Schedule at a Glance

Using Technology Effectively for the Virtual, Physical, and Blended Classroom
Technology in and for the classroom has changed a lot in the last few decades—for students of all ages. Out with televisions and film projectors, in with computers and mobile devices. This Online Forum examines techniques for using technology effectively in virtual, physical, and blended classrooms. It also explores what learning professionals can do with technology before class to prepare students for learning, and after class to augment and reinforce that learning. Join us and learn how you can use technology to design and deliver effective classroom experiences.

eLearning Engagement and Interactivity: Tips and Techniques
People learn best when they are engaged, focused on the learning at hand. But how do you ensure your learners stay engaged, especially when something more exciting than the current eLearning is only a click away? Interactivities can help focus learner attention, but not all interactivities are created equal, nor are they equally effective across audiences. Join this Online Forum to learn how to design eLearning for engagement, and how to develop interactivities that truly drive learner engagement.

Collaborative and Social Learning: Best Practices for Learning with Others
Learning by yourself works when what you’re learning is fairly static and accepted, and has been written down or recorded by a knowledgeable person. But learning with others is a better solution when there is no clear expert, and learners better remember information they have actively developed versus information they have received from an expert. Join this Online Forum to see the best practices for and real-world examples of leveraging collaborative and social learning.

mLearning: Tips and Techniques for Planning, Analysis, and Design
The day is coming when more learning will happen on mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) than on traditional computers. But good mLearning is not classroom training or eLearning converted to the small screen. Rather, mLearning calls for a new approach to planning, analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Join this Online Forum to examine the first three elements of this new approach: planning your mLearning implementation, analyzing your learners' and stakeholders' needs, and designing instruction that will work well in mobile environments. (Note: The November 14 & 15 Online Forum focuses on the second half of this approach: development, implementation, and evaluation.)

mLearning: Tips and Techniques for Development, Implementation, and Evaluation
Mobile devices have proven to be effective for learning, and many younger workers expect to learn that way. But developing, implementing, and evaluating mLearning requires learning professionals to use a new set of tools—or at least use existing tools in a new way. This Online Forum explores the second half of a successful approach to mLearning: turning your instructional designs into mobile-ready deliverables, getting those deliverables to your learners' devices, and measuring the effectiveness of your mLearning program. Join us! (Note: The September 19 & 20 Online Forum focuses on the first half of the successful mLearning approach: development, implementation, and evaluation.)

Graphics and Animations for eLearning: Best Practices, Tips, and Techniques
Good use of graphics and animations can greatly improve knowledge retention in eLearning. Poor use can have the opposite effect. If you don't have a graphic expert on your team, though, it can be challenging to develop high-quality graphics and animations and make good use of them. Faced with the challenge of understanding "artist" things such as drawing styles, motion paths, and specialty tools, many eLearning teams default to sprinkling clipart here and there. Don't default! Instead, join this Online Forum to learn the best practices, tools, and techniques for designing, developing, and effectively using graphics and animations in your eLearning projects.