"SMACK THE LEARNER ON THE FACE" - Learning from failures - best learning ever

Synthesis
Allowing learners to fail or realize the possibility of failures enable them to earnestly pursue learning as they analyze, think through or contemplate on the circumstance and discover learning points that help them arrive at solutions and/or behavioral changes.
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I just read Roger Schank's book on "Teaching Minds".

Paraphrasing his thoughts, Schank says that our school and corporate educational systems are basically focused on academic objectives and not on the learners' life objectives. As a consequence, we hardly remember or use 95% of what we studied in school or even  in business training and learning programs. I believe that this is a lot of waste.

Furthermore, Schank is convinced that failure is the best way to learn. He says that we tend to change our behaviours as we experience mistakes and do trial and error in our actions and decisions. This becomes a recurring cycle of incremental learning.

With this in mind, I produce the vignettes as learning tools. Through them I try to present learners with instant reminders of situations where we fail. Alongside that, learners are allowed to think this failure through. The learner then asks: "What must I do differently?" "How do I avoid this next time?" Why did I behave in such manner?"

In the vignette "The Angry Project Manager", this is exactly what we aim at.
Ask yourself. Have you ever lost your cool? What happened when you did? What did you learn ?

In designing learning that revolves around experiences and stories, "SMACK THE LEARNER ON THE FACE"  and put them on the spot, to make them pay attention to learning from failures.

Click here to view "The Angry Project Manager".  Here below is a short description.

"The Angry Manager" vignette shows us that in a fast-paced work environment, anger may not always be avoided . But if you are to deal with a very angry person, what would you say or do? View the  vignette and consider the options presented. After contemplating on all the options, click to the next scene and witness  how anger can overtake someone. Can you see yourself reacting in a similar way? Click here to view "The Angry Project Manager".

How to Use the Vignette

Although the situation presented is specific, this vignette covers a wide range of topics, including conflict-resolution, work ethics and other management-related issues. This vignette is very useful for eLearning sessions that require your learners’ undivided attention, especially those that deal with specific situations that need to be resolved in a timely manner. Use it as part of your lessons or as a post-training test. Face-to-face, eLearning or webinar, this vignette is a sure way to push your learners to the EDGE. Vignettes are captivating and highly effective learning tools that can power up your classroom training, eLearning activities and social learning communities. Click here to view "The Angry Project Manager".

Join us  and tell us what you think about the vignettes and share with us if you have had similar experiences. Your feedback and insights are highly valued. Also feel free to send in your suggestions, comments, improvements or topics that are of interest to you. This can help us greatly in coming up with better vignettes, especially on topics that are of great relevance to you.

Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

No Ugly Content Please: iPhone's Modality Learning Is Great, but It Will Not Work with "Ugly Looking" e-Learning Content

I stumbled upon eQuixotic Blog and was impressed with Chris' quality and mission. Chris talks about Apple's July 11, 2008 release of Modality Learning.



View Steve Jobs' Keynote Address at WWDC 2008.

Comments:

1) In the training industry, many times, there is reluctance to increase the quality of the aesthetics - the look and feel of programs. Cost and time are the usual culprits. In e-Learning or technology-assisted tools, sensual and aesthetics are "parts of the learning experience," according to John McCarthy and Peter Write in their book "Technology as Experience." I would further say, that the more aesthetically pleasing the experience, the more learners tend to learn and stay with the material. Apple has always known and applied this precept.

The birth of Modality Learning is a breakthrough. iPhone is an easy tool to use and opens the door for more programmers to develop content (e-Learning) for the iPhone.

2) Those who will invest in quality content will be winners. Those who will not will be at a disadvantage because learners will refuse to study "ugly" content presentations even when presented in the iPhone.

Related post: Micro-Mobile Learning Using iPod Touch - Sun Mobile Learning

Ray Jimenez, PhD
http://www.vignettestraining.com/
http://www.trainingpayback.com/

"Helping Learners Learn Their Way" "Helping Learners Apply Learning"

iPhone Authoring - Seems Simple Enough

Apple is poised to take advantage of the learning, education and social media ...
in motion. See Apple's Modality Learning.

The basics of iPhone learning production are easy enough. Of course, just like anything else, if the content is bad, the learning will be bad.

But the production could be as easy as 1-2-3 as shown below.

I am not suggesting you should buy Toolbook. I use this since they have
a good demo.



1. See examples learning in iPhone.

>>Examples from ToolBook
Scroll two-thirds of the page to view some examples. The examples are Fraud Prevention and Blood Glucose, but it will give you an idea. http://www.toolbook.com/mobile/

>> Example from Sun Learning

2. How you can construct by using an Authoring Tool for iPhones (from SumTotal)

To author the course for Toolbook, view the introduction video.
http://www.toolbook.com/demos/iphone_howto_demo/1/index.html
View Toolbook version to publish the iPhone content online.

Personally, I am glad Toolbook provides this. I did authoring once many years ago using Toolbook 1, 2, 3 and 7.... I feel old.


http://www.vignettestraining.com/
http://www.trainingpayback.com/

"Helping Learners Learn Their Way" "Helping Learners Apply Learning"

Micro-Mobile Learning Using iPod Touch - Sun Mobile Learning

How much does it cost to purchase an iPod Touch? $180. Imagine what you can do providing learning through on-the-need basis. See this YouTube video. Amazing!



The technology is phenomenal. The challenge is how to prepare
presentations that are succinct, 3 minutes or less in length.

Ray Jimenez, PhD www.vignettestraining.com
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

The iPod Video & e-Learning Looking Glass

The holidays are coming and I must find a justification for buying (as a gift to myself) the iPod Video. Currently, I am enjoying my 40 Gig iPod for music and have downloaded hundreds of my favorite songs. The cool thing about iPod is the way I can organize, listen, and purchase music anytime I want. I can personalize my iPod. I’ve also added audio books and have now tested Podcasting files.

I am however, amazed with how my fellow trainers respond to technologies in this case the iPod. I once asked a group of participants in a workshop about their reactions to the iPod. Only a few have actually experienced using it. But after showing the group how the iPod works, a couple of people had very strong feelings about how trainers are losing control over the learning process. The question raised was: how do we know if they are really studying? How can we track progress? And for e-Learning, how do implement SCORM (an electronic method of passing completion data of participants from one) so we know if they have completed the training?

Raising the question on losing control is very valid and this should be answered and a solution should be developed. However, it is better to ask the question: what can the iPod video do to improve ability of our learners to learn or perform on the job? And do we take advantage of this if the tool has the potential to solve a training or performance problem?
Answers to these questions may dwarf our concerns for control.

Here are some possible approaches.

1. Producing videos for iPods follow a different paradigm. Although the video production process is the same, the learning consideration is different. Videos should be very short, no more than one minute.
2. Use iPod video for highly motivational, high-celebrity, presentations. And you may need to zoom a little more on faces of people. I am sure there are other applications. iPod video is also good for highly changing content or event driven content, i.e.
   
3. Use iPod video not just for learner training, but also for client, customer and even sales presentations. (But it may be not a good idea to loan your iPods to clients – smile). Clients could view product demos, features and functions, or a message from your top executive on a new change in the business.
4. Blend iPod video lessons with e-Learning, classroom, and coaching sessions. In an integrated blended training delivery, viewing an iPod video lesson may distribute iPod videos as assignments. This will provide learners more flexibility for them to study materials.

If you have done applications of iPod video with your training, please share your story. Please email to rjimenez@vignettestraining.com.


Ray Jimenez, PhD www.vignettestraining.com
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

PDA-based e-Learning

Topics this issue:
1. PDA Learning: Some Design Concerns
2. e-Learning Flash Interactive Game
3. Blended e-Learning Workshop

1. PDA Learning: Some Design Concerns
In today’s fast-paced world, we want to be able to maximize the seemingly little time we have and accomplish as many things as we can. We want to be in full control of our work and of course, our learning. E-learning has proven its worth in achieving such concerns in our changing lifestyles. Yet since the beginning of e-learning, the concept of mobile learning (m-learning) has already been discussed as well. Mobile learning is the use of a personal digital assistant (PDA) to produce an anytime, anywhere learning experience.

Content and software developers are customizing e-learning programs to fit the requirements and capacity of the PDA. Because most of these programs are designed for the desktop or laptop computer browsers, developers must keep in mind certain usability concerns for mobile learning:

• Instructions and other similar text should be used sparingly and only when necessary
  
• Links should be brief and contain only necessary key words
  
• As with web pages, specific options should be presented before general options
  
• PDA users expect to find web-like interfaces on their handhelds
  
• Due to low screen resolution and small screen size, long narrative descriptions are not effective

2. e-Learning Flash Interactive Game: “Fashion Picks“
Want to have an organic e-learning program that creates interactivity and sustains the learner’s interest? Preview this flash exercise and see how you can make your quizzes and tests go beyond the traditional question and answer format.

To preview more Vignettes, slideshows and highly interactive programs, please register and be a member: http://www.vignettestraining.com/register.htm

3. Over 50 engaging interactive exercises, games, simulation, etc.
In the Blended eLearning Workshop, you will have access to over 50 interactive learning games, exercises, simulation, and in-box activities. You will be inspired to see the possibilities of an engaging e-learning program.

To know more about the Blended eLearnning Workshop, please click here: http://www.vignettestraining.com/workshops/index.htm

Ray Jimenez, PhD www.vignettestraining.com
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"