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There is only one way under high heaven to get anybody to do anything…. And that is by making the other person want to do it.
— Dale Carnegie
We’re coming up on birthday week for the boys in our house, and we’re celebrating with the usual cake and ice cream, as well as going to see John Oliver next weekend. Now, I’ll be old enough to get into local athletic events for free, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about that.
Thanks for reading!
🎶 What I’m Listening To
Today I’m giving the The Wallowsa listen. Good alt-pop stuff that my daughter has in heavy rotation.
👆 Last Week’s Most Clicked
📰 News & Notes
Interleaving Improves Learning for All Learners
This Learning Scientistspost discusses the effectiveness of interleaving as a learning strategy. Interleaving, as opposed to blocking (focusing on one type of problem at a time), involves mixing different types of problems or materials during study sessions. Interestingly, despite the evidence, about 80% of students believed that blocking was a better learning strategy, even after experiencing the benefits of interleaving. Interleaving is a robust and effective learning strategy across a wide range of conditions.
🎯 Take away: Interleaving is a superior learning strategy for most situations, but most people underestimate its effectiveness.
Open AI’s Assistants for Educators
Among other things, OpenAI released a new “assistants” function this week. So what exactly are AI “assistants” and how do you use them? And what does this mean for educators? Dr. Philippa Hardman has all the answers for you. In a nutshell, OpenAI has made it super easy for anyone with basic prompting skills to develop their very own AI bot. Click through to learn how and why you should experiment with these new assistants.
🎯 Take away: OpenAI’s new Assistants put powerful AI tools in educators’ hands, but we must thoughtfully guide them to augment, not automate, the human elements of teaching.
Sludge Toolkit
The Sludge Toolkit, initially aimed at enhancing government services, is also invaluable for Learning and Development (L&D). It targets the removal of unnecessary complexity, which in L&D can obstruct learning efficiency and satisfaction. Applying sludge removal to L&D can simplify learning processes, making experiences more accessible and more effective.
🎯 Take away: The Sludge Toolkit’s approach to reducing complexity can transform Learning and Development efforts, making them more streamlined and learner-friendly.
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🧰 Tech Tools & Tips
If tools are your jam, check out my new Work Smarter newsletter.
Outline
If you make presentations, you should use Outline. Try it for your next presentation and make it your best yet.
FluxForms
Form Data Collection and Form Analysis Made Easy. No-code form builder for data collection to get you going. Powerful form analysis through dashboards and charts to keep you going.
Canva Pro is the design software that makes design simple, convenient, and reliable. Create what you need in no time! Jam-packed with time-saving tools that make anyone look like a professional designer. Try Canva Pro!
🎧 Podcast
This is the conversation that caught my ear this week. Check out previous episodes in the Friday Finds podcast playlist.
Using Technology to Change Behaviour with Paul Matthews
This episode of the Learning Reinvented podcast explores using technology to change behavior, including the positives of using tech, as well as the challenges.
🧳 Where’s Mike?
- At home writing and drinking coffee ☕
If you or your event needs a speaker or workshop that is highly interactive and super practical, we should talk.
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Mike Taylor 