Learning professionals wear many hats. Depending on the task at hand, we may throw on our “instructional designer” cap, “project manager” beret, or “facilitator” fascinator. But did you know that we also need a “marketing” bonnet?

According to Daniel Foster, Strategy Lead for the Snagit Application at TechSmith, “the best learning professionals think like dirty marketers.”

InSync Training President Jennifer Hofmann recently had the opportunity to join a panel of experts at eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions 2018 conference to discuss The Present and Future of Virtual Classroom Tools. Over the coming weeks, Getting InSync will feature highlights from this engaging, informative discussion.

A driving force behind our mission at InSync Training focuses on the idea that “If we do virtual classroom training well we can get, for many programs, an equivalent or even better experience in the virtual live online world as we can face-to-face.” Achieving this goal, though, requires hard work and an innovative approach.

Do you remember the first time you experienced a non-traditional approach to learning? For most of us, we didn’t learn important life-lessons inside a classroom. For Jennifer Hofmann, classic Saturday morning programming introduced her to self-paced learning, and the rest, as they say, was history.

Jennifer recently shared the surprising connection she made between her love of popular Schoolhouse Rock episodes and modern blended learning in this short (but insightful) video: https://youtu.be/Hd-ITHrroXc

InSync Training welcomes Lou Russell to the Virtually There series on April 24, 2018. Ahead of her session, The Accidental People Challenges From Agile Development, Lou shares helpful background information about the people-side of Agile implementation. We thank her for her insights, which first appeared on her Russell Martin blog  

Things have changed all around you.  No matter how young or old you are, you have experienced change.  Dial phones and Blockbuster have been replaced by cellphones and Hulu. 

It’s not as obvious that our jobs and roles are also changing dramatically as well.  In every field, individuals must constantly evolve to stay on top of "now" and the rate of change is increasing.   

Blended learning is all about connecting the dots – for our learners and our businesses. What content conveys the information our learners need to improve business results?

By using proven instructional design models, aligning them with learning objectives, and deploying personalized learning pathways using available instructional technologies, we can support modern organizations and "search engine" learners.

We’ve been using virtual classroom technologies for close to 20 years now. Unfortunately, we are still holding on to a content model that insists the most important outcome is getting through all of the slides.

This webinar approach to content delivery is perhaps the most ineffective way to get information out to the world. Few of us have the motivation or concentration to focus on 60 minutes of lecture.

And, most importantly, we know that learning only "sticks" after learners have a chance to apply what they’ve learned and then reflect on the experience.

Virtually There session recap

Twenty years ago, if a student needed information to complete an assignment, they would turn to their teacher, the Encyclopedia Britannica, or a library’s card catalog to find the answer. Today, a very different reality exists for modern learners. We hold the world’s information literally at our finger tips, thanks to the advent of Google and the prevalence of mobile devices and computers.

Metrics! Learning ecosystems! Informal learning! Oh my. It seems that the modern learning landscape gets more complicated by the day.

In fact, to keep up with the break-neck pace of change happening in our world, learning faces a unique challenge: practitioners need to operate and succeed in three places at one time. Our strategies, visions, and methods all need to simultaneously consider the past, present, and future.

It’s very exciting to learn about and invest in the latest trends in educational technology. Who among us hasn’t been swept up by the allure of gamification, the promise of curation, and a desire to embed microlearning at every conceivable moment of learning need? 

No matter how enticing these new ideas might be, we are always (rightly) concerned about adoption. If we don’t implement well, these new technologies and instructional strategies will seem like just the latest trend, easily ignored while we all default to our normal, familiar learning mode: instructor-led. 

And, people are generally happy with that. We know how to learn in a classroom. We know how to teach in a classroom. 

It takes a modern learning culture to support modern educational technologies and instructional techniques. Unfortunately, many organizations are living in the past. While training success doesn’t depend on deploying the latest trends, and outdated learning culture can hinder employee, program, and organizational success.  

Badges, leaderboards, leveling up. These buzzwords sound like features in the latest video game, but, actually, they’re modern learning staples thanks to gamification and game-based learning.

Instructional designers know that gamification’s flexibility and adaptability make it useful for many programs, including new hire orientation, compliance training, and technical skill building.

As commonplace as gamification and game-based learning have become, the difference between the two categories can get muddied. Gain clarity with a helpful, quick video exploration thanks to Donna Designer Explores Gamification and Game-Based Learning.