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WAVELENGTH – The ID Newsletter of India – August 2008
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Welcome to this edition of Wavelength.

Everything's becoming so unpredictable. August is drawing to
a close, but it still rains every day. River Kosi does the
completely unexpected by breaking the dam and establishing
a new route, rendering tens of thousands homeless. The oil
prices rise like never before, bringing in inflation, which
led to a global recession! The past year has brought many
unexpected surprises most of which were unpleasant.

The recession has led companies to bring about some changes
at the grassroots level...they are resorting to cost
reduction and productivity enhancement measures of a newer
kind. And all this translates to change. And this change,
I assure you, is happening very quickly and very quietly.

So in the times of such turmoil, what is it that we can
place our trust on? What is it that could give us the
comfort of knowing that our future is secured by means
stronger than our bank-balance? The Wavelength article for
this month, "Taking Stock...Stop! Look! Go!" reviews this
question and comes up with some simple suggestions.

At Wavelength, we too are working towards meeting the
challenge of change. I should have a very important and
a very relevant announcement for you in the September
newsletter. This also means that we will be organizing our
next training workshop only after November this month. The
three-day ID workshop held at Wavelength concluded
successfully on August 23, 2008. I would like to thank the
participants of our August Instructional Design workshop.

For those who wish to become part of the steadily growing
family of Wavelength's Instructional Design Elites, here's
some important information about our online courses:

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Instructional Design & Content Writing Certificate (IDCWC Online)
Certificate Course - Session 10 (October 2008 - December 2008)
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Applications are coming in for the October-December 2008 session
of the IDCWC Online, which shall begin on October 01, 2008. If
you are interested in enrolling for the IDCWC Online, I
request you to act quickly and send us your application soon.
You'll find the details of the program at: idcwconline [at] vibrantwavelength [dot] com

Please visit the IDCWC Online page at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_online.htm

Also read the views of the IDCWC Online participants at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/trg_participants_views.htm#idcwconlineviews

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Instructional Design for Senior Professionals (IDSP Online)
Certificate Course - Session 5 (October 2008 - November 2008)
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We are currently receiving applications for the October-November
2008 session of the IDSP Online, which shall begin on
October 01, 2008. If you would like to register for this session
of the IDSP Online, and you more than 4 years of experience
related to learning, please write to us at idsponline [at] vibrantwavelength [dot] com

Please visit the IDSP Online page at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idsp_online.htm

Also read the views of the IDSP Online participants at:
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/trg_participants_views.htm#idsponlineviews

If you are interested in enrolling for the IDCWC contact course,
or for the ASDC contact course, please call us at 9810324284.
These courses shall begin their next course groups on
October 26, 2008.

I wish you all a bright and decisive month ahead.

Bye!

Thanks and Regards,
Shafali R. Anand.

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Table of contents
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From the Editor's Desk
Mystery of the Month

The Cognitive Excursion - *** NEW EPISODES!!! ***
** HIVE - New Episode!
** CLICK - New Episode!
** PEARL - New Episode!

ID Section
Technology 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 10th session of IDCWC Online (Instructional Design &
Content Writing Certificate Online) course begins on
October 01, 2008. Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_online.htm
Please send us your queries at idcwconline [at] vibrantwavelength [dot] com

2. The 5th session of IDSP Online (Instructional Design
for Senior Professionals Certificate Online) course, begins
on October 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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Contact Courses:
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1. Classes for the Instructional Design & Content Writing
Certificate (IDCWC Contact) course begin on October 26, 2008.
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 October 26, 2008.
Registrations are on for this group. Read details at
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/actionscript_certificate.htm

3. Classes for the ActionScript 2.0 with Object-Oriented
Programming (AS2OOP) course begin on October 25, 2008.
Registrations are open for this course group. Read details at
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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As a trainer of today you are standing at the threshold of
a change...in fact the change is moving towards you. The
question is - are you ready? Or are you so busy designing
and conducting trainings that you don't have the time to
review your own readiness.

The Mystery of the Month article,
"Taking Stock...Stop! Look! Go!" at http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/trainer_taking_stock.htm
will help you stop and take stock. This article speaks of
the typical skill-gap that you are likely to encounter in
the changing scenario, and it helps you identify your own
gaps if any.

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The Cognitive Excursion ( NEW EPISODES!!! )
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The theme of Wavelength's Cognitive Excursion this month
takes you on a voyage to the Ancient Egypt and the
Mythological Greece! The CLICK is set in the Ancient Egypt,
while the PEARL will impress you with its Greek mythology
connections.

Join the Cognitive Excursion at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/cog_ex/cognitive_excursion.htm

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ID Section
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ID Concepts
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Writing to instruct isn't easy. It requires a great deal
of patience supported by the capacity to take the pain
of sacrificing your most creative pieces of writing. I
think Kevin Kruse's articles exemplify instructional
writing. His articles are short and to the point. I refer
you to his article " Evaluating e-Learning: Introduction
to the Kirkpatrick Model" at
http://www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art2_8.htm, which
is an excellent read.

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Language & Culture
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This month, it's time to reinforce what you learned about
culture in the past. Take this funny culture quiz at
http://www.fekids.com/img/kln/flash/DontGrossOutTheWorld.swf
to determine how deep your knowledge of different cultures
run.

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Writing Style
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Writerisms?!
What about them?
Read "Writerisms and other Sins: A Writer's Shortcut to
Stronger Writing" by C J Cherryh, at http://www.sfwa.org/writing/chadvce.htm
to identify your own writerisms and eliminate them! (I've
not even reached as far as identifying them...)

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Technology Section
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Learning Content Management Technologies
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I think this is the best technology-link that I ever added
to this section. Click http://www.educause.edu to learn
about the technologies of the future. What I like about
this site is their "7 Things You should Know About Series.
"A good example of this series could be found somewhere in
the center of the screen on their home page (7 Things You
Should Know About Wii). If you've heard of Video Games
Technology being used in learning, this should definitely
interest you.

By the way, if Wii has raised your eyebrows, clicking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii
would help.

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Site of the Month
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The sky is gray. The weather is a strange mix of hot and
humid. Everything seems to have become so quiet. Oh, how I
need some color in my life!!!

Click http://www.beemovie.com/, the Site of the Month for
August 2008, for all the color that you want. Seriously,
this is the most colorful site that I've ever seen. Name a
color and you'll see it here.

Let me tell you why I love this site.

* It's so colorful.
* It's sooo...colorful...
* It's... oh! Am I repeating myself?

1.Well...I love this site for it's simplicity, for the
thought that must've gone into making it look like it
belongs to the movie, and infusing it with that rare
quality called freshness!

2.If you've clicked the link, let's begin the exploration.
You've got the bee to keep you company. As the pre-loader
buzzes around on the screen, you marvel at its relevance
and then at the speed of loading...the wait is minimal.

3.The quality of the videos and animations is
phenomenal...and the music inspires you to dance. And
while you are being entertained don't forget to watch
the fantastic moves of the bee.

4.Click each of the buttons in the bottom menu to
experience different kinds of animation. Check the panels
and the backgrounds for the overall effect created
through a fantastic use of colors.

5.Check out the formally dressed bee (the corporate bee,
Mr. Adam) in the Gallery section.

6.You may find some wall-papers that you like in the
Downloads section, but be careful...you may also finds
some bees and a mosquito that you'd rather not associate
with.

7.Don't forget to check out the Characters section to
meet Barry's friends, relatives, and associates. So...do
you think that you are like Adam (the evergreen corporate
executive) or like Barry (the revolutionary hero, who
wants to do something more)?

8.And finally, for those who love games, you've got
six colorful games. I am quite confident that the Spelling
Bee game with make you smile...so let it bee!

9.While you are at the site, don't forget to notice the
beehive environment - the hexagonal structures and the
dominance of the honey color.

I hope you'll enjoy the respite that this beautiful site
provides. I did. If you are still wondering what I am
talking about, you haven't reached the site yet. Don't
wait and wonder, click http://www.beemovie.com/

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Views
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***NEW!!!***
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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. IDSP Online Course Participants' Views (first session):
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Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/trg_participants_views.htm#idsponlineviews
to read the views of our participants from the first session of the IDSP Online.

3. Wavelength Trainings/Workshops Participants' Views:
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Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/trg_participants_views.htm#trainingsworkshopsviews
to read what the IDCWC Contact program participants feel
about the Instructional Design course (IDCWC) and Wavelength.

4. IDCWC (Contact) Participants' Views:
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Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/trg_participants_views.htm#idcwcviews
to read what the our Trainings'/Workshops' participants
feel about our training programs.

5. 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.

6. 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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Please laugh!

What is that?

Laugh!

How do you laugh?

Well...let me see! You open your mouth, then you let your
breath out in short spurts while making a guttural
sound...the...oh well! If you don't know how to laugh,
it's a bit tough to...

Is there some online help...some kind of tutorial?

To teach you how to laugh...? I guess not...either
you know it or you don'tbut then...umm...aahan!

What?

Here are some links for you. Click them and
read up...who knows what might help!

1. http://www.safenow.org/ has some very interesting
pictorial messages and their interpretations however
depend entirely on your perception.

2. Have you experienced the tension that results from
not being able to find the right metaphor? Well, at
http://help.com/post/124066-funny-metaphors-used-in-high-school
you'll find some humorous non-examples to tell you
that you aren't alone!

3. Why frown? Whenever you think that you've struck
the nadir, remember that things could be worse...it's
Joshua who says this at: http://www.avolites.org.uk/jokes/dear-dad.htm

Now that you know how to...keep laughing!

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

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Signing Off...
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I wish you a great month ahead!

Good 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.

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