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WAVELENGTH – The ID Newsletter of India – May 2007
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Hello Friends,

Welcome to this edition of Wavelength's
Instructional Design Newsletter.

I know that some of you must've have questioned the logic of
my beginning this newsletter with a weather report. Let me
tell you my reason for doing so. Weather helps strangers
become friends; it is something that each one of us can relate
to. It helps us find a common ground. Oh, yes. It is so
instructionally apt to begin an instructional design newsletter
by talking of weather and its antics. It activates a schema
that we all have; it makes us perk up and read.

If I have established a relationship between the vagaries of
weather and my instructional urge to use them as a tool for
gaining your attention - let me introduce you to some other
relationships. These extremely logical relationships have been
questioned by many of us. Some of us found the answers, some
others haven't. This month's Wavelength article,
"eLearning, Instructional Design, Technical Writing, And
Training - The Maze of Hidden Relationships!" discusses a
variety of relationships and answers some oft-asked questions.

The other resources that help you reinforce your own
relationship with instructional design are there as always.
I am sure you will find them useful.

Now let me introduce you to the 1-Day and 5-Day training
workshops that Wavelength is conducting in June and July.

The 1-Day Workshops in June:
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The 1-Day Instructional Storytelling Training Workshop
(to be held on June 16, Saturday) and
the 1 Day SCORM Training Workshop (to be held on June 23, Saturday)
have generated immense interest in the Indian training and eLearning
industry. The last date to register for either of these
workshops is May 31, 2007. If you want to attend these
workshops, write to our trainings coordinator at
connect [at] vibrantwavelength [dot] com for the registration form and
other details.

The 5-Day Workshops in July:
----------------------------------------
I am also glad to announce two 5-Day workshops in the
month of July.

These are:
A. The Instructional Design & Content Writing Training Workshop (July 16 - July 20, 2007)
(Details: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/instructionalDesign_trgworkshop.htm)

B. The ActionScript 2.0 (with OOP module) Training Workshop (July 30 - Aug 3, 2007)
(Details: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/AS2withOOPModule_trgworkshop_jul07.htm)

These 5-day, 8-hour workshops will be held at Wavelength, Noida.
They would cover the content outlines of the IDCWC course and
the ASDC course respectively. The ActionScript Workshop will
add to the ASDC course content and will also take the
participants through a special module on Object-Oriented
Programming.

Please write to our trainings coordinator at connect@vibrantwavelength.com
for the registration form and other details.

The Flash Certificate Course (FCC):
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The first group of course participants for the Flash
Certificate Course (FCC) have set sail with Wavelength on
May 20, 2007. The next course group for the Flash Certificate
course shall begin on July 01, 2007. If you know someone
who would like to zoom into the online world with a
Wavelength course, change a life by sending him or her the
following link. http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/flash_certificate.htm

The Instructional Design & Content Writing Certificate Online Course:
(IDCWC Online)
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The session begins on July 01, 2007 and the last date for
receiving applications is May 31, 2007. If you are interested
in joining the July - September 2007 session of IDCWC Online,
please send in your applications, or send your queries to our
IDCWC Online Course Coordinator at idcwconline [at] vibrantwavelength [dot] com

I now leave you to enjoy the newsletter. Let us live to learn
while we learn to live.

Thanks and Warm Regards,
Shafali.

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Table of contents
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From the Editor's Desk
Mystery of the Month
ID Section
Technology Section
Media Section
Site of the Month
Views
Laugh-a-little
Innoken Games
Signing Off...

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Events Calendar
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1. The next session of IDCWC Online (Instructional Design
& Content Writing Certificate Online) course begins on
July 01, 2007.
Read details of the course at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_online.htm

2. 1-Day Instructional Storytelling Training Workshop (June 16, 2007)
Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/instructionalstorytelling_training.htm

3. 1-Day SCORM Training Workshop (June 23, 2007)
Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/scorm_training.htm

4. 5-Day Instructional Design & Content Writing Training Workshop
(July 16 to July 20, 2007)
Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/instructionalDesign_trgworkshop.htm

5. 5-Day ActionScript 2.0 with OOP Training Workshop
(July 30 to August 03, 2007)
Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/AS2withOOPModule_trgworkshop_jul07.htm

6. Classes for the next Instructional Design & Content Writing
Certificate (IDCWC Contact) course begin on June 24, 2007.
Registrations are on for this group.
Read details at http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_details.htm

7. Classes for the next Flash ActionScript Developer Certificate
(ASDC) course group begin on June 24, 2007. Registrations are
on for this group.
Read details at http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/actionscript_certificate.htm

8. Classes for the next Flash Certificate (FCC) course group begin
on July 01, 2007. Registrations are on for this group.
Read details at http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/flash_certificate.htm

9. Classes for the ActionScript 2.0 using Object-Oriented
Programming (AS2OOP) course begin on June 30, 2007. Registrations
are open for this course group.
For details click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/actionscript2_oop_details.htm

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From the Editor's Desk
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http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/editorial.htm

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Mystery of the Month
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Do you remember the analytical ability test questions that
expected us to establish relationships between characters?
Let me help you jog your memory. "Karla is Robin's
granddaughter. Wren is Tom's cousin. Karla is Tom's niece..."
Ten such statements would be followed by a question - so
who is Robin's son?

This month's mystery of the month article "eLearning,
Instructional Design, Technical Writing, And
Training - The Maze of Hidden Relationships! " attempts
to establish some relationships through a simple
analytical process.

Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/instructionaldesign_relationships.htm
for a clear understanding of instructional design, eLearning,
training, technical writing, and the relationships that they
share with one another.

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ID Section
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ID Concepts
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All those who are interested in finding a resource that
provides a consolidated view of instructional design and
its applications, will find http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~bwilson/training.html
a useful link.

This paper called "Cognitive Approaches to Instructional Design"
by Brent Wilson, David Jonassen, and Peggy Cole; provides
an overview of instructional design and its dynamic
application in the learning and training scenarios of today.

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Language & Culture
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The instructional designer's own cultural values impact
the instructional design of content. The truth of this
statement is discussed in the article "Instructional
Design for Cultural Difference: A Case Study of the
Indigenous Online Learning In a Tertiary Context" by
McLoughlin, C. and 2.Oliver, R.

This article also lists "Ten design principles for
culturally inclusive instructional design", which can be
very helpful to an Indian instructional designer working
on content for another country.
Click http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/brisbane99/papers/mcloughlinoliver.pdf
to download this article.

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Writing Style
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I found an excellent write-up on writing style at http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/style.html
and my first thought was to share it with you. This article
briefly but aptly titled "Style", explains the maladies that
affect a person's writing style, in an excellent way.

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Technology Section
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Learning Content Creation Technologies
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What is Rapid eLearning? Simply explained, rapid eLearning
is eLearning that enables SMEs to develop eLearning content
thus reducing the time spent in development of the content.
Although Rapid eLearning results in a substantial saving of
time, it shouldn't however be considered a panacea for all
eLearning development related ills.

As the author of the article "Rapid E-Learning: A Growing Trend"
says, "REL is most useful for low- to mid-range levels of
e-learning complexity in which knowledge and comprehension
is key. It's typically considered less effective to use REL
for high-end solutions in which evaluation and synthesis are
critical."

Click http://www.learningcircuits.org/2005/jan2005/archibald.htm
to read this article by Dianne Archibald.

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Learning Content Management Technologies
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Virtual Classrooms! All of us have heard about them but most
of us haven't experienced their implementation first-hand.
Click http://www.learningcircuits.org/2003/oct2003/maiden.htm
for a comprehensive article "Virtual Classroom Starter Guide"
by Bob Maiden. This article outlines the features of virtual
classrooms and discusses different perspectives on VCs. This
article gives you a complete overview of virtual classrooms
from the viewpoints of the learner, the instructor, the
facilitator, the content developer, as well as the project
manager.

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Media Section
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This section is now part of Wavelength's Media Newsletter.
For this and for some other excellent media resources,
click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/subscribe.htm
and subscribe to Wavelength - The Media Newsletter!

Please click the following link to view the May
issue of the Media Newsletter.
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/media_nletter_i62hdo_may07.htm

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Site of the Month
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The Site of the Month for May is...the site of "Resident Evil".
I know that this isn't the regular Wavelength fare, but I
feel that we have a lot to learn from game designers. They
are able to reach their audience at a far deeper level. I
selected this site so that we may learn from it.

Click http://ww2.capcom.com/re4/gui.html and provide your
date of birth to enter the site. The experience begins the
moment you click Enter to enter the website of Resident Evil.

Before I begin to analyze this site, I should tell you
something about this game. This game belongs to the Survival
Horror genre (the goal of the game is survival in a
horror-filled environment.) Resident Evil is now a series of
six games developed by Capcom, but its first game was
launched in 1996. These games led to the birth of a trilogy
of films, of which Resident Evil: Extinction would soon be
released.

The popularity of Resident Evil games, books, and movies
makes us wonder - what moves the audience?

This site represents the look and to some extent, the
experience of the game. Let me share my thoughts with you.

1. The site shows a village in the background. It isn't one
of the happy, sunny, and lively villages that we are
accustomed to visualizing but a dark, dreary place where evil
resides (resident evil!) The site captures your attention and
rivets it down with the swirling smoke in the background and
the tainted rafters of the houses.

2. Look at the buttons at the left. The last button (or the
rotten plank) moves slightly. It makes the planks seem
light...or rotten.

3. The color theme underlines the decay. It spells horror.

4. Click the Story button. A door snaps shut, giving you a
feeling that you too are standing in one of the rotting
houses! Then it screeches open and the story begins. The
narrative is combined with a slideshow of images that makes
the chill spread.

5. When you click the Home button to return to the homepage,
you can see the buttons loading. Check the oscillations!
They are so real!

6. Click Characters from the plank menu and select Heros.
Carefully watch the character appear from the mist of clouds.
Explore some other characters to understand this effect.

Do explore the remaining site. While doing so, keep in mind
your audience - adult 20 - 40 years, wishing to engage in
thrills that are impossible in real life. Also remember the
content. Do you think the look and feel of the site maps to
the audience and the content?

Have a fun time surviving this little site http://ww2.capcom.com/re4/gui.html
and learning how color, sound effects, theme, characters,
and visual effects all come together to create an experience.

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Views
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1. IDCWC Online Course Participants' Views: ***NEW!!!***
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Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/wavelength_certified_ids.htm#idcwconlineviews
to read what the course participants feel about the
Instructional Design ONLINE course (IDCWC Online) & Wavelength.

2. IDCWC (Contact) Participants'' Views:
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Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/wavelength_certified_ids.htm#idcwcstudentviews
to read what the IDCWC Contact program participants feel about
the Instructional Design course (IDCWC) and Wavelength.

3. ActionScript Course Participants' Views:
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Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/wavelengthians.htm#asdcstudentviews
to read what the ActionScript Course participants feel about
the ActionScript course (ASDC) and Wavelength.

4. Reader's Views:
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Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/views.htm to read
what readers feel about Wavelength.

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Laugh-a-little
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In the good old days, children could avoid responsibility
for a long-long time. Things have changed since. We now
prepare our children to face the challenges of life from
their first day on earth.

Click http://www.boloji.com/cartoons3/00786.htm to meet
parents who want to ensure that their son should find his
rightful place in the society.

Click http://www.memsaab.com/newforum/Topic923-12-1.aspx to
laugh a few Indian laughs.

Instructional design is psychology applied to learning. Thus,
it can be inferred that jokes that pertain to psychology
would apply to instructional design. Right? Wrong. If you do
not know why, find out by clicking http://www.psych.upenn.edu/humor.html

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Innoken Online Games
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http://www.Netpekhel.com

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Signing Off...
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I hope you enjoyed this issue of Wavelength. I shall meet
you again next month. The venue for our meeting shall remain
the same: Your Mailbox.

See you next month! Bye!

Shafali

Shafali R. Anand
Editor & Publisher, Wavelength the ID Newsletter
Director, Wavelength eLearning Consulting and Training Pvt. Ltd.
shafali [at] vibrantwavelength [dot] com
Wavelength, Link House, 2nd Floor,
C-4, Sector 10, Noida-201301, India.
Ph: 9810324284 / 9810412297 / (0120)4315505
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com

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Feedback: Write to me with your views on Wavelength at shafali [at] vibrantwavelength [dot] com
with "Wavelength Feedback" written in the subject.

Suggest Links or site for "Site of the Month": Publish an article in Wavelength or suggest links– Check out http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/contribute.htm

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