EduTrends

February 9, 2012

Why Moodle Isn’t Really Free

Filed under: Integration, Social Learning — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — afperets @ 6:30 am

Why Moodle Isn't Free

When you hear “free,” you probably think, well, free. If I tell you that this soda, this popcorn, this television, this whatever – is free, you expect me to hand it over in exchange for nothing.

What about software? We’ve all found free software out in the wilds of the Internet. We manage our email on Gmail for free. We upload videos to YouTube and never pay a dime. And so when a robust learning management system is touted as free – well, we think that sounds great!

Until we start investigating a little.

Make no mistake – Moodle offers some highly creative ways to organize and manage your content, but calling it free – and thinking that means you won’t pay for it – is a bit of a misnomer.

It starts with small costs: hosting your Moodle content, for example. You can find cheap commercial hosting – but is that the right choice for your proprietary and confidential company training? Do you want your employees to be able to log onto Moodle via your company intranet? That’ll cost you.

Now that your hosting is settled, how exactly are you getting your content onto Moodle? Will dedicated employees spend their time on this project? Are you hiring or contracting with someone specifically for this purpose? With all that “Free” talk flying around, it’s easy to forget that getting up and running will, in fact, cost you money.

Are you happy with the basics? Great! But – maybe tomorrow, you’ll need something more. Maybe you already do now. Any functionality beyond the minimum may wind up costing you money you didn’t budget for with your “free” solution.

By the way, do you know how to do everything you need to do with Moodle? At minimum, someone in your organization is going to have to spend time learning the ins and outs of the system. Time is money – and most of us would rather know the cost up front, rather than finding our pockets unexpectedly emptied halfway through a project. Other options is to opt for value added and support services from the service providers, here we are talking paid services.

Have you used Moodle? What costs did you incur? And how did they affect your wallet?

Photo by Tim Parkinson.

February 2, 2012

How Tablets Will Revolutionize Education?

Filed under: Assessment, EduBrite Solution, eLearning, K-12 — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — afperets @ 1:20 am

How Tablets Will Revolutionize eLearning

Hand an iPad to a two-year-old, and within seconds, she’ll figure out how to turn it on. Unlocking it might take her a try or two, but show her how, and she’ll get it. In just a few minutes, she’ll be able to swipe with more precision than many adults, and she’ll master the full range of gestures faster than you can imagine – even if you’re watching her in action.

The intuitive nature of most touchscreens – and of the iPad specifically – make tablets a natural choice for education markets. They’ve already stormed the special education world, replacing outdated, clunky devices with streamlined, cool apps. And more high schools, colleges, and business are beginning to integrate tablets into their educational bag of tricks. So what are some of the ways tablets will help revolutionize education?

  1. Enhanced textbooks. Tablets bring text to life, with images, video, audio, and real-time interaction. In fact, the term “textbook” is probably a bit of a misnomer — today’s tablets sport apps designed from the ground up for innovative online learning platforms.
  2. Concentrated learning. Unlike laptops, most tablets force you to focus on one thing at a time. Studies have shown that multitasking isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and forcing students to pay attention to the topic and hand may lead to a real revolution in education – and learning.
  3. Lower costs. Skyrocketing costs have put higher education out of reach of the masses. Tablets may help change that by eliminating the market for costly new versions of hardcover textbooks and obscure materials. Content subscriptions will enable users to access the materials they need when they need them – and update them as necessary.
  4. Immersion learning. The connectivity of a tablet combined with its small form factor means that when a student is at home reading information, he can supplement it with discussions, demonstrations, Q&A sessions, and more – essentially creating an extended classroom experience within a text.

The future of education is being written on small screens. What do you think? What will tablets bring to the table?

Image by Michaela.

January 25, 2012

Instructor-Led Training vs Self-Paced Learning: Pros & Cons

Filed under: EduBrite Solution, eLearning — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — afperets @ 11:31 pm

Instructor-Led v Self-Paced Learning: Pros & Cons

One of the first decisions an organization has to make about training is the format: instructor-led, or self-paced? Obviously, cost is a major determining factor, but what else needs to be considered?

Typically, self-paced learning experiences can be rolled out quickly to large groups of people all over the world. Instructor-led training, on the other hand, is necessarily limited in both group size and roll-out speed.

An employee who is out sick the day of an instructor-led training misses the program and must be re-taught – often at great additional expense, and not without its share of logistical headaches. But self-paced learning affords employees opportunities to take the training when they can – and to go back and review parts of it as necessary.

Another disadvantage of instructor-led training: the skills taught may not be put into practice for weeks – or even months. When it comes time to actually use what they’ve learned, employees may not remember everything the instructor said. And the class may be different every time it’s presented – meaning employees may not have a consistent training experience.

A great facilitator, however, can share material in such a way that users actually go through the experience of using what they’re learning – essentially creating an experiential training that sticks with users. Follow-up with the instructor, too, can be – if not priceless, then at least extremely valuable – for employees and companies.

But of course, that great facilitator comes at a price. A top-tier instructor can command few tens of thousands of dollars for a day training, when you figure in preparation, travel, and other expenses. You can spend a lot on online course development, too – but it’s not a necessity.

An instructor-led training can be quickly and easily revised. The instructor can quickly check that everyone in the room understands what’s being taught – but you can only train the people you have in the room.

If you hire a custom course developer, changing your course may be difficult – or prohibitively expensive. But a modular solution may offer the level of customization you need at the right price point – with built-in, on-the-fly flexibility.

What’s the most effective training you’ve attended? Which solutions give your organization the most value?

Image by Sarah Stewart.

January 18, 2012

Top 10 Blogs for Corporate Trainers

Filed under: eLearning, Social Learning — Tags: , , , , — afperets @ 9:02 pm

Top 10 Blogs for Corporate Trainers

One of the easiest ways to get yourself up to speed on – well, anything, really – is to read the blogs of those who are living your field of interest and making things happen there. It can feel a little strange to break into a new space and start reading, but the best bloggers invite you to join in the conversation. And before you know it, you’re part of that group of people who are making things happen in your field of interest.

Whether you’re new to eLearning or a seasoned pro, the blogs we’ve highlighted here have something to offer. Take a look – and be sure to share any blogs you feel we’ve missed in the comments.

  1. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Learning Circuits blog focuses on one “big question” each month. Anyone is welcome to submit a post on that question – and the results are some of the best minds in the training world sharing thoughts and ideas. Not only will you find great questions and answers, you’ll undoubtedly discover some great new thinkers as you see what others have to say.
  2. Clark Quinn’s Learnlets features small, concentrated bursts of knowledge. Read Learning Experience Design thru the Macroscope for a taste. Also don’t miss his post on how he became a learning experience designer (a term he prefers to instructional designer).
  3. Cathy Moore’s Making Change promises “ideas for lively elearning” – and she delivers. True, she hasn’t posted much this year – but the archives. Oh, the archives. Check out Do we really need narration? from 2010 – and don’t forget to read the comments, too. Cathy’s been blogging less but tweeting more lately, so consider following her on Twitter if you like what you see.
  4. If you’re interested in the theory behind social learning, take a look at Jane’s Pick of the Day, by Jane Heart. Her monthly roundups highlight the great thinking going on in this community, and if you’re not into twitter, you’ll appreciate her new approach to blogging: summarizing her tweets for the day into one easy-to-read post. (By the way, if you are into twitter, these summary posts are a great way to help ease some of your readers into that new medium.)
  5. Tom Kuhlmann writes the Rapid E-Learning Blog. Don’t let the fact that he works for Articulate fool you – this isn’t a corporate mouthpiece blog. Tom gets into the heart of what works – and what doesn’t – in elearning. If you only have time to read one post, go for 7 Tips for Better E-Learning Scenarios.
  6. Tom Gram blogs at Performance X Design and seems to read everything that’s published in the learning and training space. Take a look at his still-relevant e-Learning: What’s Hot and What’s Not from 2009 – but don’t miss out on his more recent comment.
  7. At MinuteBio, Jeffrey Goldman discusses tools and strategies for optimizing e-learning. You’ll find some laughs (Signs of Being in e-Learning Hell), and some very thought-provoking conversations as well.
  8. Life in Perpetual Beta is the excellently-written blog of Harold Jarche. Read The Relevance of the Learning Profession, then read the followup piece. When you have time, go back and read everything else he’s written, too – but those two are the must-reads.
  9. Ready to push towards free online learning? Then head over to elearn space, written by George Siemens. His posts on open online learning keep you current with what’s happening – and his straightforward style is easy to read.
  10. The E-Learning Curve Blog by Michael Hanley is admittedly more academic than most blogs – but hey, we’re talking about learning, right? And it’s not stuffy, boring academia – it’s exciting and enriching information. If you’re just getting started in instructional design, start with Part 1 of Michael’s ongoing series.

Now it’s your turn. Wheat blogs fill your RSS reader? Where are you commenting these days? Let us know!

Image by Sam Churchill.

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