Month: July 2004

Dave & Dell

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Dave Pollard recounts the terrible service he received from Dell. It seems that customer care at Dell means:

The so-called Customer Care department has absolutely no authority to do anything for customers. Their sole job is to explain and apologize for Dell’s idiotic policies, including the five above. They are instructed never to give out their full names, and never to give out names, addresses or contact information of anyone higher up in Dell. In other words, these lackeys are paid to run interference, stonewall and prevent aggrieved customers, and customers who have ideas for improvement, from any contact with the people in Dell who could resolve or act on them. Staggering arrogance, disgraceful and classic corporatist contempt for customers. Every customer has the right to complain, in writing, about bad service or bad products. And in the process to copy the regulatory authorities so that if the complaints are frequent, the conduct of the company will be investigated.

I own two Dell computers, and according to Dave, one in four Dell computers has a serious problem. So what can the small business operator do to get good quality products and at least fair service? I know many people who have had problems with their Apple computers as well.

The Blog as a Meaningful Business Tool

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Matthew Lin, an MBA candidate at University of New Brunswick at Saint John,Canada, is currently conducting research on how weblogs are being used as business tools, and their particular implication for small and medium enterprises. Matthew has designed a questionnaire in order to survey individuals who publish weblogs or can describe the reasoning behind their company weblog. The survey is at The Blog as a Meaningful Business Tool.

If you or your company publishes a blog for business, then please support Matthew’s research.

Storyteller Honoured

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Budge Wilson was appointed to the Order of Canada yesterday.

Budge Wilson, C.M.
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Member of the Order of Canada

Her stories are unabashedly Canadian, featuring characters and landscapes that we recognize as our own. A popular children’s and young adults’ author, Budge Wilson brings her unique voice, creative spirit and passionate love of Canada to her writing. She gives tirelessly of her time to readings and workshops, particularly in Nova Scotia schools, where she spreads the joy of reading and writing to new generations. A champion of new and established authors, she generously shares her knowledge, humour and insight. She is also a committed volunteer with organizations such as the Nova Scotia Children’s Literature Roundtable and Word on the Street Halifax. She continues to be a storyteller who challenges, inspires and empowers readers of all ages.

Storytelling is an important medium for teaching and learning, and Budge just happens to be my mother-in-law :-)

Congratulations!

Feedback on Course Management Systems

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Scott Leslie is asking for specific feedback on any issues that you may have with academic course management systems (these include WebCT, Blackboard, Desire2Learn, eCollege, etc).

So here’s your chance – use the comments below to tell me, and others, what you think is wrong with the ‘majors’ right now, & more importantly what you need to accomplish but can’t in your existing CMS environment.

Training Basics

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From the T&D Blog, here is a review of some basic principles of training from a performance technology perspective:


Dr. Seth Leibler, CEO of the CEP, says organizations should evaluate their training based on these criteria:
  1. Training is viewed as the right solution only if the cause of a problem is a lack of skill or knowledge. Training is not automatically developed as the solution for every performance problem.
  2. All training requests are analyzed to ensure the right solutions are developed and implemented. In addition to training, all the potential causes for underperformance are addressed: skill, motivational, and environmental resource and supports.
  3. Practice situations in training match the actual on-the-job conditions as closely as possible (It’s why off-the-shelf training generally is ineffective.)
  4. Learners receive immediate feedback after each practice to reinforce what is done correctly and coaching on what to do differently.
  5. Skill checks ensure that learners master all essential skills needed to perform to job expectations before leaving training.
  6. On-the-job reference tools (job aids) are developed to provide essential information to performers who only need a reminder of how to do a task.

I slightly disagree with #4, as some research shows that it’s better to provide feedback just before the next practice attempt, as opposed to after the previous one. This way the learner can put into practice the correct behaviour/skill immediately after the feedback is provided.

[Some day T&D Blog may make comments and trackbacks available, but at least there is a permalink]

Robin Good’s Official Guide to SOHO Web Conferencing & Live Presentation Tools

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Luigi Canali [AKA Robin Good] has released an e-book on affordable web conferencing tools. Luigi’s online presentations are fun and informative, and it’s good to see someone focused on the SOHO (small office, home office) market. From one of the reviews:

To help the reader understand the differences between such SOHO platforms and their enterprise-class counterparts, three of the latter are similarly evaluated. The outcome of the comparison, which is sure to delight you if you’re not the captain of a large enterprise, is a surprising conclusion: many of the features of the SOHO platforms, particularly the all-important voice conferencing, are better than the corresponding features of the enterprise platforms! The inescapable conclusion: your agile and thorough move to an online office facility will indeed help you in your struggle with the dinosaurs!

This book has been added to my list.

Free Content means Increased Sales

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In a previous post I mentioned that Lessig’s book, Free Culture, was being made available free online, while the physical book could be purchased through the normal channels. This is a view of the potential future of publishing. Unfortunately, many people and organisations like the CRIA, don’t seem to understand the new medium. Creative Commons now reports that Lessig’s book has gone into its third printing. Making digital content freely available actually increases the sale of the physical product. If you don’t understand this, start with The Cluetrain Manifesto.

Commerce is accelerated by spreading ideas and encouraging openness. Innovation comes from the edges, not the centre, so ideas and content must get out to the edges. Many of those 180,000 downloads of Free Culture were made by people who would not have bought the book anyway. But now they are talking about the book, and that is accelerating its purchase. I had read much of The Cluetrain Manifesto online, and when I saw a copy at an airport bookshop, I immediately bought it for my own library.

The One-Room School House

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Rob Paterson’s post on School and Learning Engagement really struck a chord with me. I spent Grade One in a one-room schoolhouse. It was a remarkable experience. My age cohort was three students, and we shared a row with the Grade 2 pupils. We were given assignments, some individual and some group activities. We had to work on our own as the teacher had to help all seven grades. The entire school worked on the Christmas play and other activities. We all played in the same school yard. I don’t remember any bullying, and I was one the youngest students.

School in Albert Canyon BC circa 1962

Rob thinks that the one room school house was an emergent design, developed over time, to meet the educational needs of the community. In this way it was a “natural organisation”, sized to fit the needs of the community, without overpowering it. Larger schools are based on an industrial model, designed for administrative efficiency and not human learning needs.

Given the easy access to web-based learning resources, one room schools would be easier to build and maintain today than they were many years ago. Having a small school within walking distance would involve more parents, and keep a close eye on developing children. The whole idea of age cohorts is a bit mechanistic anyway. Few of my current friends and colleagues were born in the same year as me. Why should my children be forced to spend their days with 30 other children of the same age? I think that a modern variant of the one room school is an idea ready to pilot in the Maritimes.

Strategic Planning for Educational Organisations

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educ-system.jpg

I like to use system models when analysing an organisation, especially for strategic planning purposes. This system model is based on models by Geary Rummler and Roger Kaufman.

I developed this model as a means of communicating with educational institutions. It’s not comprehensive but it gets the conversation flowing. I’m always interested in finding graphical metaphors for the way we work and learn.