I was recently informed that my submission to eLearning Guild’s Annual Gathering next year has been accepted. Whoohooo!!!
I presented a case study of our LMS implementation at this year’s Meridian Users Conference. I received many comments and it was suggested I submit a proposal to present the same case study at an upcoming industry conference.
Submission proposals for DevLearn were already over, so the next opportunity was the Annual Gathering being held in March ’09. I submitted two proposals – one case study, but then I got to thinking to myself….”Self, why not speak on something else? Most folks don’t care what you go through, rather they want to learn tips, techniques, and strategies to get them through.” With that thought, I submitted a second proposal on a very simple topic – graphic communication.
We communicate graphically everyday in ways we probably don’t even pay attention to, but all those graphic symbols speak to us. The McDonald’s arches communicate fast food; The Nike swoosh communicates sports, and/or athletic apparel; an upside down white triangle with a red border communicates we need to yield. “See” what I’m saying?
That’s all fine but how does that apply to eLearning? What does a yield sign symbol have to do with a course I’m building in safe lifting practices? We spend thousands of dollars a year on clip art subscriptions, spend thousands on licensing fees for photo usage, or hire an illustrator to draw custom artwork. In this current economic climate, a penny saved is a penny earned.
“The 5th Language” presents just that – the language of graphic communication and how you can capitalize on some very simple yet effective techniques. This post dots, dashes, and lines explains some of these techniques.
More to come…
To all readers of Learning Nuggets:
I had the pleasure of keynoting at the Meridian Users Conference. I didn’t have much time to take in too many other sessions, however I did see Kevin’s and I was very impressed with what he was doing at Autozone. Annual Gathering 09 seemed like the perfect venue for Kevin’s presentation.
I believe we underestimate the power of images in eLearning. I mostly believe it is because ISDs normally don’t consider themselves “good enough” at drawing to think about doing it. OR I hear things like, “oh, I have a graphic designer for that”. We need to get over it, especially in these difficult economic times and start figuring out ways to add MORE value in what we do. This on way we can all do that.
I think you will all appreciate that fact that Kevin IS using this in a corporate setting with great success. He is not an academic, or simply talking about how cool this MIGHT be. No, he is actually practicing this in an environment similar to yours.
AG|09 is looking to be another great Guild event. Register soon to get the discounts.
Kevin, I look forward to seeing you in Florida!
Brent
Brent,
You’re too kind. Often I hear similar comments – “I don’t know how to draw,” or “We can hire someone to do that.”
Every human being as the ability to imagine, and every human being visualizes images in their mind. The only difference is those who are open to learn tips and techniques to get them onto paper. What I hope to accomplish at AG09 is show people how simple it is with a few tips and techniques how to visualize exactly what they want to communicate.