Bill Brandon
Editor, Learning Solutions, The Learning Guild
Bill Brandon is the editor of Learning Solutions. He has designed, managed, and delivered instruction since 1968, and has been an e-Learning practitioner since 1984. Before becoming the editor in 2002, Bill held instructor and management positions in the United States Navy, Texas Utilities, Atmos Energy, TGI Friday’s, and The Sales Consultancy. The co-author of eight books and the author of dozens of articles on technical topics, he has also developed programs for major conferences and owned a consulting business. He is a past president of the Texas Chapter (now the Dallas Chapter) of ISPI, and for 10 years led the Learning Technology SIG of the Dallas Chapter of ASTD. Bill is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and now lives near Dallas, Texas.
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IMS Global Learning Consortium: Interoperability Standards for Education
Interoperability is a major concern as platforms and technologies for learning proliferate. SCORM and the xAPI, LMSs, and LRSs came about because of attention from government and corporate organizations. But what about the education field? The IMS Global Learning Consortium provides guidance and support for learning technology in organizations worldwide.
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Mobile Disruption and mLearnCon 2013
Mobile learning and support is challenging traditional models of learning that rely on courses. It is happening quickly, and the details can be overwhelming. “Business as usual” is not an effective strategy. The eLearning Guild’s mLearnCon 2013 will be extremely helpful to your efforts—here are some sessions you will want to consider attending for maximum benefit.
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Open Badges: Portable Credentials for Learning
The next target of disintermediation is diplomas, certifications, and other “official” records of learning, skills, and knowledge. A number of organizations are promoting a credentialing approach that awards “badges” directly to learners from providers. Learners can maintain and publicly display their badge portfolios independent of employers. Read about these new initiatives here.
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Supporting Critical Thinking in eLearning
eLearning design (and many authoring tools) may often support rote learning, recall of information, and acquisition of discrete skills, but not use of the information or skills to solve difficult problems, evaluate ideas, or settle arguments. Is there a way to use eLearning to develop or sharpen critical thinking skills? This article explores the question and suggests some answers.
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Book Review: Teach Beyond Your Reach
In her significantly updated and expanded edition of Teach Beyond Your Reach, Robin Neidorf provides new and experienced distance educators with best practices and examples, an overview of tools and platforms, and strategies for dealing with key issues. Read the review here!
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In Memoriam: Joe Harless
Joe Harless, a huge influence for decades on the field of performance improvement, passed away on October 4. We pause a moment to reflect on the man and his contributions.
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Interview: Jason Calacanis on the Future of eLearning
In thinking about the future, it often helps to hear the way that someone from outside the eLearning community sees the way ahead. At mLearnCon 2012, we asked angel investor Jason Calacanis some questions about the future of eLearning and recorded his answers in a short video. You’ll find his vision and insights extremely challenging!
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Book Review: Video Nation, by Jefferson Graham
Do you want to use video in your eLearning content, but don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on equipment, production, and post-production? Looking for help and ideas for short-form Web video? This is the book you need, written by an expert who has produced, edited, and hosted over 300 episodes of USA TODAY’s “Talking Tech” series.
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Interview: B.J. Fogg on “Tiny Habits” and Learning
What we really should be concerned about in producing eLearning is “habit formation.” At mLearnCon 2012, Dr. B. J. Fogg challenged us to rethink what we are doing if we are not creating habits in users and learners. He showed how he is using mobile and social technology to create “tiny habits.” In this video interview, Dr. Fogg explains more about the technique.
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The Resurgence of Performance Support: Allison Rossett
With the emergence of mobile devices and new understanding of the ways that people learn, performance support has become a “must-have” competence for instructional designers. What are the factors that led to this? Allison Rossett offers her insights.