Good To Great

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

The second week of the E-learning and Digital Cultures course still centres on utopian and dystopian accounts of technology. Where last week looked at past accounts of our existing relationship with technology, the films this week explore ideas of the future of digital culture. The first two films are video adverts setting out visions from Corning and Microsoft of how they see their products evolving and how daily life will change accordingly.

Augmented Reality 53

Augmented Reality Microsoft Diversity Training Culture 53

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

As well as the videos covered in my last post , the resources for the first week of Edinburgh University’s E-learning and Digital Cultures MOOC included a paper by Daniel Chandler about technological determinism. Ultimately the paper is a rejection of technological determinism, with the author describing the theory as ‘reductive’ and technocentric.

Theory 47

Theory Articulate Technology Social 47

Good To Great

JANUARY 17, 2013

A conference can be a fairly exhausting experience, and if you’ve been preparing for days and then tweeting throughout it’s perfectly understandable that, on leaving the venue, you want to switch off and spend some time away from the backchannel. But to be a really valuable contributor, you need to switch back on and engage again before too long.

Twitter 40

Twitter Conversation Streaming Reputation 40

Good To Great

JANUARY 23, 2013

At BP’s Future of Learning event in November, we were lucky enough to have the fabulous Crystal Washington as our guest speaker at dinner (follow her on Twitter @CrysWashington ). Crystal delivered one of the most dynamic, engaging and passionate presentations I’ve seen for some time. Keeping the attention of a room full of people when you’ve got the after-dinner slot and everyone’s been at a conference all day isn’t easy!

Attention 40

Attention Social Networks PENS Twitter 40

Good To Great

JANUARY 23, 2013

Whether you’re attending Learning Technologies next week or following what’s going on from afar, make sure you take a few minutes to read this invaluable blog post from Kate Graham. In it, she’s shared a heap of useful information about the backchannel to help everyone get the most out of it – including some blog and website links you might need beforehand and a heads-up about the right people to follow on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss out.

Learning Technologies 40

Learning Technologies Informal Technology Twitter 40

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

Last week, I enrolled on Edinburgh University’s Coursera MOOC called E-learning and Digital Cultures. I did this partly out of curiosity about MOOCs generally and partly because this particular course sounded like it might be interesting. There’s been a lot of debate on Twitter and elsewhere about the merits of this course – the organisation, the language used, the subjects up for discussion.

Twitter 44

Twitter Music Sound Communication 44

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

As well as the videos covered in my last post , the resources for the first week of Edinburgh University’s E-learning and Digital Cultures MOOC included a paper by Daniel Chandler about technological determinism. Ultimately the paper is a rejection of technological determinism, with the author describing the theory as ‘reductive’ and technocentric.

Theory 44

Theory Articulate Technology Social 44

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

Last week, I enrolled on Edinburgh University’s Coursera MOOC called E-learning and Digital Cultures. I did this partly out of curiosity about MOOCs generally and partly because this particular course sounded like it might be interesting. There’s been a lot of debate on Twitter and elsewhere about the merits of this course – the organisation, the language used, the subjects up for discussion.

Twitter 50

Twitter Music Sound Communication 50

Good To Great

JANUARY 23, 2013

Whether you’re attending Learning Technologies next week or following what’s going on from afar, make sure you take a few minutes to read this invaluable blog post from Kate Graham. In it, she’s shared a heap of useful information about the backchannel to help everyone get the most out of it – including some blog and website links you might need beforehand and a heads-up about the right people to follow on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss out.

Learning Technologies 50

Learning Technologies Informal Technology Twitter 50

Good To Great

JANUARY 23, 2013

At BP’s Future of Learning event in November, we were lucky enough to have the fabulous Crystal Washington as our guest speaker at dinner (follow her on Twitter @CrysWashington ). Crystal delivered one of the most dynamic, engaging and passionate presentations I’ve seen for some time. Keeping the attention of a room full of people when you’ve got the after-dinner slot and everyone’s been at a conference all day isn’t easy!

Attention 75

Attention Social Networks PENS Twitter 75

Good To Great

JANUARY 17, 2013

A conference can be a fairly exhausting experience, and if you’ve been preparing for days and then tweeting throughout it’s perfectly understandable that, on leaving the venue, you want to switch off and spend some time away from the backchannel. But to be a really valuable contributor, you need to switch back on and engage again before too long.

Twitter 64

Twitter Conversation Streaming Reputation 64

Good To Great

JANUARY 16, 2013

Previously I’ve suggested some reasons why you might want to improve your backchannel contributions , and some things you can do before an event to set yourself up for success. Avoiding that feeling of not-quite-keeping-up as you tweet from the conference will be much more achievable if you’ve done the preparation! But while preparation is key, it’s not everything.

Photo 59

Photo Twitter Streaming Summary 59

Good To Great

JANUARY 14, 2013

If you want to improve the contribution you make a conference or event backchannel , to both get value from it yourself and add value for others, your job begins before the event itself. One of the things that sets the best conference tweeters (I was going to include some examples here, but got so many suggestions it’s become a separate post !

Conference 80

Conference Twitter Streaming Summary 80

Good To Great

JANUARY 14, 2013

I wanted to cite a couple of excellent and experienced conference tweeters in my last post about preparing yourself for backchannel tweeting. So I turned to Twitter, of course, and asked for recommendations. I’d expected one or two names to pop up several times, but instead I got a raft of recommendations – some familiar, some new to me – so I decided to share the list in full for the benefit of any aspiring conference tweeters (or experienced tweeters looking to up their game!

Conference 53

Conference Social Media Twitter Photo 53

Good To Great

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Since I joined Twitter in 2010, I’ve attended and tweeted from quite a few conferences and events, from half-day single-session events to multi-track conferences over a few days. But, if I’m honest, I don’t think I ever gave how and why much thought until attending Learning 2012 last week. The different environment, a number of conversations from the conference itself, and feedback from Twitter followers in the UK all combined to make me really examine why I tweet from conferen

Conference 50

Conference Twitter Streaming PENS 50

Good To Great

NOVEMBER 12, 2012

When I attended Learning 2012 last month, I was lucky enough to be there as part of 30 Under Thirty : a group of 30 ‘future leaders’ in learning and development. Actually, there were 32 of us in the end: Elliott explained that he usually expects a few to drop out so overfills the spaces; that didn’t happen this year but contrary to his on-stage threats at the opening session, the audience didn’t vote on which two of us to evict and we all survived the week!

Conference 40

Conference Mentoring Conversation Learning 40

Good To Great

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

I’ve been learning foreign languages since primary school. I started with an after-school French club, added German and Spanish at GCSE and A-Level, studied French and Spanish at university and last year took up Greek. What’s perhaps unusual these days is that all my language learning has been done through traditional methods. Aside from a couple of Greek vocabulary flashcard-style apps, it’s been classrooms, textbooks and handwritten homework.

Change 40

Change Business Augmented Reality Classes 40

Good To Great

DECEMBER 10, 2012

At the end of November, I flew over to Houston for a two-day internal conference organised by Nick Shackleton-Jones called ‘Future of Learning’ I tweeted a lot throughout the event, using the #BPFOL12 hashtag, and I’ll be writing up some of the key sessions and takeaways in subsequent posts. In the meantime, though, I wanted to try and pull together some of the really useful links and resources from the backchannel: even though we were a relatively small group tweeting, there w

Resources 40

Resources Social Media Twitter Write Blog 40

Good To Great

JANUARY 10, 2013

Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on how I use Twitter, observing how others use it and actively trying to improve my use of it. I think I’d reached a point where I was stuck in a rut, tweeting a lot but maybe not giving it the thought and consideration it deserves. Last year, I posted about conferencing tweeting after an illuminating experience at a big event, but my thinking continues to develop with every event I attend or backchannel I follow.

Guide 40

Guide Twitter Photo Conference 40

Good To Great

JANUARY 10, 2013

Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on how I use Twitter, observing how others use it and actively trying to improve my use of it. I think I’d reached a point where I was stuck in a rut, tweeting a lot but maybe not giving it the thought and consideration it deserves. Last year, I posted about conferencing tweeting after an illuminating experience at a big event, but my thinking continues to develop with every event I attend or backchannel I follow.

Guide 47

Guide Twitter Photo Conference 47

Good To Great

DECEMBER 10, 2012

At the end of November, I flew over to Houston for a two-day internal conference organised by Nick Shackleton-Jones called ‘Future of Learning’ I tweeted a lot throughout the event, using the #BPFOL12 hashtag, and I’ll be writing up some of the key sessions and takeaways in subsequent posts. In the meantime, though, I wanted to try and pull together some of the really useful links and resources from the backchannel: even though we were a relatively small group tweeting, there w

Resources 55

Resources Social Media Twitter Write Blog 55

Good To Great

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

I’ve been learning foreign languages since primary school. I started with an after-school French club, added German and Spanish at GCSE and A-Level, studied French and Spanish at university and last year took up Greek. What’s perhaps unusual these days is that all my language learning has been done through traditional methods. Aside from a couple of Greek vocabulary flashcard-style apps, it’s been classrooms, textbooks and handwritten homework.

Change 58

Change Business Augmented Reality Classes 58

Good To Great

NOVEMBER 12, 2012

When I attended Learning 2012 last month, I was lucky enough to be there as part of 30 Under Thirty : a group of 30 ‘future leaders’ in learning and development. Actually, there were 32 of us in the end: Elliott explained that he usually expects a few to drop out so overfills the spaces; that didn’t happen this year but contrary to his on-stage threats at the opening session, the audience didn’t vote on which two of us to evict and we all survived the week!

Conference 61

Conference Mentoring Conversation Learning 61

Good To Great

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Since I joined Twitter in 2010, I’ve attended and tweeted from quite a few conferences and events, from half-day single-session events to multi-track conferences over a few days. But, if I’m honest, I don’t think I ever gave how and why much thought until attending Learning 2012 last week. The different environment, a number of conversations from the conference itself, and feedback from Twitter followers in the UK all combined to make me really examine why I tweet from conferen

Conference 58

Conference Twitter Streaming PENS 58

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

This week I was drawn to a webinar hosted by James McLuckie (of Eden Tree and the Learning and Development Group on LinkedIn) and presented by Patrick Bray (Pad) of Team Me. It was titled ‘transforming personal and professional performance with archetypes’ and this is what Pad does everyday. The idea of archetypes stretches back as far as Plato, with teachers and thinkers defining different numbers and names of archetypes over the millennia.

Brain 40

Brain Performance Support Performance Association 40

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

I hope by now I’ve convinced you of the benefits of quality assurance – although I appreciate that I may not have convinced you that QA is a fun task! Either way, accepting that you need to do it is one thing; knowing how to do it effectively and efficiently is another. Here are my simple tips for doing just that. Give it a fresh look. I’m sure we’ve all written things, reviewed them thoroughly, and then noticed a mistake once it’s too late.

Quality 40

Quality Tips Effectiveness Attention 40

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

I recently mentioned the importance of consistency , and then rediscovered this article about common consistency mistakes. As the article says, ‘the first line of defence against consistency errors is simply being aware of them’ So, if nothing else, be sure to check these 10 things before sending your next email or submitting your next document: Phrases in capitals.

Comparison 40

Comparison Study Site Images 40

Good To Great

APRIL 3, 2012

I just came across a real gem of a letter on Letters of Note (a blog that’s definitely worth a look), sent by C.S. Lewis to a young American fan in 1956. Isn’t it lovely and quite remarkable that he replied to his fan mail in such a thoughtful and personal way? Aside from that, though, this letter stood out to me because of a particular piece of advice shared in it, which I think all e-learning designers (indeed, all writers!

Tips 40

Tips Write Blog Compliance Training Compliance 40

Good To Great

OCTOBER 30, 2012

Learning 2012, held in late October in Florida, was my first experience of a non-UK conference (in fact my first trip to the USA!), and it was quite an experience. The sheer scale of Learning 2012 – 1600 people, attending 200 sessions, over four days – was very different from conferences I’ve attended in the UK, and just being there was a learning opportunity in itself, even before considering the content of the sessions.

Conference 53

Conference Twitter Poll Social Media 53

Good To Great

OCTOBER 30, 2012

Learning 2012, held in late October in Florida, was my first experience of a non-UK conference (in fact my first trip to the USA!), and it was quite an experience. The sheer scale of Learning 2012 – 1600 people, attending 200 sessions, over four days – was very different from conferences I’ve attended in the UK, and just being there was a learning opportunity in itself, even before considering the content of the sessions.

Conference 55

Conference Twitter Poll Social Media 55

Good To Great

APRIL 3, 2012

I just came across a real gem of a letter on Letters of Note , sent by C.S. Lewis to a young American fan in 1956. Isn’t it lovely and quite remarkable that he replied to his fan mail in such a thoughtful and personal way? Aside from that, though, this letter stood out to me because of a particular piece of advice shared in it, which I think all e-learning designers (indeed, all writers!

Tips 65

Tips Compliance Training Compliance Images 65

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

I recently mentioned the importance of consistency , and then rediscovered this article about common consistency mistakes. As the article says, ‘the first line of defence against consistency errors is simply being aware of them’ So, be sure to check these 10 things before submitting your next document: Phrases in capitals. Hyphenated phrases.

Comparison 61

Comparison Study Site Images 61

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

I hope by now I’ve convinced you of the benefits of quality assurance – although I may not have convinced you that QA is a fun task! Either way, accepting that you need to do it is one thing; knowing how to do it effectively and efficiently is another. Here are my simple tips. Give it a fresh look. I’m sure we’ve all written things, reviewed them thoroughly, and then noticed a mistake once it’s too late.

Quality 50

Quality Tips Effectiveness Attention 50

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

This week I was drawn to a webinar hosted by James McLuckie (of Eden Tree and the Learning and Development Group on LinkedIn) and presented by Patrick Bray (Pad) of Team Me. It was titled ‘transforming personal and professional performance with archetypes’ and this is what Pad does everyday. The idea of archetypes stretches back as far as Plato, with teachers and thinkers defining different numbers and names of archetypes over the millennia.

Brain 53

Brain Performance Support Performance Association 53

Good To Great

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

This year’s Learning Technologies event was a bit different from previous years for me. In the past, working for a supplier, I’ve spent most of my time on the exhibition floor – although I gained something new from the experience each year. This year, though, I was able to really experience the conference as a delegate and a track chair.

Learning Technologies 61

Learning Technologies Technology PENS Conference 61

Good To Great

JANUARY 30, 2012

Last week I set out the benefits of QA. But what does ‘QA’ actually mean? To many people, it is synonymous with ‘proof-reading’, but that’s a very simplistic view. QA stands for quality assurance, and that means quality in every respect. If you were QA-ing a newspaper article, the review would of course cover spelling and grammar.

Storyboard 57

Storyboard Voice Quality Tips 57

Good To Great

JANUARY 24, 2012

Some people hate quality assurance. They enjoy the creative stages of a project, when they can map out storyboards or design ideas and turn policy-speak into friendly, accessible language. They don’t enjoy having to review that friendly, accessible language for typos. I have to confess though – and I’m sure this won’t surprise anyone who knows me even a little bit – that I do enjoy QA.

Quality 61

Quality Benefits Reputation Storyboard 61