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Lesson of the Day: ‘The World Can Make More Water From the Sea, but at What Cost?’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘The World Can Make More Water From the Sea, but at What Cost?’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “The World Can Make More Water From the Sea, but at What Cost?”

The issue of water quantity and quality is increasingly a global problem. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over 80 percent of the world is covered in water, but only 3 percent is fresh water. As more places face water scarcity, desalination is seen as a possible answer. However, energy and financial requirements limit how widely that process can be used.

In this lesson, students will explore the issue of water access, examine how desalination presents a potential solution, and finally, weigh the costs and benefits of various approaches to water scarcity.

Do you have access to clean and safe water? How concerned are you about access to quality water now or in the future?

Do you believe that your family, and Americans in general, use water wisely? Or do you think we take this vital resource for granted?

Before reading, look at the graph below and answer the following questions:

  • What do you notice?

  • What do you wonder? What are you curious about that comes from what you notice in the graph?

  • What story does the graph tell? Write a catchy headline that captures its main idea. If your headline makes a claim, tell us what you noticed that supports your claim.

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. Scroll through the photos in the article: What do you notice? Which image stands out to you and why? What story do these photos tell?

2. The article begins, “Desalinated seawater is the lifeblood of Saudi Arabia, no more so than at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.” Why did Henry Fountain, the author, start by describing the water uses of one university? How does this single institution illustrate the needs of the entire country?

3. How big a problem is water quality and quantity globally? What are the major causes of water scarcity worldwide?

4. What challenges do Saudi Arabia and other countries face in making desalination affordable and sustainable? In what ways are engineers and researchers addressing these challenges?

5. In your own words, describe the desalination process. Explain reverse osmosis.

6. How is Saudi Arabia’s effort to find renewable and sustainable water sources linked to finding sustainable energy sources?

7. What is your reaction to the article? What was most interesting, surprising or provocative to you? How does this article alter your opinion of the way you, your family and your community use water? What responsibility do we all have to using water responsibility?

Imagine you are a member of local government in one of the high water-stress locations identified on the map in the warm-up activity. Should you invest in desalination technology? What factors would you consider? What are the pros and cons of using desalination to solve the problem of water scarcity?

As part of your analysis, consider whether other possible solutions might be more desirable, such as changing individual water consumption patterns, recycling sewage into drinking water, combating water pollution, increasing agricultural efficiency, investing in green infrastructure and taxing water use?

(You can find more information on the countries facing water stress in “A Quarter of Humanity Faces Looming Water Crises.”)

What would you recommend?

How the EMBA helped Louise step into executive leadership

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How the EMBA helped Louise step into executive leadership

Within weeks of finishing her Executive Master of
Business Administration (EMBA) with RMIT, through Open Universities Australia (OUA), Louise was offered
the role of her dreams:  Acting Deputy
Executive Director of Safety and Security for Sydney Metro. She sat down with OUA
to tell us how she did it.

Ask any leader in business, and they’ll likely tell you that their road
to where they are today was hardly linear. For Louise, this couldn’t be more
true.

Sitting across the table in a well-fitted suit, the executive leader
tells us that, once-upon-a-time, she had studied (and was working in) occupational
therapy.

“I lasted about 18 months,” Louise laughs.

Within minutes of speaking to Louise, it’s clear that she’s a woman who
knows what she wants out of life. Unafraid of a challenge, she reassessed her
future.

Seeing her husband suffer a workplace injury confirmed what she had
suspected. She wanted to prevent injury occurring in the first place, instead
of focusing on the “fixing side of things”.

It was this that convinced Louise to study a Masters of Work Health – a
path that lead her to a successful career in health and safety for over 10
years. But for Louise, she hadn’t yet reached her dreams.

Her ultimate goal? To become an executive leader in work health and
safety. Through the Executive Master of
Business Administration, she achieved just that.

The need for an executive skillset

To get to the next level in an industry she had already spent a decade
in, Louise knew she needed to expand her skills.

“A really effective work health and safety professional, in my opinion,
is being able to tap into other parts of the business, having some financial
acumen, people management skills…” Louise explains.

“Leadership is a big one in work health and safety… the ability to
influence people…  That’s what the Executive MBA at RMIT offered me,” she says.

With a history working for the government, Louise knew that financial
knowledge, in particular, would progress her career.

“We’re working with tax-payers money,” she explains.

Today, Louise oversees the health and safety of contracted employees
across road and rail projects worth approximately 80-100 billion dollars.

Woman points to computer screen.

An exercise in research

With a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Masters of Work Health and
Safety under her belt, Louise was no stranger to study. So when she realised
she needed to return to the books one more time, she knew research was key.

“I wanted to make sure it was the right decision,” she says.

“You didn’t have to go to each university’s website. The curriculum, the
course content… it was all there,” Louise recalls of weighing up different
MBAs on the Open Universities
Australia website.

When she needed further guidance, she found herself supported over the
phone, too.

“The call centre was really helpful. Everybody was really knowledgeable.
I never really had a problem with accessing information.”

Choosing the Executive MBA

“The reason I chose OUA and RMIT was to have a certificate from a great university, Louise says.

By choosing the Executive Master of
Business in particular, as opposed to a more traditional Master of Business,
Louise ensured her degree was accredited by the prestigious European Foundation
for Management Development Program Accreditation System.

What sets her degree apart is the course’s focus on business design in
particular. The course has been applauded for its ability to help leaders
analyse the architecture of business problems, and take creative, innovative
approaches with their solutions.

Louise: The executive leader

Today, Louise lives the high-powered life she once dreamed of.

“The ability to work via correspondence via OUA… it wouldn’t have been possible otherwise to work full-time and also
study.”

And while she’s thrilled with her new role, Louise isn’t slowing down any
time soon.

“The end point? A Chief Executive Officer is not out of the realms of possibility, she grins.

Become the leader you want to be

Keen to follow in Louise’s footsteps and take on an executive role?
Anything is possible through Open Universities Australia.

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.

Word + Quiz: jowl

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Word + Quiz: jowl

1. a fullness and looseness of the flesh of the lower cheek and jaw (characteristic of aging)

2. the jaw in vertebrates that is hinged to open the mouth

_________

The word jowl has appeared in 23 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 28 in “A Day of Rice Cakes for the Lunar New Year” by Tejal Rao:

WEST COMPTON, Calif. — In a sunny field here in Los Angeles County, the chef Diep Tran folded a banana leaf like wrapping paper, running her fingers along the crease. As she spooned some pork jowl and rice on top, a dozen women leaned over to observe her technique.

“Not too much!” Ms. Tran said. “Don’t forget, rice expands as it cooks.”

Tet, or Vietnamese New Year, falls on Feb. 5 this year. To celebrate and prepare for the holiday, Ms. Tran gathered about 100 women to make banh chung, the rich, sticky rice cakes filled with pork, shallots and mung beans, wrapped in banana leaves and boiled until tender. The women would take home their finished banh chung to share with family and friends.

_________

Can Social Media Be a Tool for Learning and Growth in Schools?

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Can Social Media Be a Tool for Learning and Growth in Schools?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

How does your school view social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok? Does it have its own social media accounts? Do teachers and staff use any of these popular apps to engage with students in the classroom or in after-school clubs?

Do you think social media provides opportunities for learning and growth? Or are these apps at best just entertainment and distractions from school, and at worst, places for gossip, bullying and misinformation?

In “High Schools to TikTok: We’re Catching Feelings,” Taylor Lorenz writes about how the app TikTok is getting the stamp of approval in some schools:

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — On the wall of a classroom that is home to the West Orange High School TikTok club, large loopy words are scrawled across a whiteboard: “Wanna be TikTok famous? Join TikTok club.”

It’s working. “There’s a lot of TikTok-famous kids at our school,” said Amanda DiCastro, who is 14 and a freshman. “Probably 20 people have gotten famous off random things.”

The school is on a quiet palm-tree-lined street in a town just outside Orlando. A hallway by the principal’s office is busy with blue plaques honoring the school’s A.P. Scholars. Its choir director, Jeffery Redding, won the 2019 Grammy Music Educator Award.

Amanda was referring to a different kind of stardom: on TikTok, a social media app where users post short funny videos, usually set to music, that is enjoying a surge in popularity among teenagers around the world and has been downloaded 1.4 billion times, according to SensorTower.

The embrace of the app at this school is mirrored on scattered campuses across the United States, where students are forming TikTok clubs to dance, sing and perform skits for the app — essentially drama clubs for the digital age, but with the potential to reach huge audiences.

And unlike other social media networks, TikTok is winning over some educators, like Michael Callahan, a teacher at West Orange, who had never heard of TikTok before the students told him about it.

He is an adviser to the school’s club and said he loves how the app brings students from different friend groups together. “You see a lot more teamwork and camaraderie,” he said, “and less — I don’t want to say bullying — but focus on individuals.”

In many of the videos on the app, which are 15 seconds to a minute long, school hallways, classrooms and courtyards serve as a recurrent backdrop. And if kids aren’t filming themselves at school, they’re making jokes about school. One popular meme on the app mocks the class of 2023 (freshmen this year) for being cringey and trying too hard.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Does your school see social media as a tool for learning? Share how your school and teachers use social media as part of the education process?

  • Should schools and teachers take better advantage of social media to engage with students? Do you wish your school did? Or should the two worlds remain separate — for everyone’s sake?

  • Are you familiar with TikTok, the app discussed in the article. What’s your take on it? The reporter states that “teachers at many schools say they view TikTok culture as a net positive.” What do you think?

  • Do you have any suggestions for how your school could use social media like TikTok to promote student learning and growth? Please share.

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: ‘Fear, Anxiety and Hope: What It Means to Be a Minority in Gaming’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Fear, Anxiety and Hope: What It Means to Be a Minority in Gaming’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “Fear, Anxiety and Hope: What It Means to Be a Minority in Gaming”

Five years after “Gamergate,” little seems to have changed in the gaming industry for minorities, women and members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community. In this lesson, students read six stories of people trying to change that. Then, they take a critical look at how their own identities are — or are not — represented in games today.

Create a personal identity chart. Write your name in the middle of a piece of paper or document. Then, on branches extending outward, write all the different things that make you who you are.

These can include your physical characteristics, your personality, your hobbies and interests, your background, your role in your family or other relationships, or anything else that you feel defines you. Here’s an example of what it might look like.

Now, circle five items that are most important to your identity.

Today, you’re going to read an article about identity and gaming. Take a look at the five items you circled in your chart. How often do you see these parts of your identity reflected in the video games or other games you play? Are there characters that look and act like you? Do the story lines reflect your own interests and life experiences?

Would you say that your identity is represented in the majority of video games you play — or, if you’re not a gamer, in other kinds of media, like television, movies and music? How does it feel when you see yourself reflected in these spaces? How does it feel when you don’t?

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. The authors note that there is a lack of diversity in the gaming industry today. How does that influence the types of mainstream games that are made? What impact does it have on the gaming community?

2. How did “Gamergate” help shape Squinky’s career path?

3. How did making games help Emma Kidwell reconnect to her Japanese identity?

4. In what ways is Joyce Lin’s game, Queering Spacetime, different from other simulation games? Why does she see it as a “queer form of resistance”?

5. What does Julian Cordero dislike about gaming culture and why?

6. Why is Aziza Brown optimistic about the future of gaming? How does she think the industry can change to become more inclusive?

7. Which of these stories stood out to you the most and why?

If you were to create a game that represented who you are, what would it look like?

Like the developers profiled in the article, design a game that reflects one or more aspects of your identity, such as your gender, race, sexuality, favorite hobby or anything else that you included in your identity chart above. Whatever you choose, it should be important to you.

For additional inspiration, you may want to watch the short film “Games You Can’t Win,” which shows how a transgender woman, a man with severe mental illness​ and the parents of a child with cancer transform their experiences into intensely personal video games.

In designing your game, consider who the main characters would be, what story line the game would follow, what form it would take, how it would be played and anything else you want to take on.

You can design it by creating a series of storyboard sketches of each phase of the game, or simply describe it in writing.

Then, take a moment to reflect on your creation:

  • How did it feel to create something that reflected your own identity?

  • How do you think you would feel if there were more games like this in the mainstream?

  • Do you think there are others who would feel “seen” if they could play your game? Why or why not?

Multitasking

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Multitasking

How well do you multitask? Are you able to juggle different priorities effectively? Or do you prefer to focus on one thing at a time? What are the benefits of taking on different tasks simultaneously? What are the drawbacks?

Tell us in the comments about a time when you tried to multitask. How did it go for you? Did you accomplish more than you expected to, or less? Then read the related Op-Ed to learn more about this common habit.

Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.

Halloween Edition – Tricks and Treats

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Halloween Edition – Tricks and Treats

As a kid growing up, our house had a lot of pictures of clowns. Framed no less, some innocent enough, others downright weird.  When the movie Poltergeist came out with the clown part in it, yeah, that was it for me.  From that moment on, clowns were not my friends.

Nowadays, frightening clowns are everywhere.  Hanging out in parks, chasing people, working in Congress (ZING) and maybe at your office (hey, boss, how are you? clown!).

What is also frightening though to me, and people who know me can attest, very few haunted or creepy stuff scares me, are the amount of bad systems, bad content, erroneous information being presented to folks, looking to find the right solutions for the learning and training needs in the exciting world of e-learning.

And yet, yet there is a glimmer of hope. A happy warm feeling that I sense, when I see something that makes me smile. Makes me thrilled to know that this system, tool, solution, content really does what it says it does, it works, it delivers, it provides people with the essentials, to make their learning and training exceptional. 

This is why the Halloween edition includes Treats along with a trick or two.  Treats that to offer that warm, fuzzy feeling, sort of hot apple cider on a cold day in Prague, eating at Hawksmoor Seven Dials in London, sipping on a coffee in Mexico City or even, getting the good candy when you were a kid.

Tricks on the other hand, are those cheap peanut butter crappies in the orange and black wrappers. The ones that say, “Yes, we could have paid a couple of dollars more for Sweet Tarts, but nope, Grandpa wanted to go home, so we grabbed for these, instead.”

With that mind, let us take one step into the nexus of Fear and Joy, welcome to the Tricks and Treats edition for 2019.

TREATShappypumpkin

FindAnLMS –  Version 2.0 is now live. A revamped UI and enhanced UX, to enable you (the end-user) to search, explore, view and contact the best learning systems in the world.  My learning system search engine is designed to provide an optimum experience each and every time.  100% FREE. 

screen

Enhancements include

  • Filter by Industry
  • Keyword(s)
  • Pricing Range
  • Expanded feature options
  • Number of Learners
  • Top 50 Rankings – Top 50, Top 20, Top 10 (Right now it is for 2019, in 2020, it will switch to Top 50 for 2020)

On each Vendor listing – as you see in the above catalog example, if the vendor is in my Top 50 rankings for 2019, they will have an icon identifying them, Purple – Top 50, Dark Blue – Top 20, Green – Top 10.  

premandnonprem

You can now save any vendor listing as a “favorite”, by clicking on the star icon in their listing.  By doing so, they will appear in your “My Systems” which is on your home dashboard.  This is a great way to keep track of who you liked or want to know more information on, and can come back to, each and every time you log back into the system.

Premium – You will notice this on some of the listings.  In the area of transparency, these are vendors who have purchased additional options.  Premium vendors are listed up higher, as you would see in any search engine you use – i.e. some listings are higher.  However, if the vendor does not have the feature or filter you select or selected, they will not appear in the listing results.  This assures you, that the results you are receiving are accurate and not skewed towards any vendor, because they are premium. 

Within the Vendor’s Listing

saba

The new UI is in full view, from a “Contact Us” to a web site link, to a description of the system, course standards readily visible and features.  Whitepapers and case studies (if the vendor adds them) are visible too.  Vendors have the option to add videos as well.

In the upper right hand of every detail listing you will see

  • Audience Type – Employees, B2B (Customer training/education, association, etc.), B2C (Direct to Consumer)
  • Number of users – The minimum number of end-users the system will accept and the maximum number (if it is 100,000+ this means the system can handle over 100,000 learners, so if you have a million users, yeah this system can handle that size)
  • Deployment type – SaaS, Client-Hosted; if SaaS this means in the cloud, if Client-Hosted it means the system can sit behind your firewall on your servers.  Some vendors offer only one option, some offer two.
  • Pricing – A price range.  If you see the 500K, this means that at the high price point (based on number of users), the system will go above 500K per year.  The pricing does not include any setup fees, professional services, support services or any additional fee items the vendor may charge.  It does however, give you a ballpark idea at the min. cost (dependent on users) and a range.  Please be aware that pricing is an estimate only, so always check with the vendor for your specific pricing based on your user base.

NEW – Craig’s Take

Starting in November, every vendor in the FindAnLMS Platform will have what I call “Craig’s Take” which is viewable in their listing details.  Here is where you can see what I think of the system, at a high-level with pros and any cons (if applicable).  It will be straight-forward, honest and independent.  If you see a listing that does not have “Craig’s Take” fear not, it just means that I haven’t gotten to that listing yet for my write-up, but it is on the “list”.   FindAnLMS is the only place you will find my take on every system in the platform. 

Findanlms.com Web Site

A lot of very useful information can be found on the site too.  From my monthly Podcast, to Latest Insights – covering the latest information across the web on topics of relevance to e-learning, to Reviews (including LMS, LXP) and Explore where you can view a variety of articles on various topics that I have written about.  Articles include

  • What is an LMS?  What is an LXP?
  • LMS by Committee
  • LMS vendor calls
  • To RFP or not RFP
  • LMS Forecasts for 2019
  • How to develop a game plan for buying an LMS

and much more on the way.  Expert interviews is in the Explore section too.  

TREAT happypumpkin

Top 10 Learning Systems for Customer Training, B2B (including Association) for 2019, systems with an asterisk (*) means they can be found in FindAnLMS. 

  • Thought Industries * – Very strong system, lots to like here. Panoramas is interesting – think tenants (children) with capabilities within each one. 
  • SumTotal Learning Management* – Continues to get better and better with each update.  Multi-tenant strong system. Includes a bundle of Skillsoft content, when you buy – a nice touch.
  • D2L Brightspace* – Not just for HE any more. Plays well in the association, retail and hospitality markets to name a few. So good for associations, that they are in my top three for 2020 (hint, hint).  Vendor to keep an eye on in the corporate landscape.  Potential is there. 
  • Skilljar – A system that delivers a lot, much more than some might expect. If there was a minus, it is the lack of data visualization, despite the fact that you can capture a lot of data. They have only a screen or two for visualization, which is disheartening. And frankly, makes no sense in today’s training world, especially when they have the ability to connect with BI tools. 
  • CourseStage* –  Strong system in the association market.  Feature rich. 
  • Absorb LMS* –  Top tier system for customer training, B2B.  UI/UX is outstanding. A system to definitely consider if you are in the need for customer training.  Needs a bit more on the rules options, for me, but this is a winner.  Please note, their listing is being added, so if you see “blank” – think of it as coming soon – check back daily.
  • SAP Litmos * –  Another powerhouse system for customer training, B2B. Lots to like here, that said, I’m not a fan of systems that charge extra for tenants, which SAP Litmos does (beyond I think a couple of children).  One weakness is e-commerce. It’s there, it’s better than before, but if you need strong e-comm it hasn’t reached that level, compared to some other customer training systems.
  • LearnUpon* – Continues to impress. A personal favorite of mine for a long-time. They charge extra for the tenants, again, not a fan of that, but this is a system while streamlined can offer quite a bit.  Plays well in the association market (on a side note).
  • Fuse* –  Top system that functionality wise is quite robust. NexGen T-Grid Top Tier system (post coming soon on this T-Grid). Data visualization exists. 
  • Brainier LMS* – Top 10 system in 2019, under the radar I think for many folks seeking a B2B – customer training/channel partner training system.  Functionality is tight. 

TREAT happypumpkin

Top Two Content Providers for 2019 – Canned aka off-the shelf content

I can hear the creaks and screams now, because I surmise that some folks will be – “where, where where” regarding their provider.  Let me put it to you this way, if you said, “Hey, Craig, I need some 3rd party content that you would buy if you had a system, whom should that be..”  I’d say check them out.

  • Skillpill –  Wow is a far understatement.  Can go into virtually any learning system out there.  They will work with you and your vendor to have their content in your system and verify that it works.  Excluding Digital Transformation bundle, the rest of the bundles can be mixed, so you do not have to buy the entire bundle per se. Content packs include Micro-MBA, Microsoft, Leadership and much more.  All come with micro-learning style via videos, quizzes, templates, worksheets and quick knowledge nuggets.  My number one 3rd party content provider on the market for 2019.
  • OpenSesame – Another darling of mine when it comes to 3rd party content. Think an aggregator of content but with a twist, in that when you get a subscription it is for all the content from all the publishers under the Open Sesame banner.  The American Management Association is one said publisher – which means, yes, you can find AMA content within OpenSesame.  They will work with you to add it to your learning system, if your learning system does not have OpenSesame in their marketplace. And they bundle out if you so choose, i.e. if you want only sales content, then they will put together only a sales bundle.   Most of the publishers are micro in design.  Number two 3rd party content provider for 2019.

TREAT happypumpkin

Top three authoring tools for 2019

A funny or frightful story from year’s past. A reader reached out to me after my review of Storyline, and informed me that a thread had been created on the Articulate forum board, about my review and what folks thought about me.  It wasn’t good, but on the other front, I felt honored.  Thank you again for such an honor.  Are you a fan of orange wrapped candies?

  • Knowbly – SaaS authoring tool that includes an RLO (reusable learning object) repository. If you are a beginner you can jump in and start building a quality course. If you are an instructional designer, you can push it to the limit and do quite a bit in the system.  Some learning systems such as Learn Amp and Spoke already have integrations with Knowbly, so you can push out the moment you publish.  That said, they have an API so if your system isn’t integrated it can be, which is a huge win.  I have this tool as my darling tool, be aware the web site doesn’t show off the full power of the tool, thus ask for a trial and test yourself.   Tell Albert I said, hi! (Albert is their mascot)
  • gomo learning  – SaaS authoring tool which comes with analytical data.  Personally, I never understood why an authoring tool needs analytical data, and the folks at gomo, know my feelings on this.  That said, this is a rich tool full of wonderful goodies.  Just when I think it can’t get any better, it surprises me with more and more, in a plus positive way.  Has the ability to push the content right into your system, every time you do an update, which is a big win.
  • dominKnow –  I have always believed in this authoring tool, one of the first SaaS ones on the market. If you are seeking a robust authoring tool that can do a lot from basics to e-learning development level, here it is.  I am unaware if they have a mascot, but they do have a triathlon athlete on their work staff, so there’s that.

TREAT happypumpkin

Top Custom Development Shop for VR Content

360Immersive – For those of you who want VR content for your learning system or even just to sit on your servers, there is finally a VR custom development shop that has peeked my Oculus Vision headset with enthusiasm. 

One of the big wins is that they are the first VR custom development provider whose VR content comes with course standards – so it can play in any learning system that accepts either SCORM 1.2 or xAPI.  

Even if you do not have VR right now, you can still leverage the content thru mobile – it appears 3D and still provides a truly interactive experience. 

And if that wasn’t enough, coming in early 2020, they will be launching the first 3rd party canned (i.e. off-the shelf) VR content – with course standards that is affordable – so everyone can jump into VR eyes first!

TRICKSTERS

A few months back I was chilling at a hotel in London and heard someone say to me, “Good morning sir”, I responded back “Good morning to you,” then realized it was 6.30 a.m., I was in my room, and no one else was in there.  The TV was off. My phone was on silent, and a voice said hi.  I did what anyone else would do in my situation, I finished reading my paper, with a hearty smile.

TRICK angrypumpkin

Learning Systems that Make Me wonder…

Sure they have a reputation.  Yes, people like them, but people also like Pop music, and snails and flavored coffee with names like Hazelnut Banana Surprise.

You know there will be one name that is always on my list.  But for this Halloween Edition, they shall not be named. Voldemort would be proud.

  • Oracle –  I get it.  You have Oracle and you want their learning system, because they told you it will integrate better or maybe they will toss it in to close a deal.  Maybe they said, that if you go elsewhere it won’t integrate well, you will have issues, blah blah blah.  Well, it is just blah blah blah.  Interoperability out of the gate isn’t always doable, but nowadays unless you have some major customization on the Oracle side taking place when it comes to integrations, then the connector shouldn’t be an issue.  If this is the main reason you are holding back from going with another learning system with your Oracle system, well, it shouldn’t be.

I’ll make the same argument if you have Workday and think you must buy Workday Learning because it integrates the best with your Workday, and another learning system won’t or you buy SAP and think that who should not be named is the only fit, because SAP says it is so (exclusion: SAP Litmos, a system I like).  

One other area of note, when it comes to this angle is the preferred LMS that an HRIS or ERP pushes as one that works best.  I heard this from a reader who noted that the HRIS software they were looking to buy, recommended Infor because of the integration angle among other things.  No offense to anyone here, but Infor isn’t the first system that comes to my mind as a buy.  Actually, not the second, or 145th for that matter.

  • Infor – If you are a customer and you are happy with them, well, by golly, I am happy for you.  Truly.  But for anyone else, there are just better systems out there. Nothing personal here, but this system has yet to do anything that makes me go  – “yeah, it is a good one to consider.”
  • Rehearsal VRP  – They pitch it as a Video Role Play Training Platform, which while yes, that is what you are doing, you can do this in many learning systems today – with some having more functionality then them.  I note this, because when they first debuted they were unique. They pushed a narrative of a coaching platform ideal for sales training.  I had no problem with that, nor any issue on folks using it for role playing via video – but I’m sorry this is not you dressing up as a nasty customer and acting out ranting while another employee appears as well an employee – in a scene that plays out as a real-life scenario.  What it is, is the employee or whomever looking into a web cam or recording device and recording themselves, then someone looking at that and responding.   Is that role playing? I guess if my role is to be talking head, then yes.

Bottom Line

Yes, this year’s Halloween edition was more TREATS than Tricks. And yes, I left out content providers such as Harvard Manager Mentor which I still do not understand why anyone would want that content, when there are so many other content providers out there (besides just the two posted earlier), that can surpass them. 

But as with anything, if you like it, then that is okay with me. 

And if you don’t,

Then there are other options.

After all, there is always something else out there,

Just hope,

it is not a

Clown.

E-Learning 24/7

Innovate or die: Why innovation is the key to business success

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Innovate or die: Why innovation is the key to business success

Readers of a certain age may remember a particular blue and yellow branded video store –the centre of every weekend during the 90s and 2000s. These stores were home to countless late-night discussions surrounding which movie to get, and whether the popcorn at the front of the counter was worth a few extra dollars.  

Apart
from making the monumental shift from VHS to DVDs, video stores hadn’t changed
much in decades. So when streaming services like Netflix
offered the convenience of staying in your pyjamas while choosing a film, no
late fees and value for money, they just couldn’t compete.

Sadly, video stores are by no means an isolated
example. A huge 88
per cent of the Fortune 500 companies featured in 1955 have disappeared. 

Remember
Polaroid? It declared bankruptcy in 2001 after over 60 years in business, with
Kodak following not far behind. Toys ‘R’ Us missed the opportunity to develop
its own ecommerce presence and filed for bankruptcy in 2017. Borders Books will
be forever assigned to the annals of history alongside PC sellers, Compaq and
car manufacturer General Motors, all of which were committed to older, less
efficient technology. 

The
one thing these dearly departed companies have in common? They all failed to
innovate.

Is innovation just a PR tactic?

The short answer is no. True innovation has to go far beyond a catchy PR stunt or slick video. It needs to be part of a company’s culture. When executed well, innovation can immunise a business against current and emerging competitors, as well as act as a tool to attract the best young employees and retain them.

There are many poster boys for companies that conscientiously pursue innovation. Google’s parent company, Alphabet is one, along with Disney Pixar, Alibaba, Raiz and Apple.

These companies don’t just have a fancy video or chief innovation officer. For them, innovation is more than just a buzzword. 

So,
what do they do differently?  These
companies strategically and directly invest in the pursuit of innovative
opportunities, and then nurture them carefully within the culture of their
company. 

While it’s tempting to feel intimidated by others greatness, remember, innovation can happen anywhere. In fact, Australia has a long and proud history of home-grown innovation. From Speedos to Earth Hour and baby safe capsules, right through to the very technology our world depends on today, Wi-Fi.

Seeking innovation

The job network, Seek – headquartered in Melbourne – is one example to learn from.

“It hasn’t always been easy. It’s been a process of re-imagining and re-inventing, constantly striving to find new and better ways of doing what we do,” a statement from the organisation explains.

Their
approach to innovation has seen them succeed where many others have
stumbled. Starting in 1997, Seek expanded their online capacity from just a
few thousand visits each month to 450 million visits every month across 18
countries.

Jamie
Simon, Seek’s Head of Enterprise and Government Sales, explains that innovation
is part of the company’s DNA.

“We
run hackathons three times a year… these are an opportunity for all of our
employees to put ‘tools down’ for three days and focus on an innovation concept
that they believe will drive value both for our organisation and our customers,
and for the marketplace in general. Off the back of those hackathons have come
some of our most exciting product innovations.”

Learn the art of innovation

Keen to learn the art of innovation? Through Open Universities Australia (OUA), you can study a range of subjects and courses with leading Australian universities in the areas of business and design thinking. You can even complete them online, at your own pace, from wherever you are. Now that’s innovation.

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.

Go Unlimited for less in October

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Go Unlimited for less in October

This October, for a limited time, you can buy 12 months of Unlimited for even less.

For one payment of £189 £139, you’ll have full access to hundreds of FutureLearn short courses for an entire year.

Unlimited has countless benefits, but we’ve narrowed it down our top five so you can get stuck into learning sooner ✔️

  1. Get unlimited access to short courses

As an Unlimited learner, you can join as many courses as you like from top universities from around the world. 

Further your career by learning new in-demand skills like UX or Data Visualisation, or broaden your horizons and build creativity with courses like Start Writing Fiction and An Introduction to Victorian Film. 

Plus, if you’re not sure which archaeology course you’ll dig the most, or you’re a bookworm with an appetite for literature, you can pursue new topics easily with hundreds of courses in a huge range of industries and categories.

  1. Learn at your own pace

After surveying over 3,000 FutureLearners, we found that more than 30% of you valued the ability to complete courses at your own pace higher than anything else. 

With Unlimited, you have an entire year to complete your courses, so life won’t get in the way. 

Whether you want to take more time over particularly tricky steps or something happens in your personal or professional life, your courses will stay open for you to finish. 

  1. Prove your achievements

When you achieve something great, it feels pretty good to shout it from the rooftops. When you complete a course, you’ll earn a digital Certificate of Achievement which you can share online or on your CV as proof of your success. 

Research shows that one of the top five considerations for employers when hiring is proof of continuous learning.

A certificate shows your initiative and passion for your craft and is the perfect way to set yourself apart from the competition in your field.

  1. Keep your course content

With Unlimited, there’s no need to cram. You’ll be able to keep the content of all the courses you’ve gained a certificate on beyond the year of your Unlimited learning. 

Whether you have a job interview or exam coming up, or you’re about to attend a hotly-contested pub quiz, access any of the articles, videos and quizzes of your course whenever you need a refresher.

  1. Save time and money

One simple payment means less time at the checkout and more time learning.

Fancy building your skills across one particular field, like business or teaching? Pitch Unlimited to your employer and ask them to invest in your self-development. 

At £139 for one year, you can make the most of your new-found love of learning and invest in a brighter future.

We think you’re worth it.

Word + Quiz: sallow

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Word + Quiz: sallow

adjective: unhealthy looking

verb: cause to become sallow

noun: any of several Old World shrubby broad-leaved willows having large catkins; some are important sources for tanbark and charcoal

_________

The word sallow has appeared in 12 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on May 14 in “When Grunge Made Blue-Collar Culture Cool” by Steven Kurutz:

More than its fresh sound — a fusing of metal with punk — more than articulating a generation’s disillusionment with capitalist culture, the appeal of grunge, for me, was this: It reflected and ennobled the blue-collar world I knew.

…. Grunge, with its heavy, murky sound and sallow musicians, got at something darker about living in a fractured land. Where many Springsteen songs were enlivened by hope, this music captured the deadbeat side of America. If grunge songs didn’t directly address the concerns of working people, it was nevertheless recessionary music, made by underemployed slackers.

_________

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