Want a Quick Way to Improve the Scripts for Articulate or Captivate Presentations? Let the Subject Matter Experts Read Out Loud!

Read Out Loud

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When you are developing some sort of slideshows such as Articulate or Captivate presentations with voice-over and you want it to be more formal but you still want to keep it conversational and easy listening, there are some ways to prepare the scripts that like. For example, you can:

have an instructional design . . . → Read More: Want a Quick Way to Improve the Scripts for Articulate or Captivate Presentations? Let the Subject Matter Experts Read Out Loud!

Edit the Voice-Over to Make It More Attractive: A Quick Tip for E-Learning Development

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Many e-learning projects use professional voice artists to record the voice-over for self-paced programs, rather than having the subject matter experts or the authors to do so. This is in fact an efficient way to develop the program, and it is a common practice for corporate training.

However, in the academic . . . → Read More: Edit the Voice-Over to Make It More Attractive: A Quick Tip for E-Learning Development

Love lock on Sea Cliff Bridge

Locked!

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On a self-drive holiday trip with Jane along the coastal line in NSW towards VIC, I secretly added a destination without letting her know in advance. In addition, I had our initials, love message, and the date engraved on a padlock.

It was my second visit to the Sea Cliff Bridge, but for Jane it . . . → Read More: Love Lock on Sea Cliff Bridge

Ten questions to ask when considering the delivery of assessment for training programs

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If you are designing a training program and the assessment is an essential part of it, here are 10 questions to help you develop a clear idea about best possible assessment solution:

How much time have you got to deliver the training and assessment? Are there special requirements needed in the assessment venue to assess . . . → Read More: Ten questions to ask when considering the delivery of assessment for training programs

An Online Self-Paced Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program on Anxiety Disorders for Health Professionals

I would like to share with you the slides that I used for a talk in the MEDFAC E-Learning Showcase 2011 where I introduced an online self-paced CPD program on Anxiety Disorders for health professionals. . . . → Read More: An Online Self-Paced Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program on Anxiety Disorders for Health Professionals

MEDFAC E-Learning Showcase 2011, 23 November 2011, New Law Theatre 026, University of Sydney

I will be presenting a self-paced online CPD program I recently developed in the MEDFAC E-Learning Showcase 2011. In my ten minute presentation, I will talk about the background of the CCRE Anxiety Education Project, the design methods, the main features of the e-learning program, and the future directions. If you are interested in medical-related e-learning projects, you are welcome to attend this free event at New Law 026, University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus, at 12:30 on the 23rd of November 2011. This free event will be showcasing e-learning (broadly defined to include LMSs, multimedia, use of social media etc.) within Sydney Medical School – not just innovations but also work in progress, planned etc.There will be 15 e-learning projects presented. . . . → Read More: MEDFAC E-Learning Showcase 2011, 23 November 2011, New Law Theatre 026, University of Sydney

Ten questions to ask when analysing your target learner group of a training program

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When we design a new training program, we should always conduct a learner analysis. A trainer should always ask the following questions in order to be able to understand their learner group:

What is the current skill level of the group? Are the target group of learners currently working in paid employment or . . . → Read More: Ten questions to ask when analysing your target learner group of a training program

Sydney Tower Eye vs. Oriental Pearl Tower vs. World Tower

悉尼塔自助餐(8:00pm)

在过去三年内,我层在不同场合到过悉尼塔、上海东方明珠塔以及悉尼的世界塔上去。这篇文章比较这三个地方的景色、价格、服务等。很多游客来到悉尼,会选择到高达300多米的悉尼塔上,观看悉尼的全景。你可以选择支付二十多澳币的电梯费直接到观光台站着看风景,或者选择五十多到九十多澳币不等的自助餐或者西式套餐(免电梯费),坐下来慢慢欣赏美景,同时享受美食。我刚到悉尼的时候,试过到观光台去。观光台是拥挤的,是站着看的,是不舒服的,也拍不了好照片。因此,后来当我爸妈第一次来悉尼的时候,那是2010年初,我选择了到悉尼塔上去吃自助餐,并且有意选择了傍晚6点到8点这个时段(自助餐有两小时限制)。为什么呢?因为这样可以看到白天的景色,又可以看到晚上的景色。2010年8月,我们到上海去观世博,也吸取之前的经验,到了东方明珠塔的时候,就直接买了200元一位的自助午餐门票直接沿着一个VIP通道(不需要排队)乘坐食客专用电梯,达到最高层的旋转餐厅。不过,与悉尼塔的旋转餐厅相比,东方明珠塔的显得稍逊一筹。首先,东方明珠塔的餐厅的玻璃,是带有颜色的。我不知道这是不是为了营造一个更好的用餐氛围(不怕太阳晒),但这明显削弱了其让人慢慢欣赏美景的功能。其次,自助餐的食物也没有达到高档自助餐的水准,菜式比较一般,其官方网站也没有列出详细菜单;而悉尼塔的自助餐官方网站则列出了详细的菜单,其中包括鱼、虾、蚝、羊等品种,以不同的风味做出来。最要命的是,我问东方明珠塔自助餐的服务员要一把餐刀时,她说他们不提供刀,勺子和叉子已经足够了。因此,面对眼前的大块大块的肉、蔬菜、包子,你只能用叉子把它挑起来,塞到嘴里去,用牙齿把它们“切”成小块…… 口渴了?对不起,那里也不提供茶水,只能买瓶20元的矿泉水。而悉尼塔自助餐则提供免费的冰水,当然,其他的饮料是另算的,有价目表。但那里的饮料的价格,是和外面普通的咖啡厅和酒吧的差不多的,并没有刻意对游客提价。因此,那次我们在东方明珠塔里的自助餐经历,并不十分愉快,除上塔速度较快以外。我们是因为吃饭而得到优待的;如果你不吃饭,在下面排队等一小时吧!饭后,我们到楼下的观光台去看看,其玻璃是很长时间没有擦过了,或者说外面确实灰尘太大了,因此看到的景色不是十分清晰。我妈看到有个望远镜,好奇地往里面一看,咦?怎么看到一堵墙?哦!原来是对面的环球金融中心!后来我们才知道,原来东方明珠塔不是上海最高的建筑物,环球金融中心才是,它在2008年已经落成。环球金融中心也有观光台和餐厅。它还有目前世界上最高的酒店——上海柏悦酒店,它坐落于环球金融中心的79-93楼。于是,我明白了一个道理——与其到旅游景点那里匆匆忙忙地观光和吃饭,倒不如到位于高层建筑物上的酒店去住一晚,以更好地欣赏大城市的美景。当然,这种选择,是不可能360度旋转的了。那么,上个月,几位亲戚来悉尼玩的时候,我就推荐一起住在悉尼市中心的世界塔上的五星级公寓式酒店——Meriton Serviced Apartments World Tower, Sydney。我们当时选择了两房一厅的户型,三百左右澳币,平均下来每人约75澳币;住客在悉尼塔内停车则30澳币一晚。这个价格是绝对的超值,性价比非常高。要知道,在悉尼市中心里的普通四星级酒店的一个房,也得两百澳币左右一晚(我们四个人要两间房的话就要四百澳币左右,平均每人100澳币左右);而且,在悉尼市中心里的带遮盖的停车场里停车,一般来说怎么也得二三十澳元一小时。悉尼世界塔上的酒店从62层起,我们当时住在七十多层,窗外可以看到达令港。黄昏和晚上的景色最美,还能看到远处的飞机在房间的落地玻璃中央飞过,感觉房间就处在与那些飞机飞行的高度一样。美景需要配美食。由于该酒店公寓配备了一个设施齐全的厨房,包括烤箱、微波炉、洗碗机、各种刀具和餐具等,于是我们那天晚上在悉尼歌剧院看完一场交响乐回来之后,就在世界塔楼下的Coles超市买了一些材料回来做夜宵,边品尝美食,边欣赏悉尼的城市夜景。总的来说,到了一个大城市,与其到作为旅游景点的观光塔去,倒不如到它附近的高层建筑物上的酒店去住一晚,那样就可以非常舒服地休闲地欣赏不同时段的城市美景了。若有机会再到上海的话,也许可以尝试上海柏悦酒店。 . . . → Read More: Sydney Tower Eye vs. Oriental Pearl Tower vs. World Tower

Sea Cliff Bridge

Sea Cliff Bridge

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从悉尼市南部沿着Lawrence Hargrave Drive往卧龙岗市方向走,会经过一段非常壮观的海上悬崖大桥。该大桥位于新州的伊拉瓦拉区域的北部,连接Coalcliff 和Clifton两个小镇,拥有双向机动车道、单车道、以及人行道。不少人经过这里,都有感于如此浩瀚的海景而停车观赏,我也不例外。就在桥的旁边就有一个小的停车场,徒步走在大桥上,感觉自己是多么的渺小。但这里的景致并不仅仅如此,这桥还是一条浪漫之桥。多少情侣和夫妇在周年纪念日当天,来到这里,往桥上的栏杆扣上一把锁,把它锁上,再把钥匙扔到海里去。锁上刻着他们的名字、周年、以及日期,表示他们的爱情又达到一个里程碑,并继续延续下去!走在桥上,阅读着众多的锁上的文字,想象着当时前来上锁的人们,就好像读着一段段感人的故事一样……

 

. . . → Read More: Sea Cliff Bridge

An Impressive Help with Watering the Plants in My Office While I Was Away

Water every 2nd day

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上个月,我拿了2周的年假,与家人一起去渡假。临放假之前,我交代一位日常负责行政管理的同事帮忙给我办公室里的花草浇水,因为她有每个人的办公室的钥匙。她问具体要求是什么,我就说大概两天浇一次就可以了。 渡假完毕回来上班的那天早上,我在办公室里发现一张小纸片。它让我十分感动,也让我对那位同事留下了非常良好的印象。帮忙浇花的这么一件小事,她可以管得非常妥当。 在那纸片上,她预先列出了每一次浇花的具体日期,每次她进我办公室浇花完毕后,就在相应的日期上打个勾。其中有一天本来是需要浇花的,是星期四(9月8日),但那天她请病假了,于是当她星期五(9月9日)回来的时候就把日期改了,马上补浇。 就是这么一件小事,它能透露出行政管理中的三个重要事项:

第一,有任务,但没有具体要求,就要把具体要求搞清楚,再行动;

第二,执行任务时,要有计划,有安排,有提醒,有监控,有记录;

第三,出现问题时,要灵活处理,尽可能作补救,努力继续按原计划执行任务。

做到这三点,进一步来说,还能意味着什么呢?——假如虽然按照要求浇花了,但是花死了,那么责任就不在于执行者身上,而在于决策者。这果然是拥有多年行政管理经验的人员的行事作风!与这样的同事一起工作,办事起来,我会感到很放心。 我们在日常的工作上和生活上做的各种小事都在给别人一种什么印象呢?这个小故事,值得大家借鉴!在此附上那张小纸片:

7 Day Self-Drive Tour Itinerary: Sydney and Surroundings

在史提芬港出海看海豚

My relatives visited me last month and we had a 7 day self-drive tour to various tourist attractions in Sydney and surroundings. The itinerary covers a range of themes such as Sydney CBD, art, farm stay, beach, lake, culture and history, forest, falls, mountains, local animals, spring festival, markets, lavender farm, etc. We went through Sydney, to Wollongong and Illawarra area, to Blue Mountains, and headed north to Central Coast, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, and Port Stephen. In terms of accommodation, we had a combination of 4 and 5 star hotels and resorts as well as farm houses. We used some group buying vouchers so we saved a lot of money with the deals. These included 2 nights at Wollongong Surf Leisure Resort and 2 nights at Mercure Lake Macquarie Raffertys Resort. Now I would like to share with you the itinerary. It should be suitable for those who visit Sydney the first time and would like a tour to see and experience different things within a short time. You can adapt it and make it suit your needs. . . . → Read More: 7 Day Self-Drive Tour Itinerary: Sydney and Surroundings

Are You Getting Ripped Off by Group Buying Sites?

livingsocial-ripping-you-off

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I have been enjoying a group buying lifestyle for a while. It is not just about the discount I got from the deals; it is also an opportunity for me to explore what good things life has to offer, which I would not have discovered if those group buying sites did not exist, especially in . . . → Read More: Are You Getting Ripped Off by Group Buying Sites?

Watching Jian Dang Wei Ye (Beginning of the Great Revival) in Sydney: An Interesting Experience and Three Questions

Jian Dang Wei Ye

在海外看了《建党伟业》这部电影,发生了一些趣事——“台上闹革命,台下也‘闹革命’”,于是第一次看这部电影的时候没看成。第二次看的时候,我感觉这部电影实在拍得不错,看我我提出三个问题,并在此文作了简单陈述。这三个问题是:第一,从电影里看到,当需求存在,凡是有用的理论和人物,那些革命先驱都可以利用起来,不管他们是否曾经与那些理论和人物有何种关系。利用马克思主义,利用工人农民阶级的力量,以一种信念,争取支持,以实现他们的政治愿望。那么,当这种需求已经被满足,这些理论和人物该如何处置?第二,发动群众对抗“反动政府”,在危险的处境下成立政党,最终取得胜利,这是中国共产党的先驱们的成功之道。但是,世上最大的敌人是自己,我们最害怕的,莫过于有另一个自己用着自己的成功之道反过来打倒自己。“以史为镜”的道理是很多人都知道的,而这个道理,在今天是否正在被正确地应用?第三,每个人都是有私心的,这是我们与生俱来的人性的弱点。无论是个人,还是一个政党,在“成功”之时,自然而然是会希望利用手上所拥有的新资源,顺着私心的膨胀,而有进一步的行动。这种弱点是无法克服的,但需要把它管理起来。在今天,已取得革命成功并获得领导地位的中国共产党需要如何正确认识和对待这个弱点? . . . → Read More: Watching Jian Dang Wei Ye (Beginning of the Great Revival) in Sydney: An Interesting Experience and Three Questions

Five Questions to Help You Restructure Your Anxious Thoughts

很多人感到焦虑是因为他们遇到一件和一些事情之后,他们的思想告诉他们,一些值得担心的事情需要得到他们的注意和重视。适度的焦虑确实能让人保持警觉和集中精神,以提高工作效率。但如果你发现你的焦虑影响了你的工作表现,或者让你无法正常地生活,那么这就是时候重新审视你的焦虑了。实际上,你只需要问自己5个问题,即可理清思路。 . . . → Read More: Five Questions to Help You Restructure Your Anxious Thoughts

Why Do Two People Love Each Other?

Counter Conditioning

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Recently, my girlfriend Jane kept asking me the same questions: why I love her, why she deserves my love, whether I love her because I love her or because I feel lonely…

I seem to have answered the questions in some instances immediately after I heard the questions previously, but this . . . → Read More: Why Do Two People Love Each Other?

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