InLiving Progression - taking learning one step further

I wrote about InLiving in my last post - a fantastic training tool where young people learn life skills through play. InLiving Progression takes this idea one step further. During the game the learner is told that certain skills may be helpful for their characters chosen career options (think barman and basic food hygiene). This helps to plant the seed that training may help you to get a job. At the end of the game the learner is congratulated for completing the game and given a prize - the opportunity to complete the courses that have been referred to during the game.

The learner is sent a web address via text. They go to the web page and complete a short form. Once complete the learner is allocated an individual user name and password (sent by text) which means that they can access their own training record. Their record has automatically been populated with the e-learning courses that their character has previously been asked to complete. Upon completion of each course the learner can print off a CPD accredited certificate for their CV.

As the training courses are internet based the learner can dip in and out around other commitments and complete their training at a pace to suit their individual style. They can also refresh their understanding whenever necessary. Perfect for those with busy lives!

Learning vs playing – is there a difference?

InLiving is a mobile phone game that has been developed as an up-to-date, accessible and engaging way to help young people think about the challenges of independent living. This interactive game tackles many of the problems associated with the realities and responsibilities of running a home for the first time. It can be compared to 'The Sims', but with a focus on learning.

Young people access the game by sending a text to a specified number. They then receive a text containing the download so that they can save the application to their phone. The game remains on their phone indefinitely - or until they get bored and delete it in favour of something else!

This game is a brilliant training tool - and pretty addictive! Users can choose what their character looks like and work through a variety of everyday tasks, making decisions on behalf of their character and (hopefully) learning from their mistakes. The beauty of the game is that you don't realise that you are completing a training course, you are simply playing a game.

The game was designed for young social housing tenants but the principle has now been applied to a variety of areas including freshers - I'm sure that students appreciate being reminded to eat properly and bathe from time to time...

'InLiving' from those clever bods at http://www.creativenorth.co.uk/

Small, slick & powerful - the Cranberry SC20

Small, slick and powerful – have you heard of it? The Cranberry SC20 Smart Client was designed to offer an alternative to the desktop PC. Not only does it allow you to run full desktop applications but it is also better for the environment.

Known for their low maintenance, ease of use and flexibility of applications the Cranberry allows complete control, management and administration. Unlike the PC it can be delivered to you without any preparation and is only managed and maintain by you making it much easier to control who has access to operations.

Cranberry Smart Client allows you to perform the same business functions of a PC; you can browse the internet, run applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint without any noticeable difference. However, they are limited in functionality which will have a knock on effect on the instalation of digital cameras, scanners CD / DVD writers, memory sticks etc etc.

It's also good for your carbon footprint as all its components are recyclable therefore cutting the energy consumption AND it's quiet - no moving parts and a silent running system all add to the already impressive list of benefits.

Models are available from 40GB had disk to 250GB, but be warned - you have to decide what you need before you pay your money as your Cranberry cannot be upgraded.

Flip video - 'a masterstroke of simplicity'

Used by both celebrities and mere mortals alike the Flip camera has been described as 'the darling of videobloggers', 'a masterstroke of simplicity' and 'an A list item'. We decided to buy one as a training aid so that learners could be assessed on their presentation skills without the need for extensive national travel by our facilitators. To be honest we weren't expecting much from the Flip camera. It was only £75 and, using the old adage 'you get what you pay for', we thought that both sound and picture quality would be quite poor, that the batteries would last seconds rather than hours and that it would take us weeks to learn how to use it. However I am happy to report that we have been proven wrong on all counts! The Flip camera is very easy to use, so easy in fact that we have now sent one out to a number of customers who are all busily sending back their films. Picture quality is good (although shaky hand syndrome can be a problem) and sound is very good as long as background noice isn't too loud. Videos can be downloaded to your computer in seconds with the software installing itself. Extremely useful for giving learners immediate feedback on presentation and training skills or simply filming your colleagues for your own entertainment!

Minimise web addresses instantly

Most people probably know about this already - I have already explained my techno phobe history - and I admit this is nothing to do with e-learning but it is VERY useful for social networking and marketing using hyper links. I have just started using Twitter and LinkedIn (I know, I know!!) but found that I was using my full character count up with a useful web address therefore making it very difficult for anyone to understand why I found the web page in question so interesting! A clever Techie at work showed me how to use http://tinyurl.com/. All you do is copy the full link into the field and click on 'make tiny'. Once you have your tiny version you can use it as you would any hyper link and you'll have enough characters left over to make your point. GENIUS! There are a number of these sites available so why not go and explore (searching under small URL) to find the one you like best. You're welcome!

E>nable

Now I know that I'm bound to sing about the benefits of a Learning Management System (LMS) designed by my own employer but honestly this system is fab! It's intuitive in its use and can do so many things that my intro presentations are now taking over an hour. The system can handle both online and offline learning as well as managing the appraisal process and also enabling - E>nable... get it? - the learner to request training following existing approval routes but without the paper. The system can even be branded to match your look and feel so learners need not know that it has been provided by an external organisation. Everything is Internet based and you can dip in and out of courses while E>nable monitors your progress. As an administrator there are a variety of reports, all of which can be exported to Excel therefore helping with your Board reports. Often HR systems neglect the training team and instead concentrate on Payroll and absence - E>nable turns the table and has been designed specifically to help manage the training function. AND it's getting better all the time as E>nable is developed using feedback from our customers, all 250,000 of them!

Professional e-learning content at the click of a button (ish)!

The beauty of a training management system is that you can upload your own content as well as using courses created by the professionals. This enables you to communicate your message to the masses quickly and cheaply. However, you don't want your learners to dismiss your 'home made' content purely because it isn't as interactive as commercial offerings! Step forward 'Articulate'.

Articulate is an American software package that enables you to turn a PowerPoint presentation into an e-learning course. You can use the templates provided to create interactive screens as well as adding voice over and video clips. The website offers a huge number of online tutorials to help you on your way and the kind people at Articulate will even send you a weekly training bite giving hints and tips on how to make your course even more effective. You can check your progress through previews then, once satisfied with the quality of your product, publish the course. You can even 'try before you buy' with a free 2 week trial. Upon purchase you receive 2 licenses - therefore making it even more cost effective. There are a number of packages available. I recommend the 'Studio' package as this gives access to basic content, quizes & assessments and interactive templates.

Articulate does take a bit of getting used to but practice definately makes perfect and I'm sure you will be very surprised at your expertise in creating accessible e-learning content. Have a look http://www.articulate.com/

Who wants to be a millionaire?

That probably isn't the best title for this post as it's slightly misleading! I'm not offering readers cash, instead I'd like to tell you about Promethean Activote.

This handy egg shaped voting devise enables instant audience participation. All you need do is write some multiple choice questions using the PowerPoint template and ask your audience to tell you the answer using their eggs. The best way to think of it is 'ask the audience' on the well known quiz show 'who wants to be a millionaire' (hence my title!) Your learners have 20 seconds to choose their answer from the options you have given. The system pulls all the reponses together into a graph and you have instant audience feedback. The system is easy to use and a lot of fun. For more information visit http://www.prometheanworld.com/server.php?show=nav.15999

Need to send Large Files?

Now I know this doesn't really have much to do with e-learning but it is a piece of useful technology that I tell all my clients about and it's free!

If you've ever tried to send anything via email larger than a couple of Mb, you may have problems. This can be due to a number of reasons, mainly because either your email client or the receiver's email client could be set at a limit to ease the transfer of data into the internal networks, but also because of the way email works, you may get delivery issues. Email works by splitting your message into tiny packets of data with a header that ties them all together and reorganises them at the other end. When you send huge files say a PowerPoint presentation of say 50Mb, the chances for missing or corrupted packets, or slow delivery increases.

So enter this great piece of software that makes this process easy. Yousendit.com You have to register, but then it allows you to send files up to 100Mb. Of course if you need to password protect ("encrypt") the files, you may have to pay for a subscription, but if it's regular files the free service is so handy. Here's how it works. You browse to your file and upload it to Yousendit's server. You tell them what email address to send it to and they simply email your recipient to let them know the link to the file that they need to pick up within 7 days. The recipient then clicks on the link at their end and wait whilst the file downloads from Yousendit's server. Simple! Tell your friends!

Virtual Meetings for Technophobes

I have never been described as IT literate by those who know me. In the last 3 years I have gone through 4 computers - the experts have never been able to diagnose the problem, it seems that the computers would just rather not work with me. It's not that I am scared of technology - in fact it's quite the opposite - I think I expect too much. I also have a nasty habit of pressing buttons for no reason other than to see what happens. This often results in a program freeze, which I hastily attempt to solve by pressing yet more buttons therefore making the situation worse.

I'm sure that you would suggest that a person of my disposition should not attempt an online meeting with a prospective customer, however I agreed to step up to the mark. It was described as the 'perfect learning opportunity' by my colleagues, who quickly showed me the basics of an 'easy to use' internet based meeting package and left me to it. I was worried, but my fears were unfounded. http://www.gotomeeting.com/ is simple in its design and layout therefore enabling the meeting host (in this case me) look like the professional they hope to one day be. You can use the package to run a conference call but for one-to-one meetings this service is not necessary. Meetings are set up through outlook and each party is given a link and a meeting code that they can use to log in when ready. The package enables meeting participants to view the hosts pc screen from the comfort of their own seats. The host can then pass control of the mouse to those wishing to try things for themselves. http://www.gotomeeting.com/ is perfect for demonstrating the useability of any IT package.