Sesame Street is 40! (And the Cookie Monsters is in the library)

 

Happy Birthday Firefox

 

This makes good Information Design

Dave from Information is Beautiful posted a new infographic on What makes Good Information Design:

 

 

 

Make free glossy e-magazines

I stumbled across Yudu.com that creates professional digital magazines, brochures, catalogues, newspapers, directories and ebooks online. You simply upload your Word, PDF or PowerPoint document and Yudu creates a glossy digital mag or catalogue from it.

I played around with it and uploaded a PowerPoint presentation I did earlier in the year on SlideShare. I like the fact that you could use it to create brochures or magazines that can go with tutorial videos – it would make it easier for students with special needs and especially students with hearing impediments to get the same information as the video.

Slideshare

Click to launch the full edition in a new window.

 

Best of e-learning

My apologies for not posting the Best of eLearning Learning last week – I do have a good excuse though… we’ve moved into our new house last week and I’ve been busy unpacking boxes!

But here is Tony Karrer’s list , it’s a bit different as this is the Best of the month of OCTOBER. I’ve mentioned some before in earlier post so I’m simply hosting Tony’s list here. I’ve also added Jane Hartman’s list of best sites she’s discovered.

Best of eLearning Learning

Featured Sources

The following are the top items from featured sources based on social signals.

1. Online Games for Teaching Business Concepts and Ideas- Kapp Notes, October 16, 2009
2. Learner Personas for eLearning- The eLearning Coach, October 5, 2009
3. Rapid Learning Management Systems- eLearning Technology, October 20, 2009
4. Twitter for learning- Sticky Learning, October 25, 2009
5. The Standalone LMS is Dead- trainingwreck, October 24, 2009
6. Educational iPhone Apps to Make You Smarter- Kapp Notes, October 8, 2009
7. User Interface Design For eLearning – Updated- The eLearning Coach, October 25, 2009
8. eLearning Portal Integration- eLearning Technology, October 13, 2009
9. The Semantic Web cometh- Upside Learning Blog, October 4, 2009
10. 6 talks that every presenter or trainer can learn from- Free as in Freedom, October 28, 2009
11. Moodle is now certified SCORM 1.2 compliant- The E-Learning Curve, October 23, 2009
12. Presentation: A Pocket University (or iTunesU at Oxford University)- Dont Waste Your Time, October 8, 2009
13. Presentation Backchannel Multitasking- eLearning Technology, October 29, 2009
14. Top 8 Reasons Why Training Providers Are Adopting eLearning- Upside Learning Blog, October 29, 2009
15. Video Games, Education and Entertainment Statistics- Kapp Notes, October 5, 2009
16. iPhone…The Ultimate Learning Device (My 10 Top Learning Apps)- Electronic Papyrus, October 6, 2009
17. Instructional design – pah, who needs it?- Spicy Learning, October 2, 2009
18. Power of informal learning in developing managers- Informal Learning, October 20, 2009
19. E-learning on a shoestring- Clive on Learning, October 26, 2009
20. Articulate Interaction – How to Navigate an Articulate Based Course- Discovery Through eLearning, October 22, 2009
21. Customer Competencies, Co-Creation, and Brand Communities- Skilful Minds, October 20, 2009
22. Personal Learning Environments – Concept not Tool- Learning Technology Learning, October 16, 2009
23. Game-Based Learning Impacts Youth Behavior/Attitudes- Web Courseworks, October 15, 2009
24. Mentoring vs. Training — Why Social Networking Isn’t Enough- aLearning, October 13, 2009
25. The Power of X – Experiential Learning in Today’s World- Performance Learning Productivity, October 7, 2009
26. To get Twitter you gotta Tweet!- Leveraging Learning, October 6, 2009
27. Scenario Based Learning- Speak Out, October 4, 2009
28. Whose learning are you responsible for?- Internet Time, October 12, 2009
29. Finding Good Photos for Your eLearning Scenarios- Learning Visions, October 30, 2009
30. 3 Steps to a Driving Question for Project Based Learning- Blender – Training Solutions, October 16, 2009
31. CCK09: does Connectivism want to change the world?- Ignatia Webs, October 9, 2009
32. Social Media and Records Retention- Engaged Learning, October 6, 2009
33. There’s nothing rapid about Rapid eLearning- Getting Down to Business, October 5, 2009
34. Quick Explanation of Google Wave – Video- MinuteBio, October 2, 2009
35. Design Consulting Tool: Empowering Leaders So You Can Create Effective Design- Designing Impact, October 28, 2009
36. The Land That Never Was…Or Is It?- Off Course-On Target, October 28, 2009
37. LMS Envy: The Love-Hate Relationship with Technology- Living in Learning, October 27, 2009
38. pcLearning4U is Open for Business- Courseware Development, October 23, 2009
39. 30-Minute Training- Take an e-Learning Break, October 21, 2009
40. Language that homogenizes creates losers- Adventures in Corporate Education, October 20, 2009
41. 5 Reasons Why You are Not Being Promoted- Learn and Lead, October 19, 2009
42. Guest post: “What’s New in Human Trafficking”- Business Casual, October 12, 2009
43. Computer-based Games in Classrooms: Leveraging the Instructor- Vikas Joshi on Interactive Learning , October 9, 2009
44. The danger of a simple story- Simply Speaking, October 9, 2009
45. Your learner journey can start here…- ThirdForce Blog, October 9, 2009
46. Adapt your course management system to fit your instruction- WISE Pedagogy, October 7, 2009
47. Is The Whole World Dumbing Down?- Blogger in Middle-earth, October 6, 2009
48. A mobile future for communications and learning- Lars is Learning, October 5, 2009
49. The Importance of Reflective Practices- Designed for Learning, October 4, 2009
50. Drop-By-Learning (DBL)- ZaidLearn, October 27, 2009

Other Sources

The following are the top items based on social signals.

1. How to Create Screencasts You Can Be Proud Of, October 13, 2009
2. How I create and publish podcasts » Moving at the Speed of Creativity, October 26, 2009
3. Free Powerpoint Twitter Tools, October 6, 2009
4. 5 great resources to find out about Google Wave, October 14, 2009
5. Increased complexity needs simplified design, October 5, 2009
6. 15 Interesting Clip Art Styles for Your E-Learning Courses, October 6, 2009
7. Learning to teach through video | In the Library with the Lead Pipe, October 14, 2009
8. Intro to social learning environments: a social learning resource, October 17, 2009
9. Borrowing from the Library to Support Workplace Learning, October 1, 2009
10. How to steer your client away from an information dump, October 13, 2009
11. These PowerPoint Experts Can Make You a Star, October 20, 2009
12. Why You Shouldn’t Use PowerPoints in (Most) Online Courses, October 26, 2009
13. 3 more Google Wave resources, October 31, 2009
14. The Future of the Training Department, October 21, 2009
15. Twitter Research – Best of eLearning Learning, October 12, 2009
16. The Project Management Tip You Can’t Ignore, October 27, 2009
17. Defining the ‘e’ in e-learning, October 15, 2009
18. Do learners really need learning objectives?, October 2, 2009
19. A History of Social Media, October 8, 2009
20. PKM: our part of the social learning contract, October 15, 2009

Hot Topics

Google Wave (21)

1. 3 more Google Wave resources, October 31, 2009
2. 5 great resources to find out about Google Wave, October 14, 2009
3. Google Wave Invitations Available, October 13, 2009
4. Quick Explanation of Google Wave – Video, October 2, 2009

Twitter (137)

1. Free Powerpoint Twitter Tools, October 6, 2009
2. All things Twitter, October 14, 2009
3. To get Twitter you gotta Tweet!, October 6, 2009
4. Twitter for learning, October 25, 2009

 

Best of Jane Hartman

If you don’t have Jane Hartman’s blog Jane’s E-learning Pick of the Day bookmarked, you are missing out on some great links. Jane blogs primarily about e-learning and she always has something of value to share.

Here is her pick of the sites she’s bookmarked this week (as always my comments are in italics):

1. Become a PowerPoint Power User - this post gives some advance tips on using PP such as using more than one guide; Building Presentations for Distribution to Others; Scrolling Credits; Create a New Design Template and Jumping to Screens

   More PowerPoint articles here

2. Comprehensive List of Free Online Classes and Online Courses – OpenCourseWare Consortium is an innovative and comprehensive database of free online courses from elite colleges like Yale, Stanford, and MIT. It looks really worthwhile
   More online courses and resources here
3. 100 Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in Your Classroom - Unisa recently opened up a Facebook account and this would be a great post for the powers that be to read as they offer great tips
   More Facebook articles here
4. Beyond Google – Improve Your Search Results - this post from Free Technology for Teachers gives 15 great tips to improve searching while in google
   More Google Wave articles here
5. Corporate Culture, Not Technology, Drives Online Collaboration – Corporate culture can make or break a project (and an employee for that matter) Web Worker Daily explains some integral elements of a collaborative corporate culture
   More social media strategy articles here

 

Logo’s made from typography

I love logos and interesting typography (I blame my Publishing training for that) and I really like this SlideShare presentation from gerson.abe that showcases logo’s made from typography:

I can’t seem to pick a favourite – but like slides 4 (who knew you could make a guitar from two words); 8 (a bison made from the word bison – very creative!); 25 (it made me smile) and 27 (the best use of an i I’ve seen yet!)

 

Search through flickr for CC images

Thanks to Sacha Chua (in her own words a enterprise 2.0 consultant, storyteller, geek, and more) I stumbled upon compfight which searches through Flickr for CC (CreativeCommons) pics.

Like Sacha I like the layout of the results page and they seem to fit in a lot more pictures than Flickr:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can limit the search to include only CC images as well as images that are “safe” – which is always a handy feature.

Just remember to properly acknowledge the image owner.

 

InfoGraphic on carbon emissions

Over at Information is Beautiful (which I think is a cool name for a site) David has published another set of infographics.

I liked the Carbon emissions one the best (which shouldn’t really be a surprise as it’s from Good Magazine):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like the little factory in the corner I really wish that we could encourage people to present (boring) statistics in such fun and interesting ways, I know it would keep me awake!

 

How undergraduate students use technology

Educause released their report on how undergraduates use technology. They ask students about the technology they own and how they use it in and out of their academic world.

They also look at how skilled students believe they are with technologies; how they perceive technology is affecting their learning experience; and their preferences for IT in courses.

 In addition to studying student ownership, experience, behaviors, preferences, and skills with respect to information technologies, the 2009 study also includes a special focus on student ownership and use of Internet-capable handheld devices.

Some of the “m-learning” findings include:

•  fewer students have desktops, preferring laptops instead
• Two-thirds have computers that are two years or less
• more than 90% use their university or college website weekly
• more than 40% said they contribute to video websites and wikis while more than 30% contribute to blogs and use podcasts
• VoIP is use by one-third of students
• 9 out of 20 students use social networking sites as individuals, this drops to 2 out 10 that use social networking as part of their course
• about half of students see themselves as early adopters of technology
• 80% of students feel they are confident about their online searching skills

 You can download the full study, key findings, roadmap and survey instrument from the Educause site.

 

Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture in ringtones and keytones

Rob posted this Vodafone commercial on his Mobile Learner site to show

that there is no prescription to creativity and there is no rubric that can measure inventiveness and ingenuity

I happen to think it’s also a pretty cool video!