217 - 2 Minute Survey on Training & Collaboration Changes After Disaster

#217 - - - Sept 19, 2001 - - - 42,111 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

2 Minute Survey on Training & Collaboration Changes After Disaster

Dear Colleagues,

We have had dozens of emails and calls from our colleagues in training,
learning and human resource departments asking for a quick benchmark on
how other organizations are responding to the tragic events at the World
Trade Center and Pentagon. Their questions relate to changes in class
offerings, travel and use of digital collaboration/e-Learning.

Would you kindly take 2 minutes to respond to this instant survey:

http://www.masie.com/survey/

We will compile the results and publish complete analysis tomorrow in TRENDS.

Warm regards,

Elliott Masie
The MASIE Center

216 - Learning Over Time: A More Natural Model

#216 - - - Sept 10, 2001 - - - 42,041 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

Learning Over Time: A More Natural Model
A TechLearn Think Piece
By Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center

We naturally learn over an extended time! While the information transfer,
classroom based course or screen based e-Learning activity may be a one
time event, the learning process always extends. The opportunity for
Learning and Training professionals is to extend our model (and reach)
over a longer timeframe.

This simple notion, that learning should be extended over time, applies
equally to both on-line and classroom offerings. In the case of the
classroom, there is a natural tendency for the instructor and the learners
to view the experience as defined by the start and stop of the class.
What happens after the last moment of sitting is seen as “icing on the
cake” or deeply optional. Yet, we have decades of experience to confirm
that what happens after the learner leaves the class may be the MOST
CRITICAL element in the path to knowledge and performance.

Likewise, there is a tendency to define an e-Learning offering in terms of
the first and last module. While there may be a set of resources and
tools for continuing learning, the footprint of the experience is mostly
defined by reaching (or failing to reach) the last module. Much of
on-line assessment is done within minutes of the last module, often
without time to reflect, apply to real world work or to transfer to the
workplace. Most of the time when I learn something significant on-line,
it takes a few hours or days or weeks to cement that knowledge in my brain
and behaviors.

In both of these modes, technology and evolved training processes provide
the organization and the learner expanded opportunities to extend the
timeframe of learning. Classrooms can be extended with a Digital
Surround, offering on-going access to materials, intense Communities of
Learning/Practice and revised scheduling that may return the learners to a
follow-up session in person or on-line at a defined later date. The last
minutes of the class change dramatically when the learner and the trainer
know that the process is not finished and there is a contract for
continued engagement.

Extending the classroom over time provides a few challenges, in allocation
of resources, time of the instructor and how to administratively “book” an
open-ended learning experience in a Learning Management System. And, it
will change the view of learners and their managers, when the class does
not have a finite ending. However, we can still create a benchmark time
when there is a clear assessment project and the organization can certify
(or not certify) competency. However, the classroom takes on incredible
power when it can be extended over time, with networks of access back to
subject matter expertise, coaching and assessment.

In the same way, e-Learning can also be viewed with a more open-ended
model of time. A learning session can map through months or years, with
varied levels of learner involvement and intensity along the way. In a
few organizations, the learner may move from a Phase I, where there is
expected progress to a Phase II, where the emphasis is more on continuing
learning and update. A learner’s self-concept about a subject might shift
from “I know that!” to “I know and am continuing to Learn about that!”

The extension of learning over time is one of the really exciting
possibilities that e-Learning provides. I would be interested in hearing
from TRENDS readers about how they are “playing” with time in the planning
and delivery of learning programs. Send me a note to emasie@masie.com
We will have a working discussion about extending the footprint of time at
TechLearn 2001 to be held in Orlando, Florida on Oct 28 to 31st. Info and
on-line registration at www.techlearn.com

215 - Does the Classroom Have a Self-Concept Problem?

#215 - - - Sept 4, 2001 - - - 41,987 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

Does the Classroom Have a Self-Concept Problem?
A TechLearn 2001 Think Piece
By Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center

This morning I had a really strange conversation. I was meeting with
three colleagues in the learning field and realized how everyone's facial expression went sour when I mentioned the classroom. Is the classroom a dirty word? Does classroom training suffer from a public relations or self-concept problem?

It is undeniable that e-Learning has taken the bulk of the spotlight in the last 20 months. There are dozens of seminars, trade shows and
magazines all about ways to do learning without ever having to enter the classroom. In fact, a good number of learning vendors go out of their way to tout their ability to classroom-proof your learners. There are new press releases every day about Learning Management Systems or Virtual Classrooms. Yet, I can't find a single press release about new white board paper or other nifty tools to make the classroom a better environment for learning.

When the benefits of e-Learning are rolled-out, almost every presentation compares and contrasts the approach to the “old” model of classroom training. It is cool to be an e-coach, e-trainer or e-learner. However, if you show up at a local trainer’s meeting and state that you love teaching stand up classes, people often move to the other side of the room, not unlike the reaction to the litter in Alice's Restaurants (sorry, a 60's reference!).

I am probably as guilty as most folks in this industry for the poor rap that the classroom has gotten in recent days. I stood up at a Lakewood event several years ago and told the trainers "To Get Wired or Get Fired!" But, I didn't mean that the classroom would be sent to the woodshed.

And, I marvel at the wonderful ways in which I can deliver learning
experiences from my e-Lab without ever having to get on an airplane. Yet, I feel sorry for the undeserved reputation that the classroom has
suffered.

I do not believe that the classroom is dead! In fact, the more that I
take e-Learning courses, the more I am drawn into a classroom for a very different type of experience. The classroom can be a great approach to learning delivery when:

* The learning activity involves discussion or live role modeling.
* The learning target is a motor skill that requires the use of equipment.
* The audience is small and it is easier and cheaper to put a subject
matter expert with a learner, than to produce a digital learning module
that will be used by just a few people.
* The content requires intense concentration for an extended period of
time, which may not be available at the workplace.
* The event is a ritual or landmark event that will signal a major
benchmark or promotion in one’s work history.
* The learning activity is linked to a social objective to meet and work
with colleagues or executives.
* The bulk of the content is gained from a Socratic dialogue with fellow
learners.
* The subject matter is not appropriate to an on-line experience.
* As a strong learner/manager preference or a change of pace.

While there is a significant increase in the use of e-Learning and Blended Learning, we have not seen the death or demise of the classroom. There are changes afoot in the classroom world:

* Shorter duration classes.
* Use of pre-class and post-class learning via technology.
* Developing Communities of Learning or Practice surrounding the class.
* Targeting of classroom learning via Learning Management Systems.
* Use of simulation and other e-Learning resources in class.

Let us respect the role and power of the classroom, at the same time that we explore the capabilities and potential of e-Learning. Ultimately, we will drop the “e” from our dialogue and talk about the most strategic formats and technologies to support learning and performance…. And the classroom will be one of them.

So, I tell you without shame, that I love to teach in the classroom. In fact, I am teaching a 3 day program starting tomorrow. I love the
doughnuts (though I am eating more healthy these days), but more
importantly, I respond to the magic that happens when motivated learners gather together in a room. And, I look forward to extending that magic beyond the last hour of the class with a range of powerful technologies. Long live the classroom! May it evolve as a cherished item in our training toolkit.

Note: There will be a range of sessions aimed at New Roles for the
Classroom at TechLearn 2001, to be held in Orlando, Florida from October
28 to 31, 2001. Info and registration at http://www.techlearn.com

214 - To Print or Not to Print: Survey Results; Using Circle in the Round in Synchronous Learning; HR Layoffs Referencing e-Learning Capabilities

1. MASIE Center/Advanstar Form Alliance for TechLearn: I am pleased to announce a significant business alliance that The MASIE Center has formed with Advanstar Communications (publishers of e-Learning Magazine). For the next four years, I will host and produce the content of the TechLearn Confererence and the International e-Learning Festival, as they grow and adapt to the changing business world. Advanstar will own and manage the conference, freeing us up to spend the entire year focused on content. In addition, I will work with Advanstar on extending the message about learning, technology and collaboration to new fields such as Customer
Relationship Management. This is a great vote of confidence in the
learning field and a sign of the maturation of our industry. Read the
press announcement at http://www.elearningmag.com/

TechLearn 2001 will be held in Orlando on Oct 28-31. Registration and information at: http://www.techlearn.com

2. To Print or Not to Print: Survey Results: This month's Learning
Decisions took a quick and light look at when people press (or don't
press) the PRINT button on their computers. 3,062 learning and training professionals that subscribe to The MASIE Center's publications provided benchmarking data during the week of July 27, 2001. Here are a couple highlights:

When you get an important email, how often do you print a copy?
- 20% Very often (almost every important message)
- 36% Sometimes
- 23% Not very often
- 21% Almost never

Which type of emails or documents are you most likely to print? (all that apply)
- 82% Ones that I need to reference away from my computer
- 39% Important ones
- 34% Long ones
- 18% Ones that I want to share with other people
- 10% Ones that disturb or distress me
- 14% Other (Popular write-ins were "ones that I will take notes on" or "ones that will be taken to meetings")

3. Using Circle in the Round in Synchronous Learning: One quick
technique that works well during live collaborative events, like a
telephone conference or web seminar is to ask for a set of 5 volunteers. These folks are then dropped into a sub-conference with the trainer, and engage in a small group discussion on a topic. While there may be a dozen or a thousand other learners on the line, this small group participates as intimate seminar and the instructor reaches out to them for comments and on-going chat. Then, you can fold other participants into the group with specific comments or questions. I recently used this technique during a call with 800 participants and it worked like a charm!

4. HR Layoffs Referencing e-Learning Capabilities: In two separate
business articles I read this week, there was mention of job cutbacks
impacting HR professionals. Both mentioned the role of e-Learning as an enabling factor in reducing the headcount of full time trainers and part time instructors in the HR headcount. There is a growing sense that HR staff will be reduced in ratio's of close of 1 cut for every 100 job cuts in the business. However, following a layoff, there is a huge amount of work to be done in the HR function related to outplacement and cross-training. But, watch for more linkages between e-Learning and layoffs.

5. TechLearn Benchmarking Study Announced: Each organization that will attending TechLearn this year can participate in an in-depth benchmarking activity. We will create an interactive database of each attending organization, containing questions about their current and planned activities in the learning, training, e-Learning and Performance Support arenas. Attendees will be able to compare and contrast their own practices with the broader population of the entire conference. In addition, they will be able to form small group discussions with organizations facing similar challenges. Registration for TechLearn 2001 (Oct 28 - 31) is available at www.techlearn.com

213 - Wireless Laptops: Here, There, At Home, Everywhere? & Assumptions about Learners

#213 - - - August 22, 2001 - - - 41,811 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

1. Ken Blanchard at TechLearn: Leadership in Changing Economic Times
2. Wireless Laptops: Here, There, At Home, Everywhere?
3. Assumptions about Learners

1. Ken Blanchard to Keynote at TechLearn! We are proud to announce that Ken Blanchard, author of One Minute Manager and a major influence in the world of business and learning will be our closing keynote at TechLearn 2001 (Oct 28 to 31 in Orlando). Ken will be talking about a number of key issues, including Leadership and Development in Tough Times. I will be interviewing Ken, via videoconferencing on his back from Hawaii, on how leaders and organizations can cope with tougher economic times, downsizing and other constraints. When the context is not growth and prosperity, how do we continue to inject passion and leadership into our companies.
On-line registration and info at http://www.techlearn.com

2. Wireless Laptops: Here, There, At Home, Everywhere? For the past month, I have been using my laptop at work and home via a wireless connection, deploying 802.11 protocols. Simple! There is a small wireless card in the PC slot on my laptop. At work and at home, we have a small transmitter attached to the corporate network and cable modem. What makes this cool, is that I am not longer tethered for any form of access.
When I go to a meeting, whether it is in our conference room or on the porch, the laptop just follows (with 3 hours of battery juice) and I have my access right there. At home, I can use the laptop anywhere in the house. And, we have a few extra cards for overnight visitors to plug in
when they stay with us. In Boston, a few coffee houses have started to
deploy this technology, which allows customers with laptops to access the net from their machines while sipping.

3. Assumptions about Learners: Lately, The MASIE Center has started to uncover industry assumptions about Learners. What do we assume about Learners. It might be interesting to do a parallel conversation in your own organization. Let me share the questions that we are pondering:

* Do learners feel like learners when doing e-Learning? Do they perceive themselves as learners, readers, workers or what?
* How do learners predict success or failure for themselves when participating in a learning experience? And, when do they make that prediction?
* What is the role of difficulty and challenge for learning in the e-Learning field? Does it trigger early departure or increase engagement?
* How much time do learners want for reflection and practice?

I would love to hear your thoughts on these questions. We will share our
research in a future TRENDS!

212 - Customer Learning: The Real Imperative!

#212 - - - August 16, 2001 - - - 41,753 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

Customer Learning: The Real Imperative!
A TechLearn 2001 Think Piece
By Elliott Masie

"Teach Your Customers Well" would make a great song. In fact, I should get a version to sing at TechLearn (only a mild threat!). But, it is the song that is ringing in my ears as I talk to Chief Learning Officers and coordinators of Learning at major organizations. While the bulk of the conversation about e-Learning and Blended Learning has focused on workforce training and development, Customer Learning looms as a much larger and even more critical imperative.

What does Customer Learning look like:

* Pre Sales: Engaging future customers in a learning experience, facilitated by technology, to provide information, perspective, theory and skills focused on pre-sale relationship development.
* Sales: The use of e-Learning as part of the sales process, including access to content, community, coaching and simulation, to assist the creation of an effective and quality sale.
* Post Sales: Building a Digital Surround to continue the sales support process through learning, collaboration, training and performance support.

The technologies and processes of Customer Learning can mirror those which are being implemented for Employee e-Learning:

* Asynchronous Content
* Live, Virtual Classrooms
* Community and Collaboration Tools
* Content Authoring Systems and Tools
* e-Coaching Tools

We will start to see additional Customer Learning systems and models:

* Customer Learning Management Systems (more focused on customers rather than employees)
* Integration with CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
* Integration with e-Business Sites

Customer Learning will also yield more flexible models of Instructional Design, since we will often see learning challenges that include:

* Grazing and Browsing: The same programs will be used by customers that are just grazing through the content as well as folks that are going to be engaged in-depth skill development.
* Annonymous Learning: Some customers will not want to be identified and Customer Learning Management Systems will need to adapt to continuing and dynamically changing learning needs, without name identification.
* Customer Learner Recruitment: How do we invite and engage Customers as Learners? How is this different than Employee Learning?

We are seeing the largest GROWTH in e-Learning and Blended Learning in the Customer Learning area. Often, this is not on the radar screen of the traditional training or HR field. We see steep interest and projects eminating from the Sales and Customer Support area.

TRENDS readers should reach out to prepare for expanded demand for Customer Learning capabilities.

At TechLearn 2001, there will be at least 8 sessions dedicated to Customer Learning, including a mega-session that I will deliver entitled: Customer
Learning: Supporting the Revenue Line!

Information about TechLearn 2001 (October 28-31 in Orlando, Florida) at http://www.techlearn.com

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie

211 - Needed: Learning Methodology!

#211 - - - August 13, 2001 - - - 41,699 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

Needed: Learning Methodology!
A TechLearn 2001 Think Piece
By Elliott Masie

We hear a lot of talk about Learning Strategy and Learning Systems yet
there is little dialogue about Learning Methodology. It is time to
address the PROCESS of how our workers and customers will learn!

Learning Methodology is all about what happens the day after you buy an
e-Learning content collection, the week after you select a Learning
Management System and the year following the installation of a Virtual
Classroom. Learning Methodology defines HOW the organization will
invite, engage, tutor, instruct, assess, stimulate, simulate, remediate,
certify and enhance the performance of actual workers and customers.

As we add the new tools of the e-Learning and Collaboration worlds to
corporate training and learning departments, we have to develop a creative
and effective set of methods of how we are going to deploy these tools.
The Learning Methodology should articulate in detail what the company
believes and plans to implement in areas such as these:

Invitation: How will the learners be invited to participate in an
e-Learning or classroom event? Will there be one comprehensive
invitation, such as a course catalog or web page? Or, will departmental,
job specific or individualized invitations be deployed? And, what is the
role of the learner’s manager if they are a worker, or the learner’s sales
contact if they are a customer? Is invitation a one time process, or does
it branch to alternative strategies based on the response or mission
criticalness of the learning target?

Remediate: How will the organization provide remedial assistance if the
learner does not succeed? How will the organization know the difference
between non-completion of a learning module due to lack of interest or
content confusion? What is the role of blended learning in the
remediation process? And, who are the people responsible for remediation,
are they e-Trainers or the managers of the learner?

These issues are not addressed in detail in most Learning Strategies and
we are realizing that a large percentage of organizations that are
implementing major learning systems are only starting to face the Learning
Methodology issues after the fact.

The Learning Methodology of an organization is a great moment to bring
together a Blended Learning thinking mindset. The Methodology should span
both e-Learning and classroom as well as informal approaches to training
and performance enhancement.

At TechLearn 2001, I will present a working Mega-Session entitled Building
a Learning Methodology: The Details of Making e-Learning, Classroom and
Blended Learning in Action. If you have developed a Learning
Methodology, I would love to see it. We will also send a Learning
Methodology sample out to TRENDS readers after TechLearn 2001.

Information about TechLearn 2001 (October 28-31 in Orlando, Florida) at
http://www.techlearn.com

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie

210 - Wireless Internet in Classroom Annoying?; Constant Contact: How to Bill for Access vs. Time

#210 - - - July 27 2001- - - 41,533 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

1. Wireless Internet in Classroom Annoying?
2. Constant Contact: How to Bill for Access vs. Time
3. Learning Quotation: Winston Churchill
4. ASTD, ISPI, CEdMA, CompTIA/ITTA, ISA, ADL, NAM and Center for
Association Leadership Co-Hosts for TechLearn 2001:

1. Wireless Internet in Classroom Annoying? Have you ever been teaching a
session as your learners use wireless devices to send email or surf the
web. I have, with mixed feelings. One side of me says, COOL, these
people can really multi-task. The other side, gets annoyed at the split
attention span. So, I was thrilled to see a major article online today at
MSNBC that addresses the issue of wireless internet access during meetings
and classes. Check it out at
http://www.msnbc.com/news/608566.asp?0dm=T17PT

2. Constant Contact: How to Bill for Access vs. Time: There is an
intriguing issue arising from the use of instant messenger and other
digital connectivity formats as it relates to billing and paying for
services. In my personal experience of using an e-Coach to get healthy
(which is moving along... more pounds, fewer inches and more zip), we had
a difficult conversation about billing fees. My coach is used to charging
for time spent with a client. However, on that basis, she would be
grossly underpaid, since the bulk of her work with me is in 2 minute
blocks. So, we are developing a Service Level Agreement for payment, with
the focus on availability, constancy and methods of connectivity. The
major providers of e-Learning tutoring services, as well as consulting in
the larger sense, are all facing the same challenges for how billing is
done. Would love to hear from readers on this issue. Send me a note to
emasie@masie.com

3. Learning Quotation: Winston Churchill:

"Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like
being taught." Winston Churchill

4. ASTD, ISPI, CEdMA, CompTIA/ITTA, ISA, ADL, NAM and Center for
Association Leadership Co-Hosts for TechLearn 2001: We are proud to
announce that these major non-profit learning, training and management
associations will be co-hosting TechLearn 2001 (plus Blended Learning
Forum & e-Learning World CONGRESS) this year. These organizations will be
providing key programs and focus at the event:

- ASTD: Bookstore and Learning Materials
- ISPI: Research Agenda Dialogues
- CEdMA: Fall CEdMA Conference & Program Tracks
- ISA: Special Sessions for Developers of Learning Content
- CompTIA: Focus on IT & Computer Training
- Center for Association Leadership: Learning in Association Sector
- National Association of Manufacturers: Learning in Manufacturing Arena
- ADL Project: SCORM and Distributed Learning

For information and on-line registration for TechLearn 2001 (October 28 to
31, 2001 in Orlando) go to: http://www.techlearn.com

FYI: In addition to the rooms available at Disney's Coronado Springs
Resort, we also have affordable rooms now available at Disney's Port
Orleans Riverside for $130 per night and Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
for $99 per night. Both hotels will be serviced by frequent TechLearn
shuttle service to the conference.

Do You PRINT Your eMail?

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

Please take 2 minutes to complete our latest TechLearn Trends Survey:

"Do You PRINT Your eMail"

Just go to

http://www.masie.com/survey/

and fill out our 2 minute survey focusing on how people decide what to
PRINT or NOT TO PRINT. This has clear implications for e-LEARNING.
Results will be posted in TRENDS in several weeks.

Elliott Masie

209 - Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary) Challenges e-Learning Community to Empower Operation Respect

#209 - - - July 27 2001- - - 41,487 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

Special Announcements:
* Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary) Challenges e-Learning Community to
Empower Operation Respect
* TechLearn 2001 to Host Peter Yarrow & Make Major Donation to Effort

Two months ago, my phone rang and the person said he was Peter Yarrow from
Peter, Paul and Mary. He said he wanted to chat to me about the power
of e-Learning but first could he sing us a song.

Over the phone, from a hotel room on the road, Peter sang "Don't Laugh at
Me!" This is an incredible, moving song focused on how kids often feel
bullied and not respected by other kids in playgrounds, classrooms and
other places. Peter, Paul and Mary heard the song, recorded it and it led
to the creation of a charity called Operation Respect. They have
produced an incredible short curriculum aimed at 3rd and 4th graders,
addressing the issue wonderfully. The curriculum has been approved by the
PTA, the Teacher's Unions and the Elementary School Principals
associations. They have done face to face trainings that have reached
thousands of teachers. But not enough!!! Interestingly, Peter's original
call to me came 2 days before the recent shooting tragedy in the school in
California.

That is where TechLearn 2001 and Peter Yarrow come together! "Can we
reach hundreds of thousands of teachers with this training and curriculum,
by using the same e-Learning tools being deployed in corporations?" asked
Peter. The MASIE Center and Cathy and I have made a $60,000 donation to
start that effort and we are calling on the TechLearn community to assist
with ideas, resources and support.

Peter Yarrow will be at TechLearn and present this idea and some words and
songs. He is coming as a learner, to better understand what the
e-Learning world can offer in this effort. Last week, I went to his
apartment in New York City to start our planning and he taped a video
message to the readers of TechLearn Trends. Take a few minutes and
listen to this video streamed message (including a Puff the Magic Dragon
version related to e-Learning :)

http://www.techlearn.com/yarrow/

You will love the power and passion of this effort. After his keynote at
TechLearn, Peter and I will lead a special session for individuals and
organizations that would like to get involved in this effort. To register
for TechLearn 2001 (October 28 to 31 in Orlando, Florida) go to

http://www.techlearn.com

To learn more about Operation Respect go to: http://www.dontlaugh.org

To volunteer for this effort, send an email to Peter Yarrow and myself
at: respect@masie.com

Thanks for your support,


Elliott

208 - My Wish List for e-Learning: 10 Innovations That Would Be Great!

#208 - - - July 20 2001- - - 41,398 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

My Wish List for e-Learning: 10 Innovations That Would Be Great!

One of the perks of being an analyst of the learning and training field is
that I get to dream out loud about what is needed in our field:

* Two Help Buttons - One for Technical and One for Content Support:
Toolmakers of synchronous and live learning tools should ADD TWO HELP
BUTTONS to their screens. The first one would be pushed if the learner
needs technical help with the operation of the tool. The other would be
pushed if the learner has a content or learning question. Each button
would be handled differently, connecting with difference FAQ's and
connectivity to either a technical help desk or a learning content
resource. Nothing is more distracting then a learner asking a technical
question in front of 100 on-line students. Let's help both learners and
instructors by sorting help requests right at the screen.

* Instant Messenger Launching Live Sessions: In the past two months, I
have missed two live sessions, because I forgot about the scheduled
meetings and once because I lost the URL for entry into the on-line
session. I want to have my Instant Messenger box to pop up, reminding me
that I have a scheduled session and giving me one click access to the
session.

* Easy Note Taking: I took a great graduate course on-line last month.
The one challenge was that I had to print most of the documents, since
there was no way to annotate the content on-line. I want a yellow
highlighter and an easy way to ADD NOTES and REFERENCES while learning and
to keep those on my desktop for perpetual reference.

* Shrink Wrap LMS: While a large scale enterprise must implement large
scale learning and content management systems, there is a lot of
e-Learning that is happening at the departmental and small business level.
I would like to see a vendor provide a shrink rack, out of the box, and
affordably priced Learning Management System that can be up and running in
a matter of hours or days. We believe that this type of tool would
accelerate the growth of the e-Learning space and allow some organizations
to get started easily and expand to the enterprise.

* Drag and Drop Simulation Tools: Why can't we create a drag and drop
authoring tool for simulations. Pop up a scenario setting, such as a
customer service department or a sales call and then add simple
situations, actors and results. We need a PowerPoint type tool that can
create level one simulations with a simple template. Simulations will be
HUGE as a training tool and we need to create the tools and get them in
the hands of subject matter experts that can create very useful content.

* West Wing e-Learning: I want the character that Martin Sheen plays on
West Wing to enroll in an e-Learning course. Let's get millions of viewer
seeing that e-Learning is a real and normal component of the human
learning process. What better way to do that than through TV and movie
models. Actually, it would be fun to Tony Soprano or Detective Sipowitz
take a few e-Learning courses as well.

* A Truce With Knowledge Management: We need a truce with the Knowledge
Management field. There are so many great connections and leveraged
moments that are sharable between the advocates of e-Learning and
Knowledge Management. Unless we find a way to create a truce between
these two movements that are both aimed at organizational and employee
productivity, we will see a lot of good proposals become political fights.

* Universal Learner Card: I want to have a Smart Card (or an on-line
equivalent) that would house two sets of data for me. The first would be
a profile of how I learn. It could include (with my permission),
information about my language and reading preferences, my learning styles,
my professional background and even my personality profile. The other set
of info would be a complete learning transcript. When I attend a
conference, I could add the sessions attended. If I take a test or other
certification process, it would get added to my card. It would allow the
learner more ownership over their own learning history and protect the
learner from the legal issues of a previous employer refusing to provide
detail reference information.

* Less is More: I would love to see screens have fewer options. When I
visit some of the portal sites, I (and many other learners) are
underwhelmed with the large number of choices on the screen. We should
take a lesson form sites like Amazon.Com and provide fewer and more
personalized choices to learners.

* Positive Departure?: We should ask learners as they are leaving a
learning activity to press one button to describe why they are leaving.
Some folks are actually leaving because they got what they wanted and are
now going back to work. Let's gather information that tracks positive
departure as well as negative departure and those that are leaving to
return at another time.

If you have other items to add to this list, send me a note at
emasie@masie.com and I will add them in a future TRENDS. We will have a
build a major wish list that incorporates these suggestions and publish it
at TechLearn 2001 on October 28th in Orlando, Fl (www.techlearn.com)

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie

207 - Implementers Must Drive the Learning Agenda; e-Coaching Update: Pounds and Lessons Learned; Digitally Busy Research Data

#207 - - - July 16 2001- - - 41,154 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
e-Learning, Training and e-Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center: http://www.masie.com
Host of TechLearn 2001 - Oct 28 - 31 - Orlando, Florida

1. Great Learning Debate at TechLearn Hosted by Arthur Miller
2. Implementers Must Drive the Learning Agenda!
3. e-Coaching Update: Pounds and Lessons Learned
4. Digitally Busy Research Data

1. Great Learning Debate at TechLearn Hosted by Arthur Miller: I am
pleased to announce a "Great Learning Debate" at TechLearn 2001. The
Debate will follow a Socratic model with a variety of learners from
diverse organizations, Chief Learning Officers and business executives.
We will aim to highlight what learning and training is like from different
perspectives. For example, how do learners actually value or appreciate
investments in training. Or, how is e-Learning viewed from the worker
point of view. Arthur Miller, Faculty of Harvard Law School and host of a
series of PBS panels on the role of media will moderate this debate.

2. Implementers Must Drive the Learning Agenda! Last week in Ireland, I
interviewed several CEO's of e-Learning companies including Smartforce,
WBT Systems and Thinq. It was intriguing that each of the CEO's felt
that it was time for Implementing Organizations, the actual companies
deploying e-Learning for their employees or customers had to "take back
the agenda for training and technology". The CEO's agreed that customers
had to drive the agenda rather than be driven by the latest set of
features or genre of tools announced by vendors. The training executives
in the room, from 18 different countries agreed that it was way too easy
to default to the vendor's view of the learning world. The MASIE Center
believes that the agenda for e-Learning must be driven by corporate
strategies that are aligned with business needs and should be immune from
the latest press releases or a new set of 3 or 4 letter terms hearlding
new software models for learning tracking or management.

3. e-Coaching Update: Pounds and Lessons Learned In a previous TRENDS,
I talked about my experience with an e-Coach that I was using for health
and weight improvement. I have had over 400 messages from readers, asking
for an update, so here goes:

* My e-Coach and I dialogue about 3 times a day, via email or Microsoft
Messenger.
* I enter my eating and exercise information into a shared, web-based
database, so that she can track my behavior patterns in real time (and
occasionally send me a note with advice or questions.)
* I have lost 22 pounds and lowered by blood pressure and cholesterol.
* It is a learning process for both of us to see how and when to use
different media formats to communicate. While most of our dialogue is
via email, we have had a few phone conversations to deepen the trust
level.
* Managing the coaching process from my coach's end has been interesting.
I recently spoke with Scott Blanchard from coaching.com who has introduced
systems to support the coaching process.
* I believe that we are just at the beginning of this approach to learning
and change.
* I am now serving as a coach to five Chief Learning Officers, to
experience the process from the other side. We are working on assistance
for strategies and organizational change, using a coaching vs. consulting
model.
* Marshall Goldsmith, an expert on Coaching, will be modeling a live
e-Coaching session during TechLearn 2001, originating from London, with a
participant in the audience as the "coachee".

4. Digitally Busy Research Results: Here is the summary of the Executive
Summary for our last scan on how busy folks are in this digital world.
Thanks to the more than 2,400 readers that responded:

1) How many emails do you get on an average business day?
0 to 10 7.7%
11 to 20 21.7%
21 to 35 27.3%
36 to 50 24.5%
51 to 100 15.0%
More: 3.8%

2) Approximately what percentage of an average work day do you spend
'digitally connected' with business associates? (Email, phone, instant
messaging, etc.)
More than 80% 17.8%
66% to 80% 14.6%
46% to 65% 17.1%
26% to 45% 21.1%
11% to 25% 23.1%
Less than 10% 6.2%

3) If the electricity were to go off for one day at your organization,
what affect would this have on your stress level?
Increase my level of stress 58.1%
Decrease my level of stress 17.2%
No change to my level of stress 24.6%

Complete results and perspectives are available to readers of our Learning
Decisions Interactive Research Newsletter
http://www.learningdecisions.com

UPCOMING MASIE CENTER EVENTS: http://www.masie.com
TechLearn 2001: Oct 28 - 31, 2001 (Jack Welch, CEO of GE Keynoter) in
Orlando, Florida
Skills for e-Trainers: Masie Center e-LAB in September in Saratoga
Springs, NY

Flash: Jack Welch, CEO of GE, to Keynote TechLearn 2001

TO: TechLearn TRENDS Readers
FROM: Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center

I am pleased to announce that Jack Welch, the Chairman and CEO of General
Electric, will be the Featured Keynote Speaker at TechLearn 2001 to be
held in Orlando, Florida on October 28 to 31st.

In a highly interactive session, Jack Welch will focus on how learning,
training and technology have made a significant difference in General
Electric. I will also interview him on his views of employee and
executive development.

We are also honored to present to Jack Welch the 2001 Pioneer in Learning
Award. He has been one of the few CEO's that spends considerable time as
a trainer, advocating for excellence and quality.

I hope that you, and your senior staff, will join us at TechLearn 2001,
which will also include the Blended Learning Forum, The CLO Dialogues, The
World e-Learning CONGRESS, The Customer as Learner Forum and other events
that look at the changing and critical role of learning and training in
our organizations.

Complete information and on-line registration at www.techlearn.com

For a sample of Jack Welch's vision see the General Electric Mission

Statement at: http://www.ge.com/annual00/values/index.html

See you at TechLearn 2001

Warm Regards,

Elliott Masie

FLASH Sun Buys ISOPIA - LMS Company

TechLearn TRENDS normally does not carry merger news, but this one just
came off the wires and we thought that it was interesting in terms of Sun
Microsystem's entry into this field:

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- June 19, 2001 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:
SUNW) today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire ISOPIA,
Inc., a privately held company located in Toronto, Canada. ISOPIA is the
developer of an industry-leading Integrated Learning Management System
(ILMS) that enables the delivery of online training and end-to-end
management of training products entirely through the World Wide Web.
Sun's
training arm, Sun Educational Services, is already recognized as one of
the
top IT training solutions organizations worldwide. Sun expects that this
acquisition will further enhance its position in the IT and broader
corporate education world by enabling it to consistently provide
enterprises
worldwide with complete learning services.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sun will acquire ISOPIA in a stock and
cash transaction. This acquisition will be accounted for as a purchase,
and
in-process R & D charges are expected to be immaterial. The closing of
the
acquisition is subject to governmental and ISOPIA stockholder approvals,
as
well as customary closing conditions. Following completion of the
acquisition, Sun plans to make ISOPIA a part of Sun Educational Services,
reporting into Vice President and General Manager, Dr. Bill Richardson.

"The acquisition of ISOPIA will complement Sun's vision of using the Web
to
deliver services," said Richardson. "ISOPIA's industry-leading ILMS
system,
combined with Sun's education consulting, courseware, eLearning program
and
professional certifications, will help Sun's enterprise customers better
deploy new Net technologies in their IT organizations and better manage
all
of their corporate learning programs."

206 - My Experiences with an e-Coach; Streaming Video as a Classroom Takeaway

1. My Experiences with an e-Coach: Over the next few months, you will hear a bit about my experience with an e-Coach. In order to continue to get healthier (code word for loose weight and exercise more), I have hired an e-Coach. This person is located in Texas and is coaching me on a daily (and often twice a day) basis on my eating patterns and exercise activities.

As you can guess, I am curious how coaching will be experienced from the recipient side, so I am making myself the subject. For the past few weeks, my coach and I have been getting to know each other and are
establishing ways of working together. We have had a few telephone calls, but most of the contact is through instant messenger and email. I am keeping a real time database of food consumption and exercise activity, which she can monitor on a real time basis.

Learnings so far include: The continuous nature of the counseling
relationship is awesome. Rather than check in once and a while, I feel as though I have true on-going support. The sharing of data through a shared database is a lot easier than “reporting” my eating patterns verbally. And, the instant messenger process has made me feel very focused on my goals and this important life change. Figuring out how to pay someone for this process has been interesting. And, I am eating much better, exercising almost every day and have lost a few pounds. Stay tuned for more.

We believe that e-Coaching will be a big part of blended learning in the future. I am working with Marshall Goldsmith, one of the leading
management coaches in the world, to help define new models of e-coaching. Marshall will demonstrate actual senior level remote e-coaching live from London during TechLearn 2001 in October. (www.techlearn.com)

2. Streaming Video as a Classroom Takeaway: When you take a class at The
MASIE Center, you now get a complete stream of every moment to take away,
the moment the class is over. We have been experimenting with capturing
and compressing every minute of our Skills for e-Trainers courses. We use
4 robotic cameras to create the video. It is then streamable for all
alumni, who can replay any segment of the event. If someone comes in
late, we hand them a CD a few minutes later with all of the session to
date. It is intriguing to see how students value and use the streamed
content. One person in the last class send the URL for a specific segment
to their boss to view at the end of the first day so that he could get
feedback and ask me a very specific question at the start of the next day.
The classroom opens up to become a capture and publish environment as
well as a teaching space. (Future sessions of Skills for e-Trainers are
scheduled in June and September: www.masie.com)

3. Dublin e-Learning Event Focuses on Global Trends: In a few weeks we
will be holding our second annual e-Learning Europe briefing in Dublin,
Ireland. We are pleased to announce that a major segment of this session
will focus on TRENDS around the world in adoption of e-Learning. As we
look at each country and region, the pattern of implementation changes,
often influenced by the history of how people learned in their earlier
days as students. We will address the Global Trends in e-Learning
adoption on July 9 and 10th in Dublin, Ireland. Go to www.masie.com for
details.