Carmen Ferrara’s Weblog 2.0

eLearn Magazine polled a group of e-learning experts on what they see as leading trends for 2006. Predictions for 2006

Here are some highlights:

• Increased use of Audio and Video Podcasting as learning tools
• “wikibooks, blogs, Webcasts, and podcasts, 2006 will spur an explosion of media-rich and creative instructional approaches”
• “increased emphasis on free and open content, at the expense of commercial content”
• “a grassroots movement for teaching with small tools outside of learning management systems”
• Further usage of audio, video and streaming multimedia to provide blended learning experiences
• “Audio and video will become more expected in e-learning”
• Collaborative learning via social networking concepts will be prevalent - “less command and control learning”; “it will be less about connecting people with content…and more about connecting people with people.”
• Continued feelings of angst and uncertainty over the Blackboard/WebCT merger
• Migration away from commercial LMSs to open source alternatives such as Moodle, Sakai and others
• Growth of mobile learning and accessibility of content on a variety of devices

Some good stuff here, and provides market validation for a low-cost, yet effective content authoring tool that can generate audio and video learning materials.

I came across this site today: “Mensa Intelligence Test“, and I just had to give it a try. Needless to say, I am not a genius (but I sure am close :]). I spent about 10 minutes on this thing and then gave up. I scored an 18, just one answer shy of “genius” status. Give it try.

I also made a quick screencast of my answers/results. Take a look if you’d like: Carmen’s Mensa Results

I am often on the look out for good, practical tips on creating and delivering PowerPoint presentations. Say what you will about the venerable PPT, but it remains the lingua franca of business and educational communication. I recently came across this excellent post by Guy Kawasaki; “The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint”. Guy has recently started blogging and I’m looking forward to reading his thoughts on start-ups, entrepreneurship and technology. His most recent book, “The Art of the Start” is also very high on my reading list.

Many of the points Guy raises are spot on. I’ve always felt that PowerPoint should be used as an aid in delivering a message, and not serve as the message itself. So, I tend to keep my presentations simple - a few bullets points per slide, not too much text, clear, easy to understand graphics, and no animations or needless distractions. Even though Guy’s post specifically talks about how to create a presentation when pitching a VC, I think his tips could serve as an operating guide for creating a better presentation.