“There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.”
Vladimir Lenin
It definitely feels like this has been a week with decades worth of change. If you’re interested, the BBC’s Ukraine Cast is a great way to stay informed about what’s happening in Ukraine. Also, NPR has assembled a collection of ways you can support the people of Ukraine.
I also want to call out LearnX, which is a free event happening on Monday March 7 that has a great lineup of speakers including Elliott Masie, Ruth Clark, Nick Floro, Connie Malamed, Julie Dirksen, Megan Torrance and more. You can register here.
Thanks for reading!
What I’m Listening to: This morning I’m tuning in to Mat Kearney who is an artist that I’ve listened to for a long time but never really registered who he was until now. l bet you’ll recognize a few of his songs too.
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Last week’s most clicked item:
The Seven Habits That Lead to Happiness in Old Age
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How I Create My Weekly Newsletter (and personal curation tips you should steal)
I dusted off the cobwebs and published my first blog post in a while this week to answer the question I get a lot about how I create this weekly newsletter. Even if you don’t want to create a newsletter, there are some helpful strategies that can help you efficiently keep up with whatever you’re interested in.
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How Do We Read? It’s Magic (Almost)
Reading. You’re doing it right now. I bet you don’t even have to think about it. But have you ever wondered what’s happening in your brain to turn all these weird symbols into meaning? This video will teach you how to read all over again. What you’re doing right now is way more amazing than you ever realized.
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When Graphics Lower Learning
Graphics are helpful for learning, right? Well, they can be extremely helpful for learning, but only if they’re the right kind of graphics to properly support it. In her latest article, Patti Shank shares how the wrong type of graphics can actually lower learning.
https://elearningindustry.com/when-graphics-lower-learning
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What We Get Wrong About Emotions
One of the things I often talk about when comparing marketing to L&D, is the use of emotion. For Marketers emotion is often central to what they do. This article by Leonard Mlodinow may help us understand why. Feelings don’t deflect us from good judgment. They guide it.
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/0@1/emotion-isnt-the-enemy-of-reason/621148/
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Why You Should Work Less & Spend More Time On Hobbies
As many feel increasingly pressed for time, they’re giving up on things that matter to them. When people don’t have time for hobbies, organizations also pay a price. Hobbies can make employees substantially better at their jobs for three reasons: they reawaken your creativity, give you a fresh perspective, and bolster your confidence. So knock off a little early today and go do something fun!
https://hbr.org/2019/02/why-you-should-work-less-and-spend-more-time-on-hobbies
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- How does nudge theory support workplace learning on the MindTools podcast
- Sarah Winters on content design with David Dylan Thomas on the Design for Cognitive Bias podcast.
- Annie Murphy Paul playing with ideas, working in groups, and other ways to extend the mind on the Focused podcast
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- Word Tune rewrites sentences using AI to help improve your writing
- Boosted is an online option for creating pro videos.
- Pollly is a free, simple option for creating polls and brainstorming
- Chrome Remote Desktop is something I’d totally forgotten about until I was recently reminded how easy it is to remotely connect with your home or work computer, or share your screen with others with it.
- I Don’t Care About Cookies lets you get rid of cookie warnings from most websites. (Set your default and it takes care of the rest.)
- LearnX – March 7 – Free online event with a great lineup including Nick Floro,
- TICE Online – March 22-24
- PACT Professional Portfolios – May
- Canadian Elearning Conference – June 16-17
- Elearn Success Series: The EdTech Session – July 20
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Mike Taylor 