174 - Quickie View of PC Expo; Compaq Creates One Button Access to WebEx for Digital Collaboration; Learning at Home Legal Liabilities and Compensation?; New Employee e-Orientation Using e-Learning

1. Quickie View of PC Expo: Handhelds & Wireless: The MASIE Center packed
up its staff and headed down to New York City on Wednesday to visit PC Expo.
Amongst the hundreds of booths and tens of thousands of visitors we scanned
these quick perspectives:

* Handhelds Were Hot! The traditional attendees to PC Expo have been
corporate buyers of technology. This year, instead of being pitched with
new desktops or laptops, the buzz was all about Handhelds. There were
acre's of displays focused on using Palm, Handspring, SONY and Microsoft's
Pocket PC format. What was most interesting was the connectivity and
synchronization focus of these devices. The industry analysts that I spoke
with were all hot on the use of this new form factor for accessing corporate
databases, email and sales force automation. While there was only one
Handheld application targeted at learning, this will change dramatically in
the coming months. We were impressed with the use of video and audio as
part of this form factor and that will allow for much more portable access
to learning and collaboration via Handhelds.

* Wireless Was Everywhere: In the same vein, wireless dominated the
networking products. The shift to wireless was strong in both the Business
to Business and Business to Consumer segments. We saw internal wireless
products to allow easy mobility of a worker and their laptop. But, the
integration of web access from cellular phones and Handhelds was top of mind
throughout the Expo.

2. Compaq Creates One Button Access to WebEx for Digital Collaboration:
Compaq made a significant announcement last week when they partnered with
WebEx, a digital collaboration company, to include a "Compaq Online Meeting
Center" button on its new keyboards. This will launch a Compaq branded
version of WebEx to allow users to launch web-enabled meetings with a single
click of a keyboard button. Capabilities will include the ability of share
data, voice, video and telephony through a standard browser without
pre-installed hardware. Watch for other deals between major digital
collaboration/virtual classroom providers with hardware companies to create
a branded one button access option.

3. Learning at Home Legal Liabilities and Compensation? Several TechLearn
readers have asked us to do a scan to see how organizations are handling the
issue of legal liability and/or compensation for home access of e-Learning
resources. What is your organization's policy about paying people when they
do home based e-Learning for work? And, what is the coverage for workman's
compensation? If you have a policy or experience, please send me a note to
emasie@masie.com and we will publish a summary in a few weeks.

4. Present a Case Study at TechLearn 2000! We have opened to doors for
folks that would like to present a Case Study at TechLearn 2000. This is a
one hour session, presented by a corporate attendee (not a vendor/supplier)
around a problem that you solved or an innovation that you implemented in
the learning and technology field. Last year, we had dozens of case studies
from around the world. If you are planning to attend TechLearn 2000
(www.techlearn.com) in Orlando in June and would like to volunteer to
present a Case Study, please send an email to case@masie.com. Include a
short note about the case study that you would enjoy sharing with 3,000 colleagues.

5. New Employee e-Orientation Using e-Learning: One of the major growth
areas in e-Learning seems to be in the area of New Employee Orientation.
Organizations are shifting the first phase of employee orientation to an
e-Learning format. Some folks are even providing access to the orientation
resources to pre-interview timing, to allow the prospect to better
understand the culture and character of the workplace. It is also a great
project to engage business units across the enterprise in visioning and
creating a first e-Learning project.

MASIE Center Resources ---- www.masie.com
1) Last Call for e-Learning Europe Attendees: July 10 and 11 - Dublin, Ireland
2) Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter: Only $195 for One Year Subscription -- Access to Monthly Research
3) TechLearn 2000 + e-Learning CONGRESS: November 12 to 15 - Orlando, Florida

173 - A Giant Step Forward for e-Learning Standards!

1. A Giant Step Forward for e-Learning Standards! The world of learning
took a giant step forward this week at the Department of Defense's ADL
(Advanced Distributed Learning) Plugfest. The goal was crisp and they
succeeded. Put forward a specification for the reuse, redeployment and
interchangeability of learning content. The "specification" was the SCORM
model (www.adlnet.org). During the Plugfest, attended by a wide range of
industry e-Learning providers, the SCORM (Sharable Courseware Object
Reference Model), was tested, experimented with and shown to allow for one
set of content to move to and from a variety of Learning Management Systems.

The heart of this giant leap forward is a shared vision that organizations
will have highly valuable collections or repositories of learning content in
object formats. These objects would be used in both e-Learning and
instructor led training. Learning Management Systems would hold the
sequence and formats for the use of these objects, so that the same content
could be used for an on-line tutorial, a virtual classroom and an in-house
class. SCORM was incorporated into a wide range of both content collections
and Learning Management Systems in attendance at the Plugfest. In addition,
there are a wider set of providers that are working on SCORM integration,
who could not fit into the limited space for this thinktank meeting.

We will see Learning Standards in this calendar year! The first steps were
taken by groups such as IMS, AICC and IEEE. The SCORM focus moves us
forward another big step. At TechLearn 2000's World e-Learning Congress, we
will ask the major corporations in the U.S. and internationally, to provide
support for these standards. Their support, leveraged with the support of
the Pentagon and the Federal Government, will rapidly accelerate the road to
effective and innovation-ready standards.

A small warning. You will hear a large number of SCORM "ready" claims. The
process of being "certified" is still ahead of us. What is critical right
now is for organizations to get involved in the discussion and for vendors
to work with the SCORM model and test software to move this process forward.
Ultimately, being compliant with standards will not provide a competitive
advantage, but will be assumed! A big thanks goes to the gang at ADL, with
special acknowledgement to Paul Jesukiewicz, Director, ADL Co-Lab; Philip
Dodds, SCORM Technical Chair; Wayne Hodgins, Chair IEEE, Learning Object
Metadata [LOM] Subcommittee; and Mike Parmentier, Head of ADL.

You can read the details and view the streamed video at www.adlnet.org
(select Plugfest). And, the TechLearn 2000' World e-Learning Congress
information is at http://www.techlearn.com

2. PC Expo - TechLearn 2000 Pre-Conference Briefing Scheduled: One of the
benefits that all REGISTERED ATTENDEES of our upcoming TechLearn 2000 (World
e-Learning CONGRESS) event receives is access to a series streamed video
briefing by Elliott Masie and the MASIE Center staff prior to the event. We
are producing the first briefing on Wednesday, when we will be heading to PC
Expo (huge technology conference in New York City) and we will ask the
question: What technologies will impact Learning in the next 12 months?
If you are already registered for TechLearn 2000, you will receive a link
and password next week to view this briefing....starting next week (and
participate in an interactive dialogue on the topic)

So, head to our website at http://www.techlearn.com and register for
TechLearn 2000 now! You can pay later, but you will then be able to
participate in a wide range of pre-conference activities. Join the almost
1,000 folks already registered. Dates: November 12 to 15, 2000!

172 - Special Report from London, England - SmartForce Conference

Special Report from London, England - SmartForce Conference

1. e-Learning Called e-Learning Internationally?

Today, we will have only one item in TechLearn Trends. During the coffee
break this morning after my keynote at the SmartForce Conference in London,
the subject of translations of the term e-Learning popped up. There were
folks from 10 different countries around the world and they all reported
that e-Learning was used as the English version: e-Learning. I was curious
if any of them had translated e-Learning to their native language, or was it
one of the "internet age" terms that stayed in English.

The reporter from Sweden reported that e-Learning is how they are using it
his country, even though they are working hard to translate most terms to
their native language.

So, here is a request from The MASIE Center to our international readers.
If you are from a non-English speaking country, could you send me a quick
email to emasie@masie.com and let us know if you are using e-Learning in
your native language, English and any perspectives on the usage. I will
compile these and get them back out on Thursday with the next Trends.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events and Publications;
* e-Learning 2000 Europe: Dublin, Ireland - July 10 and 11, 2000 ---
Details at www.masie.com/dublin

* TechLearn 2000 + The World e-Learning CONGRESS: November 12 to 15, 2000
--- Orlando, Florida --- Details at www.techlearn.com

Plus.... READ a FREE COPY OF Learning Decisions Monthly Newsletter On-Line
at www.learningdecisions.com This is the only vendor-neutral monthly
newsletter that has 2,000 person research studies every month. Only $195
per year with discounts at all MASIE Center Events.

171 - HP Funds 5 e-Learning Research Projects; Cell Phone Users Beware; $100,000 On-Line MBA Program?

1. HP Funds 5 e-Learning Research Projects: Hewlett-Packard Company today
announced it has awarded five research grants to academic institutions around the globe
to study how people learn in Net-centric environments:

* University of Texas at Austin/Norwegian University of Science and
Technology -- How adult learners acquire knowledge in Net-centric environments
* University of Oslo, Norway -- Models for integrating technology into problem-based learning
* University of Lige, Belgium -- Best practices in designing a Web-based curriculum
* Global Learning Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Technology -- Exploring the application
of mobile phones for e-learning
* India Management Association -- Effectiveness of e-learning among working adults.

The MASIE Center salutes HP's commitment to funding research in this area. We will bring you updates of the results of these projects in future TechLearn Trends articles.

2. Cell Phone Users Beware - Information Leakage and Digital Collaboration Manners:
The strangest things happen in the Digital Age. Here I was, minding my own business at Gate 27
in O'Hare Airport. A guy sits down next to me and whips out his cell phone. In a voice that could
be heard at Gate 28, he starts to negotiate a job change. All could hear him and none wanted to.
Especially me, since he was moving from one training company to a new e-learning venture, both
of which I know well. It got very uncomfortable when he started to talk about the client lists
"that I know I can bring with me". I tapped him on the knee, told him that he was talking about stuff
that he probably didn't want others to know about. Yet, he continued, and shifted into salary information
that we all could hear. When he concluded, I introduced myself and told him that he should think twice
about having these conversations on cell phones with a voice that booms. Lesson learned... Digital
Collaboration requires technology and common sense/customs. Digital Collaboration sometimes
gives us a false sense of privacy. We have to develop customs and habits that are community appropriate
as we develop new connectivity. Other lesson learned: you never know who is listening in an airport lounge!

3. $100,000 On-Line MBA Program?: A new joint venture from the London Business School
with the Columbia Business School in New York would create a global executive MBA. It would include
seminars in both New York and London as well as distance learning over the internet. The cost -
a cool $100,000 - makes it the most expensive MBA launched by London Business School and
probably the most expensive university course anywhere in the world. "It has an advantage over any
other MBA course in that it exposes the participant to two alumni networks, not just one," says Dean
John Quelch. The course is part of the LBS' attempt to develop distributed learning over the internet.

4. VH1 Save the Music Foundation Selected as Key Charity for TechLearn: We are proud to
announce that TechLearn 2000 + The World e-Learning CONGRESS, to be held in Orlando, Florida
in November have selected the VH1 Save the Music Foundation as our key Charity. The MASIE Center
will make a substantial donation from the proceeds of TechLearn to this innovative program that provides
musical instruments to schools. In addition, we will conduct an On-Line Silent Auction and ask participants
to bring used instruments to TechLearn to donate to the program. There will be a wide range of TechLearn
events, including a charity golf tournament sponsored by Centra and other events that will bring our
corporate support of this program to a substantial level. Information on TechLearn is found at
www.techlearn.com
Information on Music in the Schools can be found at http://www.vh1.com/insidevh1/savethemus/index-who_we_are.html

Upcoming MASIE Center Event:
e-Learning 2000 Europe: Dublin, Ireland - July 10 and 11, 2000 Info at www.masie.com

3 Minute Survey - What Do We Know About e-Learning?

TO: Learning, Training and Technology Colleagues
FROM: Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center

Please take 3 minutes to complete our latest TechLearn Trends/Learning Decisions Survey:

"What Do We Know About e-Learning Survey"

What do we know or don't know about e-learning? What are the key knowledge
elements that will help us build new models of delivering learning via
technology. This month's survey will build an industry wide Knowledge Map
and highlight key areas where we need to collectively learn more.

Just go to http://www.masie.com/survey/ and fill out our 3 minute survey.

Executive summary of results will be posted in TechLearn TRENDS in a few weeks.
We really appreciate your involvement in our surveys!

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
The MASIE Center

170 - Results of Survey: Learning at Our Desks & High Speed Learning in Hotels?

1. Results of Survey: Learning at Our Desks: Here is an executive summary
of our recent Learning Decisions Newsletter research on the ability (and
preference) of learners to learn at their desks. There were 2,474 responses
from learning and training professionals during the week of May 15, 2000:

Where would you ideally want to take an important e-Learning event?
47% - At my desk
20% - In a learning center or conference room
21% - At home

When would you most likely take an e-Learning offering at your desk?
16% - Before work
17% - After work
16% - At lunch
29% - During work
2% - On my days off

How would you describe your ability to concentrate when you take an
e-Learning offering at your desk?
15% - Easy to concentrate
35% - Fairly easy to concentrate
35% - A bit distracting
15% - Very distracting

Activities that make it make it difficult to concentrate on e-Learning:
33% - Phone calls
15% - E-mail Checking
43% - Interruptions from colleagues stopping by
3% - Ridicule from unsupportive colleagues
7% - Consequences from unsupportive manager

As you can see, there was a 50 - 50 split in folks that could easily
concentrate at their desks during normal work hours. For complete data
reports and our analysis, including multi-tasking research results,
subscribe to Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter ($195 per year, with
monthly research on e-Learning) Just go to http://www.learningdecisions.com

2. High Speed Learning in Hotels? I am in Chicago this morning and noticed
that this is the third hotel in a row that has high speed internet access in
my room. For only $9 a night, I have hooked up my laptop to a DSL high
speed connection. This broadband access is rapidly becoming a norm in
business level hotels. It will create a new ability for travelers to hook
up for high-speed access to e-Learning experiences. Interestingly, the home
page that pops up when you start to use these optional services do not
include a LEARNING option, alongside SHOP and DINE menu choices. That will
change in the next few months. We will also see major organizations make
deals to have VPN services, allowing travelers to work behind their
corporate firewalls. For an example of one of these providers see
http://www.cais.com (It is ironic to write this note, as I started a
national effort to have modem ports put into hotels in July 1986. Back
then, you had to move the bed and open the wall plate to install a phone
line for your 300 baud modem.)

3. Tom Peters (TechLearn Keynoter) Video Streamable As a ramp up to
TechLearn 2000, we are providing content segments from our major keynote and
special session speakers. Here is a two hour video seminar from Tom Peters
on "Creating Work that Matters".
http://webevents.broadcast.com/wyncom/peters91099/archive_100799.asp

At TechLearn 2000 + e-Learning CONGRESS, Tom will speak on the topic of
Reinventing Training. You can register for TechLearn (Nov. 12 to 15 in
Orlando) at http://www.techlearn.com

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* e-Learning 2000 Europe in Dublin, Ireland on July 10 and 11th (http://www.masie.com)

169 - President Clinton Appoints Advisory Committee on Expanding Training Opportunities; Higher Education and Private Sector Engagements Blend for e-Learning; Bluetooth Wireless this Summer?; Digital Collaboration Scan Great Place to Start

1. President Clinton Appoints Advisory Committee on Expanding Training
Opportunities: President Clinton appointed Elliott Masie and 13 others to
the Advisory Committee on Expanding Training Opportunities to provide an
independent assessment of how the federal government can encourage the
effective use of learning technology to provide more accessible and
cost-training for all Americans. It will study the progress made by the
Federal government in its use of technology in training programs. The
Committee will also provide an analysis of options for helping adult
Americans finance the training and post-secondary education needed to
upgrade skills and gain new knowledge, including grants, tax incentives, and
low-interest loans. The co-chairs are Ms. Christine Hemrick from Cisco and
Ms. Hilary C. Pennington, Jobs for the Future. Members include Dr. Anthony
P. Carnevale, Educational Testing Service and Jerry J. Jasinowski, National
Association of Manufacturers. I would love to receive ideas and input from
TechLearn TRENDS readers as input. Send notes and ideas to
advisory@masie.com

2. Higher Education and Private Sector Engagements Blend for e-Learning:
Keep a close eye on the exploding set of deals that are being cut between
higher education and private sector groups for content creation and delivery
in the e-learning arena. For example, the media baron Rupert Murdoch has
linked his giant News International company with the 18-member university
network Universitas 21 in a move designed to capture a large share of the
rapidly growing global market for online higher education. Our office has
received calls from several dozen new ventures that include higher education
institutions aiming to take their e-learning projects "private" or securing
partnerships with commercial groups. There are key issues that are
floating around the higher education community including:

* Do faculty members own the content of their on-line courses?
* Can a faculty member use the name of their "home" university when teaching e-learning courses
for another group?
* What does the commercialization of a brand name university do the asset value of the institution?

It makes sense that in the search for rapid and large amounts of content
buyers are turning to universities --- organizations in the business of
creating and disseminating content. Watch closely, this will get more and
more interesting in the next 12 months.

3. Bluetooth Wireless this Summer? There has been a long-awaited new
wireless technology called Bluetooth. It seems that you will finally see
Bluetooth enabled gadgets on the market this summer. Bluetooth uses the
2.45 GHz frequency and works with devices in a range up 25 to 100 feet.
Applications that are coming to market include: synchronize your laptop,
palm device and cell phone via wireless; keep your mobile phone in your
briefcase and use a Bluetooth wireless headset; and in-classroom
connectivity of all learners to a "class-net". IBM, Motorola and Ericsson
are all readying Bluetooth capabilities for summer and fall launches.

4. Digital Collaboration Scan Great Place to Start: One of the
conversations that came from our recent Digital Collaboration event was the
need to conduct a "Collaboration Scan" within your organization. It is
likely that there are several silo's of first wave experiments with digital
collaboration underway within any enterprise. The learning group may be
launching a virtual classroom. The sales group may be using NetMeeting for
sales events. The support center may be using a Business to Business
collaboration tool for adding video to the support process. It is a great
time to "SCAN" the organization and find these skunk works projects. The
results of this survey will give you a valuable map for how to build
cooperation and enterprise wide strategies for the future of Digital
Collaboration.

5. e-Learning 2000 Europe Briefing Grows: We are very excited about our
e-Learning 2000 Briefing that will be conducted in Dublin, Ireland on July
10 and 11th. We have added several additional speakers including:

* Charles Pritchard, Digital Media Centre, Ireland - Using Telematic Facilities for Remote Teaching
* Martyn Sloman, Ernst & Young, UK - Management Education in an e-Learning World
* Paula Young, PricewaterhouseCooper, UK - Simulations in Training

In addition, we will be presenting a major award to the Irish Government for
their leadership in growing the e-Learning field. There are 103 seats
available at this premier event. We even have a group of U.S. attendees
combining a trip to Ireland with a 2 day learning event. Go to
http://www.masie.com/dublin for information and on-line registration
MASIE Center Events and Services:

* TechLearn 2000 + The World e-Learning CONGRESS - November 12 to 15, 2000 -
Orlando, Florida (www.techlearn.com)

* Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter - Monthly Research Based Newsletter from
Elliott Masie (www.learningdecisions.com)


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

168 - Special Edition from Lisbon, Portugal

(Special Edition from Lisbon, Portugal)

e-Learning with an International Flavor - Portugal Style

I saw a very different face for e-Learning yesterday during a visit to
Lisbon, Portugal. The first e-Learning Conference in Portugal was sponsored
by AcademiaGlobal.Com, a new learning portal launched by the Portugal
Telecom (the national telephone company) and Tracy International (a long
standing training and performance company). There were 350 leaders from
around Portugal at this one day event, including the Mayor of Lisbon, CEO's
of major corporations and HR/Training leaders. It was an amazing experience
to hear the phrase e-Learning role off the tongue of the Mayor, as he
articulated the key role that technology enhanced learning would have in
helping Portugal compete in the New Economy. It was striking to see the
head of the national telecom company articulate that LEARNING CONTENT was
critical to the future of the telecommunications industry.

As I gave the opening keynote for this convocation, I was struck by the
"political" content of the conversation. Every speaker from Portugal linked
e-Learning to economic, societal and political agendas. They saw e-Learning
as a national opportunity which would enable them to address these key
issues:

* The ability to provide learning to a broader range of citizens, throughout their lives,
regardless of location.
* The ability to provide strategic training to fill a current or sudden skill gap in the
labor marketplace.
* The ability to provide access to international expertise with a localization of both
language and context.
* The ability to export Subject Matter Expertise from Portugal to the global economy.
* The ability to use e-Learning across the entire Supply Chain, from customers to
suppliers to partners, allowing companies in Portugal to be more agile in competing in
e-Marketplaces.
* The ability to leverage collaborative technology to link learners throughout Portugal
and Portuguese speaking countries.

While there was clearly a commercial venture on the table in the announcement of a new
learning portal, the attendees saw this with great national pride. It was going to be a Portugal
e-Learning mechanism. The television stations were there, the national newspapers and
magazines were there and there was a deep sense of the country taking the next step on the
road to the Internet Economy process. They were going "e-Learning!"

The questions that arose during the breaks were also different from those
that are common at training events in the States. There were very few
technology or tools questions. The focus was almost entirely on how
e-Learning would alter the texture and culture of organizations and the
learning establishment. One gentleman was very excited about the role that
e-Learning might have in his ability to retain employees, while a CEO talked
to me about the impact of Collaboration Tools on openness and trust within
organizations. In many ways, they were skipping the technology stage and
going to the process issues that were key to implementation.

For the past few years, I have been predicting the increased role that major
telecoms would have in the learning marketplace. The participation of
Portugal Telecom gave immediate stature and confidence to this new project.
Folks felt that they would be able to integrate e-Learning into the national

infrastructure of communications. Their involvement made the technology
issues seem much smaller. Watch for similar investments and involvements
from other Telecoms.

AcademiaGlobal.Com is going live this summer. They are using Centra as the
digital collaboration tool and partnering with a wide range of content
providers in Portugal and beyond. Leon Navickas, President of Centra, was
at the event and talked about the expansion of digital collaboration beyond
the confines of training events to a broader set of collaboration processes
throughout the organization. As a deeply verbal culture, there was
excitement about role of IP based live dialogue in these processes.

e-Learning is clearly not an American phenomena. The majority of IT
e-Learning is built in Ireland and India. The governments of nations are
seeing e-Learning as a strategic issue. The excitement and commitment to
e-Learning in countries such as Portugal will take the field forward at
lightening speed.

We invite you to our upcoming e-Learning 2000 Europe Briefing, to be held in
Dublin, Ireland on July 10th and 11th. You will see a wide range of
approaches to e-Learning from an international perspective. Information and
on-line registration are available at http://www.masie.com