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Kanguva advance booking: Suriya's film to beat Rajinikanth's Vettaiyan on day 1? Trade analyst says it will earn...

The advance booking of Suriya's Kanguva predicts a bumper opening for the Koratala Siva film.




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Google’s AI-powered ‘Learn About’ feature fuses educational facts with visuals

Google’s new AI-powered ‘Learn About’ experiment will adapt to users’ interests and learning goals, per the company, but it is not yet publicly available in India




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Mark Hearn, Network Control President and CEO Named Finalist for AOTMP® Telecom Professional of the Year

Telecom Expense Management company Network Control announced today that president and CEO Mark Hearn has been named a finalist for the AOTMP Telecom Professional of the Year award.




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Revelwood Earns Two Awards From Blackline And Becomes A Gold Solution Provider For 2023

Revelwood Named 2022 Americas Solution Provider of the Year and 2022 Americas Best New Partner by BlackLine.




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Michelle L. Ross Earns the Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA®) Designation

Asset Management Group, Inc. of Stamford, CT., is pleased to announce that the College of Financial Planning has granted Michelle L. Ross the Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA®) Designation.




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LeGrand S. Redfield, Jr. Earns Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) from The American College of Financial Services

LeGrand S. Redfield, Jr., President of Asset Management Group, Inc, in Stamford, Connecticut has earned the designation of Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) from The American College. Unlike a general financial planning program like the CFP® or ChFC®, the RICP® delves much more deeply into the specific area of retirement income planning. It also trains advisers to plan for potential issues that can have a serious negative impact on a person's retirement plans.




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Jennifer Brucato Earns the Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA®) Designation

Stamford, CT - Asset Management Group, Inc. is proud to announce that Jennifer Brucato has been awarded the Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA®) Designation by the College of Financial Planning. This prestigious designation recognizes Jennifer's commitment to providing comprehensive and expert financial advice to high-net-worth clients.




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Ashley M. Tuccinardi Earns the Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional (FPQP®)

Asset Management Group, Inc. of Stamford, CT, is pleased to announce that the College of Financial Planning has granted Ashley M. Tuccinardi the Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional (FPQP®)




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ABetter Design Co. Earns Honors for Bank-A-Ball Basketball

Banking on a Winner! Multiple awards for the new Bank-A-Ball Mini Basketball Hoop for adults or kids




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SpyHunter 5 Earns AppEsteem's "Deceptor Fighter" Certification & Blocks 100% of "Deceptor" Apps

AppEsteem has awarded SpyHunter 5 "Deceptor Fighter" Certification under its "Unwanted Software Handling Certification Test." SpyHunter 5 detected and blocked potentially unwanted applications and unwanted software identified by AppEsteem with 100% accuracy.




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What I Learned About Business Shoveling Snow

While shoveling 8 to 10 inches of snow out of my driveway during our fourth Northeastern storm, I started thinking about running my small business. The decision process I used to clear my driveway is similar to the decisions you need to make to run a small business.

complete article




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10 Things Your Business Can Learn About Rebranding from Electronics Giant Sharp

When it comes to rebranding, what can your small business learn from a manufacturing giant like Sharp Electronics? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

After its purchase by Japanese electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision earlier this year, Sharp went through an extensive rebranding process to focus on its home appliance division.

complete article




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7 Lessons Small Businesses Can Learn From Tech Startups

Starting a small business in the United States has never been easier and, in fact, small businesses make up the backbone of the American economy. 9 out of every 10 employees works for one of the 28 million small businesses across the country. Each month, a half million new businesses enter the market, of which about 70% will last at least two years and one-third will last longer than 15 years.

But what does it mean to be a small business?

complete article




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What Small Business Owners Can Learn From Wegmans

Atop many business award programs sits privately-held and family-run Wegmans grocery stores, from No. 4 on FORBES list of Americas Best Employers. Based in Rochester, NY, the supermarket has an ardent fan base – including Alec Baldwins mother, who refused to move to California and give up her access to the grocery store – and legions of die-hard shoppers.

And who can blame them? Clean stores, huge inventories, reasonable prices and a seeming dedication to making life easier for its customers, Wegmans offers many lessons small businesses can learn from and apply.

complete article




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Learn About Social Media Algorithms, Augmented Reality and More Changing Business Trends

The tools, platforms and methods you use to grow your business are constantly changing. So you need to keep up with all the latest updates and trends. Members of the online small business community have some great insights about these changing tools and trends, ranging from social media algorithms to augmented reality. Read on for some helpful tips.

complete article




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5 Brutal Lessons About Entrepreneurship I Learned in My First Year as a Startup Founder

Twelve months later we have a full-time team and a company successful beyond our wildest dreams. Digital Press, named during one of our many coffee-on-an-apartment-balcony conversations, has been our attempt to empower the world's smartest people to share what they know. We work with carefully selected CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, and venture capitalists (primarily at businesses doing $10M to $300M in revenue) to share their hard-earned insight with the internet. None of the atrocious writing most PR firms peddle as acumen. None of the ad-speak or jargon nobody finds helpful. Just the hard lessons learned and the personal stories of how these successful people learned them.

complete article




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3 Lessons Learned from Helping a Small Business Invest

As a Texas real estate broker, one of the things I do at my company, Goodwin Commercial, is educate our clients on the commercial investment process. We offer a step-by-step process evaluation to protect our clients when making the decision to go from leasing to purchasing a property for their business. That process often includes making recommendations about how they might leverage a good situation or opportunity into a great one, often via strategic financing and purchasing decisions. In this case, the couple initially tried to go the SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration) route but were turned down by the first national bank they approached. They were definitely discouraged!

complete article




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Three Learnings Small Businesses Should Take From 2020 Into 2021

1. Have an adaptable business model
2. Diversify supply chain operations
3. Create an omnichannel customer experience




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Three Learnings Small Businesses Should Take From 2020 Into 2021

The United States has seen an increase in new businesses formed this year. According to the United State Census Bureau, in week 50, there were over 86,000 new business applications nationwide — representing a 38% increase over filings during the same week in 2019. The challenges small businesses have experienced in 2020 have led to some core lessons that those in the business community need to apply — whether they own an established small business or a newly formed one.




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Jesus' Preparation For Ministry Pt2: Learning To Minister From Identity

Many of us have been conditioned by life and culture to serve to obtain identity rather than ministering from our identity in Christ. Jesus knew who He was and what the Father thought of Him; this impacted how He served God. However, many of us behave as orphans in ministry, which often ends in our own hurt and that of others. In this message on 'Learning To Minister From Identity', David teaches us to minister from identity as children of God rather than ministering from identity like orphans. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

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Earn Free CME's, CNEs, CEUs, CPE with "Explaining the Unexplained" CDC Video- Expires January 21, 2014.

This exciting session of Grand Rounds focused on rapid identification of emerging infectious diseases. As our world increases in interconnectivity of both technology and people, the rapid identification of emerging infectious diseases becomes more important for disease treatment, control, and prevention.Earn Free CME's, CNEs, CEUs, CPE with "Explaining the Unexplained" CDC Video- Expires January 21, 2014. 




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LXer: Machine Learning in Linux: Reor - AI note-taking app

Published at LXer: Reor is a private AI personal knowledge management tool. Think of it as a notes program on steroids. Each note is saved as a Markdown file to a �vault� directory on your machine....



  • Syndicated Linux News

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Reading Less, writing more. Or "How I learned to hate Twitter and Facebook"

I love knowing what my friends and family are up to. I love finding out about the latest thoughts going on within my peer groups. I enjoy reading many blogs, newsletter and emails. I used to regularly get over 400 emails a day including group/mailing list traffic, followed over a thousand people on Twitter and was friends with more than 250 people on Facebook. I subscribed to over 200 blogs. I read all of it, all the time.

Mix in LinkedIn, reddit, Hacker News and a few other corners of the web, and we’re suddenly talking about a lot of data flowing into my head.

I’m led to believe that some even value the contributions I make myself from time to time.

However, I’m about to start dialling all that down. I’ve made a start in some places, but over time I’m going to stop reading anywhere near as much short-form (twitter, Facebook, etc.), a little less medium-long form (blogs), and use the time to start reading longer form work again (books) and creating more.

The reason is not because of burn-out, cynicism or some other excuse: I’m not arguing that it’s all pointless, and I’m not being a Luddite. I just want to create more, and there are only so many hours in the day.

This was prompted by going back over my resolutions posted here in December, and realising I’ve made little progress:

  • I need to get my weight down. I’m finally prepared to do something about it.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading up on this in recent months. Worried that as I attempted to cut calories I actually gained weight, I decided to go back to the science the calorie-counting diets are based on and made a shock discovery: there is no science.
There is absolutely no evidence that calorie counting works. Not one experiment has been able to show that calorie-counting is successful.
Managing carbohydrates? Different story.
I’d like to write about this some more, and I’d like to share my diet in detail and provide some raw data almost “live”. Consider it a series of scientific experiments on one person done in public. I need to think about the details of doing this more, but this is one resolution that I need to kick up a gear on above any other.
  • I want to create more, so will aim to not go more than two or three consecutive days without working on something creative in 2012. It could be writing (here, for example), it could be code for a personal project, or it could be something I’ve never really tried before (music? art? Don’t know yet). I basically want to spend less time reading/consuming and more time doing stuff. David Tate provides excellent inspirationif you want to consider doing the same. I’ll try to document as much of that as possible here.
I have failed at this dismally. I mean, really, really, really badly. I get to be quite creative in my work, but that wasn’t the goal here. My goal was to be somebody who contributed more online than I took, and in that respect, I’ve failed dismally.
I have a lot of ideas in this regard as to how to correct this fault, but it’s going to take a few weeks of planning to commit to it. I know by reading less social network commentary, blog output and community websites, I’m going to have more time to do that planning, and also to create things.
I work long days, and have just a few hours a day in which to address this, so please be patient with me.
  • I’m going to try and shift from always being behind/late for almost everything going on in my life, to being early. I don’t know how I’m going to do this, but I suspect if I can pull it off, I’ll be calmer and happier as a result.

This, I am happy to report, seems to have actually happened for the most part. Public transport not withstanding - including my own self-sabotage - I tend to be where I need to be on-time (or early), far more than I was last year.

Back to the main point: by reading what’s going on out there, by trying out new apps, by listening to all these voices, I am feeling engaged and plugged in, but only as a consumer. The purpose of the Internet is not to simply consume but to create, amend, edit, destroy, vandalise and promote. Ideas, content, products, whatever.

Also, am I the only one who has noticed how exhausting this hosepipe of information can be on a daily - even hourly - basis? I’m tired of consuming. It’s worse than television - at least with television an editor or commissioner has attempted to do some curation.

So I’m not departing, I’m not shutting down accounts, I’m just going to read a great deal less online, to the point the relevant apps might disappear off my phone. In return, I should be able to produce a few new things to share. Watch this space!




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Ram 1500 pickup earns five-star crash test rating




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Google Cash - How to Earn Thousands Writing Google AdWords Part Time

Google Cash - How to Earn Thousands Writing Google AdWords Part Time: "GoogleCash gives you all the tools you need to turn the Search Engine *Google.com into an Autopilot Cash Generating Machine!
Here are the Facts
You DON'T need physical inventory!
You DON'T need to handle any products!
You DON'T even need a website! With my innovative money-making techniques, you'll earn more from the Internet than 99% of Web site owners - and you won't need a Web site.
You don't need to send spam to anyone. All you need is a computer connected to the Internet, and the amazing discoveries I've made.
DOES NOT Require a huge investment. I started with $10 and 2 hours a week.
This eBook is not theory, but a practical step by step guide.
You can actually start earning cash today. Yes, today. Everything you need to know is in GoogleCash.


GoogleCash is a #1 top seller on Clickbank.com!"




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Google Cash - How to Earn Thousands Writing Google AdWords Part Time

Google Cash - How to Earn Thousands Writing Google AdWords Part Time: "There is a Wealth of Opportunity and Money to be made on Google and the Internet. Once I learned this it became my passion. I'd never felt like that about work before. But now I am finding new ways to make money on the Internet all the time. In Google Cash "




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Earn Your Degree Online

New book for adult learners shows how to select right online school , be an effective online student and achieve good grades. click for more information




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Online learning boom echoes across state

Internet classes, a trickle in public schools a decade ago, are rapidly joining the education mainstream — so quickly that it's unclear what all the ramifications may be. Statewide, 10,161 Washington students — mostly in high school — took one...




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Learning to Understand China : Personal experience

Michael Prosser, a prominent figure in the study of intercultural communication, and distinguished professor of Shanghai International Studies University explains in this article that a major obstacle for Americans to learn about the real China, and the causes of the misunderstandings about China, is the lack of personal experience of the country.




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Learning Haskell

I stumbled onto Haskell around 2 months back while searching for resources on spreadsheet programming. I wanted to do Buy vs Rent calculations before deciding to buy a house. Microsoft Excel is pretty good. However, after a while it simply...




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JLearnIt v6..7.0 [Win 7/8/10/11]

Categoría: Educativos:Idiomas
Diccionario temático que te permitirá practicar vocabulario en 15 idiomas mediante un cuestionario de preguntas.




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Learn Pilates Basics

Article about Pilates for beginners.




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Learn How to Start and Market High-Quality Podcasts

As of writing, there are more than 750,000 podcasts in existence and more than 30 million episodes in circulation. This jaw-dropping statistic isn't all that surprising considering podcasts are great resources for new and varied insights, staying educated and informed and a fascinating avenue for entertaining content. That's why a lot of people want to get in on the trend. Not only do they get to share their ideas with a massive audience, but podcasting also allows for raising brand awareness and generating revenue.

With that said, it's not easy setting up your own show.

complete article




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25 Essential iPhone Apps for Lifelong Learners

For those of us who are iPhone users, I asked Jimmy Atkinson at Edu-Tastic to share a list similar to the one I posted for you yesterday but for the iPhone. Here it is! (The link to the webpage is: http://toponlineuniversityreviews.com/2009/25-essential-free-iphone-apps-for-lifelong-learners/


by Miranda on July 14, 2009

iPhone applications are becoming increasingly useful, from providing ways for you to track your efforts to pay off debt, to allowing you to write emails and surf the Web. iPhone apps have gone way beyond making light saber noises and playing Sudoku. Do you have a passion for learning? If so, your iPhone can help you be better informed — by keeping vital information at your fingertips. Here are 25 iPhone apps that can help the lifelong learner explore the world:

Literature, Language and Art

If you are interested in learning more about literature, foreign languages and art, the iPhone can help you out.

  1. Stanza: Get access to thousands of books and periodicals. You can download books, both paid versions and free versions, to your iPhone and then peruse them at your leisure.
  2. Margins: If you are looking for a way to keep your notes organized, you can do so. This iPhone app is specifically designed for those who take notes in the margins of their books. It makes your thoughts much easier to organize — and find later.
  3. Aristotle’s Complete Works: One of the developers of Western thought is Aristotle. You can get his complete works, fully searchable, for your iPhone.
  4. Art Envi: If you want to learn more about art and artists, this iPhone app can help you out. You have access to thousands of art masterpieces, and you can sort them by genre. Art Envi Deluxe takes things up a notch.
  5. Love Art: This iPhone app is centered around helping you learn about art. You can learn about the lives of great artists, and the stories behind their works. Quizzes are offered to help you gauge how much you have learned.
  6. iTranslate Ultimate: You can translate between English, French, Spanish, German and Italian using this iPhone app.
  7. WordPower Lite: This iPhone app is more of a series. You can use it to practice a number of languages, including Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and a host of other languages. You receive new words to practice, flashcards, audio and can even record yourself saying the words so that you can get a better idea of how you sound.
  8. 20/20: 20 of the most useful phrase that you can use while traveling — in 20 different languages.

Math and Science

You have the opportunity to learn more about the world around you when you take advantage of iPhone applications centered around math and science. You can even learn about the related subject of medicine.

  1. Science Quiz: Receive different quizzes about a variety of science subjects. Astronomy, anatomy, biology, chemistry, technology and zoology are all included in these quizzes.
  2. Science Fact of the Day: If you are interested in learning something new every day, you can get a daily science fact delivered straight to your iPhone.
  3. EleMints: Learn the Periodic Table of Elements in an interactive manner, with interesting facts about the elements and a fun way to learn.
  4. Math Quizzes for All Ages: Brush up on your math skills, taking quizzes that include basic math concepts on up to more advanced problems and solutions.
  5. Exambusters Chemistry Cards: Flashcards that help with chemistry concepts from Exambusters. Exambusters also offers helpful cards for Trig, Algebra, Physics and Biology.
  6. Star Walk: Learn about the night sky with help from this iPhone app. Find constellations and their names, and learn more about what you see when you look to the stars.
  7. Peterson Field Guide to Backyard Birds: Put this famous field on your iPhone. Includes a search feature that allows you to narrow down birds by your area, and also provides images and information about birds you are likely to see. Also cool: Recordings of bird song.
  8. Human Atlas: See the human body in detail — and 3D. Also included in this iPhone app are common ailments, as well as their treatments.
  9. Medical Exam: A convenient tool that can help you enlarge your knowledge of medicine in 14 categories. It is also a great study aid for taking an actual medical.

Reference Materials

If you want to know something — and you want to know it now — here are some great reference materials that you can access right from your iPhone.

  1. WordBook English Dictionary & Thesaurus: Look up thousands of words and learn their meanings. You can also use the thesaurus to get ideas for replacement words. Pronunciation help is also included in this iPhone app.
  2. Spell Checker: If you are unsure of how to spell a word, simply type it into your iPhone, and find out if you are right. The application corrects misspelled words, and provides alternative ways to spell.
  3. Wikipedia Mobile: Access Wikipedia easily from your iPhone, wherever you go. Wiki Mobile is formatted especially for iPhone, making it easy to use and read on the go.
  4. 15,000 Useful Phrases: Looking for just the right phrase? You can find it with a little help from your iPhone. Extremely helpful for public speakers, writers and conversationalists.
  5. Financial Glossary: Learn what hundreds of financial words mean. Very helpful for those trying to sort out the current mess.
  6. World Proverbs: Access wit and wisdom across cultures and countries with this iPhone app. Learn a little bit about others, and find the right lesson, with a little help. Shaking your iPhone pops up a random proverb.
  7. MedCards: Physicians carry around laminated cards for quick reference. Now you can have that same reference information on your iPhone. While this application could be of great use to doctors, you don’t have to be a doctor to benefit from it.
  8. BibleXpress: For Christians who want to learn more about the Bible, or find passages quickly, BibleXpress can be invaluable. Includes a number of versions of the Bible, from the King James Version to the New Revised Standard Version to the New American Standard Bible to the New Authorized Version of the Bible and more.




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20 Free eLearning and Corporate Training Resources

Article by Guest Blog Contributor Karen Schweitzer.

Are you an instructor or trainer looking for new ways to entertain and engage your students online? The Internet is loaded with free tools, blogs, and informational sites that are designed to aid and improve your courses. Here is a list of 20 free eLearning and training resources worth checking out:

Tools

  • CourseLab - CourseLab offers a free eLearning authoring tool that can be used to effectively create web-based training. Some of the features users will find with this system include layout, editing, rich-media support, rapid development, testing, and interactivity.
  • MyiCourse - Instructors can use this site to create free online courses or universities for educational material. MyiCourse gives users the ability to create public or private courses on just about anything.
  • Utilium - Utilium is a free beta site that provides instructors with the tools they need for organizing and sharing learning materials. This site makes it easy to inspire and engage students through videos, articles, podcasts, and other rich sources.
  • Prezi - Prezi is a unique presentation tool that uses zooming technology instead of slides. With Prezi your ideas flow freely on a stage that can be zoomed in on and out of for further explanation.
  • Yugma - This free online conferencing tool makes it easy to host web conferences and online meetings. With Yugma Free, users can share their desktop with up to 20 attendees.
  • Open Huddle - Open Huddle is a beta site for presenting or instructing people online. This site provides you with files, video, audio, chat, and drawing boards for interacting and collaborating with your students.
  • Campfire - Campfire can be used for online group chat and education. This site allows users to instantly create password-protected chat rooms for collaborating and working out important questions. Campfire comes at a cost, but users can try it free for 30 days.
  • Slideshare - Slideshare provides a way to upload and share presentations. Once the presentations are uploaded, they can be shared privately or publicly and work well for webinars.
  • SourceForge - This site provides a free authoring application that can be used to assist instructors in creating free eLearning seminars. SourceForge employs the eXeLearning tool which provides the ability to publish web content without knowing HTML or XML markup.
  • ClassMarker - ClassMarker features a free way for instructors or presenters to test students online. Simply sign up for a free account for access to an array a quiz creating materials. The quizzes can even be linked directly to websites or emails.

Blogs

  • eLearningLearning - eLearningLearning is an online community blog dedicated to organizing and collecting material about eLearning. Within this blog, users can find information about eLearning technology and media, events, and ideas.
  • eLearning Technology - eLearning Technology is a blog that provides information and resources on the latest in the business of learning. Just a few of the concepts discussed in this blog include trends, software, rapid eLearning tools, and open source eLearning.
  • eLearningSpace - The eLearningSpace blog offers information, knowledge, and networks that are specifically designed for eLearning instructors.
  • Corporate eLearning Strategies and Development - This blog provides information that explores technology for eLearning. Within this blog, instructors can find resources, ideas, technology, and more.
  • Thoughts from Training Time - This blog deals with the issues and ideas that can be found in corporate and government training.

Informational Sites

  • eLearningPost - The eLearningPost site provides blogs and articles that instructors and trainers can use for information. Within this site, users can explore views, news, and stories that surround eLearning, corporate training, instructional design, and much more.
  • eLearning Magazine - eLearning Magazine offers a free place for instructors and trainers to find a wealth of information through articles, reviews, case studies, and more. This public information center is also an excellent place to find forums and exchange ideas with others.
  • Web-Based Training Information Center - This free info center provides information and resources on web-based training trends, surveys, and more.
  • Learning Circuits - Learning Circuits is a free informational site from the ASTD. The goal of this site is to provide a large database of eLearning and training knowledge as well as efficient training technology.
  • BusinessBalls.com - BusinessBalls.com provides free materials, exercises, tools, ideas, and templates that instructors and other eLearning professionals may find helpful.

Guest Blog Contributor By-line:

This post is from education writer Karen Schweitzer. Karen is with the About.com Guide to Business School. She also writes for OnlineCollege.org, an accredited online college resource.




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75 Coolest iPhone Apps for Lifelong Learners

In today’s technology age, man’s best friend has a QWERTY key pad instead of four legs. For the academic, an iPhone can be a foe just as easily, with its various interesting but distracting capabilities. In order to use the iPhone to its fullest potential, learners should use it for work as well as play, and thanks to these application creators, that task is not only possible, it is fun as well. From reading worldwide news to creating budgets, from learning foreign languages to appreciating the arts, these applications contain everything you need to feed your superior intellect.
News
Know the market like the back of your hand…or the face of your phone! Keep up with today’s business news here:
  1. Reuters: Get the official Reuters mobile site on your iPhone or iPodTouch. Get news, sports, entertainment, business information and tons more.
  2. WashingtonPost Mobile: Read breaking news as soon as it’s released with WashingtonPost Mobile.
  3. Marketing Forecast: Marketing Forecast provides a continuous stream of forward-looking marketing and consumer insights from Ad-ology Research and other top research firms.
  4. iActu: iActu allows user to access the world information in only one touch. Discover more than 500 newspapers and pass from New York Times to Japan Times.
  5. One News Page: One News Page is a leading global news portal offering live news with more than 20,000 news headlines being added each day.
  6. NPR: This application gives you the option to hear audio podcasts like the NPR Hourly News and your local NPR Radio station news. Additionally you can browse all news stories by category including local news, most SMSed stories, story of the day, song of the day, politics, business, and science.
  7. CBS News Mobile: Read breaking news, and developing stories from CBS News.
  8. AP Mobile News: The Mobile News Network, powered by the Associated Press, helps you keep up-to-date with what’s happening anywhere, from your hometown to your favorite locale.
  9. ESPN iPhone: Get the most comprehensive sports coverage on your iPhone from ESPN Mobile Web for free, including breaking news and analysis, up to the minute scores, and more.
  10. NYTimes Mobile: The NYTimes application allows you to enjoy the professional journalism of The New York Times on your iPhone, wherever you are.
Travel
Don’t let anything go unnoticed when you leave town. To stay in-the-know, all you need is your phone and these applications.
  1. Speeek!: Contains over 1,500 useful phrases while traveling overseas. By simply talking into your iPhone in English, Speeek! will find the phrase and speak it in Chinese.
  2. Events Finder: Provides events from multiple event sources, such as Upcoming, Eventbrite, and TicketStumbler, all in one application.
  3. iSayHello: Speak German, English, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish or Polish. Choose your language course and off you go with the language travel guide. This easy-to-use talking travel dictionary with superb audio output is more of a vocabulary trainer and dictionary than a translation program.
  4. New York on Tap: New York on Tap was designed to help people find great bars in New York City. It’ll also help you locate the nearest subway and help you figure out where to go next.
  5. Payless Car Rental: Rent a Car using your iPhone. Travelers can view, modify, or cancel their reservation using the iPhone. "Call to Book" button connects the customer directly to Payless Car Rental’s call center.
  6. Bell Hop: Find photos, information, rates and more on this fast, easy-to-use lodging mobile search.
  7. London Travel Guide: Packed full of cool features our London Travel Guides are everything you that would expect from an electronic tour guide, only it’s free.
  8. Good Food: GoodFood by Goodrec is the best way to find great places to eat! See what other users love and hate.
  9. TripIt: Use your iPhone to access your TripIt itineraries whether you’re online, offline or in airplane mode. TripIt is the best way to organize and share your travel plans. Forward your travel confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com, and TripIt automatically creates a master itinerary for your trip, with detailed information about flights, hotels, rental cars and much more. It also includes maps, driving directions and local weather.
  10. SushiGuru: Take SushiGuru with you to sound like a pro when you order sushi. SushiGuru provides you with a searchable database of over 200 entries of Japanese and English names of sushi and sushi rolls.
Arts
The following apps range from learning about famous paintings by the masters to creating art through a variety of media.
  1. Art. Learn all about great artists and their works with this factbook app that also lets you quiz yourself to see how much you are learning.
  2. Art Gallery Premium. With over 7,500 works of art in their database, you can bring up your favorite famous work of art on your iPhone or browse to learn about artists you might not know.
  3. Art Envi Deluxe. Like having a giant museum in your phone, this app contains works by famous artists as well as specialized categories such as Japanese art.
  4. Kaleido. While not high on boosting knowledge, any art lover will appreciate taking photos and creating kaleidoscope effects with them.
  5. Photo Lab Daily. This free version allow you to take a photo with your iPhone and once a day you can use the Photo Lab tools to enhance your photos. There is a version available for a fee if you want to do more than one a day.
  6. MyPaint Free. Finger paint on a blank canvas or use one of your photos from your photo roll to find your artistic talent with this app.
  7. Pencil Pusher. This app allows you to draw as if with a pencil. Write, erase, choose from a variety of backgrounds, choose colors, and more.
  8. Bonsai. Learn the traditional art of bonsai care with this app that provides you the opportunity to adjust water, trim the tree, and monitor its overall health.
Medicine
Whether you are a medical professional or just want to expand your personal knowledge, these apps are sure to provide plenty of knowledge.
  1. Taber’s Medical Dictionary. Touting 30% more medical terms than other medical dictionaries, this one offers definitions, photos, Patient Care Statements, and more.
  2. Registered Nurse. Any nurse studying for the NCLEX exam will love this app that provides a practice exam that tests you in over 20 different subjects.
  3. Normal Lab Values. Medical professionals or anyone interested in learning more about laboratory results will appreciate having normal values readily available.
  4. Medical Drugs. This app provides detailed information on hundreds of pharmaceutical medications.
  5. Diagnosaurus DDx. With over 1,000 diagnoses, anyone can perform differential diagnosis quickly and easily with this app.
  6. MedCards. This app replaces the laminated cards physicians carry around and also allows anyone interested in learning to have instant reference to such things as EKG values, Mental Status Exam guide, Snellen chart, and more.
  7. MedAbbreviations. Get over 13,000 medical abbreviations with definitions, explanations, a search feature, and more.
  8. Skyscape Medical Resources. Find all kinds of medical information such as drug information, evidence-based clinical information, medical calculator, and a med-alert based on a specialty of your choosing.
  9. Human Atlas. Geared for medical professionals, patients, and consumers, get a 3D explanation along with over 150 common medical treatments and conditions.
  10. Medical Exam. Whether you are studying for your medical exam or just want to have a profound knowledge of medicine, this app helps you learn from 14 different categories.
Fun
Don’t take life so seriously! Have a little fun with your phone here:
  1. Where to Golf: Gives golfers all the information about a golf course and how to get there. Whether on business, on vacation or in your home town, you’re only a touch away from finding the course you’re looking for.
  2. Tetris: Take Tetris for a spin on your iPhone and iPod Touch to experience new twists and enhanced graphics. Drag, Flick and Poke your way through 15 challenging levels.
  3. Sudoku: This application has more than 10,000 puzzles. So enjoy one of America’s favorite games, but try to get some work done, too.
  4. Crossword: This is a very thorough Crossword application with various levels of difficulty.
  5. Word Warp: Make words out of the six jumbled letters provided at each game’s start.
  6. Cube Runner: Think eSnakei for current generation telephones. Boatloads of fun, just don’t run your boat into the cubes.
  7. Topple: Topple is a quick, tower building game that is theoretically simple yet surprisingly addictive.
  8. Trism: A little bit like Bejeweled meets Tetris, Trism stands alone as a distinctive, fun and brain-taxing challenge.
  9. Wurdle: a Boggle-like word game available in the iTunes app store. The game is jammed-packed with features, challenging, and most of all, it’s fun.
  10. 400 Free iPhone Games: The perfect cure for boredom. This go-to site has 400 free games, from logic cames to old-school arcade games.
Reference
Keep these reference tools close so that you’re prepared to discuss constellations, the periodic table, or world facts.
  1. USA Factbook Free: This reference packet is great for anyone in a civics, history or political science course that covers the U.S. Access key documents, lists of the flags, state capitals and other stats.
  2. Stars: Anatomy students can use this tool as a resource when studying constellations.
  3. The Chemical Tough: Lite Edition: View the periodic table when you download this free app.
  4. Formulas Free: This app brings you free calculus formulas.
  5. iQuotations: Look up quotes to use in papers or just as general inspiration.
  6. Math Ref Free: Get free reference packs for geometry, algebra, trig, derivatives and more.
  7. AllTheCountries: Get facts about literacy rate, economy, population, area and more for every country.
  8. Your Rights: Use this app for political science courses or just as backup when you get into trouble at school.
  9. iTranslator: Study abroad students and panicked foreign language students can use this tool to connect to Google Translator, Babel Fish or Free Translation.
  10. Quickpedia Lite: This app makes it easier and faster to use Wikipedia.
Foreign Languages
Whether you are planning to travel or just love learning languages, these apps will help you learn to speak whatever language your heart desires.
  1. Jourist Visual PhraseBook English. Use this visual aid with 20 different languages to help you show the person what you mean. It also include the written phrase in both English and your target language.
  2. iTranslate Ultimate. Translate words between English, Spanish, German, French, and Italian, then have the words repeated back to you in the target language with this app.
  3. Translator with Voice. Get translations in 34 different languages with voice support on most of them.
  4. DragonDian. Use this dictionary to draw Chinese characters to quickly and easily find an English translation.
  5. WordPower Lite – Italian. This free app gives you one Italian word a day to practice and master by listening to audio, recording and playing back your own voice, and using flashcards.
  6. iSpeak Spanish. Translate between Spanish and English with this app that also allows you to hear words spoken in high quality English and Spanish voices.
  7. Gengo Flashcards – French. This app uses visual cues and the voices of native French speakers with flashcards to help you learn French. Take a picture of any object, then add the French and English words to it, and you have created your own flashcard to add to the stack.
  8. Lonely Planet Japanese Phrasebook. Whether traveling or learning Japanese, use this app to get over 600 written and spoken Japanese phrases.
  9. Byki German. Learn German in no time with this app that includes native speakers, quizzes, and a phrasebook.
  10. WordPower – Thai. Listen to 2000 Thai words for proper pronunciation and see the words and phrases in three versions–original Thai, Romanized, and English.
Search
Let your iPhone guide you in general searches, job hunts and more.
  1. Inquisitor: This super fast search tool also makes suggestions for your searches.
  2. Last.fm: Search music, artists and more with Last.fm for the iPhone.
  3. Repairpal: This app will help you find auto repair shop and support.
  4. Job Search: Indeed.com’s search application lets you find jobs by location and job description.
  5. SearchMe: SearchMe is a new way to search the web on your phone. Unlike all other search engines that return a bunch of links, SearchMe lets you see a "coverflow" of pages that match your search results.
  6. U.S. Historical Documents: U.S. Historical Documents contains over 100 of the most influential documents in U.S. history and they will be stored directly on your iPhone/iTouch. Quickly and easily find any text from any document with the fastest and most powerful search engine available on the iPhone.
  7. 3GPS OS 3.0: 3GPS OS 3.0 tells you how fast, high and where you are. Whether you’re climbing a hill, touring or running a marathon, with 3GPS OS 3.0 your iPhone shows your current altitude, speed and course.
Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
This post is from Amber Johnson, who also writes for OnlineDegreePrograms.org, an accredited online college resource. Link to original article: http://onlinedegreeprograms.org/blog/2009/75-coolest-iphone-apps-for-lifelong-learners/




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The 10 Biggest Breakthroughs in the Science in Learning

When it comes to human organs, none is quite so mysterious as the brain. For centuries, humans have had numerous misconceptions and misunderstandings about how the organ works, grows, and shapes our ability to learn and develop. While we still have a long way to go before we truly unravel all the mysteries the brain has to offer, scientists have been making some major breakthroughs that have gone a long way in explaining both how the brain functions and how we use it to organize, recall, and acquire new information. Here, we list just a few of the biggest and most impactful of these breakthroughs that have contributed to our understanding of the science of learning.

  1. More information doesn’t mean more learning.


    The brain is equipped to tackle a pretty hefty load of information and sensory input, but there is a point at which the brain becomes overwhelmed, an effect scientists call cognitive overload. While our brains do appreciate new and novel information, as we’ll discuss later, when there is too much of it we become overwhelmed as our minds simply can’t divide our attention between all the different elements vying for it. This term has become a major talking point in criticisms of multi-tasking and in the modern information-saturated online sphere, but the discovery of this cognitive phenomenon also has major implications for education. In order to reduce mental noise, teachers have had to take new approaches to presenting material, using techniques like chunking, focusing on past experiences, and eliminating non-essential elements to help students remember a large body of information.
  2. The brain is a highly dynamic organ.


    Until the past few decades, people believed that the connections between the neurons in your brain were fixed by the time you were a teenager, and perhaps even earlier. One of the biggest breakthroughs in understanding the science of learning happened when scientists began to realize that this just wasn’t the case. In fact, the brain’s wiring can change at any age and it can grow new neurons and adapt to new situations, though the rate at which this happens does slow with age. This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity, and it has had major ramifications in our understanding of how the brain works and how we can use that understanding to improve learning outcomes.
  3. Emotion influences the ability to learn.


    The ability to learn, retain, and use information isn’t just based on our raw IQs. Over the past few decades it has become increasingly clear that how we feel and our overall emotional state can have a major impact on how well we can learn new things. Educational situations where students feel stressed, shamed, or just uncomfortable can actually make it more difficult for them to learn, increasing negative emotions and sparking a vicious cycle that may leave some children reluctant to attend class. Research is revealing why, as the emotional part of the brain, the limbic system has the ability to open up or shut off access to learning and memory. When under stress or anxiety, the brain blocks access to higher processing and stops forming new connections, making it difficult or impossible to learn. It may seem like common sense that classrooms should be welcoming, non-stressful environments, but different students have different triggers for negative emotional states, making it key for educators to watch for signs that indicate this in students.
  4. Mistakes are an essential part of learning.


    Failure is a dirty word in most aspects of modern American society, but when it comes to the science of learning, research shows that they’re essential. A recent study found that students performed better in school and felt more confident when they were told that failure was a normal part of learning, bolstering a growing body of research that suggests much of the same. Much like it takes multiple tries to get the hang of riding a bike or completing an acrobatic feat, it can also take multiple tries to master an academic task. Neuroscience research suggests that the best way to learn something new isn’t to focus on mistakes but instead to concentrate on how to do a task correctly. Focusing on the error only reinforces the existing incorrect neural pathway, and will increase the chance that the mistake will be made again. A new pathway has to be built, which means abandoning the old one and letting go of that mistake. This idea has formed the basis for a growing debate about education in American schools, which many believe doesn’t allow children to embrace creativity and problem solving as they are too focused on memorization and test scores.
  5. The brain needs novelty.


    Turns out boredom really can kill you, or at least your will to pay attention and learn. Repetition may have its place in learning, but what the brain really craves is novelty. Researchers have found that novelty causes the dopamine system in the brain to become activated, sending the chemical throughout the brain. While we often regard dopamine as the “feel good” chemical, scientists have shown that it actually plays a much bigger role, encouraging feelings of motivation and prompting the brain to learn about these new and novel stimuli. This breakthrough has led to some major changes in how we think about learning, and has motivated many schools to embrace learning methods that cater to our brains’ need for new and different experiences.
  6. There are no learning styles.


    What kind of learner are you? Chances are good that at some point during your educational career someone labeled you as a particular type of learner, either visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. This idea that there are distinct types of learners who learn best with certain assortment of stimuli has been showing up in education and brain science for decades, but recent studies have shown that this idea really doesn’t hold much water. Students may have preferences for how they learn, but when put to the test, students were found to have equivalent levels of learning regardless of how information is presented. Attention to the individual talents, preferences, and abilities of students, which helps to cater to the emotional and social needs of students and improves their ability to learn, is more important than styles (of which there have been 71 different models over the past few decades).
  7. Brains operate on the “use it or lose it” principle.


    There’s a reason that you forget how to speak a language or work out a trigonometry problem if you don’t use those skills on a regular basis. Information in the brain that isn’t used is often lost, as neural pathways are weakened over time. Research has found that the brain generates more cells than it needs, with those that receive both chemical and electrical stimuli surviving and the rest dying off. The brain has to receive regular stimulation through a given pathway in the brain to sustain those cells, which is why lifelong learning is so important to brain health. These findings also have implications for vacations in K-12 education as well, as students who don’t get intellectual stimulation over the summer are much more likely to forget important skills in reading and math when they return to class.
  8. Learning is social.


    While some select individuals may learn well cloistered in a library with a stack of books, the majority of people need a social environment to maximize their learning. Research has found that from infancy on, people learn better through social cues, much more easily recalling and emulating the actions or words of another human. Aside from social cues, socialization has been shown to have other learning benefits. Peer collaboration offers students access to a diverse array of experiences and requires the use of nearly all the body’s senses, which in turn creates greater activation throughout the brain and enhances long-term memory. Group work, especially when it capitalizes on the strengths of its members, may be more beneficial than many realize, both for teachers and their students.
  9. Learning is best when innate abilities are capitalized on.


    All of us, from the time we are born, possess innate abilities to see and hear patterns, something that psychologists doubted was true for decades but that we now know to be the case. Research suggests that reinforcing those innate capabilities by teaching patterns early on may actually help kids learn more and sharpen their brains. Aside from being able to see and hear patterns, the human mind has a number of innate abilities (the ability to learn a language, for instance) that when capitalized on in the right way, can help make learning any concept, even one that is abstract, much easier. Combining these innate abilities with structured practice, repetition, and training can help make new ideas and concepts “stick” and make more sense.
  10. Learning can change brain structure.


    Brain structure and function are intertwined, and you can’t improve one without taking the other into consideration. Yet, in years past, most ideas about learning ignored ways that the brain’s structure itself could be modified, instead focusing on brain function or the brain’s output. The reality is that brain function can only be changed through changing brain structure, which is actually less complicated than it sounds. For example, brain cells fired up during both perception and action overlap in people, and lessons that engage both allow students to more easily identify with their teachers and to learn concepts more quickly, as their brain cells are getting twice the attention and workout. In fact, any new information, if used enough, can modify the structure of the brain, something educators and neuroscientists are just starting to fully explore. 

Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Hazel Taylor wrote and published this article on http://www.onlinephdprograms.com/the-10-biggest-breakthroughs-in-the-science-of-learning/.  She invited me to share this very interesting article with my blog readers - Thank you, Hazel!  Hazel can be reached at hazel.taylor6@gmail.com




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Effective E-Learning Techniques for Business Training

Business training programs constantly need to be updated in order to keep employees up-to-date on the latest techniques and research in their field. The right training program can quickly teach current employees and new hires the skills they need to know in a short period of time. Additionally, they should be easily accessible and offer detailed explanations that can allow employees to retain the information they learn. Currently, e-learning programs are becoming one of the most frequently used training programs in businesses as they offer a convenient way to teach a wide variety of information to employees in a way that is innovative and fun. Therefore, the following techniques should be used by any company that wants to offer the most effective e-learning programs to their employees.

1.  Easy Access – Employee training programs should always be easy for them to access in order to participate in the program. Most programs require a log-in ID as well as a password. Because these are usually generated by the company, they should be simple enough for an employee to remember while also protecting their security. 

2.  Ability to Track Progress – E-learning programs are most effective when employees are able to document their progress through the program. Therefore, each component of the training should include some form of quiz or test in order to make sure that the information has been mastered. 

3.  Sensory Experiences – Many e-learning programs offer the opportunity for lessons to be viewed in a variety of formats. This can help to enable people with different learning styles to be able to use the same courses in different ways. Additionally, most people learn best when a variety of senses are used. Therefore, e-learning courses that offer videos, voice chats and other interactive methods are best for teaching new concepts. 

4.  Computer Training – When first introducing e-learning programs into a company, it is important to make sure that everyone knows how to use a computer and the related software. Therefore, a brief training on how to access course materials, store work and send information online is important for making sure that every employee will be capable of using the training program. 

5.  Plan Meetings – E-learning programs work best when they are completed in conjunction with public meetings that review the information that the employees have learned. These can be informal meetings held throughout the training program at certain progress markers. This way, the information can be reviewed to make sure that everyone is benefiting from their training. 

E-learning offers many powerful benefits for companies who would like to find an innovative technique for training. However, it is important that online learning is backed by the support of company meetings and hands-on training. In order to make the most of e-learning within a company, it is important to make sure that employees are able to access their materials while keeping track of the new skills that they have learned.
 
Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Heather Smith is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to www.nanny.net/ service by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to nannies and families across the U.S. and Canada. She can be reached at H.smith7295 [at] gmail.com.




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3 Types of e-Learning Courses That Benefit Most New Hires

You may already provide your new hires with some sort of technical training to help them perform their specific jobs according to your standards. You may not, however, provide them with any sort of training that will enhance their general performance as staff members. There are numerous e-learning courses and online training options available to employers that help employees gain the essential professional skills they sometimes lack. If you're deciding or re-evaluating which e-learning courses you invest in for your new hires, you may want to consider these useful types of courses:

1. Business Writing
Numerous recent studies indicate that employees often lack crucial business writing skills. In fact, one study indicates that around a third of employees don't meet their employers' expectations when it comes to written communication. Knowing how to write memos, emails, and technical documents is a critical part of what most people do at work. If they can't successfully execute these basic writing tasks, they simply can't perform their jobs as well as they should. As an employer, you can help equip your new hires with the written communication skills they need by providing them with access to business writing e-learning courses and training.

2. Interpersonal Communication
Employers frequently lament the fact that their employees lack certain important soft skills, including interpersonal communication skills. While most workers start a new job with basic interpersonal skills, not all are prepared for the amount of teamwork and collaboration that will be expected of them at a truly innovative business.

The more professional communication skills your employees have, the better they'll be able to work together to meet your business's needs. Interpersonal communication training and courses can definitely inspire your new hires to think meaningfully about the ways they communicate with each other on the job. Investing in interpersonal communication education for your new hires often just makes sense.

3. Leadership
You probably aspire for all of your employees to become business leaders. A staff that's comprised of talented leaders with vision is inarguably the best kind of staff to have. Even if your new hires aren't taking on leadership roles, online leadership courses and training will prepare them to act as leaders on their teams and allow them to inspire other staff members to produce their very best work. Plus, leadership training often boosts morale and is an indication to new employees that you're dedicated to their career development.

E-learning courses that help your employees become better writers, communicators, and leaders may seem like superfluous expenses, but they can have a huge impact on how effectively your business runs. So, consider the types of e-learning courses listed above, and remember that investing in your employees' professional development almost always pays off!

Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Kate Willson is a professional writer and blogger. Well-versed in all topics pertaining to e-learning, Kate frequently contributes to top online education sites, including collegecrunch.org. Please leave your comments and questions for Kate below!




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15 Free Learning Sites You Haven’t Heard of Yet



It can be hard to keep up with the ever-growing list of free educational sites out there, much less distinguish which ones will best meet your needs and help you learn skills you really need without shelling out big bucks. New sites are always being launched and even those that have been on the scene for a while sometimes don’t garner enough attention to make it onto your radar, often getting overshadowed by more high-profile sites. As a result, even those who are in the ed tech loop can miss out on some seriously helpful free learning sites. Here we highlight just a few of these under-the-radar free learning sites, that run the gamut from providing full degree programs to simple job-skill training tools, offering a little something for every kind of learner. 
  1. Scitable:

    Scitable, created by NatureEducation, is an online collaborative space for science learning. Visitors to the site can browse or search through science articles and ebooks, ask experts science-related questions, build an online classroom, or even share their own content. Materials on the site are focused on the life sciences, but there are also numerous resources that can help learners start or accelerate a career in science.
  2. TVO:

    Similar to PBS, the Ontario-based television station offers many of the same educational resources and opportunities for learning. Even if you can’t tune in live, you can take advantage of dozens of videos on topics like science, nature, business, tech, education, and culture. Connected to TVO is Big Ideas, a site that offers videos that touch on important and engaging topics like mathematics, economics, and even urban design. Other resources include educational tools for parents and kids, civics education on Canadian government, and access to loads of compelling documentaries.
  3. Saylor:

    While sites like Coursera and Udacity have been drawing the most attention on the free education front these days, Saylor has largely flown under the radar. Created in 2008, the site offers nearly 250 free courses online, with topics centered on the 10 highest enrollment majors in the U.S. In addition to taking classes, learners can participate in discussion forums (organized by topic), track courses and print transcripts, and may soon even be able to access free textbooks.
  4. GCF LearnFree.org:

    This North Carolina-based site is produced by Goodwill Industries and focuses on helping people from all walks of life build skills in technology, literacy, and math that will help them find work. All classes offered by the site are entirely free, and even come complete with mobile apps that make it possible to learn on-the-go. Currently, there are over 750 free lessons that teach everything from how to use Microsoft Office to basic addition and subtraction.
  5. University of the People:

    The brainchild of educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef, University of the People is a tuition-fee, nonprofit, online academic institution that offers access to undergraduate degree programs in business administration and computer science. It maintains relationships with Yale, NYU, Hewlett-Packard, and the Catalyst Initiative to supply students with opportunities for research, future study, and internships. While the site focuses on helping learners in developing nations, students from nearly 130 different nations have been accepted (tuition is free, but you still have to apply).
  6. Engineering for Change:

    Engineering for Change isn’t a traditional learning site with videos, courses, and lessons. Instead, it’s a live, interactive webcast that allows participants to learn and interact with others in engineering. It’s also a chance to play an active role in helping to solve humanitarian engineering issues. A new topic is addressed every month, and anyone interested in becoming more involved or learning more about engineering is encouraged to sign up.
  7. The Faculty Project:

    Through The Faculty Project, learners can get access to professors from prestigious schools like Dartmouth, Vassar, Duke, and Northwestern, to name just a few. There are dozens of courses and lectures to choose from, covering a broad spectrum of topics. Launched just this year, the site is slowly building up a great collection of resources that can help students learn through video, PDF, PowerPoint, discussion boards, and educational articles.
  8. Textbook Revolution:

    There are a growing number of sites out there that are dedicated to providing users with access to free textbooks. Textbook Revolution is among them, and while it hasn’t received as much attention as some others, it’s still a solid place to look for free educational resources. Currently, the site offers up access to dozens of textbooks, ranging in topic from accounting to chemistry.
  9. Learnthat:

    Learnthat is an excellent place to explore tutorials that cover business, technology, and finance. Visitors to the site can learn how to improve their skills in Excel, digital marketing, or even management, through hundreds of helpful articles, videos, and photos.
  10. University of Reddit:

    Most web-savvy individuals have heard of Reddit, but many may not be familiar with the University of Reddit. The site offers anyone the chance to share their expertise through class lectures and videos with others in the web. Currently, the site is home to educational materials in art, computer science, general studies, language, math, music, philosophy, science, and social studies, which means most things are covered. If they’re not, learners are always welcome to add their own educational content.
  11. MentorMob:

    MentorMob doesn’t supply any educational content of its own, but is an excellent tool for bringing together resources from other sites, organizing them, and sharing them with others. Users can create their own “playlists” of educational material or browse through existing collections compiled by other users. While it has been featured in a number of major publications, the site doesn’t have the widespread attention that others generate, but that could change as the Pinterest-like functionality helps users to create incredibly useful lists for learning.
  12. Memrise:

    Memrise promises to help users learn through a combination of brain science, fun, and community. Much of the content is game-based and highly visual, offering visitors to the site the chance to boost their skills in a variety of languages, or even to learn more about topics like cheese, herbs, and fish.
  13. LearnersTV:

    LearnersTV brings together videos, audio lectures, science animations, lecture notes, online tests, presentations, and publications to offers visitors a wide range of material with which to learn. Those looking for an in-depth experience can find entire courses, while those just doing cursory research can browse through short articles and PowerPoints.
  14. Grovo:

    Knowing how to use technology is an essential skill in today’s job market, but with so many new technologies popping up all the time, it can be hard to keep up with them all. That’s where Grovo can help. The online learning site specializes in offering video lessons on top Internet products. Visitors to the site can expand their knowledge of sites like Twitter, Gmail, Facebook, and WordPress, or just learn a bit more about netiquette and online marketing.
  15. Alison:

    Alison offers free online courses and certification through 400 different courses in 10 different course categories. Launched in 2007, the site helps people from around the world earn certification in topics like legal studies, psychology, health studies, project management, and human resources. All content is free but to get a copy of your certification, you’ll have to shell out about $20.
  16.  
This post was originally published on OnlineCollege.org:  
http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/09/18/15-free-learning-sites-you-havent-heard-yet/.  Thank you Online College for sharing this great information with us!




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Why Cloud Based Learning is the Next Big Hit in Corporate Training

Smartphones can do an amazing amount of things, and educating employees is only one thing on that long list. Since nearly everyone has a smartphone, more employers are choosing to offer education to their employees through this medium. M-learning, the trend of education via mobile devices, has really taken off in recent years, and it’s no wonder why.  M-learning utilizes the cloud to distribute information to employees, and an increasing number of businesses are eager to jump on this innovation.

Excellent Savings

Cloud based learning is far more cost effective than traditional training. Instead of having to hire a trainer, print up tons of training materials, and work out schedules to get everyone together at the exact same time, cloud based learning eliminates many aspects of this process. All you have to do is establish one set of training material, upload it to the cloud, and have your employees access it. You’re not going to incur any additional costs along the way.

Enable Remote Learning

Training doesn’t have to be scheduled around business trips. With cloud based learning, your employees have equal access to the material, no matter where they are. They’ll be able to reference the material if they need clarification in a business situation, and that will streamline processes. Everyone is able to get on the same page at the same time with remote access.

Instantaneous

As soon as you compile your training material, you can place it on the cloud. Cloud Learning Management systems are simpler than traditional systems. The cloud host manages everything you upload to it, and you won’t have to deal with any technical aspects. In the blink of an eye, everyone will have immediate access to their learning materials. Should any maintenance be required or any technical hang ups occur, the cloud staff will handle them immediately. No one’s learning experience will be interrupted due to any down time.

Full Integration

The materials can be accessed on any device. HR, upper management, and all other employees can access the same material across any device. Whether it’s their personal smartphone or tablet or their work computer, the lessons will exist on all platforms. No one will have to bounce back and forth between systems to get the most of their lesson.

Size Flexibility

Not every employee will need the same training, and cloud learning takes that into account. Whether you’re attempting a small and generalized training lesson, a series of moderate lessons, or specific lessons for certain types of employees, the cloud can accommodate it. Even if a single employee needs extra help in a certain area, cloud learning makes the process easier. Small or large, simple or complex, the cloud can handle anything you throw at it.

Simplicity of Learning

When corporate learning systems are on the cloud, the process is made infinitely easier. Having that wealth of information at your employees’ disposal will ensure that they’re adequately informed. Training is one of the most important things you can offer to your employees, and no employer can pass up the opportunity to educate their employees. If everyone is adequately trained, they’ll be able to do their jobs with maximum efficiency, which will lead to a boost in productivity.



With cloud learning, innovation is on your side. Taking advantage of technological advances to better your workplace is a no-brainer. Educated employees are more likely to succeed, and your business will go where your employees take it.



Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Jasmine Cooper is a tech-savvy marketing specialist working at Get Qualified Australia, a company providing skill recognition & RPL services. In her free time, Jasmine enjoys self-improvement literature. 




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6 Tips for Designing Effective M-Learning Apps for Your Corporate Training

Mobile learning makes everything a little easier. Schedules are more navigable, and you don’t have to plan for an instructor to deliver real-life training. This new standard changes the playing field. With the advent of mobile training, employees are able to learn from anywhere, and have easy access to information if they need to look something up. As long as the app is designed properly, you’ll get more from mobile learning than you ever could from traditional training.

1. Know what you want to cover
It’s useless to have a corporate training app just for the sake of having one. If the information is too general, no one is gaining anything. If it’s too specific, employees may lose sight of the big picture. Break down the elements of your training into blocks. Each block should have a main point that shows its relationship with smaller points. Breaking things into thorough but bite sized pieces is the best way to go.

2. Figure out how you’re making it available
What platforms do you need to reach with your app? If everyone has a company phone, you’ll want to design your training app specifically for that platform. If your employees use their personal phones, you’ll have to adapt your app for a variety of platforms. The content should read the same on every app. While there may be some aesthetic differences, the key is to make everything cohesive across the board. Everyone should have access to the same info.

3. Add some social elements
The only downside to m-learning is that users typically work within the apps independently. You’re losing the element of discussion you could get at a face-to-face training table. Discussions promote knowledge and are necessary for exchanging ideas. People may have questions and no one to answer them. Work social elements into your app to build a sense of community among employees and instructors.

4. Create video content
There’s more to mobile learning apps than fun graphics and comical sound effects. Working video content into your training app can help people understand complex processes, such as how to work certain pieces of equipment or software that may be pertinent to their jobs. Whether you want to utilize videos of real people or cartoon animation, having a moving representation of what you’re trying to explain will help visual learners perfect their knowledge.

5. Let the learner become the instructor
Role playing exercises are common in corporate training, especially when it comes to customer service situations. We use these techniques because they work by giving everyone a chance to showcase and strengthen what they’re best at. Utilizing features such as user submitted quizzes and polls in your app is great for engagement, and it allows everyone to showcase just how much they know.

6. Encourage feedback
If your app isn’t working for someone, they may not speak up – and that’s especially true if they believe everyone else understands it just fine. Always seek feedback from your employees about how your mobile learning programs are working for them. If you find people are having difficulty, it may be time to redesign the interface or simplify the information. People are willing to tell you how they want to learn, as long as you’re willing to listen.

It can seem overwhelming and confusing at first to throw away a traditional method in favor of an innovation, but the results are worth it. Once you implement mobile learning in your workplace, you’ll never want to go back to training the old way. 


Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Monique Craig is interested in digital marketing and branding. She’s part of the team at Oneflare [https://www.oneflare.com.au/], Australia’s online marketplace for local service providers.




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Benefits of Mobile Learning Programs for Your Employees

Employee training is a non-negotiable factor in reaching your business goals. An organization cannot grow if its workers aren't growing themselves – and there's no better stimulus for professional development than workplace education. Today's difficult economy motivates many enterprises to cut down on employee training expenses, but they're clearly unaware of the value of employee education to the health of an organization.

The National Center of the Educational Quality of the Workforce reveled in a recent study that a 10% increase in workforce education level results in an 8.6% percent gain in total productivity. (http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/higherprod.htm) This statistic proves that employee productivity is directly connected to the amount of training they receive. Employers who want to grow and efficiently operate their businesses simply must invest in employee training.

Fortunately, today's ever-present mobile devices offer many interesting opportunities for flexible and cost-effective worker education. Here are some key benefits of mobile learning for your employees and organization.

Employees find it easy to learn on mobile

To put it simply, employees like to use their mobile devices and once they see that learning can be as easy as glancing at a smartphone or tablet in a free minute, they'll be motivated to do it on a regular basis. Mobile learning allows learners to access content from any device and any corner of the world. Some mobile learning apps work in offline, so access to the internet is not even an issue. Mobile learning provides a great user experience and it's definitely user-friendly.

Mobile learning delivers key data whenever needed

It's clear that mobile devices are constantly on, connected to the web and within easy reach of employees, helping them to access relevant information at any time. Mobile learning is great for just-in-time (JIT) training – it can be refresher modules on product specifications, pricing details, and other kinds of time-sensitive information. By having all this information at their fingertips, employees can easily boost their performance, improving their decision making processes and ensuring better customer satisfaction. Additionally, mobile learning empowers people – just as stated in the 2012 report Mobile Learning: Driving Business Results by Empowering Employees in the Moment: "Putting learning in the palm of people’s hands — exactly what they need, when they need it — can have an immediate positive effect on the bottom line". (http://www.slashdocs.com/mukrvy/mobile-learning-driving-business-results-by-empowering-employees-in-the-moment.html)

Mobile devices can quickly distribute learning

The mobile age brings greater mobility of your staff and this impacts the ways in which enterprises train their employees. Investing in training opportunities onsite is rapidly diminishing. Many employees frequently travel or work on the move – this means that they spend lots of time without access to laptops or desktop computers. mLearning is a great solution here because it allows companies to easily spread learning materials to employees, full of practical knowledge about many areas of business. The power of mobile learning lies in the fact that it connects employees to all the knowledge and expertise they need, exactly when and where they need it. It addresses any potential learning need at any time.

Mobile learning is flexible

This is a key benefit brought by mobile learning. Flexibility offered by mobile learning solutions can be interpreted in different ways. First, there's the flexibility of time and space, where workers can choose the location and time of learning themselves. Moreover, they're also free to choose the device for their learning, as long as it can correctly display learning materials. The learning itself is also more flexible because it can integrate a wide variety of formats, including podcasts or videos.

Mobile learning helps to save time

This kind of learning will fit into the busiest schedules. It requires less time than instructor-led training or long eLearning programs. Instead of taking an entire course, learners can access training modules themselves to learn exactly what they need to know. This reduces the time which needs to be dedicated to training, minimizing productivity losses. Employees should be equipped with appropriate skills and knowledge as quickly as possible – and this is something that only mLearning can offer. Learners can consume small amounts of content every time, and study it whenever they like.

Improved completion rates and higher retention

Already in 2007, the Mobile Learning and Student Retention Report showed that mLearning brings higher retention rates. (http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ800952.pdf) And no wonder – with its bite-sized or micro-learning approach, mLearning offers a learning environment which makes it easier for learners to initiate learning and motivates them to complete it, fostering their knowledge retention.

Mobile performance support

Today, mobile learning is recognized as a beneficial approach for providing performance support intervention. It's safe to say that mobile devices are a part of every employee's work environment. Delivering performance support solutions directly into their mobile devices, employers are facilitating easy access to information while at work and improving the probability of its usage and retrieval.

Higher engagement in mobile

The 2010-2011 Horizon Report has already shown us the value of mobile learning in fostering learner engagement with the learning materials. (http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2011-Horizon-Report.pdf) Mobile learning experiences are more immersive and countless statistics reveal that a higher number of learners complete courses through mLearning than through traditional training or even cutting-edge eLearning solutions.

Well-defined learning path

Mobile devices offer an excellent measure to help learners see and update their learning path, showing learning as a continuous process. Many employees organize their lives through their mobile devices and by integrating links to these apps, mLearning solutions help learners to save time and accurately plan their learning. This is also relevant to alleviating the impact of the so-called Forgetting Curve which defines the exponential nature of forgetting. According to experts, we tend to forget 80% of what we've learned during the last 30 days. A short training period once a year cannot be expected to hold real impact over employee performance for a long time. Having regular access to a variety of mLearning materials works against the Forgetting Curve and helps employees to make the most from the learning opportunity.

Mobile learning is a solution which brings lots of benefits to companies that decide to invest in learning programs organized on mobile devices. It improves knowledge retention rates, boosts learners' engagement with materials, empowers employees to develop new job skills and appeals to all those talents who are constantly looking for non-traditional learning opportunities to help them grow. mLearning creates a swift learning process which is bound to positively affect employee productivity at an enterprise.

Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Carol Williams is a team member at Honeybells - a fruit shipping firm from Florida. She has an intense background in mLearning which she combines with her passion for anything tech and mobile related.





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7 Steps to an Effective E-Learning Training Strategy

E-learning creates endless possibilities for new ways to help our team to upskill. In a world where business practice constantly evolves all of us need to be on our toes and up to date with the latest trends and technology relevant to our industry. It’s no use management being on trend if our staff are left behind.

Below we will set out 7 steps which will help guide you towards creating an effective e-learning training strategy to ensure that your staff are getting the most out of their training and development program at work.

1.  Decide On Your Objectives & Plan Accordingly
Planning is essential in ensuring that the resources you put into e-learning are well spent. Identify what type of training is most needed within your organization at this time. Is the training required uniform across the board, or do you have a need for various types of training?

Take into consideration what skills the course will develop, how it will do this and what theoretical frameworks it will be based upon. Next, you need to consider the learners themselves, what are their requirements? We all learn in different ways and to ensure that your staff get the most value out of the e-learning training, you should aim to personalize the training insofar as possible.

By setting out your objectives in advance, it will be easy to measure the success of the program at the end.
       
2.  Make It User-Friendly
Above all else an e-learning environment must be user-friendly. If the learner has difficulty in navigating around the website or accessing the webinar then everything else becomes secondary. Pay close attention to making the material accessible to all staff and giving an introductory tutorial to make sure that everyone knows how to access their course.

The language used should be clear and concise, learners want and need to be able to extract the relevant information without having to wade through extra academic style details which do not pertain to how they will use the skills they are developing.

3.  Give Students a Plan
Many learners feel more secure when they are given a clear overview of the course syllabus. Knowing what material they will cover in the coming weeks allows them to do preparatory work if they wish and relieves stress that may arise out of the unknown. This course overview should also outline what is expected of the students, and how they can expect to be assessed.

4.  Get Them Talking
Group interaction and collaborative learning is sometimes seen as not particularly relevant to an e-learning syllabus. However, overlooking this aspect of training may leave students feeling isolated leading to a lack of interest in the training. Not everyone enjoys group work, but it is a feature of most workplaces and even those who don’t enjoy it will probably expect some degree of collaboration during their training. Collaborative activities where students work together to solve a problem create a wonderful learning opportunity for everybody involved. Each learner can contribute the skills that they have been developing, contributing to the good of the whole, and students can identify different ways of approaching tasks.

Social media is useful for collaborating, as are forums where ideas can be exchanged.

5.  Set Up an Assessment Strategy
Any training program requires an element of assessment to ensure that the learners are processing and retaining the relevant information. It also allows the students to put what they have learned in the e-classroom to practical use. Some people will prefer to assess the students at the end of each module with a simple multiple choice quiz, while others opt for a collaborative group project at the end of a unit.

How the learners will be assessed should be agreed upon before they begin their course, and outlined to them so that they can prepare for it as they progress. Assessment not only gives you as the e-learning coordinator the chance to see how staff are progressing with their training, but it also gives the learners a sense of achievement which will drive them forward and keep them motivated.

6.  Solicit Feedback
It is important to ask for feedback to check that your e-learning program is actually delivering what you hoped it would. Be sure to discuss the learning outcomes with both the learners themselves and their team leaders, this will allow you to see if the both parties have derived benefit from the training. Where the learner feels that they have, but their team leader is not seeing it, then perhaps the training needs to be tweaked to ensure that it is more relevant to the worker’s daily workload.

You can solicit feedback using online surveys, face to face chats or online chats where the learners come together for a session.

7.  Keep the Learning Going
Many learners, and indeed, instructors can tend to see training and development as having a set start and finish date. While this may be strictly true, training within an organization should be approached as ongoing. Life itself is a constant journey on the path of learning, why should work be any different. Encourage your staff to engage with their career development in this light. Set up structures by which they can approach you with regard to continuing their learning once they have completed one e-learning course. Perhaps there is an advanced course you could run or a course of study which will complement the first one. Every time your staff upskill in a way that improves their productivity and sense of purpose at work you will see the return in spades.

I hope that this overview has given you a few ideas on how to get started implementing your own corporate e-learning training strategy. With adequate planning and a positive approach, you may find that e-learning can make a huge difference to staff morale in your workplace.


Guest Blog Contributor By-line:

David Grover is a Communications Manager at Timeo, a useful tool for businesses in the UK. He’s also a freelance career coach, who’s always eager to share his experience. In his free time, he enjoys traveling.




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Creating E-Learning Content: How to Personalize Your Course's Content

When most people think of e-Learning, they think of clicking through a boring PowerPoint slide, watching a dated video, and then taking a short 10 question quiz with a pass/fail outcome. People see “mandatory training” and groan inwardly, knowing they get to sit through one more course hoping to pass so that they can forget about it and get on with their day. Which, as it happens, is the exact opposite of what you want in a training course. If you take the time to personalize your e-Learning content, you will find your employees more engaged, more interested, and more likely to retain the information presented during the training.

Why Personalize?

The short answer is because people are unique and all have different learning styles. The issues surrounding learning styles are complex and as different as individuals are. While one person may do fine with reading information, another may absorb the information better while participating in a hands on activity, and still another needs information repeated in order to make it stick. When you throw the same lesson plan at 25 different people, you’re going to have 25 different outcomes. When you find ways to personalize the course content for each person, you can greatly increase the effectiveness of the course.

So Where Do We Start?

When you’re looking to begin personalizing your training, you need to take a look at your audience (your employees) and determine the variables. You may have a few employees that are experts in the subject matter, while some need a refresher course, and still others really do need an introduction to the basics. One of the ways that you can begin each training module is to begin with a pre-test. This can help you determine which employees need the most training, so that you can tailor the content to them. Mid-performing people could use a “light version” to reinforce key points, and those that did well may be able to test out of the training. This can boost morale by not making proficient workers go through the drudgery of taking a course that they don’t need. It can also help you as an employer figure out where to best invest your time and resources in your team.

Software Considerations

If you’re a large company with a strong budget, investing in quality e-Learning software can really help your business meet training goals. Each employee is given a record, and you can keep up with what they have done, what they need to do, and how they have progressed throughout their time at your company. Having an easy to use, interactive program that welcomes people by name is a great way to eliminate some of the dullness from training. It allows them to see their past training history, as well as see what other training might be available to them, to sign up, and to see where their weaknesses are. This type of program can also identify those weaknesses, and tailor training paths to suit individuals.

Ways to Personalize

There are any number of ways that you can personalize e-Learning programs. Aside from the content issues addressed above, you can also allow users to personalize their learning style by giving them options. This allows them to choose everything from fonts and color-schemes, to the voice used to deliver audio content, and even how they choose to interact with the program. Are they using a tablet with a touchscreen? A computer with a standard mouse? All of these things can be altered by individuals to give them a more comfortable learning environment without altering the course content. Many programs even turn the learning process into a game, where you earn rewards for reaching certain milestones or getting a certain number of points.
Using Personalized e-Learning Content will help to improve retention, and empower employees to take an active interest in their training and education. It can streamline your training processes, and help you as an employer identify those employees that are in need of some more focused training, ensuring that your full staff is well-qualified for the job.


Guest Blog Contributor By-line:


Mary Frenson is a Marketing Assistant at Checkdirector.co.uk, a new source of information on UK companies. Mary is always happy to share her marketing ideas and thoughts on business issues. In her free time she enjoys handicrafts.




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