I have been impressed over the years with the fine work of David Holcombe and Heidi Fisk, founders of the eLearning Guild. When it comes to eLearning, the Guild is a trusted source of information, networking and a true community of practice. The information on their website says it all: “As a member-driven organization, the Guild produces conferences, online events, e-books, research reports, and Learning Solutions Magazine—all devoted to the idea that the people who know the most about making e-Learning successful, are the people who produce e-Learning every day in corporate, government, and academic settings.” As an experienced speaker of various training conference sessions each year, I give Heidi and her team high marks for how they treat “experts” and how they motivate “experts” to perform and share information with conference participants.
This is topped only by the way they organize events to promote the professional development of those of us in eLearning. As I prepare to depart for their Learning Solutions Conference in Orlando – March 23- March 26 -I want to point out to you some of the people I am looking forward to meeting:
- Marcia Conner and her session, Learning through Social Media. What I hope Marcia discusses is how to combine social media within formal eLearning courses.
- Will Thalheimer and his session, Improving Systems Training by Adding Informal Learning to the Blend. Yes, it is so important to recognize that people learn outside the formal eCourse or CMS.
- Clark Quinn is one of the most important instructional designer/thinkers in our eLearning community. I am looking forward to sitting in on a few of his sessions or at least speaking with him in the hallway. I also encourage everyone to revisit his book Engaging eLearning.
- Karen Hyder is a top notch eLearning expert when it comes to producing and conducting webinars or other live virtual classroom events.
Obviously, there are many more notable speakers who are worth catching in sunny Orlando this week at the Disney Hilton. These are just a few. My “expert” advice to you: if you had only one conference you could attend each year, the eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions Conference should be your choice!