,
do they want to be reminded, are they done forever? This data would be
enormously helpful to both developers, designers, administrators and would
allow the sponsoring organization to fine tune their offerings. An Exit
Check should be quick to fill out (2 or 3 clicks) and may could be done on a
confidential basis. Let's see some Exit Check models from authoring tool
and content companies.

2. learningauction.com Launching in July from The MASIE Center. We are
pleased to announce an experiment from The MASIE Center, learningauction.com

In early July, we will open the site as a totally non-fee based service to
allow organizations and individuals to offer and purchase learning and
training services and materials using an auction model. Here are a few of
the ways in which learningauction.com will work:

* A company may want to offer for sale a set of 100 books on leadership that
they are no longer using. Other organizations will place bids and the high
bidder wins. All arrangements will be made directly.
* A training group may have 4 extra spaces left in a class. They will
offer these seats to the highest bidder.
* A company may have a collection of video tapes or cd's providing learning
on a computer topic. They may want to DONATE them to a non-profit charity.
The non-profits will be able to place a request to receive the materials
(only paying for the shipping charges).
* A subject matter expert may offer their services as a telephone based
COACH for an hour. These services will be available for either a fixed or
auction based price.
* A web design company may have a week of unscheduled time. They may offer
their services for auction.

The MASIE Center is donating the technology to make this experiment happen.
We will not accept any fees or advertisements and there are NO CHARGES for
learningauction.com

If you would like to receive information on how to place your items or
services on this site, please go to http://www.learningauction.com and give
us your email address. We will send you a note in a few days with details.
The full site will open in the first week of July and we will announce it in
TechLearn Trends. We are excited to learn from the results of this
experiment.

3. UNext Enters On-Line Graduate Course Field: Four more major
universities have signed agreements with UNext.com, that plans to deliver
graduate-level courses electronically to corporate employees starting this
year.

UNext.com has struck deals with the University of Chicago, Stanford
University, Carnegie Mellon University and the London School of Economics
and Political Science. Along with Columbia University's business school,
the first school that signed on, each school plans to help UNext.com
create course materials that it can sell to major corporations for
employee training and education.

International Business Machines Corp. was the first company to sign up as a
customer of what UNext.com describes as an "online business-education
community called Cardean" -- named for a Roman goddess -- that will allow
employees to take courses electronically on their own schedule, from work or
home or even while traveling. The courses will be delivered through a
product created by IBM's Lotus Development unit called LearningSpace, and
Lotus's sales force will sell the educational materials to its corporate
customers around the world. The web site is http://www.unext.com

4. Learning Quotation: Dr. Leila Denmark

"Anything on earth you want to do is play. Anything on earth you have to do
is work. Play will never kill you, work will. I never worked a day in my
life."
Dr. Leila Denmark, age: 100

5. TechLearn Developers & Designers Sessions: We have added a series of
sessions and lab events at TechLearn '99 for folks that are developers and
designers of learning programs. In addition to our wide scope of seminars
and topics, we wanted to provide the 200 or so developers and designers at
TechLearn '99 with an opportunity to go "under the hood" and share their
instructional design and development strategies with each other. If you
are a developer or designer and would like to volunteer a program for us to
"dissect" and discuss, please send an email to us at
developers@techlearn.com

Complete details on TechLearn '99 are available at http://www.techlearn.com
Registration limited to 2,500 participants ... 1,323 colleagues registered already!

132 - A Week with an E-Book: Confessions of a Digital Reader

The MASIE Center http://www.masie.com Elliott Masie, Editor

Special Report: A Week with an E-Book: Confessions of a Digital Reader

For the past week I have been an E-Reader. I have read three books (2
novels and 1 non-fiction bestsellers) using the new genre of electronic
books. We purchased a Softbook device (www.softbook.com) and downloaded a
couple of books to see what the world of electronic reading was all about.

Softbook weighs a couple of pounds, the size of a legal pad and has a
bright, backlit screen. It has a telephone modem built in that allows the
user to dial up and order (and download) books from a wide range of
categories. I downloaded the latest Bob Woodward book in under 4 minutes.
It takes about 1 minute per 100 pages. Controls on the screen allowed me
to make the text larger, search for a word or phrase, underline or highlight
a section and even turn down the corner of a page digitally.

I read my books in all my favorite reading places:

* On my sofa
* In the bathroom
* In our bed
* On the porch
* At my desk in the office
* On the lawn of an outdoor concert

Here are my observations and learning's:

- I LOVED the ability to order a book over the phone and have it delivered
instantly!
- I HATED the glare from the sun that made reading outdoors impossible!
- I LIKED the ability to read in bed, with the lights out and without waking
Cathy.
- I WISH the weight of the book was lighter so that it was easier to hold in
one hand while reading.
- I WONDER if all the books will start to seem the same using this device.
- I VALUED the ability to mark up the book without really marking up the
book.
- I WANT the ability to get a book via our internet connection and even a
infrared port
- I NEED the price to be lower than the $15 a book. A book club
subscription would be great!
- I DESIRE better graphics, color and other features that will clearly come
in future editions.
- I DREAM of the same device also having a browser and other capabilities.
- I SMILED at the leather cover than made it feel more like the book it
wasn't.

All in all, it felt good to have this as a reading option. I can imagine
that this genre of reading devices will expand and improve. The battery
life will get longer and the weight will decrease. It was fun to be able
to have a book with me that never ran out. People stopped me and wanted to
see the device that they had heard was coming some time in the future.

It would be a great tool to give to every high school student instead of the
backpack of books they now carry to and from class. It would be wonderful
to have a faculty annotate a layer of comments on top of a classic or
textbook. I would love to be able to "beam" handouts to a group of
learners in a classroom.

I found that I got more tired reading, perhaps it was the backlight. And,
it felt strange to not sense how far I was in the novel by weight, instead
of a sliding bar at the bottom of the screen. Most of these are habits and
customs of reading. So, it will be interesting to see how we adapt to
these new devices and to watch how our comfort evolves.

We are going to use several Softbooks at TechLearn '99 as an experiment for
our program and handouts. We will lend a few to participants to see how it
feels to use this technology in action.

For information:
Softbook : http://www.softbook.com
Rocketbook (an alternative) http://www.rocketbook.com
There are also ebooks for palm based computing devices.

To register for TechLearn '99 (We have filled 64% of the seats already!) go
to http://www.techlearn.com

133 - On the Road in Midland, Michigan @ Dow Corning

1. Help Desks: New Roles with Learning and Knowledge: We are predicting
several new roles and opportunities for the corporate help desk. The call
center that is currently providing primarily computer support by telephone
is a perfect partner for the future of learning and knowledge management.
The help desk already is a major provider of training, with a high
percentage of calls being telephone delivered short, granular coaching
sessions on how to use a technology. We believe that the help desk's role
could be expanded to provide a wider range of teaching and learning
services. Here are a few examples:

- A manager could call the Knowledge Desk to obtain support for how to deal
with a tricky employee issue
- A salesperson could call the Coaching Desk to rehearse a key sales call
from the car on the way to the appointment
- A new hire could blend an on-line orientation program with calls to a New
Hire Support Center for the interactive portion of their induction training
- A customer requiring training could schedule a one hour audio-graphic
based telephone call to be tutored in how to use a new product

Actually, all four of these functions could be administered and coordinated
through an expanded help desk function, with a blend of subject matter
experts and problem solution software. The current help desk group has
the software, infrastructure and administrative structure to leverage
subject matter expertise that is field and externally based. We will be
adding a key session at TechLearn '99 to dialogue with Help Desk industry
leaders on this new opportunity. If you have a help desk coordinator in
your organization, invite them to join your team at TechLearn in Orlando
(October 31 to November 3). Registration info at http://www.techlearn.com

2. Telephone Briefing for Learning Suppliers and Vendors: If you work as a
vendor or supplier in the learning industry, you are invited to a 45 minute
telephone briefing that we are hosting on Friday, July 9th at 1:00 PM
Eastern Daylight Time. I will be reporting on Marketplace Trends in the
Learning Field and we will be making announcements about new MASIE Center
projects including learningauction.com and learningupdate, a new real time
news release site for the learning marketplace. If you are a supplier or
vendor, please send an email to jen@masie.com and we will send you the
telephone number to dial on Friday.

3. Technology Skills to Play Key Role in Election 2000: Watch for
technology skills training to be mentioned often in the presidential
campaign for 2000. Earlier this year, Vice President Gore focused
attention on the Administration's efforts to boost technology literacy
through innovative learning programs. Yesterday, Republican frontrunner
George W. Bush focused on the issue of "developing a tech-savvy workforce"
as a focus for his technology advisory group. Bush has recruited the CEO's
of Dell, Cisco, TI and Robert Herbold the COO of Microsoft to serve on his
technology advisory panel. Technology training and learning will be a
focus of both campaigns as the race builds.

4. Lotus LearningSpace 3.0 Anytime Released: Lotus has released the next
version of their on-line learning system, LearningSpace 3.0 Anytime. The
new edition features a strong blend of asynchronous and synchronous delivery
capabilities. An organization can blend authored content with real time
learning offerings. The release also contains new authoring tools and
support as well as an ability to customize the front end's look and feel.
Along with the announcement of new features, Lotus has also pointed to
several major new customers and alliances with higher education groups. For
details go to their website at http://www.lotus.com/learningspace

5. Tip for Trainers: The Stool. Where is it written that trainers need
to stand all day? A good number of trainers are in the classroom 3 to 4
days a week, 5 to 8 hours a day. Why do we always need to stand? While
standing up is critical when working at the white board and creating a sense
of presence ... do we have to stay on our feet all day? I vote no!
Fifteen years ago, I started to sit down from time to time. I was teaching
a seminar at a hotel and there was this bar stool that was left in the room
from a reception the previous day. In the early afternoon, I found myself
sitting on the stool as learners were asking me some context questions. It
felt great. My feet loved it. My style changed to a more conversational
one. And, I found myself listening better. I got hooked. Whenever I teach
a class, I always try to add a highchair or stool to my requested
technologies. It adds a whole different dimension to my teaching style.
Try it!

TechLearn '99 Picture: (http://www.techlearn.com)
- Special Halloween Parties are being offered by Disney on Saturday, October
30th. These are great opportunities for attendees that are bringing their
kids or teens to Orlando for TechLearn '99.
- Tours of the Exclusive Disney Backstage are part of an option
Behind-The-Scenes Tour you can take on Sunday, October 31. In addition, we
are planning an optional tour of Kennedy Space Center, an hour from the
Conference on Sunday.
- Designing the Classroom of the Future session at TechLearn will allow you
to design a layout for the classrooms you might be building in the next five
years. What will technology do our classroom requirements? We will post the
results of these sessions for all participants to ponder and bring home.
- Computer & IT Training Convention at TechLearn will be a series of
featured presentations and seminars targeted at the hot topics of the field.
For a preview of some of the factors impacting Computer and IT Training, go
to my recent column in Computer Reseller News at this URL:
http://www.crn.com/sections/columnist/columnist.asp?ArticleID=6995
- We now have 1,391 of your colleagues registered for TechLearn. There is a
design limit of 2,500 attendees. Register early, pay later and help us save
on trees (we want to avoid sending out the normal hundreds of thousands of
brochures!)



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