Posted 8:40 PM by George Siemens
Several weeks ago, I detailed an elearning noncourse. Basically, they intent of the course is to evaluate the effectiveness of non-traditional approaches to learning. This course doesn't have any content...the content is generated through the interaction of participants.

We just finished week one. Here is a summary of the content generated through discussions: Elearning vs. Classrooms.

After one week, I'm surprised by how quickly content can be generated...and the difficulty of learning in different ways. All of us learn constantly...often without even being aware. Yet, when someone says "learning" or "course", there is an immediate gravitation toward traditional roles and behaviours. For example...some days, discussion in the course would be "soft"...and immediately I was tempted to play the instructor role - throw out content/answers etc.

The usual metrics of "is learning happening" change in collaborative learning - and it's disorienting (regular elearning with fixed content is one thing...but true exploratory learning - i.e. content is created through interaction, is more difficult than I anticipated). Amount of content read, volume of discussion, production of essays, etc. are not adequate measures of learning. What is? Relationships formed? Depth of concepts explored? Amount of content generated? Learner confidence?

Posted 8:32 PM by George Siemens
You know those Nigerian email scams? Ever wonder if anyone actually falls for them? Read and weep: Woman falls for Nigerian scam, steals $2.1m from law firm

Posted 2:30 PM by George Siemens
11 Commandments for Controlling Your Email
Quote: "Do you use e-mail effectively? What is the proper etiquette? Three years ago, the Harvard Management Communication Letter issued the ten commandments of e-mail. This article revisits the topic—and adds a new rule."
Comment: Good list...mostly common sense.

Posted 8:55 AM by George Siemens
Guides to elearning in the Workplace - eCLIPSE
Quote: "Want to find out about e-learning, but haven't got time to go on a course?
Want to study the material in your own time and at your own pace - but can only want to tackle a short amount each day?
Want a guide to some of the best e-learning resources available?
Want a more informal approach to learning?
Then sign up for one of our Guides to e-Learning. This will provide you with a daily "dose" of learning (15-30 minutes) that will bring you to up to speed in e-learning in a continuous and immersive manner."
Comment: Some trial versions are free...not sure how long. Great concept...learning provided according to the needs of today's learners.