Write Technology

Nope, not this year

In response to multiple emails and blog searches, the answer is no. I'm not attending this year's Trivantis Lectora Conference in Las Vegas. Why? Oh so many reasons that have very little to do with the conference itself. Seriously. Personal stuff and all.

Should you go? Well, it depends on what you want to get out of the conference. I like the folks at Trivantis a lot and I think their software rocks. However, from my perspective as an instructional designer and Web 2.0 evangelist, I don't get a whole lot out of it as a repeat experience and you'll find that several of the speakers are the same as previous years. I often go just to see old friends. However, if you're a Lectora user on a regular basis, and especially if you haven't been to the user conference before, go. It'll be different from most conferences lately. If you haven't noticed, most larger conferences of late tend to focus on informal and collaborative learning using Web 2.0 technologies, which is sort of my soapbox as well. The Lectora conference is small and focuses on using Lectora. Period.

Just to let you know, I'm going to have a good friend who is attending guest-blog about the conference when he returns. So if you're curious and can't attend, we'll still have you covered here at Write Tech. No stone left unturned and the like.

Tags: lectora, lectora user conference, trivantis

Lectora User Conference '06: Friday

The second day of the 2006 Lectora User Conference was a half day, ending after a full lunch and awards presentation. The gang of guys from the user community (and I noticed it was completely male) that helped with bug testing were all given certificates, which was a nice gesture. Trivantis also gave out iPods. Sadly, I didn't win. But I did enjoy a session or two before the lunch. Learn more after the jump.

Lectora User Conference '06: Thursday

The first day at the 2006 Lectora User Conference started out slow but ultimately provided some useful sessions. Those of you who are familiar with my conference tolerance, i.e., I get bored and lose patience quickly, know that this is a big admission for me. I'm enjoying a conference! Learn the details of Thursday sessions after the jump.

Back to the Conference

This weekend I head back to Orlando for the Lectora User Conference 2006. For those of you attending, or those of you who are just interested, a PDF of the conference schedule is available here. It should be interesting. I'm excited to see that Neil Lasher, of UKs Trainer1, is returning. He's a powerful public speaker. This is also everyone's chance to learn more about the new features in Lectora 2006. Yes - even me. I was out with my elbow surgery when the new product debuted and while I'm familiar with what is offered, I'm anxious to see more of the power behind it since I haven't had much of a chance to play with it on my own. As always, this conference is just small enough to meet a lot of people and make some great new friends and contacts.

I'll try to blog on Wednesday and Thursday with my impressions of the conference. It won't quite be live-blogging, but I'll do my best.

I'm making a short vacation of it, so Write Technology will be closed all week, although I will have limted availability via email once the conference begins on Wednesday, 3/29.

I hope to see you there!

Technorati Tags: eLearning, eLearning conference, Lectora User Conference, Lectora
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Lectora User Conference 2006

I'm heading back to Orlando in a few weeks for the second Lectora User Conference. The difference is that this year, I'm heading back as a Write Technology person instead of a Trivantis trainer. I think, in this capacity, I'll be able to get more out of the conference and therefore, be able to pass that on to you! I'm looking forward to it - if the conference lives up to the standard it set last year, it's worth every penny.

Last Year's comments on the conference

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Lectora User Conference 2005

I just returned from the Lectora User Conference in Orlando, FL.  Lectora is an easy-to-use eLearning tool developed by Trivantis. (In the interest of full disclosure, Trivantis is one of my current clients and past employers). The conference didn't focus so much on the software as the ways one could apply the software. There were sessions on the development process (from storyboard to standardization and production) as well as how to move your organization to an eLearning platform. The keynote speaker, Neil Lasher, is head of Britain's Trainer1. As far as Instructional Design goes, the man knows his stuff. I was incredibly impressed with his presentation. Trainer1 has developed a product called Context Sensitive Learning (CSL). CSL takes context-sensitive help one step further. The product senses where you are in a program and at the click of a button will launch an associated eLearning course to teach you that product. Whereas context sensitive help only guides you step-by-step through a process, CSL gives you the ability to interactively teach a student not only the process, but the why behind a process. It's intuitive and impressive. CSL applies lean manufacturing techniques to the world of eLearning (it's about time I say) and effectively delivers just-in-time learning to the desktop.

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