fbpx
Home Blog Page 1355

Lesson of the Day: ‘200 Dispatches: Odd Animals, Offbeat Childhoods, Celebrity Origins and Extreme Sports’

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Lesson of the Day: ‘200 Dispatches: Odd Animals, Offbeat Childhoods, Celebrity Origins and Extreme Sports’

Dispatches is a section of The New York Times that recently celebrated its first anniversary and its 200th story. (Many of the Learning Network’s Lessons of the Day, Student Opinions and Picture Prompts are drawn from this section.) To mark the milestone, Dispatch featured and celebrated some of its favorite, most-read and most distinctive work from the year.

First, read these opening paragraphs from two very different Dispatches:

AUSTERLITZ, the Netherlands — Shortly after 10 p.m. on a recent night, a car came to a stop at the edge of the woods. The door opened to release three children: towheaded boys of 12 and 15, and a 12-year-old girl with dark pigtails and an emoji-covered backpack. Then the driver threw the car into gear and sped away, gravel crunching under its tires.

And:

CHOLPON-ATA, Kyrgyzstan — The American team that played a brutal version of polo at the World Nomad Games does not expect the sport to get picked up by the Olympics any time soon.

Why not?

“We use a dead goat,” said Scott A. Zimmerman, a team co-captain.

The game of kok-boru, with its headless goat carcass, was the main attraction at the weeklong international sports competition held this month in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

Did these openings grab your attention? Even if you are not typically drawn to international stories, do they make you want to read further? If yes, can you describe why?

Next, to get a better sense of what this global section is all about, set a stopwatch for five minutes and scroll through “200 Dispatches: Odd Animals, Offbeat Childhoods, Celebrity Origins and Extreme Sports” until the timer goes off. Click on at least three linked articles, read their opening two paragraphs and scroll through their photos.

Afterward, answer the following:

  • What kinds of subject matter, issues and themes does the section explore?

  • What did you learn about the world from the three articles you picked?

Choose one article included in “200 Dispatches: Odd Animals, Offbeat Childhoods, Celebrity Origins and Extreme Sports.” Read the full article, look closely at the photos featured and answer the following questions:

1. Why did you select the article you did? What did you find interesting about the headline, photos or topic?

2. How did your article’s opening paragraphs grab your attention and hook your interest in a little-known story from a distant country? What details or writerly techniques were most effective in engaging you as a reader?

Word + Quiz: unhinged

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Word + Quiz: unhinged

: affected with madness or insanity

_________

The word unhinged has appeared in 146 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 28 in “At a ‘Dinner With Ghosts,’ Everything Is Art” by Kate Guadagnino:

Following a few other courses — halibut ceviche presented on foot-shaped pedestals by Party, spatchcock quail atop face-like plates by Wine — the waiters cleared a long, narrow path across the table. The consensus was that some sort of well-trained creature, whether a rabbit, a cockroach or a python, would make its way from one end to the other. In the end, it was Costanzo, who removed his jacket and shoes before stepping onto the table and crooning the first spellbinding notes of George Gershwin’s “Summertime.” As he sang, he tiptoed between crystal glasses and threw handfuls of caramel corn in the direction of people’s dessert plates. “There’s always something kind of unhinged about characters in the opera, so it felt pretty natural,” said Costanzo, though he added that he was worried about the color of his socks, which were cerulean.

How Good Are You at Spending Time Alone?

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
How Good Are You at Spending Time Alone?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

A long, solitary walk in which you think through a complicated situation, an hour spent sitting quietly at home when everyone else is out — do you seek out these opportunities? Or do you avoid them at all cost?

Do you like to spend time alone? Why or why not?

In “Why You Should Find Time to Be Alone With Yourself,” Micaela Marini Higgs writes:

Being lonely hurts — it can even negatively impact your health. But the mere act of being alone with oneself doesn’t have to be bad, and experts say it can even benefit your social relationships, improve your creativity and confidence, and help you regulate your emotions so that you can better deal with adverse situations.

“It’s not that solitude is always good, but it can be good” if you’re open to rejecting the idea — common in the west — that time by yourself is always a negative experience you’re being forced into, according to Thuy-vy Nguyen, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at Durham University, who studies solitude.

“We have some evidence to show that valuing solitude doesn’t really hurt your social life, in fact, it might add to it,” she said, pointing out that because solitude helps us regulate our emotions, it can have a calming effect that prepares us to better engage with others.

Choosing to spend time doing things by yourself can have mental, emotional and social benefits, but the key to reaping those positive rewards comes from choosing to spend time alone. In a culture where we often confuse being alone for loneliness, the ability to appreciate time by ourselves prevents us from processing the experience as a negative thing. In fact, getting better at identifying moments when we need solitude to recharge and reflect can help us better handle negative emotions and experiences, like stress and burnout, said Emily Roberts, a psychotherapist.

The article continues:

Enjoying the benefits of time alone isn’t a question of being an introvert or extrovert, Dr. Nguyen said. More consistently, people who value solitude and who tend not to ignore their own desires in the pursuit of pleasing others will find time alone more enjoyable, she said.

The freedom of not having to follow the lead of others, with “no pressure to do anything, no pressure to talk to anyone, no obligation to make plans with people,” is a great way to process and decompress, even for highly social individuals, Ms. Roberts said. It also helps us discover new interests and ideas without having to worry about the opinions of others — one study even showed that teens are less self-conscious when they’re alone.

“Cultivating this sense of being alone and making the choice to be alone can help you to develop who you are, your sense of self, and what your true interests are,” Dr. Grice said. Knowing oneself makes it easier to find other people who share your passions, and can improve your empathy. It can also help you re-evaluate “filler” friendships: relationships you maintain because you’d rather do anything on a Friday night besides staying at home by yourself, even at the cost of spending time with people whose company you don’t enjoy.

It ends with some advice on how to be alone:

In a twist on the golden rule: treat yourself as you would treat others. Don’t flake. Be open to exploring new interests. Make space in your life and put in the time, even if it’s just spending 30 minutes a week reading at a cafe.

If you’re just getting started, “take small steps,” Dr. Grice suggests. Time spent alone is a great opportunity to explore new interests, but it doesn’t mean you have to totally push yourself outside of your comfort zone. And if the thought of spending time alone is especially stressful or triggering, that could be an important sign that you may need professional support, Dr. Grice adds.

But if you’re at a loss as to how to jump in, “plan out something that you know that you will enjoy doing, maybe something that helps you feel more productive, or helps you be more relaxed,” Dr. Nguyen said.

If you’re having an especially hard time listening to the thoughts inside your head, journaling can be a great way of working through and evaluating those emotions, Ms. Roberts said. And though it’s tempting, “try not to be on your phone, because it’s too big of a distraction.” Instead, Dr. Coplan suggests reading, making crafts, going to a movie, grabbing a meal, visiting a park, trying to learn a new skill or any one of the infinite options available besides making your alone time about other people and obsessively checking social media.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • How good are you at spending time alone? Do you enjoy spending time by yourself? Or do you find it hard to be alone — becoming bored or lonely?

  • How often do you spend time alone? What do you generally do with this time?

  • The author distinguishes between loneliness and solitude. Does the fear of loneliness ever get in the way of having meaningful experiences of solitude? What other factors get in the way of your finding quality alone time?

  • According to the article, being alone can benefit your social relationships and improve your creativity and confidence. Does this resonate with your own experiences? What other benefits have you experienced from time spent alone?

  • To get the most out of alone time, Dr. Nguyen recommends, “Take the opportunity to say, ‘This is the time where I can give something to myself,’ and just endorse that, in this moment, you are your first choice.” What do you think of her advice? What would you recommend to others who have a hard time being alone?

  • After reading the article, do you think you will be more likely to seek out alone time? Tell us why or why not.

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘After This Fungus Turns Ants Into Zombies, Their Bodies Explode’

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Lesson of the Day: ‘After This Fungus Turns Ants Into Zombies, Their Bodies Explode’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “After This Fungus Turns Ants Into Zombies, Their Bodies Explode”

On Oct. 24, a team of researchers reported an important new insight into the origin of zombies — in this case, ants zombified by a fungus. In this Halloween-themed lesson, students trace the evolution of a mysterious zombifying fungus and consider how it would have to further evolve to infect humans.

What do you know about zombies from pop culture, such as those from movies, TV shows and literature?

What are their best-known characteristics? What do they look like? How do they behave? How does one become a zombie? How are zombies defeated? What makes them so frightening?

You might create a drawing of a zombie with labels to illustrate these points. Or, have a Graffiti Board discussion with your classmates by writing “zombie” in the middle and then adding your ideas around it.

If you want to know more about zombies in pop culture, read this overview from History.com or watch this one-minute video from Live Science. (Note to teachers: This video contains some gory scenes. Please preview before sharing it with students.)

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. How does the fungus Ophiocordyceps zombify an ant? Create a timeline of the process.

2. Why did researchers want to be able to draw a family tree of Ophiocordyceps? What information did they hope it would reveal?

3. Compare and contrast how the fungus infects beetles versus how it infects ants. What are the major similarities and differences between the processes?

4. What role did natural selection play in the evolution of the fungus in ants?

5. Why does one of the researchers, João Araújo, say that describing new species of Ophiocordyceps will be “a never-ending job for generations”?

6. Which detail in the article stood out to you the most? What made it so compelling to you?

Use this graphic organizer to compare and contrast the ant zombies from the article to those from pop culture that you discussed in the warm-up.

What are the major similarities and differences between these types of zombies? What do you think might explain them?

If the fungus Ophiocordyceps were to further evolve to infect humans, what major transformations would it have to make to survive? Consider how both human behavior and biology would influence its evolution.

What’s Your Favorite Halloween Costume, Past or Present?

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
What’s Your Favorite Halloween Costume, Past or Present?

Are you planning to wear a costume this year? If so, what are you going as? Did you make or design it yourself? Or buy something premade?

Is your costume a classic, like a pumpkin or a witch? Or something more of-the-moment, like a Popeye’s chicken sandwich?

The high heels were on the move. Dozens of New York teachers marched through the streets of Greenwich Village on Oct. 31, 1986, wrapped in fabric stilettos, to cheers and applause. It was a perfectly timely costume: The ladies were dressed as the infamous footwear collection of the freshly ousted first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos.

But three decades later, the joke has lost its punch. We’ve moved on to other scandals, Ms. Marcos and her prodigious closet long since faded from memory. Ask millennials about it, and they’re likely to respond with a bemused “Imelda who?”

Halloween was, in many ways, one of the earliest manifestations of what we now call fandom. And an of-the-moment costume has become a form of social currency. On a holiday designed for people to stand out, the greatest achievement can be being “in.” But timeliness is, by its very nature, fleeting. Your Popeye’s chicken sandwich may seem brilliant today, but seen from a few decades’ remove you’re just fried meat.

While Halloween in the United States dates to the late 1800s, the traditional dressing up and going door to door didn’t start until the 1930s, said Lesley Bannatyne, the author of five books on the holiday’s history. Halloween until then had been an occasion for mischief and light vandalism. Fed up with thrown eggs and stolen fences, homeowners decided to try a different tack: Bribe the would-be miscreants. And with the rise of trick-or-treating came commercial costumes.

“Trick-or-treating was kind of an effort on the homeowners’ part to be prepared,” she said. “It’s like, O.K., you’re going to come to my house and demand something, and if I slam the door in your face you’re going to do something to my yard? Well, I’m ready this year. I’ve got candy.”

Early Halloween costumes were homemade and classic: witches, ghosts, princesses, the occasional Frankenstein. But after World War II, things shifted, largely thanks to one Brooklyn company.

Ben Cooper Inc. was founded in 1937 by the brothers Ben and Nat Cooper. Sons of Russian immigrants, they had gotten their start in vaudeville in the 1920s, creating costumes for Harlem’s Cotton Club and the Ziegfeld Follies. When it came to Halloween, their specialty was pop culture. As comic books, cartoons and television took off, the Coopers began buying up the rights to characters like Sleeping Beauty and Davy Crockett and turning them into plastic masks. Kids could become their heroes for a day.

Forecasts for 2020

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Forecasts for 2020

I love forecasts. Forecasts that always pick the weather wrong or forecasts for the future that either hit partially or never, but you dream, that maybe, just maybe that LaserDisc you bought for $10 might be finally hitting its stride, 30 years later.

In late 2009, I did my first forecast on this blog.  Then others followed thereafter. I used the standard approach many folks I assume use, I grabbed my magic 8 ball shook it a bit, and read those future words, “I don’t understand”, “Yes”, “No” “Ask Again.”  Afterward, I grabbed some paper made it into an 8 piece thing with my fingers and followed up with additional questions.   I was surprised how awful it turned out.  I decided right there and then, that perhaps there was a better way.

It involved looking at the industry, studying the trends, and picking out the nuances that pointed towards this or that, and then pushing it out.   Since that blog, my forecasts have been over 90% accurate.  For 2019, written in 2018, close to 95% accurate (as of today). 

With that mind, here are my forecasts for 2020.  In usual fashion (but for folks new to my site, etc. and I thank you for coming), I use icons to represent keywords

HOT –fire   Medium – lsited

FORECASTS

fireThe Rise of Workforce Management  – The latest buzz word to enter the lexicon of the learning system industry, for systems targeting heavily towards employees.  The system does not need to have any TM or PM feature sets, to use this term, and in essence, it is replacing the usual phrases such as employee engagement, workplace management, and workforce engagement too.

Workforce management is vague and ambiguous enough to do well in 2020, albeit for learning it would seem to me that workforce enlightenment would be better suited, unless you plan to incorporate additional HCM functions into your learning system, which of course, will place you completely into the segment of SuccessFactors, Cornerstone, SumTotal, Saba Cloud, Talentsoft among others.   It should be noted that for many of these HCMs, learning is the driver and the one that sales the most, compared to all the other modules if someone was to buy just one module.   There are exceptions of course, but nowadays, okay for many years, many folks who go the route of the above, purchase at least two modules.

What is of interest to note, is the fast growth of that second “other module” that people who are eyeing HCM that have TM/PM, Recruiting mods,  is the “recruiting” mod, and the amount of investment R&D wise that I have seen on that side of the house, with numerous systems with multiple modules (they are in the system already, you buy, they turn it on), towards recruiting including applying for jobs within the company tied to your skill sets which wait for it, comes via learning.  

I mention this because there are vendors who continue to push towards adding performance management functionality to their learning system, with many people assuming these vendors to be, LMS vendors when it just isn’t universally true.  I’ve seen some PM components entering LXPs and learning platforms, neither of which, would ever say they are an LMS.  The fact of the matter is that any learning system can provide you with skill gap analysis (and have since the late 90s), and any system can provide you with leadership development too (you just have to create the curriculum path, etc.) – in other words, all these items have existed, and no one then referred to it as performance management.  It was and still is – training and learning.

firePerformance Management is not going to replace Learning

I am going to tell you something. shhh.. here it is – LMSs are here to stay. The market continues to grow at a very strong pace. Learning systems overall at not yet at a mature stage, despite the length of the market, simply because even with LMSs (as the largest segment), more systems are going in, then leaving.  There are not yet any repetitive flat-lines to indicate that the market is at full maturity, compared to say, Performance management, Talent management, HCMs, and even HRISs – all of which I see at mature. Assessment tool market? Mature.  Authoring Tools? Mature.  And yet, I hear over and over again, the “LMS is dead” spin, or at full maturity angle, which leads to the end of the LMS, as though the use of term screams the end of the world.

It is thru this lens of “end of LMS” that the calls of performance management appear, over and over again, as if you are stuck in an infinite loop.  I guarantee that you will see at least two sources say that the LMS is dead or dying, and that performance management is replacing it, has replaced it, will replace it, blah blah.  I am telling you that is 100% NOT True.   If you are a B2B/B2C learning system, you are not adding performance management feature sets.  If you target the association market, there is no reason to have PM feature sets. If you see your system in duality for employees and customers, then having PM features makes absolutely no sense.

I am still a big believer that learning systems should focus on learning/training. If I want talent management, then I should buy a TM system, with the assumption that whom I am buying – talent mgt is their forte – their strength.  I always find it amusing on the PM will rule and LMS is dead folks, who fail to notice that TM systems, who were once 100% all TM are now adding learning as a component or a module. 

Anyway, don’t buy into the LMS is dead angle, which includes the traditional LMS spin.  After all, how many of you who drive a car or own a house, say it is traditional since you know, they have been making both of those items for over 115 years.

fireFunctionality you Can Expect to See Rapid Growth in 2020

Each of the following is showing significant “hot” trend lines

  • Self Assessment for skills – End-user rates their skills, via either an assessment or a slider bar showing ratings.   Manager/Admin has the ability to review self-assessment and agree or disagree, if disagree, can modify it.   The self-assessment skill ratings are the big-ticket item for 2020.  It will drive a lot of capabilities including
  • Machine Learning content curation –  In other words, the content that is selected err recommended to the learner is based upon the algorithm which is tied at some level to the skills of the learner themselves, whether it is self-assessed or as they take additional content.  Machine learning will continue to be big in 2020, with Adaptive learning being added to the mix. 
  • Skills Development – Hello, is this King Kong?  That is how big skill(s) development, growth, improvement will be. Pick this content to develop your skills. Read this text to enhance your skills. Pick areas of interest tied to your skills.  Build your skills. Master your skills.  If you are at ad nauseam for micro-learning, then fear not, skills development/building/etc. will soon replace it.  And the kicker – every learning system can include it, even those targeting B2B/customer training.
  • Content Curation – Continues at a strong pace.  I’m not a fan of the whole system – i.e. every client’s end-users viewing/taking of content appearing in my learner’s recommendation list as though, that is the key factor, but some vendors are adding this as an option, and one has it as the way it has to be.  

That said, content curation tied to playlists including those recommended (by the system), most popular, trending, interest will continue to play a big role.  If your system isn’t doing content curation, then, well, you are going to flounder.  Which leads us to…

  • Content First Strategy –  Big. Big. Big.  Cornerstone and SumTotal already note they have a content-first strategy, and just in the past few weeks, even more, vendors are adding this to their repertoire. I support this, only if you have a content marketplace, whether it is online where clients can see (not the end-user) or via the phone or both.  The way it works is very simple – Client looks at your content partners that you have already, they pick the content they want to buy for their end-users, content them goes into the system.  Done.  

On a sidebar, please remember that as a client, you do not have to purchase the same number of seats for the content you buy, as you have in your system.  Many folks think they do, and then grumble when 65% of their audience isn’t ever going to see it in their catalog or path.  

I know of vendors who tell me they are not in the content business. One such vendor, NovoEd comes to mind. If I, the client have no idea about where to get canned/off-the-shelf content (which is growing, after years of stagnation – even with folks who have had Learning systems in the past), then, what should I do?  Plus, how do I get it from the content provider into your system? Do I want the hassle? Do I need the aggravation?  This is why the growth of content marketplaces are happening. 

If a vendor tells you they are not in the content business, I can only assume they must be in the web server business, because without content, that is all you have – a web server.

  • Video Auto-Transcripts and Scan Features –  The next tier of video management. You see a video (self-contained), and the system publishes automatically a transcript of the audio (this is not the same as CC).  You (end-user) can read the text, highlight it, and then it goes right to where you either highlighted the words or sentences and/or if the system has a search component within the transcript option it goes thru that.  This eliminates huge weaknesses that exist in today’s viewing of a video.

a. No one is watching the whole thing.  People fast forward or push the navigation quickly to get to the end.   Since very few folks have a TOC with their video, the option of going to a specific section in the video is too end-user driven, and trust me, fast-forwarding to find the spot, then go back to the spot, is cumbersome.

b. People who want to leave and come back to that spot or series of spots (let’s call them what they actually are – bookmarks) are unable to because see “A”.   With the transcript, scan option, they now can.

I’ll add a third point here because I just read this amazing factoid earlier this week – Gen Z (the folks we now have to deal with in the workforce or soon enough), are increasing the speed to watch the video. Yep, data is coming in showing that many are no longer watching in actual speed time, rather they are in a way fast-forwarding up the speed. Some are doing this with podcasts too.

The people who do this, claim to acquire the information quicker.  Now, since I failed at my speed-reading class, where is Evelyn Wood when you need her, I find this amusing, but anyway, that is what is taking place with Gen Z, in case you were wondering. 

  • HUB – I’ve written an in-depth post on the HUB and everything points towards it being HOT in 2020.  This will be a major disruptor in the industry, in a very good way.  

Forecast System Types

  • LXPs will continue to grow at a rapid pace but expect more and more to crossover into the LMS terrain with very similar if not replicated functionality.  Minor differences for sure, but it is starting to get hard to tell the difference (for the majority of buyers) – another reason, I believe that Digital Learning Platform is the better route to go in name term. I know of multiple systems that are using “learning experience” on their web site and SEO keywords, even though they are an LMS or another type of learning system that is not an LXP. 
  • Sales Enablement Platforms – Watch this space!!!  The systems leverage learning with a very strong dose of sales features – CRM, for example, is one of them.  A lot of money – investment-wise is coming into the SEP space, Showpad is a perfect example, but always remember, just because someone is getting capital doesn’t mean they are the best system out there – because you know what? Showpad isn’t.  Better ones include Hub360 by Unboxed Technology and Brainshark.
  • LMS – Still hot.  If there was something to extract in the LMS space that folks might find of interest, is that many more vendors are finally seeing the bigger picture and are:

a. Zeroing in on specific verticals rather than shotgunning their message.  To the point, that if you are not in that vertical, they will respectfully decline.  I’m a big fan of no more than three verticals, otherwise, you are just wasting time and effort to get, what 2% of the share?  Plus, it assures a tighter focus on R&D.

b. Curtailing the accept every RFP that comes to them.  This is a huge problem in the industry.  Another factor though is that many people continue to send RFPs that are 100 plus pages.  I stopped using an RFP, in 2001 when I would buy systems.  And I loved the systems I bought. Even today, the template I offer folks to use – is available in a shorter form thru FindAnLMS – (via the filters aspect).   Trust me, you can find the perfect system without re-writing the research paper, your English professor assigned to you those many years ago.

  • Netflix like experience isn’t going anywhere. This is the new norm. Live with it. Until something new and shiny shows up, maybe Disney+ Experience or HBO MAX experience?  Visual now reigns more so than ever before.  Even if you are not a fan – as a vendor, let’s remember, you are not the one buying it – someone else is.
  • Coaching/Mentoring – stays in the hot cycle.  I will readily admit that one of the coolest coaching/mentoring features I saw was with this one vendor, where their system uses a series of indices to scan the end-user speaking -in the video – webcam or upload record – and then identify the speaking level up to post-grad level to identify where the person, in fact, should be when speaking to others, i.e. if you are doing a sales pitch, you shouldn’t be using words that are geared towards graduate school.  Similar to the readability index, the audio angle was quite intriguing, and it also did counts in terms of ahh, uhhs, etc.  I liked it.  I have found only a handful of systems that do that, let alone, enable the coach/mentor to record themselves and have the learner see that in comparison.  Most still, have it one-way, i.e. end-user records themselves sends to coach/mentor, coach/mentor review and respond in text. 
  • 3rd party canned content – HOT.  I believe the key difference-maker in the long-run will be niche content, in other words specifically targeted, rather than say, leadership which everyone offers.  In my soon to be released gender study, I found only one 3rd party content provider who offered a leadership course specifically for women and the challenges they face.  Frankly, there should be more.   Equally, too many courses geared towards retail still have people wearing suits.  Uh, where am I at a brokerage firm in the mall? And what is a mall?

This falls in line with the lack of 3rd party content geared towards Web apps that folks use.  For the number of companies out there who use Slack at their company, for their employees, in comparison to the number of 3rd party content providers who offer Slack as content, is extremely low.  Then again, if your company is using Slack, and you have a learning system, is there a Slack course on there?  My guess says no.

Medium lsited

  • Content Bookmarklets – I see small growth here, but one that is enough to keep an eye on. In simple form, the vendor enables you to add a bookmarklet to your browser bar, via either an extension store like Chrome or drag and drop onto your bar (the more common approach).  Then when you see a page of interest, or paragraph, whatever, you simply capture it, with your bookmarklet. Some vendors do a better job than others, but it is a way to go beyond just adding a web link, which anyone can do.  No one has yet to integrate it with say Microsoft Note or Pocket, for example, nor have it so I can do clipping of sections of that page, and leave comments on a note like thing, that others can see, when they go to that page on the web, and read and leave too.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least a couple of vendors offer some aspect of that, but no, it is not going to be a massive uptick.  And for those folks wondering the pluses of it – let’s see – social interaction, social engagement, knowledge curation, content expansion. Yeah, good stuff.
  • Mobile on/off synch apps – It’s there, but not enough to say fast track, which again, still is mind-boggling.  Once you explain the pluses, people want it. What I find are many vendors who still do NOT HAVE a mobile app whatsoever, which makes no sense.  I find vendors who only have an iOS app even though Android has more than 70% market share.  You can’t say you are mobile-first, without having a mobile app with on/off synch.  And shame on you, who ignores the fact that mobile apps are huge, especially when they themselves have a smartphone /tablet with apps on it.
  • Social – Please, anyone, anyone add something new here.  If there is any light here, chat rooms and discussion boards are slowly starting to disappear from systems.  On behalf of every Gen-Xer who jumped onto the net in 93-94, we thank you.  AOL users, ehh, CompuServe was better.
  • Coaching Platforms – Mixed bag.  Seriously, why buy one, when so many other learning systems, LMSs, Learning Platforms, and some LXPs are jumping headfirst into coaching as well, and in more than a few cases, doing a much better job than the coaching platform itself.   Personally, save your money and find an LMS or LXP that does as good if not a better job.
  • Personalization – So, so so so.. Yeah, it has always been available, some folks do a better job than others, it is just medium. 

Bottom Line

This is just a shortlist of forecasts, I have quite a few more – some that incorporate the authoring tool market – expect to see a slight increase in new authoring tool vendors, some that show custom development can expect a slight downturn, due to the multiple factors,  forecasts on emerging markets – globally, who is going to be hot and a forecast on pricing (dependent on the global economy, which is slowing down). 

I’ll continue to dive ahead and watch the trend lines. In keeping up with the times, I’ll ignore my magic-8 ball and move over to Alexa on Amazon.

Tell me my fine, Alexa, are the trends accurate?

“Today’s forecast is sunny.”

E-Learning 24/7

 

 

 

 

The course that’s setting a new standard in financial planning

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
The course that’s setting a new standard in financial planning

In January 2019, the Australian financial sector changed forever. An
investigation into the ethics and actions of the sector uncovered serious
misconduct, leading the Financial Advisor Standard and
Ethics Authority (FASEA) to declare a new era.
An era in which all financial advisors must meet a new set of standards in
order to practice.

While many in the industry agree that it was a long time coming, the
shake-up rocked the industry. The new standards mean that some existing
financial advisors may have to re-train, and those who are up-and-coming need
to ensure the course they study meets the latest requirements.

Sensing the uncertainty in the industry, Australian Catholic University (ACU) provided a solution: the Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning through Open Universities Australia (OUA). Not only is the course accredited by the Financial Planning Association of Australia, it goes above and beyond to give financial advisors greater confidence than ever before.

Two academics from Australian Catholic University – Susan Dann,
Professor of Marketing and Foundation Head of the Peter Faber Business School, and Dr. Wendy
James,  National Deputy Head of the
School, sat down to tell OUA
why the course is changing the game.

An ethical approach

With the banking royal commission fresh in the minds of consumers and industry alike,
it was integral for ACU to offer a course that
not only met regulations, but created graduates who live and breathe ethics.

“As we know from the findings of the royal commission, a lot of the
problems that people had as a result of financial planning were due to breach
of ethics,” Wendy says.

Many financial courses teach one subject in ethics, the academic
explains. But ACU’s approach gives graduates deeper knowledge –
weaving ethics into subjects throughout the course.

Dr. Wendy James, National Deputy Head of the Peter Faber Business School at ACU.

The ultimate flexibility

With many existing financial planners needing to up-skill to meet new
regulations, the Graduate
Diploma of Financial Planning through OUA is an ideal solution – as
specific skills can be studied as single subjects.

But single subjects from the Diploma
aren’t just for those who’ve worked in finance before. As Susan explains,
they’re a great option if you’d like to test the water before committing to the
full course.

 “Single subjects are
able to be stacked so that you can ultimately develop a full degree or
certificate program.”

“If you study one unit, it can provide you with the basis for moving on.”
she explains.

The industry edge

The course’s roots in industry are yet another element that sets it
apart.

“The majority of our academics are actually financial planners. So they have
hands on experience in the industry,” Susan says.

“Students can be assured that what they’re learning is fully up-to-date with
what is happening in industry today.”

What you’ll learn

Interested in the life of a financial planner? Or are you an existing
financial planner wondering whether this is the right course to gain
accreditation?

Study the Diploma of Financial Planning, and you’ll cover
subjects such as:

To learn more about how to study through OUA – fill out the form on
this page, and a friendly student advisor will get in contact. You can also
chat to them on OUA’s website
Messenger service, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or SMS. They’ll help you find
the right course for your future.

Otherwise, head over to the website to browse hundreds of
degrees and subjects from leading Australian
universities right now.

A New (co-)CEO for edX: Previous President and COO Adam Medros

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
A New (co-)CEO for edX: Previous President and COO Adam Medros

Photo of Anant Agarwal and Adam Medros, edX's co-CEO

EdX, the non-profit MOOC provider backed by MIT and Harvard, has announced the appointment of Adam Medros as co-CEO. He will lead the company alongside the founder and CEO Anant Agarwal.

Adam joined edX back in October 2017 as the COO and President. He came from a 13-year stint at Tripadvisor (it’s like Class Central, but for travel) where he was Senior Vice President of Global Product and a member of the executive team.

This move is similar to how in 2016 Udacity promoted its then-president and COO Vishal Makhijani to CEO to take over from Udacity co-founder Sebastian Thrun.

Edx, Coursera, and Udacity were all founded within a few months of each other by professors from Stanford and MIT. Over time we have seen MOOC providers like Coursera and Udacity replace their founder CEOs with a professional CEO, while the founders moved into the role of Board Chairperson. In fact, those founders have all gone on to start their own companies.

With this move, a question arises. Will Anant Agarwal stay on? I believe so.

Anant will likely keep being the public face of the company as he has been doing over the years.

It is quite common for Anant to speak at numerous conferences and occasional TV interviews. I have bumped into him multiple times at different conferences over the years including smaller research conferences like the Learning With MOOCs (LWMOOCS) conference last week where both of us were lightning speakers.

It is rare for CEOs of other major MOOC providers to be present at these academic conferences and even rarer for them to stay around and mingle with the attendees, which I have seen Anant do on multiple occasions.

Anant’s stellar academic credentials and extensive network will be crucial for edX as it continues to launch more online degrees in partnership with universities.

Adam was originally hired to “assume the day-to-day management and oversight of edX’s operations, contribute to edX’s strategy and growth”. His responsibilities might expand after being promoted to co-CEO, but essentially I think Adam will continue to focus on these areas.

GUEST POST: Using Colors, Images and Cartoons to Support Learning

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
GUEST POST: Using Colors, Images and Cartoons to Support Learning

References:

(1) Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

(2) Heidig, S., Müller, J., & Reichelt, M. (2015). Emotional design in multimedia learning: Differentiation on relevant design features and their effects on emotions and learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 44, 81-95.

(3) Um, E., Plass, J. L., Hayward, E. O., & Homer, B. D. (2011). Emotional design in multimedia learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(2), 485-498.

(4) Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12, 257–285.

(5) Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2007). Interactive multimodal learning environments. Educational Psychology Review, 19, 309 –326.

(6) Park, B., Flowerday, T., & Brünken, R. (2015). Cognitive and affective effects of seductive details in multimedia learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 44, 267-278.

(7) Plass, J. L., Heidig, S., Hayward, E. O., Homer, B. D., & Um, E. (2014). Emotional design in multimedia learning: Effects of shape and color on affect and learning. Learning and Instruction, 29, 128-140.

(8) Park, B., Plass, J. L., & Brünken, R. (2014). Cognitive and affective processes in multimedia learning. Learning and Instruction, 29, 125-127.

What Students Are Saying About Politics in School, Who They Turn To in a Crisis, and Stress

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
What Students Are Saying About Politics in School, Who They Turn To in a Crisis, and Stress

When I find myself struggling with my mental health, anxiety about school, friends, and even family, I always turn to my mom. She knows me better than I know myself and she always knows exactly how I feel. She had me knowing that she was going to be a single mom alone in Miami; she is by far the strongest person I know.

— Sofia Noonan, Hoggard High School Wilmington, NC

During a crisis, the main people who I turn to is my family because I am the most comfortable communicating with them. Even though I often want to deal with the issue myself and am reluctant to turn to them, I know my parents are the only ones who can understand me well enough to actually empathize with me.

— Sahil Patel, Hoggard High School in Wilmington, NC

I say my grand-mother is who I turn to in a crisis because we have a bond like no other. She is insightful and well articulated when it comes to discussing life. I do not turn to my friends or peers in a crisis like I have in the past. Peers are less likely to ease my mind due to lack of knowledge or experience with words or life in general in comparison with my grand-mother

— Grace Smith, Hoggard High School, Wilmington NC

Ultimately, adults have more life experience and maturity to give teens advice that will result in them making the best choices. I also know that personally, I have felt awkward or unqualified to give advice to friends who struggle with mental health. Adults and trained mental health professionals, on the other hand, have the emotional maturity and expertise to handle a crisis. Although it might be more awkward approaching an adult at first, it is ultimately a better decision.

— Jillian Steeves, Danvers, MA

In times of a crisis, I usually don’t turn to anyone in particular for help. In fact, I internalized most of my conflicts. I always try to deal with problems in my life by myself. But I do try and help other people with their own crisis or problems. Through helping other people I am able to understand how to deal with my own problems. Sympathizing for others helps put my mind at ease and overcome my own problems.

— Ralph Agua, Classical High School

When I’m in a crisis, mostly, I just box everything up. I know I shouldn’t, but I have several deep seated issues, be it a fear of embarrassment, a fear of rejection, a deep sense of shame, or just not wanting to bother anyone, that prevent me from talking to others about my problems. I try to move through problems myself and keep my real emotions inside, and don’t let anyone else help.

— Lucas Kruger, Hoggard High School, Wilmington, NC

When I am hurting or to many troubles cloud my mind, I don’t turn to anyone. I deal with my problems by myself, I go to the core of my problem and fix it. I lost trust in people long ago and I figured that I only really have myself. No matter how friendly or nice people seem, they can turn your back on you. It may take a few days, a couple weeks, even many years, but it’s bound to happen. And I learned that the hard way.

— Nick Ordonez, Hoggard High School, Wilmington NC

1...1,3541,3551,356...1,503Page 1,355 of 1,503

Recent Posts