144 - LSP/ASP Learning Models Grows in Business Plans and Offerings; John Hancock Case Study: "Why We are Outsourcing Almost All Training!"; New Needs Analysis Tool for Performance Delivery Released

1. LSP/ASP Learning Models Grows in Business Plans and Offerings: In the
internet world ASP stands for Application Service Provider, a specialized
form of an ISP, that allows a company to have an application hosted via a
"rental" fee. In the learning and training world, we are tracking a rapid
growth of a specialized type of ASP, the LSP = Learning Services Provider.
These groups are offering, via diverse business models, learning management
and training delivery software, on a hosted/rental basis. These include:

* Full Service LSP: They will customize, implement and host, via a private
network, a complete software solution. Some of these groups are offering a
choice of systems and are also providing learning design services.
* Content Specific LSP: They will license their content to an organization
and will provide a level of learning management services to the buyer.
* Tool Specific LSP: They will license and host their specific system to an
organization.
* Portal LSP: They will host a portal site (public or private) and "bundle"
the learning system in the background.

The rise of LSP/ASP providers in the learning space is changing the
conversation in many organizations from an outright purchase of a learning
system to a focus on selecting a service provider. The advantages often a
lowered dependence on internal IT resources, avoiding a capital expenditure
and avoiding having to make a long term bet in a changing marketplace. We
are interested in hearing from organizations that are implementing learning
technology with a LSP/ASP. Send a note to lsp@masie.com

2. John Hancock Case Study: "Why We are Outsourcing Almost All Training!"
Larry Israelite, General Director, Training and Development, John Hancock
Mutual Life Insurance, will be leading a Case Study at TechLearn '99,
revealing their approach and reasons for outsourcing almost all training.

Larry will share their plans and motivations as well as lead a discussion
for managers and learning officers on the critical issue of training
outsourcing.
There are only 200 spaces left at TechLearn '99 - http://www.techlearn.com
to
register.

3. DPEC Files IPO: Investment in Training Industry Continues DPEC, a well
established computer-based-training company, today announced that they
are filing an IPO with the SEC. The date of release of the IPO has not
been announced. Their url is http://www.dpec.com This continues the move
towards IPO releases in the learning and training industry. Watch for
several
more in the next 8 weeks.

4. New Needs Analysis Tool for Performance Delivery Released: ADVISOR P.I.
is a decision support tool. It conducts a root cause analysis of a
performance deficiency (gap) and recommends the most cost-effective
solutions (interventions) that would produce the desired level of
productivity. Interventions considered by ADVISOR P.I. include training, job
aids, job/process/organization re-design, new/improved incentive system,
polices/procedures, tools, hiring practices, communication plan and others.
You can get more info and a demo at http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/

5. Book Lists Wanted: We would like to grow a list of books that TechLearn
Trends readers would suggest to others in this field. We will post these on
our website and also have a selection of them at the ASTD Bookstore at
TechLearn '99. Could you take a moment and send me a quick list of books
that you think others should read if they are approaching the future of
learning.
Just send them to books@masie.com

145 - (Washington, DC - PCWeek Shootout on Learning Technology)

1. PCWeek-MASIE Center-ADL Shootout Underway: I have been in Washington,
DC to visit the PCWeek-MASIE Center-ADL Shootout that is now in progress.
This is an exciting new model for a "shoot-out", bringing together two dozen
corporate and government training managers with seven developers of Learning
Management Systems. Each vendor has been asked to present their best
solution for managing and delivering learning events via the web. Judges
include representatives of the Department of Defense's ADL effort and
TechLearn Collaborative Members (including Chase Manhattan, McDonalds,
Arthur Anderson and University of Wisconsin). Vendors participating in this
event include: Lotus, Teamscape, Asymetrix, Docent and others. The judges
have been drilling down each of the vendors, as they look "under the hood"
of the technology to see how it aligns with their current and future
requirements. A summary will be published in PCWeek in mid-November. We
will be sharing the judge's evaluation scoresheet next week in Trends.

2. Bush (The Music Group) Sells Songs for 99 Cents On-Line - We have been
tracking the music industries pricing practices as an indicator of the move
towards on-line, granular content sales. This morning the music group,
Bush, offered a hit single for 99 cents as a downloadable file over the
internet. Let's see how many folks step up the bar to buy music in this
format. Check out your own (and teenager's) opinion about buying music in
this format.

3. Sales.Com Example of Vertical Community and Learning Portal: Go to
http://www.sales.com and look at this new portal site that has been aimed at
sales executives. This is an example of a vertical community and even
learning portal. The idea is to offer information and tools on-line
designed to engage and involve sales professionals on an on-going basis.
The goal of the site is to offer a compelling community of interest for a
profession that will evolve into an active work and learning center. Watch
for similar sites to hit the internet in public formats, with internal
versions of these portals offered to corporations.

4. TechLearn '99 Highlights Difficulty of Learning Decisions: As we
countdown to TechLearn '99, we are hearing from our attendees about the
difficulty of key Learning Decisions that they are facing. A recent
dialogue with a sample of TechLearn attendees highlight these decisions they
are facing:

- How to blend classroom delivery with on-line options?
- How to change the curriculum development process for on-line learning?
- How to make a technology "bet" in a turbulent and rapidly changing
marketplace?
- How to align training more tightly with business goals, activities and
language?
- How to develop the skills of the learning professionals to function in the
increasingly digital context?
- How to evaluate the difference between "cool" and "effective" in new
learning
products, services and technologies?

These issues will be the core of the dialogues at TechLearn '99. We only
have
162 spaces open at the Conference (Oct 31 to Nov 3 - Orlando, Florida).
Join
us for a high energy, non-trade show, exchange on these Learning Decisions.
Go to http://www.techlearn.com for complete information and registration.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

146 - e-learning Term Catching On; Duke University's Fuqua School of Business & Pensare Partner; WAP: Wireless Application Protocol

1. e-learning Term Catching On: As we looked over recent press releases
and the Special Sponsor Showcases at TechLearn '99, the term e-learning
seems to be catching on. Developers and vendors are continually struggling
with the challenge of what to call the process of combining learning and
technology. e-learning, as an extension of e-business and e-commerce,
seems to be the latest term to wind up on business plans and presentations.
We are even using it at The MASIE Center (watch for the announcement of our
new e-learning Briefings, to be announced later this week). e-learning is
being used to cover a wider set of applications and processes, including
web-based training, virtual classrooms, digital collaboration and CBT.
This one may stick for a while.

2. Duke University's Fuqua School of Business & Pensare Partner: Duke
University's Fuqua School of Business, one of the leading institutions
providing on-line and distance learning at the MBA level, today is
announcing a major partnership with Pensare. The deal will have them
co-producing a new accredited MBA program and give Pensare exclusive
distribution rights to the jointly developed curriculum. Pensare is
planning to distribute the program to corporate customers and other business
schools. They will use Pensare's internet based technology platform.
More info at http://www.pensare.com This is the latest in the growing
partnerships between higher education "brand" institutions and corporate
on-line learning providers.

3. WAP: Wireless Application Protocol: As Learning Goes Wireless: Add a
new protocol to your radar screens: WAP - Wireless Application Protocol.
This is a rapidly spreading standard that will allow wireless devices, such
as cell phones and handheld devices, to display and interact with web based
content. I recently had a conversation with a number of European training
managers who are actively tracking WAP as a standard for pushing content to
the mobile and non-desk based worker. As Tablet sized computers hit the
market in early 2000, we will see training content ported to these devices
and fed via a wireless connection. WAP has broad support and will be a
term that you hear more in the year to come. An article by IDG explains
WAP at http://www.idg.net/crd_ericsson_0-70741.html

4. Learning's from the Past: SYSOP, Communities and Participation: On a
recent trip to Columbus, Ohio, I remembered my early days as a SYSOP at
CompuServe. SYSOP stood for System Operator or facilitator. I launched
and ran one of the first on-line communities, back in 1985, called DPTRAIN.
It was for Computer Training Professionals. Folks dialed up to CompuServe
on a 300 baud modem, got a pure ASCII text format and paid about $5 to $12
an hour to be connected. I received 5% of the revenue for the time they
spent in the DPTRAIN area. Here are a few memories and learning's that
rushed back as I went thru the Columbus Airport:

- We had about 800 to 1,500 members are different times. Yet, only about
3% ever posted anything. Most people watched on a regular basis. The ones
that posted messages were few and far between.
- The community required a great deal of facilitation to work. When the
SYSOPs did not actively work the conversation, the message traffic dropped.
- People got into flaming discussions even in those days. One person would
post a nasty note and the board would respond.
- The lack of a visual interface or low bandwidth wasn't really a block to
participation. In fact, it focused people more on the words (with lower
levels of multi-tasking)
- I still remember the smell of the rubber cups on my modem, which held the
telephone handset. PC's these days don't have unique odors.

5. Kevin Kelly Presents an Interactive Keynote - Walking the Talk Kevin
Kelly, the editor at large of Wired Magazine is going to present a very
different form of keynote at TechLearn '99. He will be coming to the event
via satellite and has asked that we "walk the talk". Rather than present a
lecture based speech, Kevin has asked that TechLearn attendees develop his
agenda thru a series of questions and dialogues. In a few days, we will
send several of Kelly's articles to the attendees plus an HTML version of a
previous book. At the start of TechLearn, we will get a series of queries
from the group for Kelly. He will design a modular speech, responding to
these questions. In addition, Kelly is about to take several on-line
learning programs to immerse himself in the process. Kelly would like to
see the process of using the digital connection for interactivity rather
than lecture download. We'll post a report on the experiment in early
November.

6. Dell Offers On-Line Seminar for Women in Small Business: Dell
Computers, in conjunction with the SBA, is offering a neat breakfast seminar
on-line later this month. It will feature women executives from Dell,
iVillage and SBA. The broadcast will be via the internet and will take
place on October 22nd. Check it out at http://www.dell.com/breakfast

7. TechLearn '99 Updates:

* We have added an additional hotel in Orlando, with bus shuttles, to
accommodate the last batch of people to register for TechLearn. We only
have 112 spaces left, so please register ASAP.
* If you are planning on attending the Disney Behind the Scene's Tours or
NASA Space Center Tours on Sunday, please go to our site at
http://www.techlearn.com and reserve a space.
* There will be a special session on Portals, Portals, Portals at TechLearn
* There are representatives of 31 countries coming to TechLearn and we will
have a special forum for the international representatives
* The schedule of breakout sessions will be posted on Thursday, October
14th, to assist folks in starting to build their choices at TechLearn. We
have over 287 dialogues, featured sessions, panels and product showcases.
Following our process of mapping content to latest trends, we have added
30% of the sessions in the last 15 days
* All registered attendees will receive an email packet on October 14th,
including details for the Profiles in Learning Project and pre-reading
content. Watch your inboxes..

SPECIAL REPORT: Learning Portal Watching Guide

SPECIAL REPORT: Learning Portal Watching Guide

(We are seeing an amazing number of learning portal announcements. At
TechLearn '99 (http://www.techlearn.com) , we will have the first gathering
of learning portal companies and training managers interested in learning
portals. Here is a guide to watching learning portals)

Portals, Portals, Everywhere!
By Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center

Everyday we receive another press release announcing the roll-out of "THE"
portal site for learning. Each of these announcements is applying the term
PORTAL to a different dimension of learning and training management. With
portal bloat on the horizon, here are a few tips for going learning portal
watching on your neighborhood browser:

A Broad Portal Definition: Any site which offers a learner or an
organization a consolidated access to learning and training resources.
Portals can range from a simple page filled with links to a sophisticated
virtual classroom and learning center. Most portals proudly announce
themselves as portals. Others are more subtle, adding the phrase .com,
.net or the rear of their corporate name; click or 2 to the front of their name;
or starting with the phrase my or big. If the site claims to be your
single stop for learning, you have stumbled on a portal. Of course other
sites are portals in training, and may have the name stamped on the title
until we all figure out what a portal is or if anyone will make any portal
bucks.

The Content Consolidation Portal: A good number of portals are aiming at
the content consolidation and aggregation business. These portals want to
give the learner or buyer a simple way to shop for all of their training
needs on a single page. The portal gets a cut of the action and allows
the buyer to have a consolidated shopping and purchasing plan. Some of these
portals are content quality agnostic.they want to be the amazon.com of learning, so any content can come to their site. Others are claiming to
filter content or only offer best of breed. Still others are "treating"
the content so that it can be used interchangeably, mixing and matching
training modules from several vendors.

The Embedded Technology Portal: These groups are using the portal as a way
of embedding and selling their technology as a component of learning or on
a LSP (Learning Service Provider) basis. For example, you buy a class from
the portal and your organization gets all the data they would have
collected if they had a training management server. Or, the portal supplies a free
or usage based access to a virtual classroom with digital collaboration
tools. These portals are vending technology more than content.

The Internal Portal: Why go to the internet if you can have a portal right
in your digital backyard. These companies are offering to build you a
branded portal, that sits right on your internal server, and offers content
consolidation and/or embedded technology. These offerings are aimed at
allowing the learning or business function to build a learning site rapidly
and often bypass the internal anxieties of an IT department.

Community and Collaboration Portals: Other portals are popping up that
focus on building a digital community of users. You can recognize these
portals with the presence of standard community technologies: chat rooms,
what's new in the learning world, threaded discussion, access to coaching
and links to books to buy. We know that learning is a heavily social
process, so the community portals will proliferate in the coming months.

Affiliation Portals: These portals, popping up in the non-profit
association world, will offer the above services, with the "Good
Housekeeping Seal" of the association. The affiliation allow for content
screening and/or discount buying.

And, the portal game is new. We will see additional portals based on
selling the "eyeballs" of trainees, portals offering to hold the skills
portfolios of workers over their lifetimes, portals with live coaching
available on a click, and portals to link learning with employment
opportunities (take this class and the results go real time to the job
board - monstor.com - just kidding!) And, most of the portals are nimbly
ready to absorb all of the functions above and experiment with the widest
range of business models.

The portals are hitting the marketplace as a large response to the
e-commerce frenzy and to appeal to venture capitalists who love the idea of
a single portal for all world learning. Now, it is time to see if
customers share the enthusiasm for portals and which value propositions
work in the marketplace of training buyers. We believe that the experimentation
in the portal arena is healthy for the industry, creating new offers of
capability and pricing. The only hesitation I have is when the word THE
PORTAL is used more than 10 times in the business plan. One thing is sure,
we will probably have more than 150 learning portals before year is out.


Elliott Masie is the President of The MASIE Center, an international
thinktank focused on learning and technology.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPECIAL REPORT: Supply Chain Learning - Training Customers & Suppliers

SPECIAL REPORT: Supply Chain Learning - Training Customers & Suppliers

(We are tracking an expansion of the learning and training function in
organizations, focusing on training across the entire supply chain. At
TechLearn '99 (http://www.techlearn.com) , I will explore this trend in my
opening keynote. Here is a short article on the subject.)

Supply Chain Learning - Training Customers & Suppliers!
By Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center

Organizations are reaching beyond fences to expand the target for training
and learning. In the past six months, we have met with a dozen Chief
Learning Officers and the topic of "Supply Chain Learning" popped into the
discussion. It refers to the desire to deliver knowledge, skills and even
competency testing to the total supply chain of the organization including:

- Customers
- Prospects
- Suppliers
- Contractors
- Partners
- Regulators
- Employees

Organizations are focusing on the concept of the supply chain as part of
getting a stronger grasp on the variables that impact cost, revenue and
productivity. It is only natural to extend supply chain thinking to
learning and training. And, the rise of the e-learning is pushing this
model into reality, as the internet can serve as the digital gossamer
thread linking each of the points on the supply chain to the learning function.

One example is a regional bank that has recently expanded their on-line
learning programs to employees. They are in the process of completing the
construction of a sophisticated internal virtual university to offer short
and long duration classes on a wide range of topics. They have included
both real-time and asynchronous content plus tools on their site. When
they demonstrated this new functionality for their CEO, his response drove
them right to supply chain learning. "This is great, but when can we get
this up and running to offer it to our customers, suppliers and partners."
He was MORE interested in their ability to touch their supply chain with
learning interventions than he was in the internal offer to employees.

Supply chain learning is being driven from the operating business units of
the organization and many are implementing it without accessing the
centralized training department. One director of procurement said that
they have been doing this for years, on a one-to-one basis, as they train new
suppliers how to deal with them. Now, they are starting to construct an
on-line learning program for new bidders. He is even considering testing
the bidders on their knowledge of their organization before accepting bids.

E-commerce opportunities are a nature for supply chain learning. The idea
is simple. Let's have a learning interaction as a pre-cursor to a sales
interaction. If I can get you to view me as a source of knowledge and
learning, it will be a lot easier to sell you our product. This has
always been a fundamental element in selling. Now, we are seeing the use of
e-learning as a dramatic accelerator of delivering digital content to
prospects and customers. It is a also a great way to drive down the
overhead costs for post-sales support of products.

Watch for the expansion of Supply Chain Learning and the growth of external
portal type sites that will offer and distribute learning in this format.
Look for training product and service providers to add supply chain
learning language to their products. We will see the word "learner" or "user"
dropped from some packages and a shift towards "partnering" language.
And, organizations will invest in building digital collaboration and learning
systems throughout their supply chain to reduce the cycle time for
distributing new knowledge and skills.

We will address Supply Chain Learning at our upcoming TechLearn '99
Conference in Orlando two weeks. If you have any experience with this
phenomena in your organization, send us an email to supplychain@masie.com
Thanks!

(Note: You may distribute this article without permission.)

TechLearn '99 - Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, 1999 - Orlando, Florida
Complete information and on-line registration: http://www.techlearn.com

SPECIAL REPORT: The "e" in e-learning stands for "E"xperience

SPECIAL REPORT: The "e" in e-learning stands for "E"xperience

(We are tracking the explosion of the phrase "e-learning", as an expanded
term for digital and on-line training. At TechLearn '99
(http://www.techlearn.com) , I will advocate that the "e" in e-learning
should reflect the "E"xperience of the learner. Here is a short article on
the subject.)

The "e" in e-learning stands for "E"xperience
By: Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center

Business is adding the letter "e" in front of a lot of words in the last
year of the 1900's. e-commerce, e-business, e-shopping, e-transactions,
and now e-learning. The "e" has come to stand for a Digital Age and internet
focused transformation of a business process. "e" literally means the
"electronic" personification of a commerce, shopping or learning. But, it
also means modern, internet age, "venture capital friendly" and on-line.

"e-learning" is a great phrase, as it is a wider tent then just on-line
learning, web-based training, CBT, technology assisted, distance learning
or other phrases. We have a unique opportunity, as the term spreads to
vendor press releases, trade show signage and new venture business plans, to
define what the "e" REALLY should stand for.

I believe and will advocate the we can use the term "e-learning" to reflect
the both the technology and the EXPERIENCE of learning in this new age.
EXPERIENCE is an essential component of e-learning, for it is where the
VALUE lies. If we don't focus on the EXPERIENCE dimension of learning, we
run the risk of mistaking the publishing of information for learning and
training. Just taking a course outline and putting it into HTML is not
the best of e-learning. That is really only just about delivering reading
through the network. The EXPERIENCE side of e-learning would address
factors including:

- Engagement: How will we get the learner fully engaged?
- Curiosity: How will we harness the power of curiosity and exploration?
- Simulation and Practice: How can we give the learner powerful simulation
and practice opportunities?
- Remediation: How can we provide remedial and extending learning content?
- Coaching: How can we provide human and digital coaching for learners?
- Peer Learning: How can we build communities that will allow for the
SOCIAL DIMENSIONS of learning on-line? How can we harness peer learning?
- Action Learning: How can we build projects that will trigger action
learning and align with workplace challenges?
- Performance Support: How can we create e-learning programs that linger
and are of on-the-job performance support value to the learner and
organization?
- Intensity: How can we create high intensity, memorable learning
experiences?
- Assessment and Feedback: How can we help the learner to gain a better
sense of their own knowledge and gaps? How can the organization better
manage human capital through the use of e-learning?
- Teaching Culture: How can e-learning increase the amount of TEACHING
that occurs in the organization, triggering high value moments of teaching
throughout the workday?

Notice how I didn't include technology functions in the above list. The
exciting thing about ordering a book through e-commerce is not the HTML
that displays the booksite in my browser. It is the EXPERIENCE of ordering the
book that is different. I can see hundreds of thousands of books. I can
read reviews of the author. I can hear from other readers. I can see
links to similar books. Someday, I will be able to preview the text. The key to
e-book ordering is the EXPERIENCE of me, the buyer.

Likewise, the conversation must move rapidly from the "cool" aspect of
using technology to deliver content, conduct training transactions, have virtual
classrooms and build digital collaboration environments. We stipulate
that, with joy. Now, let's start the conversation about the EXPERIENCE of
the learner. Let's make sure that we don't "downshift" from a high
intensity classroom experience to a boring on-line learning moment. We can
and will do better. The "e"-learning that I am dreaming about has the
intensity of an airplane simulator, the support of an email from a trusted
mentor, the engagement of a great novel and creates the experience of
learning that makes a learner say WOW. The WOW is about their connection
with knowledge, not about the technology. The "e" is the power of the
EXPERIENCE - let us invent and create it!

(Join us at TechLearn '99 as we launch the "e-learning Initiative" - an
industry wide coalition of training managers and e-learning suppliers -
focused on advocating and defining this emerging field.) TechLearn '99 is
held in Orlando, FL from Oct 31 to Nov 3rd - http://www.techlearn.com for
information and registration.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Profiles in Learning: A TechLearn Project

Profiles in Learning: A TechLearn Project

We would like to use the 2,500 person TechLearn '99 Community to focus on
the Learner. What does the Learner want or desire from our expanding
capability to deliver training using technology? How does the Learner
actually learn today? And, what is on the wish list of the Learner, as new
technologies enter the learning world?

We have designed a simple and exciting process for looking at these
questions. We are asking each TechLearn attendee to spend 20 minutes
between now and the Conference talking to a Learner. This person could be
a colleague at work, a member of your family, even someone sitting next to
you on the plane to Orlando. We wanted to do this the week before the
event, so that the conversation would be fresh in our minds as we tackle
key issues at TechLearn.

This is an "oral history" interview. . Listen as they talk about how they
have learned things and how they would like to learn them in the future.
You can take some notes or just keep it in your head. At TechLearn, we
will ask you to enter a few elements from these interviews into a database
(anonymously). If you can, find out the approximate age and educational
background of the Learner.

Here are a few focus areas to explore with your Learner:

How do you learn new things? (Read, take classes, on-line, doing, etc).
How do you make Learning Choices?
How has your style of learning changed (or not changed) over the years?
What helps or hurts your learning process?
What has been your experience using technology for learning?
Who was your favorite teacher of all time and why?
If you could look into the future a few years, what would be an ideal,
wonderful use of technology to assist your learning?

The goal of this survey is to help you, the TechLearn attendee, focus on
how Learners want to learn. If you are so inclined, do a few of these
interviews. And, if you are too busy, ask a few people at TechLearn some
of these questions.

Enjoy the process. People love to talk about this topic. Listen!

PLUS..

1) Check out the on-line TechLearn '99 Community Discussion Forums:
http://www.techlearn99.com/forum

2) Musicians Needed: If you are a jazz musician, join us for a JAM SESSION
on Monday nights. These are wonderful sets...with our resident Jazz Band.
We have piano, drums, bass and sax. Bring along an instrument. Check out
the Musicians WANTED area on http://www.techlearn99.com/forum

Have a safe trip to Orlando!

147 - Video Conferencing Technology Gets Smaller and Cheaper; Gizmos 98 Does Awesome Slide Shows; Knowledge Management on the Component Level

1. Video Conferencing Technology Gets Smaller and Cheaper! We just
received a new video-conferencing system for use at TechLearn. SONY has
issued its Compact system and it is, in both size and price. For about
$5,000, we now have a 12 inch by 12 inch system that does way more than the
$50,000 room system in our office. The Compact does 30 frames per second
(via ISDN lines) and has a very cool feature that follows the speaker, once
you select a patch on their clothing or face. We will be using the Compact
at TechLearn to bring in a few guests to our General Session and it is fully
equipped for the task. So, we will pack in in our carry-on luggage and be
ready and able. The url is http://www.sony.com/videoconference/ (We
paid for the unit, so this is a fully neutral plug!)

2. Gizmos 98 Does Awesome Slide Shows: While talking about cool and useful
technology, check out the plug-in set of Windows 98 called Gizmo '98 from
Play. We are using their Performer tool to create high impact graphic
presentations for our General Sessions. The transitions in the $48 package
are incredible. They allow television production type effects and
graphics, including dropping in our slides as files from PowerPoint. Check
out this tool that should be in every trainer's kit at http://www.play.com

3. Knowledge Management on the Component Level: Watch for a shift in the
dialogue about Knowledge Management in the months ahead. While there will
continue to be an Enterprise Knowledge Management field, we are seeing the
growth of a component level dimension of KM. For example, Microsoft is
focusing on their Digital Dashboard, as a Knowledge Management component,
linked to a back end system (Exchange and Outlook). We will also see
Knowledge Management elements popping into training and learning systems.
Watch for Knowledge CAPTURE component tools, to allow companies to rapidly
capture and circulate best practice objects around the organization.

4. TechLearn '99 Forums Open for Dialogue: We have started the TechLearn
'99 Community, as an open forum for the 2,500 folks coming to Orlando.
There are discussion sections open for topics like e-learning, supply chain
learning; a jobs board and social events. These forums will stay live
after TechLearn. Check them out at http://www.techlearn99.com/forum/

We have about 50 seats left for TechLearn '99 and there are hotel rooms on
our shuttle bus route. Go to http://www.techlearn99.com for information
and real-time registration.

148 - Thank You!

---- 6 Days to TechLearn '99 - Orlando, Florida - Register Now ----

Thank You!

Dear TechLearn Trends Reader:

We want to thank you for your support in the last two years. TechLearn
Trends is now two years old and has 31,212 registered readers,

149 - Special Welcome Back Edition of TechLearn Trends!

Special Welcome Back Edition of TechLearn Trends!

(Note: We are resuming our TechLearn Trends publication, following a rest
after TechLearn '99. There were 2,612 attendees at TechLearn and it was an
incredible learning community. People really enjoyed the non-trade show
community at TechLearn, where the focus was on colleagueship rather than
being treated as a prospect or customer. We are publishing the results and
resources from TechLearn for the wider readership and here are several key
resources and announcements. We will add video and audio clips in the weeks
ahead.)

1. TechLearn Resources Now On-Line - Over 223 Sessions Posted: The
results from 223 sessions, including complete presentation slides are
available at our resource site http://www.techlearn99.com These include
problem solutions sessions, keynotes, seminars and a host of Product
Showcases. We also have the complete set of Sponsor Resources and a
Discussion Board (including Job Postings). In just 2 weeks, we will add
hundreds of hours of audio and video tape at this site. Check it out as we
add over 100 hours of audio and video segments to the site. Go to
http://www.techlearn99.com

2. Trip Report from the Office of the Secretary of Defense On-Line: One of
the cool features at this year's conference was a free Trip Report for all
participants. This report summarized the sessions and themes of TechLearn
and was prepared by the ADL Project of the Office of the Secretary of
Defense. It was an easy way to jump start a personal trip report. Thanks
to the Pentagon for their help on this. You can access the report from
http://www.techlearn99.com

3. e-learning Briefing Scheduled for Seattle in January: There were
several hundred folks that were unable to register for TechLearn. We are
pleased to announce "e-learning Briefing" a new 2 day briefing (with a
follow-up on-line component) that will be taught by Elliott Masie in
Seattle, Washington on January 10 and 11th. It will address all aspects of
e-learning including: on-line learning, digital collaboration, learning
management systems, virtual classrooms and how to blend instructor-led and
e-learning elements. Information and registration is available at
http://www.masie.com Space is limited, so register early!

4. Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter Launched at TechLearn: We
were proud to launch a brand new project, Learning Decisions Interactive
Newsletter. This is a unique service that we are building at The MASIE
Center. Each month, the subscribers will post detailed benchmarking
information on a specific issue (eg. the use of on-line elements as a
component of a traditional classroom) on a confidential web site. Six weeks
later, they will receive a print newsletter featuring an analysis of the
information, articles from leading experts on this issue, test reviews of
new technologies and a monthly column by Elliott Masie. We already have
654 subscribers. The cost is only $195 per year, includes a personal
membership in The MASIE Center and 11 issues as well as two annual research
reports. Get details at http://www.techlearn99.com First edition will
ship in late January 2000.

5. Tom Peters to Keynote at TechLearn 2000: We are pleased to announce the
first of several well-known keynoters for TechLearn 2000 to be held in
Orlando, Florida from November 12 to 15th. Tom Peters, the leading
business expert, will present a keynote and an Executive Briefing at
TechLearn 2000. Tom will address the key issue of "Reinventing
Work....Reinventing Learning". In addition, training officers and managers
will be eligible to attend a follow-up interactive briefing with Tom, to
look at strategic ways to Reinvent Learning in their own organizations. If
you would like to get a jump on registrations or to pay with 1999 dollars,
go to http://www.techlearn99.com

6. Meet Us in London for a Thanksgiving Drink: For our UK friends...
Elliott and Cathy Masie will be in London for Thanksgiving Day. I am
giving a speech in Birmingham and would like to invite our colleagues and
readers to join us for a drink on Thursday, November 25th at the Ritz Hotel
at 5 PM in the Bar at the Long Gallery. The Ritz is at 150 Piccadilly St,
London W1. We will be there from 5 PM to 6:30 PM. If you are planning to
drop in and meet some fellow TechLearn TRENDS readers, send us an email at
emasie@masie.com so that we can reserve some bar stools. If you bring
along a turkey sandwich you would be our friends forever.

150 - Learning Forecasts & e-Numb: Overdose of e-Advertising

1. Learning Forecasts: Early Predictions by Learners Shape Participation
and Engagement: In a series of interviews with learners, I have been
noticing a critical early stage we are dubbing the Learning Forecast. In
the first few minutes of participating in a technology delivered learning
program, learners seem to do a rapid analysis of the offering and build a
Learning Forecast - predicting their probable behavior:

- Grazing vs. Instructional Pathway: The learner decides if they are going
to follow the instructional pathway or are going to graze through the
modules. The learner looks at the sequence and makes a personal assessment
if they will benefit from and tolerate the step by step method suggested or
if they are going to graze around the modules, sampling and surfing the
material.
- Will I Play?: The learner decides if they are going to participate in the
learning activities, in addition to the information transfer sections of the
program. "Will I Play?" predicts if they will do the practice activities,
take the assessments or access the more collaborative and interactive
elements of the program.
- Yield Ratio: The learner does a quick assessment of the probable yield
from the program. How much benefit will I receive from this program, in
proportion to the time invested. This yield ratio determination may be
influenced by previous experiences with e-learning, with programs from same
supplier and from word on mouth in the organization.
- Time Investment: The above questions build to a time investment
prediction by the learner. How much time will I spend on this program.
Will I give it a few minutes or hours? Will I block time on my schedule or
try to fit it in when I have some "free time"?

These are just a few of the elements in the Learning Forecast that each
student builds in early stages of an e-learning program. The Learning
Forecast seems to be a powerful influencer and is not really addressed head
on by the majority of designers. Few e-learning experiences start with a
throat grabbing, high energy module. Most start with lower energy,
orientation focused elements. Few e-learning experiences recognize that the
learner is really "shopping" in the first few minutes and should be guided
to make a high investment Learning Forecast. Organizations can surely help
to calibrate learners' expectations in this arena. We have a hunch that
investment in activities that will shape the Learning Forecast will be
critical in e-learning efforts.

In coming months, The MASIE Center will be focusing on Learning Forecasts in
articles here in Trends and in our new Learning Decisions Interactive
Newsletter. Send us your thoughts on Learning Forecasts to:
forecast@masie.com

2. Learning Quotation:

"When I learn something new - and it happens every day - I feel a little
more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest."

- Bill Moyers

3. e-Numb: Overdose of e-Advertising: I have started to get e-Numb! About
15% of the advertising on television these days is for a Dot.Com business
and it is all starting to feel the same. It is even happening in the
Learning and Training field, which I love to follow with a passion. The
other day, I was looking at several ads for e-learning businesses and they
all started to run together. I literally had to stop reading and think
about something else for a few moments. My brain was getting e-Numb!

Why all this advertising now? Well, we all will agree that the Digital Age
is the hot point in business and where fortunes and revolutions will take
place. And, with an infusion of capital from IPO's, companies are spending
BIG BUCKS to grab the attention of the marketplace. The wisdom in the
venture capital community is to gain BRAINSHARE as rapidly as possible, so
let the ads roll.

The problem is that as a consumer, we are at risk of getting e-Numb. While
driving down the highway, I was a very cool billboard about a new "portal
for innovation resources". The problem was that five minutes later there
was a very similar billboard for a new .COM to assist small businesses.
Truthfully, I don't remember either of their URL's and I have not gone
searching. Advertisers beware....your messages may be numbing vs.
stimulating your customers.

Watch your own reaction to this upcoming deluge of e-Advertising? See if
you go to any of the sights. And, reflect on your own internal reaction to
the process. I fear that many of us, even the most excited, may start to
feel e-Numb.

4. e-learning Briefing To Focus on Organizational Decisions: There are only
65 spaces left in our new program, e-learning Briefing, to be held in
Seattle, Washington, on January 10 and 11, 2000. The focus of this two day
briefing, which I will teach, is on getting your arms wrapped around the key
decisions organizations must make as they add technology to the learning and
training process. I will provide a detailed view of the various components
of e-learning including:

On-Line Learning - Learning Technology - Digital Collaboration - Web-Based
Training - Virtual Classrooms - Learning Management Knowledge Management -
Skills for On-Line Training - Assessment - Learning Communities - Learning
Portal Strategies - Digital Futures - Authoring and Capturing Models - Key
Learning Decisions - Staffing for e-Learning

To register for this program go to http://www.masie.com/elearning/

151 - Simulations in Military Point Way to Corporate Sim-Learning & CISCO CEO Touts e-learning as Next Killer Application

1. Simulations in Military Point Way to Corporate Sim-Learning! I just
returned from a major conference in Florida focused on Simulation and
Training in the Military. I was deeply impressed and my interest aroused.
The level of commitment to simulation in the military arena should be a
lesson to corporate developers. The assumption that a skill learned also
needs to be a skill practiced continuously is at the heart of simulation.

I had a chance to chat with a pilot that flew several missions recently in
Bosnia. He described the way he and his team used a simulation technology
to get ready for a specific mission, discussing each of the key variables
that might change when they actually got to their target. It was clear
that simulation was a part of his skill set and was key to team knowledge
acquisition. Imagine that capacity in the hands of a managerial team or a
sale force. Not easy or cheap to do...but the results would be powerful.

The MASIE Center is going to launch an focus on simulation at next year's
TechLearn. Entitled Sim-Learning 2000, the conference within a conference
will bring together simulation developers from a wide range of industries to
discuss how to create affordable, distributed simulation for learning tools
in corporate settings. If you are interested in working with us on this
topic send an email to simlearn@masie.com

2. Beware of Mini-Zip Virus: Spreading Faster ... Alert Thy Users: The
mini-zip virus is back. We received over 60 email messages yesterday from
large corporations that have been impacted by the virus. The virus sends
an automatic message with the text: "I received your email and I will send
you a reply ASAP. Till then, take a look at the attached zipped docs."
However, the attachment actually contains an executable file that infects
the system, rather than documents. Trainers should check with their IT
departments to make sure that word is getting out to end-users.

3. CISCO CEO Touts e-learning as Next Killer Application: John Chambers, the
CEO of CISCO, made a powerful and compelling case for e-learning at the
recent COMDEX event. He calls e-learning the next killer application. See
his speech via streaming at http://www.msnbc.com/news/336104.asp?cp1=1

4. Staffing for Next Wave of Training: Key Topic at e-learning Briefing:
How will we staff for e-learning? What will be the new job roles and titles
to deliver and facilitate on-line learning? These topics will be discussed
at the our new event: "e-learning Briefing" to be held in Seattle on
January 10 and 11, 2000. I will be teaching this vendor-neutral briefing
and will report details of a recent survey on the types of skills and
staffing needed to implement e-learning. Seats are still available.
Information and registration at http://www.masie.com

5. Macromedia Announces CourseBuilder for Dreamweaver 3: Macromedia, Inc.
CR) today announced Macromedia CourseBuilder for Dreamweaver, an extension
application to Dreamweaver 3 for creating interactive Web-based learning
applications. CourseBuilder enables professional Web developers and subject
matter experts to quickly author training content in a visual environment,
without requiring programming knowledge. Information is available at
http://www.macromedia.com

6. TeckCheck Announces TrainingLink and Linkages Between Assessment and
Content: TeckChek, a provider of vendor-independent information technology
(IT) skills assessment services, announced the availability of TrainingLink,
to allow users to quickly and easily identify training resources that
address skill gaps revealed through TeckChek's comprehensive technical
skills assessments.

"TeckChek skills assessments provide detailed feedback about a test taker's
strengths and weaknesses in a particular technology. With TrainingLink, each
weakness identified in an online score report will be linked to a list of
relevant training opportunities. TeckChek concurrently announced that
several leading IT training providers have mapped their technical training
courses to TeckChek's skill assessments. TeckChek's initial TrainingLink
alliance partners include NETg, Productivity Point International,
ProsoftTraining.com and MindQ Publishing." Information at
http://www.teckcheck.com

------------ NEW: Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter from Elliott
Masie ------------
Check out our new service: Elliott Masie's Learning Decision Interactive
Newsletter. This is a monthly newsletter and research service that
addresses the key learning decisions facing organizations. Each month
participate in a benchmarking survey and compare your data with similar
organizations in the field. Only $195 per year, including discounts at all
MASIE Center events and access to the Learning Decisions On-Line Community.
Information and subscriptions at http://www.masie.com/ld/

152 - Technology People Graphical?; Technology Company Seeks International Negotiation Skills Course

1. Technology People Graphical? I wrote an article in the launch edition of
a new careers site, Planet IT, focusing on the challenge of adding graphical
skills to technical staff's skill sets. The site is free. Check it out and
let me know what you think of the challenge of adding graphics to the IT
skills set. Go to: http://www.PlanetIT.com/docs/PIT19991201S0035

2. e-Learning Briefing to Include Implementation Planning Advice: At our
upcoming e-learning Briefing (Seattle, Jan 10 and 11th), we will provide a
summary of advice from Training Managers currently implementing on-line and
e-learning projects. We have been collecting a series of case studies on
effective and failed implementation learnings. After the briefing, we will
publish a snapshot here on TRENDS. There are only a few dozen seats left in
the briefing. Go to http://www.masie.com for info and on-line
registration.

Here are 2 requests from TechLearn Readers for Help and Resources:

3. Technology Company Seeks International Negotiation Skills Course: A
major technology company is seeking help in finding negotiation skills
courses with an international orientation: Here is their request:

"We are looking for a Negotiating course for our Sales Group for the
Caribbean & Latin American Region. The course needs to be culturally
diverse for this market, as opposed to a domestically focused. As you know,
negotiating styles vary from country to country within the region as well
outside, for example negotiating between a Brazilian and a Spaniard can be
very difficult if one does not understand what each expects during the
negotiating process, etc"

Please send any suggestions or replies to int1@masie.com and we will forward
to the reader and also post a summary on a future TRENDS.

4. UNICEF Asks About International Portals: Ivette Martinez-Rivera, from
UNICEF, asks TechLearn readers for help on finding learning portals with an
international and non-profit slant. Here is her request:

"We are an international organization and are considering subscribing to a
learning portal. We would like to roll this request by TechLearn readers to
find out if there are there sites that might have courses -- management--
that are more international and non-profit orientation in scope?"

Please respond to int2@masie.com and we will pass these along to UNICEF and
post a summary on a future TRENDS.

5. Learning Quotations Needed: Earn a Cool Calendar: We are about to
publish a Learning and Technology Calendar with 365 great learning quotes.
If you have a favorite quote just send it to quotes@masie.com and if we use
it we will send you a free copy of the calendar. If 2 people submit the
same quote, the first one received gets the calendar. Please include the
author and/or book it comes from. Send it to quotes@masie.com

-- NEW: Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter -
Check out our new service: Elliott Masie's Learning Decision Interactive
Newsletter. This is a monthly newsletter and research service that
addresses the key learning decisions facing organizations. Each month
participate in a benchmarking survey and compare your data with similar
organizations in the field. Only $195 per year, including discounts at all
MASIE Center events and access to the Learning Decisions On-Line Community.
Information and subscriptions at http://www.masie.com/ld/

153 - Speech Recognition TechLearn TRENDS; Zoomerang: Free Survey and Feedback Site

1. Speech Recognition TechLearn TRENDS: This edition of TechLearn Trends is
being written by voice. Using the new USB microphone version of Dragon
Naturally, I am sitting in a chair in my hotel in Chicago and talking to the
30,000 readers of TRENDS. This technology has come a very long way in the
last year. After a 20 minute "training" period, it works like a charm. I
am getting around a 98% accuracy rate and am talking at a conversational
speed. Watch for speech recognition to hit wider markets in 2000. Info on
this system is at http://www.dragonsystems.com

2. Zoomerang: Free Survey and Feedback Site - Check out a new site called
Zoomerang. This site allows an individual or organization to easily design
and implement an on-line survey of employees, customers or even family
members. There are a wide range of templates and a simple on-line editor
to create the questions. You then send notifications to the targeted
people or post a link on your website. The site provides a complete
analysis of the data. There is currently no charge for using the service.
http://www.zoomerang.com

3. Give e-Learning as a Stocking Stuffer: As you are thinking about gifts
for the holidays, consider giving a friend or colleague a gift of an
e-learning or on-line learning class. I am surprised that someone has not
started a site like "learninggifts.com" to sell gift certificates for
e-learning classes. Let's watch how many hours it takes before someone
takes this idea and runs with it. In the meantime, you can always write up
a note with a gift for an on-line class. The gift of learning will be
deeply appreciated by the people in your life.

4. MASIE Center Plans International Events in 2000: We are very excited
about plans to have a number of MASIE Center events around the world in
2000. We are planning to host a TechLearn Briefing in London in June and
will be in Asia in July. If you would be interested in working with us to
create and host a TechLearn or e-Learning event in a country during 2000,
send an email to global@masie.com

5. Thanks for Calendar Quotes: We have received over 500 quotes to include
in our new Learning Quotations Calendar we are producing. If you want to
add your ideas (and win a free calendar) just send a note to
quotes@masie.com

There are still a few spaces left in our upcoming e-learning BRIEFING,
Seattle on January 10 and 11th. Info and on-line registration at
http://www.masie.com

-- NEW: Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter -
Check out our new service: Elliott Masie's Learning Decision Interactive
Newsletter. This is a monthly newsletter and research service that
addresses the key learning decisions facing organizations. Each month
participate in a benchmarking survey and compare your data with similar
organizations in the field. Only $195 per year, including discounts at all
MASIE Center events and access to the Learning Decisions On-Line Community.
Information and subscriptions at http://www.learningdecisions.com

154 - A Cool Learning Toy for Christmas; Teleprompter Software for PC's

1. A Cool Learning Toy for Christmas: So, I bought myself a cool learning
toy for Christmas. I was in the computer store, checking out the shelves
and my eye caught a vision from my past. There was this very interesting
looking microscope. What was different was that you viewed the magnified
images on the screen of a PC. Images from my youth flooded my brain. I
remembered examining every fiber in the house under my new microscope, even
a tough to extract feather from the family bird.

The Intel� PlayT QX3T Computer Microscope, created in conjunction with
Mattel, is one of the coolest gifts I have ever bought for myself. It is
under $100 and blows images up to 200 times and captures them in real time
on the PC. You can even make time lapse photos of mold growing. Now,
remember that I am quite the nerd, so this stuff appeals to me. But, if you
are looking for a family gift, check this out. You can find it in a local
computer or toy store, or check it out at www.shopmattel.com

2. Teleprompter Software for PC's: As we move towards digital video
production in-house in our organizations, the issue of teleprompters will
arise. Some people are more comfortable with their notes or actual script
on a teleprompter. Renting a teleprompter can cost a fortune. So, we
locate an easy to use, affordable piece of software that will turn a
computer into a totally configurable teleprompter. DRS-Digitrax allows you
to load in a text file and display it for the reader at any scroll rate
required. You can use the mouse or mousewheel to change the speed or pause
it to align with the pace of the speaker. There is a free download for demo
purposes and the purchase price is $150. Check it out at
www.drs-digitrax.com

3. Learning Quotations: Rich Koch submitted these two Learning Quotations
for our upcoming calendar:

"Wisdom is the power to put our time and our knowledge to the proper use".
Thomas J. Watson.

"I would rather train someone and lose them, then not train them and keep
them". Zig Ziglar

4. Learning Industry People on the Move:

Bill Rosenthal, the former President of Ziff Davis Education, is now the
President of kaplan.com
Jim Secord, President of Lakewood Publications is retiring.
Tina Sung is the new president and CEO of ASTD.

5. MASIE Center Closed for Holidays: We are closing our doors for 10 days
starting this Thursday. The MASIE Center staff is headed for family and
friends. We are also saying goodbye to one of our colleagues, Andrea
Kartchner who will be heading for full time motherhood in 2 weeks. We wish
her and her family great health and luck. Have a happy holiday season!

-- NEW: Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter -
Check out our new service: Elliott Masie's Learning Decision Interactive
Newsletter. This is a monthly newsletter and research service that
addresses the key learning decisions facing organizations. Each month
participate in a benchmarking survey and compare your data with similar
organizations in the field. Only $195 per year, including discounts at all
MASIE Center events and access to the Learning Decisions On-Line Community.
Information and subscriptions at http://www.learningdecisions.com