Tag: Learning

My top 10 tools for Learning 2011

Like every year, Jane Hart of the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies is inviting learning professionals to list their top 10 learning tools. These are mine for this year:

  • Twitter: the best way to generate your own “information streams” about various subjects
  • SharePoint 2010: Microsoft’s enterprise collaboration platform. Fan of the “My Sites”, that allow you to create your own “portfolio”
  • Adobe Captivate: by far the best e-learning development tool of the moment. Looking forward to the future HTML output
  • Diigo: social bookmarking tool that replaced my delicious account
  • Tweetdeck: invaluable for organizing my twitter stream. Like the fact that it is cross-platform
  • Google Reader: allows me to follow more than 400 websites or other information sources (RSS) in one single web-based application
  • Feeddler Pro: iPad app that connects to your Google Reader account and displays your RSS feeds on iPad
  • Microsoft OneNote: the best note-taking application on the Windows platform. Unbeatable in combination with SharePoint and a tablet pc. If only they would release the iPad app in Europe…
  • Office 365: brings the power of Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint and Lync to your home network
  • WordPress: one of the most user friendly blogging platforms

Microsoft LCDS 2.7 available

Microsoft released a new version of its rapid content development tool, Microsoft Learning Content Development System (LCDS). Major new feature is the possibility to create “Learning Snacks”, a specific Silverlight based format designed for small e-learning courses with a maximum of 6 topics.

Augmented reality demo with Layar

Recently, Danny and I gave a presentation on future learning technology on one of the ADM info sessions. We showed how augmented reality could make a difference in the future, with a practical example in Belgium, and I promised some of the participants to post the demo video about Layar, a popular augmented reality app. So here it is:

More info on these links:

Microsoft LCDS 2.6

Microsoft released a new version of its Learning Content Development System.

These are the new features:

  • compatibility wit Internet Explorer 9
  • enhanced keyboard accessibility for all Silverlight interactive elements
  • new sequencing activity topic template – where you have to put elements in the correct order
  • new card flip game topic template

Click the image below for an screencast of the new sequencing activity.

You can download the new version on https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/lcds-tool.aspx.

When you open an existing course, it is automatically upgraded to the new version.

Quotes from DevLearn 2010 #DL10

DevLearn 2010 has been an amazing three days of sessions, discussions, tweeting and playing. Too much to blog in detail, but I do want to share some quotes, one-liners and thoughts I heard and that I keep in mind. I hope I do credit the right people, if not, I do apologize…

Jay Cross and the Internet Time Alliance on Informal Learning:

  • An LMS can only be successful if people are “capable learners”.
  • Formal learning can be like a bus ride. People tend to fall asleep.

John Seely Brown on “The Power of Pull”

  • The purpose of a company in the 20th century is to minimize transaction cost and to achieve scalable efficiency. The purpose of a company in the 21th century should be to achieve scalable capability building.

Marcia Conner on “New Social Learning”

  • Together we are better.

Thornton May on “The New Know”

  • Your network will keep you safe

Of course, there were a lot more sessions that were less conceptual but more specific, and thus produce less “quotable content”. Many thanks to all the speakers for sharing their knowledge and kudos to the people of the E-learning Guild for organizing a top event.