1. As the L&D industry moved to technology-delivered content, it went through a period when the actual function of learning and development became undervalued.  L&D started to depend on the technology to do the work once done by a professional instructional designer.

   The use of learning technologies has evolved, and with that comes a renewed focused on ensuring that the most appropriate learning technologies are matched to performance objectives—creating a blended learning experience.

   Blended learning is a learning model in which performance objectives are matched to the most appropriate technology or medium to ensure that participants learn—at least in part—through facilitator-led delivery of content with some element of learner control over where, when, pace, or path.

   Designing for a blended curriculum can be daunting, especially given the fact that many instructional designers have not been formally trained in their craft. Comfortable in designing for single delivery technologies, like face-to-face or virtual classrooms, guidance is needed to determine how best to chunk content to create the best blend.

   Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy is a tool that can expedite this process for both experienced and novice instructional designers. It facilitates a design discussion that enables design teams to focus on using technology to facilitate learning, instead of just looking at what technology is most easily available.

   Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy has six levels of learning. Performance objectives are categorized into one of the six levels identified by the action verb in the performance objective. 

2. Remembering.  Action Verbs: Recognizing, listing, describing, identifying

3. Understanding.  Action Verbs: Interpreting, summarizing, inferring

4. Applying.  Action Verbs: Implementing, carrying out, using, executing

5. Analyzing.  Action Verbs: Comparing, organizing, deconstructing

6. Evaluating.  Action Verbs: Checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, judging

7. Creating.  Action Verbs: designing, constructing, planning, producing

No matter how experienced you are in designing training programs, a look at the new Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy will help you determine how best to construct blended learning.

**_

ASTD Handbook: The Definitive Reference for Training & Development (2nd Edition)_**

In today’s parlance, smart board is the new chalkboard and for the profession of training and development, this new, 2ndedition of the ASTD Handbook is the MUST-HAVE resource for every practitioner. More than a year in the making, it maintains the authentic credibility of ASTD’s first Handbook (2008), incorporates the new competencies of the profession, and includes more than 50 chapters authored by the top professionals in the T&D space. This all-new material is not just the "best of," but it is the BEST there is.

Together with the first edition, it represents the essence of the training practice with solid how-to content, plus tools, resources, technology, and more.  Spearheaded by expert trainer and world-renowned author, editor, and speaker, Elaine Biech, this is an essential title for your training library.