December 29th, 2008 by Robin Green
The use of an entertainment medium as an instructional learning system is increasingly under consideration and construction. From Second Life to Spore, virtual worlds and online video games are prime examples of learning systems whose primary purpose is entertainment. Although these two systems will need to overcome many problems in terms of both content and functionality, they seem to offer us a shiny glimpse of a promising future in which learning can be made enjoyable and interactive.
However, it’s not the best of times for many kinds of video games. Coupled with financially uncertain times, many people believe that pirating has contributed to low sales for games like Spore, which was released in September.
Is it possible that pirating and low sales will slow the development of online games as training, collaboration and pedagogical tools? Developers of interactive learning systems might learn a few lessons from the mistakes of game developers.
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Coggno.com provides world-class online training.
December 26th, 2008 by Robin Green
With increasingly geographically dispersed teams, conference calls are a necessary evil for an organization using a learning management system. And while employees often need some tips on conference call etiquette, managers and meeting conductors may also benefit from learning management system-hosted training.
Lyndsay Swinton offers some suggestions for conducting a conference call. It’s important to start the meeting exactly on time–don’t wait for latecomers. Take a role call at the beginning of the meeting, noting those missing–a little toughness will earn you a lot of respect. Don’t let the discussion get off-topic. Treat the conference call as if it were a meeting. Prepare and circulate an agenda, take notes, etc. Finally, close the meeting formally, thanking everyone for their time.
To achieve the maximum benefits of conducting conference calls, pick up a conference call training course for managers on your learning management system.
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Coggno.com offers premier online training.
December 26th, 2008 by Robin Green
A learning management system can be integrated with social software programs that provide virtual space for conference calls and team meetings. Conference calls are a cost-effective way for groups to collaborate and discuss. But just like proper use of a learning management system, there are some basic tenets of conference call etiquette that should be heeded.
Being on time, introducing yourself when you speak, and choosing a quiet place for the call are essential. Don’t assume people recognize your voice–say your name before you speak. Never shuffle papers, scrape chairs, pencil tap, etc. Avoid speakerphones (background noise), mobile phones (static), and call waiting (unexpected beeps and tones).
Organize conference call etiquette training on your learning management system. Never having a conference interrupted by someone’s “hold” rock music will be worth the costs of some quick etiquette training.
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Coggno.com provides world-class online training.
December 26th, 2008 by Robin Green
We need to teach our kids how to answer the phone, communicate with adults and children, and be polite. These behaviors don’t come naturally, and luckily most parents recognize their duty to organically provide a social etiquette learning system for their children.
Most people who make frequent conference calls can tell you some “do’s” and “don’t’s” of conference call etiquette. But what about new employees with little to no conference call experience? Or the employees who just never learned some basic rules?
Unfortunately, managers often fail to provide employees with a conference call etiquette learning system, assuming that some behaviors are givens–like the fact that you shouldn’t eat or audibly sip coffee during a call. When employees behave rudely or thoughtlessly during conference calls, it may be the result of a lack of experience with an etiquette learning system–not because they are normally rude or thoughtless people.
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Coggno.com offers a wide variety of premier online training courses.
December 25th, 2008 by Robin Green
Many parents and educators continue to express concerns over learning through LMS-hosted courses and online learning in general, fearing that students’ development of social skills may be stunted. However, courses accessed via an LMS are able to provide various modes of communication tools that often not only allow students to interact and collaborate, but bring shy students out of their shell and give all students a voice they may not otherwise have in a face-to-face classroom.
Especially with the integration of Web 2.0 technologies in LMS courses, I see the concern over social interactions starting to fade. With tools like video conferencing and discussion forums students can articulate themselves with more forethought and build collaborative learning atmospheres that are often more interactive and academic than a face-to-face classroom.
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Coggno.com offers world-class LMS platforms.
December 25th, 2008 by Robin Green
School districts are finding that a learning management system is an effective way to keep costs down and students enrolled. But another enormous benefit of a pre-populated LMS is the sheer variety of classes offered. With a robust learning management system such as Coggno, schools have access to some of the best online courses available. Users are able to customize and upload content, courses, assignments, and more.
An effective customizable learning management system includes instructional tools like Coggno’s video and text tools, SCORM publisher, question bank and template, quiz and assessment tools. It should also provide straightforward and useful functionality to help teachers, and an easy-to-navigate interface to make the LMS easily integrated into any school.
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Coggno.com is a leading provider of world-class LMS platforms.
December 25th, 2008 by Robin Green
Obama is right to draw a direct connection between American prosperity and its learning systems. Michael Porter, a Harvard Business School professor and co-author of the Competitiveness Index report, commented that while the U.S. remains the world’s economic leader, that lead is certainly not guaranteed. And the U.S. lead is most threatened by the weakness of its learning systems–particularly in math, science and engineering.
“It’s the greatest single threat to American prosperity,” stated Porter. “It’s a weakness. We’re lagging behind.” Each year U.S. colleges and universities turn out about one million graduates, but only 70,000 of those degrees are in engineering. Conversely, China and India turn out 6.4 million college graduates each year, with almost one million of those in engineering.
If the U.S. continues in the current direction, we will be eclipsed by countries that take learning systems in science, math and engineering more seriously than we do.
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Coggno.com offers premier online education.
December 23rd, 2008 by Robin Green
Keith R. Krueger, the executive director for the Washington-based Consortium for School Networking, noted that “educators and students need to have access to broadband in order to make use of the myriad of online educational tools and services–everything from multimedia content to video-conferencing.”
Krueger believes that reformation of the federal E-rate program (whose budget is $2.25 billion) is an essential step to achieving universal broadband access.
The federal E-Rate program has already played a major role in providing broadband access to American schools and library learning systems. However, any people think that the budget is not sufficient for Obama’s plans for school learning systems, and will have to be raised.
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Coggno.com offers a wide range of high-quality LMS platforms.
