Saint Valentine's Day--the day for intimate companions to acclaim their love for each other in the form of greeting cards and other gifts. Hallmark loves the date. There are cards for Mom's, sons, sisters, lovers, and more.
Saying "I love you" and bringing love present in relationships are both essential to bringing and maintaining love and joy in the relationship.
Families develop very different ways of saying "I love you." In fact, sometimes the words don't come out very often and they need to. A friend of mine says "I love you" by being a provider in many senses of the word--not just food and shelter (though that way too), also weather, guiding someone to get where they need to be, making sure that their day goes well.
One of my uncles was not used to getting hugs and hearing "I love you." Because that was natural to me, I shared it with my uncle to his great surprise. Shortly after that he began reintroducing that habit into his family as well.
"I love you" doesn't go without saying. We need to feel it and to say it often--in words as well as in actions. As we do, our own loving is more present and more accessible to us--and to the people we connect with in our daily lives.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Avatar Movie--Ideas for Innovation in Learning Event Design for Adults
In the world of technology visualized in the recent blockbuster, Avatar, it is amazing to see how much emphasis is still being placed on "talking heads" in learning and training environments. People are excited to have a visual image of a person side-by-side with a PowerPoint Presentation, then add the possibility of text chat and/or voice-over conversation and people think they are experiencing a rich presentation.
The key to learning is engaging in positive learning activities, then in reflecting on these activities. The avatar (cartoon images displayed in 3D in many 2D and 3D "virtual worlds") does not hold a candle to the avatar bodies shown in Avatar--and those were computer-generated graphics with lots of visual reference points gleaned from the real actors the graphic avatars were portraying. A true avatar the incarnation of a deity changes in the consciousness of a culture. Quetzalcoatl is an example of an avatar in the ancient legends of Mexico.
The point is this, technology needs to engage the learners, getting them involved in positive learning activities. The 3D technology that was part of Avatar (the 2009 film) was intended to draw the viewer into the movie. It does a good job of this.
We need to do the same kind of thing when designing learning events, especially for adults. They need to be drawn into the action and to apply the skills and knowledge they are developing in the learning event to real challenges, then to reflect on how they're doing and be given time to improve.
In the Avatar film, the characters make recordings into a video log (like a blog). This is a reflective component that people need to do in an actual learning event.
The key to learning is engaging in positive learning activities, then in reflecting on these activities. The avatar (cartoon images displayed in 3D in many 2D and 3D "virtual worlds") does not hold a candle to the avatar bodies shown in Avatar--and those were computer-generated graphics with lots of visual reference points gleaned from the real actors the graphic avatars were portraying. A true avatar the incarnation of a deity changes in the consciousness of a culture. Quetzalcoatl is an example of an avatar in the ancient legends of Mexico.
The point is this, technology needs to engage the learners, getting them involved in positive learning activities. The 3D technology that was part of Avatar (the 2009 film) was intended to draw the viewer into the movie. It does a good job of this.
We need to do the same kind of thing when designing learning events, especially for adults. They need to be drawn into the action and to apply the skills and knowledge they are developing in the learning event to real challenges, then to reflect on how they're doing and be given time to improve.
In the Avatar film, the characters make recordings into a video log (like a blog). This is a reflective component that people need to do in an actual learning event.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Designing Virtual Learning Events
I participated in a 3D Virtual University Webinar today on "Running a Hybrid Event" with live participants and virtual participants participating in the same conference. Due to the snow storm in Washington, DC, this week, the live session was cancelled and all participants were virtual--including one person aboard a plane bound for New York.
While the technology exists and is being refined, the actual learning design is largely missing. People are still used to "talking heads" and think it's great to have a PowerPoint presentation showing simultaneously with a speaker.
Between 1993 and 1998 I was involved in creating a variety of learning events around the world for different groups of adults. The overall focus was learning to change performance. Some of the events were goal-based learning, others were performance-focused learning. In the Spring of 1998 I designed and delivered a 2.5-day "hands-on-learning" event held in Cannes, France. The event was for 200 communication executives affiliated with Europe and Latin America and working for Accenture (Andersen Consulting). The event was called ELACOMM98 (go to the ELA-Comm Workshop to read about this event). You can watch an extract of the video made for this event.
This event was designed by a virtual team in approximately 12 weeks and was intended to accomplish a set of strategic goals for the Communications Market Unit of the global consulting firm. The actual event was designed to simulate actual consulting engagements with participants working together in teams to accomplish a series of tasks, then going into large groups to hear from subject matter experts about topics which they would immediately use when they went back to their small teams. The interaction was very real and dynamic in the 2.5 days in Cannes. It was, in part, a hybrid event including participation by a guest speaker using a webcam and laptop computer from his home office in Los Angeles to address a group of 200 participants in Cannes.
What was learned in the design and delivery of ELACOMM98 can certainly be used to guide the creation of virtual learning events. One of the first keys is to have the set of strategic performance goals for the organizers of the event. Once the goals are set, a particular design process is followed to create the learning design, taking full advantage of the 3D-capabilities afforded by Digitell's VirtualU.
While the technology exists and is being refined, the actual learning design is largely missing. People are still used to "talking heads" and think it's great to have a PowerPoint presentation showing simultaneously with a speaker.
Between 1993 and 1998 I was involved in creating a variety of learning events around the world for different groups of adults. The overall focus was learning to change performance. Some of the events were goal-based learning, others were performance-focused learning. In the Spring of 1998 I designed and delivered a 2.5-day "hands-on-learning" event held in Cannes, France. The event was for 200 communication executives affiliated with Europe and Latin America and working for Accenture (Andersen Consulting). The event was called ELACOMM98 (go to the ELA-Comm Workshop to read about this event). You can watch an extract of the video made for this event.
This event was designed by a virtual team in approximately 12 weeks and was intended to accomplish a set of strategic goals for the Communications Market Unit of the global consulting firm. The actual event was designed to simulate actual consulting engagements with participants working together in teams to accomplish a series of tasks, then going into large groups to hear from subject matter experts about topics which they would immediately use when they went back to their small teams. The interaction was very real and dynamic in the 2.5 days in Cannes. It was, in part, a hybrid event including participation by a guest speaker using a webcam and laptop computer from his home office in Los Angeles to address a group of 200 participants in Cannes.
What was learned in the design and delivery of ELACOMM98 can certainly be used to guide the creation of virtual learning events. One of the first keys is to have the set of strategic performance goals for the organizers of the event. Once the goals are set, a particular design process is followed to create the learning design, taking full advantage of the 3D-capabilities afforded by Digitell's VirtualU.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Innovation and Comfort Zones--Insight, Common Sense, Common Practice
Innovation is challenging for many reasons. Amazingly enough, even though many people claim to want innovation, habits, comfort zones, and common practice all form an effective barrier to innovation.
Common practice is different from common sense (which may not be as common as the words indicate). Common practice has people use elevators to get to the upper floors in high-rise buildings and to come back down. In the event of an emergency (fire, explosion, etc.), the instructions are to use the stairs. Common practice and habits often have the people waiting for the elevators as usual, even in emergencies.
Common sense may tell us not to use cell phones or text messaging while driving, especially in school zones and construction zones. Common practice has us communicating all the time, often opposing common sense.
Innovation, at least in my experience, is frequently connected with insight. As I approach a challenge--learning design, for example, insight lets me see into the process and to identify a different way of working that generates better results. (See the Integrative Learning Design Jump-Start Workbook for an example.) The Meta-Models I have created and posted on one of my websites all represent insight and innovation.
Getting others to accept these innovations and to work with them is a separate challenge. When I began this blog, my intention was to begin to publish my work. I felt that having the discipline to do a daily blog might give me a head start toward publishing.
I hope to publish this blog in book form soon. If I wait for a year of entries, that might be too many pages in the book. I'll have to think about that more to see what I have and what I need.
Common practice is different from common sense (which may not be as common as the words indicate). Common practice has people use elevators to get to the upper floors in high-rise buildings and to come back down. In the event of an emergency (fire, explosion, etc.), the instructions are to use the stairs. Common practice and habits often have the people waiting for the elevators as usual, even in emergencies.
Common sense may tell us not to use cell phones or text messaging while driving, especially in school zones and construction zones. Common practice has us communicating all the time, often opposing common sense.
Innovation, at least in my experience, is frequently connected with insight. As I approach a challenge--learning design, for example, insight lets me see into the process and to identify a different way of working that generates better results. (See the Integrative Learning Design Jump-Start Workbook for an example.) The Meta-Models I have created and posted on one of my websites all represent insight and innovation.
Getting others to accept these innovations and to work with them is a separate challenge. When I began this blog, my intention was to begin to publish my work. I felt that having the discipline to do a daily blog might give me a head start toward publishing.
I hope to publish this blog in book form soon. If I wait for a year of entries, that might be too many pages in the book. I'll have to think about that more to see what I have and what I need.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Illinois Earthquake--M3.8 --12 Miles Away from Me
At 3:59PM--my clock read 4:00AM (CST), I was awakened by a loud bang and what felt like a car or a snow plow slamming into my house. I got up, went to the bathroom, then looked for damage. When I realized that nothing had hit the house, I also realized that it had been an earthquake. I turned on my iPod Touch and the IFeltThat application that tracks earthquakes. It didn't show the earthquake for 35 minutes. I couldn't go back to sleep and turned on the local ABC morning news at 4:30AM and heard about the earthquake.
The epicenter of the earthquake was at 42.053°N, 88.412°W, 2 km (1 miles) SSE (168°) from Pingree Grove, IL--roughly 11.9 miles from my house.
It was first thought to be a Magnitude 4.3 earthquake and was later downgraded to a M 3.8 earthquake, striking about 3.11 miles deep. I lived in Los Angeles (LA) for a number of years and, while there was an earthquake preparedness consultant. I had experienced lots of earthquakes while in LA, though this one was louder than the ones I remembered.
The scale for earthquakes moves exponentially, so the higher numbers represent significantly greater earthquakes in terms of shaking and effect. An M 3.8 earthquake was big enough. It does give a reference point for the M 6.0 earthquake that first hit Haiti. That area has since had more than 50 aftershocks, usually about 6.21 miles deep and measuring M 4.3 or higher on the Richter scale. We had a M 3.8 with little or no damage.
The USGS was actively soliciting first-hand reports from people experiencing the earthquake. You can report your experience by following this link.
While I know what to do to prepare for earthquakes, I can assure you that my home in Illinois is not so prepared. We're lucky to have had so few of them lately.
The epicenter of the earthquake was at 42.053°N, 88.412°W, 2 km (1 miles) SSE (168°) from Pingree Grove, IL--roughly 11.9 miles from my house.
It was first thought to be a Magnitude 4.3 earthquake and was later downgraded to a M 3.8 earthquake, striking about 3.11 miles deep. I lived in Los Angeles (LA) for a number of years and, while there was an earthquake preparedness consultant. I had experienced lots of earthquakes while in LA, though this one was louder than the ones I remembered.
The scale for earthquakes moves exponentially, so the higher numbers represent significantly greater earthquakes in terms of shaking and effect. An M 3.8 earthquake was big enough. It does give a reference point for the M 6.0 earthquake that first hit Haiti. That area has since had more than 50 aftershocks, usually about 6.21 miles deep and measuring M 4.3 or higher on the Richter scale. We had a M 3.8 with little or no damage.
The USGS was actively soliciting first-hand reports from people experiencing the earthquake. You can report your experience by following this link.
While I know what to do to prepare for earthquakes, I can assure you that my home in Illinois is not so prepared. We're lucky to have had so few of them lately.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Job-Hunting Strategies and Tips
A friend entering the job market asked me for some job-hunting strategies and tips.
Networking is sometimes the most effective way to hunt for jobs.
Here's a link about conducting an effective job search from Career Builder.
Resume and Digital Portfolio
Having a good resume is important. It's a building block. Many recruiters want a Microsoft Word version--probably as a .doc rather than as a .docx. I recommend getting help with the resume, through affordable help. I worked with WordSharp.net to revise mine. I started with a Microsoft Word template, then had the professionals at WordSharp fine-tune it to its present form.
A digital portfolio (a YouTube/TeacherTube video) promoting yourself is the latest step in "resumes." It will be helpful to have one--find someone with the software to help. You can see mine at this link.
Job Hunting Websites
There are several websites to subscribe to. All are free to job seekers, then most have fees for extra services. Some of those extras are worthwhile and you'll have to check.
http://www.monster.com
http://www.jobfox.com
http://www.careerbuilder.com
http://www.myjobhunter.com
http://www.theladders.com
Search Engines
You need to set-up search engines to look for likely jobs for you to apply to. Each of these websites has its own search engine for you to use. You can have these engines feed you the jobs they find on a daily or weekly basis.
Cover Letters
In many cases, you will need to create a cover letter for each application. Remember to respond to the requirements of the job description in the cover letter to show how you are a match for what they are looking for.
Tracking Applications
It's a good idea to set-up a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (or a spreadsheet by another vendor) to track the detail of your applications. I'm putting the headder data from my spreadsheet here. I have a list of the different referral sources that I use and I make that a part of my spreadsheet.
Hints and Tips
Most of these websites offer hints and tips for your job search. Be sure to read many and save the ones you like.
Some locations want lots of money to rewrite resumes or to publish them to lots of people. Be selective. More money invested doesn't necessarily lead to good results, especially in a down economy.
Be willing to volunteer for the experience, if you need it.
Social Networking Sites
While there are many social networking sites, LinkedIn seems to be especially focused for professionals. Facebook and Twitter are also good sites, though some of the most practical business connections seem to come more consistently from LinkedIn.
Networking is sometimes the most effective way to hunt for jobs.
Here's a link about conducting an effective job search from Career Builder.
Resume and Digital Portfolio
Having a good resume is important. It's a building block. Many recruiters want a Microsoft Word version--probably as a .doc rather than as a .docx. I recommend getting help with the resume, through affordable help. I worked with WordSharp.net to revise mine. I started with a Microsoft Word template, then had the professionals at WordSharp fine-tune it to its present form.
A digital portfolio (a YouTube/TeacherTube video) promoting yourself is the latest step in "resumes." It will be helpful to have one--find someone with the software to help. You can see mine at this link.
Job Hunting Websites
There are several websites to subscribe to. All are free to job seekers, then most have fees for extra services. Some of those extras are worthwhile and you'll have to check.
http://www.monster.com
http://www.jobfox.com
http://www.careerbuilder.com
http://www.myjobhunter.com
http://www.theladders.com
Search Engines
You need to set-up search engines to look for likely jobs for you to apply to. Each of these websites has its own search engine for you to use. You can have these engines feed you the jobs they find on a daily or weekly basis.
Cover Letters
In many cases, you will need to create a cover letter for each application. Remember to respond to the requirements of the job description in the cover letter to show how you are a match for what they are looking for.
Tracking Applications
It's a good idea to set-up a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (or a spreadsheet by another vendor) to track the detail of your applications. I'm putting the headder data from my spreadsheet here. I have a list of the different referral sources that I use and I make that a part of my spreadsheet.
Hints and Tips
Most of these websites offer hints and tips for your job search. Be sure to read many and save the ones you like.
Some locations want lots of money to rewrite resumes or to publish them to lots of people. Be selective. More money invested doesn't necessarily lead to good results, especially in a down economy.
Be willing to volunteer for the experience, if you need it.
Social Networking Sites
While there are many social networking sites, LinkedIn seems to be especially focused for professionals. Facebook and Twitter are also good sites, though some of the most practical business connections seem to come more consistently from LinkedIn.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Workforce Training Needs Survey
In his State of the Union address on January 27, 2010, President Barack Obama mentioned that he wants to revitalize the nation's Community College system. Job creation and getting the unemployed back to work is a priority for President Obama's administration. Community Colleges have long been working partners in community education, workforce development, and job training.
In July, 2009, I began a pilot project to administer a Workforce Training Needs Survey at the Kiswaukee Community College District in Northern Illinois. I was not affiliated with any other organization in starting this project. I earned my doctorate in adult education and human resource development from Florida International University in 1992 and have been involved in designing this type of needs survey and collecting and processing survey results for years.
I offered my services, free of charge, to several Chambers of Commerce and to city governments in the community college district and two people joined me in working on the first half of the survey. After July, 2009, I no longer had the free time to support the project. I continued to develop the survey and have now made it available for purchase on eBay.
Organizations which purchase and use the survey are entitled to preferred pricing on many of the DrM-Resources services I provide in support of this survey.
In July, 2009, I began a pilot project to administer a Workforce Training Needs Survey at the Kiswaukee Community College District in Northern Illinois. I was not affiliated with any other organization in starting this project. I earned my doctorate in adult education and human resource development from Florida International University in 1992 and have been involved in designing this type of needs survey and collecting and processing survey results for years.
I offered my services, free of charge, to several Chambers of Commerce and to city governments in the community college district and two people joined me in working on the first half of the survey. After July, 2009, I no longer had the free time to support the project. I continued to develop the survey and have now made it available for purchase on eBay.
Organizations which purchase and use the survey are entitled to preferred pricing on many of the DrM-Resources services I provide in support of this survey.
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