There are a lot of choices and resources now available for companies to apply to their training programs to help get the results they are looking for.  How do you choose what is right approach for your company?

Have you read the CLO magazine article on Four Ways to Assess Learning Trends? Technology is changing very quickly and many of us are always looking at what’s new and what’s coming; so how do you wade through all of it and make decisions on what’s worth your time following up on for your organization?

Ed Francis and Brian Donovan have written a short article to assist us.  See some highlights from their article below:

“Trends come and go in learning and development. These days they’re often centered on social learning, mobile technologies and increased interactivity. And while it’s often tempting to get caught up in the possibilities introduced by every new technology, learning professionals must remain grounded in the basics of learning and performance. Too often, an innovative program using the latest technology is rolled out in a company with much fanfare, and then employees don’t adopt it or the desired business results aren’t achieved or even measured.

In a time of tightening budgets, learning departments must take a pragmatic approach to the trends in the marketplace. Before jumping on the bandwagon and developing a program based on a new innovation, take these four actions to mitigate the risk associated with early adoption:

1. Ask these three questions:

• Who is this program for?  A new learning offering should begin with thorough consideration of the end users’ needs.

• How well is it connected to an actual business need?  If trend adoption isn’t connected to improving a business metric, it risks wasting the company’s money.

• What are end users saying and doing? As with any high-quality training program, the end users’ voice must be part of the equation.

2. Know the difference between consumer and corporate - look for opportunities for end users to collaborate in natural work teams and solve a relevant problem.

3. Go small - There is an allure in being part of something big — but many times the excitement at the beginning of an initiative fizzles during development and implementation. Expectations aren’t met, investments are questioned, end users aren’t satisfied and another flash-in-the-pan comes to pass.

4. Wait and focus on the basics - Concepts like high standards, accountability, clear expectations and behavior modeling still apply.

It’s a mistake to view the latest trends as a replacement for the fundamentals of learning.  People have learned the same way for centuries. The key is to augment the way in which people naturally learn how to perform. Taking a measured approach to trends will help ensure success and support a healthy organization.”

To read the article in detail click here: http://clomedia.com/articles/view/four-ways-to-assess-the-latest-learning-trends/2

Following what Ed Francis and Brian Donovan have outlined can come in handy while reviewing which collaborative learning options are right for your company and even how to best review the application of such resources.

Every little bit helps when trying to get on top of the latest trends and best practices available.

Jodi Harrison
Vice President, Business Development
Jodi.harrison@interactyx.com
www.interactyx.com

Do you find that your employer is resistant to incorporating social learning tools to enhance the business?  Maybe, we just need to communicate the value better.

First of all, let’s get on the same page with what ‘social learning’ even means. Wikipedia defines social learning as:  learning that takes place at a wider scale than individual or group learning, up to a societal scale, through social interaction between peers.

To be considered social learning, a process must:

1. Demonstrate that a change in understanding has taken place in the individuals involved
2. Demonstrate that this change goes beyond the individual and becomes situated within wider social units or communities of practice
3. Occur through social interactions and processes between actors within a social network

That’s all very technical.  Maybe this definition of ‘social learning’ can resonate better:

• Knowledge acquired from a group of two or more people facilitated by defined processes and/or tools

So, that is a start.  How would you define ‘social learning’?

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get into how to show the value of social learning to those not yet on the bandwagon.

In November 2011 commentary from Rachel Happe posted at The Brainyard shares some strategies to consider when explaining social tools to people in the workforce without drowning them in social speak or meaningless jargon. She offers some practical tips for those who need to internally “sell” the concept of social to their business counterparts.

Can we also use these strategies to help “sell” our businesses on the need for social learning as well?

The charts below are directly from Rachel Happe’s post at http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/strategy/231902518/11-ways-to-explain-social-business-benefits?itc=edit_in_body_cross

Great charts! Thank you, Rachel, for a job well done. These charts can be used to easily overcome any misunderstanding of just how important and valuable social learning can be to any business or organization.

If you would like to see how social learning tools can easily and affordably be incorporated into your workplace, you can request a free demo of award-winning social learning management system (Social LMS), TOPYX at http://interactyx.com/request-a-demo/.

John Hillsman
Business Development Manager
John.hillsman@interactyx.com
www.interactyx.com

Facebook had 845 million monthly active users at the end of December 2011.  Facebook has established itself across the world as a part of our everyday lives.

How can we learn from this to enhance corporate training programs and workplace interaction?

A blog recently posted (Workplace Social Media Use Surges in 2011)reviewing an article from Media Post’s Eric Sass states that social media use on workplace computers increased a remarkable 300% between mid-2010 and mid- 2011.

So, we can reasonably assume that employees in offices around the world are acclimated to interacts and involvement associated with social networking. Why are we not using training and collaboration tools to build off of the popularity of Facebook and other social networking sites, without risking security and other potential downfalls?

The article further states that “The stats are pretty impressive. Social networking’s overall bandwidth consumption — including Facebook Apps, Social Plugins, and posting — jumped from 5% of total bandwidth in October 2010 to 25% in December 2011. Twitter alone saw at-work browsing increase 700%. In technical parlance, this is ‘a lot.’”

Wouldn’t it be great to be able incorporate social LMS software into training programs that increases engagement and collaboration?  It is possible and the tools already exists, but are businesses ready?

In a recent blog, 5 Reasons Why Businesses Should Choose Social LMSs, the main ideas are summarized as the following:

5. The right tool for the job: Not all training software is the same – be warned

4. Collaboration: Get people working together

3. Knowledge Management: Store, track and organize your valuable content better

2. Security: Stay in control of your information

1. Cost: Look for unlimited users, unlimited storage/bandwidth, Free implementation and no hidden fees

See the full article for a more in depth view into the reasons why business really need to start reviewing why social learning management systems may be just what they are looking for as hiring picks up and training programs  are rebuilt to deliver ROI.

A social LMS, in case you are not familiar with the term, is a traditional learning management system that has infused social learning tools to create and easy-to-use, collaborative leaning environment that can be accessed on demand, wherever the learner may be in the world.  Social learning tools usually include, but not limited to:

• Calendaring
• Chat
• Announcements
•  Events
• Articles
• Polls
• Blogs
• Shoutbox
• Pictures
• Documents
• Forums

These tools are directly accessible to support even the smallest learning object – even a lonely PDF on the system can now rally a group around it to discuss its information.  On the other hand, complex SCORM objects can also get a class or department or whomever involved in a group-wide discussion with the tools available to help everyone better share their ideas.

My suggestion, if you are looking for more information, check out the award-winning social LMS TOPYX.  See just how social learning can help you reach training and on-boarding goals.

We know social media is here to stay.  Facebook has changed the world.  Tools exist to bring the best practices of social networking into the workplace in a controlled, secure and branded method that can enhance any business or association.

It was just a matter of time, and that time has come.  Are you seeing these practices in your workplace? What is the biggest change social learning can bring to your office?

I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter – tweet us @interactyx.

Jeffrey A. Roth
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Jeffrey.Roth@Interactyx.com

Interactyx Limited
www.interactyx.com

TOPYX is the easy-to-use, fully hosted eLearning software solution that has infused social learning tools into the traditional LMS to create an engaging and collaborative environment for learners.  Due to the award-winning features, unlimited users, unlimited bandwidth/storage, multi-language capabilities, and free implementation, TOPYX is regarded as an ideal solution for businesses, associations, academic departments and eCommerce needs of any size.

Interactyx Limited offers a free, personal demonstration of TOPYX by completing the form at http://interactyx.com/request-a-demo/ or contacting information@interactyx.com directly.

Said Mike Cooke, CEO of Brandon Hall Group, “2011 provided us with a unique viewpoint of how organizations are driving business results and performance improvement through technology. This was the year in which technology providers and their clients have been able to transform the power of mobile, social, talent, learning, sales and marketing technologies, with proven, validated results.  Most impressive to our judges was an underlying theme around collaborative relationships, a deep understanding of client needs and how technology can be leveraged to create opportunities and operating efficiencies for organizations of all sizes.  I am proud to announce these first-rate solution providers as award winners in the most competitive year yet.”

A panel of veteran, independent senior judges evaluated the entries along with Brandon Hall Group’s industry expert analysts and leadership.

About Brandon Hall Group
Having worked with more than 10,000 clients globally and after 20 years of delivering world-class solutions, Brandon Hall Group is the preeminent research and analyst organization focused on developing research-driven solutions to drive organizational performance for emerging and large organizations.  Brandon Hall Group has an extensive repository of thought leadership, research, data and expertise in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Sales Effectiveness, Marketing Impact, and Executive Management. (www.brandonhall.com)

About Interactyx Limited
Interactyx Limited is a global eLearning software company providing engaging and interactive learning experiences to learners, businesses, academic departments, associations and nonprofit organizations of any size.

Since 1995, Interactyx has worked with educational programs to develop engaging learning solutions. Interactyx, the developer of TOPYX, is at the forefront of developing eLearning and social LMS solutions that engage learners and enhance collaborative learning environments. TOPYX has gained acceptance as an innovative, affordable solution to deliver a complete eLearning software solution meeting the needs of today’s learner that is the best value in social learning software. (www.interactyx.com)

Social technologies—everything from 140-character “micro-sharing” messages to media-rich online communities to complete virtual environments and more—enable people to connect, collaborate, and innovate on levels never before dreamed of. They make learning dramatically more dynamic, stimulating, enjoyable, and effective.  Whether you work in a traditional or virtual classroom, social media can broaden your reach and increase the impact of training.

If you are looking for “how-to” resources for incorporating “social” into training and your organization I would like to recommend two books -

The New Social Learning: A Guide to Transforming Organizations Through Social Media by Tony Bingham:

• Tony Bingham explains why social media is the ideal solution to some of the most pressing educational challenges organizations face today, such as a widely dispersed workforce and striking differences in learning styles, particularly across generations.

Social Media for Trainers: Techniques for Enhancing and Extending Learning (Essential Tools Resource) by Jane Bozarth:

• Jane Bozarth provides an overview of popular tools, including blogs, wikis, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, SlideShare, Flickr, and others. You’ll learn to leverage each medium’s unique features and applications to deliver training, facilitate discussions, and extend learning beyond the confines of a training event.

These resources offer a new set of powerful tools for augmenting and enhancing the value of your training.  Both are usually recommended together on popular book-seller sites, but if you would like a free chapter to The New Social Learning: A Guide to Transforming Organizations Through Social Media – click here.

TOPYX is a the place where you can incorporate all of these great ideas and more – TOPYX is all about social learning!

TOPYX is an award-winning learning management system (LMS) that infuses the best social learning tools into the traditional LMS to provide an engaging and collaborative environment for your learners.  See how TOPYX can easily be incorporated into your organization to help you reach your training goals, without stressing your budget. Get a free, personal LMS demonstration today!

Jodi Harrison
Vice President, Business Development
Jodi.harrison@interactyx.com
www.interactyx.com

We are very proud of our new look! Visit us at http://interactyx.com and let us know what you think.

We also welcome many new customers to the Interactyx family who are enjoying the additional functionality, enhancements and languages added to TOPYX®. Contact us if you want to learn more about our new features.

We appreciate your interest in TOPYX and social learning. If we can help answer any of your questions, feel free to reach out to us for any reason at information@interactyx.com.

Enjoy this month’s edition of TOPYX Topics, the social learning newsletter!

Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm CST

Registration: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/314545200

Space is limited

In this webinar, we will show the award-winning social learning features of TOPYX and answer your questions.

1. Social Learning – Get people connected and leverage informal knowledge better than ever before.
2. Social Networking Techniques – Use tools for training that people are already using.
3. Gamification – Games to learn at work? Why didn’t we think of this sooner?

Read the full article

BONITA SPRINGS, FL – January 25, 2012 – Interactyx Limited is pleased to announce that GLOBTOURNET Plc (a subsidiary of RADER Group Plc) has chosen the multi-language social learning management system (LMS) software, TOPYX®, as its eLearning platform.

“We were looking for the right learning platform that was easy-to-use and can be made available in English and French,” stated Aoudou Perem, Chief Executive Officer of GLOBTOURNET. “We found everything we were looking for and more, at a price-point that was significantly less than other options. The dedicated team at Interactyx was available to answer all of our questions and helped us every step of the way. We are looking forward to a positive long-term relationship with the good people at Interactyx Limited.

Read the full article

• Digital Learning Day – February 1, 2012
• Workplace Social Media Use Surges in 2011
• Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge!
  
• SCORM Certified LMS?

This recent article from Sharlyn Lauby at Mashable and the American Express OPEN Forum cites the 2011 Training Industry Report from Training Magazine which states that total expenditures in training appear to be increasing. The amount spent on training jumped about 13% from 2010, including increases in overall training budgets and payroll, and spending on outside products and services.

In addition the article examines three of the developing topics that combine social with learning — and should be worth integrating in your business during this year.

1. Social Learning – Get people connected and leverage informal knowledge better than ever before.
2. Social Networking Techniques – Use tools for training that people are already using.
3. Gamification – Games to learn at work?  Why didn’t we think of this sooner?

Read the full article at: http://mashable.com/2012/01/21/social-learning-trends-2012/

How will you integrate these trends in your business in 2012?

To do some additional research, the 2011 Training Industry Report from Training Magazine has a lot of great information as well: http://www.trainingmag.com/article/2011-training-industry-report

If you are ready to see a social learning management system in action and how it can help you reach your 2012 training goals, get a free, personal LMS demo.

John Hillsman
Business Development Manager
John.hillsman@interactyx.com
www.interactyx.com

By: Christina Cepero
News-Press Article Link:  http://www.news-press.com/article/20120125/NEWS0102/120125026/0/NEWS0107/Bonita-Springs-based-software-company-signs-first-African-customer?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Interactyx Limited announces that GLOBTOURNET, a subsidiary of RADER Group, has chosen its multi-language TOPYX eLearning software.

Interactyx is the developer and leader in the eLearning software industry through TOPYX, its award-winning learning management system for businesses, nonprofit organizations and academic departments.

GLOBTOURNET, headquartered in the Republic of Cameroon, is dedicated to providing the best technological solutions to reduce the digital divide within Africa, with a priority given to the creation and distribution of eLearning contents. GLOBTOURNET is a member of the RADER Group which is focused on the promotion of sustainable development of Cameroon through the popularization of clean technologies that can help improve productivity (organic farm inputs and farm machinery) and living standards (solar energy, water pumping and water purification products) in rural areas. The idea is to bring a sound and combined contribution in the fight against poverty and climate change

TOPYX will facilitate GLOBTOURNET’s engineers to help schools, farmers’ organizations, environmental and women associations create and publish contents that will be used by their respective target audiences, with a February launch.

“We were looking for the right learning platform that was easy to use and can be made available in English and French,” said GLOBTOURNET Chief Executive Officer Aoudou Perem. “We found everything we were looking for and more, at a price-point that was significantly less than other options. The dedicated team at Interactyx was available to answer all of our questions and helped us every step of the way. We are looking forward to a positive long-term relationship with the good people at Interactyx Limited.”

Interactyx CEO Alfred R. Novas said his company is proud to support GLOBTOURNET’s efforts. “We are excited to have GLOBTOURNET join our expanding global TOPYX family, now in Cameroon,” Novas said. “We developed TOPYX to be able to accommodate social learning worldwide, no matter the language of the learner. With TOPYX now being used on the continent of Africa, we look forward to its continued global deployment.”

Interactyx Limited is located at 3461 Bonita Bay Boulevard, Suite 207, Bonita Springs, FL 34134. For more information, see interactyx.com.

———————————————-

To see how the multi-language, social LMS TOPYX can help you reach your goals, request an eLearning demonstration today!

Interactyx Limited is the developer and leader in the eLearning software industry through TOPYX, its award-winning social LMS, recognized as the complete software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution which engages learners and provides collaborative learning environments for businesses, associations, academic departments and eCommerce needs of any sized organization throughout the world.

GLOBTOURNET, headquartered in the Republic of Cameroon in west Central Africa, is dedicated to providing the best technological solutions to reduce the digital divide within Africa, with a priority given to the creation and distribution of eLearning contents. GLOBTOURNET is a member of the RADER Group which is focused on the promotion of sustainable development of Cameroon through the popularization of clean technologies that can help improve productivity (organic farm inputs and farm machinery) and living standards (solar energy, water pumping and water purification products) in rural areas.

TOPYX will power the social LMS platform, which will facilitate GLOBTOURNET’s engineers to help schools, farmers’ organizations, environmental and women associations, rural council create and publish contents that will be used by their respective target audiences, with a February 2012 launch.

“We were looking for the right learning platform that was easy-to-use and can be made available in English and French,” stated Aoudou Perem, Chief Executive Officer of GLOBTOURNET.  “We found everything we were looking for and more, at a price-point that was significantly less than other options.  The dedicated team at Interactyx was available to answer all of our questions and helped us every step of the way. We are looking forward to a positive long-term relationship with the good people at Interactyx Limited.”

“We are excited to have GLOBTOURNET join our expanding global TOPYX family, now in Cameroon,” commented Alfred R. Novas, Chief Executive Officer of Interactyx Limited. “We developed TOPYX to be able to accommodate social learning worldwide, no matter the language of the learner. With TOPYX now being used on the continent of Africa, we look forward to its continued global deployment.  We are proud to help support the very important efforts of Mr. Perem and GLOBTOURNET, as well as confidently support their aggressive deployment schedule.”

Learn more about the benefits of social learning and TOPYX, at www.interactyx.com.

About GLOBTOURNET Plc:

GLOBTOURNET Plc is a subsidiary of RADER Group Plc which is dedicated to the promotion of sustainable development through the popularization of clean technologies that can help improve productivity and living standards in rural areas. The idea is to bring a sound and combined contribution in the fight against poverty and climate change.

RADER Group and GLOBTOURNET are developing their activities in partnership with the government of Cameroon and have contracts with United States, European and Indian companies.

GLOBTOURNET Plc contact:

Aoudou Perem
Chief Executive Officer

+237 22667000
info@globtournet.com

GLOBTOURNET Plc
Elig Essono, à Côté de l’IRD
BP 78, Yaounde
Cameroon
www.globtournet.com

About Interactyx Limited:

Interactyx Limited is a global eLearning software company providing engaging and interactive learning experiences to learners, businesses, academic departments, associations and nonprofit organizations of any size.

Since 1995, Interactyx has worked with educational programs to develop engaging learning solutions. Interactyx, the developer of TOPYX, is at the forefront of developing eLearning and social LMS solutions that engage learners and enhance collaborative learning environments. TOPYX has gained acceptance as an innovative, affordable solution to deliver a complete eLearning software solution to meet the needs of today’s learner – wherever they may be – that is the best value in social learning software.

Interactyx contact:

Jeffrey A. Roth
Vice President, Marketing and Communications

+1.888.575.2266 x201 or +44(0)20.7084.6244 x201
jeffrey.roth@interactyx.com

Interactyx Limited
3461 Bonita Bay Boulevard
Suite 207
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
USA
www.interactyx.com

Source: Interactyx Limited

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Here are the details for the webinar:

Date:  Thursday, March 15, 2012
Time:  2:00pm – 3:00pm CST
Registration:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/249727817
Space is limited

Not a good time for you?  You can view a previously recorded webinar or you can request a live, personal LMS demo.

In this webinar, we will show the award-winning social learning features of TOPYX and answer your questions about:

• Engaging social learning via communities and collaboration features
• A value driven platform with unlimited users, bandwidth and storage
• Monitoring completion and performance of social learning via reporting
• Multilingual capabilities for a globally connected workforce
• and much more…

Since 1995, Interactyx has worked with educational programs to develop engaging learning solutions. Interactyx, the developer of TOPYX, is at the forefront of developing eLearning and social LMS solutions that engage learners and enhance collaborative learning environments. TOPYX has gained acceptance as an innovative, affordable solution to deliver a complete eLearning software solution to meet the needs of today’s learner – wherever they may be – that is the best value in social learning software.

We look forward to seeing you at the webinar!  If you have any immediate questions, feel free to contact me directly.

John Hillsman
Business Development Manager
John.hillsman@interactyx.com
www.interactyx.com