The new version of Doctum has been completely re-architected, using Adobe’s Flex and ActionScript 3 technologies. This advance increases Doctum’s flexibility for developing custom eLearning applications while maintaining the usability and intuitiveness of previous versions. In addition to the architecture change, the newest version of Doctum has several new features including:

Selectable course “Layouts” (for menus and navigation) Selectable course “Skins” (user interface appearance) Support for H.264 Video (including High Definition video) Multiple file uploads

The new version will be made widely available early 2009. We look forward to bringing to market a strong application that helps our clients build cost-effective learning in a rapid, collaborative environment.

“Learning in a Web 2.0 World” was the theme of DevLearn 2008 Conference and Expo sponsored by the e-Learning Guild. Wikis, blogs, tweets, mobile learning and serious gaming were several of the topics covered at the conference. The Iona Group’s Chad Udell and John Feser attended this year’s event in San Jose, California from November 10 – 14.

The conference began on Monday, November 10th with the Adobe Learning Summit. This one day event provided attendees with the opportunity to see some of Adobe’s latest products and learn how they can be used to produce effective tools for learning. On Tuesday, the Guild’s preconference workshops and symposia were offered with topics ranging from Measuring eLearning Success, to Mobile Learning and Immersive Learning Simulations. The main conference went from Wednesday through Friday. Each day featured a key note speaker. Tim O’Reilly, Founder and CEO of O’Reilly media discussed innovation and the Web 2.0 phenomenon on Wednesday. On Thursday, Dan Roam, Founder of Digital Roam, Inc. discussed using simple pictures as a way to explain and solve complex problems. Dr. John Medina, author and developmental molecular biologist rounded out the conference on Friday by discussing his research into how the brain works and the implications for developing effective learning.

While the theme of the conference focused on Web 2.0 technologies, a wide variety of eLearning topics were covered in the more than 125 various break-out that were offered during the three days. The conference was well designed and catered to everyone from the experienced instructional designers to those just beginning to explore the power of eLearning for their organizations.

For The Iona Group, a highlight of the conference was DemoFest. This event provided DevLearn Conference participants with an opportunity to showcase their own eLearning work. Chad and John participated in the event by demoing and discussing the International Society of Arboriculture’s Introduction to Arboriculture set of 10 eLearning modules. Iona developed the suite of ISA learning modules over the past 3 years.

The event proved to be a great learning experience as well as a great forum for networking and meeting new people all focused on producing and delivering great learning solutions. Iona came away with a much stronger understanding of the current state of learning and as importantly, where effective, low cost learning is headed in the future.

We have begun redeveloping our innovative Doctum™ Learning Platform in order to better serve our clients by giving them more control of the learning development process. Currently, Iona’s design staff is working with our clients, our designers, and developers who use the platform to provide the improvements which lead to more efficient eLearning development. The new Doctum™ 2.0 platform promises to allow Iona and our clients to work more efficiently and effectively towards delivering effective learning solutions.

Iona’s Doctum™ platform is a standardized development tool which supports the design, production, and implementation of highly effective learning solutions. Doctum™ also allows clients to collaborate on course content in real-time. By using Doctum™, clients have greater control over their projects through the ability to make updates, revise scripts, leave comments, and provide feedback instantly to course developers.

Improvements planned for Doctum™ 2.0 include:

• Reinvestment in our core technologies
  • Increased stability
  • Modernized infrastructure
• Increased usability
• Developer utility
• Eased module creation
• Standardized system implementation
• Strengthen template design
• Modernize codebase
  • Transition to Flex and Action Script 3
  • Allow for easier templating from Flash, Illustrator, and Photoshop Designers

Last week, Bunge launched the Fry Master Hero game on their website, Trans Fat Solutions. The Iona Group worked with Bunge International to create Fry Master Hero to help educate fast food employees on important food safety information. The game is to be used in conjunction with an eLearning training module also produced by Iona.

Zero Trans Fat oils are a healthier cooking choice, but require careful attention and management to maintain quality. Iona created Fry Master Hero to teach this important food preparation information in a way that matches the learning preferences of the target audience.

You can play the game and learn more about Zero Trans Fat oils at the website: www.transfatsolutions.com