Sketching on sticky notes to design a learning experience provides a lot of flexibility. “When did you first realize you were a designer?” ” Earlier on this Tuesday night, several friends in the Chicago area got together for pizza and wine and beer (maybe some whiskey, too) and sat around a table at the Coop and we bounced this question around the table. We each sketched a picture to describe our personal “a ha” moment and then we shared it with the group. There were twelve of us hanging out, each with interesting stories to tell. Sketch by @saminerenberg. MORE >>

love panel discussions because they’re so ad hoc and in the moment; I generally approach them as opportunities to ideate collectively with people I really admire and new voices that provide the context I so greatly need. It took me a week to let the excitement settle from DevLearn and reflect. wanted to make sure that what I shared in a reflective post was what was more likely to stick with me, and shake loose the bright and shiny that I’m often drawn to. Face-to-Face is not dead; it’s not even close to dead. Can it be done with other ways that scale more? Absolutely. MORE >>

Make no mistake, though — this is where the ordinary service you’ve provided to your organization can become something vital and extraordinary. “Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called “The Pledge” The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course… it probably isn’t. You don’t really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn’t clap yet. MORE >>

Some of their questions were “annoying” — they were hard, necessary and revealed uncomfortable holes in what I thought was an easy and simple idea.Alicia came back a week later with the idea of everyone having a report card in which peers would provide “Gold Stars” (literally) to each other based on how a given person inspired, persuaded, helped, encouraged, etc. I want to spend a little time gushing over Dr. Alicia Sanchez (@gamesczar) and Kris Rockwell (@krisrockwell). “Gold Star” by katherine.a. They asked lots of questions. Try it out. MORE >>

The merit badges provided the curricular areas of focus for skill building, but the values are reinforced throughout the attainment of the badges, and the awarding of a new rank was recognition of the maturation of the Scout in their overall development. There is a growing amount of discussion about the use of “badges” in education. I’ve been following a few strands of discussion on the topic and this morning something clicked for me and I began tweeting a little about the stream of thought I had on the subject. Photo by rocket ship - [link]. Stay with me here. MORE >>