IT Lesson

Since my 69 Learning Adventures in 6 Galaxies ebook was published using SCRIBD on August 6th (2008), it has been viewed more than a 100,000 times. WOW! That is really cool! Have you read (or scanned through for juice) it, too?

But, then I discovered that due to the ebooks exotic title (I suspect), many people out there Googling/Binging/Yahooing for ...SENSORED!... have discovered "69 Learning Adventures..." instead. Usually, it is the other way around! In other words, I am creating disruptive and creative connections beyond my imagination. I can live with that! And perhaps some of those disruptive minds that did discover the ebook by accident, have been enriched and enlarged in ways beyond their imagination, too :)

A collection of 69 learning nuggets (articles) from ZaidLearn compiled into an ebook. This ebook is divided into six learning galaxies (or themes), which are: Learning, Teaching, Stories, Free e-Learning Tools, Free Learning Content and Free EduGames ...more.

Besides the accidental hits, this eBook has enabled me to connect with many exceptional learning professionals and people around world, which has truly humbled me beyond words. Here are some of the constructive (positive) reviews and comments I have received:

"One of my must-read blogs on technology and education, ZaidLearn has been rating various learning tools since July of last year. The blog was started by e-Learning Manager for INCEIF, Zaid Alsagoff, who has done research in the areas of “educational gaming, role-play simulation, virtual classrooms, learning (content) management systems, e-learning standards” and “instructional design and courseware development.

Recently, OpenEducation.net alerted me to Zaid’s first e-book, “69 Learning Adventures in 6 Galaxies,” which compiles and examines the various “learning nuggets” that have been posted on ZaidLearn for the past year. The 267 page book contains a wealth of information regarding the internet and education, espousing some interesting theories like George Siemen’s Connectivism and lines of thought from famous persons like Albert Einstein and Henry Ford..." - Jane Park

"Zaid Ali Alsagoff has organized and edited 69 postings from his weblog Zaidlearn at the ePublishing site Scribd. Zaids eBook provides many links and many valuable perspectives on the worlds of learning that are available on the Web. ____JH" - Joseph Hart

"Malaysian maven Zaid Ali Alsagoff has filtered his prolific and always valuable output at ZaidLearn down to 69 great nuggets of learning for your e-Reading pleasure. You can find it on Scribd, but I recommend getting there via Zaids post on the eBook to get all the back story - and to find out what Zaids other "hedgehog goal" besides publishing a book is.

"...Zaids blog caught our attention for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Zaid uses a measuring stick called learning juice to categorize materials that serve to inspire readers of specific materials. Second Zaid consistently searches the net for interesting web sites related to technology and learning so his blog features a number of compilation posts listing the latest sites worth visiting.

At the same time, what has always been critical for this writer is the amount of reflection Zaid puts into the role of teacher. He constantly reviews his own practices to determine the impact he is having on his students making him an outstanding role model for those aspiring to the profession... (A long review)..." - Tom Hanson

"Zaid Ali Alsagoff is in Malaysia and is an e-learning researcher. He has an ebook which you can either download or read on his blog for free called "69 Learning Adventures in 6 Galaxies". Reading it will increase your vocabulary of current jargon used in educational circles and you will quickly develop a list of the big names in e-learning. His 2 hedgehog goals for 2008 were to write a book on e-learning and enroll in a doctorate program. Heres the link to his book which grew out of his blog http://zaidlearn.blogspot.com/ It is divided into 4 sections: Learning, Teaching, Stories and Free e-learning tools. This is a great find for someone like myself who is interested in e-learning but is outside the educational community." - An Old Lady Reconnecting

"Sounds like a bit of a gimmick title right? Well, it’s not. It’s a free eBook by Zaid Ali Alsagoff, the e-Learning Manager for The International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He’s assembled a very easily readable eBook that covers six major topics (aka Galaxies!): Learning, Teaching, Stories, Free e-Learning Tools, Free Learning Content and Free EduGames. In conjunction with his blog called Zaidlearn, it provides a nice set of resources for the practitioner who is in "knowledge seeker" mode." - Eric A. Tremblay

Though, I have also received several constructive comments on things that could be improved (tremendously!). One dear friend suggested (through e-mail) that I include a real summary or conclusion (Icing on the cake!) that summarizes, or paints a big picture of what I have learned about ...

Also, should I ever create another ebook out of my blog, I am going delete all the time-specific information that is not relevant, or of interest to the reader.

Finally, several complained that the links to all the amazing learning resources did not work. However, that was actually planned. The only links that really works, are the article links (URLs) back to the blog, so that the reader can return to discover the latest updates (if any). As my ebook is a link heaven, I would probably need to update it on weekly basis (e.g. broken links). Sorry, this ebook has only one edition, but the blog (posts) is the dynamic edition that will evolve as I learn.

Yes, my conclusion was, if you like what you find in this ebook, then ZaidLearn is a great place to discover and learn more. Thats All!

Well, I was thinking about compiling a few dozen juicy posts from ZaidLearn to smash another ebook entitled ZaidLearns Juiciest Learning Stories! sometime in November or December this year. Still thinking, but not final yet!

Though, I do hope that by December 2010 I would have launched my first real book, which will for now be codenamed: IMUs Sizzling Learning Innovation Lab

It depends a bit on whether my dream of creating electrifying and sizzling learning environments at IMU really happens. One thing is for sure; I will try my best, and keep in mind...

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein

:)