Now You Know Blog - dominKnow Inc.

Bring your creativity to dominKnow - we're looking for software developers!

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:09:00 -0400

At dominKnow we're riding the leading edge of web technology, and we'd like you to be part of that wave.

Our aim is to give dominKnow LCMS users the richest, user-focused experience that can be delivered through a web browser.

Our market, the e-learning industry, is expanding and evolving in ways that dominKnow can capitalize upon with the adoption of HTML 5, supporting mobile browsers and integrating with an ever-increasing variety of libraries and frameworks.

We require software developers who want to be part of the maintenance of our flagship solutions as well as be involved in creation of new products. Our products are multi-tiered, full-featured rich web applications.

In an n-tiered system, you are as comfortable laying out the front end for omni-browser support as you are designing and implementing web services, defining an API, or querying data from the back end. You know the difference between the collection of pages that makes a web site and the object oriented architecture of a web application which provides a full, rich, multi-media user experience. You are interested in the leading edge of web-technology and are eager join us as we find ways to serve native-application-style experiences to a web browser.

Your programming skills include object oriented design with JavaScript. You have strength in web application development technologies, such as HTML, CSS and AJAX. You are well versed in data transformation technologies like XML. You are an SQL programmer with some database design experience.

In addition to the above, experience in ColdFusion frameworks is an asset in this position. A Flex, Flash and ActionScript background is another asset, as is .NET (C# and ASP). Knowledge of e-learning systems and standards (SCORM) is also useful.

Interested in joining our team?

Email your resume to IWantToWork@dominKnow.com.

Peter Morgan is Project Manager at dominKnow Learning Systems.

Five “don’t miss” events at ASTD ICE 2010 in Chicago

Mon, 10 May 2010 13:56:00 -0400

The suitcases are being packed once more here at dominKnow as we prepare for ASTD 2010 International Conference and Exposition in Chicago, which runs from Sunday May 16 through to Wednesday, May 19. Organizers are predicting that more than 8,000 people will attend from more than 70 countries in all. That's a big event – with a lot to take in. Here's a list, in no particular order, of the five things the dominKnow team is most looking forward to. Abandoning ADDIE with Thiagi
Saturday, May 15, features a full-day pre-conference workshop with Sivasailam Thiagarajan (better known to most of us as Thiagi) titled Faster, Cheaper, Better: An Alternative Approach to Instructional Design. "Rapid" has become a term most strongly associated with e-learning development tools but the Thiagi workshop will offer ways to reduce the design time for any learning project, including alternatives to the ADDIE model. Taking a Drive with Daniel Pink
The Monday morning General Session will see author Pink share his insights into what get peoples' drive started. Motivation plays such a crucial in performance, and Pink's latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, explores the factors that lead to high performance and personal satisfaction. Hint: it's not the boss looming over your shoulder, muttering about that deadline... A Night at the Museum
On Tuesday night, May 18, the ASTD conference will move into Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry for the ASTD 2010 Celebration. Food, music, and the chance to explore the museum's nearly 14-acres will make for an awesome evening. Organizers offer this strong suggestion: "comfortable shoes are a must." Booth Hopping at the Expo
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday offer a great chance to wander down the aisles to check on new products and services and just generally get inspired at the ASTD Expo. It's one of the biggest collections of vendorsin the training and learning development space, all in one place. The dominKnow team will be at booth 1835 – drop by and get your hands on our latest mobile learning development solution and take a tour of the dominKnow LCMS. Getting the Solutions You Need
The Solution Evolution event, set for Tuesday, May 18 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Expo, offers seven different facilitated group discussions designed to help you get the help you need. The seven discussions are very targeted for different learning and development roles, and the question and answer format means that the discussion will only cover relevant issues for each. If you're going to ASTD, pop by both 1835 and say hi to the dominKnow team – and let us now what your highlight list includes! Chris Van Wingerden is Vice President Learning Solutions at dominKnow Learning Systems.

Do you see how I see?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:58:00 -0400

One of the first major e-learning projects I worked on (way back near the beginning of this century) was aimed at training oil sands personnel to run a plant that didn't exist. The facility was under construction and every day several thousand trades people added new parts and pieces to the multi-acre project. As soon as everything was completed, the operations team had to be ready to start turning everything on. Yep, the operators had to learn how to run the plant before they could put their hands on much of it. Enter our team and the e-learning project, including proposed 3-D models of the facility so operators could see the finished system as part of their training. This was the best way, it was reasoned, to deal with training on a structure that didn't exist yet. Beginning with introductory-level learning topics we started creating 3-D models for almost every learning experience we designed, from sky-high viewpoints for locating fire equipment locations to inside looks at the various reactions taking place as heavy oil was converted into product ready for the refinery. About a third of the way into the project, we started crafting the process operations modules, the real meat of how the plant was going to run. I was reviewing design notes (one of the collaboration features of the dominKnow LCMS) submitted by the client team leader as part of an early module review. One particular note caught my eye; it said something like "These pipes don't look anything like this. Let's get rid of the 3-D." I called the client to catch up on this. He said the 3-D model we had created in this case looked more like household plumbing than the piping found at an oil processing plant to him. If the images didn't look right, the learners – in this case, experienced operators – would be skeptical of the validity of the information overall. So, let's just get rid of the 3-D images. Ummm, okay. But how are your learners going to understand how the oil product moves through the unit? Why don't we just use the P&ID diagrams? What? In the earliest stages of the project's design, a set of Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams had been created. These were line and symbol-based diagrams, like a logic diagram or a flow chart, that outlined the design specs for the project, such as how different pumps were to be connected in sequence, what the operating pressures and temperatures were expected to be, and which types of valves were needed along the way, for example. The P&ID diagrams had almost no direct relation to the physical layout of the facility or actual dimensions or distances or practically anything relating to the eventual physical appearance of the facility – but they were a visual language that made sense to the operations team. The P&ID diagrams were a very precise way of explaining how product moved from point a to point b. I won't even begin to explain why we could have made it several months into the project without understanding this critical piece of the client's culture. But the upshot was that for process operations we were able to use simple line drawing approaches instead of 3-D models. And although the visual design was no where near as cool as the 3-D models in the other modules, the learning still happened because it used a visual language the learners were comfortable with and trusted. The lesson? Not everyone "sees" the same way, especially when it comes to making sense of information in a visual medium like e-learning. Needless to say, our needs analysis process was quickly adjusted to include identifying such issues when we start working with a client on a new e-learning project. And our clients get to "see" better learning results. Chris Van Wingerden is Vice President Learning Solutions at dominKnow Learning Systems.

dominKnow LCMS workgroup Edition launched at combined IFTDO World Conference and CSTD Conference

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:27:00 -0400

Got plans to be in Toronto this week? Be sure to check out the International Federation of Training and Development Organisations (IFTDO) World Conference being held in conjunction with this year's Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) annual conference, where dominKnow is releasing the workGroup Edition of our dominKnow Learning Content Management System (LCMS). The dominKnow team is at booth 214 Tuesday evening, Oct. 20 and Wednesday Oct. 21 and Thursday Oct. 22 – so if you're in the neighbourhood, feel free to drop by! We'll be more than happy to give you a tour of the workGroup Edition, which we're pretty excited about. The workGroup Edition gives teams of up to five e-leaning authors the full feature set of our integrated Authoring Tool environment, plus all the benefits of working together using the LCMS's collaboration tools like our Design Notes feature, internal communication and RSS feeds to keep track of what's going on in your course projects at any time. It's SCORM-compliant so you can plug your completed courses into any third-party LMS without hassle. Learning Content Management Systems have traditionally been seen as a tool for large enterprises, but many smaller organizations face the same issues of rapid content development, the need to share media assets like images and video files, and the critical requirement of having many people work together, from instructional designers to graphic artists to subject matter experts and reviewers. The dominKnow LCMS workgroup Edition is a hosted approach to helping smaller organizations create e-learning. The dominKnow LCMS WorkGroup Edition allows teams to:
• Work together and collaborate within a single development environment
• Rapidly create online courses with pre-and post-testing
• Incorporate audio, video and animations to enrich the learning experience
• Share images and multimedia assets from a single, tracked asset library
• Quickly and easily update content as learning requirements change
Can't make it to the IFTDO and CSTD conference? Here's a quick way to learn more about the dominKnow LCMS workGroup Edition. Hope to see you in Toronto! Chris Van Wingerden is Vice President Learning Solutions at dominKnow Learning Systems.

Re-use in the Real World: The Evolution of SPI's Learning Content Approach

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:08:00 -0400

Last Friday I attended a great webinar on re-use and the dominKnow Learning Content Management System (LCMS) hosted by our partners at GeoLearning. The hour-long session was presented by Rick Judson of Sales Performance International (SPI) and GeoLearning's Dr. Paul Schneider. SPI is a dominKnow LCMS client through our partnership with GeoLearning. If you've ever heard of the phrase "Solution Selling®" then you are aware of the impact SPI has had on the world of sales. Solution Selling is SPI's trademarked methodology for approaching sales from a customer-centered perspective, and innumerable organizations use this approach throughout the world. It is the core of Microsoft's internal and partner sales training approach, for example. SPI offers training on the Solution Selling methodology, including online training created using the dominKnow LCMS. Last Friday's webinar offered a look at how SPI's use of the dominKnow LCMS and its content management and re-use options has evolved in the past three or so years. Evolved is the key - SPI's Rick Judson explained that SPI is currently in its third phase of re-use, and is already looking forward to evolving again. SPI started out initially just using the LCMS as a course structuring system, working with a third-party partner to create Flash movies as pages uploaded into the LCMS. This approach, Rick explained, was one of expedience - SPI needed to get new courses made and simply altered an approach that it already had in place in order to meet initial timelines. These courses could be re-used for various audiences quite quickly, and tweaks and changes could be made by altering the Flash movies and updating them in the LCMS. SPI's next leap in re-use came with the move to using the LCMS's integrated authoring tool. By moving to the authoring tool, SPI was able to make more granular re-use of page assets such as images or media files. Rather than having to update a graphic in several different Flash movies then update the files in the LCMS, graphic updates could be updated once in the LCMS's asset manager and then shared by all pages using the image, for example. The next evolutionary step, Rick explained, was to move to the re-use of Learning Objects within the LCMS. The dominKnow LCMS allows the creation of complete, stand-alone instructional packages that address specific topics, tasks or enabling objectives to support the overall learning objectives in a course. These packages include knowledge presentation pages, review exercises and assessment questions. Here's a visual that explains how a Learning Object is constructed in the dominKnow LCMS. Rick noted that making this evolutionary step has offered several advantages to SPI, such as speeding up development, reducing errors and improving control over content. Along with this step, SPI has also taken advantage of the LCMS's translation support features to create versions of its online courses for other languages. Rick said that SPI's next evolution will be to make a more concerted effort to work with re-usable templates in the LCMS's integrated Authoring Tool. The webinar was a great glimpse into how a client is successfully taking advantage of re-use in many forms, all empowered by the LCMS, and we definitely appreciated Rick's time and energy. If you are interested in learning more, here's a PDF copy of the presentation slide deck. Our thanks to Rick and Paul for putting together an excellent learning event! Chris Van Wingerden is Vice President Learning Solutions at dominKnow Learning Systems.

Unveiling new LCMS features to UK audience at BETT

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:51:00 -0400

Visitors to the 2009 edition of BETT, the world's largest educational technology event, will be able to get a first-hand glimpse of some exciting new features in the dominKnow Learning Content Management System (dominKnow LCMS). BETT - once known as the British Educational and Training Technology show, but now just going by the shorter acronym alone - saw almost 29,000 visitors walk the aisles at the Olympia facility in London, UK. And we're excited to be at booth SW 30 in the software area to show off the latest developments in the dominKnow LCMS. [More]

We have the Safety-Know-How!

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:26:00 -0400

Safety is the one area of training where people's lives hang in the balance. Every organization takes it seriously, but most organizations also know that they could do it better. Our new initiative with North Safety by Honeywell offers a great opportunity for safety training, bringing together our two companies' expertise to create a range of solutions to improve safety training in any organization. [More]

dominKnow LCMS 5.2 launched at annual GeoLearning user's conference this week

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:56:00 -0400

"Remember the e-learning!" This new battle cry has replaced the classic "Remember the Alamo!" this week in San Antonio as the GeoLearning 2008 Summit on Learning & Performance has rolled into town. Today marked the official release of version 5.2 of the dominKnow Learning Content Management System (LCMS), and the Summit was a great place to mark the occasion. dominKnow Learning Systems is the platinum sponsor of the event, honouring the six-year partnership between the two companies. [More]

CSTD Stories, Speakers, and Sessions

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:58:00 -0400

Next week the dominKnow instructional design team is off to the Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) conference in Toronto. Of all the conferences of its kind that I have attended, the CSTD event is one of the best for the quality of the sessions. Since dominKnow offers a Learning Content Management System (LCMS) as well as learning solutions through courseware consultation and development, I have interests in many different areas. It is often difficult to choose a CSTD session to attend from amongst many worthwhile options. If you're not familiar with CSTD, the conference is a great way to learn more. Our local Ottawa chapter recently held a great workshop on storytelling in the workplace, led by Jennifer Cayley and Lucie Roy. Sprinkled throughout the workshop were quotes on storytelling, leadership, and learning. One was from Alan Kay, the vice president at Walt Disney, who said, "Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we're all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories." That's one of the things I look for at the conference... the opportunity to listen to and share stories with others working in training and development. In previous years, I have come back to work with practical tips to improve workflow, write challenging assessments, motivate learners, and more. This year, I'm looking forward to keynote speakers David Weiss with Leadership Solutions, Ed Hoffman's Project Management and the Three Little Pigs: The Power of Stories, and Pamela Wallin's Cross Border Connections as well as sessions on emerging trends, Web 2.0, and learning strategy. The dominKnow team will also be in the trade show in booth 611. The exhibit floor is a good place for us to meet people interested in learning solutions, find out what others are doing, as well as chat to some of our current partners. We hope to see you there or in one of the sessions. Catherine Orfald, Senior Instructional Designer

Mashups and more - making learning content more accessible

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:03:00 -0400

Our new API is an exciting development for the dominKnow Learning Content Management System (LCMS). By giving clients better tools to access the LCMS and the learning content it contains, we really feel we're taking the idea of re-usable learning content another step forward. I'm writing this from the Brandon Hall Innovations in Learning Conference, where Stephen Downes opened with this morning's keynote address - a presentation on the development of E-learning 2.0 that included the audience's live blogging comments on one side of the stage while Downes' presentation ran on the other side. It was an interesting experiment, one that hopefully inspired the creativity of those sitting in the crowd. Our new API is something that we hope will lead to some interesting and inspiring experiences as well. We can already predict some applications for it, such as simplifying the process for hooking the dominKnow LCMS up to an e-commerce site, for instance, or for allowing Learning Objects to be used in context-sensitive help within other applications. What I think will be most interesting, though, is what others may try to do. The new API opens up a world of learning possibilities and can help remove barriers to learning. We have no doubt that there are challenges out there, waiting to be solved and the API is an important way for us to empower our users to solve those challenges.

Oil Sands and Innovations in Learning

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:12:00 -0400

It's shaping up to be a busy fall for the dominKnow team, including several road trips for us in addition to development work on the dominKnow Learning Content Management System (LCMS) and our services team's custom courseware work. Two events we're looking forward to in September are the Oil Sands Trade Show and Conference in Edmonton, Alberta on Sept. 19-20 and the Innovations in Learning Conference in Santa Clara, California on Sept. 24-27. The Oil Sands Trade Show and Conference will give us a chance to once again meet with folks in the oil and gas industry in Alberta. This industry is struggling with many growth pains, including a shortage of trained and qualified workers, and we feel that e-learning is a very powerful tool to help address many aspects of this issue. We'll be at booth 573 at the Northlands AgriCom. The Innovations in Learning Conference, set for the following week, is an event that has the instructional designers among us quite excited. We're attending as part of a contingent of Canadian e-learning companies under the auspices of the Canadian eLearning Enterprise Alliance (CeLEA). We'll be providing a short presentation on the dominKnow LCMS during the Canadian E-Learning Showcase scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 25. We're looking forward to the "non-trade show" approach of the event's Conference Café, and, we must admit, there is also some interest in the wine-tasting on the Santa Cruz Pier. Look us up if you're planning on attending the conference or even just the wine tasting!

CSTD Conference Time Rolls Around

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 09:50:00 -0400

The Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) annual conference and trade show kicks off on Sunday, Nov. 5 in Toronto. CSTD has been gathering some great momentum over the past few years, and really has consolidated its role in the training community in Canada. Last year's CSTD conference was one of the best such events I've been to in the past five years. I was only able to attend for one day, but all three conference sessions I attended were well-done. I came away with new knowledge and insight (something that doesn't always happen at conferences!) and I found the whole experience to be very energizing - I talked the ear off one of my colleagues for several hours afterwards. That experience convinced us that dominKnow Learning Systems needed to be a bigger part of this year's show, to help build on the CSTD energy. We will be at Booth 603 on the show floor, and we're looking forward to greeting many new faces and re-greeting old friends. If you are attending the show, feel free to drop by our booth - we'd love to meet you in person. We'll see you there!

Welcome to dominKnow Inc.

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 18:06:00 -0400

And we're off! It's been an exciting time down the stretch as we complete our company's transformation to dominKnow Inc. Really, though, it's been the momentum of the past few years that have carried us along. We've grown from a team of about 15 to 30 staff in the past year alone. We've been working on great new features for our LCMS, our courseware team has really been stretching its wings creatively and instructionally and our partnerships have taken off as well. Online learning has hit its stride, too. At its outset, we were flooded with statements like "anytime, anywhere" and big claims about online learning's promise to change the world. A lot of the noise, thankfully, has faded now. But for proof of online learning's longevity just look at the return of "blended learning" as a buzzword (see the recent edition of the E-learning Guild's Learning Solutions e-magazine for a variation on this theme). Online learning is now embedding itself into other instructional approaches. Or maybe it's that other approaches are consuming online learning into themselves. Either way, the revolution keeps on revolving, you might say. So, back to dominKnow Inc. We've been successful throughout the revolution. Even if the name is different, we'll be sticking to the fundamentals of that success, namely top-notch online learning products, top-notch instructional design and development, and, most importantly, top-notch relationship building. It's business as usual - only better!