Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
A Corporate Vision for Electronic Meetings and eLearning
A Client with Vision!
This particular company has been on a phenomenal growth path. And there are probably a lot of reasons for this growth, high quality of product, integrity and they're very competitive. They have decided in order to meet the needs of their customers and to continue their growth each one of their employees must become much more efficient in the use of their time and talents.
We have been working with this company over the past two or three years demonstrating various aspects of electronic interconnection for key personnel and outside contractors throughout the United States. After much discussion and demonstrations they decided to install 10 two-way video locations. These were installed at their key locations in some conference rooms and private offices.
In watching this week's basketball tournament our client's son’s team won the first game and really sent a message to my son’s team. And the message was very clear if you're going to be successful you need to step up your game, because you can't add any more people each team member must show improvement and efficiency.
That's what our client is in the process of doing by establishing synchronous two-way video communications systems to their strategic business partners. Stepping up their game without adding additional manpower to meet their ever increasing need to service their customers.
eLearning Innovations, Inc. has developed distance learning strategies that help organizations implement their visions of increasing productivity and efficiency without losing quality.
Take a look on our Learning Collaboration Suite and we’re looking forward to demonstrating various features of the essential services for successful distance learning activities.
Thanks, Lorne Parker, PhD
President, eLearning Innovations, Inc.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Distance Learning Content Development is a Teamwork Process
You can tell a great Christmas gift if it keeps on giving day-after-day. My wife, Alice, gave me such a gift this past Christmas in the form of a book written by Dr. Scout Cloud Lee who has become well known for her recent adventures on the CBS television series, “Survivor.” She was a competitor on Survivor – Vanuatu, and you might recall Scout had just an artificial orthopedic knee. She still managed to finish in the top three finalists and left memorable impressions on millions of viewers.
It's not Dr. Lee's appearance on Survivor that I'm impressed with or even want to continue about in any depth. The series and results speak for themselves and Scout’s success was fabulous.
We have known and worked with Scout Cloud Lee and her colleague Dr. Carol Anne Washburn for the past 15 years in working with our clients to develop as a team and to create distance learning programs. During these years, there have been hundreds of people who have been involved with this team building learning process.
One of the many successes that stand out in my mind is the Oklahoma State agency that is known as WIC Services -- Women, Infants and Children nutritional program. This agency is a federal program that operates in each state and normally is administered by the local state Department of Health.
We have had the opportunity to work with Oklahoma WIC Services under the leadership of Traci Lundy, Director of Nutrition Education and Training. Traci and her colleagues have been part of a distance learning training initiative the past 10 years. Her colleagues have invested significant amounts of time in understanding the content development process for programs that can be delivered throughout the state to nutritional consultants who can basically have information on demand.
You may wonder, what's this got to do with Scout Cloud Lee and Annie Washburn? As far as curriculum development, we feel it was very important to build in a process that emphasizes team building. Most of the WIC content specialists are not located in the same facilities. Consequently, if they are preparing informational materials that are to be shared using distance learning technologies, it is important for them to understand the dynamics of teams.
No better than demonstrating this team process is Scout Cloud Lee and Annie Washburn using various forms of challenges that are organized on a Ranch outside Stillwater, Oklahoma. The process was fun but more importanly it truly emphasized that to be successful individuals we must learn to work together no matter how difficult that might be.
This team-building challenge always ended with an activity called the “Pamper Pole” in which individuals, donned with protective gear and tethered with safety lines, climbed a 45 foot pole and stood on the top of it, only to jump and hold onto a trapeze. Without a doubt, this is an individual feat, however, it is also supported by all the team members making sure that the individual is successful in achieving the goal of climbing and jumping from a 45 foot pole!
I am not saying that climbing the 45 foot pole and participating in team building challenges are the only ingredients for success in preparing and delivering content for diverse clientele, but it certainly has helped. Oklahoma WIC has been very successful in using various distance learning technologies (from two-way video to asynchronous technologies) to deliver their nutrition information and training to case workers throughout Oklahoma. They keenly understand the role of a team in developing and delivering first-rate training materials.
Distance learning requires us to take advantage of building unique teams; developing content for distance delivery is not necessarily the work of one individual. That is why we have always incorporated Scout Cloud Lee’s group and team dynamics into our training for distance educators.
For further information on the overall process that was used for Oklahoma WIC Services, please take a look at our Learning Collaboration Suite.
Remember, great gifts continue on giving and I'm happy to share this wonderful gift that was given to me.
I'm looking forward to your comments and experiences in developing content for Distance Learning.
Call me
Lorne A. Parker PhD
Ph: 405-743-3463
It's not Dr. Lee's appearance on Survivor that I'm impressed with or even want to continue about in any depth. The series and results speak for themselves and Scout’s success was fabulous.
We have known and worked with Scout Cloud Lee and her colleague Dr. Carol Anne Washburn for the past 15 years in working with our clients to develop as a team and to create distance learning programs. During these years, there have been hundreds of people who have been involved with this team building learning process.
One of the many successes that stand out in my mind is the Oklahoma State agency that is known as WIC Services -- Women, Infants and Children nutritional program. This agency is a federal program that operates in each state and normally is administered by the local state Department of Health.
We have had the opportunity to work with Oklahoma WIC Services under the leadership of Traci Lundy, Director of Nutrition Education and Training. Traci and her colleagues have been part of a distance learning training initiative the past 10 years. Her colleagues have invested significant amounts of time in understanding the content development process for programs that can be delivered throughout the state to nutritional consultants who can basically have information on demand.
You may wonder, what's this got to do with Scout Cloud Lee and Annie Washburn? As far as curriculum development, we feel it was very important to build in a process that emphasizes team building. Most of the WIC content specialists are not located in the same facilities. Consequently, if they are preparing informational materials that are to be shared using distance learning technologies, it is important for them to understand the dynamics of teams.
No better than demonstrating this team process is Scout Cloud Lee and Annie Washburn using various forms of challenges that are organized on a Ranch outside Stillwater, Oklahoma. The process was fun but more importanly it truly emphasized that to be successful individuals we must learn to work together no matter how difficult that might be.
This team-building challenge always ended with an activity called the “Pamper Pole” in which individuals, donned with protective gear and tethered with safety lines, climbed a 45 foot pole and stood on the top of it, only to jump and hold onto a trapeze. Without a doubt, this is an individual feat, however, it is also supported by all the team members making sure that the individual is successful in achieving the goal of climbing and jumping from a 45 foot pole!
I am not saying that climbing the 45 foot pole and participating in team building challenges are the only ingredients for success in preparing and delivering content for diverse clientele, but it certainly has helped. Oklahoma WIC has been very successful in using various distance learning technologies (from two-way video to asynchronous technologies) to deliver their nutrition information and training to case workers throughout Oklahoma. They keenly understand the role of a team in developing and delivering first-rate training materials.
Distance learning requires us to take advantage of building unique teams; developing content for distance delivery is not necessarily the work of one individual. That is why we have always incorporated Scout Cloud Lee’s group and team dynamics into our training for distance educators.
For further information on the overall process that was used for Oklahoma WIC Services, please take a look at our Learning Collaboration Suite.
Remember, great gifts continue on giving and I'm happy to share this wonderful gift that was given to me.
I'm looking forward to your comments and experiences in developing content for Distance Learning.
Call me
Lorne A. Parker PhD
Ph: 405-743-3463
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Distance Learning Content Creation
We are often put in the position of being over optimistic and this is true in our business of e-Learning and its historical predecessors. For the last five years we have focused on short learning segments or as they're called today learning objects or what I would prefer calling them is learning chunks.
The distance-learning media has a unique latent demand for learning chunks. Of course it would be advantageous for us to design the learning chunks to be utilized with various learning styles.
During a recent visit to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire it was demonstrated how each instructor utilizes a Learning Management System to disseminate and manage individual student learning styles. Each student is assigned a laptop computer that assists them in totally managing the overall instructional process that is specifically suited for their particular learning style.
Basically the instructors due to the fact that they are meeting the criteria to teach into various learning styles during their classroom presentations are forced to develop learning chunks that can be reusable and modified for each learning style. Now this is oversimplified, but the fact that reusable learning objects are being produced on a day-to-day basis by the faculty at Brewster Academy to emphasize the various learning styles of their students.
To me this was an excellent example of an institution utilizing their resources to the best of their abilities. In speaking with their academic director Peter Hess, he was in his opinion that they have laid a very substantial foundation over the last five to seven years with this program and are looking forward to enhancing the capabilities for more instructional development.
If any of you are looking for a high school that will provide tremendous academic opportunities there is an institution that is working very hard at providing various learning opportunities to high school students as well as assisting them in learning how to learn.
My son, Tedd Parker is the head hockey coach as well as an instructor at Brewster Academy. If you would like more information I am sure that the academic director Peter Hess, would be more than happy to communicate with you. His phone number is 603-569-1600.
Developing educational materials using chunking formats, which basically means that we are developing learning materials in 12 to 15 minute segments? Some of the research would indicate that it can be as short as five to seven minutes. In my experience is much more difficult to develop within that particular time frame than it is in the 12 to 15 minute learning chunks.
For more information on our Learning Collaboration Suite at eLearning Innovations, Inc. please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be more than happy to provide you with demonstrations.
The learning chunks wish list:
Greater value from your media investment
Coherent reusable strategies to meet various learning styles
Reduce development time
Simplified implementations of e- learning solutions
Thanks—until next time...
Lorne A. Parker
President
eLearning Innovations, Inc.
The distance-learning media has a unique latent demand for learning chunks. Of course it would be advantageous for us to design the learning chunks to be utilized with various learning styles.
During a recent visit to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire it was demonstrated how each instructor utilizes a Learning Management System to disseminate and manage individual student learning styles. Each student is assigned a laptop computer that assists them in totally managing the overall instructional process that is specifically suited for their particular learning style.
Basically the instructors due to the fact that they are meeting the criteria to teach into various learning styles during their classroom presentations are forced to develop learning chunks that can be reusable and modified for each learning style. Now this is oversimplified, but the fact that reusable learning objects are being produced on a day-to-day basis by the faculty at Brewster Academy to emphasize the various learning styles of their students.
To me this was an excellent example of an institution utilizing their resources to the best of their abilities. In speaking with their academic director Peter Hess, he was in his opinion that they have laid a very substantial foundation over the last five to seven years with this program and are looking forward to enhancing the capabilities for more instructional development.
If any of you are looking for a high school that will provide tremendous academic opportunities there is an institution that is working very hard at providing various learning opportunities to high school students as well as assisting them in learning how to learn.
My son, Tedd Parker is the head hockey coach as well as an instructor at Brewster Academy. If you would like more information I am sure that the academic director Peter Hess, would be more than happy to communicate with you. His phone number is 603-569-1600.
Developing educational materials using chunking formats, which basically means that we are developing learning materials in 12 to 15 minute segments? Some of the research would indicate that it can be as short as five to seven minutes. In my experience is much more difficult to develop within that particular time frame than it is in the 12 to 15 minute learning chunks.
For more information on our Learning Collaboration Suite at eLearning Innovations, Inc. please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be more than happy to provide you with demonstrations.
The learning chunks wish list:
Greater value from your media investment
Coherent reusable strategies to meet various learning styles
Reduce development time
Simplified implementations of e- learning solutions
Thanks—until next time...
Lorne A. Parker
President
eLearning Innovations, Inc.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Projections for Content Development for Distance Learning
The other night I had the opportunity to watch a college basketball game on a large-screen HDTV system with surround sound in the comforts of a family room with a fireplace. What a great spectacle, the game was exciting and the quality of the video was outstanding and it brought the game to life.
I could not help but thinking of growing up as a young man with a black-and-white television set that receive one channel 120 miles away. We were connected with the makeshift antenna that had to be turned manually in the backyard. It only took three people to turn the antenna, one to watch the television to see if the snow got better, one to relay the message out the back window, and another one that actually turned the antenna.
To think how far we have come in a short time were now we have hundreds of channels to choose from and even some of those channels have extra high quality audio and video. The other thing that came to mind was that even though we have many channel choices today the content still leaves a lot to be desired.
In our business of distance learning we imagine many propositions, and we frequently over predict when it will happen.
I live with over predictions daily. One of them is to simplify for individuals to produce quality content with the various forms of technology that are available to them today. I've been in this industry for over 30 years and we always thought that the content development process was just around the corner. Eventually it will happen; we will have high quality templates for instructors and corporate trainers to utilize to meet various presentation and learning styles. However, only parts of it are here today.
I would like you to look at our Learning Management Suite because that answers a number of the issues that are involved in content development for distance learning.
Thanks
Lorne A. Parker PhD.
President, eLearning Innovations, Inc.
I could not help but thinking of growing up as a young man with a black-and-white television set that receive one channel 120 miles away. We were connected with the makeshift antenna that had to be turned manually in the backyard. It only took three people to turn the antenna, one to watch the television to see if the snow got better, one to relay the message out the back window, and another one that actually turned the antenna.
To think how far we have come in a short time were now we have hundreds of channels to choose from and even some of those channels have extra high quality audio and video. The other thing that came to mind was that even though we have many channel choices today the content still leaves a lot to be desired.
In our business of distance learning we imagine many propositions, and we frequently over predict when it will happen.
I live with over predictions daily. One of them is to simplify for individuals to produce quality content with the various forms of technology that are available to them today. I've been in this industry for over 30 years and we always thought that the content development process was just around the corner. Eventually it will happen; we will have high quality templates for instructors and corporate trainers to utilize to meet various presentation and learning styles. However, only parts of it are here today.
I would like you to look at our Learning Management Suite because that answers a number of the issues that are involved in content development for distance learning.
Thanks
Lorne A. Parker PhD.
President, eLearning Innovations, Inc.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Distance Learning Content Development Utilizing Research for Children's Programs
Today adults and children have similar learning styles based upon the effects of mass media!
For the past 50 years educational researcher Dr. Malcolm Knowles and his various disciples indicated differences in how adults and children learn. Some of these learning components have been designed into various distance-learning instructional design elements.
In observing the total influence of mass communications on North Americans, it is my observation today that children and adults learn the same. Short learning segments, repetition, visualization, and action learning only to name a few of the ingredients that are built in to our mass media culture today. Dr. Fowler Humphrey, Professor of Adult Education at Idaho State, also agrees with me, but feels that even though adults and children are learning utilizing similar techniques he believes the major differences are how we actually implement the techniques with the various audiences.
After being involved with the parenting process of five children all of Sesame Street vintage as distance-learning designers we might not be able to put all of the production values that Sesame Street uses, but we certainly could utilize the research not only for children but also for adult distance learning programs. Any time I've ever mentioned the fact that we should be looking at the children's television workshop research that was headed by my former Indiana Professor, Dr. Keith Mielke, it is always discussed at the research only affects children.
However if you think about the concept that I have introduced a children and adults are learning from the same techniques today, we should be able to utilize the Children's Television Workshop information in designing our distant learning programs for all ages. The use of rich display of visual and auditory production features can readily be used today in distance learning technologies to teach children and adults even if it is an entertainment value such as music, visual imagery and other techniques that are readily available to us..
I must point out that all of the ingredients to think about utilizing contemporary information such as Sesame Street, and heaven forbid thinking about the research components in Barney and other children's programs such as Mr. Rogers that provide a wealth of information that I'm suggesting should be incorporated into distance learning programs for all ages.
I look forward to your comments regarding utilizing contemporary children's research for distance-learning programs for all ages. Please take time to look at our Learning Collaboration Suite which incorporates all of the ingredients that I have discussed.
I'm looking forward to your comments. Lorne A. Parker, PhD.
For the past 50 years educational researcher Dr. Malcolm Knowles and his various disciples indicated differences in how adults and children learn. Some of these learning components have been designed into various distance-learning instructional design elements.
In observing the total influence of mass communications on North Americans, it is my observation today that children and adults learn the same. Short learning segments, repetition, visualization, and action learning only to name a few of the ingredients that are built in to our mass media culture today. Dr. Fowler Humphrey, Professor of Adult Education at Idaho State, also agrees with me, but feels that even though adults and children are learning utilizing similar techniques he believes the major differences are how we actually implement the techniques with the various audiences.
After being involved with the parenting process of five children all of Sesame Street vintage as distance-learning designers we might not be able to put all of the production values that Sesame Street uses, but we certainly could utilize the research not only for children but also for adult distance learning programs. Any time I've ever mentioned the fact that we should be looking at the children's television workshop research that was headed by my former Indiana Professor, Dr. Keith Mielke, it is always discussed at the research only affects children.
However if you think about the concept that I have introduced a children and adults are learning from the same techniques today, we should be able to utilize the Children's Television Workshop information in designing our distant learning programs for all ages. The use of rich display of visual and auditory production features can readily be used today in distance learning technologies to teach children and adults even if it is an entertainment value such as music, visual imagery and other techniques that are readily available to us..
I must point out that all of the ingredients to think about utilizing contemporary information such as Sesame Street, and heaven forbid thinking about the research components in Barney and other children's programs such as Mr. Rogers that provide a wealth of information that I'm suggesting should be incorporated into distance learning programs for all ages.
I look forward to your comments regarding utilizing contemporary children's research for distance-learning programs for all ages. Please take time to look at our Learning Collaboration Suite which incorporates all of the ingredients that I have discussed.
I'm looking forward to your comments. Lorne A. Parker, PhD.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
eLearning: Part of the Nursing Shortage Solution
Healthcare organizations are confronted with an extreme shortage of Registered Nurses, which is expected to grow exponentially through the year 2020. Difficulties in attracting, developing, and retaining, a competent professional nursing workforce challenges our goals for quality and continuity of care at hospitals throughout the United States. Unlike previous cyclical shortages this is a structural shortage. Unless addressed, it will reach crisis proportions, in urban and rural hospitals.
This structural nursing shortage creates tremendous financial burdens on hospital operating budgets. Direct costs of filling a vacant nursing position are 100% of a nurse’s annual salary. These costs do not include softer hidden costs such as liability payments and the "costs of chaos” incurred as a result of having agency nurses providing care in a setting in which they are unfamiliar with the local policies and procedures.
The healthcare industry has typically addressed high RN vacancy rates by accelerating perks for experienced nurses and hiring more new graduate nurses. Perks are costly and result in one facility trying to outdo another, which escalates costs even more. High RN vacancy rates increase the pressure to get new graduates oriented and working as soon as possible. As a result, new graduates are under pressure to perform in life-threatening situations without prior experience. The inability to handle the pressure and resultant stress is reflected in the turnover rates of new graduate RN’s at 35 to 60 percent within the first 12 months of employment.
The Solution?
About five years ago we proposed a unique approach in order to solve the nursing shortage. Recognizing a long identified problem of not having an RN program available to citizens in the Stillwater area, this proposal suggests that the Hospital form a partnership with eLearning Innovations, Inc. located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Hospital provides clinical experiences for local students enrolled in the nursing programs that would be provided by partnering institutions and delivered by two-way video as well as courses via Internet and online. Students live in their home community, in this case an medium size Oklahoma Community, and participate in the nursing programs, for the most part using two-way video that originates at the various participating nursing schools.
The Hospital would fund the training of nurse mentors and clinical practitioners that would meet the requirements of the participating institutions. The nursing mentor is responsible for integrating the clinical experiences for local students at the Hospital. After eight months of a pilot program that has focused on developing the educational component between the Hospital and partnering Institution, we believe that with the appropriate modifications, this program will be able to meet the current and future needs of the Hospital and the Oklahoma community.
Therefore, a community-based undergraduate nursing program has been developed and implemented to educate new nursing students who will have the opportunity to live and work in their home community. This program is designed to partner an academic nursing program with a local community hospital for the purpose of increasing the supply of nurses into the workforce which will better serve the community for the near and distant future.
Please have look at this program is has great potential. Thanks, Lorne
This structural nursing shortage creates tremendous financial burdens on hospital operating budgets. Direct costs of filling a vacant nursing position are 100% of a nurse’s annual salary. These costs do not include softer hidden costs such as liability payments and the "costs of chaos” incurred as a result of having agency nurses providing care in a setting in which they are unfamiliar with the local policies and procedures.
The healthcare industry has typically addressed high RN vacancy rates by accelerating perks for experienced nurses and hiring more new graduate nurses. Perks are costly and result in one facility trying to outdo another, which escalates costs even more. High RN vacancy rates increase the pressure to get new graduates oriented and working as soon as possible. As a result, new graduates are under pressure to perform in life-threatening situations without prior experience. The inability to handle the pressure and resultant stress is reflected in the turnover rates of new graduate RN’s at 35 to 60 percent within the first 12 months of employment.
The Solution?
About five years ago we proposed a unique approach in order to solve the nursing shortage. Recognizing a long identified problem of not having an RN program available to citizens in the Stillwater area, this proposal suggests that the Hospital form a partnership with eLearning Innovations, Inc. located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Hospital provides clinical experiences for local students enrolled in the nursing programs that would be provided by partnering institutions and delivered by two-way video as well as courses via Internet and online. Students live in their home community, in this case an medium size Oklahoma Community, and participate in the nursing programs, for the most part using two-way video that originates at the various participating nursing schools.
The Hospital would fund the training of nurse mentors and clinical practitioners that would meet the requirements of the participating institutions. The nursing mentor is responsible for integrating the clinical experiences for local students at the Hospital. After eight months of a pilot program that has focused on developing the educational component between the Hospital and partnering Institution, we believe that with the appropriate modifications, this program will be able to meet the current and future needs of the Hospital and the Oklahoma community.
Therefore, a community-based undergraduate nursing program has been developed and implemented to educate new nursing students who will have the opportunity to live and work in their home community. This program is designed to partner an academic nursing program with a local community hospital for the purpose of increasing the supply of nurses into the workforce which will better serve the community for the near and distant future.
Please have look at this program is has great potential. Thanks, Lorne
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