443 - Podcasting for Learning; Dan Pink Learning 2007 Keynote

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - April 30, 2007.
#443 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,493 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA

1. PodCast on PodCasting for Learning.
2. Dan Pink To Keynote at Learning 2007.
3. Seattle to Chicago AMTRAK Train Trip.

1. PodCast on PodCasting for Learning: Here is a free PodCast that we did last week for our Learning CONSORTIUM on how to "Podcast for Learning".
This is a 55 minute dialogue with Russ White from Apple and a dozen learning executives from our Learning CONSORTIUM. I share a few different models for PodCast design and we explore the challenges and approaches to creation. Normally, these monthly calls are for the exclusive use of our CONSORTIUM, but we wanted to share this very timely content with TRENDS readers this month. Go to this URL to stream, download or read this
segment:

http://www.masieweb.com/pod4learning

2. Dan Pink To Keynote at Learning 2007: Every few days, we are adding another Keynoter or Dean to our Learning 2007 agenda. I am proud to announce that Dan Pink, the author of the very impressive book "A Whole New Mind," will be one of my keynoters at Learning 2007 (October 21 to 24, Orlando). We are also pleased to announce several additional DEANS for the event, including CLOs and Learning Leaders from Disney, Xerox and Liberty Mutual. There are over 520 colleagues already registered, including a dozen Corporate Retreats. Register at http://www.learning2007.com

3. Seattle to Chicago AMTRAK Train Trip: Elliott is on the Train again. On Thursday afternoon, after a trip to Microsoft and a meeting with our CONSORTIUM members in Seattle, I will be boarding Amtrak's Empire Builder train that gets to Chicago in a 3-day timespan. I am going to be writing several chapters for the books that each participant of Learning 2007 will receive, including "Impatient and Distracted Learners!" If you live along the route, send me a note to emasie@masie.com Maybe we can talk by phone as the train rolls by.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events & Services:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21-24 - Orlando, FL.
* Learning Leaders Academy: July - Saratoga Springs, NY.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com

Don Tapscott - Wikinomics and Jenny Zhu - ChinesePod Keynoters

TO: Learning & Training Professionals
FROM: Elliott Masie, Host - Learning 2007

Dear Colleagues,

Come join Don Tapscott, author of "Wikinomics", Jim Louderback, Editor of PC Magazine, Jenny Zhu, PodCaster from ChinesePod and a host of other resource leaders - along with 2,500 global learning colleagues at Learning
2007 (October 21-24 - Orlando). Information at:

http://www.learning2007.com

There are 2 anniversaries at Learning 2007. This is the 20th year that I have hosted an international conference/event in the learning and training field. And, we are going to have a 10th Year Birthday Cake for "e-Learning" - it's been a decade since that term has come into popular use.

Learning 2007 is about the broadest spectrum of learning. You can focus
on:

* The Changing Classroom - Revisiting Classroom & Blended Learning.
* Gaming4Learning - Use of Games, Simulations & Virtual Worlds for Learning.
* Performance Support - Learning at the Moment of Need.
* Learning Leaders Academy - Nigel Paine will lead a current and future CLO learning retreat.
* Role Specific Learning - How to map learning more directly to roles and competencies.

And, there is a Learning Systems segment, where we will focus on the LMS, LCMS and other enterprise systems. You can attend a seminar or meet in a User Group with your peers to deal with key issues about your systems.

Learning 2007 is led by our Learning CONSORTIUM. There will be two dozen "Deans", senior Chief Learning Officers from global organizations, driving the content and facilitating vendor-neutral discussions.

There are over 540 participants already registered for Learning 2007. We encourage you to register early to save over $200. And, we want to involve you in the design of this event. Key topic selection and "burning issues" will come from the collective intelligence of the participants.

Information and Early Registration Discounts at:
http://www.learning2007.com

I look forward to working, designing and learning with you at Learning 2007.

Elliott

Elliott Masie
Host, Learning 2007
The MASIE Center

441 - Get Their Cell Numbers for Crisis - Lesson Learned!

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - April 17, 2007.
#441 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,474 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.

Lesson Learned: Cell Phone Blasts for Crisis!

Does your company have the ability, in a few minutes, to send a text message or voice message to the cell phone of every employee?

The killings on the Virgina campus yesterday highlight the need and opportunity to harness mobile connectivity to our employees and community in a crisis.

Just three months ago, I wrote a column for Greentree Gazette, a higher education magazine, urging colleges to think about embracing the mobile/cell phone capabilities. I urged them to consider leaving the wired land line phones in dorm rooms that students aren't using and instead to hand each student a mobile phone that would allow the college to contact subsets or the entire campus with news or emergency updates. Or at least to register each phone in a campus database system.

Same for a corporation! Your organization should gather the mobile phone numbers of every employee and place them in a system (LMS or HR) that could be used to send an emergency text message or phone message instantly. What if there is a fire in the building and the email and phone systems go down? We could still reach 90% of the employees through the device that is on their belt or in their purse.

The United States is quite slow in leveraging the power of mobile devices and even lower in adult usage of TXT messages. But, as part of our crisis planning, we have a responsibility to make this a reality rapidly.

After Katrina, a CEO of a Gas Company in New Orleans that I know well regretted that they didn't even have a list of cell phone numbers to connect with current and alumni employees. He now carries that information on a USB stick in his pocket to allow for crisis communication.

Talk to your CIO and Corporate Communications coordinator about this today.

Send me your comments and thoughts to emasie@masie.com

Elliott Masie
The MASIE Center, Learning CONSORTIUM

Upcoming MASIE Center Events & Services:
* Performance Support LAB & Seminar: April 25-27 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
( Note - 4 Spaces Available Next Week!)
* Extreme Learning LAB & Seminar: May 9-11 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
* Learning 2007: Oct 21-24 - Orlando, FL.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com

440 - Why I Declined a Learning Award; Your LMS Challenges Please!

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - April 10, 2007.
#440 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,426 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21 - 24 - Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Your LMS Challenges, Please! Input into Conversations.
2. Why I Declined a Learning "Award"

1. Your LMS Challenges, Please! Input into Conversations: I would like to enlist the 50,000+ TRENDS readers in a vibrant conversation about Learning Systems (LMS and LCMS). As I write, 450 executives from companies are arriving in Las Vegas for our LMS 2007 User Group. Can you take a few minutes to send me a quick email with your thoughts about Learning Management and Content Systems. I will inject them into our discussions over the next two days and send a summary to TRENDS readers. Please send me an email as soon as possible at: emasie@masie.com

2. Why I Declined a Learning "Award": Recently, someone called our office to tell us that I had won an award as one of the influential people in the training industry. We told them that I would decline the award. It seems that they had posted a poll on the web and people were voting for names of folks online. Why did I decline?

While I have great respect for my colleagues and friends who are featured in the list that was just published, it felt like time to take a stand against the flurry of "awards" and "honors". When I look at a list of most influential folks in learning, I am surprised to not see many of the key Chief Learning Officers who make a difference and leaders who have been working on Learning Standards like SCORM, AICC and IEEE. Where are the learning leaders in the U.S. military and colleagues who are pushing the envelope in Asia, Africa and the NGO community? I also missed seeing leaders like Tony Bingham, the highly influential global leader of ASTD.

We have way too many "awards" and "beauty shows" in our field. In fact, there is a small "industry" that has sprung up to charge people for entering their companies in Best of Learning/Training/e-Learning and then making awards without a great deal of deep investigation. There are now even consultants to help get you more awards. One CLO was called on the carpet when his company dropped 10 slots in a "Best" competition. Same great company, same great learning innovation, but more players so he was dropped. He actually got a smaller annual bonus! Yuk!

While I actually enjoy American Idol and have voted on Dancing With the Stars, that's not how we should go about creating recognition for innovation and influence in the learning field. I know that I might get lots of on-line votes, since I have a "brand" and send out hundreds of thousands of emails a year as well as high visibility conferences.

The MASIE Center has given 12 pioneering awards over ten years to learning leaders at McDonalds, US Dept of Defense, Wal-Mart, Verizon, Cathay Pacific and Emirates Airlines, yet we never charged for it and you can't even apply. But, as a field, it is time to rethink this award flurry. I love the idea of competition and of recognizing excellence and innovation, but many of these awards are not really helping us get to deep excellence.

So, at Learning 2007 this year, we aren't giving any awards. Rather, we will be starting a contest for the "L Prize". Like the X Prize, we'll give a significant cash award (no entry fee) for a key learning innovation that is placed in the public domain.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events & Services:
* Performance Support LAB & Seminar: April 25-27 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
* Extreme Learning LAB & Seminar: May 9-11 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
* Learning 2007: Oct 21-24 - Orlando, FL.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com Notes to Elliott: emasie@masie.com

Learning 2007 Invitation

TO: Learning & Training Colleagues
FROM: Elliott Masie, Learning 2007
RE: Learning 2007 Invitation

You and your colleagues are cordially invited to attend our 20th annual
global event:

Learning 2007.
October 21 to 24 - Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, USA.
http://www.learning2007.com

We have just opened our new website and are offering a special Early
Registration discount (save more than $200 per person).

We are pleased to announce the first of several design and content
elements for Learning 2007:

* Learning Excellence and Learning Experimentation: These are our two
major themes for Learning 2007. How do we improve the learning we
currently deliver and how do we experiment and research new models?
* Gaming 4 Learning Festival: A 3 day event, integrated with Learning
2007, exploring the learning and collaboration potential for Gaming,
Simulation and Virtual Worlds.
* Leadership Training Revisited: A working group exploring alternatives to
our current models of Leadership Training, Development and Selection.
* Learning Gallery: 100 Plasma Screens around the walls of our Lunch and
Reception Hall - with demonstrations and self-service views of content,
systems and learning solutions.
* Learning Retreats - Teams from corporations attend Learning 2007 as a
Learning Retreat, with special meeting facilities, content, resources and
discounts.
* Learning & Sustainability - How do our organizations reach for ways to
reduce environmental impacts of travel?
* Redesigning Meetings - Models for changing the culture and design of
meetings.
* Write A Book Together: The participants of Learning 2007 will
collectively create the Learning Yearbook - 2007. Each participant will
receive a bound (and digital copy) of this book upon arrival in Orlando.
The Wisdom of the Crowds will have close to 2,000 key colleagues writing
this book about our changing field.
* Fun, Fun, Fun. Over the past two decades, we have brought music, arts,
fun and excitement to our MASIE events. Watch for surprise announcements
in the weeks ahead.
* Second Life Island: We are building a Virtual Learning 2007 Island for a
virtual immersion of all participants. This will open this summer and
will provide an "out of the world" hands-on way to start interacting with
colleagues coming to Learning 2007 and experimenting with new models of
information sharing.
* Four Generations - One Workplace - One Profession: Special sessions and
focus for CLOs, Senior Executives and Next Generation Learning
Professionals.
* And much more. Go to http://www.learning2007.com for evolving details.

Our design involves you as a learning designer. As you register, we will
involve you deeply in the design and content creation for Learning 2007.
Learning 2007 is produced by our Learning CONSORTIUM, a collaborative of
250 global companies. The event is co-hosted by ASTD and other key
educational associations.

Register now and save over $200. Rates go up on June 15th. Go to
http://www.learning2007.com

See you in Orlando!

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie,
Learning 2007
Learning CONSORTIUM

439 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - April 1, 2007.
#439 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,426 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of LMS 2007 - April 12 & 13 - Las Vegas, NV, USA.

1. Learning Taxes! e-Learning Modules Targeted.
2. Bubble Gum and Retention of Content.
3. Magic Marker World Wide Shortage.
4. Top 400,000 Training Department Awards Launched.

1. Learning Tax! e-Learning Modules Targeted: Recent proposals have surfaced in both the United States and Europe to introduce a broad based learning tax. As individuals use the internet for learning and training, governments see this as a ripe target for taxation.

The "e-Learning Taxation Bill of 2007" actually proposes a sliding scale tax, to be paid by either the corporate sponsor or the learner, based on the number of modules and type of learning outcomes. The legislation would exempt PDF files from this taxation but would include the growing use of PodCasts and Learning Games.

2. Bubble Gum and Retention of Content: A recent study on the effect of flavor and learning retention was released by the University of New Mexico. Building on the work done with Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), the research indicates a relationship between the chewing of bubble gum and short term content retention. The greatest impact seemed to be found in learners between ages 17 - 34, in content areas such as math and IT.

3. Magic Marker World Wide Shortage: The the age of LCD projectors and displays, there has been a dramatic reduction in the rate of manufacturing for Magic Markers for use with flipcharts. Members of our Learning CONSORTIUM have reported acute difficulty in purchasing black and red Magic Markers, including the scented type. A "black market" in markers has been reported in several countries and a 12 Pack of Markers is bringing almost $39 on e-Bay. Anyone with spare Magic Markers can donate to other trainers by sending them to: Markers for Others, PO Box 397, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 USA. (Please do NOT send purple markers!)

4. Top 400,000 Training Department Awards Launched: In an attempt to expand the ever growing number of "awards" programs in our field, The MASIE Center is launching a new "Top 400,000 Training Department Awards".
Almost any training department is eligible to enter and almost every entrant will win an award. While there is no entry fee, Award Statues will be available for only $200. Criteria is based on the ability to complete the entry form without any typppograpphical errors.

(Note: The above four items are part of our annual April Fools Learning TRENDS edition, following a tradition in the United States. While they are written with a smile ... you never know what strange things could happen in
the learning field. Warm regards, Elliott Masie)

Upcoming MASIE Center Events & Services:
* LMS 2007: April 12-13 - Las Vegas, NV. (Spaces Still Available!)
* Performance Support LAB & Seminar: April 25-27 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
* Extreme Learning LAB & Seminar: May 9-11 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
* Learning 2007: Oct 21-24 - Orlando, FL.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com