***********************************************************************
WAVELENGTH – The ID Newsletter of India – November 2006
***********************************************************************

Hello Friends,

Welcome to this issue of Wavelength.

As the soft sweetness of November envelops us, let us review
our cognitive assets (and liabilities) to determine how they
can yield a better return on the time we invest in our work. I
don't mean the return that the organizations derive from the
individual's efforts, but the return that we derive. Let me
spell it out...the return of quality time.

Those who have been reading the Wavelength newsletter for
almost two years now, would be able to see that the attempt made
through each issue is directed towards improving the quality
of the time that we spend, each day of our lives. For most of
us, quality time is the time that we spend doing things that
we love. Thus there are two straightforward ways of increasing
the quality time in our lives. One, we could begin to enjoy
the work that we do, by learning its "why" and the "how".
Often when we know why we are doing certain things we enjoy
them more. Knowing how to do something well also makes work
more pleasing. Two, we could do the things that we don't enjoy
doing, faster. This will leave us more spare time, that could
be spent with our families, friends, and with our "selves".

Taking this quest for quality time further, we bring to you
the Wavelength article for November - "Affectively Yours".
This article explores the relationship between the attitude
and the profile of the audience. The IDCWC Online students
have been discussing it with great fervor, and it gave me a
good reason to include some thoughts on this topic. I think,
all those who are engaged in conducting classroom trainings
face the "Learner with an Attitude" some time or the
other...and they would agree that these learners are the
biggest challenge that any trainer faces. This article tries
to find answers in effective audience profiling (read
sleuthing), which isn't an easy job!

The Site of the Month for this month is in harmony with the
spirit of November. When you click http://www.americangirl.com/fun.html
you will know what I mean. The ladies may experience a wave
of nostalgia, while the gentlemen might get a deeper insight
into the mind of the girl that hides within every woman!

The IDCWC Online course participants for the first session
(July '06 - September'06) have sent in their views on the
course and their experience with Wavelength. We would like
to thank them once again...for sending their views, for
inspiring us, and also for making us proud with their
performance. Click
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/wavelengthians.htm#idcwconlineviews
to read their views.

The second session (Oct '06 - Dec' 06) of IDCWC Online is
in progress. The third session of IDCWC Online
(Instructional Design & Content Writing Certificate (IDCWC-Online)
course shall start on January 01, 2006. Registrations are
open for this session. Those who have already sent in their
applications will hear from us early next week. If you wish to
inquire about this course, please write to us at
IDCWCOnline@vibrantwavelength.com.

The IDCWC, CPIDCWC, and IDCWC Online participants may also
be interested in joining the Aristotle Book Club that
IDCWC Online's Aristotle Group Member Mr. Brandon Tautimer
has started. If you are interested, you will find the
details in the "Special News!" section of this newsletter.

The 5-day Autumn Training Workshops on Instructional Design
and ActionScript are beginning on November 20, 2006 and
shall continue till December 01, 2006. I thank the
participating organizations and the individual participants
for their interest. At this point, I would also like to
mention that the organizations and individuals, who are
interested in our 5-day workshops, would have another
opportunity in February - March 2007, when we conduct the
Spring Training Workshops.

The IDCWC & ASDC Contact Courses at Noida:
----------------------------------------------------------------
The next course groups for both courses will begin classes
on November 26, 2006.

If you are interested in enrolling for any of our courses,
please call Wavelength at 9810324284/9810412297/120-4315505.

The month of October saw a quantum jump in the subscriptions.
I welcome the new subscribers to Wavelength and I hope
that they will enjoy their cerebral excursions with us.

Thanks and Warm Regards,
Shafali.

(Editor & Publisher, Wavelength)

******************
Table of contents
******************

From the Editor's Desk
Mystery of the Month
Special News!
ID Section
Technology Section
Media Section
Site of the Month
Views
Surge Ahead
Laugh-a-little
Innoken Games
Signing Off...

*******************
Events Calendar
*******************

1. The next session of IDCWC Online (Instructional Design & Content
Writing Certificate Online) course begins on January 01, 2007.
We have started receiving applications for the course.

Read the views of the IDCWC Online Session I (Jul'06 - Sep'06) participants at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/wavelengthians.htm#idcwconlineviews
Read details of the course at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_online.htm
View FAQs at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwconline_faqs.htm
Experience sample learning interactions at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwconline_preview.htm
Write to idcwconline@vibrantwavelength.com with your queries.

2.Wavelength's next course group for the Instructional Design
& Content Writing Certificate (IDCWC Contact) course begins
on November 26, 2006. Registrations are on for this group.
Read details at http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_details.htm

3.Classes for the next Flash ActionScript Developer Certificate
(ASDC) course group begin on November 26, 2006. Registrations
are on for this group. Read details at
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/actionscript_certificate.htm

4.The Autumn Training Workshops begin on November 20, 2006
(Nov 20 - Nov 25 and Nov 27 - Dec 01). These training
workshops closely simulate the IDCWC and the ASDC courses.
Details of the workshops are available at
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/autumn_workshops06.htm

5.The Instructional Design Refresher Certificate (IDRC) course
begins on December 09, 2006. The details for this course are
available at http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idrc_details.htm

6.Classes for the ActionScript 2.0 using Object-Oriented
Programming (AS2OOP) course begin on December 09, 2006.
Registrations are now open for this course group. Click on
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/actionscript2_oop_details.htm

***********************
From the Editor's Desk
***********************

http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/editorial.htm

***********************
Mystery of the Month
***********************
This month, we try to trace the relationship between the
audience profile, the learner's attitude, and the learning
methodology. The issue that most trainers and classroom teachers
with an adult audience, grapple with is - How do I make
training successful for an audience with a negative attitude.

This article underlines the importance of "using" the
audience profile and the corresponding data to determine the
expected attitudinal entry behavior and a learning methodology
that works. Read the article at
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/audiencemapping.htm

****************************************************************
Special News! - The Aristotle Book Club - For Cross-Cultural IDs
****************************************************************
For all those who are in love with instructional design, I
have special news! Brandon Tautimer from IDCWC Online Session I
Group: Aristotle; has launched the "Aristotle Book Club" for
cross-cultural instructional designers. Brandon is an American
and his interactions with the Indian Instructional Designers
inspired him to start this book club, where instructional
designers from different cultures can come together and share
their instructional viewpoints.

This book club is different from any other book club, because
it provides you an opportunity to analyze different books
from an instructional design viewpoint. This helps the
members learn from the instructional analysis done by others,
while giving them an opportunity to hone their own skills.

If you are interested in applying some serious instructional
design, click http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AristotleBookClub
to join in. I especially request the IDCWC (Contact) group
members, the Corporate Program for ID & CW (CPIDCW) participants,
and the IDCWC Online course participants to join in.

**********
ID Section
**********

-------------------
ID Concepts
--------------------

Theories of instructional design & the practice of content
development...how huge is the gap? The general opinion that
exists in the eLearning & training industry is that they are
two parallel concepts. Experienced content developers often
speak of instructional design theories with slight disdain.
Somewhere something is not right! Instructional design concepts
are the spinal cord of content - if they are not given the
respect they deserve, the content will have a very high
probability of being ineffective and weak!

The link http://hagar.up.ac.za/catts/learner/smorgan/IDTHEORY.html
will bring out the character of theories and underline their
importance with respect to instructional design.

I've always found the Gestalt Theory thought provoking. I also
think that some tenets of this theory can be explained through
constructivism. Click
http://chd.gmu.edu/immersion/knowledgebase/strategies/
cognitivism/gestalt/gestalt.htm
to read more about Gestalt!

------------------------------
Language & Culture
------------------------------

Culture in Focus: British
------------------------------------

The culture that we will focus on this month is the British
Culture. Click http://www.communicaid.com/british-business-culture.asp
for a crisp summary of the business culture in Britain.

United Kingdom comprises England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
Each of these countries has a culture of its own. The following
pages will help you understand their differences:
http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Britain/Countries/England.htm
http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Britain/Countries/Scotland.htm
http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Britain/Countries/Wales.htm
http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Britain/Countries/Ireland.htm

For Indian instructional designers, any discussion on the UK or
the US is incomplete if it doesn't cover language. For
understanding what British English "actually" is, click
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_English

-----------------------
Writing Style
-----------------------

"Hints on writing style" at http://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/writing.html
gives us some simple guidelines to write simple English.

With the recent news about the British allowing the use
(though nominal) of SMS lingua in exams, the popular essay
"Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell becomes
irresistible! Click
http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/index.cgi/work/essays/language.html
to read this thought-provoking essay.

Here's a fun-link on writing "hacker" style. Click
http://catb.org/jargon/html/writing-style.html and enjoy:)

*******************************
Technology Section
*******************************
------------------------------------------------------
Learning Content Creation Technologies
------------------------------------------------------
Flex...What is it? Simply speaking it is an application based on
Flash, which helps you create platform independent, "scalable"
applications. Of course, I've just reworded the description
available at: http://www.adobe.com/products/flex/, which
reads - "Adobe Flex 2 software is a rich Internet application
framework based on Adobe Flash that will enable you to
productively create beautiful, scalable applications that can
reach virtually anyone on any platform."

I guess then, that the main difference in the functionality
of Flash and Flex is that of scalability and modularity along
with smooth data integration from various sources. Click
http://www.adobe.com/products/flex/ to view a set of five
interconnected presentations. (This also solves the mystery
of the name - Flex...Aha!) Hurray! Flex grants organizations,
the boon of Object-Oriented programming!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Learning Content Management Technologies
--------------------------------------------------------------

"LMS and LCMS demystified" is short summary of the
differences between Learning Management Systems and
Learning Content Management Systems. If you are a project
manager or an instructional designer who wonders about the
magnitude of difference that the "C" makes, do click
http://www.brandon-hall.com/free_resources/lms_and_lcms.shtml
for a short and crisp comparison of the two.

A more detailed analysis of the two can be found at
http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/dec2002/greenberg.htm

******************
Media Section
******************
------------------
Art Concepts:
------------------

The Masters - Caravaggio
-----------------------------------------

Caravaggio was born Michelangelo Merisi in Caravaggio near
Milan, in the year 1573. He trained under a pupil of Titian,
and is known for the Chiaroscuro effect in his paintings.
This effect is characterized by depiction of light from an
unknown source, falling on the focal areas of the painting
while the remaining objects are painted in the dark areas.
Caravaggio's initial works were more erotic in nature, but
as his popularity increased he began working for the Church,
which led to a mellowing of his works.

He died at very young (in 1610) but he left behind a
mesmerizing collection of paintings that continue to be a
source of inspiration. To read about the life of this great
artist click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio and if
you want to discover what ChiaroScuro is click
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaroscuro.

http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/c/caravagg/index.html
will take you to a chronologically arranged collection of
Caravaggio's works.

-----------------------------------
Graphic Design Concepts:
-----------------------------------

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/designguidelines/ is an
excellent collection of ten graphic design guidelines
linked to their detailed explanations. Though these
guidelines pertain to textual formatting, yet they
can add tremendous value to the way we display content.

-----------------------------------
Media Technology Concepts:
-----------------------------------

"Elements of Graphic Design for Your Website" at
http://www.thmg.com/webdesign/19324.php gives five
simple guidelines for designing good and readable
webpages. The novice graphic designer should
definitely click the above link.
----------------------
Photoshop Pros:
----------------------
Here's some Photoshop 4 and 5.5 artwork, which is
so different from the usual, that it stops you in
your tracks! Click http://eyebalm.com/dingbatart/ to
view Ann Stretton's artwork. At the extreme right of
this page you will find 10 links that connect you some
amazing artwork, which has been created using the font
"Dingbats" that has been designed by Ann Stretton.
This artwork has inspired me to reach for my Wacom
tablet...I hope you find it equally inspiring.

---------------
Flash Fans:
---------------
Are you a fan of Flash? If you are not one yet,
clicking http://animation.about.com/library/tutorials/animatedpixie.swf
should motivate you to become one. Yes, this pixie is
made in Flash. If you want to know how, click
http://animation.about.com/od/flashanimationtutorials/ss/colordetailart.htm
to find out!

------------
3D Dons:
------------
Here are a few links for inspiration.
http://www.3dlinks.com/gallery_fullview.cfm?id=4587
http://www.3dlinks.com/gallery_fullview.cfm?id=4084
http://www.cgexplorer.com/_sys/images/antropus-triclops-3d-model.jpg
http://www.clan-assembly.org/poser/tussafinal.jpg
http://www.dianerooney.co.uk/p7hg_img_1/fullsize/eloise700_fs.jpg

******************
Site of the Month
******************
The site that has been selected, as the Site of the Month
for November is http://www.americangirl.com/fun.html!

This excellent site has games, adventures, stories, photographs,
quizzes, eCards, ...everything that a teenaged girl enjoys!
In essence, it is an entertainment site for girls:-)

Let me tell you what I liked so much about this site. I
will then leave you to your judgment.

1. I like the look of the site. It's casual in a delicate kind
of way. It's the look that matches the look of a teenaged girl.
Lovely pastel colors tinged with an occasional red or
maroon...photographs and illustrations put together to achieve
a harmony which bubbles with life...delicate pastel panels
with light shadows!

2. I like the content of the site. It's not replete with MLs
(Moral lectures,) as many sites for teenagers tend to
become...nor is it completely casual. There is a good mix of
values (that make a difference to teenagers) and of fun.

3. The depth of content on this site is amazing. The links
on this site take you to pages that themselves are
mini-sites, offering the audience a variety that is often
difficult achieve. The audience of this sites enjoys
experimentation...they love to explore, and this site
gives them an opportunity to do so.

4. The top-spots are fantastic! These are simple games...but
they are oh-so-appropriate for this audience! check out the
colors, the music, the themes! I played "Outback Winds" and
"The Morning walk" and loved them.

5. I really liked the quiz at
http://www.americangirl.com/quiz_corner/quizzes/chill.html
(the right column has a "Quiz Corner" icon, click it to
access different quizzes.) Though I am not a teenager , yet
the quiz and its results made a lot of sense. I know now
that when I want to beat the blues, I should go trekking!
(Living in Delhi-NCR does make me wonder whether I put
this good advice to use.)

6. Check out the "Tricks for Treats" game. I think this
site has very good graphics. Though the site mixes raster
with vector; and solid colors with photographs quite
liberally, but the mixing is done tastefully.

7. Remember, I said that this site portrays amazing depth!
Here's an example. Click the "Girl of the Year" icon in
the right menu. What you reach is a mini-site with more
games and activities.

8. This site connects to their audience in more ways than
one. It also publishes success-stories of teenagers for
inspiration, through sections such as "Gymnasts" and
"Meet Some Real American Girls."

Explore this fascinating site when you have some time to
spare, for if you are a woman, the girl within you will
not want to leave it...and if you are man, you will know
what makes girls smile. I hope you enjoy this site as much
as I did. I've already added it to my favorites:-) Click
http://www.americangirl.com/fun.html and smile!

**********
Views
**********
------------------
***NEW!!!***
------------------

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

2. IDCWC (Contact) Students' Views:
--------------------------------------------------
Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/wavelengthians.htm#idcwcstudentviews
to read what our students feel about the Instructional
Design course (IDCWC) and Wavelength.

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

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

************
Surge Ahead
************
Curious? Interested in finding out what's happening in the job
market? Appease your curiosity by looking at some of the
eLearning jobs in the Indian Market.

Instructional Design Jobs:
*****************************

Chennai
*******
LIONBRIDGE
----------

Sr. Project Manager/Project Manager (Exp: 10 years
with 5+ yrs of managing large projects.)
Lead / Sr. Instructional Designer (Exp: 3 to 4 years)

http://www.lionbridge.com/careers/empdisplay.asp?chkJobCat=18
&chkJobLoc=45&chkJobLoc=44&intPageID=584&jobSearch=Search

HURIX:
--------

Hurix (Location: Mumbai, Chennai)

Project Managers (1 Year in eLearning/Content
Project Management)

Lead Instructional Designers (3 to 4 years)
Instructional Designers (minimum of 2 years in a related area)
Technical Writers/Instructional Writers (1 to 2 years)

Check the above vacancies at:
http://www.hurix.com/current_openings.html

According to Naukri.com, they also want ActionScript Programmers
with 3+ years of development experience in Flash. Send your
resume at jobs_chn@hurix.com.

Aptech Software Ltd
--------------------

senior instructional designer, 20th Sep 2006
Instructional Designers/Content Writers.
Aptech Software Ltd
3-5 years, 3.20-4.30 lacs, Chennai
Instructional designers/Content Writers
Minimum 1 year
http://www.aptech-worldwide.com/currentopenings.html#104

Project Management Professionals:
Minimum 4 years in project management in IT / e-learning industry.
http://www.aptech-worldwide.com/currentopenings.html#28
Chennai / Pune / Mumbai

Soft Skill Trainer
Minimum 3 years of conducting soft skill training
http://www.aptech-worldwide.com/currentopenings.html#105

Pune
****

BRAINVISA
---------
Instructional Design - Project Lead (Exp: 2 to 8 yrs)
(Also at Delhi)
http://www.brainvisa.com/opening5.html

Project Manager(Exp 3 to 7 yrs)
http://www.brainvisa.com/opening3.html

Content developer / Content writer (Exp 1 to 3 yrs)
(Also at Delhi)
http://www.brainvisa.com/opening4.html

MAXIMIZE LEARNING
-----------------
Content Writers/Instructional Designers (Exp: 1 to 3 years)
http://www.maximizelearning.com/pop_up_id.htm
Check out Lead Positions at:
http://www.maximizelearning.com/pop_up_learnPro.htm

Mumbai:
********

LIONBRIDGE
------------------
Skill Development Manager - Instructional Designing
(Exp: 8 to 15 years)
Instructional Designers(Exp: Not mentioned)
Content Writers(Exp: in eLearning - years not mentioned)
Technical Writers(Exp. Not mentioned)
http://www.lionbridge.com/careers/empdisplay.asp?chkJobCat=18&
chkJobLoc=45&chkJobLoc=44&intPageID=584&jobSearch=Search

Cactus Communications Pvt Ltd
-----------------------------

Content Writer (1-3 years)
http://www.cactusglobal.com/contentwriter.html

PRAXIS TECHNOLOGIES:
----------------------------------

Project Managers - Content (Exp: 3 to 5 years)
Project Leaders - Content (Exp: 1 to 3 years)
Team Leader - Writing and Instructional Design
(Exp: 4 to 6 years)
Instructional Designer (Exp: 2 to 3 years)
Instructional Writer (Exp: 1 to 2 years)
http://www.praxistechnologies.net/careers/careers.html

Delhi - NCR
**************

INFOPRO
-------------
Instructional Designers (1-3 years)
http://learning.infoprocorp.com/careers/careers.html

FCS
------
Senior Instructional Designers
http://www.fcsltd.com/home/careers/careers.asp#SRID

LIQVID
---------
Sr.Instructional Designer (6-10 years)
Junior Instructional Designer (2-5 years in eLearning)
Project Management (6-9 years with 2-4 in project operations)
http://www.liqvid.com/current_openings.asp#

Flash ActionScript Jobs
***************************

I can't resist adding the following job:

Delhi - NCR
**************
FCS
------
Flash Developer
http://www.fcsltd.com/home/careers/careers.asp#FDev

Mumbai
**********

HURIX:
----------

Hurix (Location: Mumbai, Chennai)

Though not mentioned at their site, according to Naukri.com,
they also want ActionScript Programmers with 3+ years of
development experience in Flash.
Send your resume at jobs_chn@hurix.com.

Pune
******
MAXIMIZE LEARNING
-----------------
Multimedia Programmers
http://www.maximizelearning.com/pop_up_prog.htm
Flash(Actionscript), JavaScript, HTML, XML, ASP, and PHP

Check out Lead Positions at:
http://www.maximizelearning.com/pop_up_learnPro.htm

***************
Laugh-a-little
***************
To smile and to laugh...and to make those around you smile
and laugh; this is what life is all about. (How we wish
that the bosses would understand this!)

Here are some links that should give you a reason to laugh.
By the way, did you know that laughter is just as contagious
as a yawn is? So make sure that you pull out your neck you're
your work and laugh aloud! So loud that everyone in your bay
pulls out his or her neck from the work and...well! This is
carrying a metaphor too far! Let's begin.

Some instructional designers (especially the green-horns) can
be categorized as technologically challenged. Please also note
the fact that most designers of all types (graphic,
instructional, interior, and so on.) prefer to don the
technology-repellant over-coat. For all of us who deliberately
try to ignore technology as a professional hazzard rather
than a friendly assistant...here are a few humor pills.

Click http://jokes.comedycentral.com/random_joke.aspx?joke_id=888&cat_id=37
to read about the tech-support executives' woes, which are
crafted and grafted by the technologically challenged!

The technology savvy know the importance of CTRL+s, while the
technologically challenged assume that the computer will
protect their data automatically. Click
http://jokes.comedycentral.com/random_joke.aspx?joke_id=888&cat_id=37
to find who is on whose side! Flummoxed?! Click to know!

And now for desserts...Mrs. Computer or Mr. Computer...or should
it be Ms. Computer? Click
http://jokes.comedycentral.com/random_joke.aspx?joke_id=880&cat_id=37
to see why computers should be considered Female. To ensure
gender neutrality of this section, here's another link
(http://jokes.comedycentral.com/results/index.asp?cat=37)
which discusses why Computers should be Male!

Laugh...Smile...Be Happy!

****************************
Innoken Online Games
****************************
http://www.innoken.com/games.htm

**************
Signing Off...
**************
I hope you enjoyed this issue of Wavelength.

I look forward to meeting you again, next month - with more
with more information, news, humor, and enthusiasm. The
venue remains the same...your mailbox!

See you next month! Bye!

Shafali

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

*************************************************************************
Feedback: Write to me with your views on Wavelength at shafali@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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