BP1 Google Reader

Prior to discovering Google Reader, my quest for staying current with eLearning trends, led me to chronicle each new website I found in a Google Docs folder. While I was doing a good job recording all new websites I came across, I was doing a poor job checking each of them for updates: simply because it was taking too much time. Google Reader solves this issue for me very elegantly, thanks to RSS(really simple syndication) which is the technology that enables Google Reader to pull updates from multiple sites and display it at one place.

If you have an existing google account, starting to use Google Reader cannot be easier. I started using Google Reader by subscribing to five websites that help me keeping up with the latest trends within the eLearning space. I'm sharing my thoughts on why these websites are my favorites.

1. www.ted.com - As a person who likes following innovation in various fields including eLearning, I love watching videos on TED. A lot of us might not have heard about it until the last couple years. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design has been around for 25 years now. Its mission has been to spread new ideas and it does it very elegantly. While it always had a loyal following among people who attended TED conferences since it started, it's been the ease of playing videos on Facebook, iPhone and YouTube in the last couple years, that have helped TED videos reach much bigger audiences. TED's addictive nature is best summed by a quote in the New York Times Magazine(2009) "Oh why oh why have I been bingeing on TED talks again? I promised myself I would quit watching the ecstatic series of head-rush disquisitions, available online, from violinists, political prisoners, brain scientists, novelists and Bill Clinton. But I can’t. Each hortatory TED talk starts with a bang and keeps banging till it explodes in fireworks. How can I shut it off? The speakers seem fevered, possessed, Pentecostal. No wonder I am, too, now."

2. www.mashable.com - If you want to keep up with new and hottest trends in social media, digital media and web2.0 tools, Mashable is very reliable news source. Started in 2005, it has a huge fan following among entrepreneurs, social media followers and those with a passion for technology. Mashable's highly talented writers and editors ensure readers are treated to very high quality analysis of news making technology. I've found their articles to be unbiased and very insightful.

3. http://janetclarey.com/ - I am a fan of Janet Clarey. Before I tell you why I like following Janet Clarey's blog, I must mention Brandon Hall research. If you are in the eLearning field, you have most likely heard about it. Brandon Hall research is to the field of eLearning what Consumer Reports is to the consumer industry. Brandon Hall research provides highly sought after and heavily priced impartial research reports for the eLearning industry. Janet Clarey was a Senior Analyst with Brandon Hall research for many years and authored numerous reports for them. I read one of the rare free reports from Brandon Hall which Janet Clarey had authored called E-Learning 101 that you can find at http://janetclarey.com/writing/. Her research paper appealed to me because she used very sound instructional design principles  in her writing. I highly recommend the E-Learning 101 paper to any beginners in the eLearning field. Janet Clarey's blogs are  fun to read because they indicate a rare boldness in approach. She says what she wants to say without trying to be diplomatically correct and please all the readers through her writing. I might also be slightly biased towards her because geographically she is close to where I live and I hope to just run into her some day.

4. http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/ - The website name might mislead you into thinking its about the product articulate. This website is actually Tom Khulmann's blog which is one of the most widely followed blogs in the eLearning industry. It has more than 60,000 followers. I like following it because website provides a nice usability experience - it has a clean uncluttered look to it.  I find his blog very informative and easy to read. I found out about Tom Khulman's blog because Janet Clarey blogged about him. And now I'm blogging about both of them. Wouldn't I love it if someone blog's about my blog one day?

5. www.classroom20.com - Classroom 2.0 has helped me in my journey from a novice in eLearning till couple months ago to getting increasingly familiar with different aspects of eLearning. It serves as a classic example of how powerful collaboration can be in Web 2.0 and its free!. It is an excellent educational networking forum, primarily because it has a very enterprising founder in Steve Hargadon. Steve used Ning, a social network creating company, to create Classroom 2.0 which is rich with tools such as discussion forums, video hosting, blogs  and the best of it all, a sub-group creating feature. Classroom 2.0 has 540 listed sub-groups catering to specific interests of its members. You are free to join any group that pertains to your area of interest. Networking with other people with similar interest is a great way to increase learning. I also depend on Classroom 2.0 every week to inform me about featured webinars that pertain to my specific interests in eLearning. Typically, Steve hosts these events where an eLearning innovator or eLearning industry expert is invited to share their creation. I recently attended one such webinarwww.edu20.com, an eLearning hosting company. 

I hope you enjoyed reading my first ever blog and found it useful. I definitely enjoyed researching and writing it.