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Summer’s Here but the Learning Doesn’t End!

“I have REAL work to do!”

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Don’t Forget ~ CH5010

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A tidbit to keep us learning & growing
By: Jim Smith, JR of Jimpact
From his book Crash and Learn: 600+ Road-Tested Tips to Keep Audiences Fired Up and Engaged!

“Near the end of the evaluation, provide space for participants to list three ways their organization or department could benefit from their training experience.”

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Participate in #lrnchat
By: Kristin Thomas @KristinTho

Can you really learn anything from a 140 character post? Perhaps you haven’t jumped on the Twitter bandwagon yet, or maybe you are in your early days as a Tweep and you’ve seen folks ending their posts with #lrnchat. What’s that all about?

Those Tweeple are participating in a weekly Tweet Chat called #lrnchat (pronounced “learn chat”). #lrnchat is an online Twitter chat for people interested in the topic of learning. This Tweet Chat happens twice every Thursday (11:30-1pm EDT and 8:30-10pm EDT) for the convenience of learning professionals all over the world.

On #lrnchat, the latest hot topics in training and development are discussed by the learning pros who are down in the trenches. Expect some fast paced conversation, 140 characters or less at a time. It is a powerful way to discuss experiences and share best practices.

Joining the conversation is as simple as logging into http://tweetchat.com/room/lrnchat/ with your Twitter ID & password. From there you’ll see the stream of #lrnchat questions and answers from learning pros like you. More advanced users can use Twitter clients like HootSuite, TweetDeck, TweetChat and TweetGrid to filter for all posts marked with the tag “#lrnchat”.

Every 20 minutes or so a moderator will throw a new question into the stream. You’re not required to answer the question, but it is a terrific way to get a variety of perspectives to keep the conversation moving. Each participant ends their tweet with “#lrnchat” to ensure the post is included in the conversation stream.

Even if you don’t have specific experience with the topic at hand, you are encouraged to provide feedback by replying or retweeting other participants’ comments.
The rules of #lrnchat are simple:
1) Introduce yourself to the others on #lrnchat (we’ll do this again at the end).
2) [try to] Stay on the #lrnchat topic. A new question will be asked every 20 minutes or so. Begin posts related to a question with the Q#.
3) On #lrnchat we aim to play nice.
4) 10 minutes before the end, the #lrnchat moderators will ask if you need anything from the other participants. It is also time to reintroduce yourself before signing off.
If you can’t make it to a Thursday #lrnchat, or are a little hesitant to dive right into the stream, all chats are transcribed on the #lrnchat blog. Head over there to see what kind of fun you can get into this week.

There really is no wrong way to #lrnchat, so come aboard! We’re all in this to learn.

Happy Tweeting! (@KristinTho)

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It’s time to head back to school

Preparing for your CPLP or just looking for additional development? Join CIASTD University and strengthen your skills. Seven sessions (total of 21 hours) for $249/members; $349 for non-members. Want to send different people to the sessions? Pick up an organizational seat for $399 and have the flexibility to rotate who you send to each session.

Date: Seven sessions starting on May 27th through September 16th.
Time: 4-7 p.m.
Place: Fishers Library
More Information
Register Now

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CIASTD wants to help
By: Martie Hoofer

“Social Networking??? Don’t you realize I have REAL work to do?”

Yes, CIASTD does realize you have “real” work to do, and we want to help you do it!

No matter where you are in your career, networking is critical. People tend to get complacent about keeping their networking healthy once they land a job, just as they often neglect to update their job skills. Networking should be a part of daily life either face-to-face or on-line. But how does one continue to focus on this with increasing priorities constantly competing for your attention?

Join us for a fun and learning adventure led by Chris Kosovich of Kosovich Media Group Thursday, June 3, from 6:30-9 at the Holiday Inn North at the Pyramids, 3850 DePauw Blvd., Indianapolis. When you walk away from this after hours event, you will learn how to apply real-time social networking skills in the virtual world while enjoying in-person networking with other learning & development peers. Among the topics to be discussed – participation in a real-time social networking activity, parallels between real-time networking and on-line services, networking in Web 2.0 world, creating meaning out of your social networking activity, finding value in the networking experience, and putting your real-time social networking skills into action on-line. Following the presentation, enjoy time networking with your peers. The cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Check out www.ciastd.com for more information.

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Mark your calendar for upcoming webinar sessions!

Unless otherwise indicated, webinars are $15 members/$25 non-members. Look for registration opportunities as the training dates draw closer.

CIASTD Stay Connected Tour
Presenters: Lida Pinkham, CIASTD VP of Technology, and Cheryl Alfred, CIASTD VP of Finance
June 2 1-1:45 PM
FREE - for CIASTD Members only

CIASTD is working hard to give you the online tools to help you get and stay connected beyond the monthly meetings. Sign up for this brief 30 minute webinar followed by a 15 minute Q&A to learn how you can use social media tools (LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, and Ning) and the CIASTD website to network with other CIASTD members, share best practices, and get assistance from other workplace learning professionals in your area. This webinar, for CIASTD members only, is free.

Virtual Competence: Utilizing Technology to Engage and Collaborate
Presenter: Kimberly Seeger, Louisiana ASTD President
June 16 12-1 p.m.

In this interactive session, participants will discover how to communicate and collaborate using technical tools. New research indicates managers need to pay attention to virtual competence for successful team communications. What tools will assist teams with effective communication and collaboration with colleagues across cubicles or oceans?

Learning 2.0
Presenter: Lisa Meece, Bottom-Line Performance
August 18 12-1 p.m.

Want to know how your organization can be more collaborative and foster flexibility? Learn how you can harness the power of Web 2.0 tools to create dynamic, user-generated content for your organization. We’ll cover how you can use social networking sites, information sharing blogs and wikis, podcasts, mobile applications, and virtual worlds to teach those within your organization and reach a larger audience beyond your employees.

What Training Can Learn from Advertising
Presenter: Peter Lynch, Business and the Geek
Sept. 15 12-1 p.m.

“What Training Can Learn from Advertising?" is an honest look at the lessons learned by Madison Avenue’s top advertising firms and how they have translated those lessons into increased attention and captured mindshare. Training is on a similar quest to capture the attention and mindshare of our learners. Whether you’re new to training or a seasoned veteran, this program will help you see training in a new light and will inspire you to use time tested “branding” techniques for your training.

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The ChIP code is an investment in our chapter!
By: Deb Lang

Remember to use our chapter code - CH5010 - when buying ASTD goods and services from the National ASTD, such as books, national conferences (such as the upcoming International Conference and Expo in Chicago), seminars, and national membership (new and renewals). Each time you use the code, ASTD donates funds to our chapter.

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• For information on speaking at a future CIASTD meeting, visit www.CIASTD.org.
  
• If writing is your specialty, we are always on the lookout for articles which further learning in the areas of training and development. While we may not be able to publish every article we receive, we believe each issue of The Facilitator would be enriched by the addition of articles from CIASTD members. As a bonus, there’s VIP bucks awaiting each published article! Submit articles by emailing them to martie.hoofer@salliemae.com. We prefer files in Microsoft Word or Adobe pdf format.
  • The focus for the July issue of The Facilitator is designing learning and simulation based learning.