Share the Wealth!

I was watching the news this morning whilst blow-drying my hair – always the optimistic multi-tasker – when I happened to hear a little snippet about a new over-50s social networking site called Saga Zone.

Now the fact that the older generation is embracing the internet age is nothing that we haven’t picked up on already and have mentioned in a previous blog, Forget Baking, Grandma’s Online! But the thought of our grandparents sitting on their couches, Laptop in tow, doesn’t seem like a very realistic picture – or does it?

Research suggests that over-65s are the largest growing syndicate to use the internet but does this mean that they will no longer trot off to the café for a cuppa, or down to the pub for a pint? Instead, will their weekly social gathering be in an online group dedicated to the latest gardening tips, called “Show me your Greenfinger!”? It seems that after a 4 month trial gathering 13,000 users, the answer is Yes!

In The Guardian today, an article called Saga launches social website for over-50s, Paul Green, a Saga spokesperson said that, “Thirteen thousand is just a drop in the ocean - in theory the membership is practically limitless. Social networking isn't going to be for everyone, but the feedback so far has knocked our socks off." The possibilities are endless and with innovative ideas, the benefits to older internet users are remarkable.

Another networking site, launched recently by the founders of Monster.com, called Eons.com, has taken the networking phenomenon to another level, offering interactive brain strength games, news on the latest hobbies, and tips to live longer.
Focussing on the idea of brain strength games, I think we underestimate the constant need to learn and given the chance, most of us would jump at being able to extend our skills.

For example: A conversation came up in the office yesterday about one of my colleagues parent’s taking French lessons and how hard it was to find a suitable school or college in the area to cater to her particular skill level. This particular parent has internet access and the thought of being able to take lessons in the comfort of their own home, without the pressures of other students around them, seemed like the obvious answer.

To me, this is where social networking sites could really excel, especially when they are designed for the over-50s market; by incorporating learning modules into their format, either produced by outside eLearning specialists or by the users themselves – share the wealth!

You Want Fries With That?

The swift technological advances that are occurring in everyday life still continue to amaze me. With these new tools and resources, comes the realisation that those who don’t embrace this new computer-driven way of life will surely be left behind at a severe disadvantage.

An example of this technological intrusion popped up last weekend when I was faced with the simple task of ordering a pizza. After over-indulging the night before, a group of friends and I were craving a quick and easy, grease filled treat and unanimously agreed that a slice of pizza or five would hopefully appease the little man determined to use his jackhammer on our delicate temples.

A half hour pre-discussion on what toppings, extras, drinks etc everyone preferred had already taken place, so all that was left to do was pick up the phone and dial.

After locating my mobile phone and the required phone number (speed dial #3), I was all set to go. I hadn’t even made it through the recorded introductory message before I was informed by my technologically suave friend that everything was ordered, the confirmation email had been received and an e.t.a of 30 minutes was given for the pizza god’s drop off. With just a click of the mouse and a tick of the box our culinary delights were ordered online before I had even spoken to a real live person!

Even in my fragile state I was able to marvel at this online wonderment. It seems more and more consumers are turning to online means to take care of everything from grocery shopping to purchasing overseas properties.

Online learning is another great example of the technological progression that is taking place in today’s society. Eager participants can now complete courses and gain qualifications online, eliminating travel restrictions, extra cost, and a number of other variants that have the potential to contribute to a student’s reluctance to seek further education.

So it seems to me the technological arm reaches far and wide and is impacting the daily running of our lives on a huge scale. The choice is left up to the consumer; we can either participate in this ever-advancing notion and take advantage of the conveniences it offers, or simply stick to the old way of life and make do with what we’ve got.

So what will it be folks…..eat in or takeaway?

The Tides are Changing

As part of my research into a white paper I am writing, I decided to have a look around some of the most frequented e-Learning blogs available at the moment. I came across an interesting entry in Helge Scherlund's eLearning news blog regarding a free downloadable version of The eLearning Guild's Handbook of e-Learning Strategy.

Now I am not sure whether any of you will have the time to read the entire PDF so I have picked out some points of interest.

The idea of change management really resonated with me as it seems that change is one of the major reasons that e-Learning strategies are not taken up by companies. The eLearning Guild have summarised a successful implementation structure into the following three categories/phases:

1. Inform – Generate Awareness
Make sure to supply all the answers to common questions that will arise from your staff. Get your message across through the likes of Newsletters, Emails, Presentations, and Webcasts.

2. Involve – Generate Involvement
The best way to change existing behaviours towards learning is to make sure that all team members are involved – especially key players. To do this, The eLearning Guild suggests making their learning personal by displaying the benefits to the individual and offering them first-hand experience in the new learning methods.

3. Integrate – Generate Commitment
The new methods must be recognised as part of the organisation’s culture, by all members of the team.

The eLearning Guild describes change management as, “the combination of processes, activities, and approaches that manage the people of the organization through the transition from the old way of doing things to the new way, from the old way of training to e-Learning.”

To make sure that your new e-Learning strategy will remain a part of your business development, it is imperative that staff are offered support to understand the changes they face. People will change, as long as they see the benefits that the change will have to them personally. Make the strategy about the individual and the new beginning it will bring.

MindLeadersUK Resource Centre and Toolbox

One of the ways we like to work on and improve our services is by talking to trainers about their common problems with the program. One of the common issues is getting ‘buy-in’ from the managers and executives. Alongside this is the fact that they want to make e-learning part of the normal corporate culture, but aren’t sure how to go about it. They have suggested that having more information and tools to hand could be helpful. This would help them do more with their training programs in less time.

We have just released a couple of products to help with this called, ‘The Training and Development Toolbox’ and ‘Resource Centre. Some of the things the ‘Toolbox’ does is address areas such as building and marketing, learning programs, calculating ROI, selling managers on employee development and fixing a struggling learning program. This is done through a set of eighteen video segments and each of these features a treasury of downloadable tools. These include checklists, Powerpoint, presentations and quick reference sheets.

The Resource Center is the home for the Toolbox and even more resources for maximizing your training program - over 130 items total, including product walkthroughs, technical support FAQs, information to give to students, and promotional tools.

We hope that you are happy with the improvements to this service and encourage you to contact us with any suggestions.

Check out our New Courses!

MindLeadersUK have released some exciting new courses that we wanted to make sure you knew about.

• Excel 2007 Advanced
• Java Web Services
• Windows Vista Configuration MCTS 70-620
• Windows Vista & Office 2007 Desktops MCTS 70-624
• Windows Vista Enterprise Support MCITP 70-622

Please contact us if you would like any further info!

http://www.mindleadersuk.com/

Play Against the Computer

We are constantly striving to improve our courses and make them more user friendly. All the courses now have a ‘notes’ option that allows you to copy text from the course pages or to type your own thoughts. It is possible to either print or save these so they are readily available should you need to refer to them.

There is also now a feature where you can ‘play against the computer’. This works for the parts of the courses where matching exercises are used (such as matching terms and definitions). It’s a memory game where you aim to beat the opponent (computer) with your knowledge.

These are just two of the latest improvements, and there will be plenty more to come! So keep checking for further news.