February March April Quick Links

Yes, aLearning has been distracted these past few months with some non-blog projects… so although a few of these resource items are a little older than a month or two, they’ve been re-vetted and we think they’re still worth your attention.

LMS Resources

The most popular topics on this blog are those on LMSes. They get the most initial hits, and some posts that even date back a few years are still getting a lot of attention.

Having said that, here are a few excellent resources — in no particular order — if you’re trying to decide whether to get an LMS or not.

First, Jon Aleckson blogged on the topic here: http://managingelearning.com/2012/02/10/association-lms-yes-or-no/

And you can get a copy of their free white paper, “When is the Right Time to Adopt an LMS” by filling out a quick form here: http://www.webcourseworks.com/adopting-an-lms-white-paper

DigitecInteractive’s white paper on selecting an LMS includes an example timeline for the process: http://www.knowledgedirectweb.com/company1/content/296/8-Steps-to-Selecting-Your-Association_LMS.pdf

Social Learning

An oldie but goodie: “Social Learning Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Does!” from Jane Hart’s “Learning in the Social Workplace” blog. Moving from “Command and Control” to “Encourage and Engage” is sometimes harder than we think. Her charts contrasting these provide a great checklist: http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/blog/2011/09/12/social-learning-doesnt-mean-what-you-think-it-does/

Wondering why you set up a social learning network but nobody’s participating? Get some help from Mary Arnold’s Learning Solutions article, “The Human Factor: Creating Opportunities to Participate in Social Learning.”  Read it here: http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/492/the-human-factor-creating-opportunities-to-participate-in-social-learning

Mobile Learning

Kineo has released a terrific white paper on getting started in mobile learning. “Terrific” because it not only provides the “what” you need to know and do, but examples as well — including images of various applications. Go here to download your copy: http://www.kineo.com/us/elearning-reports/mobile-learning-guide-part-1-designing-it-right.html

General Topics

Avectra’s been offering a Book of the Month, delivering excerpts on all kinds of topics. If you’re not getting the alerts about these, here’s where to sign up: http://www.avectra.com/association-management-resources/resources/book-of-the-month.php

Gotta love the idea of using the “speed dating” technique at a conference or workshop for changing up the same-old, same-old format. How would you incorporate it? (Not my idea, I confess… my source was this: http://blog.hansdezwart.info/2012/02/01/speed-dating-at-the-2012-learning-technologies/)