I'm taking the liberty of reposting Norman Lamont's superb slideshare presentation on the use of new technology in the workplace.

I do so a) because it's probably the one piece of content I've recommended to more people than any other, b) because it gets the message across more powerfully than any academic treatise on the subject and c) because it should be required reading for anyone responsible for learning and communication in the workplace.

I am taking part in a virtual reading group organised by Hans de Zwart, and we are each taking it in turn to summarise a chapter of the book. This week it is my turn, and I have been asked to summarise Chapter 7 - Overcoming Being Addled by Addie. You can find out more about the reading group here.

This chapter proposes that whilst the instructional design process for a 3DLE differs to that for more traditional learning interventions, it is a modification and extension of existing models rather than a replacement. It explores how the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation (ADDIE) model can be used.

It attempts to contrast the differences by providing a narrative about two different design processes; one for a 2D synchronous environment and one for a 3D synchronous environment. It highlights that in a 3DLE you are required to create the context and environment as well as the content and activities. Whilst the 2D scenario was the work of one instructional designer in a matter of hours, the 3D scenario was developed by a multi-disciplinary team over a period of weeks.

It lists some key design points:

• Create the right context - the context may change during the session but it should always foster collaboration, help achieve specific learning goals, foster peer to peer interaction and provide the right context for learning to occur.
• Create specific objectives, but don't tell the learner - Instead of spelling out the objectives, let the learners explore and discover them themselves.
• Provide minimal guidelines - Provide just enough guidance to achieve the learning goal.
• Encourage collaboration - If required, create a context where collaboration is necessary.
• Allow opportunities to demonstrate learning - Provide the opportunity for safe practice as well as instructor and peer review.
• Build in incentives - Use tokens to incentivise learners, but avoid making it appear to game like.

It goes on to explain how the ADDIE model can be used to ensure that what is created in the 3DLE is instructionally valid. The key elements to be considered are grouped under the ADDIE headings.

• Analysis - as with any learning intervention, we start with analysis.
• Task, concept or skill - can the task, concept or skills be appropriately taught in the 3DLE?
• Environment - In what environment should the learning occur? Realistic or stylised? Does the environment need a level of stress to be introduced?
• Technical considerations - Ensure that the available infrastructure can support the desired environment.
• Learners - Ensure that learners are ready and prepared to use the 3DLE. provide pre-training if required.
• Design - Apply appropriate instructional strategies.
• Synchronous or Asynchronous - Should the environment be synchronous and instructor led or asynchronous and self paced?
• Sequence and instructional elements - Define the specific learning activities and their ordering.
• Environment and structures - Design appropriate structures within your environment.
• Design outside of reality - Using scenarios that are impossible in the real world can create a sense of excitement and fun, and enhance the learning.
• Consider the debriefing - The debriefing is important for reflection. Decide who will run tis, and the manner in which it will take place.
• Storyboard - Create storyboards and 'walk though' the scenarios before committing to development.
• Develop - Create the environment; this may be custom developed, configured or purchased.
• Implement - Roll out the 3DLE to the organisation.
• Evaluation - Evaluate throughout the process, and measure learning and as well as the quality of the 3DLE.

This chapter also provides guidance for working with a third party virtual world vendor, and lists five key points:

1. Tie your request to a business need - the vendor should understand the business requirement or academic need
2. Know what to expect - Inform yourself about the vendor landscape
3. Be specific about your requirements - Be clear about what you need
4. Do your homework - Research the vendor
5. Visit the virtual space yourself - Test driving the virtual environment is essential. Viewing a recorded example is not enough to be able to make an informed decision.

Over the past year or so, I've noticed an increasing dissatisfaction with the kind of technology conferences being run in the UK, or at least in the way they're run. Some of this has been virtual, such as these blog posts by Donald Clark, Clive Shepherd and Mark Betherlemy, but this has also come up in conversations with a lot of people.

It's not my reading of any of these conversations that they want to see the current conferences replaced (although I may be wrong), but rather that they want another option (something 'alternative' rather than 'an alternative to').

Of course it's easy to be critical of the status quo, and much harder to change it. This quotation from Terry Pratchett says it very nicely.

"So many people tut and say "Someone should do something", but so few step forward and say "...and that someone is me"

With that very much in my mind, it happened that a couple of weeks ago I was talking with Jane Hart when the topic moved on to conferences and the usual 'someone needs to do something' conversation followed. What was different was that we decided we would be the 'someone' who did something; and so Learning Camp was born.

We've started the ball rolling over at http://learningcamp.org and if you have any desire to take part in or attend the first event, or help shape what it could become in the future, please complete the survey and follow the Twitter account for updates - more information on both can be found on the Learning Camp website. There's not much on the site at the moment, but I can promise you that more will be happening in the next few weeks.

And finally, if you're one of those people who has ever suggested that 'something should be done' you can expect to hear from us soon. Together we have an opportunity to do something, so now's the time for all of us to either put up or shut up.

I generally use the Seesmic web app to access Twitter on my Macs, but as I've been using my netbook more frequently I was keen to try Seesmic for Windows. Unfortunately it didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked.

When running the setup file I was faced with an error because the installer was trying, but failing, to connect to http://d.seesmic.com/swin/SWin.application. After a fruitless search on the Seesmic Web site and across Google in general, I finally found a solution myself by trial and error. I'm posting this here in the hope that anyone else searching for a solution is able to find it.

My searching suggested that this problem mainly affects users of Windows 7 and some users of Vista, although advice that this may be related to an inability to connect via a proxy weren't relevant in my case.

The solution was remarkably simple; right click on setup.exe, select Troubleshoot Compatibility and accept the recommended options, which in my case was to run as compatible with Windows XP SP3. I clicked on run, the installer did its job and the app runs without issues (so far at least).

I'll post more about the app once I've had time to use it, but in the meantime I hope this post helps some people who are having issues installing it.

Image source seesmic.com

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Elearning Awards dinner in London, having been a judge in a couple of the categories.

During the after awards drinks, Jane Hart and I were discussing the lack of any awards that encouraged the use of social learning tools.

Well, earlier this week I was a participant in a meeting between the eLN and Bizmedia, and I'm pleased to be able to say that as a result of that there will be a new category introduced for the 2010 Awards - "The best use of social media for learning".

The official launch will take place at Learning Technologies in January.

Back in the summer I wrote an article for Saffron Interactive titled 'The Advance of Social Media'. Its key message is that social media is now a mainstream activity and that organisations that attempt to ignore it, do so at their own risk.

If you'd like to read the full article, it is available to download here in PDF format, along with a number of other great articles in Saffron's Advance series.

Earlier this week, The Times ran a story titled "Twitter may not be right for business".

Despite the title, the article seems to be more about the shortcomings of companies, and why that makes them unsuitable as users of microblogging. To quote the article "Nevertheless, I think there are several fundamental reasons why companies are unsuited to microblogging,...".

The article goes on to list 5 reasons why companies are not suitable;

1. Companies are incapable of dealing with things in real time
2. Companies are incapable of brevity
3. Companies are not open
4. Companies are neither altruistic or reciprocal
5. Companies do not have distinct voices or personalities

I don't think I'm alone in being relieved I don't work in a company that behaves as described in the article. One which is probably not fit to deal with its customers, is certainly not fit to manage and develop its employees and is unlikely to have a very bright (or long) future.

The biggest problem with the article, is of course that all five of the statements are wrong. Many companies are very good at dealing with things in real time, and can be both brief and open. Altruism and reciprocity are not unknown qualities in the world of business. Virgin, Disney and Nike are just a few examples of companies with a distinct voice and personality.

If you actually read the story, you'll find the tone is clearly tongue in cheek, but that won't stop some people attempting to use this as evidence that Twitter has no place in business.

On the 25th September, the eLearning Network held its Next Generation Learning Management event at Holborn Bars in London.

As part of the event, Matt Brewer of Chubb Insurance and I ran a collaborative session to identify what eLN members wanted to see in an LMS that was fit for use in 21st Century organisations. I'm really pleased to say that we have taken the output of that session and produced a report that can be freely downloaded from the eLearning Network website.

Download: 21st Century LMS

It's released under a Creative Commons licence, so please do share and remix it.

*Disclosure - I am a partner in Onlignment.

Over on the Onlignment website, we have just launched a free e-book download, a facilitator’s guide to live online learning. In 55 pages it covers:

• Whys and wherefores
• Planning your session
• Communicating with voice and live video
• Communicating using images and text
• Sharing resources
• Building in interactivity
• Building up to the session
• Facilitating the session
• Following up

The e-book is issued under a Creative Commons license.

You can download the book here (we do ask you to sign up for our mailing list).

Today in the UK it is National Poetry Day and the subject is heroes and heroines, so I thought I would take the opportunity to post one of my favourite poems, written to honour the pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain.

Fighter Pilot

He was no Galahad, no knight sans peur et sans reproche.
Sans peur? Fear was the second enemy to beat.
He was a common, unconsidered man, who, for a moment of eternity,
held the whole future of mankind in his two sweating hands.
And did not let it go.
Remember him, not as he is portrayed, but as the man he was.
To him you owe the most of what you have and love today.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris