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Open Badges - Latest News

4/30/2015

Open Badges - Latest News

Category: E Learning
by Logan Smith

Earlier this week, IMS Global announced “an initiative to establish Digital Badges as common currency for K-20 and corporate education.”

There seems to be an increased interest and awareness in adopting Digital badges or (Open Badges) amongst several organizations. In the next few weeks SimplyDigi will be releasing its comprehensive Open Badge platform solution.

This new features will not only support the Open Badge standard but will include an Open Badge Digital Backpack. Badges earned from within our system can be stored and reviewed from the digital backpack along with any badges earned outside of the system. All of this and more are included in one easy to use interface.

SimplyDigi is excited to bring its complete Open Badge platform to all of our end users. Look for this and many other new features coming soon in our version 85 software release.

SimplyDigi PDIS Release - Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference

4/18/2015

SimplyDigi PDIS Release - Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference

Category: E Learning
by Logan Smith

SimplyDigi in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDH), is pleased to announce that on April 17, 2015 we released statewide to all employees the Professional Development Information System (PDIS).

CDE/CDH held workshops hosted by Nancie Linville, Kathleen DeVries, Sondra Ranum, Kasey Herndon, Jennifer O’Brien, Ingrid DeRuiter, Sara Herron at this year’s Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference (RMECC) which was held at the Denver Convention Center. More than 2,500 Colorado Early Childhood Professionals were granted hands-on experience with the new PDIS. Participants were able to ask questions while learning about various aspects of the PDIS such as: initial registration; “Colorado Shines QRIS Level 2 Trainings”, “The Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential 2.0, Competencies and Self-Assessments.

Two states, Colorado and Pennsylvania have now adopted the SimplyDigi system which meets and exceeds the requirements for Race to the Top awardees. Colorado expects to have over 50,000 of its Early Learning Professionals using the system on an ongoing yearly basis. Pennsylvania, which went live last year with the SimplyDigi system is now training over 125,000 of its professionals.

One of the break out session rooms where attendees were able to get a hands on experience with the SimplyDigi system.

We are not aware of any other system nationwide that meets or exceeds the capabilities of the SimplyDigi PDIS. If you or your state are looking for a system that meets the requirements for Professional Development, The National Registry, Credentialing, Competency, Workforce Management and so much more, then SimplyDigi can help.

Please, contact us today to learn more about what SimplyDigi can do for you.

2015 Events in Training & Development - Snapshot of present and future trends

4/18/2015

2015 Events in Training & Development
Snapshot of present and future trends

Category: E Learning
by Logan Smith

Industry events in Training & Development - Snapshot of the present and future trends

Simplydigi is attending the ATD International Conference & Exposition - May 17 - 19, 2015, in Orlando.

We are a Gold Sponsor for this event and we invite everyone to come by our booth #1000 and register for a chance to win a free iPad Mini.

Other Top Training & Development events in the US this year

E-learning Guild Performance Support Symposium
JJune 10, 2015, Austin.

The Performance Support Symposium explores the strategies, practices, and technologies being used to deliver 21st-century performance support. It is collocated with the MLEARNCON 2015: MOBILE LEARNING CONFERENCE & EXPO.

mLearnCon 2015 Conference & Expo | Austin, TX
June 10-12, 2015

The mLearnCon explores every aspect of mobile learning in-depth. From mLearning management strategies and best practices to content and design considerations for tablet and smartphone technologies.

SHRM 2015 Annual Conference & Expo
June 28, 2015, Las Vegas.

The SHRM Annual Conference proposes over 200 sessions, keynote speaker sessions, 49+ recertification credits, endless networking and world's largest HR marketplace.

DevLearn - MGM Grand Hotel & Casino | Las Vegas, NV | September 30-October 2, 2015

DevLearn 2015 is a cutting-edge industry event for training and learning professionals who are leading or engaged in their organisations’ use of learning technologies. It is collocated with the Adobe learning Summit.

Learning 2015 - Orlando, Florida | November 1-4, 2015

Learning2015 will feature six fast moving general sessions, led by Elliott Masie, with interviews and stories from major keynote speakers.

Top five Learning @ Development Industry events worldwide-

CIPD Learning & Development Show - Olympia | London
13-14 May 2015

CIPD is one of UK’s leading L&D event with 28 sessions on key topics - learning and talent development, organisation development, neuroscience, technologies and innovation, and leadership development and coaching.

eLearning Africa (eLA 2015) - African Union Headquarters | Addis Ababa
May 20-22, 2015

Elearning Africa is an international conference on ICT for development, education and training.

It is the key networking event for ICT enhanced education and training in Africa.

Learning and Skills Group Conference- Olympia 2 | London
15 June 2015

The Learning and Skills Group Conference is a L&D is an event professionals exploring the trends, practical strategies and technologies driving organisational learning. It is co-located with the Learning Technologies Summer Forum: an exhibition of leading commercial learning providers.

Learning Live 2015 - Bishopsgate | London
9-10 September 2015

LEARNING LIVE is features over 20 focus sessions and seminars, split across five streams. It also includes a free Exhibition, keynote address and a Gala Networking Dinner.

World of Learning Conference and Exhibition - NEC | Birmingham
September 29-30, 2015

Now in its 23rd year, the World of Learning is one of the more comprehensive event for all aspects of Learning and Development (L&D) featuring the latest ideas, technology and services. The exhibition features over 100 suppliers alongside live workshops, one-to-one consultations, free seminars and features such as The Technology Test Drive.

Why these events?

So, why did we pick these events? Simply because all these events have something in common. They are focusing their sessions, keynote speeches, break-out events, meet-ups and expositions on the following themes that are bringing out far-reaching changes in the Training & Development environment.

Themes such as the ones below, but not restricted to -

Gamification - using gaming metaphors and jargon in LMS to accelerate the learning curve and to increase User Engagement.
MOOCs - does unlimited participation and open access have a direct effect on increased user engagement?
Adaptive & Responsive LMS- How efficient are responsive multi-device learning solutions and what are the drawbacks?
New Age Compliance in LMS - faster and secure access for users on compliance, health and safety matters.
Mobile & Small Tech Issues - mlearning accessibility and security issues.
Metrics, Assessment and Data - choosing the right parameters to track, and how analytics done right can boost user engagement.
Leadership Development - how to harness the best practices of business and organisational leadership to train & empower future leaders.
Cyber Threat & Learning - The importance of a trusted, secure virtual environment for learning.
Videos - Open, Short easy-access videos and the impact of IT trends like webRTC on LMS evolution?
Social Ramifications - how different variables influence the Training & Development ecosystem as a whole.

We would like to start a discussion on THE T&D events to attend this year. Have we missed any? Did we get all the current buzzwords and trending topics in LMS and Learning and Development? Let us know. We would love to hear from you.

Course Authoring Tools, Tips and Tidbits Part 3

11/20/2014

Course Authoring Tools - Part 3

Category: Course Authoring Tools, Tips and Tidbits Part 3
by Logan Smith

I am always on the hunt for good tools that I can use for e-learning, editing courses, video, sound files, pictures, HTML, DVD's etc.

I personally have no problem paying for great products that make my life easier. I do not mind paying because if I find a great tool I want it to be around for more then one to three years.

I want to mention a couple tools for use on the PC and then finish up with a few photo editing / screen grab tools.

Classic Shell: Any time I rebuild a PC or use Windows 8.1 I cannot do anything until I first install Classic Shell. Since many of you are now upgrading to Windows 8.1 you may find it awkward to use the computer without your start button. Classic Shell brings that function back and has been around now for about 4 years. The program is free but the developer does ask for donations on his website.

TeamViewer This is a great program for viewing a remote PC or helping someone with a problem. It will allow you to remote control any computer or Mac over the internet within seconds and it is free for personal use.

Photo Editing

If you are going to be creating courses then it is always wise to have some type of basic photo editing software available. The most common is Adobe Photoshop but this can be expensive for departments with small budgets. The other problem with Photoshop is the learning curve which is quite high. Most course editors are looking for a program that can do basic image editing such as shrink or re-size an image or do basic cropping. Two products you can check out are:

Pixlr.com Free photo editing product, this product is the most like Photoshop. It’s a straightforward photo-editing tool that allows you crop, size, and tweak etc. your image and it is free.

Serif Photo Plus The PhotoPlus Starter Edition is a free version of the paid software suite that gives users nice elementary tools to edit photos. The software covers the basics but if you want more advanced features you can pay and upgrade the product so as to access advanced photo editing tools.

Course Authoring Tools, Tips and Tidbits Part 2

11/14/2014

Course Authoring Tools - Part 2

Category: Course Authoring
by Logan Smith

In this article i want to focus on a frequent question, what is the best tool for creating online course content. I would answer that question by first asking a question. What is it you are trying to accomplish?

A good mechanic will carry many tools in his toolbox so that he has the right tool for the right job. You would not expect a mechanic to show up at your door with just a hammer. Course authoring is much the same, there is no one right tool that will do all things.

Courses Break Down
Let's look at some of the aspects of a typical course. A typical course may contain
HTML markup, text, pictures, videos, charts, quiz, or screenshot images.

Today many people use the SCORM 1.2 format as their preferred course output medium. (We have in the past and will in the future discuss SCORM in depth) for now think of a SCORM 1.2 package as an output type. (Much like a MS Word user would create a .doc output type. )

Once you have created your SCORM Zip package your learning management system - LMS should know how to process the file once upload to your LMS.

SCORM is one type of course output there are many course authoring products on the market today. The price of each package and the skill level required to use them is quite wide.

DevLearn 2014 - Las Vegas

11/12/2014

DevLearn 2014 - Las Vegas

Category: e-Learning Events & Gatherings
by Logan Smith

devlearn

We had a great time at this years DevLearn event. It was great seeing and visiting with so many of our clients. We saw a lot of old friends and made a lot of new ones.

This year the big take away from the conference was the new Experience API and whether it will be widely adopted. We got the sense that many attendees were not convinced while others were working hard to sell its benefits. Will the Experience API receive wide spread adoption? Time will tell, we feel it is still early in the game, and from the casual polling of attendees we spoke to; not many were using the API nor thinking of adopting it any time soon.

Many of the attendees had questions about various components found within the SimplyDigi learning system which we were happy to demo and share with them. We also discussed with attendees their own plans and training strategies for the upcoming year. We were happy to have helped many of the attendees with suggestions and ideas for their own corporate training initiatives. Thank you to everyone that allowed us to share how SimplyDigi can help take your online learning environment to a whole new level.

ipad mini

Ipad Mini Giveaway - Winner

Congratulations to the first of two iPad Mini Winners from DevLearn 2014 - Jacklyn Flores from MAPR Technologies is the first of two winners for the iPad mini.

We are reaching out this week and next to those of you that registered for a demo. We will be drawing the second winner from the pool of individuals that confirm a demo date. Be watching here for your name as we will post the second winner on our blog.

E-Learning Live - Higher Impact From Interaction

1/17/2012

eLearning Live - Higher Impact from Interaction

Category: eLearning
by Logan Smith

We all know the benefits of well constructed and accurately targeted training. It’s what all Learning Management Systems are designed to do. How well the competing LMS accomplish that goal is a discussion for another time.

Today I want to look at stretching beyond the traditional reach of learning management systems, beyond the provision of online lessons and downloadable material, to the immediate impact of live learning – or indeed live interaction for any number of purposes.

Digicast is an add-on for the Simplydigi Learning Management System and it gives the opportunity for that instant responsiveness that defines live interpersonal communication.

As a method of tutoring it allows not just the presentation of material in the same manner as would be achieved in a face-to-face class, but the chance for students to interact with the tutor. As we know, true question and answer sessions are of tremendous help not only to the people involved but to all those around them.

Digicast can bring the advantages of the classroom atmosphere to participants in many different locations at the same time. All that’s needed is a computer, an internet connection and a phone line (for audio conferencing). It can be delivered to a presentation screen in conference environment or to a laptop on a train. It can use audio, video and multi-media and what’s more sessions can be archived for future reference.

Teaching is an obvious role, but there are many others. In fact it’s a system that’s extremely useful whoever you want to reach.

Groups can come together for problem-solving sessions. Sales teams can be given the latest product updates and actually watch new features being demonstrated. Widely dispersed personnel can be brought together in an organization’s decision making processes. Students can share a live chat room. A business could implement a help desk with personnel that customers can actually see.

Anywhere there’s a requirement for provision of information and/or response to that information, Digicast offers an efficient solution.

It can make the learning experience more involving, which tends to lead to higher retention rates. It can help develop relationships because people can actually speak to one another. It can reduce the misunderstandings that occur when people communicate via email.

There can also be considerable financial incentive for employing such a system. People can be brought together from around the world – without actually needing to travel. Those same people can make decisions faster, meaning cost-saving or productivity-increasing measures are put into action more quickly. Indeed anything that clarifies or accelerates understanding is generally beneficial to those involved.

But there’s a price to pay, yes? You can’t expect to get all these advantages and all these possibilities without a hefty bill.

Well while we’re not giving them away, as an add-on to the Simplydigi Learning Management System we think you’ll find it a surprisingly affordable component. Once again we would rather talk investment than cost, because it’s something that we suspect you’ll find increasingly numerous and important uses for.

Kenya Plans to Roll Out eLearning Initiative

9/28/2011

Kenya Plans to Roll Out eLearning Initiative

Category: eLearning
by Logan Smith

The United States has access to the most advanced technologies; we have education resources and training tools as well as various electronics and gadgets for our amusement. We are so used to having the newest and next best thing that we forget how technologically advanced we are compared to the rest of the world. Many countries are just now realizing the benefits of offering online learning for academics and skills training. Many other countries know the benefits but have not been able to find room in their budgets for the advancements.

Kenya is one of the hopeful countries looking to establish a web-based society in the near future. One report from 2006 explained how the New Department for Africa’s Development was working closely with Kenya’s government to introduce an e-learning primary and secondary school. They had selected six secondary schools to serve as demos for the project. The Ministry of Education pushed for e-learning to prepare young people for a more technologically advanced future. Supporters of the National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy recognize that young people are creators and early adopters and that “they must therefore be empowered as learners, developers, contributors, and future decision makers.”

Just this month an article in the Nairobi Star interviewed Lydia Nzomo, Director of the Kenya Institute of Education, who said the project should roll out in the next three years. While it may seem on-track, Nzomo said that any delays will increase the cost of the project. She said the program has had some hiccups because some schools only have outdated and obsolete computers. The program has been launched using about 20 pilot schools so far.

The stakeholders of the Kenya Institute of Education held a meeting to hear suggestions on improvements to the digitized curriculum and the e-learning strategy. One of the biggest problems so far is that internet access in schools remains low at 42.5% as well as teachers that will need training with ICT themselves. The strategy integrates knowledge of South Korean and Malaysian strategies, who implemented the same programs in their schools.

This is a large project for the country, and Education Secretary George Godia said that the Ministry of Education has allocated roughly $4.8 million to the ICT Initiative. It has been estimated, however, that the whole project will cost around $30 million to ensure that the schools are equipped with computers. Their ICT initiative will expand the country’s education resources, offer an interactive education and a more student-centric curriculum.

To learn more about learning management system (LMS) and web-based learning news, check out our blog at SimplyDigi.com.

Part I: Web-based Learning for Special Needs Kids

9/1/2011

Part I: Web-based Learning for Special Needs Kids

Category: Education
by Logan Smith

Web based learning is a continuously growing means of educating our youth; it provides a variety of education choices for kids whether they live in a heavily populated, major city or out in the more rural U.S.A. Not only does it give kids an array of curriculum and teachers to choose from, but it also helps kids who may not feel comfortable in a classroom setting. Many children who suffer from autism, anxiety disorders or dyslexia and can feel overwhelmed by answering questions in front of classmates and potentially embarrassing themselves.

The anxiety and fear alone can become a major distraction from the lessons at hand. Distraction is another major interference for learning. Children with Attention Deficit Disorder can be easily distracted by the often colorful and exciting classrooms they’re sitting in. Even in a less exciting setting, children affected by A.D.D. may direct their attention towards other children, especially if they are not feeling engaged in the lecture.

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2009) students in online learning courses are performing better than average over those who are receiving face-to-face instruction. The difference in achievement was even greater when “blended” learning was used—which blended both face-to-face and online learning into one course.

While this is great news for the future of online learning, there unfortunately aren’t as many courses offered for children with learning needs and disabilities. Only about 17% of students are enrolled in the Florida Virtual School with disabilities. Students with disabilities in Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools make up about 3,000 children (at 13.7% of enrollment) and students enrolled in North Carolina’s Virtual Public School made up only 9.6% of the total enrollment at 2,400 children.

Far behind are both Alabama and Kentucky’s state learning programs, with Alabama (one of the largest state-run virtual schools in the U.S.) having only 217 students with disabilities enrolled in classes. In Kentucky, the state-run virtual school that opened in 2000 has yet to collect information regarding disability status and plans on doing so in the 2011-2011 school year.

Many of these schools collect disability information only if it is volunteered. Florida Virtual School’s more than 90,000 students were only asked to volunteer their disability status. While the documented number is 17%, one overseer of the disability program thinks the number is more around 40%, as he learned from later conversations with students, teachers and parents. With some states having major gaps in data and others having no data at all it’s easy to see how schools are overlooking the need for courses geared towards students with disabilities.

To continue reading, please visit our LMS blog on our website SimplyDigi.com

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