I usually enjoy the idea of conferences/classes/seminars. They are an event that unchains me from my desk and usually provide some sort of respite from the stresses of the office, even if they do require my brain to function. When I return to my desk however, I often haven't found inspiration from the conference and I return to my everyday habits. The More Than Instructional Design seminar in Atlanta last week offered that much-needed respite. At the same time, I have returned to my desk today invigorated, inspired, and ready to use my newly acquired knowledge.
It's hard to recap the seminar here, as there was a lot of information packed into two days. Outside of the seminar, the networking also provided stimulating and relevant conversation. The class consisted of 13 students and Neil. When you have a group that small, a bit of intimacy is shared. You learn things about your classmates and that familiarity helps strengthen the class as a whole. All but one of us was a seasoned trainer and instructional designer, which led to interesting perspectives during discussion. There was also a lot of interclass discussion built into the curriculum. I admit I was worried that Neil might foist interactive roleplay or some sort of thing on us. He didn't. Instead we talked amongst ourselves and each table developed ideas as a team.
We covered everything from Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction to Neil's own 4 A's (Attraction, Attention, Availability, and Application). We learned about learning styles and learning levels. The class wasn't all just theory though. There were several exercises, and in the end, a workshop where as teams we created a module applying the knowledge we just learned.
I really can't rave enough about the ability to
network so easily with such a small group of people. Limiting the class
size to 20 is a wonderful idea and it helped to build bridges.
I
returned to the office today ready to rip apart some elearning I
recently built and apply some new principles. I am even contemplating
revising some Help files in the same manner. (What are Help files other
than just-in-time learning?)
If you can make it, I
recommend signing up for Neil's Boston seminar. Same class, new place,
new people. The Boston seminar takes place at the Wyndham Chelsea (right near the airport) on August 8-9.
Boston Registration
Course Outline
Technorati Tags: instructional design, ISD, instructional design course, instructional design workshop, learning, elearning, Neil Lasher, Trainer1
Tomorrow morning I'm off to Atlanta for 
