Good Prof Orgs for AI Professionals

[Matt Elwell]

I thought this would be a place where people could talk about professional organizations they've been a part of and what value they perceived in them. (After all, you can't cross-pollinate without other organizations!) My first suggestion:

ASTD - The American Society for Training and Development
http://www.astd.org/
WHAT: A traditional organization for training providers. Releases an annual "state of the industry" reports, a monthly magazine, and several other publications. Also hosts several national conferences and regional trainings.
WHY I'M INVOLVED: Mainly, for professionalism by association, but I will say that most of the legitimacy I project when selling a client on opting for improv-based over traditional training is based on what I've learned by reading books, magazines, and "info-lines" from ASTD pressed.
BUT: If what you really want to do is network, opt for joining a regional chapter over the national.

[Alan Montague]

The International Alliance for Learning
www.ialearn.org
WHAT: A non-traditional organization for training providers. It specializes in Accelerated Learning (AL)which is a learningmethodolgy based on the work of Georgi Lozanov on Suggestopedia. The host an annual conference. AL can be used for teaching anything but is most often found in Language teaching.
WHY I'M INVOLVED: AL is the training methodology that I follow. At it's best it is learner sentric concentrating more on the learners learning than the trainers teaching. I have found so many of the principles of AL flow hand in hand with the improvisational principles that AI is all about.
BUT: In recent years they have tended to concentrate more and more on Schools and Language teaching and less on the corportae side of things that I would like to see. Having said that there are still a number of sessions at each conference aimed at the corporate sector