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Work Literacy and the eLearning Guild are partnering to provide you with a great (and free) opportunity to get up to speed on Web 2.0 tools and their implications for learning professionals. This 6-week, highly active, social learning event will introduce you to new methods and tools. It will be moderated by Michele Martin and Harold Jarche, with help from Tony Karrer. This is your opportunity to ramp up your understanding of Learning 2.0 technologies prior to DevLearn 2008 so that you can participate better either in-person or as an outside spectator, and to interact and learn with people who are passionate about learning.

Each week we will share new activities that will allow you to explore different Web 2.0 tools and discuss their implications for learning. The activities can be done at your own pace and will be hands-on.

The program topics and schedule...

Date	Title
09/29/2008	Introduction to Social Networks
10/06/2008	Free your Favorites / Bookmarks
10/13/2008	Blogs
10/20/2008	Aggregators
10/27/2008	Wikis
11/03/2008	Implications / Summary

We will be posting more details of how to get into this online experience soon. In the meantime, you, we're suggesting that anyone who's interested in joining us can start by signing up for the Ning network we're using for the event.

Learn at your own pace...

We have designed the activities for completion at your own pace. We recognize that there will be different levels of interest, experience, and time available for exploration, so these activities will give you meaningful experiences at three different levels:

• The Spectator – These will be exercises or activities that should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The Spectator level is for people who want just a quick exploration of the tools and minimal interaction.
  


• The Joiner / Collector – For those who want to delve more deeply into a particular Web 2.0 tool, the Joiner / Collector level will consist of activities that take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
  
  
• The Creator – These activities are for people who want to really spend some time exploring and trying out a particular tool or set of tools. The activities will take approximately 75 minutes to complete, and will allow you to immerse yourself in the Web 2. 0 experience.
  

Based on your experience with the different tools and methods being explored, your involvement may take longer or shorter periods of time. You will also have complete flexibility to participate at different levels of activity each week. Our goal is to create a range of opportunities for people to learn about and explore various Web 2.0 tools and their implications for learning professionals in an environment that's fun, supportive, and responsive to your needs and interests.

The goals of this program are to...

• Introduce you to new tools and methods for work and learning
  


• Discuss implications of these tools for learning professionals
  
  
  
• Prepare you to participate in DevLearn 2008 in new ways as an attendee or as a spectator.
  

Event Moderators

Michele Martin is an independent consultant who specializes in using social media tools to support learning, and career and professional development. She has worked with federal, state, and local governments, nonprofits, and corporations to design and deliver a variety of learning interventions. She used online tools such as forums, listservs, and a “virtual office” to support learning in the late 1990s, and has added tools such as blogs, wikis and social networks. She's a co-founder with Tony Karrer of Work Literacy, a network of individuals, companies, and organizations focusing on the frameworks, skills, methods, and tools of modern knowledge work. Michele blogs at The Bamboo Project.

Harold Jarche has found a passion in the area of sharing, learning, reflecting, and collaborating using Web tools such as social network systems, blogs, and wikis. He constantly tries out new tools and techniques, and then uses his pragmatic business bent to recommend the right ones for clients and colleagues. Harold has been a freelance consultant for the past five years, and blogs about learning and working on the Web at jarche.com. Previously, Harold worked as a Chief Learning Officer of an e-Learning company, Project Manager at a university, and Training Development Officer with the Canadian Forces.

Tony Karrer is CEO/CTO of TechEmpower, a founder of Work Literacy, and a well-known consultant, speaker, writer, and trainer on e-Learning and Performance Support. He has twenty years’ experience as a CTO and leader of software development, and eleven years experience as an associate professor of Computer Science. He works as an interim CTO for many start-ups, and was the founding CTO at eHarmony. His work has won awards, and has led him into engagements at many Fortune 500 companies including Citibank, Lexus, Microsoft, Nissan, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard, among others. His blog eLearning Technology won the best e-Learning Blog award.