ASTD - Cascadia Chapter

Informal Learning in the 21st Century

There's a true transformation happening on the Internet. The passive read-only experience of static web pages is changing into active participation via the read-write web. Our children are on Facebook and listening to podcasts on their iPods, and every day we hear about blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, and the like. We know the online world is changing. We know that an interactive web will have profound implications for us as learning professionals--but what does it all really mean? Dr. Bill Bruck gives a guided tour of how new rich-media and collaboration technologies are changing the face of the web, and how learning organizations are leveraging these technologies to better serve their customers.

GeoLearning GeoEngage Webinar

Building a Business Case for Collaborative Learning

Learning professionals know from experience that collaboration makes an impact on learning, but oftentimes that's not enough to convince folks in the C-suite to take the plunge--they need to know it will have an impact on the bottom line. Dr. Bill Bruck from Q2 Learning and Dr. Paul Schneider from GeoLearning discuss results from actual customers that point to building a business case for collaboration.

Collaborative Federal Electronic Government Conference

Leapfrogging Traditional e-Learning in Favor of Speed to Proficiency

eGovernment is in a unique position to leapfrog other industries in creating a learning model that focus on learners, not trainers; performance, not process. In this session, Dr. Bruck will draw comparisons between the standard eLearning practices that have come to be accepted and the speed-to-proficiency learning model he believes is really required to meet the demands of successful, dynamic learning programs.

The eLearning Guild Annual Gathering

Informal Learning in a Global Enterprise: The CA Story

Any organization with a changing workforce will need to rethink the way in which it provides learning to its key employees. See how CA is working to extend learning outside of just the formal events, and extend the course objectives out of the classroom; develop communities that bridge formal learning events; leverage existing knowledge assets; simplify getting the information they need (both from resources and people); and blend learning within an event or offering, not just at the curriculum level.

Maryland Society for Association Executives

Beyond the Hype: The Virtual Association

Dr. Bruck, a pioneer in online collaboration, will share his thoughts on the latest social networking technology and what is required for its successful adoption with members of the Maryland Society for Association Executives. Among the topics of conversation will be ways of critically evaluating the match between business needs and available tools.

Booz Allen Hamilton Technology Focus Group

Supporting Proficiency Based Learning

Standard classroom and web-based instruction can build awareness, and a certain degree of skillfulness, but rarely provides learners with the time or the opportunity to apply those skills on the job while still receiving instruction. This limitation prevents most programs from truly developing learner proficiency. Dr. Bill Bruck will describe the continuum between formal and informal learning, share the five key learning practices that are necessary to support proficiency-based learning, and discuss how Q2's Social Learning Platform can support coaching and mentoring.

ACS Innovations Workshop

Using collaboration to support learning

Can collaboration support learning effectively? Yes—but not all collaboration tools are equal. Dr. Bill Bruck will examine the affordances various tools offer and explore ways in which those help or hinder effective learning.

ASTD-Long Island

Discussion of the value of informal learning

Dr. Bill Bruck, lead solutions architect and co-founder of Q2 Learning, Darrel Walker, vice president of curriculum for technical services at CA, Inc., and Ron Ateshian, director of world wide learning and infrastructure at CA, Inc. will discuss the value of informal learning with ASTD-Long Island members.

CPsquare's "Long Live the Platform" Conference

A participant's eye view of collaboration technology

Designed to give attendees an overview of collaboration platforms, the conference will present a participant's eye view of collaboration technology and the ways it may be used to support a variety of initiatives—from learning and knowledge sharing to storytelling and networking.

Potomac ISPI Technology Update Night

Let's Go Beyond the Hype about Social Software

MySpace, FaceBook, SecondLife, blogs, wikis, and other social networking systems are all the rage—but how might they best be used? Join us to get the actionable insights you need to assess the new technologies and decide what makes sense for your organization.

Office of Government Ethics

How Learning Can Be Improved

An evolution of learning technologies is transforming traditional e-learning into an exciting, collaborative medium for learner participation – a transformation that has significant implications for thinking about and delivering learning.

ASTD - Golden Gate

Practical Applications for Speed to Proficiency Programs

Increasing speed to proficiency isn't just an interesting theory. Organizations who are applying this method in business-critical learning programs are enjoying significant ROI. Knowing when and how to employ a technology-enabled speed-to-proficiency approach can speed adoption and increase management buy-in for such programs.

GeoLearning User Conference

Increasing speed to proficiency using a blended approach

The difference between a key employee who's just OK v. one who is truly proficient at their job can translate into millions of dollars to the bottom line of any company. In any business arena where the demonstrated mastery of new knowledge and skills is critical to the success of the business speed to proficiency is the name of the game.

New Brunswick Department of Education

Creating the Learning Organization and Best Practices in Distance Education

Identifying the current state of person-to-person interaction via existing collaboration tools versus the desired state is the first step in creating a roadmap for instituting best practices. Differentiating techology-based interaction from technology-mediated interaction is a key factor in creating systems that support people to learn from people.

ISPI-DC

Social Networking and Collaboration Technology

Social networking tools such as MySpace are not only extremely popular, but extremely tempting, because they require little or no investment to institute. Depending on what an organization is trying to do, freeware may be a very appropriate option, but it can also irrevocably damage an organization's appetite for online collaboration if it doesn't have the necessary tools to meet the organization's needs.

Assessing organizational needs and matching requirements to the right tools is an essential step in implementing any kind of collaboration technology.

LearnNB - Instructional Design Workshop Series

Best Practices in Blended Learning Instructional Design

"The medium is the message," said Marshall McLuhan. Nowhere is this truer than in designing high impact blended learning programs. Blended learning is all about weaving together a variety of media: face-to-face and online, same-time and any-time, electronic and paper-based.

Blended learning isn't just about combining instructor-led and e-learning or tacking a chat room or web meeting onto an existing training program.

Instructional designers must deeply understand the capabilities of various media and their implications for thinking differently about the learning enterprise. They must build a new skill set -- onto their existing knowledge of instructional design -- that can manifest itself in seamless learning experiences that transfer knowledge to on-the-job capabilities and performance improvement

IQPC - Australia Instructional Design and Curriculum Development Conference

Managing Learning is Not Enough to Deliver Business Results

Putting our efforts into simply managing learning will not drive the business results organizations need. With today's technology, there's no reason we shouldn't be doing more to create learning that's a catalyst for strategic business initiatives.

eLearning Producers Conference

Making Training Stick - A Blended Approach

Blended learning no longer needs to be the same tired combination of instructor-led and Web-based training. A customer success story illustrates how Q2's Social Learning Platform allows for the creation of unique blended learning to meet reduced attrition rates and improve selection of key recruiters.

Training Supplier Executive Summit

Community Based Service Opportunities - Creating an Annuity

Collaborative technology can give a company tremendous advantage in dealing with employees and customer - if implemented correctly. As anyone who has tried to implement online communities knows, there is a lot more to it than simply slapping together some technology. It's important to talk about strategies to implement online communities right the first time.

ASTD Technowledge

Fulfilling the Promise of Online Communities of Practice

Online communities of practice can move companies one step closer to becoming learning organizations but they aren't without risk. A failed CoP can reinforce the message that "things like that never work here." Fortunately, there are steps you can take to ensure that your community of practice is a success, not a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Department of Defense Instructional Systems Development Communities of Practice

Training for Results Using Blended Learning

On-going learning provides a retention rate and results far superior to training that is presented as an occasion to acquire content. People like interactive, on-going learning. It lets us adapt information to our situation, actively sort and apply content, and have access to experts that help separate the wheat from the chaff.

Two case studies, focusing on performance management and technical skills, demonstrate how participants can use a series of blended learning activities to combine content with peer-to-peer interaction, practice and mentoring to cement the concepts and skills learned via traditional training media.

IQPC Instructional Design and Curriculum Development Conference

Best Practices in Instructional Design & Delivery for Blended Learning Solutions

If we don't start focusing on proficiency and performance improvement, e-learning will become increasingly irrelevant to business owners in large enterprises. We've spent too much time picking the low hanging fruit, and people want results. In order to help organizations realize their learning goals, we need to find ways to create interactive opportunities for participants in online blended learning programs.

2nd Annual Financial eLearning Conference

Putting the People Back in eLearning

Although the technology of e-Learning gets most of the media attention, it can no more create a successful learning experience than a brand new school building can guarantee a great class.

For knowledge workers to acquire critical-thinking skills, such as analysis, integration and problem solving, and learn to apply them to real-life business situations, the instructional design and technological tools must mirror best practices of face-to-face education: presentation of concepts followed by Q&A; interaction with peers; structured exercises, cases and simulations with expert feedback, and mentored on-the-job practice.