298 - A Moment to Pause: Tsunami Disaster

TO: TRENDS Readers
FROM: Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center
DATE: 30 December 2004

The recent Earthquake and Tsunami disasters in Southern Asia weigh heavily on our minds and hearts as we enter the New Year.

The e-Learning CONSORTIUM is making a $5,000 donation to Save The Children's Asia Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Fund. Save the Children, a member of our CONSORTIUM, is doing important emergency refief work in the region, along with many other NGO organizations.

If you or your organization are interested in this project, please see this link:

http://www.savethechildren.org

Times of international tragedy like these are moments to pause and be grateful for all that we have and the blessings of life.

Warm New Year's Regards to You:

Elliott and the staff of The MASIE Center

297 - Antarctica Expedition & Millennium Workers: Readers Responses

TO: TRENDS Readers
FROM: Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center
DATE: December 16, 2004
LOCATION: Aboard Explorer II Expedition to Antarctica

1. Antarctica Expedition
2. Millennium Workers: Readers Responses
3. Upcoming MASIE Center Events

Dear Readers:

1) This latest edition of TRENDS is coming to you from aboard the Explorer II Ice Breaker vessel that I am on during a 2 week Expedition to Antarctica. We are deep into the Antarctica region with 100 other participants and a dozen scientists and academics. This is part of a one month "working sabbatical" that my wife and I are taking that has seen us in South Africa, South America and now in Antarctica. If you would like to follow along with this journey, you can visit our personal BLOG at: http://www.elliottmasie.com

There are several powerful learnings that I am taking away from these journeys about the role of curiosity as a driver for effective learning. So much of what we focus on as training professionals is aimed at content structuring. Yet, when the curiosity muscle is activated, learning will happen at such a higher rate and intensity. Both our safari experience in Africa and now this Antarctica expedition have been filled with "guide trainers" who have helped us master an enormous amount of new knowledge without a traditional lesson plan.

2. Millennium Workers - TRENDS Readers Reactions: A few weeks ago I included a story from a colleague who is an HR executive. They had been contacted by a parent who wanted to dispute a 4 out 5 performance evaluation given to their early 20's daughter. Well, you clearly reacted to this. Here is a summary of those reactions at:

http://www.masie.com/millennium

3. Upcoming MASIE Center Events: We have a number of small seminars and briefings scheduled for the early part of 2005:

e-Learning Skills Lab: Saratoga �" January 10 �" 12, 2005
Rapid Learning Development: Chicago �" February 16 �" 17, 2005
Rapid Learning Development: London �" March 1 �" 2, 2005
e-Learning Briefing: Minneapolis �" February 14, 2005

For information and registration go to: http://www.masie.com

Best wishes from Antarctica,
Elliott Masie