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WAVELENGTH – The ID Newsletter of India – September 2008
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------- TWO NEW ONLINE COURSES LAUNCHED FOR TRAINERS! --------
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idt_online.htm
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/elt_online.htm

------ Flex 3.0 APPLICATION DEVELOPER COURSE LAUNCHED! -------
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/flex_certificate.htm

Welcome to this edition of Wavelength.

With winters just around the corner, some preparations are in
order. Let me share with you the story of the dove that made a
nest in my terrace garden. She built a nest, laid her eggs, and
hatched from them, two perfect little fur-balls. Then she fed them.
She fed them with such unfailing regularity that I wondered whether
there was a clock hidden in her nest. In about a month; the chicks
were ready to fly. I saw the dove smile proudly at them as
they followed her out and away. I credit the dove with the success
of this sweet little project.

Without the meticulous design of that nest, Delhi's unrelenting
storms would've devastated it; without the right management of
temperature, the chicks wouldn't have hatched; and without
the dove's perfect time and food-management, her chicks couldn't
have flown. Everything happened the right way,
because of the dove's competencies. I assume that the
dove instinctively knew what she had to do, and so she didn't
have to "acquire" those competencies by learning; but we humans
exist in more complex environments,and we aren't born with
all the competencies that we need for survival. We, unlike the
dove, need to acquire them!

In our continuing endeavor to assist you in building the skills
that you require, this month Wavelength unveils
three new courses! Two of these courses have been designed
especially for the Trainers while one of them is created
for the Programmers. These courses are:

1. The IDT Online or The Instructional Design for Trainers
Certificate Online Course

2. The ELT Online or The Elearning for Trainers
Certificate Online Course

And...
3. The FADC (Contact Course) or The Flex 3.0 Application
Developer Certificate Course

These courses are the product of a year's worth of
hard work and many hearts' worth of passion for making
learning enjoyable. I hope that they meet your learning
needs and exceed your expectations, as our earlier courses have.

Here are the details of these courses.

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The Instructional Design for Trainers Online (IDT Online)
Certificate Course:
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Audience: Trainers (with at least six months of experience)
who wish to learn instructional design and enhance their
training design, development, and implementation capabilities.

Duration: 3 months.

Next Session Begins: January 01, 2009

Please read the details of this course at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idt_online.htm
Please send your queries to us at idtonline[at]vibrantwavelength[dot]com

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The Elearning for Trainers Online (ELT Online) Certificate Course
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Audience: Trainers (with at least six months of experience)
who are comfortable with instructional design but would like to
learn eLearning content development to extend their
training programs.

Duration: 2 months.

Next Session Begins: January 01, 2008.

Please read the details of this course at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/elt_online.htm
Please send your queries to us at eltonline[at]vibrantwavelength[dot]com

These two courses have been designed and developed with the
Trainer's existing competencies and learning needs in mind.
They talk to you trainer-to-trainer and connect instructional
design or eLearning, as the case may be, with your work. And
what's more is that they build upon our learning from our
previous online courses that you've loved and admired so much;
and thus, they shift the bar of Wavelength's quality higher
than ever before.

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Flex 3.0 Application Developer Certificate (FADC) Course:
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And now about the Flex 3.0 Application Developer
Certificate (FADC) Course:

The FADC Course is a two-month contact program (held at
Wavelength Noida) that helps you become a thorough
professional in programming Flex Applications from scratch.
This course is of interest to those who can program well
(using ActionScript/C/C#/C++/JavaScript/VBScript/Java...phew!)
If you are someone who is interested in becoming a star
Flex Application Developer, please go through the details
of this course and contact us at 9810324284/0120-4315505.
The details can be found at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/flex_certificate.htm.
This course shall begin its session on January 13, 2009.

(For the Flex Application Developer Certificate (FADC) Course
preference shall be given to candidates who possess
Wavelength's ASDC Certificate.)

The 10th Session of the IDCWC Online and the 5th Session
of the IDSP Online would begin tomorrow. Of course, the
registrations are closed for this session, but you are
welcome to send us your application for the session
starting on January 01, 2008.

If you are interested in enrolling for the IDCWC contact
course, or for the ASDC contact course, please call us
at 9810324284/0120-4315505. These courses shall begin
their next course groups on October 26, 2008.

I hope that the new courses will receive the same love
and affection from you that our previous courses have. In
our estimate, these courses move beyond the quality
frontiers that IDCWC, IDSP, and ASDC had established; and
they retain the same spirit of practical application and
conceptual learning; that Wavelength has always
persevered for.

I wish you all a very happy festival season with your
loved ones. We hope that everything and everyone that
you come across smiles at you:)

Bye!

Thanks and Regards,
Shafali R. Anand.

******************
Table of contents
******************
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:
----------------------
1. The 11th session of IDCWC Online (Instructional Design &
Content Writing Certificate Online) course begins on
January 01, 2009. Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idcwc_online.htm
Please send us your queries at idcwconline[at]vibrantwavelength[dot]com

2. The 6th session of IDSP Online (Instructional Design
for Senior Professionals Certificate Online) course, begins
on January 01, 2009. 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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Online Courses for Trainers: (!!! NEW !!!)
-------------------------------------------------
1. The IDT Online
(Instructional Design for Trainers Certificate Online Course)
begins on January 01, 2009.

Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/idt_online.htm
Please send us your queries at idtonline[at]vibrantwavelength[dot]com

2. The ELT Online
(Elearning for Trainers Certificate Online Course)
begins on January 01, 2009.

Read details at: http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/elt_online.htm
Please send us your queries at eltonline[at]vibrantwavelength[dot]com

----------------------
Contact Courses:
----------------------
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

!!! NEW !!!

4. Classes for the Flex 3.0 Application Developer Certificate
(FADC) course begin on January 11, 2009.
Registrations are open for this course group. Click
http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/flex_certificate.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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The Wavelength article for September 2008,
"Damocles, Dionysus, and the Trainer!" reviews the
nature of the Damocles sword that hangs over our necks
and then attempts to answer the un-asked question - How
do we toughen up our necks? It's important for the
trainers to ask this question because the sword isn't
going anywhere, and neither are you! The wind of change is
blowing hard for the training function - doesn't matter
whether you work for a PSU, an MNC, or a BPO. The client's
Expectations and Technology both are growing incredibly
fast...and we need to keep pace!
Click http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/damocles_sword_trainer.htm
to read this article and settle down for an
important reflection.

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The Cognitive Excursion ( NEW EPISODES!!! )
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This month, the theme for the Cognitive Excursion is "Art."
Art that helps us look for the exotic in the mundane!
If you like to read about the great artists who have
left their masterpieces for us to admire, then you will
enjoy the CLICK a lot. The HIVE as always will drive you
to the edge of your seat while it lets you test your
vocabulary, and the PEARL, the quiet little puzzle, is at
its simplest this month.

Have fun with 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
-------------------
The newly anointed instructional designer is always on the
lookout for a crisp and light fare. Well, here is a short
and crisp synopsis of the content design and development
process at: http://i-taps.com/Instructional_Design.html

Read "SITUATED INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN: BLURRING THE
DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE, DESIGN AND
IMPLEMENTATION, CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION" by Brent
G. Wilson at http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~bwilson/sitid.html
for some very practical tips on how to design, develop, and
implement instruction.

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Language & Culture
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Culture Crossing at http://www.culturecrossing.net/index.php
is an interactive guide to the cultures of the world. You
navigate through this site using the map given on the
homepage. This guide is a kind of wiki, where you can add
information to the guide. I feel that it's quite a handy
reference for instructional designers who find themselves
creating content for diverse cultures.

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Writing Style
------------------------------
If you are a writer, you know well that writing is a
continuous cycle of revision. Whatever the writing experts
may say, most writers can't stop worrying about the terms
and their meanings (all the different ones) and if they
could find a tool that would help them with not just the
words but also the abbreviations, I am sure they'll save
many painful moments of confusion. So click http://www.metaglossary.com/
to reach one such tool.

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Technology Section
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This month, let's take a break from learning technologies
and check out the lighter side of technology.

Technology often awes the instructional designer. It awes
me for sure. Programmers often appear to be geeks and
around the instructional designers they speak Geekamese;
all this makes an ID think that Programmers and Programming
descended upon earth from the far away Pluto (or Geeko,
if you please.)

But seriously speaking, if you own a website or a blog,
you are sufficiently technology-enabled. http://miniajax.com/
provides you some interesting code-pieces to enhance the
functionality of your web pages. Then invite the Geeks over!

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Site of the Month
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How about a cup of tea?
Yes...yes...how about it?
Tazo...Tazo...really fresh!

Well...the Chai of the Month can be found at http://www.tazo.com!

I love this site so much...so much that I can smell the
freshness of the tealeaves through my monitor. I speak the
"truth" my dear friend...and if you don't believe me, click
the link to prove me wrong...I dare you.

1.So you've clicked the link...right? What do you see? Aha!
Feeling welcome already...are you not? They say that they've
put on a pot of tea...mmm!

2.Click Enter to check out the steaming teapot. They were
right! Weren't they? They did put on a pot...didn't they?
And then...the page opens. What I like most is that the
promise is kept...right there next to the open book, is a
steaming cup of tea.

3.Turn your attention to the top menu. There are four
little buttons, and then there is the Wheel-o-Tazo!
Click Om Page for a quick introduction to the site. Don't
miss the humor at the end of the text on the notebook.

4.Click "Explore our Teas" to reach the tasting room. While
in transit, you'll also experience a quick pre-loader
(your icon changes into a teapot.) Now, select a Tea Type
from the left menu and then select a tea that you'd like
to know about. A cup of that particular tea is served to
you, so that you may savor the tea while reading its details.

5.Click "What is Tazo" to discover another visual delight.
A beautiful scroller! If you have time to go through the
text, please go through it - the write-ups are interesting.

6.If you are the psychic kind, you may want to consult the
tealeaves. It is an interesting activity (though it's
accuracy is questionable.) Have fun.

7.And the "Wheel-o-Tazo"? Well, I leave it for you to
discover. Effectively, it allows you to explore the teas
in a more interesting manner.

So tell me now...have you ever seen a more refreshing site?

So click http://www.tazo.com to experience some truly fragrant
online hospitability.

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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):
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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:
-----------------------------------------------------------
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:
-------------------------
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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When did you laugh last?

I mean the real good haw-haw kind of laugh.

Not recently...right?

Okay...so here's your opportunity to laugh a little; but
loosen your tie (or scarf) and smoothen those wrinkles
between your brows...yes...that's better! Now you are
ready to let yourself go! Check out these cool links.

* What's true for writing a paper in college or
university may well be true for writing content. Check
out the right method of writing a paper at http://asil.logicalinsanity.ca/300college%20paper.html

* And for the text-worn, here's a visual one.
Click http://www.fwdfish.com/content/what-if-few-things-went-invisible-photoshop-fun
to see what would happen if certain things were invisible!
Interesting! And it does open a vista of possibilities. Doesn't it? (I wouldn't say more.)

* I was wondering whether http://www.strangeplaces.net/weirdthings/travel.html
should be added in the Culture section instead. Click to
see why. BTW, if you work with a BPO, this link may help
you add some relevant humor to your training programs.

Did I hear you laugh?

Oh yes! My day is made!

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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All the best!

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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