What’s happening at MRWED?

We have a new home, a new team and a fresh outlook for the new year. We commenced 2013 with a two critical appointments – Stephen Murphy was elevated to the new role of Chief Operating Officer and we welcomed Phillip Jefford into the role of Head of Learning. Both roles will be critical in maintaining the growth of the business and the quality of our training delivery.  With the ink barely dry on these new appointments, we bundled CEO, Marc Ratcliffe off to Mali in West Africa to continue the inroads into developing Cert IV TAE training opportunities. (See him below with one of his training groups). In addition to this, we set up a base camp in our head office to monitor the progress of our Learning Leaders Summit and to coordinate the logistics of the event which will be held in Sydney a short 2 months away. (Ezine subscribers can still take advantage of the special pricing of $680 for a two-day registration. This valid until the 31st of January 2013 by entering the coupon code of “PLAY” when registering as a full delegate at www.learningleaderssummit.com)

Marc Ratcliffe with his Cert IV TAE Group from Syama Mine in Mali

Quick Tip

A session plan is not a "one-size-fits-all" - it's just our best idea until new information presents itself!

Educator App

SCVNGR is a unique game app that lets you check-in at locations and participate in scavenger hunt treks and challenges for points. You can also create your own on SCVNGR’s website. It is social in that you can track the progress of other SCVNGR users who you are connected to through invitations from social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter. It is very easy to integrate into the learning space by finding key pieces of information at different locations or using as the platform for team challenges. Best of all, the application is free and is available for both apple and android devices.

Web Watch

Xtranormal is a fun site with "text to speech" capabilities which lets you easily bring 3D animation to life. Make 3D characters tell a funny joke, introduce a topic or share a story in next to no time all. It has learning engagement options both in class and online and just as xtranormal professes, "if you can type, you can make movies."  Check it out at www.xtranormal.com and make a movie today!

Training Game

Back to Front

Back to Front is a simple preferences game which serves as both a warm-up and a means of obtaining information about the students. It starts with two propositions. If the students agree with proposition A, they go to the “back” of the room and if they agree with proposition B, they go to the “front” of the room. (Hence the name “Back to Front”) If they neither agree nor disagree, they will stay in the middle of the room. Keep on giving them options until they have moved enough and the trainer has some idea of their preferences on things that may have impact on the training.

Here are some starter propositions:
1. Wine or Beer
2. Coke or Pepsi
3. Tea or Coffee
4. PC or Mac
5. Sweet or Savory
6. Words or Pictures

A major benefit of this activity is the trainer learns some key preferences of the group nice and early. This might have implications for later group formation, class discussion points or even the prizes chosen to give away. As it is a moving and thinking activity it acts as both a physical warm-up and a brain warm-up!

Have some fun with this. You may even be surprised at some of the results!

Resource Review

When the first edition of Telling Ain’t Training was published in 2002, it’s practical, learner-focused approach quickly became a favourite with learning and development professionals, as well as school teachers, parents, professors, and anyone else who trains, educates, or instructs. Chockfull of myth-busting research and ready-to-use tools, always delivered in a lighthearted and entertaining style, Telling Ain’t Training set new standards for the training industry. That’s a tough act to follow, but this long-awaited new edition does not disappoint. While it has been updated, expanded and enhanced to reflect almost a decade of progress, fans of Telling Ain’t Training will be relieved to find that it’s lively, user-friendly tone has been carefully preserved. In fact, this is a book that faithfully practices what it preaches, engaging the reader from page one and immediately involving them in the first of many try-it-yourself exercises in learning.

For this and other titles visit our MRWED Superstore: www.mrwed.hrdcentral.com
Check out the specials for the month at: http://mrwed.hrdcentral.com/specials/

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