LTMS 510 Experiences - Week 15 Blog Post

This is my last post on this blog since this semester is about finish but one thing is for sure that i will be using blogs regularly going forward.

I have learned so much from our Professor Michelle Krill about different learning technologies which are not even helpful to certain age group but it covers almost all the age groups and all the working environments as well as for academic studies.

Here are the key things i learned from this subject.

Virtual Worlds:

A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment navigated and experienced by one or more users. Over the past several years educators 
have begun exploring virtual worlds as a powerful medium for instruction.

Some might compare virtual worlds to video games, and while it is true that many virtual environments have similarities to 3D multi-player online role-play games, there are also many differences.  For example, virtual worlds do not typically contain strong back-stories or leveling. There are seldom game-like goals in virtual worlds (unless designed specifically by the users). Virtual worlds do compare to multi-user games in that they consist of persistent spaces made available by networked computers. Virtual worlds also provide inhabitants synchronous interactions not only between individuals but also the environment. Modern systems provide high resolution graphics, human like avatars, and real-time motion to provide an immersive 3D experience comparable to virtual reality. While virtual worlds provide a sense of place, multi-user virtual worlds also provide a sense of community. A benefit of virtual worlds in education is that they are easily customizable by the users. However, it is the sense of community that makes virtual environments a powerful tool for online education.

Simulations:

Simulations helps in e-Learning a lot in my opinion because it allows the experience to be created and re-created as per the need. This will allow the learners to practice in real life scenarios as if they are actually in it. This helps them to learn faster and more efficiently.

Regular training is a must for companies to stay ahead of the competition and keep the employees’ skills up to date or in compliance with the law. But the task in hand is easier said than done. With technological advances, employees have to learn new skills, techniques or processes at close intervals and that can be challenging for many companies. Application training often requires hands-on practice on machines or software – which many times- is not available during the training session. By the time they are available, the learners are already expected to know their way around the application, which reveals a startling gap in learning. While hands-on simulators and simulation-based training is not new – especially in fields like medicine, aviation or the military, they are now being utilized for other forms of training as well, including Application Training.

Shared Knowledge resources:

Knowledge sharing is effective in the companies with a flexible, decentralized organizational structure.When new knowledge is created at a more operational level, it can become a great challenge for management to spread and harness this new knowledge through the organization. As both managers and leaders play equally important part as committed employees in creating a vibrant community, knowledge transfer is more successful in a highly flexible and responsive environment.

Blogging:

Blogs are great for learning from others, reflection, story sharing, facilitating connections among people, philosophizing, and much more. Writing a blog is a learning activity, of course,  but reading the best blogs that are available is one of my most productive learning experiences.

Blogging is my chief way of making sense of things. Blogs are obviously great ways to consolidate personal learning, but as it is such a great CMS I think that it lends itself exceptionally well to broadcasting content of a non-blog nature, or with multiple authors, as the centerpiece of an informal learning network. I have set up a blog using Blogger and use this as an occasional reflection tool.  I am enjoying linking other tools to my blog.

Social Learning via Social Media:

Social media and social learning are as much the same as French fries and French toast. In other words, they’re different (but both wonderful).

Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Interest make it easy and motivate people to connect, share information, and develop relationships. Yet they can also provide the means to wander aimlessly, discovering people and information that may serve no value when it comes to learning.

When using these sites in the classroom, specific goals, directions, and guidelines on how to reach them (such as input from an instructor or lesson plan) can be used to facilitate formal social learning. However, social learning can also occur informally, without a pre-defined leader or curriculum, when topics originate organically from the learners themselves—for example, a group of students who get together to study for an upcoming test.

Social learning strategist and designer Tom Spiglanin explains social learning and social media exist separately, but social media can be used in support of social learning.

Learning Management System:

Modern training needs to be easy and accessible. A learning management system (LMS) allows you to create, distribute and track training anywhere, on any device.

The LMS has become a powerful tool for consulting companies that specialize in staffing and training, extension schools, and any corporation looking to get a better grasp on the continuing education of its workforce. Its impact has been felt mostly outside of traditional education institutions, though the same technological and market forces are dramatically changing today’s classroom as well.

Reflect on Second life experience – Week 14 Blog Post

In Second Life terminology, an experience is a set of avatar interactions created by one or more scripted objects.  With an experience key, creators can build their experiences so that a user only needs to grant avatar permissions once for the entire experience rather than separately for each scripted object within it.  These permissions allow the experience to animate your avatar, attach items to your avatar, track your camera, control your camera, teleport your avatar, and alter your movement controls.

The open-ended environment of this virtual community is part of SECOND LIFE'S appeal and charm, and there’s ample opportunity for kids to flex their creative muscles (though the tools to do so are somewhat clunky). Visitors will find socializing, entertainment, games, and abundant opportunities for learning (sit in on a classroom discussion, run a business, and learn to play an instrument). Plus, they can buy, sell, and develop land; build structures, and shop. Avatars can even fly! Certainly, there’s nearly as much to do in this world as there is in the real world. But that’s what also makes it a dangerous environment for kids. Without the safeguards that were in place at Teen Second Life, teens are more likely to wander into -- intentionally or unintentionally -- adult-themed areas or overhear inappropriate conversations or chat with someone who isn’t who they claim to be. Yes, it’s an engaging, creative place full of endless possibilities. But left unchecked or unmonitored, that may also present the biggest concern.

Second Life allows for great expression and creativity and customization of ones avatar. The freedom is endless in Second Life. The creator of SL has as his signature in the SLforums a quote by Mahatma Gandhi "You must be the change you wish to see in the world. " Second life is user created. 99.9% of what you see in world was made by a member. There is no game to second life but there are many games in second life. Anything you can dream, you can build. Well at least you can try to build it,lol. Second life is the closest thing the the met averse I have seen. They recently made joining completely free. You only need pay a fee if you wish to own land. No the graphics aren't cutting edge, but the creativity and imagination behind what you find in world is top notch. It's not for everyone, but you will never know if it is for you until you try it. And even if it is not what you expected second life gives you the tools to make it what you want it to be. It is definitely worth checking out.

Mobile E-Learning – Week 13 Blog Post

Mobile Learning (mlearning) is a revolution in e-Learning. Learn everything about the trends, the advantages and many more from our top eLearning authors.

Most organizations are now open to the idea of taking advantage of the increase in smartphone and tablet use in the workplace mobile learning for eLearning delivery. This increases the availability and accessibility of training for the employees, who can now utilize their time learning even when out of office. But the increasing use of mobile-enabled learning content creates a set of challenges for eLearning developers. Here is how effective mobile learning design can be the first step to successful mobile learning delivery.

Here are some mobile learning design strategies to deliver impactful learning through mobile devices:

1.      Design innovations.
Mobile learning courses should be built with a design that ensures easy navigation as ease-of-use should be the priority. Even if the courses are textual, there should be an effort to keep on-screen text minimal by employing design strategies. For instance, when creating an informative course for an organization, explanations about the various safety laws that govern a country were imparted as simple interactivity of click-to-reveal within the image. Not only did it lessen the OST, but enhanced learners’ interest by giving them “something to do”.

2.      Interactive diagrams.
To make learning more interesting and provide real mobile learning designers can introduce various graphics into the courses. In addition to generic images that lighten up the screen, informative graphics provide impactful learning opportunities. For instance, for learning courses that explain the procedure of evacuation during an emergency, we utilized an interactive diagram outlining the procedures in a sequential and logical manner. It not only facilitated effective reading on mobile devices, but also increased the recall ability of the learners.

3.      Acronyms.
This may need some creative thinking, but acronyms can be included to help learners remember with ease and for long. The acronyms can also be made interesting by adding clickable details, which help in gaining learner interest and make the content suitably detailed. In the case of concepts crucial to the learning outcome, this can be an interesting way to increase learner interest and enable them to remember and apply the knowledge at the workplace, whenever necessary.

4.      Embedded video.
With increased technological development, mobile devices can now support a lot of different media elements. This has created a number of options for mobile learning designers. The inclusion of video in the courseware can add to the interactivity within the courseware and make it more appealing to the learner. If the courseware is text-extensive, the video element grabs the learners’ attention and retains it for long. Mobile learning courses that have a short video at the beginning of the program can help learners understand the scope and relevance of the learning material.

5.      Mobile assessments.
Most eLearning courses include assessments that can reflect how much the learner has learned as well as retained. Mobile assessments of various types can help instructors, as well as learners, analyze the learning effort. Most mobile learning courses can be accessed through different devices and the learning impact becomes huge when assessments are also accessed on these devices. The scores and progress can be automatically synched, and the learner can resume from where he left.

Hence, it can be concluded that mobile learning has moved on from the nascent stage and that there is a vast choice for mobile learning developers that can create impressive mobile learning design to make learning impactful as well as interesting. The learning design and technology used to deliver mobile learning need to go hand in hand for the success of mobile learning delivery.

Reference: http://elearningindustry.com/impressive-mobile-learning-design-first-step-successful-mobile-learning-delivery

Simulations in e-Learning: The power of experiential learning - Week12

Having simulations in any learning section helps the learner to tackle the real time scenarios which help them learn faster and the knowledge provided during the learning session with simulations help them remember the lessons for long time because overall it becomes an experience rather than just learning . 

There are varieties of learning games which helps in stimulating the scenarios for learners. 

digital specializes in gasification design, implementing embedded, collaborative, simulation and immersive game experiences for clients, including The Walt Disney Company, Yum Brands, Cisco Systems, Genentech/Roche, and other organizations. digital staff includes game developers from Electronic Arts, who help our instructional designers align game theory and gameplay with instructional design to better engage the “game-based generation”.

Embedded games are sometimes called “casual” or “extrinsic” games. These games allow learners to engage with the content in a fun way, while reinforcing the learning objectives through play. Embedded gaming strategies can include drag-n-drop, sequencing, matching, trivia, etc.

digital develops custom embedded games or you can use our Direct-to-WEBrapid content authoring tool within our proprietary, learning management system, Knowledge Direct, to create interactive eLearning using Microsoft PowerPoint.

Embedded games are a simple way to include game-based learning in your organization.

Game Based Simulations

Digital Interactive is a strong proponent of the “Learning by Doing” model, pioneered by Jean Piaget. For a game-based simulation, Digital’s instructional designers apply game design and modeling. The simulations enable learners to apply their knowledge and skills in a simulated environment.

To create more engagement, Digital’s unique Story Arc simulations combine story and simulation to create engaging problem-based learning experiences, where learners can live out the experiences, as they would in the real world.
Digital has designed and developed Story Arc simulations for Disney, Yum! Brands restaurants, Hilton Worldwide, Symantec Corporation and many others. For the Florida Virtual School, digital designed the Virtual Frog Dissection game for middle school students. 

Reference: http://www.digitecinteractive.com/game-based-learning-simulations/ 

Virtual World & Virtual Reality – Week 11 Post

Virtual reality is making a big comeback, and virtual worlds are being rebranded as virtual reality right and left. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that — immersive virtual worlds are a natural fit for virtual reality.

But virtual reality is more than just virtual worlds with extra immersion. “Immersion squared” or — with audio — “immersion cubed.”

There are some key differences that experience designers need to be aware of.

1. The 3D effect is natural

The user doesn’t just come to identify with their avatar on a screen — the user actually is inside that avatar, inside the virtual world. No extra cognitive leap is required to think of the virtual world as a real place.

2. Forced first person view

The camera can’t loiter around the avatar’s shoulders, or fly around, or zoom in on in-world objects or displays, or hold still for pre-made animated scenes. Any unnatural camera movement not only destroys immersion, but increases vertigo and could make users nauseous.

The forced first person view also makes the entire virtual experience far more subjective, since the user is right in the middle of it. Things are flying at you, not at the avatar.

3. No distractions

With a traditional viewer, a virtual world is only a click away — or a flick of the eyes away — from a Web browser, or an email inbox, or whatever is on the user’s desk or elsewhere in their surrounding physical environment.

While wearing a virtual reality headset, you cant look away, or have the physical world distract you. There is no break to the “flow” of being in the immersive environment.

4. Isolation

What this lack of distraction can also lead to is isolation. You feel as though it’s just you and the virtual world — and the things in it — and it’s harder to ask for help, except to someone else who is also in the world.

5. Vulnerability

When playing a scary video game or watching a movie, you can always glance away from the screen to the living room around you to reassure yourself that you’re not in any actual danger from the on-screen monsters. The same applies to traditional virtual worlds.

The intelligent, modern part of your brain knows that the virtual environment is just that — virtual — but the primitive part your brain where your fear responses live isn’t smart enough to tell the difference.

With virtual reality the safety net of the external visual cues gets removed. It’s just you and the virtual space.

Reference: http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2014/08/5-key-differences-between-virtual-worlds-and-virtual-reality/

Podcasting – Week 10 Post

The word “podcasting” is a portmanteau combining the words “broadcasting” and “iPod.” In case you have had your head in the sand recently or don’t keep up with popular technology an iPod is a portable music player produced by Apple Computers. Apple was lucky/smart enough that their brand was wrapped into a term for a new technology much like the Sony Walkman becoming the popular name for a portable radio/cassette player or inline skates being called “rollerblades”, which is brand name for a company that produced inline skates.

Although podcasting first found popularity within the techie set, it has since caught on with the general public. Log on to one of several podcast sites on the Web, and you can download content ranging from music to philosophy to sports. Podcasting combines the freedom of blogging with digital audio technology to create an almost endless supply of content. Some say this new technology is democratizing the once corporate-run world of radio.

Podcasting is a free service that allows Internet users to pull audio files (typically MP3s) from a podcasting Web site to listen to on their computers or personal digital audio players. The term comes from a combination of the words iPod (a personal digital audio player made by Apple) and broadcasting. Even though the term is derived from the iPod, you don't need an iPod to listen to a podcast. You can use virtually any portable media player or your computer.

Unlike Internet radio, users don't have to 'tune in' to a particular broadcast. Instead, they download the podcast on demand or subscribe via an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, which automatically downloads the podcast to their computers. The technology is similar to that used by TiVo, a ­personal video recorder that lets users set which programs they'd like to record and then automatically records those programs for later viewing.

In this article, you'll learn how podcasting works, discover where to find podcasts and how to listen to them. You'll also find out what tools you need to create your own podcast and how to promote it, as well as hear what industry analysts have to say about the future of this burgeoning technology and its counterpart, video podcasting.

Reference:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/podcasting.htm

https://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/230/what-is-a-podcast/

Blogging – Week 9 Post

Blog, short for web log, an online, regularly updated journal or newsletter that is readily accessible to the general public by virtue of being posted on a website. Blogs typically report and comment on topics of interest to the author, and are usually written and posted using software specifically designed to facilitate blogging; they include hyperlinks to other websites and, often, photos, video clips, and the like. The most recent entry by the blogger is posted at the beginning of the blog, with earlier entries following in reverse chronological order; comments and other responses to the blog by readers are often posted after each entry. 

Although some bloggers have (or have achieved) prominence and expertise that makes them as influential in politics and other areas as established journalists, reviewers, and critics (some of which maintain blogs themselves), many bloggers reach relatively few readers and discuss matters of largely personal interest. Blogs also have been used by politicians, businesses, and others to keep voters, customers, and the like informed on matters of common interest; they can function as a significant alternative to television, newspapers, and other mainstream media, especially in nations where the media are controlled or censored by the government. Bloggers have at times broken important news stories or marshalled public opinion on a matter of public interest.
Online journals first appeared in the early 1990s. The development in the late 1990s of software that made updating an online journal easier and the subsequent rise of websites that specialized in hosting blogs spurred the rapid growth of blogging in the first years of the 21st cent., and by the mid-2000s there were millions of blogs on the Internet. By the end of 2010, however, social networking services such as Facebook and microblogging services such as Twitter had superseded blogs in some areas.

This is a BIG one that so many people overlook. Before you start blogging, take a look at your schedule – work, family, exercise, all of it. How much time do you really have to dedicate to your blog? If it’s an hour a week, that’s great, but it’s unlikely that you’ll publish 3 posts per week in that hour.

It’s important when you start blogging, to be consistent, so don’t make the mistake of putting too much pressure on yourself. Here’s my recommendation… Set the goal of writing one post per week and if you find that’s too easy, then try for 2 posts per week. Depending on your topic and your persona, that may be more than enough.

Reference:

 http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/blog.aspx

https://theblogpress.com/blog/5-questions-answer-start-blogging/

edWeb

edWeb:

edWeb is a social and learning network which helps provide lot of information in various fields. It helps students learn new things which are out there with very detailed explanation. The people who post on this networking site are faculties, teacher and librarians shares their views with others.

edWeb is a place where educators who are looking for different ways of improving educational qualities and improve teaching can get together and share their knowledge with others to help them enhance their knowledge and teaching abilities.

Everyone in today’s world are trusty for knowledge and they want everything on the go, this platform provides just that and more. This platform allows the educators to get together on the social network, conduct web seminars and engage in more diverse conversations to provide and share knowledge with each other.

Here are few things this portal provides:

• Focused exclusively on professional collaboration in education
• Provides outstanding free professional learning programs
• Has privacy options to support educators’ needs
• Is not blocked by schools/districts
• Provides easy, yet robust Web 2.0 tools
• Provides the personal training and support that educators need to move forward faster with technology

Collaborative Online Software (Web 2.0)

Online Collaboration Tools

They have a language of their own 

Multi-taskers 

Goal-oriented 

Consume a great deal of information at lightning speed.

Web 2.0 

Students and new technology

Literacy using digital tools - the ability to locate, organize, understand, evaluate, and analyze information using digital technology. 

Go the following URL:

Wiki practical example for online collaboration of gifted education.

http://csiugifted.wikispaces.com/

Windows Live

•       is a set of services and software products offered by Microsoft

•        Most are Web applications, i.e. accessible from a browser . But some are application that can be installed.

•       Free service – just requires registration. Can buy a subscription for around $35/year which removes ads and expiration limits.

•       Like other web based services – not endorsed by UWO. Concerns with privacy and security of information. Should not be used for any sensitive or confidential information.

•       Corporate version is available which mitigates some of those concerns. 

Microsoft Live@edu offers education institutions free, hosted, co-branded communication and collaboration services for students, faculty, and alumni. Microsoft Live@edu can:

•       Provision cloud-based email.

•       Provide enterprise-class tools.

•       Enable online document sharing and storage.

•       Help improve alumni communication.

Office 365 for education

Office 365 for education will combine the familiar Office desktop suite with online versions of Microsoft’s next-generation communications and collaboration services. The offering will be available in the summer of 2012. Live@edu customers will transition Office 365 for education.

Wikipedia has good Information about Windows Live

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Live

SharePoint

•        at its most basic level, a document library sharing space accessible via a web browser.

•        check in/out  as well as versioning for documents.

•        Gantt chart to track multiple projects through timelines.

•        in addition it can provide meeting spaces, calendar, discussion boards, picture libraries, surveys, Wikis, Blogs, project management.

•        Integration with Microsoft Office.

•       has built in support for mobile devices.

•       Currently using it for:

•        Web Project management.

•        Committee document sharing for both internal and external reviewers.

•        Faculty collaboration with other faculty, students in WE, Western and other institutions including industry partners.

Videoconferencing

• Allows two or more locations to communicate simultaneously with both audio and video.

•        Engineering has Tandberg systems installed in rooms 3102 and 3109 of SEB. These systems are scheduled through ITG and LARG*net bridge. These systems support IP and ISDN connections. You can connect these systems to MULTIPLE sites both within and outside of Western at the same time.

•        Also available is a Polycom system which supports an IP based connection.

•        DCR has Skype. ITG is going to be outfitting SEB 2009A/B with similar capability.

Analysis on 2015 Horizon Report

Latest Trends in Educational Technology Use Identified in 2015 Horizon Report

This is the analysis on Horizon Report for 2015 on examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in schools.

The report identifies six key trends, six significant challenges, and six important developments in educational technology across three adoption horizons spanning over the next one to five years, giving campus leaders, educational technologists, and faculty a valuable guide for strategic technology planning. The report provides higher education leaders with in-depth insight into how trends and challenges are accelerating and impeding the adoption of educational technology, along with their implications for policy, leadership, and practice.

“The release of this report kicks off the 14th year of the NMC Horizon Project, which has sparked crucial conversations and progressive strategies in institutions all over the world,”says Larry Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the NMC. “We are so appreciative of ELI’s continued support and collaboration. Together we have been able to regularly provide timely analysis to universities and colleges.”

“This year’s report addresses a number of positive trends that are taking root in higher education,” notes ELI Director Malcolm Brown. “More institutions are developing programs that enable students and faculty to create and contribute innovations that advance national economies, and they are also reimagining the spaces and resources accessible to them to spur this kind of creativity.”

Key Trends Accelerating Higher Education Technology Adoption

The NMC Horizon Report  of 2015 Higher Education Edition identifies “Advancing Cultures of Innovation” and “Rethinking How Institutions Work” as long-term impact trends that for years affected decision-making and will continue to accelerate the adoption of educational technology in higher education over the next five years. “Redesigning Learning Spaces” and the “Shift to Deeper Learning Approaches” are mid-term impact trends expected to drive technology use in the next three to five years; meanwhile, “Growing Focus on Measuring Learning” and “Increasing Use of Blended Learning” are short-term impact trends, anticipated to impact institutions for the next one to two years before becoming commonplace.

Significant Challenges Impeding Higher Education Technology Adoption

A number of challenges are acknowledged as barriers to the mainstream use of technology in higher education. “Blending Formal and Informal Learning” and “Improving Digital Literacy” are perceived as solvable challenges, meaning they are well-understood and solutions have been identified. “Competing Models of Education” and “Personalizing Learning” are considered difficult challenges, which are defined and well understood but with solutions that are elusive. Described as wicked challenges are “Balancing Our Connected and Unconnected Lives” and “Keeping Education Relevant.” Challenges in this category are complex to define, making them more difficult to address.

Important Developments in Educational Technology for Higher Education

Additionally, the report identifies bring your own device (BYOD) and learning analytics and adaptive learning as digital strategies and technologies expected to enter mainstream use in the near-term horizon of one year or less. Augmented and virtual reality technologies and maker spaces are seen in the mid-term horizon of two to three years; affective computing and robotics are seen emerging in the far-term horizon of four to five years.

Reference: http://facdevblog.niu.edu/2016horizonreport

Learnings from Week 5 session – Media and online Tutorials

Media: “Social media is the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue.”

via: Wikipedia

Blogs, Podcasts, Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube 

All driven by RSS feeds - simple mechanism that’s built in

These allow people to subscribe, follow, friend and connect.

79% of adults use internet

Half use at least 1 social networking site

Average age of adult social network site user has shifted from 33 to 38 years old.  Over half of all adult users are now over the age of 35!

92% use Facebook

29% use MySpace

18% use LinkedIn

13% use Twitter

52% of Facebook users and 33% of Twitter users engage with the platform daily, while only 7% of MySpace and 6% of LinkedIn users do the same.

Source: Pew Internet “Social networking sites and our lives” survey, 2011

Social Networking Do’s:

Be transparent. Be “you.”

Pictures speak louder than words - use them.

Coordinate your personality on all networks.

Make a blog the “hub” of your social media network.

Allow your company “evangelist” freedom.

Publish a social media policy for employees.

Don’ts:

Be anonymous

Forget to check your networks

Forget to post something fresh

Be a Weiner!

Learnings from week 4 – Copyright and Fair Use – Feb 2

What is Fair Use?

Talking in general, a fair use is any copying of copyrighted materials done for a limited and "transformative" purpose, and it is to comment upon and criticize or parody already copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner. Saying this in another word, fair use is defense against a claim of copyright infringement.

So i would wonder what is "transformative" purpose, If this definition seems ambiguous, be aware that millions of dollars in legal fees have been paid attempting to define what qualifies as a fair use. There are no hard and fast rule, only general rules and varied court decisions, because the judges and law makers who created the fair use exception did not want to limit its definition.

Most fair use analysis falls into two categories. 

Commentary and Criticism

If you are commenting upon or critiquing a copyrighted work — for instance, writing a book review — fair use principles allow you to reproduce some of the work to achieve your purposes. Some examples of commentary and criticism include:

• quoting a few lines from a Bob Dylan song in a music review
• summarizing and quoting from a medical article on prostate cancer in a news report
• copying a few paragraphs from a news article for use by a teacher or student in a lesson, or
• copying a portion of a Sports Illustrated magazine article for use in a related court case.

The underlying rationale of this rule is that the public reaps benefits from your review, which is enhanced by including some of the copyrighted material. Additional examples of commentary or criticism are provided in the examples of fair use cases.

Parody

A parody is a work that ridicules another, usually well-known work, by imitating it in a comic way. Judges understand that, by its nature, parody demands some taking from the original work being parodied. Unlike other forms of fair use, a fairly extensive use of the original work is permitted in a parody in order to “conjure up” the original. 

Learnings from Week 3 – Management Systems – Jan 26

Modern training needs to be easy and accessible. A learning management system (LMS) allows you to create, distribute and track training anywhere, on any device.

Over the past 20 years, powerful software for managing complex databases has been combined with digital frameworks for managing curriculum, training materials, and evaluation tools. The LMS allows anyone to create, track, manage and distribute learning materials of any kind. Nearly a ten billion-dollar industry, LMS products and software allow any organization to develop electronic coursework, deliver it with unprecedented reach and flexibility, and manage its continued use over time.

The LMS has become a powerful tool for consulting companies that specialize in staffing and training, extension schools, and any corporation looking to get a better grasp on the continuing education of its workforce. Its impact has been felt mostly outside of traditional education institutions, though the same technological and market forces are dramatically changing today’s classroom as well.

The traditional application of an LMS is in educational institutions. Learning management systems have been used for several years to deliver courseware in schools and popularize e-learning. In the last few decades, companies have been using learning management systems to deliver training to internal employees and customers. The technology has become a powerful tool for consulting companies that specialize in staffing and training, extension schools, and any corporation looking to get a better grasp on the continuing education of its workforce. Its impact has been felt mostly outside of traditional education institutions, though the same technological and market forces are dramatically changing today’s classroom as well.

Below is a quick review of some of the common aspects of the LMS industry, a few of its strengths and limitations, and a peek at what the future may hold.

What are some of the common aspects of the LMS industry? What are the strengths and limitations, of an LMS? What does the future hold for learning management systems in education, and in business?

Components of an LMS

There are close to 600 varieties of LMS available for purchase today. Each is unique, and possesses a feature set to meet the needs of a variety of trainers and educators. Some common components or features that can be found in many eLearning platforms include:

Rosters: A digital roll call sheet for tracking attendance and for sending invitations to class participants.

Registration Control: The ability to monitor and customize the registration processes of elearning curriculum.

Document Management: Upload and management of documents containing curricular content.

Multiple device access: Delivery of course content over web-based interfaces such as desktops, phones or tablets.

Distributed instructor and student base: Remote participation by the instructor or pupil allows courseware to feature multiple teachers or experts from across the globe.

Course calendars: Creation and publication of course schedules, deadlines and tests.

Student Engagement: Interaction between and among students, such as instant messaging, email, and discussion forums.

Assessment and testing: Creation of varied knowledge retention exercises such as short quizzes and comprehensive exams

Grading and Scoring: Advanced tracking and charting of student performance over time.

Who uses an LMS?

Every business needs to train their employees. Mindflash LMS can be used in any vertical, by any department. Here are a few examples:

Software: Software companies face several training challenges. They need to train customers all over the world on their varied and often complex products. They need to train partners on the best tactics to sell. With the ever changing universe of tools, programming languages and internal products, software companies also need to keep their staff up to date on the latest programs, utilities and company practices.

 Healthcare: Hospitals, medical device companies and clinics are fast paced, complex environments. There are training needs for compliance, device usage, and staff medical procedures. Using an LMS is essential for repeatable, easy to access coursework in healthcare.

Pharmaceutical/Biotech: The pharmaceutical industry is controlled by a host of regulations to make sure its products are safe and effective. Training is ongoing as the technologies, processes and distribution methods of pharmaceutical goods is constantly being updated. Due to the stringent policies for compliance, training and tracking is essential for companies to stay in business and avoid government scrutiny. Using an LMS is vital for a pharmaceutical company.

Marketing and Advertising services: The world of marketing is ever expanding. With multiple mediums to track in the modern landscape such as broadcast media, social media, webinars and paid digital advertising, marketers need to be constantly learning. With an LMS, marketers learn on the fly, keep track of their knowledge with quiz results, and can onboard new marketers with ease.

Common Features of a Corporate LMS

When an LMS is used in corporate training environments, they often have additional features that satisfy goals relating to knowledge management and performance evaluation, such as:

Automatic enrollment: Logic within an LMS which registers and reminds employees for mandatory courses.

Enhanced Security: Many corporate LMS solutions have single sign in, advanced authentication and firewalls to ensure data security.

Whitelabeling: The ability to create online training content that aligns with a company’s brand

Multi Lingual Support: In a globally distributed company, many employees or partners need training in their native languages. A corporate LMS allows training in multiple languages.

Advantages of an LMS

Like many information technology innovations from the past few decades, LMS software is able to add a level of efficiency to companies’ learning systems, with a number of other benefits emerging as well, such as:

• Easily adapting and reusing materials over time.
• More choices for creators of curriculum, such as method of delivery, design of materials, and techniques for evaluation.
• Creating economies of scale that make it less costly for organizations to develop and maintain content for which they used to rely on third parties.
• Improvements in professional development and evaluation, allowing companies to get more value from human resources while empowering individuals with additional tools for self-improvement.

The Future of LMS

The LMS market is booming. With an increasingly mobile population and distributed workforces – the demand for eLearning is at an all-time high. The online training business continues to evolve and adapt to new learning challenges and technological capabilities. Future enhancements of LMS technology:

• Tighter integration into collaborative software platforms and messaging frameworks, such as Salesforce and Zendesk.
• Migration of data storage to network-based methods, commonly known as “the cloud.”
• Further integration with talent management software systems.
• Anytime learning with wearable technology integration
• Faial recognition engagement tracking

Current trends in technology and business are favoring the increase of collaborative, web-based applications, user-oriented design, and other features that are often grouped together under the term “Web 2.0.” By further inverting the traditional forms of interaction between instructors and pupils, and enabling a great amount of content to be created and managed more easily, the future of LMS appears to be a dynamic one.