Nick Floro's Blog

Thoughts, ideas, and knowledge sharing on technology, e-learning, design and running your own business.

Download my presenations from eLearningDevCon 2009

Download copies of my presentations from elearningdevcon.com conference in Utah last week.

Design 2.0 in eLearning
Join us for this session discussing the latest technologies and tools to create the next generation of learning for your users. We'll discuss Web 2.0 and how its effecting learning objects, tools and applications and how you can integrate it into your tools today. We'll review several great examples that will get you excited and motivated to start creating the next generation of elearning today!

View & Download:

http://www.slideshare.net/nickfloro/design-in-elearning

Quick Prototyping Techniques
Learn about the latest tools for creating wireframes or prototyping projects or modules for a elearning production. We'll discuss techniques to help you demonstrate to your audience how the tool will work, how you can quickly build concepts and articulate them with your team. Bring your ideas, concepts or questions for interactive session.

View & Download:

Social Media Demystified 

Join us for an in-depth look at the current state of Social Media and how it can integrate with your e-learning and training efforts. Learn how you can take advantage of it for learning as well as marketing, business and life. We'll discuss what Social Media is, how to use it effectively, how it is changing our lives, what it takes to get started. Topics will include Launching a Social Network, a look at the latest tools and how they are evolving for Twitter, Facebook, and social media based web sites.

View & Download:

Taking the next step in learning: Using Games & Simulations

Need to figure out how to incorporate games into your e-learning strategy? Attend this session for a look at the latest trends and breakthroughs for using games in learning. You’ll get an introduction to games and simulations, an understanding of what works and what doesn’t and you'll learn how to use new Gaming techniques, blended with Web 2.0, to take training and gaming to the next level.. You’ll leave with new knowledge and a better understanding of ways to use gaming effectively for your audience. You’ll also learn new tools and techniques to share with your teams for developing internally without breaking the bank.

View & Download:

Weekly Twitter Chats about learning Thursday 8:30-10pm EST #Lrnchat

Looking for a powerful way to use twitter and learning, check out #lrnchat. A place for people interested in the topic of learning, to learn from one another and discuss how to help other people learn. The online chat happens every Thursday night 8:30-10pm EST / 5:30-7pm PST.

Last nights questions generated over 75 pages of content:

Q0 (our #lrnchat warmup): How’ve you been? What have you been learning?

Q1: Why aren’t ppl using social media & twitter-like tools in training? What myths do they have? Excuses they use? Legit reasons?…Addition: My hope with Q1 is to hear both reasons why not using, and how you reply.

Q2 from @kasey428: Have you used (or seen used) social media to push out training reinforcement as follow-up to ILT or elearning?

Q3 inspired by @ichrisbarnes: Do we know of any places SoMe is bad (for learning, in training, for edu)?

Click here for the recap:

Join on Twitter.com/Lrnchat 

Safari 4.0 release removes the "innovative" interface for tabs

Remember back in Feb when Apple made the beta available and they moved the tabs above the header menu, what an uproar the web community had about it and what were they thinking. After just installing the release of the Safari today I'm sad to see the navigation toolbar has reverted back to the original tabs beneath the url. After using the beta and getting use to the tabs above I believe it was an improvement of navigation because it allowed for easier reading of tabs and and allowed you to separate them from the content area. Now with the tabs below, like every major browser, it seems to disconnect the content or have an invisible barrier between the two content and the navigation. I hope Apple brings back the new design or allows us to choose in a future update, maybe in Snow Leopard. Otherwise the browser is fast and works great, see some of the new features at http://www.apple.com/safari/features.html. 

Beta
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Release

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Download Today: http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

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What's New:

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Webinar: Creating Powerful Presentations with Nancy Duarte at VizThink

Watch Nancy's Duarte's webinar for VizThink.com for an overview and her advice on improving presentations and designing presentations. Nancy's company designed and coached Al Gore and his presentation deck for An Inconvenient Truth.

  
http://vizthink.com/blog/2008/06/18/webinar-creating-powerful-presentations-w...

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During the webinar she show's an example (below), where she asked the client in under 2 minutes to explain what was the main point. Notice below how the slide gets divided into 3 clean slides which each slide is able to explain one exact point.

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to

(download)

Tips for Remote Presenters by Nancy Duarte

Nancy has a great book she authored called slide:ology. A must have for anyone in design/creative and storyteller's on how to create your deck. in this blog post, Nancy reviews her strategy for giving a remote presentation. She suggests:

Stand Up
Burst the Content
Present with Two
Make it Interactive
Understand the Technology

Read her blog post:

Notice the pictures on the windows to simulate an audience.

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Nancy's book on Amazon: http://tr.im/nuPA
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E3: Project Natal - First Product that utilizes the technology: Meet Milo

Milo is a new product by Lionhead Studios, using the Natal technology, he can recognize you and your emotions. Notice about 3 minutes in where Clare draws on a paper and waves it in front of the TV and Milo understands what's on the paper. Just imagine if we get browser and flash support how we can utilize this for learning! If you have not watched the Project Natal video click here: E3: Microsoft Project Natal - Look's Amazing. Controller free interaction, voice control, 3d imaging and sensing emotions.

Trying to grab a fish
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Drawing a picture:
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Places paper in front of bar and paper appears on screen and Milo recognizes shape.

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Learning & Social Media meets at weekly chats - Thursday nights 8.30pm - 10pm. @lrnchat

If you are free on Thursday nights from 8.30 - 10pm eastern, checkout the weekly chat where the moderator posts a question and everyone chimes in with input. The chats have taken place over the past 9 weeks and the logs are posted on their blog at: http://lrnchat.wordpress.com/. Great concept and way to learn from people in the field.

 Learn more at:
http://lrnchat.wordpress.com/about/

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E3: Microsoft Project Natal - Look's Amazing. Controller free interaction, voice control, 3d imaging and sensing emotions.

Microsoft demonstrates a new piece of hardware, shipping in 2010 (no official shipping date), looks amazing and introduces several innovative technologies to consumers. For a small investment you get a controller-free interface to basically use your body for interacting and diving into game play. You also get 3D imaging and voice control and from the demonstration this will have a incredible impact on game play and interacting with your tv.

Believe it or Not: 

Sony demonstrates the PS3 Motion Controller.

(download)