“If there is doubt, don’t claim you are certain. It’s amazing how relaxing it is not to pretend to know more than you do.”
Christopher Hitchens
Just like the remodeling we’re doing in our house right now, things are a bit ‘under construction’ with this newsletter as well. I’ve bumped up against the limits of the free Mailchimp account that brings this to your mailbox. This is why delivery of posts may have been delayed and/or combined with more than one post recently. I think I’ve got a solution that will clear this all up soon. As part of this process I’ve segmented the content so email subscribers can have more control over what you want to receive.
You have three options for receiving things from me via MailChimp:
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This is what everyone is getting now and it is also the easiest. Just do nothing. - Get only the Friday Finds newsletter
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Or even better, unsubscribe from the email and use Feedly to keep up.
(Personally, I think that is a MUCH better method for a lot of reasons.)
Let me know if you have any trouble or questions.
Thanks for reading!
What I’m Listening to: I need to crank out some work today and I hope this classic playlist does the job (despite the title it isn’t country).
Last week’s most clicked item:
How to Use PowerPoint Like Adobe
I’ve been enjoying listening to the Learning Uncut podcast. Each bi-weekly episode is a story about a real learning solution or initiative told by the learning professionals who made it happen. Host Michelle Ockers is looking for guests with a story to share about something they’ve done which has made a difference in their organisation.
Contact Michelle to explore being a guest yourself or to recommend someone you think would make a great guest. michelle@michelleockers.com
The Rise of Learning Tech Ecosystems
When it comes to technology, learning leaders also have more choices now than ever before. Instead of just an LMS to serve the entire organization we are now able to select from a wide variety of options and connect them in new ways to create learning technology ecosystems. I think this is quickly becoming a game changer that everyone should be aware of. I highly recommend digging into their full report “The Art and Science of Designing a Learning Technology Ecosystem” for more insights.
https://redthreadresearch.com/2019/10/15/lte-short-article/
How to Use Nudge Theory to Drive Successful Learning Engagement
Nudge campaigns are a complimentary addition to learning programs and this article introduces the EAST framework — the four simple principles for influencing behaviour: make it Easy, Simple, Attractive and Timely (EAST).
https://learn.filtered.com/thoughts/nudge-theory-engagement
How Do Rocket Scientists Learn?
Yasmin Fodil (@yasminfodil) talks about the sources of collective knowledge available to knowledge workers, and the ways that they can access that knowledge. Notice how she frames this as “pulling” info vs it being “pushed” to her – “Who can I learn from”, “What can I learn”, “How can I learn it” – all driven by knowledge-seeking. Her conclusion is “Learning in Public is Hard, but Worth It”
A Collection of Retrieval Practice Research & Resources
Kate Jones (@87History) has rounded up a big collection of research and resources on retrieval practice.
https://lovetoteach87.com/2020/09/09/a-collection-of-retrieval-practice-research-and-resources/
How to Make Video in PowerPoint
In this step-by-step tutorial, Kevin Stratvert shows us how to record your PowerPoint presentation as video. Learn how quick and easy it is to insert a narration, video, and then export your PowerPoint to a video presentation. Kevin’s YouTube channel is a great resource for lots of relevant, useful topics with high quality how to and review videos.
https://www.youtube.com/c/KevinStratvert/featured
A few other things just because I can.
Podcasts
Here are three podcast episodes from this week that are worth a listen:
- Digital Skills Uplift at PwC with Luke Warwick on the Learning Uncut podcast.
- Dan Levy on Teaching Effectively with Zoom on the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
- Performance Consulting with Nigel Harrison on the Learning & Development podcast.
Tools & Resources
For more tools & resources like these check out my weekly Tech Tuesday Toolbox posts.
- Bublup. Visually organize anything in a way that is easy to navigate at a glance with pictures and titles.
- Create mockups online | Artboard Studio — Design, animate, collaborate and present your projects with an extensive library of assets and templates right in the browser.
- Speaker Deck – Share Presentations without the Mess — Speaker Deck is the best way to share presentations online. Simply upload your slides as a PDF, and we’ll turn them into a beautiful online experience.
- Tables | Google’s Area 120 — Tables is Google’s newest productivity tool. Google’s version of AirTable helps teams easily track & automate tasks, enabling them to save time and work smarter.
- Arist: the text message learning platform — Create remote friendly courses in minutes. Start for free building your very own text message microlearning courses with a learning management system (LMS) built for speed.
Conferences & Learning Events
Here are a couple of helpful resources if you’re looking for a L&D-related conference or webinar.
- Check out the upcoming conference schedule
- L&D Webinars for this month by Limestone Learning
Where You Can Find Me
October 19-30 DevLearn DDX Conference
Online master class for the VOV Network in Belgium with Bianca Baumann starting in November.
November 10 – Nationwide’s “Modern Digital Learning” (Internal webcast)
November 20 Central Indiana ATD Virtual Learning Summit
Interested in the things that didn’t make the cut here? Follow me on Twitter or connect with me on LinkedIn
I love talking about learning, design, and technology. If you’re looking for a speaker, let’s talk! Speaking and Workshop Information Sheet.
Mike Taylor 