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WAVELENGTH – The ID Newsletter of India – October 2007
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Dear friends,

Welcome to this edition of Wavelength.

I know that the October Newsletter has arrived late. Many of
you re-subscribed because the October newsletter didn't
reach you in time. Thanks for the loving gesture. It expressed
your love and affection towards the Wavelength
newsletter.

The reason behind Wavelength's delayed arrival is an
extremely important one. On November 01, 2007, Wavelength's
Instructional Design course for Senior Professionals goes online!
We want this to be a one-of-its kind learning experience for
our learners. We are trying to exceed the expectations that
Wavelength's IDCWC Online has set...and it isn't easy! After all,
the IDSP has to connect with our Senior Professionals by
reaching their level.

Well. I could go on and on about this intoxicating development
experience, but I should bring certain other things to your
notice.

This month, Wavelength brings you an article that discusses
an important question - a question that is faced by those who
work as managers in organizations that are in the process of
evaluating eLearning as a possible training delivery medium.
Read "e-Maturity & Adoption of eLearning" to find answers to
some of the questions that one asks while this process is on.

A need for short and strong ID training programs was being
felt by many organizations that contacted us with their
requirements. To fulfill these requirements, we shall be
organizing two different 2-Day workshops for two different
sets of individuals. These are:

1. The eLearning Course Design Workshop
2. The Training Design Workshop

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1. ELearning Course Design Workshop
(2-Days, November 17 - 18, 2007)
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The focus of the workshop is the design of eLearning content.
This workshop combines the knowledge of instructional design
with the requirements of eLearning medium to enable the
participants design effective eLearning content. This workshop
shall be held at Wavelength Noida.

If you are a content developer or technical writer with six
months or more of elearning content development experience,
or you are a trainer engaged in the eLearning initiative of
your organization with some exposure to eLearning, you are
welcome to register for it. Find the details at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/elearning_design_workshop_nov07.htm

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2. Training Design Workshop
(2-Days, November 23 - 24, 2007)
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The focus of this workshop is the design of training programs.
This workshop brings together the instructional design
principles and the needs of the trainees, the requirements
of the trainers, and the characteristics of classroom environment;
to enable the participants design effective training programs.
This workshop shall be held at Wavelength Noida.

If you are a trainer with six months or more of experience,
you are welcome to register for it. Find the details at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/training_design_workshop_nov07.htm

If you are interested in either attending any of the above
workshops or sponsoring participants for them, please write
to us at: connect[at]vibrantwavelength[dot]com

Registrations for the next IDSP Online session, which begins
on January 01, 2008, have opened. Please find the details of
this course at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idsp_online.htm

The next IDCWC Online session also begins on January 01, 2008,
you are welcome to check the details at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_online.htm

The IDCWC Contact session (for which classes are conducted at
Wavelength, Noida) shall begin on December 02, 2007. The next
course group of the ActionScript Developer Certificate (ASDC)
course is beginning on November 18, 2007. If you wish to enroll
for any of our contact courses, please call us
at 9810324284/0120-4315505.

I would like to thank the professionals who have placed their
trust in Wavelength's ability to fulfill their learning needs
and enrolled for the IDSP Online. I would also like to thank
the IDCWC Online ex-participants who had so enthusiastically
enquired about the IDSP Online course, and those who continue
to recommend our courses and training programs to their friends
and associates. Many of you've forged a connection with Wavelength
that shall never rust or weaken; do continue being in touch,
and continue to inspire us.

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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Online Courses:
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1. The 7th session of IDCWC Online (Instructional Design &
Content Writing Certificate Online) course begins on
January 01, 2008. Read details at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_online.htm
Please send us your queries at idcwconline[at]vibrantwavelength[dot]com

2. Registrations have opened for the 2nd session of
IDSP Online (Instructional Design for Senior Professionals
Certificate Online) course, which begins on January 01, 2008.
Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idsp_online.htm
Please send us your inquiries at idsponline[at]vibrantwavelength[dot]com

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Training Workshops:
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* 2-Day eLearning Course Design Workshop
(November 16 and 17, 2007 - Friday/Saturday)
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/elearning_design_workshop_nov07.htm

* 2-Day Training Design Workshop
(November 23 and 24, 2007 - Friday/Saturday)
(September 24-28, 2007). Read details at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/training_design_workshop_nov07.htm

* 5-Day Instructional Design & Content Writing Workshop
(January 14 to 18, 2008) Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/instructionalDesign_trgworkshop_jan08.htm

If you are interested in registering for any of the above
workshops, please write to us at connect[at]vibrantwavelength[dot]com.

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Contact Courses:
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1. Classes for the Instructional Design & Content Writing
Certificate (IDCWC Contact) course begin on December 02, 2007.
Registrations are on for this group. Read details at
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_details.htm

2. Classes for the next Flash ActionScript 2.0 Developer
Certificate (ASDC) course group begin on November 18, 2007.
Registrations are on for this group. Read details at
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/actionscript_certificate.htm

3. Classes for the next Flash Certificate (FCC) course group
begin on December 09, 2007. Registrations are on for this group.
Read details at http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/flash_certificate.htm

4. Classes for the ActionScript 2.0 with Object-Oriented
Programming (AS2OOP) course begin on December, 2007.
Registrations are open for this course group. Click on
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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Are you working with an organization that is debating whether
or not eLearning should be adopted as an alternate or
additional learning medium? You are not? Then are you
working with a company that has just adopted the sweet
and cuddly (?) eLearning "white-elephant"? In both cases,
I recommend a quick reading of the Wavelength article,
"e-Maturity & Adoption of eLearning." I think that the most
important factor favoring eLearning implementations should be
the e-maturity of the organization! (Of course, this is my
personal viewpoint.) Whether this is the case in your company
is a question that only you can answer. Click
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/ematurity_elearning.htm
to read this article.

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ID Section
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ID Concepts
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"Connectivism: a new learning theory?" at http://elearning.surf.nl/e-learning/english/3793
presents Pløn Verhagen's opinion on connectivism at the
e-learning theme site. Pløn Verhagen is a professor
Educational Design at the University of Twente, The Netherlands.

If you haven't heard of connectivism, your work must be
keeping you away from the latest buzz in the eLearning
corridors! Click http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
to read George Siemens' original article on Connectivism.

It is important to note that most of the criticism that
Connectivism has invited is about its status as a theory.
My experience suggests that the usefulness of the
observations made by Siemens is quite high in practical eLearning content creation.

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Language & Culture
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http://www.carla.umn.edu/culture/definitions.html
provides some good definitions of culture.

Read "Current Research on the Impact of Culture, Gender
and Ethnicity on Student Learning" at
http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/academics/center/
Teaching_and_Learning_Tips/Learning%20Styles/ImpactofCulture.htm

In the Indian context, the composition of minority
would change but the gender-specific equations would
probably remain the same. Do you agree?

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Writing Style
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From a content developer's viewpoint, the most relevant
definition of the term "fallacy" is - "an often plausible
argument using false or invalid inference." An extremely
useful article that enables us to identify logical
fallacies and eliminate them from our writing is available
at: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/fallacies.html

Another link that I would like to add to this section
(once again,) is http://www.bartleby.com/141/
This page provides a hyperlinked version of The Elements
of Style" by William Strunk, Jr.

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Technology Section
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Learning Content Management Technologies
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"The DNA of eLearning" is an extremely informative whitepaper
written by Jay Cross and Ian Hamilton. You can find this
whitepaper at http://www.internettime.com/Learning/articles/DNA.pdf
This whitepaper traces the evolutionary path of eLearning.
If you wish to have a complete overview of eLearning in
terms of technology, management, costs, and logistics...you
should click the link given above.

Another article that you may want to look at is, "Creating
Your eLearning Strategy" available at
http://www.e-learningguru.com/wpapers/create_strategy.pdf
As an eLearning manager, you will often be consulted for
determining the right eLearning development and
implementation strategy. This whitepaper shall give you a
complete overview of what all should be considered when
you think of implementing eLearning.

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

Please click the following link to view the September
issue of the Media Newsletter.
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/media_nletter_zx684s_sep07.htm

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Site of the Month
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This month, my quest for the Site of the Month resulted
in something different. It resulted in a site, which can
be called "conceptually innovative." The site is http://www.dontclick.it

Well, don't click it. Don't click it then do what with it?
The site will tell you. Begin by clicking the link
given above.

I am sure that you'd want to know the reasons behind my
selection. Here they are:

1. This site is made in Flash. I know that these days most
sites are made in Flash but then Flash still remains one
of my reasons to like this site. It's Flash that makes the
experience smooth and it is Flash that helps us create an
entire interface that springs into action without a click.

2. When I began navigating this site, I missed the click
a lot. However, after a few minutes, I had learned through
exploration.

3. While going through this site, I was convinced of the
usefulness and the accuracy of the three learning approaches.
I recommend that while navigating the site, monitor your
learning. As you analyze the mechanics of your learning,
you shall see the approaches emerge.

4. I like the animations. They are smooth, they are
indicative, and they are usually unobtrusive.

5. I also appreciate the site for its objectivity. The site
is a research project and it tells us about the opinion
people have on the click.

6. I like the click, and I also like the rollover. I
wouldn't want to have a site that would translate each
rollover as a conscious act of the user. At the same time,
I would definitely want to use rollovers to tell the user
about the functions that the rolled-over object may provide.
Yet, this site opened my eyes to the fact that there are
individuals who would rather not click! A reduction in
clicks could be logically structured in online content.

7. Do visit the "Learn" section for some useful information
on clicks.

I'll stop now. Do explore and form your own interpretations
of the click-concept. If you haven't visited the site so far,
"click" http://www.dontclick.it to explore a
click-less world.

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

2. IDCWC (Contact) Participants' Views:
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Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/trg_participants_views.htm#idcwcviews
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/trg_participants_views.htm#asdcviews
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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Find a new metrics for evaluating performance at:
http://www.comedy-zone.net/jokes/laugh/education/student2.htm

Find an excellent assessment question at:
http://www.thehumorarchives.com/joke/Professor_Bonk

And now find out how full your life is. Click:
http://jokes.hellacool.co.uk/jokes/
Rocks-a-meaning-for-life-A-philosophy-professor-stood-before-his-class.html

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

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Signing Off...
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I hope you enjoyed this issue of Wavelength. Until next
month, then! Goodbye!

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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