ASTD day 2 Part 1 and maybe the only one

Well day 2 started off well with sausage egg muffins for breakfast. I know pretty shallow commenting on the food, but hey I am a shallow person. :)

This morning's general session featured two ladies from Google, Karen Wickre and Ann Farmer. Both were knowledgeable but maybe I am just tired but they weren't as dynamic as Kara Swisher yesterday. Then again she Sasha tough act to follow.

Karen shared how things work internally at Google with communication in particular. There are over 150 blogs from Google and that is what they use rather than press releases. Back to something that has been said several times during the conference, traditional modes of communication are dead (or at least on life support).

Ann shared how recently she found out why she was detoured on her way home through twitter. (jumper on the bridge) it is all about the important hash tag.

But how do I take what I heard this morning and apply it to APU? The preferred mode of communication APU News. How do I get people to move toward RSS and utilizing Google reader. Is twitter something that is really a useful tool in our environment?

Soon a session called "Open Source: Turning the LMS Market on it's Head" I really would like an LMS. We will see what I learn in this session. I didn't stay for the session after the introduction. I am now in a session Web 2.0 E-Learning Portal. The down side of this one is they are based on Share Point which I will probably never have... But principles should apply. 2/3/11 1:16 pm okay a tad frustrated with my choices today, of course in half an hour Bob Pike will be speaking and he has never let me down. Hopefully today will be no different. What I got from the last session gotta figure out a way to give up control. If I want support.apu.edu to be a success I can't do it all myself, but that means giving up control. UGH! How do I do that and maintain quality? Much to think about.

Bob Pike did not disappoint nor did his daughter Becky Pike Pluth. I attended both of their sessions. Bob spoke on how to do good webinars and I realized I don't think I have ever attended a GOOD webinar.

I have seen Bob and this presentation several times but every time I walk away with great ideas. I really want to move some of my sessions to online. Remembering that in an online session you have to engage the learner every 4 minutes is key. My sessions would be quite different than what Bob and many of the trainers in the room would do, but basic principles still apply:
1. Show them how to use the tools
2. Have a good opening
3. Keep them involved
4. Revisit not review
5. Finish strong

Another thing Bob shared was the act of writing helps us remember where the act of typing doesn't. Writing you are actually writing the letters/words where when we type it is the same motion. Interesting.

Becky's session was how to use PowerPoint in webinars. The great part is watching her reinforce the principles her dad taught earlier. She also gave some great tips on making PowerPoints look good and be effective. One thing that I never thought of before is that the handouts should have the info that they need to know and the slides have the good to know.

Tomorrow morning I am touring Adobe's facility that should be fun. Well as fun as anything is at 8:15 in the morning! Haven't decided what session I will go to before the final session. Then the journey home. I hope it is less adventurous than the trip here.