DevLearn09 is going to be the BEST eLearning show this FALL! 

I, of course, am extremely biased.  But I also have an inside track on the action.  I have never seen so many outstanding session proposals.  The eLearning community is stepping up BIG TIME!  I sometimes wonder if our field is actually making a difference within companies, schools, non-profits, and government agencies.  Judging from well over 200 proposals the eLearning industry is doing some fabulous work...and making a significant impact!

I'm happy to be a part of a platform for our community to share, but I'm also saddened that we just don't have enough time for EVERYBODY to present!  It truly is a very difficult decision process.  But, on with the show.

We've got Andrew McAfee keynoting Wednesday morning.  I am so psyched that he was available for our event.  His book - Enterprise2.0: New Collaborative Tools for Your Organizations Toughest Challenges will be out in the fall.  I'm hoping just before DevLearn09.  Pre-order your copy now!  I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. McAfee and I'm confident his insights and knowledge will help us all better understand our role in the coming world of Enterprise2.0.  At this place in a Web2.0 world there is NOTHING more important for us to understand than how we fit in the Enterprise.

I am also VERY excited about Leo Laporte's Friday keynote addressing the many, MANY changes in new media.  You may not listen to podcasts but if you are into technology at all you absolutely must be listening to the Twit.tv network of podcasts.  Leo is the master of the podcast without question.  He is also pioneering the future of web media distribution.  And YES, this does impact the eLearning world...in VERY significant ways! 

Stay tuned for more information on the DevLearn09 site.

It wasn’t long ago that e-Learning developers thought that putting a simple Flash animation and a small sound file into their e-Learning offerings was really leading-edge stuff. But today much more advanced technology, like higher bandwidth, gaming, and immersive learning techniques, is easily available. And, ever-more-sophisticated learners, who are demanding more effective and absorbing e-Learning programs, are pushing for adoption of advanced media techniques.

This Online Forum will show you how to use audio, video, animation, and other technologies to enhance the engagement and “stickyness” of your e-Learning offerings. You’ll see real-life examples, and learn various design approaches for effectively using media. This Online Forum is your best chance to focus on improving the e-Learning you create for your organization, and to...

• EXPLORE how using different media tools and processes can enhance your e-Learning offerings,
• DISCOVER how better use of media enhances a wide variety of topics and formats,
• EXAMINE the design and development of media-use techniques to achieve specific goals,
• LEARN how other organizations are using media to build engagement into their e-Learning programs, and
• ENSURE that your e-Learning meets both your learners’ and your organizations’ goals.

All Times Listed in Pacific Time

Opening General Session
Thursday, June 4 — 8:30a to 9:45a

• Selecting Media for Learning: Thinking Inside and Outside the Box
  Patti Shank, Learning Peaks LLC

Concurrent Session Block 2
Thursday, June 4 — 10:15a to 11:30a

• 201 | Integrating Audio into E-Learning Courseware
  Michael Hanley, Cúram Software, Ltd.
• 202 | Rich Media on a Poor Budget
  Jeff Tillett, T-Mobile

Concurrent Session Block 3
Thursday, June 4 — 12:00n to 1:15p

• 301 | Finding, Hiring, and Directing e-Learning Voices
  Harlan Hogan, E-learningvoices.com 
• 302 | Rapid Video and User Generated Video
  Mark Chrisman, T-Mobile

Concurrent Session Block 4
Friday, June 5 — 8:30a to 9:45a

• 401 | Creating Interactive Learning Experiences With Video in Flash
  John Crider, Intuit, Inc
• 402 | Storytorials: An Instructional Strategy for e-Learning
  Kevin Cassel, James Kinnamon & Pete Safran, SAI Global

Concurrent Session Block 5
Friday, June 5 — 10:15a to 11:30a

• 501 | Sometimes a Video Isn't Just a Video
  Stephen Haskin, S  Media
• 502 | Immersive Simulations that use Voice Technologies
  Paul Howe, Allen Interactions

Closing General Session
Friday, June 5 — 12:00n to 1:15p

Cool Tools: Spice Up Your Training with Web 2.0 – Legally
Michelle Lentz, Write Technology

I'm letting the cat out of the bag a little early, but I'm just psyched to have Leo Laporte keynoting at DevLearn09.  I listen to this WEEK in TECH and MacBreak Weekly every week...without fail...

...oh, wait...are you scratching your head wondering why the heck Leo Laporte is keynoting an eLearning Tech conference?  Yea, that's what I thought. 

Before I answer that, let me take you back to DevLearn08 for a moment.  Tim O'Reilly was a great keynote and officially ushered in Learning in a Web2.0 World.  He pointed out the following:  If you want to know about the future of technology, you need to follow the alpha geeks.  O'Reilly also talked about how accessible the tools of media creation have become.  The best examples lately are the teens (and pre-teens) that are making money creating iPhone apps.  But more obvious examples are the millions of blogs, facebook pages, Flickr members, and etsy crafters...and so many others carving their little niche in the Web2.0 world.  Leo gets the alpha geeks and embraces the future they have created. 

You can check out Leo's bio here.  But at the risk of gushing to heavily, I think its safe to say Leo is not only THE tech guy, he is the KING of podcasting...or as he calls it, Netcasting!  You can watch Leo record all 13 of his podcasts on his LIVE video stream that generates 25 hours of live content a week.  Leo is not afraid to expose the behind the scenes efforts, and frustrations of live broadcasting.  The chat room is always buzzing with comments, and Leo is an active participant in the conversations.  He makes technology approachable and fun!

New media is absolutely changing our lives.  And that means that we MUST understand how it will impact the future of eLearning.  There are many people writing about new media but Leo is living new media and pushing the boundaries of publishing in many new ways.  He understands better than many that his success revolves around facilitating engaging conversations.  By connecting with his audience and encouraging participation Leo is walking the walk of Web2.0.

Its very easy for me to make the leap from what Leo is doing to my career in eLearning.  Instructional Designers produce content based on the experience of subject matter experts and deliver it to those who want to learn that content.  We are the brokers of knowledge between those that have it and those that need it.  And our designs aim to deliver that knowledge in the most effective format utilizing the most efficient technologies.  New media technologies not only give us many, many, more tools for our eLearning toolbox, but they are forcing us to critically review and question our old models of instructional design from the industrial age.

As television networks continue to lose viewership, and CD sales plummet, you no doubt understand and have felt the impact of new media.  Leo will take us on a journey through the history of media and why new media matters.  And he'll entertain us every step of the way.  As a followup to the man who coined the term Web2.0, I could think of no one better to help us address the broader issues of new media than Leo Laporte.

(More announcements coming soon...)

Call for Conference Speakers ~ Proposals are Due May 15, 2009!
 DevLearn 2009
 November 10-13, 2009
 San Jose, CA       
 
Speaking proposals are now being accepted! Your work is important and worth sharing with your e-Learning colleagues.  Submitting a proposal is now easier than ever so take a few moments to tell us what you're doing as an e-Learning professional and get your work noticed!  We always love to see submissions in the following areas:

•  e-Learning Case Studies
•  Synchronous Online Classroom Training
•  Serious Games
•  Learning in Virtual Worlds
•  Rapid Development
•  Social Learning & Media
•  Authoring Tool Tips & Tricks
•  Open Source Learning Tools
•  e-Learning Strategy
•  Instructional Design for e-Learning
•  and all other topics related to learning in the 21st Century!

 
  
Presenting at this event offers you the chance to network with your peers face-to-face, and a FREE full conference registration!
 
Instructions on how to submit a proposal can be found HERE <http://www.elearningguild.com/content.cfm?selection=doc.1250> .

We look forward to seeing your submissions!

If you are a training manager you may (or may not) be aware that the work of the instructional designer is changing.  If you follow industry trends and have seen the shift coming then you are already well ahead of your peers.  My fear is that there are plenty of training managers within the corporate ranks who have ignored the warnings from their staff.  I fear that management has become a road block to their own success. 

Of course there is the other side as well.  Maybe your instructional design team is too entrenched in their old habits to see the writing on the wall.  Or maybe they just aren't buying into the gloom and doom of the "ISD is dead" crowd.  Again, the truth will lie somewhere in the middle.  New media is changing the enterprise ecosystem significantly empowering employees in powerful ways that directly impact the work of your ISD employee/team.

Your ISDs have long since been the middle man between those that have knowledge and those that need knowledge.  The instructional design models, methods, and tools enabled the middle man to connnect with the knowers and the knowees by gathering info and creating media that delivers the knowledge.  New media technologies create a simple infrastructure that allows knowers and knowees to connect on their own and create/share content rich media in the format best suited to both parties.  No middle man required.

I don't believe ISD is dead, but I do believe the role of this employee MUST, and will, change...significantly.  I don't want to go into it in any more detail here.  I have a request of all you Corporate Training Managers...

Dear Corporate Training Manager:

Which side of this equation do you land on:  I get it, or you're nuts?
What are you doing to help prepare your instructional designers for wave of change heading their way?

I am looking for managers actively enabling change in the ranks of their training staff. 

Best Regards,
Brent Schlenker

Seriously, I want to help everyone in corporate training manage the coming shift.  If we can gather some case studies, and best practices I can help us spread the word.  Don't be shy!