Over the past couple of months, Dr. Joel Harband has been teaching me all about Using Text-to-Speech in eLearning. This has been a great way for me to learn about the topic. However, there was a comment on one of my posts that made me realize that the discussion of the use of voice-over in eLearning was far beyond the conversation that Joel and I were having. The comment was: Even the best Text-to-Speech can only do one thing - receive text and spit it back out. There is no substitute for a professional voice talent, who can interpret the meaning and message of your e-learning scripts. MORE >>

In my last posting I mentioned the idea of “Gamification” and Anna thoughtfully pointed out that we need to “ define what "gamification" means to learning development. I couldn’t agree more and I have spent the last year exploring that concept to see what Gamification does mean to learning and development professionals. For more on this, see my posting In Defense ofthe Term Gamification as used by Learning Professionals on Kapp Notes , and be sure to read the insightful and provocative comments. So on this posting, let’s define Gamification. Stories bring context back. Games MORE >>

When it comes to conferences, a better slogan would be, "What happens in Vegas should NOT stay in Vegas." If you're one of the fortunate people from your organization to attend a professional conference, how can you bring it back to the workplace so everyone can benefit? During sessions, keynotes, hallway conversations and after-hours discussions, many great ideas are tossed around. Don't let them stay in Vegas! Share them when you get back. The pressure of knowing that you'll need to convey the best of the conference tends to help a person plan ahead. Then this approach is for you. MORE >>

So.this whole week I was pretty excited about the idea of riding the interest from my last two blogposts. was all set to mount a rousing defense of Google+ as a social media tool worth greater interest from learning folks of all kinds. really was. Maybe one day you'll get to read that blog post, replete with breathy exhortations and compelling infographics.and then, I got distracted by something shiny and buzzy. colleague of mine who is headed to business school sent me this article , in which Robert F. Is what iTunes and Netflix did for music and movies bad? What was that, again? MORE >>

In last week ’ s Learning Circuits, I explored how I use Twitter as a professional development tool , and explained how doing so has helped me build a personal learning network. Personal Learning Networks (PLN) are, in many ways, both the past and the future of how people will learn. Training and formal education are important, but people have always learned more from sharing with each other informally. Technology has finally reached a point where it is no longer a barrier to this sharing, and can actually amplify it. But with the new technologies are new challenges. ASTD is a great example. MORE >>