491 - Kindle, Learning Mergers and Africa Trip

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Dec. 5, 2007.
#491 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
54,059 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host, Learning Systems '08 - April 10 & 11 - Las Vegas, NV.

1. Kindle Reader from Amazon - Perspectives.
2. Learning Gives Back - Africa Trip.
3. Learning Mergers Update.

1. Kindle Reader from Amazon - Perspectives: We have been testing the new Kindle Reader device recently released by Amazon. This is the latest in a series of e-book readers that we have seen and reviewed at The MASIE Center. While the new device has some flaws and usability challenges (including the absence of a touch screen), it is an important "baby step" towards the dream of more accessible digital content. Just as Apple's iPod and the iTunes site popularized the concept of buying and downloading a song for a dollar, Kindle is aimed at doing the same for books. Our Learning CONSORTIUM will be doing a series of experiments with the Kindle and other e-Readers to see how they could best be integrated into corporate learning. You can take a peek at our work by going to http://www.masieweb.com/kindle

2. Learning Gives Back - Africa Trip: In just four days, we will be heading over to Mali for an exciting trip/mission with the Malaria No More group. As you may know, the Learning field raised over $50,000 for mosquito nets that can be used to protect children and families from Malaria-carrying mosquitoes. This is a powerful way to prevent Malaria, which kills over 3,000 people a day.

On our trip to Mali, we will be representing the global learning field and will be joined by a small group of delegates, including Admiral Ziemer (President's Malaria Initiative), Ilyasah Shabazz (the daughter of Malcolm X) and other religious and government leaders. In addition to the donations for Malaria prevention, we will also be meeting with regional leaders on the key learning issues that are facing North Africa, ranging from employment to micro-finances to AIDS education. We'll send TRENDS readers a special link to follow and participate in this Learning Gives Back trip. You can support this effort with a donation of as little as $10 which will buy a "net". Go to http://www.malarianomore.org/learning2007

3. Learning Mergers Update: Over the recent weeks, there have been a number of important mergers in the Learning field. Here are two that you might not have heard about:

* Interwise Bought by AT&T: Interwise, one of the web conferencing companies in our space, was purchased by AT&T for $121 million. This continues the trends of consolidation and alignment in this collaboration segment, following Cisco's purchase of WebEx. You can get details about the Interwise/AT&T merger at http://www.interwise.com

* Mzinga, Formed from Knowledge Planet & Shared Insights: Knowledge Planet, one of the early LMS players in our field, recently merged with Shared Insights, which hosts corporate and customer on-line communities. The new company is called Mzinga and will focus on the combination of learning, content and communities in a software-as-service modality. Details about this merger are viewable at: http://www.mzinga.com/

Upcoming MASIE Center Events and Services:
- Performance Support LAB & Seminar: Jan. 30 - Feb 1, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Learning Leaders Academy: March 10 - 12, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Learning Systems '08 Conference: April 10 and 11, Las Vegas, NV.
- Learning 2008: Oct. 26-29, Orlando, Florida.
- Membership in the Learning CONSORTIUM - 252 Organizations Collaborating Together!
Information and Registration: http://www.masie.com

490 - Funnybone; Mali; Zero G and Free Content

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Nov 25, 2007.
#490 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
54,039 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.

1. Funnybone Problems - Where is the Learning?
2. Zero G - Weightless Learnings
3. More Free Content On-Line

1. Funnybone Problems - Where is the Learning? A not very funny thing happened to my funnybone this Friday. I fell in our house and broke my elbow, cracking my funnybone. A few weeks in cast and splint and all should be better, but it was interesting to find a distinct lack of online learning when I needed it:

* How to Shower: Planning to take a shower and not getting my cast wet was actually pretty funny. I went online, assuming that I would find some online learning to help. Nope! One small wiki listing, but nothing graphic to advise me on the fine art of wrapping a cast and planning the shower.
* Sleeping with a Cast: Once again, nothing there.

It made me think about how cool it would be to have a User Generated Content section with illustrated e-Learning for these tasks that are unfamiliar to us, yet mighty important!

2. Zero G - Weightless Learnings: Two weeks ago, my wife Cathy and I had an incredible experience - weightlessness. We were passengers on the Zero G flight, which gave us 15 segments of weightlessness. Cathy and I both dreamed of being astronauts from our childhood. Flying rapidly up and down between 24,000 and 36,000 feet, our special 737 plane gave the 30 of us Zero Gravity experiences for 40 seconds at a time for 15 "parabolic" movements.

It was one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. We were all kids again, floating, eating floating M & M's and doing a series of weightless experiences. If you want to take a peak at our flight, there are pictures and video at http://www.masieweb.com/zerog

3. More Free Content On-Line: We have added another 12 hours of video and audio content from our Learning 2007 event, including keynotes from Dan Pink, Bobby Flay, Wharton Faculty and Ken Blanchard. Check it out at http://www.learningwiki.com

Upcoming Courses at The MASIE Center:
* Learning Leaders Academy.
* Performance Support Lab.
* Learning Systems 2008.
Check for dates and registration at http://www.masie.com later this week.
Email to Elliott at emasie@masie.com

489 - Learning Gives Back!

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Nov 09 , 2007.
#489 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
54,021 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.

This is our first Learning TRENDS after Learning 2007. I took some time
off to relax and reflect, following our event that hosted 2,087 learning
colleagues from around the world. In the coming weeks, we will be posting
a selection of Video, PodCasts and Resources from Learning 2007. Here are
a sample of a few that are already on-line:

* Content and Video From Keynotes & Sessions: http://www.learningwiki.com
* Pictures Galore - Over 1,300 Pictures: http://www.learning2007.com/pics
* Save The Dates - Learning 2008 - Oct 26 to 29, Orlando, Florida

1. LEARNING Gives Back! We were honored to raise over $50,000 from the
participants of Learning 2007 to donate Malaria Prevention Mosquito Nets
for use in Africa. The check was presented to Melinda Doolittle, our
favorite American Idol, and Scott Case from Malaria No More. Next week, we
will reach out to Learning TRENDS readers with a request to help in this
campaign. 3,000 die every day from Malaria, preventable with a $10 net.

In mid-December, Cathy and Elliott Masie will be flying to Mali to help
present the more than 5,000 nets that were donated by the Learning
Profession. We have launched a new effort called "Learning Gives Back" to
focus the giving from our field on an annual effort. Information at:

http://www.malarianomore.org/learning2007

Yours in Learning,

Elliott

486 - Your Learning Theory?

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 18, 2007.
#486 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,994 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.
- Over 2,059 Registered Participants -

1. Your Learning Theory Explored - 4 Videos!
2. The Learning Train - Arrived!

1. Learning Theories Explored - 4 Videos: What is your theory of learning?
Do you (or does your organization) believe in Behaviorism, Cognitivism or Sociocultural models of learning?

This is not light stuff, but it is key for us to step back and examine our theories and models of how we believe human beings really learn. For
example:

* People learn based on rewards or punishment?
* People learn based on their curiosity?
* People learn based on social contracts and interactions?
* People learn based on ....

We have asked Stanton Wortham, a leading researcher from the Wharton/University of Penn program on Learning Leadership, to explore these theories and our occasional contradictions with the participants at Learning 2007. He has produced a set of four short videos that will take you to a special Graduate School seminar on this topic. Take 10 to 15 minutes to view these and examine your own theories of learning:

http://www.learningwiki.com/theory

Dr. Wortham will explore these in depth during both a keynote presentation and discussion session in Orlando next week.

2. The Learning Train - Arrived! Thanks for the great notes. I received about 400 emails from folks as I took the train from New York to Orlando.
It was a great and relaxing trip. Even played poker for 1 penny a hand with a 78 year old retired conductor at 2 in the morning.

There are still a few spaces left at Learning 2007, which begins on Sunday. If you would like to register, go to http://www.learning2007.com

I'll come back on to TRENDS after our event and a week of vacation in the British Virgin Islands. Thanks for all of your support and hope to see you soon.

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie

485 - The Learning Train, Talent 2.0, Baby Boomer Gets SS

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 16, 2007.
#485 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,965 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.
- Over 2,057 Registered Participants -

1. First Baby Boomer Collects Social Security.
2. The Learning Train.
3. Talent 2.0

1. First Baby Boomer Collects Social Security: In the U.S., we passed a milestone on Monday when Kathleen Casey-Kirschling filed for early retirement Monday, becoming the first baby boomer to start collecting Social Security.

Born one second after midnight in January 1946, the retired teacher leads the way for as many as 80 million individuals who will qualify for the retirement payout. This is also another key indicator that we will need to deal with the transition issues for these 80 million as they either exit the workplace or change their roles.

2. The Learning Train: In about 2 hours, I begin my annual trek on the Amtrak from New York City to Orlando as we prepare for Learning 2007, which will start on Sunday. I'll have my small bedroom on the train, lots of good snacks and the opportunity to reflect and prepare for hosting 2,000 people. I love the rocking of the rails and the trek. I have my iPod loaded with railroad songs, including my favorites - City of New Orleans and King of the Road. There is something quite relaxing and reflective about taking this annual train trip. Maybe next year, we can charter a Learning Train :)

3. Talent 2.0: I am pleased to announce that Don Tapscott, one of our keynoters at Learning 2007, will be adding a special set of research to his presentation, focused on Talent 2.0. Don has just completed an in-depth research effort looking at the changing workforce and workplace, with significant implications for how we train and retain the next generation of workers.

There is still space and hotels available for Learning 2007. Go to http://www.learning2007.com for details.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida.
> Free Sunday Institutes at Learning 2007.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com
Email for Elliott to emasie@masie.com

483 - Social Buttons and Structured Notepaper

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 12, 2007.
#483 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,965 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.
- Over 2,057 Registered Participants -

1. Social Buttons & Structured Notepaper: Engagement Tools.
2. Our 2,000th Participant: Congrats!

1. Social Buttons & Structured Notepaper: Engagement Tools! Buttons and notepads are pretty low-tech, but they can be very high-touch, highly social networking-focused and provide a structure for informal learning.

Social Buttons: We have designed 30 small, colorful buttons with 1 or 2 words apiece for our participants to wear on their clothing or nametag lanyards. These words include: Multi-Tasker, New to Learning, Confused, Blogger, Shopping for LMS, Loner. Our participants will wear 0 to 30 of these as conversation starters and social networking tools.

Notepad Design: Sure, you can take notes on a yellow pad. Instead, we have designed a multi-color, multi-format visual notetaking pad for our participants that is mapped to learning styles and explicit about types of notes that lead to TRANSFER. Check out this pad and sample of the Social Buttons at:

http://www.learning2007.com/buttons

2. Our 2,000th Participant: Congrats! We just processed our 2,000th registration for Learning 2007: Lisa Byrne, Manager, Learning & Development at GlaxoSmithKline. She will receive a special gift of $500 Disney Dollars.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida.
> Free Sunday Institutes at Learning 2007.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com
Email for Elliott to emasie@masie.com

482 - Learning Governance; Presidential Campaigns and Learning

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 11, 2007.
#482 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,954 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.
- Over 2,002 Registered Participants -

1. Learning Governance - When a Session Cancels!
2. Where is Performance Support in Service Techs?
3. Learning Platform for 2008 Presidential Race.

1. Learning Governance - When a Session Cancels! What happens when one of your senior faculty is assigned to go to China at the very moment they were leading a session for you? Well, when Rob Lauber, the VP for Learning at YUM! Brands (Pizza Hut, A&W, etc.), was re-directed to Asia for Oct 21st, we decided to do a Blended Approach to program continuity.

First, we recorded an interview with Rob about his content - Global Learning Governance (12-Minute Podcast):

http://www.learning2007.com/yum

Then, we added some additional colleagues to lead the session including, Grant Ricketts and other Chief Learning Officers. If people have questions for Rob, they can post them on to our LearningWiki and he will respond after he returns from China. In the old days, we would be canceling sessions when plans change. It is fun to experiment with ways of having content continuity plans.

2. Where is Performance Support in Service Techs? In the past few days, two service technicians were at The MASIE Center working on a color copying machine and one of our network clusters. I was amazed that neither of them carried a Performance Support System with them. Sure, there were manuals in the car and a cell phone back to the office. But, in the age of Fingertip Knowledge, both were clearly under-connected to resources that would put Performance Support right at the moment of service and need.

3. Learning Platform for 2008 Presidential Race: We will be brainstorming a "Learning Platform" for the 2008 Presidential Candidates during Learning 2007. We would like to ask for TRENDS readers' input. If you were called by the campaigns to suggest ideas or even legislation that would increase our learning capability, what would you suggest? For myself, I would add funding for a series of Learning Research projects to better understand how people are actually learning. I'd like to get your ideas and we will pass these along to both parties. Send them to emasie@masie.com

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com
Email for Elliott to emasie@masie.com

Faculty Preview Content by PodCast

Dear Learning & Training Colleagues:

Here is a learning experiment we are conducting. We have asked all of the faculty for Learning 2007 to describe the sessions they will be offering via a 3 minute audio PodCast, which they are making by phoning into our PodCast server. It is fascinating to hear them talk about their
content:

http://www.learning2007.com/facultypod

These are coming in every hour as our 2,000 participants prepare to select their Learning Choices for the event. We are tracking several hundred listens (right on the computer) every hour.

I am intrigued about linking learners to the voice and stories of faculty who will be facilitating sessions, whether that is at an event like ours or in your program. The cost for all of this is measured in a few dollars a PodCast at most.

We are using HipCast Audio and TypePad Blogs combined with PBWiki - all low cost hosted tools that mash-up together. Maybe in our LMS systems soon?

Last Minute Registration Concierge: There is still space available at Learning 2007. We have added a Last Minute Concierge to assist with any questions about hotels or logistics as you register for Learning 2007. You can reach our Concierge at 518-350-2216 or amh@masie.com Registration and complete information is available at: http://www.learning2007.com

Hope to see you in Orlando at Learning 2007 in just 11 days!

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Host, Learning 2007
Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida

479 - Ask a Learning Question (Video or Text)

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 9, 2007.
#479 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,954 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.
- Over 1,992 Registered Participants -

Ask a Video Question to Ken Blanchard, Don Tapscott, Dan Pink, Jenny Zhu, Elliott Masie or 2,000 Learning Colleagues:

Join us in an interesting experiment on using Video Questions at conferences. I would like to ask you to go to our website and record a short 1 to 3 minute video question about Learning Changes!

Aim your question at our keynoters, including Ken Blanchard, Don Tapscott, Dan Pink, Jenny Zhu, John Abele or to the 2,000 learning executives who will be participating at Learning 2007.

Go to:
http://www.learning2007.com/myquestion

We will pose many of your questions to the keynoters and we will also capture their answers and dialogues posted to the web.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida.
> Free Sunday Institutes at Learning 2007.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com
Email for Elliott to emasie@masie.com

2,000 Learning Colleagues Facing Learning Changes!

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

In just two weeks, 2,000 of your Learning Colleagues from around the world will gather at Learning 2007 in Orlando to collectively face the future and consider how Learning Changes!

I know that in this fast-paced and last-minute world, we have many colleagues who have to wait until the last minute to register for any event or conference.

There are still spaces available at Learning 2007, rooms at one of our official hotels and low cost air fares to Orlando.

So, consider joining us! We have over 300 "learning choices", delivered by
36 Chief Learning Officers; keynoters like Don Tapscott, Dan Pink, Ken Blanchard, Jenny Zhu; a rich academic program from Wharton/U of Penn's CLO PhD Program; Learning Stories and Case Studies; a Learning Gallery with the leading 60 suppliers in our field and lots of fun, including Bobby Flay, the master chef, Melinda Doolittle, our favorite idol, a NASCAR Pit Crew Training Experience and more.

Complete details and last minute registration at http://www.learning2007.com

If you need help or assistance with your arrangements, please call our office at 1-800-98-MASIE

I hope to see you and learn with you at Learning 2007,

Warm regards

Elliott Masie, Host
The MASIE Center

476 - Orientation and Briefings ala YouTube?

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 4, 2007.
#476 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,812 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.
Complete Program Guide Now Available - http://www.learning 2007.com -
- Over 1,963 Registered Participants -

YouTube Briefings for Faculty and Participant Orientation?

We have been experimenting with a variety of content formats to provide pre-event briefings and orientation. Here are two examples (4 and 6 minutes long) that we are using on YouTube:

Orientation of Participants:
http://www.learning2007.com/youtube

Orientation of Faculty:
http://www.learning2007.com/minidesign

Clearly, a corporation might put these behind their firewall or in a more secure location. But, we are intrigued about making them easy to access and to have learners actually share them with their families, prior to making a business trip.

Technical details: These were recorded in my office from my iMac, using an internal camera and microphone. There is an automatic publish-to-YouTube feature in the Movie application that allowed me to go from idea to publish in about 14 minutes with no external staff or added expense.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com
Email for Elliott to emasie@masie.com

475 - LearningWiki Launched

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 2, 2007.
#475 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,799 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.
Complete Program Guide Now Available - http://www.learning 2007.com -
- Over 1,963 Registered Participants -

LearningWiki Launched

We have just launched the 2007 edition of LearningWiki:

http://www.learningwiki.com

This is the collaborative content community for Learning 2007. It contains over 300 "pages" of content -- one per session -- which will be expanded with discussions, real-time PodCasts and additional input from the over 2,000 participants.

We are opening up the LearningWiki for access and viewing to the global learning community and, after the event, will extend contribution access to a wider range of colleagues.

You can check out the LearningWiki or listen to a short PodCast on how it is working at http://www.learningwiki.com

If you are registered for Learning 2007, please use your email and Registration ID as a password for editing/commenting access. If you want to register, go to http://www.learning2007.com

Recent PodCasts and Demonstrations:
Social Networking Demo: http://www.learning2007.com/social
Dan Pink PodCast: http://www.learning2007.com/danpink
Learning Changes Video: http://www.learning2007.com/changes

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com
Email for Elliott to emasie@masie.com

474 - Mobile Authoring; Mobile Questions, More Hotels

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 30, 2007.
#474 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,794 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.
Complete Program Guide Now Available - http://www.learning 2007.com -
--- Over 1,845 Colleagues Registered Already ---

1. Mobile Content Authoring Gets Easier.
2. Text a Question to the Stage.
3. More Hotels - Extended Discount for Learning 2007.

1. Mobile Content Authoring Gets Easier: We've been talking about Mobile Content for a while, but it hasn't been easy to fully implement. Now that we are getting more "Broadband to the Hand", such as my iPhone browser, and the rise of SMS - Text Messaging, mobile knowledge applications are becoming more of a reality.

For example, over this weekend, Judy Brown, our MASIE Learning Fellow, focused on Mobile, took the Learning 2007 complete schedule and converted to a "mobi" application, allowing hand-held (or full browser) access. You can see this working example at:

http://masie.mobi

She used a free, on-line authoring system called MobiSite Galore. You can try it out at http://www.mobisitegalore.com/

2. Text a Question to the Stage: Talking about Mobile, we are also experimenting with the use of SMS Text Messaging to provide extended community and networking for our upcoming event. We are playing with 3 different applications:

a. Text Question to the Stage: Participants can send a text message question in our general sessions from their mobile phones.
b. Pre-Event Learning Modules: We will send weekly pre-learning modules via text messages learning up to the event.
c. Un-Conference Mash-Up Sessions: People can organize instant sessions while in Orlando and we will announce them to your mobile phone.

If you would like to be part of this experiment, send the world LEARN to
25827 from your mobile phone as a text messaging.

3. More Hotels - Extended Discount for Learning 2007: We have added additional Disney hotels, with free shuttle service, for our Learning 2007 attendees. There are over 1,800 registered learning colleagues. With this strong early response, we have decided to extend the Advanced Discount until October 17th. Save over $100. Go to:

http://www.learning2007.com

Recent PodCasts and Demonstrations:
Social Networking Demo: http://www.learning2007.com/social
Dan Pink PodCast: http://www.learning2007.com/danpink
Learning Changes Video: http://www.learning2007.com/changes

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com
Email for Elliott to emasie@masie.com

473 - Stretch Assignments, Beyond SCORM, Unmentionables

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 28, 2007.
#473 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
53,794 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host of Learning 2007 - Oct 21-24 - Orlando, Florida, USA.
--- Over 1,845 Colleagues Registered Already ---

1. Stretch Assignments - Most Powerful Development Tool
2. Beyond SCORM - LETSI Organizes!
3. Unmentionables & What We Call Ourselves - Mash-Up

1. Stretch Assignments - Most Powerful Development Tool: In recent years, I have become a huge fan of Stretch Job Assignments as one of the most powerful learning and development tools. Yet, many learning organizations do not have the capacity to create or appropriately process large numbers of stretch assignments.

Here is a link to my column on Stretch Assignments in this month's Chief Learning Officer magazine:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mediatec/clo0907/index.php

Would love to hear your perspectives on this topic. Send me a note to emasie@masie.com

2. Beyond SCORM - LETSI Organizes! As the stewardship of SCORM shifts from the Pentagon to a more global organization, we are proud to be Charter members of LETSI (Learning, Education, Training, Systems Interoperability).

Organizations from around the world are joining together to collaborate on the road to "plug and play learning content". We will be having a meeting of LETSI at Learning 2007 on Sunday, Oct 21st. If your organization would like to get involved, please send a note to info@letsi.org

3. Unmentionables & What We Call Ourselves - Two conversations that I am looking forward to having with learning colleagues in a few weeks are:

* Unmentionables in Learning: How do we cope with learners that we don't like or even have intense body odor? What happens when we have to teach content that conficts with our values or beliefs?
* What We Call Ourselves: OK, what do we call ourselves? Learning Professionals has a lot of letters. Trainer is very classroom-centric.
Hmmm.

These are just 2 of the the Un-Conference Mash-Ups that we will host at Learning 2007. No facilitator or PowerPoint: just a small group of colleagues passionately working an issue for an hour. We'll post the results of these mash-ups in a Learning 2007 Wiki that we will be launching next week. Register now and save $100: http://www.learning2007.com

Recent PodCasts and Demonstrations:
Dan Pink PodCast: http://www.learning2007.com/danpink
Learning Changes Video: http://www.learning2007.com/changes
Social Networking Demo: http://www.learning2007.com/social

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com
Email for Elliott to emasie@masie.com

User Created Content & Mini-Content

TO: Learning & Training Colleagues
FROM: Elliott Masie

User Created Content & Mini-Content

I am very excited about the role that User Created Content can play in a learning and development program. Increasingly, we will find ways to turn to our employees and colleagues to create content and teach "mini-sessions" on how to tackle projects.

We have been doing our own experiment with User Created Content. In addition to our over 300 regular sessions at Learning 2007, I reached out to the 1,800 registered attendees who are coming to our event and said - "Come share a small story or learning lesson with a dozen colleagues for 20 minutes, in a large ballroom and document it on a wiki." We were swamped with volunteers. Here is a sample of the User Generated Content:

* Learning Logs: Bringing Out the Creative Learner in Everyone - Deborah
Orlowski- University of Michigan.
* e-Delivery of Survival Skills: Perspectives From an Instructional Designer Flight Commander - Michael Young- USAF SERE School
* How "Lunch With The Gurus" Made me a Better Instructor! - Richard
Anderson- Bricker and Eckler.
* Harvesting Gold: Creating Effective Partnerships With Your Subject Matter Experts - Nicole Westrick- Johns Hopkins University.
* Critical Success Factors For Aligning Learning Processes to Business Results - Francisco Soeltl- MicroPower Brazil.
* Higher Education: Will It Meet the Challenge? - Thomas Kinsey- California University of Pennsylvania.
* Social Networking and e-Learning: Overlap or Integrated? - Matthew
Murray- PricewaterhouseCoopers.
* The Power of Learning by Self-Discovery - Beverley Wallstead- Biomet Orthopedics.
* How We Reduced "No-Show" Participants: A Collaboration with Senior Leaders - Dave Angel- Covenant Health.
* Challenges For Implementing Learning Globally: The Organization, Systems and Processes - Mick Thomas - Dow Chemical.
* You've Got to be Kidding: Trainer Tales From the Trenches! - Perry
Mumme- CSAA.
* Ad Hoc Training by Non-Trainers: Friend or Foe? - Mark Zedella- Nationwide Insurance.
* Help: How do you Support Your Learning Team in a Changing Market? - Kitty Munroe - David Weekley Homes
* Engaging Your Audience With Simple and Interactive Activities - Deb Hagen-Moe - Mayo Clinic.
* Enhancing Your Presentation: Characteristics for Success - Kathleen
Toms- VHA VEIN.
* What is a Learning Organization? -- Experiences in our Transformation - Randy Taylor- Veterans Health Administration.
* Help: Making Decisions About Learning Methods and Media - Debbie Strong- COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services.
* Learning and Teaching: Goes Both Ways - Ceagus Reed- South Central VA Health Care Network.
* e-Learning and Soft Skills: A Good Mix? - Louis Biggie- Johns Hopkins University.
* Change: How Much is Too Much? - Joe Horoszko- Progressive Insurance.
* Working With a Co-Presenter: Pitfalls to Watch Out For - Dana Hopson- The Regence Group.
* Experiences With Distance Learning via Satellite Video Conferencing - John Parrish - Philips Healthcare.
* IT Implementations: It's All About The People! - Liz Meyers- SYSCO.
* Role-based vs.Topic-based Training: Differences and Effectiveness - Gretchen Morris- RSIS / NASA IT Security Awareness and Training Center.
* Appreciative Learning Evaluation: Truths and Consequences - Eva
Damsgaard- ATTRACTOR.
* Accessibility in the Metaverse? Efforts in 508 Compliance in Second Life
- Karen Ngowe- Northrop Grumman IT.
* The I Team: Tale of a Learning Inventory! - Sharon Sapienz- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
* Belief Formation and Behavior Change: How a Little Bit of Philosophy Can Help You Learn - Todd Willer- The Ken Blanchard Companies.
* Customized Learning Programs: Roadblocks and Options - Carole Wald- Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.
* Mentoring: What is the Best Approach? - Sharon Shelton- Booz Allen Hamilton.
* Think Business - Not Learning! - John Higgins- Accenture.
* Time is Money or How to Pack 3 Pounds of Training Into a 1 Pound Bag? - Bill Mills- Ameriprise Financial.
* Don't Forget the Learner! - Lynn Edmark- Microsoft.
* How Do You Engage Free Speakers For Your Programs at Non-Profits? - Patricia Kutt - American Public Works Association.
* Jumpstarting a Videoblogging Program: Idea Exchange - Michael Glazer- Burson-Marsteller.
* Performance Support: Threat to Formal Training? - Gary Wise- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Recent PodCasts and Demonstrations:
Dan Pink PodCast: http://www.learning2007.com/danpink
Learning Changes Video: http://www.learning2007.com/changes
Social Networking Demo: http://www.learning2007.com/social

Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2007: Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in our Learning CONSORTIUM.
Information at http://www.masie.com
Email for Elliott to emasie@masie.com