Getting The Right Kind Of Images

It is sad but true that there are not many sites where you can find good images for free. And in case you are looking for images of some Indian rural people, you are definitely going to have a tough time . In my attempt to look for images of Indian rural people I could only find the images of temple, forts, houses with thatched roofs,and starving children. But this made me think, what do we do when we require images to meet the requirements of a particular project? Wish if anybody could help me with the resources to find vector images of rural Indian people. Other than google images I tried the following URLs to look for images but to no avail.

http://www.corbis.com
http://www.gettyimages.com
http://www.istock.com
http://www.scx.com
http://www.shutterstock.com
http://office.microsoft.com

What Is Your Web 2.0 Quotient

Since the whole industry is talking about web 2.0 about and how can we use it to impart training. Let's check what is our invidividual web 2.0 quotient. I came across this in Manish's post, so to check your web 2.0 quotient use the following URL.
http://manishmo.blogspot.com/2008/10/web-20-quotient-version-11.html

My Web 2.0 score is 53, so am a newbie. Find out what's your quotient.

5 Things You Do Not Need To Know About Me

Manish Mohan has tagged me on this meme on 7 things you do not need to know about me. But I could come up with only 5 things so far.

Here is a list of 5 things you do not need to know about me:

1) I have planned to become a vegetarian for four days in a week. (Possibly not happening this year :-))

2) Of late am watching all romantic Korean movies. (Seems like I'm smitten by Korean movies)

3) I learnt to ride a scooty on my own. Have knocked down many a people in my first two attempts. :P They almost fell off their vehicles.

4) I once fell into a drain! Yuck it was long long back though.

5) I can watch 2-3 movies back to back on a single day.


So there you go guys.
I tag
Geeta, Archana, Smriti, Nishana, Vaishnavi, Ashim, Rashmi, Satya, Sneha, Sushant, Shipra, Ripul, Yatin, Meghna to continue this meme.

Difference between LMS and LCMS

Many a times I am confused with the terms Learning Management System (LMS) and Learning Content Management System (LCMS). So have decided to put down the difference between the two in as simple words as possible.

LCMS is a software that is used to create, maintain, reuse, and deliver learning material. On the other hand LMS is a software that allows delivering the learning material in the form of online modules; instructor led training modules within an organization. It also helps to track learner interaction with the content and the instructor, and helps in recording scores. LCMS provides just in time training. For example if say you are working in call center, and your company has launched a new application. You need not go through the entire training kit, instead you can just stick to the modules that you are required to go through and familiarize yourself.


The primary users of an LMS are the learners whereas LCMS is used by the course developers and SME. LMS is used to track student interaction and performance whereas LCMS is used by the content authors to collaborate. LMS is software for planning, delivering, and managing learning events within an organization, including online, virtual classroom, and instructor-led courses. In contrast, an LCMS is software for managing learning content for various training development programs across an organization. It provides developers, authors, instructional designers, and subject matter experts the means to create and re-use e-learning content and reduce duplicated development efforts.

Workshop on How to Use Web 2.0 Tools

Are you interested to know more about Web 2.0 tools such as wikis, blogs, podcasts, and virtual world for learning and training purposes? Kern Communications is conducting a workshop on how to use Web 2.0 tools. This workshop is designed for HR Managers and training heads who implement training in their organization.

Let me give a brief overview of the workshop.

• Understand Web 2.0 – the changing face of the Internet.
• Discuss training using sharing, collaboration, co-creation, user generated content, social networking
• Explore the use of tools such as wikis, blogs, virtual worlds, podcasts, videocasts, social networking to design effective training
• Discuss case studies where trainers have effectively used these tools for training purposes
• Experience learning and training in the Virtual World

You can log in to http://elearning.kern-comm.com/?p=322 for further details.

Zone of Proximal Development

Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist and social constructivist came up with the Theory of Social Cognitive Development. The three major themes of this theory are:

Social interaction is necessary for learning and plays a vital role in the process of cognitive development.

MKO or the More Knowledgeable Other; A person who has a better understanding than the learner, it could be a teacher, a mentor, or even a peer who is more knowledgeable as compared to the learner.

Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD

In this theory he discussed about Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD. ZPD implies that a learner can do without as well as with the help of a teacher, or a competent peer, or a guide. ZPD was originally used for problem solving.

Vygotsky argued against examinations that are used as a standard means to test the intelligence and knowledge of the children. Rather he believed that children should be tested on problem solving independently and problem solving techniques with the help of a teacher or a guide. He also believed that students play an important role in the learning process.

By social interaction Vygotsky meant that culture has an enormous amount of impact on children. It is through one’s culture that children learn what to think and how to think. Vygotsky also emphasized that interaction between the teacher and the student facilitates learning; hence learners should be provided with a collaborative and interactive learning environment.

Vygotsky also highlighted the fact that children learn by imitating from their elders and adults; hence it is very important to provide the learners ample opportunity to solve problems under the guidance of a teacher/guide.

To conclude we can say that collaborative learning, discussions, interactivities definitely helps learners to achieve their goal. Also with proper guided learning learners can accomplish task that they cannot do on their own.

Advance Organizer

There are many advantages as well as disadvantages of using Advance Organizers.

It facilitates them make connections and/or the relationship between pieces of information. Also helps students to allocate time for a particular lesson.
We can use it interactive lessons in classroom lectures and for elearning courses.

For example you can ask a question about what is an amphitheatre before teaching about Greek or Roman architecture. Or for instance you need to teach about guidelines for a healthy diet. So you can start the topic by giving a build up like this:

Build up: “We all know that we should eat healthy food. For most of us, healthy food means no pizza, no fries, no colas, and no burgers. Healthy food is boring and tasteless. But no that’s not so. We can make food choices. Food can be healthy and tasty”.

Scholars and educational psychologists have divided opinion about the use of Advance Organizers.

Carol Story (1998), a research scholar concluded that “Instructional designers can feel confident that Advanced organizer are important part of their instructional designs, that the organizers are needed whatever the media of instruction, and that organizers themselves can be delivered by a variety of media.”
Some researchers believe that Advance Organizers helps students to recall information and make connection between already known concepts and the forthcoming learning materials.

However, researcher scholars like McEneany (1990) suggested that it serves no purpose or have limited effect in promoting learning or recall of learning.
Whereas Lawton and Johnson (1992) believe that Advance Organizers are effective.

According to Ausubel, the Advanced organizer provides the “hierarchical framework” for students so that they can move information into long-term memory efficiently and effectively and in a connected manner.

To conclude, we can say that:

• It is an educational strategy.

• Teachers have been using it for classroom lectures.

• It helps learners to build a cognitive structure.

• Instructional designers are using it for elearning courses.

• Depending on the content, the subject matter, on the pre-existing knowledge of the learners.

However, some questions like why this teaching strategy is called as Advance Organizer and not simply Organizer is still unknown.

References:
http://tip.psychology.org/ausubel.html
http://web.cortland.edu/frieda/ID/IDtheories/10.html