tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33786426007298095572024-03-14T06:46:27.724-04:00e-GeekingA blog about digital learning, educational technology, design, and just general geeking out about stuffBianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-13914234554895290592017-10-24T17:43:00.002-04:002017-10-24T17:43:44.194-04:00DevLearn 2017 - Where am I going to be?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's hard to believe it's DevLearn time again! I also just did some counting and it turns out this is my 7th DevLearn in a row. Hard to believe how much time has passed since I came to this event for the first time.<br />
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Since I'm on staff with the eLearning Guild instead of a regular attendee, I'm not able to attend full sessions the way I used to. That said, here's where I'll be for the next few days if you're here and want to say hi or following from afar and want to know what I'll be sharing. Don't forget, this conference is in Vegas, so all these times are in Pacific.<br />
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<b>TUESDAY</b></div>
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5:30-6:15pm</div>
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<b>Session: Orientation</b></div>
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If you're at DevLearn for the first time or have been here before but still want more pointers on how to get the most from the experience, come to Orientation. I'll be sharing some handy tips for enjoying the event and also help you get to know your best conference tool: the DevLearn app. Plus, you'll also get to meet some of the people who are running this year's <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/content/5043/devlearn-2017-conference--expo--new-to-devlearn/" target="_blank">Docent Program</a>.</div>
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<b>WEDNESDAY</b></div>
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8:30-10:00am</div>
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<b>Live Tweeting a Keynote:</b><b> <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=8633" target="_blank">Sci-Fi Meets Reality: The Future, Today</a></b></div>
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Speaker: Amy Webb</div>
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As usual, I'll be live tweeting the keynotes at the conference. The first one of DevLearn this year is all about examining where technology may take us in the future. Webb is a data and analytics expert and if you haven't had a chance to watch her hilarious <i>and</i> informative TED Talk about <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_webb_how_i_hacked_online_dating" target="_blank">how she "gamed" data to help with online dating</a>, take the 20 minutes now to check it out.</div>
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10:00am-6:30pm</div>
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<b><a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/content/5241/devlearn-2017-conference--expo--vr-learning-lab-schedule" target="_blank">Expo Hall: VR Learning Lab</a></b></div>
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The rise of (comparatively) inexpensive VR hardware and software have made it much more accessible as a learning solution than it was in the past, but it's hard to come up with ideas for using it until you've gotten your hands on it first. The eLearning Guild is setting up stations so you can do just that: experiment hands on with some of the most popular VR technology available today and get a better sense of how you might be able to use VR on your own work. We'll have a <a href="https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/playstation-vr/" target="_blank">Playstation VR</a> (this is where I'll be for most of the time), <a href="https://www.vive.com/us/" target="_blank">HTC Vive</a>, and two <a href="https://www.oculus.com/rift/" target="_blank">Oculus Rifts</a> available as well as a fun selection of VR experiences for you to try. Check out <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/content/5241/devlearn-2017-conference--expo--vr-learning-lab-schedule" target="_blank">the schedule here</a> and consider coming back multiple times to try different games and simulations.<br />
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4:15-5:15pm</div>
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<b>Live Tweeting a Keynote:</b><b> <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=8634" target="_blank">Embracing Technology-Based Creativity</a></b></div>
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Speakers: Glen Keane</div>
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If you were at <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=7930" target="_blank">Learning Solutions</a> this year (or watched <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/conference-archive/7930/keynote-harnessing-creativity-in-a-time-of-technological-change/" target="_blank">the recording on the eLearning Guild website</a>) you know how great a speaker Keane is. Most well known as a Disney animator, he talked a bit at Learning Solutions about the creative challenge of moving from hand drawn animation to digital. In this new talk from him, he'll discuss that experience in more detail and help us all better understand how to keep innovating when the tech and techniques we use to do our jobs drastically changes.<br />
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<b>THURSDAY</b></div>
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8:30-10:00am</div>
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<b>Live Tweeting a Keynote</b><b>: <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=8635" target="_blank">Technology and Storytelling: Making a Difference in the Digital Age</a></b></div>
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Speaker: LeVar Burton</div>
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This keynote is a doubly special to me because I grew up watching both Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: TNG. Burton is someone I've been dying to see speak because he's such an amazing advocate for reading, and more recently for embracing new technology to do so. He'll be discussing his work and influences over the years as well as sharing stories about his newest project, the Reading Rainbow-style app <a href="https://www.levarburtonkids.com/skybrary" target="_blank">Skybrary</a>. Can't wait? To tide you over, check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s8oYNL1M-A" target="_blank">this video</a> of Burton reading former DevLearn keynote Neil deGrasse Tyson the book "Goodnight Moon".</div>
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10:00am-3:00pm</div>
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<b><a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/content/5241/devlearn-2017-conference--expo--vr-learning-lab-schedule" target="_blank">Expo Hall: VR Learning Lab</a></b></div>
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I'll be back here on Thursday too, so be sure to pop by the Playstation VR session and say hi!<br />
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4:00-6:00pm</div>
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<b><a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/content/4970/devlearn-2017-conference--expo--demofest" target="_blank">DemoFest</a></b></div>
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Mark Britz and I will be hosting DemoFest again this year. Be sure to grab a drink and some snacks, check out the projects, and vote for your favorites.<br />
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<b>FRIDAY</b></div>
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7:30-8:15am</div>
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<b>Leading a Morning Buzz: <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/content/4954/devlearn-2017-conference--expo--morning-buzz/" target="_blank">How to Write a Winning Conference Speaking Proposal</a></b></div>
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Now that you've been at the conference for awhile are you thinking about proposing your own session for future events? The Guild Programming team (me, David Kelly, and Mark Britz) are running this Morning Buzz to help answer your questions about how to write a conference proposal that gets noticed, what we're looking for in proposals, and what issues do we commonly see that you'll want to avoid.<br />
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10:00-11:00am</div>
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<b>Leading a Session: <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=569&q=woods&searchfield=speakers&fromselection=doc.5116&from=sessionslist&session=8960" target="_blank">Overcoming Barriers to Games and Gamification for Learning</a></b></div>
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Games and gamification can be powerful tools for learning, but they aren't always the easiest to implement. From questions about development tools, challenges with getting stakeholders and partners to buy in to the concept, or dealing with the fallout of past games or gamification projects that didn't quite deliver, there are some real challenges in your way if you want to start using these approaches or deepen how you're using them. I'll be hosting this expert panel to explore practical advice for how to overcome these barriers and make games and gamification work for your situation.<br />
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11:15am-12:30pm</div>
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<b>Live Tweeting a Keynote: <a href="https://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=8636" target="_blank">How to Think Like a Futurist</a></b></div>
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Speaker: Jane McGonigal</div>
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We're closing out the conference with another view on how to think about the future. McGonigal is most well known as the writer of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Broken-Games-Better-Change/dp/0143120611/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508880089&sr=8-1&keywords=reality+is+broken" target="_blank">Reality is Broken</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/SuperBetter-Living-Gamefully-Jane-McGonigal/dp/0143109774/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">SuperBetter</a> (as well as creator <a href="https://www.superbetter.com/" target="_blank">the app of the same name</a>). In this closing session she'll help us all figure out how to prime ourselves for being future thinking (and get us ready to take everything we learning at DevLearn and apply it back at work).<br />
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<b>BONUS</b></div>
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<b>Guest Posting to the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/elearningguild/" target="_blank">eLearning Guild Instagram </a>Account</b></div>
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For DevLearn this year the Programming Team (me, David Kelly, and Mark Britz) are all sharing our behind the scenes photos from the event on the Guild Instagram account. If you're not at the conference it's a way you can still experience some of the event, and if you are here it's a fun way to see a side of the conference you otherwise might not see. Be sure to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/elearningguild/" target="_blank">follow the account </a>either way.<br />
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Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-65363226155746935822017-09-12T09:24:00.001-04:002017-10-18T17:47:50.151-04:00Review: In ProgressLook at me, tearing through my L&D "To Read" book pile!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Title:</i><b> In Progress</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Author: </i><b>Jessica Hische</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">What's it about?</span></h4>
Jessica Hische may not be a name you're familiar with if you're not in to hand lettering or typography, but given her popularity right now there's a good chance you've seen <a href="http://jessicahische.is/working" target="_blank">her work</a> and just not known it. In this book she shares the techniques and processes she uses to create her typography designs.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">What's so great about it?</span></h4>
We talk a lot about the idea of "show your work" in L&D and this book is entirely that. Hische outlines her approach to design, the tools she uses, the technical processes she goes through when creating a design, all in conversational language that doesn't require you to be a lettering or design expert to follow along. She also talks about client projects she's worked on, sharing early sketches and her thoughts about how she wanted to best address what the client was looking for.<br />
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So this is a great peek behind the scenes at one person's creative process, which is a big reason I enjoyed this so much. It's also a fantastic example of how you yourself can work out loud in a way anyone can follow along with. Even if design isn't your passion, this book gives you great models for how you can pick apart and share you own work openly with others.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">What's going to frustrate me about it?</span></h4>
As much as behind the scenes looks at anyone's problem solving process can be helpful, this book focuses a lot on process, so you're going to need to have at least some interest in design, drawing, or typography to really enjoy it. Not in any of those categories? It might be still worth your time to borrow this from the library and just skip to the section where Hische talks about her client work, as there are some good nuggets there about how to solve client requests that anyone might find useful.<br />
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Also, are you looking for step-by-step tutorials that will show you how to how to do hand drawn lettering yourself? This isn't that book.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Anything else?</span></h4>
This is a great example of a book that's about a very narrow topic (in this case, lettering) that actually has much broader insights for people in other industries. I wish there were more books out there like this that explored people's work processes in such easy to understand ways.<br />
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Related to that, this book is also n excellent example of how to write content that's accessible to non-experts, but doesn't feel too basic for experts. It's impressive how Hische can take her own processes and explain them in ways that feel don't feel confusing to newbies but still have value to experts from her field as well. It's a tough balance to walk, and one we could stand to do more in L&D.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">I'm too lazy to Google the book. Where can I buy it?</span></h4>
I've got you covered (Well, at least if you live in North America):<br />
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<li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Progress-Lettering-Artists-Sketchbook-Process/dp/145213622X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505222409&sr=8-1&keywords=in+progress" target="_blank">Canada</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Progress-Lettering-Artists-Sketchbook-Process-ebook/dp/B00WYJCIB4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505222478&sr=8-1&keywords=in+progress" target="_blank">US</a></li>
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Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-47206155082709842302016-11-15T01:30:00.000-05:002016-11-15T01:33:36.321-05:00Conference Tips: Vegas for people who don't like VegasLots of people get excited about an excuse to go to Vegas. I most assuredly am <b>not</b> one of those people.<br />
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I'm not much for drinking or partying, I don't gamble or smoke, and I'm not even great at staying up late. The supposed charms of Vegas are pretty much lost on me. And yet, I find myself there at least twice a year these days thanks to the rather spectacular L&D conferences that happen in that city.<br />
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So if you're like me and find yourself there in spite of not really liking the place all that much are you stuck just trying to tough the days you're there out and counting the minutes until you get to go home? No... not if you don't want to be. Turns out there actually are some fun things to do in Vegas even if you aren't terribly keen on the typical Vegas experience.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><a href="https://www.vegas.com/shows/cirque-du-soleil/?gclid=CLCXsN3_pdACFctXDQod1LMM2w" target="_blank">Cirque du Soleil shows</a></b></span><br />
Even if you're not interested in your standard Vegas offerings, checking out one of the Cirque shows in town is definitely worth your time. They're all spectacular, but in a way that doesn't feel in your face the way a lot of the rest of Vegas can (my personal favourite is KA). Also, if you're willing to wait until last minute, you can often pick up significantly reduced Cirque tickets from the multitude of <a href="http://www.tix4tonight.com/" target="_blank">Tix4Tonight</a> locations along The Strip.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><a href="http://www.sharkreef.com/" target="_blank">Shark Reef Aquarium</a></b></span><br />
If you need a chill break from all the noise and bustle, this aquarium at Mandalay Bay is absolutely worth a visit. Also, if you're here around Halloween they dress the entire place up like a haunted house and let kids trick or treat throughout the exhibits. It's the most adorable, least Vegas, thing you'll find on The Strip.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><a href="https://www.mirage.com/en/amenities/siegfried-roys-secret-garden-and-dolphin-habitat.html" target="_blank">Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat</a></b></span><br />
Another aquatic option can be found at the Mirage. It's small, and I'll admit I have a preference for the Shark Reef over it, but it's still worth checking out as the dolphins are absurdly fun. Case in point:<br />
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<a href="http://www.stratospherehotel.com/Food-Drink/Top-of-the-World" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><a href="http://www.stratospherehotel.com/Food-Drink/Top-of-the-World" target="_blank">The Top of the World Restaurant</a></b></span><br />
The Stratosphere is just far enough from the main section of The Strip that you'll probably want to take a cab here, but it's totally worth it if you don't have any issues with heights. You'll get a spectacular view of Vegas and the surrounding area in a relaxed and calm environment. Also, the food is quite good as well. It's a bit pricy, but the last few times I've been there they had a great prix fixe menu at lunch that's really decent bang for your buck.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><a href="http://downtowncontainerpark.com/" target="_blank">Downtown Container Park</a></b></span><br />
If you want an experience that's pretty much the opposite of your stereotypical Vegas expectations, try checking this place out. It's a charming shopping and dining area made out of repurposed shipping containers. It's also home to the coolest praying mantis sculpture you'll ever see. Seriously, I love this place.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Do your sight seeing early</b></span><br />
If you want to see the strip but without the crowds, do it early in the day. REALLY early... I mean, "before you go to your conference in the morning" early. If you pop out for a walk super early in the morning there are way less people around (and, bonus, almost all of them are relatively sober). If early morning doesn't work for you, then your next best bet is to check things out earlier in the week. Seriously: The Strip seems to hit Drunk o'Clock a bit later in the evening on Mondays and Tuesdays than it does on, say, Friday. Use that to your advantage.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Leave The Strip entirely</b></span><br />
This area is not just defined by a stretch of casinos. I've not done this myself, but lots of people tell me that, if you have the extra time, it's well worth getting off of The Strip and seeing what else is in the area. There's quite a lot of good hiking around here and don't forget that the casinos are just one small part of what makes up the city of Las Vegas.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Look for fun food you can't get easily back home</b></span><br />
Vegas food runs the gamut from "as much volume as you can ingest... and some" to "so expensive you'll need to eat ramen for the rest of the year". But in between those two extremes is some reasonably fun, not horrifically priced eating adventures. Vegas is home to bizarre but amusing stunt food, like the <a href="http://www.lobsterme.com/" target="_blank">lobsicle</a> (I kid you not, it's a lobster tail on a stick... and it's actually tasty). It's also a place you can find pretty authentic treats that you might not have as easy access to at home. For instance, the Jean-Philippe Patisseries at <a href="https://www.aria.com/en/restaurants/jean-philippe-patisserie.html" target="_blank">the Aria</a> and <a href="https://www.bellagio.com/en/restaurants/jean-philippe.html" target="_blank">the Bellagio</a> have surprisingly spot-on croissants and <a href="https://www.caesars.com/linq/promenade/dining/amorino" target="_blank">Amorino</a> at The Linq makes gelato that's both beautiful and delicious. Now, I skew hard towards desserts, but whatever style of food you're craving, you have a good chance of finding a great iteration of it here.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Pick up groceries at one of the many drug stores along The Strip</b></span><br />
If you want a quieter experience, there's no need to go out every for every meal. The numerous drug stores in Vegas carry way more than just cold meds and shampoo: they also stock a decent amount of food as well. When I first visited Vegas I was surprised to find you can pick up some reasonable food basics at these stores, including fresh fruit and vegetables in some cases. It's incredibly easy to put together simple breakfasts from what you can find here and make it so you can spend just a bit more time relaxing in your hotel room (and avoiding the casino floors). And as long as you're okay with nothing fancy, you can even pull together lunches or dinners from what's available here too. particularly if you picked out a hotel room with a kitchenette.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Just chill in your hotel room</b></span><br />
There is no rule that says that just because you're in Vegas for a conference that you have to go out afterwards. You're a grown up and if after a long day stuffing your head full of knowledge you just want to head back to your room to read a book, watch a sports game, or binge on Netflix, then that's absolutely what you should do.<br />
<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
So those are my personal suggestions for making Vegas more bearable for people like me who would pretty much rather be anywhere else. Do you have any tips of your own to add? Be sure to pop them in the comments below.<br />
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<br />Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-24704901858104991692016-08-17T18:43:00.000-04:002016-08-17T18:43:01.005-04:00Review: Let the Elephants Run<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />It's really time for me to start blogging again, and what better way to restart than with a review of the book I just finished!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Title:</i><b> Let the Elephants Run</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Author: </i><b>David Usher</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MV3MRFE3rr3EcPTem69TlosvzYU2YG0MuRAs5hnEnyJBwvNKLJ7SD2OLQiCbYQrayQdOeQnLEVNoWxgWm-SxVqV_2jT2-WYMDkjg0-rTHluoEG51LYCqFzsk1pGNO73t7LgF3lqXeXA/s1600/DavidUsher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MV3MRFE3rr3EcPTem69TlosvzYU2YG0MuRAs5hnEnyJBwvNKLJ7SD2OLQiCbYQrayQdOeQnLEVNoWxgWm-SxVqV_2jT2-WYMDkjg0-rTHluoEG51LYCqFzsk1pGNO73t7LgF3lqXeXA/s320/DavidUsher.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">What's it about?</span></h4>
When I was growing up David Usher was mostly known as the lead singer of the Canadian band Moist. In the subsequent years he's also built up a rather interesting reputation as a speaker on how people can become more creative. This book takes the core ideas from his talks and expands on them even further.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">What's so great about it?</span></h4>
Are you someone who loves the idea of creativity but doesn't always think of themselves as a creative person? Well then, this book is for you. Everything Usher says in this is meant to help you see that creativity is a skill anyone can build. Through a bunch of mini essays (think Seth Godin length, but in a layout with better graphic design) he expand on the many reasons people believe they aren't creative and the steps and activities they can use to strengthen that skill and use it in a variety of ways.<br />
<br />
If you know me or have heard me talk, you know that I absolutely agree with Usher's approach here. Many people have told me that they think creativity is just something you're born with, not realizing the years of practice, experimentation, and just plain willingness to keep going even when you suck at first that has made the people they admire seem just naturally outstanding at coming up with new ideas and approaches. Usher does a fantastic job at pulling back the curtain and showing readers all the sweat and effort that goes into building your creative skills. It's not always pretty, and Usher doesn't romanticize it in the slightest.<br />
<br />
What he does do, though, is break down many of the processes people use to spark their creativity and show the reader that this is something that they too can learn how to do with time and practice. <br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">What's going to drive me nuts about it?</span></h4>
Are you someone who already feels confident in their creativity? Then you're probably not going to get much out of this other than a feeling of solidarity with Usher. It's not a waste of your time (and can be a nice way to inspire yourself out of a creative rut), but you were never the intended audience for this book. Maybe buy it as a gift for someone else... like the next person who tells you "Oh, I really just can't be creative like you are."<br />
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Also, be aware that the chapters in this are short. I mean, REALLY short. They're much more like reading a bunch of mini articles than a typical book. If that kind of writing frustrates you, this might not be the book for you.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Anything else?</span></h4>
I am overwhelmed with how beautiful this book is. Normally that's not something I would mention in a book review, but it feels well worth mentioning in this one case. A book on creativity should use every tool imaginable to help inspire you, and clearly that idea fueled the graphic design and layout of Usher's creation. Just flipping thought this thing can be enough to help you feel excited about coming up with new ideas.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">I'm too lazy to Google the book. Where can I buy it?</span></h4>
I've got you covered (Well, at least if you live in North America):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Let-Elephants-Run-David-Usher/dp/1770898689/" target="_blank">Canada</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Let-Elephants-Run-Creativity-Everything/dp/1770898689/" target="_blank">US</a></li>
</ul>
Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-18479000368359945082016-01-11T23:02:00.003-05:002016-01-11T23:09:47.400-05:00TechKnowledge 2016 - Where am I going to be?It's TechKnowledge time again and this one is going to be a bit different for me as I've headed in early for my very first pre-con workshop (It's the <a href="http://www.tkconference.org/Program/Preconference-Learning/Visual%20Storytelling%20Certificate" target="_blank">Duarte Visual Storytelling</a> one and so far it's been amazing!). On one hand, I'm pretty giddy about the workshop, but on the other hand it's an extra two days in Vegas. Is it possible for me to get even sicker of Vegas by the end of a conference? I don't know... but we're going to find out!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This conference is also going to be a bit different for a programming reason too. There's an entire room at TechKnowledge devoted to more conversational, collaborative sessions - the Disrupt Room - and my plan is to attend as many of those sessions as possible (including, no surprise, the two sessions I'm helping out with). I really enjoyed last year's Fail Jam and the Disrupt Room programming promises more of that same kind of "learning from everyone in the room" that made the Fail Jam so fun. So if you're at TechKnowledge and looking for something a bit different, definitely come join me there.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
And now on to the specifics. I don't have my whole con fully figured out, but I'm definitely heading to the keynotes and these sessions:</div>
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<hr />
</div>
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<b>WEDNESDAY</b></div>
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1:00-1:45pm</div>
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<b><a href="http://atdtk16.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=186" target="_blank">Session: Disrupt Room - Outside Inspiration</a></b></div>
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Speakers: Well, it's a group conversation but I'm facilitating</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Yup... I'm starting out my Disrupt Room adventure by facilitating a session. The main idea of this event is that a great way to keep your work fresh is to look for inspiration OUTSIDE of L&D. That said, a lot of us look in dramatically different directions. While the session is going to be guided by the interests of the people in the room, it's definitely going to touch on what fields people find particularly helpful to pull inspiration/insights from, what they've gained from them, and how you can dip your toe in each topic if you want to learn more.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
What's particularly cool about this session (and many of the other Disrupt Room ones) is that it doesn't have a set speaker or formal panel. Instead, anyone who shows up has the opportunity to share with everyone else. It's a format that worked fantastically for the Fail Jam and I think it's a great format for this topic as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
So if you get inspiration from ANY other field, whether it's something closely tied to L&D (for instance, software development or film making) or drastically different (gaining L&D inspiration from flying drones or being a volunteer fire fighter? I bet it can be done!), I'd love to see you at this session and hear what you have to say.<br />
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<div>
3:00-4:00pm</div>
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<b><a href="http://atdtk16.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=33" target="_blank">Session: Not just for superheroes: Exploring learning through comics</a></b></div>
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Speaker: Me!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
SPEAKING of outside inspiration, if you've ever met me or followed me online you probably know that I love comics. They're fun and engaging to read, and it turns out they can be pretty effective for teaching and explaining content too. Want to know more? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZf1QUPhVAA" target="_blank">Watch my session trailer.</a><br />
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<br /></div>
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4:15-5:00pm</div>
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<b><a href="http://atdtk16.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=192" target="_blank">Session: Disrupt Room - E-Learning Checkup</a></b></div>
<div>
Speakers: Diane Elkins, Megan Torrance, Julie Dirksen, Connie Malamed, Cammy Bean, and me</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You know what can be really helpful when you're trying to polish up a project (or get it unstuck)? A fresh set of eyes. And that's what the e-Learning checkup is all about. Bring your project, whether it's something fully built or just an idea you've been pondering, and you'll get some one-on-one time with one of the six of us to get some feedback and come up with a few new ideas.</div>
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<br /></div>
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While I'm happy to help out with anyone's project, I'll admit that I'm probably most useful to people who have graphic design, storytelling, or multimedia questions. Or cupcake-related questions. I have a lot of options about those too. ;)<br />
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<hr />
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>THURSDAY</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
10:45-11:30am</div>
<div>
<b><a href="http://atdtk16.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=188" target="_blank">Session: Disrupt Room - Social Collaboration Tool Showcase</a></b></div>
<div>
Speaker: JD Dillon is facilitating this one</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Curious about what some of the newer social collaboration tools out there are (and how you might actually use them in the real world to get stuff done)? Then some to this session to see cool examples and ask all the questions you need about how they work.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
2:15-3:00pm</div>
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<b><a href="http://atdtk16.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=190" target="_blank">Session: Disrupt Room - Fail Jam</a></b></div>
<div>
Speaker: Becca Wilson is facilitating this event again!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Like I mentioned earlier, last year's version of this session was one of my ATDTK 2015 highlights. Basically, it works like this: we all know failure is a great way to learn, but it's not something we get to share a lot at conferences. This session is your opportunity to learn from the mistakes and missteps of others and even to share your own too. That's right, this is another session where anyone who attends can share, and I strongly recommend sharing something if you come. The environment is completely supportive... plus getting to talk about something that didn't go the way you wanted is delightfully cathartic.</div>
<div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
3:45-4:30pm</div>
<div>
<b><a href="http://atdtk16.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=191" target="_blank">Session: Disrupt Room - AR and VR in action</a></b></div>
<div>
Speakers: Chad Udell and John Fairchild</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ever wonder how you might actually go about using virtual and/or augmented reality for learning and performance support? Ever wanted to just poke the technology with a stick and see what the fuss is all about? Then this is the session for you. Not only will there be a discussion of the applications for this technology, but you'll also be able to get hands on with it too!<br />
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<br />
<hr />
<br />
<br />
<b>FRIDAY</b><br />
<br />
8:00-9:15am<br />
<b><a href="http://atdtk16.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=175" target="_blank">Session: PowerPoint for Graphic Design</a></b><br />
Speaker: Tim Slade<br />
<br />
I use PowerPoint for graphic design all the time (ah, the joys of often having little or no project budget!), so I'm hoping to pick up a few tips. Plus, Tim Slade is always sharing awesome design stuff on Twitter, so I'm looking forward to getting to see him speak in person.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<hr />
<br />
So that my game plan so far. What are <b>you </b>most excited to see or do at TechKnowledge this year?</div>
Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-51958949762719029772016-01-03T17:04:00.001-05:002016-01-03T17:08:18.677-05:00IPL Conference 2015 - My big takeawaysWell, this post is LONG overdue. I attended the <a href="http://www.cvent.com/events/2015-conference-and-trade-show/event-summary-82d0593c521a4bae88fb40f297be9fca.aspx" target="_blank">2015 Institute for Performance and Learning conference</a> here in Toronto way back in November, but the last month and a half kind of got away from me. A bit late is better than nothing, right?<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
Rather than try and blog about every single thing I saw individually, I thought I'd instead do something a bit different this time: a summary post about the best parts of the conference that have stuck with me even a month and a half later.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Nir Eyal's Keynote</b></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.cvent.com/events/2015-conference-and-trade-show/custom-113-82d0593c521a4bae88fb40f297be9fca.aspx" target="_blank">Eyal's talk </a>on how habits are built (and how to influence people's habit building) was delightful AND insightful. It pretty much hit all my buttons for a great keynote at a L&D conference: technically out of our field but on a topic strongly connected to what we do, a great balance of enough information to understand the topic but not so much that it felt like an infodump, excellent storytelling, a good sense of humour, and well-designed slides. I would definitely want to see him give a talk again if I had the opportunity. He also completely convinced me that I need to <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Hooked-how-Build-Habit-forming-Products/dp/0670069329/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1451847343&sr=1-1" target="_blank">buy his book</a>, so I suppose that's a win for both of us.<br />
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Sad you couldn't see the keynote yourself? Well, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z29RvrHPp1s" target="_blank">this video</a> seems to have the same talk filmed at another event, so that's a pretty decent option for you. Also, hooray for YouTube!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Trend: Lego slides</b></div>
<div>
Yeah... I've seen slides that use Lego before, but never so many used so well all at the same conference. This is a trend I feel I can totally stand behind (well, at least while people keep using them smartly). At some point it's going to become overdone (and poorly done), but for now I'm just going to keep enjoying it.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOVlvOSiOayg-EPIr4Vis5RZZ7J8XbhCQdoEC7IkS2hVhrNUDPSjDXgYzF7X9vp24bfsU4hGGpXW4dlnS2YMtPVRpzzgSab5pZG-SQvE8-hKsEmNgJwssZFA2Z6J4YgI-43tn5otpFA0/s1600/Lego+Slide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOVlvOSiOayg-EPIr4Vis5RZZ7J8XbhCQdoEC7IkS2hVhrNUDPSjDXgYzF7X9vp24bfsU4hGGpXW4dlnS2YMtPVRpzzgSab5pZG-SQvE8-hKsEmNgJwssZFA2Z6J4YgI-43tn5otpFA0/s320/Lego+Slide.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta love this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b>Trying to attend a conference while sick is the worst</b></div>
<div>
I've gotten Con Plague <i>after</i> a conference, but never <i>before</i> it. To say attending a con while sick is a challenge is a massive understatement (as was trying to desperately keep from infecting others... sadly, no conference hugs and handshakes for me). Thankfully, my body at least picked a hometown conference to feel horrid at, so there's one small win there, right? That said, there were more than a few events I ended up needing to skip, which wasn't ideal for my first time attending this particular conference.</div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>FINALLY getting to see certain speakers</b></div>
<div>
I've had some pretty crummy scheduling luck with certain L&D speakers. For some reason there have always been a few people I either always end up having my sessions scheduled at the same time as (Hi <a href="https://twitter.com/JD_Dillon?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">JD</a>!) or other people that always have their talks opposite of six other things I need to see in that time slot. I guess to make up for me being pathetically ill, the universe decided to do me a solid this time around and I got to see two people talk that I usually never get to see: <a href="https://twitter.com/JaneBozarth" target="_blank">Jane Bozarth</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronesilvers" target="_blank">Aaron Silvers</a>. No surprise, they were both fun and engaging speakers, so that was a big win as far as I'm concerned.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Hallway meetings</b><br />
As I go to more and more conferences, the thing that's becoming the most valuable to me is simply the conversations I have with other attendees. Actually getting to meet Twitter buddies in MeatSpace (AKA: the real world), making connections with new people, and chatting with all of them about what they're doing is what tends to stick with me the most weeks later. Plus, it's just plain fun.<br />
<br />
So, no surprise, this was definitely my favorite part about the IPL conference. While I always love catching up with <i>everybody</i>, this particular location gave me a chance to chat with a ton of <i>Canadian</i> L&D folks. You'd think that since I live in the same country as them I'd see them in real life more often... yeah... that's sadly not how it turns out. And sometimes we don't all go to the same conferences in the US either. So attending IPL became an amazing opportunity to connect with people I don't regularly get to see. That was a nice surprise I hadn't considered.<br />
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<hr />
<br />
So those were my thoughts about my very first IPL conference. If you attend or followed the backchannel and have some of your own reflections, pop them down in the comments below!</div>
Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-55398480067002662822015-10-06T21:21:00.001-04:002015-10-06T21:33:11.499-04:00DevLearn 2015 - Day 1Well, my plan to do video recaps at DevLearn didn't go exactly as planned. The Day 1 video refused to upload to YouTube and I got back way too late on Day 2 (thanks to attending a surprise wedding renewal... a nice problem to have!) to record coherent sentences. By Day 3 I figured this was all going to be post-conference reflections and that was just going to be okay.<br />
<br />
Now that I'm home and have access to delightfully strong Wi-Fi, I've posted that Day 1 video after all (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0fl3IRce_g" target="_blank">you can view it here</a>). But since I'm doing all the other days as blog posts, I figured I may as well just recap it in text too.<br />
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<hr />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1) <span style="color: #0b5394;">Keynote </span>- <a href="http://www.elearningguild.com/DevLearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=6704" target="_blank">Learning Disrupted: The unrecognizable new world of tech and culture</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span></b><i>David Pogue</i></span><br />
Who <em>doesn't</em> want to start a learning & tech conference by looking at the absurd amount of things our tech can do these days?! From <a href="http://www.apple.com/ca/researchkit/" target="_blank">keeping track of your health</a> to <span id="goog_1982427260"></span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/ocarina/id293053479?mt=8" target="_blank">making your smart phone into an ocarina<span id="goog_1982427261"></span></a>, Pogue talked about we are surrounded by new tech. And what's cool is this tech doesn't just make our lives better (or, at least, more ocarina-infused), it also changes how, what, and why we create, share, and interact. No surprise, that's why it's important to keep on top of it, especially for those of us in L&D.<br />
<br />
So there's that point, but Pogue also made another important one: not all these tech ideas are going to make an impact. For every tech success, there are dozens of products that don't pan out (or, let's be honest, were just too stupid to succeed... I'm looking at you <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Glove" target="_blank">Nintendo Power Glove</a>). It takes all that trying weird ideas and often failing, though, to find what sticks.<br />
<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>2) <span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.elearningguild.com/DevLearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=380&from=sessionslist&q=bolen&searchfield=speakers&fromSelection=doc.3978&session=6682" target="_blank">DIY Music Tracks - Loops and Virtual Instruments</a></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span></b><i>Don Bolen</i></span><br />
If you're looking to create a more immersive experience in your eLearning, videos, podcasts and other cool training mediums, adding a soundtrack can help you out. They're great for conveying moods, emotions, transitions, and/or a sense of place, all of which can make what you create feel more realistic. That said, most of us aren't trained composers. But thanks to loops (tiny snippets of sound/music you can chain together to create songs and soundtracks) all of us have the ability to put together our own soundtracks with a bit of effort. <br />
<br />
When it came to what to compile your loops in, Bolen recommended GarageBand. This was because it's cheap (well, it's cheap IF you already own Apple products), easy to learn, and, best yet, comes with free loops already installed. If you want to use other software or if you need to expand your library of loops, though, Bolen mentioned a few options for acquiring more cheaply, including:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bigfishaudio.com/" target="_blank">Big Fish Audio</a></li>
<li><a href="https://soundation.com/" target="_blank">Soundation</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ccmixter.org/" target="_blank">ccMixter</a></li>
<li><a href="http://freesound.org/" target="_blank">FreeSound.org</a></li>
</ul>
On a related note, if you're looking to make your own loops, I've actually bumped into a few easy-to-use iOS apps that are great for that. As of late, I've been playing with <a href="http://auxy.co/" target="_blank">Auxy</a>, <a href="http://beatwave.co/" target="_blank">Beatwave</a>, and <a href="https://www.propellerheads.se/figure" target="_blank">Figure</a>, all of which are worth poking at with a stick.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>3) <span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.elearningguild.com/devlearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=380&fromselection=doc.3944&session=6946" target="_blank">We don't own social in the workplace and we never will</a></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span></b><i>JD Dillon</i></span><br />
Has the universe ever conspired against you? That's how I used to feel about JD's sessions. If we were both speaking at a conference, then inevitably we'd always be scheduled at the same time, much to my annoyance. Thankfully, the universe clearly got lazy this year because I FINALLY got to see him speak. No surprise if you follow him on Twitter, his session was both useful and hilarious.<br />
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Basically, lots of organizations have invested in social tools that it turns out their employees don't care about using. Some companies like to make the excuse that it's just because people don't know how to use the tools (and then WE all get called in to build completely unnecessary training), but JD says that's not the real problem. It's not that they don't know how to use the tools - in fact, many of these tools are just as easy to use as Facebook or Instagram - it's that they don't automatically see how the tools fit into what they're trying to accomplish at work.<br />
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So what can you do to help people want to bother with those social tools? Well, a lot of what JD found helpful was actually modeling using the tools to get things done. Want your team to use your chat tool to keep in touch? Chat with them through it so they can see how it's useful. Want them to start using Slack instead of email? Start running a team project through it so people can figure it out (are you thinking of doing this? Then go <a href="https://twitter.com/JD_Dillon" target="_blank">bug JD on Twitter</a> about how he got his team using Slack). People don't just magically understand how whatever tool you're trying to launch will make their work lives better. Often you've got to help them see the value.<br />
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One of the other key points he brought up was that, for social tools to take off, L&D shouldn't actually be leading the work on them. Sure, L&D should have influence (and often we're in a pretty great position to test out new tools and weigh in on what's actually worth bothering with), but for social to actually take hold it's got to be used <em>beyond</em> just in training.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>4) <a href="http://www.elearningguild.com/DevLearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=380&q=woods&searchfield=speakers&fromselection=doc.3978&from=sessionslist&session=6940" target="_blank">The past, present, and future of games and learning</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speakers: </b></span></b><i>Julie Dirksen, Sharon Boller, Koreen Pagano, and Bianca Woods</i></span><br />
Hey look! It's one of my sessions!<br />
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Since I was actually speaking and not live tweeting the thing, that makes it a bit tricky to cover afterwards. Instead, let me just give you a taste by answering the last two questions we were asked.<br />
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<strong>What's your favourite game that you've played recently?</strong><br />
Oh boy... this one's weird. I'm quite keen on both games in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_novel" target="_blank">visual novel genre</a> as well what you could basically categorize as "bizarrely random stuff from Japan". My most recent fav, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/310080/" target="_blank">Hatoful Boyfriend</a>, sits well within both of those areas. The thing is a spot-on spoof of Japanese dating sim games, but with one weird twist: all the characters you're trying to romance in the game are pigeons. So it's super weird, but I love it. I adore branched storytelling and it's such an excellent example of how differently a story can go based on your choices. Plus, it just cracks me up every time.<br />
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<strong>What game do you think people should play to better understand games and learning?</strong><br />
I took a slightly different turn with this question. Rather than recommend a specific game I recommended a specific process: <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/discover/categories/games" target="_blank">back a game on Kickstarter</a>. What's great about this approach is that games that go up on Kickstarter usually haven't been developed fully yet... and the developers send backers updates through the entire development process (yup... even if you back them at the lowest price point available). I have learned so much about how to develop a game just from all of the backer updates I've gotten through the years, so if you're looking to create or purchase a game for learning, why not learn from the experts?! Plus, I've found there's a ton of overlap between how we develop everything we create in L&D and how game devs approach projects. Even if you never make a game yourself, you can learn a lot about great design and development approaches from these updates.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>5) Keynote - <a href="http://www.elearningguild.com/DevLearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=6898" target="_blank">Digital badges and the future of learning</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span></b><i>Connie Yowell</i></span><br />
And, to cap things off for the day, another keynote!<br />
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Yowell opened with what we need to solve for if we want to reimagine learning: lowered student engagement, entering the workplace without the skills employers want, and a lack of equal access to the tools/programs/resources that help students succeed. To solve for this, Yowell looked at how successful adults mapped the things that helped them learn. As it turned out, they didn't just point to the traditional school path; they also mapped a wide (and not particularly linear) range of other connected and networked ways they learned new skills. <br />
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To reimagine learning in a useful way, then, Yowell said you need to find a way to capture and share that wide range of experiences. And the best way to do that is through <a href="http://openbadges.org/" target="_blank">open badges</a>.<br />
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The open badge website has some wonderful content on what exactly these things are. The VERY condensed version is that an open badge carries data about who earned the badge, where they earned it, what they did to earn it, and a connection to relevant standards. You would earn badges for learning new skills anywhere (not just in school) and those badges could be shown to others as a way of displaying the skills you'd learned throughout your life. Kind of like a combo transcript/portfolio/scouting sash that follows you throughout your career and documents a wide range of knowledge. And that broader system of showing a range of experiences could be just what we need to solve the problems Yowell discussed at the beginning of the talk.<br />
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So what makes <em>open </em>badges different from any other badges? It's that ability to take them with you anywhere. In most systems the badges you earn are for that system alone. If you leave the system, you don't take the badges with you. In the world of gaming, that's like me earning achievements on my PS4 but not being able to transfer them to an Xbox One. That's annoying, but it's way worse in your work life. You're constantly learning things at work, but your record of that progress doesn't travel with you if you move to a new company. With an open badge system, though, it would. And that would be great for reasons beyond keeping you from having to redo the same legally mandated health and safety training every time you move to a new company.<br />
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That's a wrap for Day 1! My Days 2 and 3 coverage will be following along later this week. But, for now, sleep. Sweet, glorious sleep!Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-38713820881120480772015-09-30T01:54:00.002-04:002015-09-30T01:55:37.385-04:00DevLearn 2015 - Where I'll beHey guys! Just a quick post about what I'm up to at DevLearn this year.<br />
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As always, I'll be live tweeting the event. I haven't solidified my concurrent session schedule just yet, but I'll definitely be at all the keynotes. There are also two sessions I can guarantee I'll be at... pretty much because I'm actually one of the session speakers for them.<br />
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<strong>Wednesday, Sep 30th - 3:00-4:00pm</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.elearningguild.com/DevLearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=380&q=woods&searchfield=speakers&fromselection=doc.3978&from=sessionslist&session=6940" target="_blank">The past, present, and future of games and learning</a><br />
<em><span style="color: black;">Hear a panel of really clever people (and somehow me as well) talk about how games and learning come together. Chances are I will find some way to bring up that bizarre pigeon dating simulation game I've been obsessed with. You've been warned! ;)</span></em><br />
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<strong>Thursday, October 1st - 1:15-2:15pm</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.elearningguild.com/DevLearn/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=380&q=woods&searchfield=speakers&fromselection=doc.3978&from=sessionslist&session=6819" target="_blank">What? I don't have to be an art wiz to create my own design assets?</a><br />
<em><span style="color: black;">Yes, it's another of my series of conference talks that make it very clear I used to be an art teacher! Seriously, though, I really do believe that everyone (even those of you who can't draw stick people) can learn to create images, photos, and/or fonts yourself with the help of a few cheap tool and a couple of nifty tips that we'll discuss in this session. Also, this session *may* have some hideous examples of crummy designs I myself made when I was much younger and a lot less skilled. Come for the design tips! Stay for my horrible first website about the repulsiveness of Tiger Tail ice cream!</span></em><br />
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For those of you at DevLearn, looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! For those of you not here, hope to see you on the backchannel!Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-67771746443095960332015-09-27T18:21:00.001-04:002015-09-28T14:25:32.765-04:00Everything you need to get ready for an L&D conference in Las Vegas - 2015 edition!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Las Vegas is a weird, weird place, but it seems like if you want to go to some of the best L&D conferences, you're going to have to be at peace with eventually going there. I've been... well... way more times than you'd ever guess someone who doesn't gamble would end up in Vegas. As a result, I've picked up some nifty tips for navigating the place, getting good deals, and making the most out of a conference there. So I thought I'd share some of what I've found out with you guys.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, some of this might look familiar as I originally wrote a version of this post in 2013 (you can <a href="http://ldglobalevents.com/2013/10/10/everything-you-need-to-get-ready-for-devlearn-2013-in-las-vegas/" target="_blank">read the original</a> on the L&D Global Events blog). Since it's been a few years, though, I thought it was time for a bit of an update.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #3d85c6; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Before the conference</span></b></h2>
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<b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hotel discounts</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staying in the conference hotel is pretty darn nice. Unfortunately, even with the conference rate, these hotels can end up a bit pricy, particularly if the money is coming out of your own pocket. One of the nice things about Vegas (yes, I'll admit it has some perks) is that there are an absurd amount of hotels on the Strip at a wide variety of price points. If the conference hotel is a bit much, look online at the hotels on the same block or just across the street. Chances are there's a cheaper one within a 10 minute walk. It's not as convenient, but being willing to walk can save you a bunch of cash. Worried a cheap hotel will be crummy? Well, cheap hotels on the Strip are still way nicer than the average hotel. As long as you're not looking for fancy amenities, chances are you can be pretty happy in one of the less pricy (but still awfully nice) hotels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once you've picked a hotel, be sure to check and see if it has a rewards program. This will pay off even more if you're a gambler (it's how they keep track of your gambling bonuses/rewards), but even if you're staying far away from the slot machines and cards it can still sometimes give you small but fun perks like coupons and a members only check in line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually, hotel rewards programs are always smart to check in to, no matter where you're traveling. They've netted me free wi-fi, cheap room upgrades, and other cool perks.</span></div>
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<b style="border: 0px; color: black; font-size: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;">Download the app</span></span></b></b></div>
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</b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you do one thing before the conference, do this. You may be used to events where the “app” is essentially a PDF of the conference catalog. The L&D conferences I've been to, though, consistently put out well thought out apps with features that actually take advantage of the fact that you have a smart phone/tablet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These apps tend to include helpful things like a full conference schedule, the ability to curate your own schedule, maps, attendee information, exhibitor and speaker lists, in-app messaging and social media, and sometimes even points. Personally, I'm still not in love with any of the gamification I've seen in these apps, but sometimes they can land you some pretty sweet conference swag. Just promise me you won't be that person who clogs up the app feed with useless posts just so you can get enough points for a fancy mug or shirt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Download the app now, play with it to get used to it, say hello to some other attendees, and then use it to begin organizing your trip.</span></div>
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<b style="border: 0px; color: black; font-size: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;">Get on Twitter</span></span></b></b></div>
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</b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you on Twitter yet? If you aren’t, conferences can be the thing that will convince you that you should be. The sheer volume of valuable conversations, sharing, and reflections that go on through Twitter during a conference is epic (more on that later). This is something you don’t want to miss out on, so get set up with Twitter, start following the official conference account, find out what the <a href="https://support.twitter.com/articles/49309" target="_blank">hashtag</a> for the event is, and get your feet wet before the conference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Already on Twitter? If most of your followers are friends and family rather than L&D professionals, this might be the time to consider setting up a second, professional Twitter account. That way you aren’t annoying your friends with your constant tweeting about your conference (or your new conference connections with Instagram photos of your brunch).</span></div>
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<b style="border: 0px; color: black; font-size: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Networking</span></b></b></div>
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</b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of social media and connecting with others – some of the best networking happens when you make plans in advance with other attendees. Be sure to find out who from your network is attending and at least make tentative plans to run into each other during specific times and places.</span></div>
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<b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Packing</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Packing for a conference can be a bit different than for a regular vacation. Great packing can help you feel less exhausted, avoid blisters and backaches, and keep your costs down too (something really helpful in Vegas). If you want a few tips about what I like to bring, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNx-2MFP5QQ" target="_blank">here's a quick video</a> I created about it.</span></div>
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<b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Your Trip to Vegas</span></b></h2>
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<b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Cheap airport shuttle</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a map the Las Vegas airport looks mere moments away from the Strip. In reality it actually is… but thanks to traffic it can still often cost you $25-$40 for a simple cab ride to your hotel. If you want to save some cash and you have a bit of extra time, consider taking one of the airport shuttles instead. At about $8 each way ($14 round trip), it’s a decent amount of savings if you're traveling on your own. If you're traveling with a few people, though, splitting a cab can end up cheaper. If there's more than one of you, do some quick math.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The shuttles are located in the driveway just outside of the baggage claim (near the taxis). Walk outside and look for the shuttle kiosks along the outside of the building. Select your shuttle service, pay, collect your receipt, and then head to your pickup station on the curb (yes, each shuttle company has a different one). Tell the driver which hotel you’re going to and then settle in on the shuttle. The actual time it takes to get to your hotel will vary based on how many (and which) hotels the other passengers are going to, but it’s usually not too long a trip all things considered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Note:</i></b> If you’re going to take the shuttle <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">back</i> to the airport, be sure to ask your shuttle service about the process for booking your return trip. Every time I've used a service I've HAD to call 24 hours before I wanted to be picked up to ensure it gets booked. Yeah. This is annoying.</span><br />
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<b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Cheap snacks</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vegas can be an expensive place to eat. However, if you can do breakfast on the cheap and leverage the conference lunch, then that leaves your budget open for splurging a bit on dinner. I do this by bringing my own breakfast bars and snacks, but if you didn't have a chance to do that before your trip, stock up by hitting one of the drug stores along the Strip. They have a surprising amount of groceries in them and their prices are thankfully quite reasonable.</span></div>
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<b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Cheap show tickets</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the main draws of Vegas is the shows, which are spectacular but admittedly pricey. If you’re open to a bit of chance, be sure to take advantage of Tix4Tonight kiosks (</span><a href="http://www.tix4tonight.com/" style="color: #2e6eb0; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.tix4tonight.com</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). This company offers substantially discounted day-of tickets to many of the shows in town and there are tons of locations across the Strip. Not every show is offered every day, but the selection is always decent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Note:</i></b> In addition to cheap tickets, these locations also offer restaurant discounts (generally around 25-50% off your entrée). If you’re trying to decide what to have for dinner, a visit to Tix4Tonight might be worth a trip.</span></div>
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<b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Vegas is terrible for walking anywhere quickly</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google Maps would have you believe that the Strip is an easy walk. This is because Google Maps doesn’t seem to be aware of the fact that the sidewalks in Vegas are a maze. Seriously: there isn’t a direct route </span><i style="border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">anywhere</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Walking up and down the strip involves navigating sidewalks that loop convolutedly around casinos and merely crossing the street often requires that you use a series of stairs and bridges. If you plan to walk anywhere and don’t want to be late, a good rule of thumb is to take the walking time Google Maps gives you and double it.</span></div>
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<b style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #3d85c6; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">At the Conference</span></b></h2>
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<b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Backchannel</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember how I told you Twitter was going to be important? This is why. A conference backchannel is essentially a real-time collection of all the social media comments and conversations about the event. The backchannel often includes summaries of conference talks, attendee conversations and reactions, links, and even photos and video, all of which make it a wealth of information. It’s also a fantastic way to meet new people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">So how do you tap in to the backchannel? Do a search in Twitter for the hashtag and you can see what people have been saying and sharing about the conference. Want to add to the backchannel yourself? Just remember to always include the conference hashtag in every tweet you want to share.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="border: 0px; color: #444444; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Note:</b><span style="color: #444444;"> Can’t attend the conference in person? You can still enjoy the conference from afar via the backchannel.</span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Keep fed and watered</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">In the midst of all this excitement it’s very easy to forget your basic needs. Of course, do that during a conference and you’ll eventually be hit with a massive wave of exhaustion right in the middle of the event. Plus, hotel air in Vegas is dry and smoky, so it's absurdly easy to get dehydrated and dragged out. Take care of yourself and remember to stop by the free refreshments tables provided by the conference. Visit them often!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3d85c6; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">After the Conference</span></b></h2>
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Look for opportunities to save on the conference next year</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">Did you know that a paid membership to the organization that puts on a conference can sometimes get you a big discount on entry? It's true. For instance, if you have a paid eLearning Guild membership, you get a decent discount on all their conferences. If you're planning on attending just a single conference this discount can sometimes pay for your membership fees AND still save you a chunk of change. On top of that, you get all the benefits of membership for the rest of the year too. Can't complain about that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Note:</b> Guess what? For some conferences you can chain this member discount on top of early bird discounts. Hooray for additional savings!</span></div>
Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-37169847424326495632015-07-28T20:58:00.003-04:002015-07-28T20:58:37.111-04:00Podcasts that can make you a better instructional designerYou know how when you're early in your career you'll be willing to do just about anything to get your foot in the door? Well, that's how it was for me and my first full-time instructional design role... and the "anything" in this case was a repulsively long commute in bumper-to-bumper traffic every day.<br />
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I won't lie, the hours in the car were all sorts of stressful and unpleasant, but there was one plus side to it: I finally started listening to podcasts. Sure, before this job I had understood that podcasts were a thing and had even poked at them with a stick once or twice, but I hadn't really bonded with any. Hours and hours in the car, though, gave me a great excuse to try out a bunch and finally find some I loved.<br />
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The podcasts kept me entertained, but (and this is possibly because I skew towards non-fiction in my choices) they also taught me a lot about how to convey content in a fascinating way. It might seem like an unusual source of inspiration, but they definitely influenced the way I design training. If you haven't gotten into podcasts or if you're looking for some new ones to try out, here are the ones that I've found have helped me out the most as an ID.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Podcast: <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/" target="_blank">99% Invisible</a></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Listen to it to learn how to: </b>make ANY content interesting, leverage storytelling to convey information, get excited about design</span><br />
That this podcast on the design of everyday things is my all-time favourite should surprise nobody at all (a big thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/marklearns" target="_blank">@marklearns</a> for suggesting I try this one out)! The topics of each episode can range from things as bizarre as <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/pdx-carpet/" target="_blank">the carpet in the Portland airport</a>, <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/u-t-b-a-p-h/" target="_blank">buildings that started out as Pizza Huts</a>, or <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/inflatable-men/" target="_blank">those strange "dancing" inflatable creatures you sometimes see at car dealerships</a>, but when it comes to the content it's always solidly based in finding the fascinating story behind a design. This podcast has given me a lot of ideas of how to use storytelling to make my content more interesting, but it's also been helpful just as a simple boost to my creativity levels.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Podcast: <a href="http://shows.howstuffworks.com/" target="_blank">Stuff</a> series</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Listen to it to learn how to:</b> talk about content in a way that's exciting to your audience, explain concepts in a simple way that newbies can wrap their heads around (without making them feel you're dumbing it down too much), make things interesting that could easily be boring </span><br />
This is actually a family of podcasts from the <a href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/" target="_blank">How Stuff Works </a>website. Each series covers a specific subject (like history, tech, and science), but is structured basically the same way: the (usually two) podcast hosts use each episode to get you up-to-speed on one specific topic. In the hands of a lot of people, this could end up being a snoozefest of a content dump, but the Stuff hosts are amazing at talking about content in a conversational, chatty way that makes you feel like a friend is catching you up on a topic over coffee. They're also generally quite good at pacing the content for the audience (you won't find it goes over your head <i>or</i> is too easy) and knowing what they can leave out to make things go faster. It's been a great inspiration for how to write training content that's effective and interesting.<br />
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Which one should you start with? While I personally have a soft spot for <a href="http://www.stufftoblowyourmind.com/" target="_blank">Stuff To Blow Your Mind</a> because once they used Katamari Damacy to explain accretion, you're pretty safe just looking for the show topic you like best and starting there.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Podcast: <a href="http://snapjudgment.org/" target="_blank">Snap Judgment</a></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Listen to it to learn how to:</b> talk about content in a way that's exciting to your audience, leverage storytelling to convey information, explain your content concisely </span><br />
There is one simple thing that links all the content in this podcast together: great storytelling. Every episode has a loose theme, like <a href="http://snapjudgment.org/unrequited" target="_blank">Unrequited</a> (the opening story of this ep is a personal fav), <a href="http://snapjudgment.org/return" target="_blank">The Return</a>, and <a href="http://snapjudgment.org/The-B-Team" target="_blank">The B-Team</a>, and features a collection of stories, often non-fiction, from a variety of speakers that all in one way or another connect back to that theme. The storytelling in this podcast is some of the best you'll find and you'll be astounded at just how much ground they can cover in just a few minutes. I think storytelling is one of the most important parts of the work we do, so I love this podcast as a source for a wide variety of examples of how to do this right.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Podcast: <a href="http://commonplacebooks.com/" target="_blank">Welcome to Night Vale</a></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Listen to it to learn how to:</b> design for your audience, think about the long game of conveying information, putting fun in your content </span><br />
If you know anything about podcasts then you've probably already heard about this one. Night Vale is one of the most downloaded podcasts these days, which you wouldn't really expect from a show that's pretty much Lake Wobegone by way of The X-Files (with a healthy dash of Eureka in there for flavour). So it's really entertaining if that's your cup of tea (note: it is <i>totally</i> my cup of tea), but what does a silly and bizarre show like this have to tell you about creating great training? Plenty.<br />
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First, Night Vale knows who its audience is and is written in a way that appeals to that group. Because of this it's not the kind of show that's right for everyone, and it's better because of that. It's a perfect example of how much more effective something can be when it targets a specific audience. Also, it does a great job of long game storytelling. It plants threads of stories here and there for episode after episode, and sometimes these threads don't pay off for months... but when they do it's so much fun to see how everything eventually comes together. This is a great technique to use to make your simulations feel more real or to help content spread over a lot of lessons feel like it's meaningfully connected. Plus, Night Vale is an excellent reminder that humor is a great way to catch and keep attention (writers of dry technical or legal training: take note!).<br />
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So those are my four favorites of the moment, but I'd love to hear more about the podcasts <i>you</i> find inspire your work (or just inspire you to think your commute is a bit more bearable). Be sure to put your favs in the comments below!Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-42612242662190258232015-03-24T22:46:00.003-04:002015-03-24T22:46:40.715-04:00Some things I'd suggest you bring along each day to a L&D conferenceNow that I've been to quite a few conferences, I'm starting to get a good handle on what I like dragging around with me each day. <br />
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Curious about what I think is worth the trouble to keep on you? Check out this video:<br />
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So I'm curious... what are your conference best bets?Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-38907659339364513932015-03-24T22:35:00.001-04:002015-03-24T22:47:54.225-04:00Learning Solutions 2015 - What I'm going to try to live tweet!It's the night before one of the most fun events of the year (and one that's happily NOT in Vegas): Learning Solutions! <br />
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I just had an amusing day of playing absurd pirate mini golf with my work siblings, AKA: two of my awesome co-workers, and my mom. It should surprise no one that none of us are going to ditch L&D for a professional mini-golf career, but we had a great time in spite of our lack of athletic ability. <br />
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Now I'm just settling in, getting excited about my schedule, and thinking about the sessions I'm going to see. Once again, I'm going to try and live tweet this thing, and here's my intended schedule for the next three days. It may change a little bit here and there, but this is at least what I expect I'll be live tweeting each day:<br />
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<b>Wednesday</b><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>8:30-10:00 AM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=6066" target="_blank">Keynote - Return on imagination</a></b></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">Speaker:</span></strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Tom Wujec</i></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">10:45-11:45 AM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=6295" target="_blank">Featured session: </a></span></b><b><a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=6295" target="_blank">Bridging the gender gap</a></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speakers: </b></span><i>Jennifer Hofmann, Mark Lassoff, Megan Torrance, and David Kelly</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1:00-2:00 PM - </b></span><b><a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=346&fromselection=doc.3599&from=sessionslist&session=6147" target="_blank">I know it's ugly, but I can't tell you why: Fixing common design mistakes</a></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Bianca Woods</i></span><br />
Oh look... it's my own session! Yeah... I somehow suspect I won't be live tweeting this one.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>2:30-3:30 PM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=346&fromselection=doc.3599&from=sessionslist&session=6158" target="_blank">The second-screen experience: Designing a paperless classroom</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Andrew Vecchiarelli</i></span><br />
Andrew is one of the awesome co-workers I mentioned earlier and you should totally go to his session. Also, I've seen his content and it is GOOD!<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>4:00-5:00 PM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=346&fromselection=doc.3599&from=sessionslist&session=6175" target="_blank">Interactive video for training: Secrets of success</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speakers: </b><i>Cass Sapir and Ty Marbut</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i></i><b> </b></span><br />
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<b>Thursday</b><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>8:30-10:00 AM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=6067" target="_blank">Keynote- The future of learning at work</a></b></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">Speaker: </span></strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Michael Furdyk</i></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">10:45-11:45 AM - </span></b><b><a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=346&fromselection=doc.3599&from=sessionslist&session=6183" target="_blank">Training hacks to improve your practice</a></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span><i>David Glow</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1:00-2:00 PM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=346&fromselection=doc.3599&from=sessionslist&session=6195" target="_blank">Serious game secrets: What, why, where, who cares?</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Andrew Hughes</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>2:30-3:30 PM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=346&fromselection=doc.3599&from=sessionslist&session=6212" target="_blank">Free and low-cost eLearning tools you should know!</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Joe Ganci</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>3:45-4:45 PM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=346&fromselection=doc.3599&from=sessionslist&session=6226" target="_blank">BYOL: Project paramedic: Tools and resources to resuscitate your projects</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Coline Son Lee</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>4:45-6:45 PM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/content/3617/learning-solutions-2015-conference--expo--ls-demofest/" target="_blank">LS DemoFest</a></b></span><br />
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<b>Friday</b><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>8:30-9:30 AM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=346&fromselection=doc.3599&from=sessionslist&session=6239" target="_blank">BYOL: Video 101 - Creating captivating videos on a budget</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">Speakers:</span> </strong></span><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Amanda Mahoney and Stacy Bodenner</span></i><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">10:00-11:00 AM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/sessions/session-details.cfm?event=346&fromselection=doc.3599&from=sessionslist&session=6251" target="_blank">BYOL: Video 102 - Building your intermediate video skills</a></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speakers: </b><i>Amanda Mahoney and Stacy Bodenner</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>11:15 AM-12:30 PM - <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/sessions/session-details.cfm?session=6068" target="_blank">Keynote: Design thinking to enhance learning</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Juliette LaMontagne</i></span><br />
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Hope to see you there, either in-person or on the backchannel!Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-53915090227286824772015-03-10T14:49:00.002-04:002015-03-24T22:48:45.485-04:00E-Learning Heroes Design Challenge #73 (AKA: I'm so very sorry...)<div class="page__title">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay, so this week the E-Learning Heroes design challenge was something that had practically been written for me: "Design a Cover Slide for the Oddest E-Learning Course Title of the Year" (you can read all about it <a href="https://community.articulate.com/articles/oddest-elearning-title-of-the-year" target="_blank">here</a>). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I love ridiculous things like this, so I got excited and started contemplating ideas... and almost immediately a terrible, horrible idea came to mind. A topic that technically someone might have to really make eLearning about... but not any eLearning I'd want to take, that's for sure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was an evil idea, but once it got in my head I realized I'd have to make it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQq8wg3x_NRdr01ozHn8laCpYMvgZsVEFNv1YIg5tnRmPW83gwWTjKMRFu9rD5sPGNLi2aIWsFiM40xUuPnyUF0qdZpxr4tlxy9Njob8xM-Vf-AjVvGTNx_UQnBZKJod1KOSdNqYU2M0/s1600/Design+Challenge+73.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQq8wg3x_NRdr01ozHn8laCpYMvgZsVEFNv1YIg5tnRmPW83gwWTjKMRFu9rD5sPGNLi2aIWsFiM40xUuPnyUF0qdZpxr4tlxy9Njob8xM-Vf-AjVvGTNx_UQnBZKJod1KOSdNqYU2M0/s1600/Design+Challenge+73.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ewwwwwwwwwwww!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Side note:</i> If you don't know what a cloaca is, go and Google it now. Warning: it is something you can <b>never</b> unlearn.</span></div>
Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-11947321426277058582015-01-19T10:45:00.000-05:002015-03-24T22:48:18.208-04:00TechKnowledge 2015 - VideosAs most of you know, I experimented with doing videos this TechKnowledge instead of blog posts. You can find the collection of day reviews (and one bit of silly bonus content) here:<br />
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<b>Day 1</b><br />
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<b>Day 2</b><br />
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<b>Day 3</b><br />
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<b>Bonus content!!! Chatty Dolphin</b><br />
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So what did I think of making videos instead of blog posts? Well, once I got over the weirdness of having to watch myself on camera, I was pretty happy with the results. The blog posts I used to write were more in-depth, but often took hours to produce, and this time commitment meant I usually skimped on sleep throughout the conference. Not ideal, that's for sure. Doing videos, on the other hand, was much less time intensive (although, admittedly, also had less depth of content).<br />
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As far as I'm concerned it was a good experiment, and one I'm likely going to do again at Learning Solutions in March. I'd love to get your feedback on what about the videos you liked, what could use a bit of tweaking, and what content you wish I'd added or skipped. Thanks in advance!Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-45432129600907118612015-01-15T01:05:00.000-05:002015-01-15T01:06:20.110-05:00TechKnowledge 2015 - Day 1It's the end of Day 1 at TechKnowledge, and I thought I'd try something a bit different for my wrapup post: a video!<br />
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Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-29284219327063355992015-01-13T10:33:00.001-05:002015-01-13T10:36:39.571-05:00TechKnowledge 2015 - Plans and suchIt's January, so you know what that means: I'm on my way to ATD TechKnowledge (quite literally, as I'm typing this at the airport while I wait for my flight)! Once again I'll be there for the full three days of the main conference and will be trying to cover as much as I can through live tweeting and blogging. I'm also considering experimenting with recording a few videos... well, if the wi-fi upload speeds at my hotel decide to accommodate that. We'll cross our fingers for that one. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I'm still not sure of the exact sessions I'll be livetweeting, but I'll definitely be covering the keynotes at the very least.</span><br />
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I'm also happy to be involved with two events at TechKnowledge this year:</div>
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<b><a href="http://astdtk15.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=192" target="_blank">1) E-Learning Checkup - Wednesday from 1:30-2:30pm</a></b></div>
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So this is a nifty event for this year. If you have an eLearning course that you'd love someone else's feedback on, you can bring it to this session and get 15 minutes of expert feedback, including tips and suggestions for making your course even more awesome. As weird as I feel about calling myself an "expert", I'm really excited about having the opportunity to chat with people about their courses, and I'm looking forward to seeing what cool things everyone is creating. While I'm happy to talk about anything related to eLearning, I'm probably most useful to you if you want to come up with some new ideas for graphic design, storytelling, simulations, and/or user-focused design.</div>
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<b><a href="http://astdtk15.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=25" target="_blank">2) Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Simulations I Learned From Video Games - Thursday from 10:30-11:45am</a></b></div>
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Hooray! I get to talk about video games and training simulations for more than an hour! Video games and simulations have a lot in common, both from a player perspective as well as a development one. In this session I'm going to chat about what years of gaming, as well as research in to how video games are developed, have taught me about how to write and build more effective (and more enjoyable) sims for training. Whether you create process-oriented sims, like software training, or soft-skills ones, such as coaching simulations, I'll have a bunch of practical tips for you that you can use immediately. Plus, I'm going to share some recommendations for specific video games that can teach you more about creating fantastic sims. Yup... you can justify playing games as professional development!</div>
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On a tech nerd note, this will be my first conference experimenting with using an iPad Mini & keyboard instead of my usual full-sized iPad set up. I'll likely post about the difference and how I feel about the MUCH smaller keyboard once the conference is over. So far, though, the biggest difference I've noticed is just how much lighter this setup is!</div>
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If you're at the conference, I'm looking forward to seeing you there! If not, see you on the backchannel. :)</div>
Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-67308495587038583752014-10-29T01:26:00.001-04:002014-10-29T02:10:19.998-04:00DevLearn 2014 - Day 0Why look at that... I'm acually here at DevLearn!<div><br></div><div>Today wasn't a full DevLearn day for me... acttually, a lot of today was spent in transit. But there are a few highlights of the day I thought I'd share before I crash into an exhauted, jet-lagged pile and fall asleep (only to more than likely automatically wake up at my normal Toronto wakeup time with my luck):</div><div><br></div><div><b>New Hotel</b></div><div>So DevLearn changed hotels this year, from the Aria to the Bellagio. I hate to say it, but I'm not enamoured with the Bellagio. As much as I love the hotel fountains (seriously, they are worth the hype), the rest of this place isn't that impressive. I mean, it's still nice, don't get me wrong, but it's not Aria-nice. It feels older, the rooms aren't as slick, and honestly it feels a bit overpriced for what you get. That said, even a so-so Vegas hotel is still lovely.</div><div><br></div><div><b>xAPI Hyperdrive</b></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This was a cool 3-hour event/competition that debuted at DevLearn this year. The basic setup was a single stage and projection screen, a large number of speakers, and a panel of judges. Unfortunately I missed the first few minutes of it (and likely the introduction), but my understanding was that speakers were each given 5 minutes to talk about an innovative xAPI project they were working on and highlight what about it it particular was spiffy. The panel of judges then had a chance to ask a few quick questions to find out more about the project. This sort of quick burst "elevator speech" approach honestly reminded me a great deal of DemoFest, only with each person taking a turn rather than all the presentations going on at once. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I thought the idea of this event was great. Because of the fast-paced format, I got to learn so much about so many different ways companies have used xAPI, from sales training to increasing engagement at a children's museum. That said, you could see that many of the speakers were struggling with the limit of how to talk about their project in 5 minutes (and make it shine to boot). I wonder if a set of coaching resources for these speakers on how to quickly summarize the key aspects of a project in such a short time frame (and how to weave in storytelling techniques to make their presentation come alive) would have helped? </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Regardless, I was happy to see a new and innovative event at DevLearn.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>In case you're curious, here are some quick notes I took about the multitude of xAPI projects that we saw at this event:</span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-Training new teachers<br>-Preparing volunteers to do work in Haiti<br>-Intersystem data sharing in military training (to prevent silos in training and simulations)<br>-xAPI-based scavenger hunt for training. xAPI reports data on people interacting with points (qr codes) in the scavenger hunt<br>-Using a portal and app version of sales onboarding training leveraging xAPI to connect both. Content could be accessed offline and SCORM content was enclosed in an xAPI wrapper to upscale it<br>-Use xAPI to better track data and measure competencies with more precision (levelling up like character stats in RPGs)<br>-Creating a backbone platform to link system of record, content (including informal learning), and distribution<br>-Creating community-based collaborative learning environment with peer-to-peer information sharing<br>-Game-based approach to teaching management concepts. Mobile first... Casual, quick game<br>-Increasing children's museum engagement using RFID tags imbedded in a badge. Taggs interact with exhibits. Also gives museum data about how kids interact with the museum</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Lobsicle</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's not a trip to Vegas if I don't go do something weird, and THIS time I had a bunch of coworkers with me who were along for the ride! Our first "only in Vegas" adventure was the much talked about Lobsicle from Lobster Me: essentially a lobster tail on a stick (don't worry, it's piping hot, not frozen). It's a hilarious source of nutrients, and I managed to convince SEVERAL coworkers to snack on a lobsicle today. Here's my proof:</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6SWEnuT7Xr_CTtWP3ZPyy2FedJYdDYWm6EfeNSgEQI6_3l-On-IMIyfdubgUULNLXg335n3evG3jhBZFZOpuMvR0NyWOZe2cSHXc8lHpuXpp_Re8tegi9JK2OZsRfFVJeLUPlRzrY8A/s640/blogger-image--1034727593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6SWEnuT7Xr_CTtWP3ZPyy2FedJYdDYWm6EfeNSgEQI6_3l-On-IMIyfdubgUULNLXg335n3evG3jhBZFZOpuMvR0NyWOZe2cSHXc8lHpuXpp_Re8tegi9JK2OZsRfFVJeLUPlRzrY8A/s640/blogger-image--1034727593.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">No one was brave enough to get the battered and deep fried version, not even me, but it was still a strage and wonderful Vegas experience.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Tomorrow</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tomorrow is the first day of the main DevLearn event, and also my first day hosting the eLearning Tools learning stage (</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">http://www.elearningguild.com/DevLearn/content/3441/devlearn-2014-conference--expo--learning-stages--elearning-tools)</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">. I'm really exicted about the speakers we'll have there this week, so definitely stop by tomorrow if you have a chance. Also, I may be a shy extrovert, but I'd love to say hi to any of you (look for the girl with the pink streaked hair and chances are it'll be me). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On a related note, I may have (repeatedly) bragged today about conquering the other learning stages by brute force, so if anyone wants to join my noble cause and fight the good fight, I'm looking for recruits for my invasion forces. ;) *laugh*</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Also, let's not forget the reason most of us are EXTRA giddy about this year's DevLearn: Neil deGrasse Tyson!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div>Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-52055531279471826232014-10-27T22:47:00.002-04:002014-10-27T22:47:35.839-04:00Where am I going to be: DevLearn 2014 edition!Yes, it's that time of year again. Time for what I'd call the Comic-Con for us learning tech nerds: DevLearn!<br />
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If you've ever read my blog or followed me on Twitter you likely have a pretty good idea of how I feel about this event (CliffsNotes version: I adore it). You're also likely used to me live tweeting practically the entire thing. Unfortunately, this year is going to be a bit different. Fortunately, it's for a really good reason.<br />
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I'm happy to say that this year I'll be hosting one of the three Learning Stages at DevLearn (the eLearning Tools stage, to be exact). We've got a bunch of amazing presenters at the stage on Wednesday and Thursday... seriously, you should <a href="http://www.elearningguild.com/DevLearn/content/3441/devlearn-2014-conference--expo--learning-stages--elearning-tools/" target="_blank">click this link and check them out</a>. You should also pop by the stage and say hi. if you're at the conference.<br />
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Hosting a stage has a number of responsibilities, though, and I'm not sure I'll be able to balance them AND live tweet at the same time. So I'm going to be upfront and not commit to tweeting non-stop about those sessions (I'll definitely share highlights though).<br />
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That said, I <b>am</b> planning on live tweeting the parts of the conference where I'm not hosting a stage, which means you can expect me to cover the keynotes and Friday sessions. I'm also still planning on doing my end-of-day wrap up posts where I'll cover the most exciting things I saw each day.<br />
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If you're hoping to get <b>even more </b>live tweeting coverage, my lovely and brilliant coworkers <a href="https://twitter.com/erbvillage" target="_blank">@erbvillage</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jsteeveslepage" target="_blank">@jsteeveslepage</a> are planning on some DevLearn live tweet coverage of their own, so you might want to check out their feeds. You should also check them out because they're awesome people (note: I may be extremely biased in my evaluation of them, but you should still follow them anyway).<br />
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And with that, I'll leave you with a picture of the scariest thing I've ever witnessed in Vegas...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNa_C5n-gCYWSXc0uB9AlBZJ3nuUyiGIkVrouY1lK2Wevfd6R9fbsF_Jb5tN06KVo25euXc8wfq1QNaYgWpVL5fdDw42Y-qYOFf0hun7TM7_yg1IZpepmBWQUcFO-CzMxKfWegPF7TA4/s1600/IMG_2877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNa_C5n-gCYWSXc0uB9AlBZJ3nuUyiGIkVrouY1lK2Wevfd6R9fbsF_Jb5tN06KVo25euXc8wfq1QNaYgWpVL5fdDw42Y-qYOFf0hun7TM7_yg1IZpepmBWQUcFO-CzMxKfWegPF7TA4/s1600/IMG_2877.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You are WELCOME!</td></tr>
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<br />See you at DevLearn tomorrow!<br /><br />
<br />Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-79879794842989890262014-07-06T19:20:00.001-04:002014-07-25T14:38:36.539-04:00This is why we tweetSo the other week an article started making it's way around Twitter that listed out all the reasons people shouldn't live tweet during presentations. If you haven't already seen it, go check out <a href="http://www.smartmeetings.com/meeting-and-event-planning-news/2014/04/25/5-reasons-you-shouldnt-tweet-during-presentations-really/" target="_blank">this link</a>. It's a short read and I'll be here when you get back.<br>
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Now, obviously I'm someone who's pretty invested in livetweeting events, but I decided to go in to the article with an open mind anyway because there's always room to revise your thoughts about something, right? But the more I read of it, the more I felt like it was written entirely from the perspective of someone who just didn't understand the mindset of the average livetweeter I've met. I felt the author's heart was in the right place, but the experience of livetweeting was so alien to him that he ended up misinterpreting people's intentions.<br>
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It's not about wanting to prove we're smart, or having a distraction, or feeling disengaged with the speaker. It's something else entirely, and something I think has real value, both for those of us who tweet and the people in our online community. And so, I thought it might be worth the time to sum up some of the reasons people like me live tweet.<br>
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<b>If you get the hang of it, it can lead to some of the very best notes you've ever taken</b><br>
No matter how fascinating a talk is, there's no way an audience member can remember every detail from a talk. This is why most of us took notes in school... so we could review and remember the main points later. This is also why a lot of us livetweet. It's notes you can review later, only they happen to be shareable notes that others can view almost immediately after you write them down. Also, because you're often writing notes for an audience who isn't there (more on that in a bit) it means that you have to take exceptionally good notes so they'll understand what's going on. It actually trains you to make more precise notes than you'd have made if they were just for you.<br>
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Sure, I know that when I livetweet I'm taking a bit of a hit to my attention by trying to do two things at once, but I more than make up for it in reviewing my tweets later. In fact, I find that I have a much better time retaining information I learned from talks I livetweet than talks I just sit and passively listen to.<br>
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<b>The backchannel adds depth to the talk</b><br>
The article claims you can't possible be engaged with a speaker <i>and</i> the backchannel tweets about the talk. Yeah... we're going to have to agree to disagree on that one. If you're very comfortable with your tech it's actually possible for some people, particularly if they're also speed readers and fast typists, to pull this off. If you're one of those people, then the backchannel is an amazing resource to tap into. You'll find content you missed tweeting, questions and comments about the talk, and even related information and links that people share with the group.<br>
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These individual tweets and conversations add layers to the content of the talk, letting you explore it, question it, and connect it to other information in ways you never could have on your own. The backchannel is like a shared knowledge pool where everyone adds their own insights and thoughts to make something even greater than just the talk itself. And because it's all on Twitter you can check it out in the moment, revisit it again later, or even collect that knowledge in something else like a blog post or <a href="https://storify.com/" target="_blank">Storify</a>.<br>
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<b>It challenges you to make content connections fast</b><br>
Getting good at livetweeting usually means pushing yourself not to just repeat what's being said, but to add your own thoughts and make links to information you've learn previously, all at an incredibly fast pace. This can be overwhelming at first, but once you get used to it it's like giving your brain a workout for critical thinking. I don't think it ever stops being exhausting, but it does make you a faster thinker over time.<br>
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<b>We gain a community to talk about the content with</b><br>
You can learn a lot from listening to a session, but what can make the content even stickier is talking about it with others. Interacting with the backchannel while livetweeting helps you do this, both during the session (and yes, I do think you can learn to do this and still give attention to the speaker) and afterwards. The conversation during the session is great, particularly when the topic at hand is contentious or tricky to get a hold of, but it's actually the continued conversation afterwards that I find even more useful. Speakers often don't see it, but people in the Twitter backchannel often talk about content from a talk long after it's over. And that's a great way for that information to actually stick.<br>
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It's not always just for us</b><div>It's nice when you can go to a conference just to satisfy your own curiosity and professional development. For a lot of people, though, that's not a luxury they have. They've been sent as a team or company representative, and livetweeting the event so that their coworkers can basically attend the conference remotely is the means by which they can convince their employeers to send them to a conference in the first place. Without it, they might not even be in the room right now.</div><div><br></div><div>That said, there are non-financial reasons we want to share too. Many times I've gone to conferences that friends and aquaintences would love to go to, but can't. When I livetweet a session they're interested in that helps them get some of the information they missed by not being there, and that's a kind thing to do for other people.<br>
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Sometimes we're just nerds who love sharing</b></div><div>This one is particularly true in my industry, because you usually don't go into L&D if there's not some part of you that gets excited about being able to share information with others. For some people, getting to geek out on Twitter about a session they're enjoying is part of the fun of the experience. It brings us joy to be able to share the cool things we're learning with other people, and I think that's an instinct we should be trying to encourage, not stamp out.</div><div><br></div><div>____________________________________________________</div><div><br></div><div>So those are some of the reasons I'm so passionate about the value of livetweeting. I know it's not the right kind of experience for everyone, and I'm sure there are just as many people who would find it disracting as there are people like me who find it enjoyable. But all and all I'm glad that it's something people have started doing, and I hope that this blog post is able to explain why some of us love it so much.</div><div><br></div><div>Are there any reasons you love livetweeting that I missed? Have any questions about livetweeting that I didn't address? Let me know in the comments.</div>Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-73230240778308400982014-05-11T21:46:00.001-04:002014-05-11T21:46:04.271-04:00ASTD ICE - Day 3Ah, the final day of the conference... well, for me anyway. I had to leave a day early unfortunately, but at least I was able to keep up with some of the sessions I missed via other attendees and their livetweeting. All hail Twitter, allower of distance conference attendance!<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1) <a href="http://www.astdconference.org/index.cfm?do=cnt.page&pg=2018&a=1" target="_blank">Keynote: General Stan McChrystal</a></b></span><br />
Tying in to the conference theme of change, McChrystal talked about the vital need to adapt. As an example, he pointed to a famous plane crash that happened despite great flying conditions, a functional airplane, lots of safety equipment, and a competent crew.<br />
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This seems like the least likely set up for a tragic plane crash story, and yet the crash happened anyway. Why, you might ask? Because of a combination of too many new and complex safety features (which caused confusion) and insufficient crew communication skills (which made the confusion even worse). Things changed with how the plane functioned and how the crew needed to work together, the crew hadn't adapted to this change, and a sad, but likely preventable, crash happened as a result.<br />
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So what does this mean to us? The rate of change has accelerated, which makes it hard for us to keep up, but all the more important for us to learn how to adapt to. Unfortunately, we have an adaptability gap... a big difference between how much we're <i>currently</i> adapting and how much we actually <i>need</i> to adapt. But McChrystal says there are three key ways to learn to bridge that gap, so we can learn to adapt at the speed life is actually moving and learn from the experience.<br />
<br />
The first part of this bridge is avoiding predictive hubris. Predictive hubris is the feeling that you can always use the same rules over and over to predict what's going to happen. In the rapidly changing world McChrystal described, though, often the rules we think we know can suddenly get shifted, or even thrown out the window entirely. What we need to do is give people the ability to quickly move with this change and figure out what the new rules of the game are, all without having to depend on someone else to tell them what do do.<br />
<br />
In the case of the air crash I mentioned earlier, after it happened airlines realized they needed to become more adaptable. To do this, crews were trained on adaptability, situational awareness, and flexibility so they could become better at dealing with unexpected situations. And do you know what happened as a result? Airline safety skyrocketed.<br />
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The second part is shared consciousness. Sure, rapid change is tricky, but if you build bonds of trust and common purpose in your teams, that shared pool of knowledge can do amazing things and adapt quickly. That trust and knowledge can make it easier to understand how each person in the team needs to react when change happens, which makes it smoother and faster for the overall team to change.<br />
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The final piece is empowered execution. Teams where people feel micromanaged and/or unable to affect change end up being unable to adapt effectively. Empowering execution gives people the ability to do things themselves and to take ownership of their work. That means they'll be more likely to directly point out (and even fix) issues they see and be emotionally invested in the work, both of which lead to better results.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">2) <a href="http://astd14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=11AA" target="_blank">Build Your Company Tribe: Engaging Employees Through Online Collaboration</a></span></b><b></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Andi Campbell</i></span><i></i></span><br />
This session was a case study on how LAZ Parking, a company that specializes in parking lots, leveraged an internal social network for training and collaboration.<br />
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LAZ Parking wanted to encourage employees to collaborate and feel connected to each other. That said, with 7800 employees working at 1900 locations across 24 states, sharing between employees was more than a bit tricky. Sure, in-person collaboration was limited, but LAZ Parking realized that there was another option: an internal social network.<br />
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In doing some initial analysis of this idea, LAZ Parking realized they had not one, but two ideal target markets for a social network: all employees (for general sharing) and participants in their management training program (for more specialized sharing). And so, rather than try and make one social network try and be all things to all people, they instead set up two separate networks: one for each target audience.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-Y1cy_9iIdwJcyTGgLNc85qBI_hCWOUiEMzmoDEGsm1dMvmpjXI_IlPvIzZDQuWNhFD96TB_yNQVcCq3-sXJIvUpM1DhIzwosMsnR7hYDW_F74detrHR5g8NGAxYdpcIgWvEjOSHYOs/s1600/LAZ+Parking+site.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-Y1cy_9iIdwJcyTGgLNc85qBI_hCWOUiEMzmoDEGsm1dMvmpjXI_IlPvIzZDQuWNhFD96TB_yNQVcCq3-sXJIvUpM1DhIzwosMsnR7hYDW_F74detrHR5g8NGAxYdpcIgWvEjOSHYOs/s1600/LAZ+Parking+site.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a peek at one of the social sites they created</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Both networks functioned relatively the same way. Like a simplified Facebook, they showed posts in a reverse chronological order, and let people share status updates, photos, and other user-created content. The company-wide site focused on sharing community-building content, like team photos and events. The site for the manager training program, on the other hand, focused more on tying in to course assignments and discussions, allowing users to learn from each other. What was great is that because LAZ Parking smartly made two different social networks, neither one got diluted. Both were able to focus on their core goals, which helped them resonate with the people who used them.<br />
<br />
So, overall both sites were considered to be successes. But LAZ Parking is the first to say that social networks like this aren't a one-size-fits-all tool. They attributed much of their success to their company culture. They already had a positive work culture with a lot of trust, which made it much easier to get people to feel comfortable sharing with each other. I can't imagine this would have worked nearly as well in a toxic work environment. They also took their learners and corporate culture into account when designing how their social networks would function. A different audience might require a very different set up in order to work well in that workplace.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>3) <a href="http://astd14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=18AAC9" target="_blank">Sweet Caroline! A Super Set List for Sensational Learning Sessions!</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Rick Lozano</i></span><br />
So this was my last session of the conference and, with its high-energy and practical message, it was quite possibly the perfect way to end my time at ASTD ICE.<br />
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Like the stand up comedy session I saw the day before, this was another session that talked about what we in L&D can learn from another set of professionals. In this case, the title tells you all you need to know about what other career we'd be learning from: professional musicians. Here are the main points of the session, in handy dandy photo format!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3DNd1UT9AWlknpmQWnX35FgjyAZcC8h7WBg76hhkUPifioy9gGUq6LvaddzgLqIamZzA2o0gKmN93I-PqOLXRpUfQfh-8N1Lsm9E92mxeTUqay9zXYdvutMpDNwvVrE4lvS7FbUDHZg/s1600/SweetCaroline2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3DNd1UT9AWlknpmQWnX35FgjyAZcC8h7WBg76hhkUPifioy9gGUq6LvaddzgLqIamZzA2o0gKmN93I-PqOLXRpUfQfh-8N1Lsm9E92mxeTUqay9zXYdvutMpDNwvVrE4lvS7FbUDHZg/s1600/SweetCaroline2.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I *could* recap his main points, but this is even better: the recap Lozano made himself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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While I quite enjoyed the entire session, there was one point Lozano made that really stuck with me: that it's so important to find ways to connect the things we're passionate about <i>outside</i> of L&D to the work we do <i>inside</i> of L&D. Sure, it would have been easy for Lozano to keep his music life separate from his work life. I mean, it's not immediately apparent how they connect and that's definitely the approach many people take to their work life and their personal life. But no, he made the intuitive leap that helped him see how the skills he built as a musician and performer could actually complement and enhance his abilities as a trainer and facilitator. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When you can find ways to leverage one skill to improve another, that makes your work stronger. But when you can also find ways to combine two things that you love, and to not have to live as though your passions are completely separate, that does even more. It means you don't have to pretend that your life is segmented off into completely unconnected portions, and you can instead work in a way that's authentic to everything you care about. That's some pretty powerful stuff when it comes to helping you feel excited about the work you do everyday.</div>
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Sure, not everyone is a professional musician, so we're not all going to pull our inspiration from our work onstage, but we <i>all</i> have things we care about outside of work that, when you do a bit of digging, can actually connect to our work in L&D. Maybe you're passionate about coaching your kid's sports team, and you leverage that to help you lead projects at work. Perhaps you enjoy scrapbooking, so you use the layout skills you learned from that to create beautiful and effective PowerPoint presentations and class materials. Maybe you're like me and you've found a way to turn your nerdy love of gadgets and software into a role where you show others the ways tech can help make training more effective. Where ever your passions are, find a way to tap into them to fuel your work and your passion about that work.</div>
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<br />
And with that came the end to my time at ASTD ICE. I was sad to have missed the last day of the conference, but at least I got to see the Twitter backchannel coverage of the rebranding announcement while I waited at the airport for my flight home. My thoughts on that? Well, other people have covered it with more historical perspective than I ever could (I quite liked <a href="http://davidkelly.me/2014/05/whats-name-plenty/" target="_blank">David Kelly's take on it</a>) but I will say this: this early on there's no way to really know what the what the long-term ramifications of the change will be. I, for one, am definitely interested in seeing what comes of it.Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-25961016357275480732014-05-07T20:45:00.000-04:002014-05-07T20:45:00.259-04:00ASTD ICE - Day 2Day 2 was a busy day for me. Not only was I all set to watch a bunch of sessions, but I was scheduled to give one of my own too. On top of that, I promised a co-worker that I would hit the Expo hall on her behalf. All and all, a good, but exhausting day.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1) <a href="http://www.astdconference.org/index.cfm?do=cnt.page&pg=2018&a=1" target="_blank">Keynote: Arianna Huffington</a></b></span><br />
Did <i>you</i> know that Arianna Huffington was funny? I sure didn't until this session. Always a nice surprise to find that out about a speaker, don't you think?<br />
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Anyway, the point of this session was how do deal with change and succeed in life in a healthy way. Huffington pointed out that society typically recognizes two measures of success: power and wealth. Trying to achieve those two, though, can come at a pretty pricy cost to ourselves though. Huffington saw this happen to her, when her drive to burn the candle at both ends actually caused her to pass out at her desk from exhaustion.<br />
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And so, she wondered if there might be a <i>third</i> way we could start to recognize success. One that wouldn't require us to work 24/7 until we burn out. And so, she proposed a new measure of success. One with the following four pillars:<br />
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<b>Well-Being</b><br />
Science falls pretty strongly on the side of "less sleep makes you more dumb," and yet so many workplaces push people to work as much as possible. Huffington compares this to encouraging people to come to work drunk. It's not safe and the work tired people make is not terribly dissimilar to the junk they'd crank out if they were hammered.<br />
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To do our very best work, we need to start by being very well rested. Make sure to get a full night's sleep, take time for naps, and for the love of god keep your smart phone away from where you sleep. Beyond catching some winks, you also need to rest your brain. Our world is full of input, and our attempts to multi-task often just leave our brains overworked. Take every opportunity to be in the moment and just concentrate on one thing at a time. You'll be surprised at how much less exhausted it makes you.<br />
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<b>Wisdom</b><br />
Wisdom isn't just knowing facts. It's being able to see the big picture, avoid obstacles, make intuitive jumps and create a vision for how things could be.<br />
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<b>Wonder</b><br />
Step back and just connect with the mystery of the universe. I think sometimes we take for granted just how spectacularly cool our world is. It's healthy and refreshing to tap back in to that wonder at everything around us that we had as a kid.<br />
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Personally, when I'm in need of a bit of a wonder jump start, I always watch<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EdaLfJjDuE&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank"> this video</a>. It really is my happy place sometimes.<br />
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<b>Giving</b><br />
You know what's cool? Research currently shows that giving time and/or money can give you the same boost in happiness as an increase in income. So we need to remember to make giving a priority. It's good for other people, and it's good for us too.<br />
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To wrap up, Huffington insisted that we all have a place of strength, peace, wisdom, and joy and it's time we live life connected to that place... time to choose to live life not with stress and burnout, but with compassion, creativity, and rest.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">2) <a href="http://astd14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=10A1&cm_mmc=Membership-_-ICE-Session-_-web-_-NotSet" target="_blank">Telling Your Story With Infographics</a></span></b><b></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Bianca Woods</i></span><i></i></span><br />
I had an awesome time facilitating this session, in large part due to a fantastic audience who was willing to participate (and ignore the occasional odd flickering of the room overhead lights). If you weren't able to make the session, you can still check out the in-depth <a href="http://biancawoods.weebly.com/infographics.html" target="_blank">session reference website</a> I created. It's got links to the tools and sites I talked about in my session (plus a few more I thought people would like), my PowerPoint deck, and all my speaking notes. Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>3) <a href="http://astd14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=18A1CC" target="_blank">Train Like a Rockstar: Speaking Tips From a Stand-Up Comedian</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Jeff Birk</i></span><br />
When you think about it, it's not surprising that presenting to a group and doing stand up have more than a bit in common. Sure, the content is different, but the set up is the same. In both cases you have an audience (in some cases, a hostile one) that is counting on you to keep their attention and tell them something they didn't already know. And so Birk, a professional comedian, decided to share his tips for leveraging the skills one needs in stand up to make you a successful presenter.<br />
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I should start by pointing out that Birk mentioned early on that this <i>didn't</i> mean that in order to learn from stand up you had to make your content funny. Some content just doesn't hit right if you make it into jokes. Make light of something like diversity or sexual harassment and you're likely to make your audience ticked off, not engaged. But there are other techniques comedians use that you can try out in even the m<span style="font-family: inherit;">ost serious of classes (and you can always pull out the jokes and light heartedness in the right occasions). Here are some of the key tips he mentioned:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li>Find a good balance between not being dull, but not being over the top either.</li>
<li>Don't make the session about you (the facilitator). Make it about the audience and the content.</li>
<li>Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse... especially your first 3 minutes of the presentation so you can be sure to start out solid.</li>
<li>Rehearse enough where your presentation is so second nature that you can actually riff and improv off it based on the room.</li>
<li>What can often work better than just straight humour? Mentioning something poignant that's strongly related to your topic.</li>
<li>Have trouble memorizing things? Use visualizing to connect images with what you need to say. Then recall that imaging when you need to present.</li>
<li>Use self-deprecating humour to connect to your audience.</li>
<li>Don't let intimidation get to you. Always remember that <i>you</i> are the expert! </li>
<li>There's a lot of power in memorizing at least a few audience member names and using them throughout the session. Repeat people's names to commit them to memory.</li>
<li>You've got to have a little ego as a presenter.</li>
<li>Nobody cares about your product or service: they care about what it means to THEM.</li>
<li>Use light banter, both before your session and at the beginning, to get people comfortable and friendly.</li>
<li>Be aware that if people are tuned out, it's not always because of you. You don't know what else is going on in their life that could make them not feel engaged at the moment.</li>
<li>Audience is unattentive? 1) Stop talking. 2) Light-heartedly call them on it. </li>
<li>Every great speaker still has quirks/tics. Have someone watch you speak and let you know about yours.</li>
<li>Know your audience so you can connect with them. Also remember that knowing your audience requires emotional and cultural intelligence. Not everyone reacts/converses/interprets everything the same way.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
Finally, Birk made a strong point that I think he did a great job of following in his own talk: use humour to make impact, but be careful not have it override what you're trying to teach.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>4) <a href="http://astd14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=1BACCA" target="_blank">Even a Duck Can Drown: The 6 Keys to Building Career Resilience</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Maureen Orey</i></span><br />
Did you know that ducklings aren't born able to float? It takes a bit of time for them to develop the skills they need to stay buoyant. In a similar vein, none of use are born magically able to be resilient. That's a skill that takes time to build too. And, from the stories I heard in the room about layoffs and job cuts, it's a skill that you'll want to hone fast.<br />
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So how do you go from an easy-to-drown newbie to a seasoned veteran whose career can stay afloat no matter what challenges they face? These 6 steps!<br />
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<b>Build a supportive network</b><br />
Staying connected to others, both in our industry and outside of it, will help you stay inspired... and also help you out when you have a problem. There were a lot of people in this session who mentioned how the power of a great network can help you find a new job rapidly, but it can also help you in smaller ways too, like fixing an issue on a project or hearing about a new tool or technique to try out. I adore my network so, no surprise, I just <i>maybe</i> <a href="http://www.astd.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/TD-Archive/2013/11/Building-Your-Own-PLN" target="_blank">have written about the value of a strong personal learning network in the past</a>.<br />
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<b>Develop new skills and resources</b><br />
You can't just do things the way you've always done them and expect to continue to succeed. Things change, and you need to change with them. Learn to adapt by developing new skills, being open to new ideas, identifying new resources, being flexible, and changing your mindset.<br />
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<b>Apply and practice your new skills daily</b></div>
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It's not just enough to learn new skills, you also need to use them on a regular basis or they'll atrophy. How can you do this? Make it a priority to practice your new skills, be proactive, take risks, believe in yourself, then REPEAT!</div>
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<b>Take care of your health</b></div>
<div>
This seemed to be a bit of the the theme of the day, now didn't it?! No surprise, though, because personal health is so vital to keeping us sharp and energized. Of course, this isn't just our physical health that we need to take care of, but our emotional health too. So take care of yourself (physically, emotionally, and financially), eat right, exercise, avoid toxic people, get rest, and stop any negative self-talk.</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Follow your instincts</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the one that, personally, I think a "your mileage may vary" warning needs to be applied. I agree that you need to push yourself outside your comfort zone and be brave enough to trust your instincts once and awhile. But don't do it to the point that you don't take logic and/or research into account too. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">As well, this ability to take a risk on a gut feeling requires having a certain amount of </span></span><span style="color: #292f33;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">privilege</span></span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, don't you think? For instance, someone with no nest egg and dependants has a lot less wiggle room to take big chances than a single person with a decent savings account.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, as always, don't let the mantra of "follow your instincts" feel like it gives you permission to violate <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/wheatons-law" target="_blank">Wheaton's Law</a>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Work hard and use grit</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa;"><span style="color: #292f33;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">tenacious</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and scrappy. Sometimes, let's be honest, life is kinda crummy. When things get hard, work even harder to keep them from getting you down.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<br />
But was that the end of Day 2 for me? Not a bit. I did what was one of my favourite things from the entire conference: I went out for dinner with a few other attendees and just chatted for the rest of the night over tasty food. Really, is there anything better than great company and nerding out about learning? I think not!<br />
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Plus, I got some great tips for how I can start learning to play that ukulele I've been neglecting. Who would have guessed?!Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-35892734164191667992014-05-04T22:23:00.001-04:002014-05-04T22:23:20.936-04:00ASTD ICE - Day 1Hello and welcome to my very first ASTD ICE! Thankfully, the weather in Washington DC has decided to make my first ICE conference (and my first trip to DC) just stunning. I got in early on Saturday, which meant I was able to spend a day checking out the Air and Space Museum as well walking around to see all the major monuments. That was over 6 hours of walking, not including my trip to in to town earlier in the day, so needless to say my legs were more than a bit sore today. Of course, I didn't let that stop me from walking over to the <a href="http://freshfarmmarkets.org/farmers_markets/markets/dupont_circle.php" target="_blank">Dupont Circle Farmers Market </a>early this morning (I can't recommend it enough if you're in DC for a weekend).<br />
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I regret nothing!<br />
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So, how about the conference? Well, Day 1 was a good day, but a short one too as there were only three sets of sessions today. Here's what I saw...<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1) <a href="http://astd14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=1BA0CF" target="_blank">Four Ways To Use Digital Curation In Learning</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span></b><i>Ben Betts</i></span><br />
Curation is a pretty big buzzword in learning right now, but it's one of the ones I actually think is worth the fuss. What exactly is curation? Well, to hyper-simplify a bit, curation is the process of carefully sifting through information and then thoughtfully putting together just the pieces that contribute to a specific story or theme. Museums do this when they put together exhibits and collections. I do this when I make Pinterest boards on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/shiroiko/cheap-as-free-design-assets/" target="_blank">cheap design assets</a> or <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/shiroiko/kawaii/" target="_blank">things I think are cute</a>. There's probably less of an audience for my cute things Pinterest board than there is for the work the Smithsonian does, but it all still counts as passionate curation where the sum is greater than the individual parts on their own.<br />
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But what makes a person a great curator? This question was posed to the audience and got back answers such as:<br />
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<ul>
<li>having enough knowledge to ask good questions about content (but not so much specialized knowledge that they can't see things from other points of view)</li>
<li>being able to evaluate content well</li>
<li>curiosity</li>
<li>passion</li>
<li>an understanding of their intended audience</li>
<li>the ability to see the big picture of how content comes together</li>
<li>a knack for building collections</li>
<li>analytical skills</li>
<li>storytelling</li>
</ul>
<div>
Betts had his own answer to this question. He believes a good curator stores items, transforms them through context, and shares them with others. They add value by aggregation, distillation, and reflection.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So curation clearly has to be done with skill and purpose for it to work well. It's not just mindlessly collecting everything in a certain theme like a Pokemon trainer. It involves finding just the right pieces of content and enthusiastically putting them together in a way that brings even greater meaning than the pieces had on their own.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, back to learning and curation. Many companies have this mindset that in order for our learning content to be good, we have to make it all ourselves (and cover it entirely in our own branding to boot). The thing is, as Betts put it, that the world is actually full of content, so we should move away from constantly creating content and consider curating it instead. Why do we always have to reinvent the wheel? Why can't we leverage the hard (and valid) work others have done using curation skills?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As well, Betts says the work we do in training has changed and is now more focused than ever on finding new solutions rather than using existing ones. And what better way of doing this than collaborating with others through curation?!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So what does this "curation for learning" actually look like in practice? Well, Betts suggests four starting points to try out:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><b>Inspiration:</b> Use curated content to spark learner curiosity and thoughts</li>
<li><b>Instruction:</b> Take a look at how you can leverage curated content in your formal courses</li>
<li><b>Integration:</b> Have learners curate content themselves</li>
<li><b>Application:</b> Encourage learners to create their own content from their real life experiences that can be curated by others</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
And what's the best way to get a handle on curation? Why, by curating content yourself!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As a complete side note, the slide deck used for this session was stellar. The slides were clear and to the point, and the hand drawn chalk graphics were delightful. See for yourself:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4PVpqZKHf98NGnDV9wef7bXBVE41_6eObG0yZbhD2Sdn7lPUAm1ZGzfePmGEu3pBbS8c9S6vPVhTrv6HZNGDXWlPASBxv_chzuycCl_tMQUhMLNfEU-Af6tvbomB-XHjuXWFZ-eGn7vU/s1600/Curation+Slide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4PVpqZKHf98NGnDV9wef7bXBVE41_6eObG0yZbhD2Sdn7lPUAm1ZGzfePmGEu3pBbS8c9S6vPVhTrv6HZNGDXWlPASBxv_chzuycCl_tMQUhMLNfEU-Af6tvbomB-XHjuXWFZ-eGn7vU/s1600/Curation+Slide.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How charming is this?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">2) <a href="http://astd14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=18ACCC" target="_blank">Calibrating Your Confidence Meter!</a></span></b><b></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Barbara Roche</i></span><i></i></span><br />
Have you ever been to a session that just doesn't livetweet well? This was one of those sessions. I rather enjoyed it, but with the more touchy-feely topic and the large number of activities, I get the sense it came across as more flaky and dry than it actually was. I'm hoping I can blog about it in a more engaging way, but if I can't, just know this: I felt it was well worth attending.<br />
<br />
So, confidence. Some people have it in spades, some people really struggle with trying to have any at all. Full disclosure, despite appearances I often fall pretty far into the latter camp. Distressingly far.<br />
<br />
We also can have varying levels of confidence in different situations. One of the session activities was to look at a list of ten situations, ranging from public speaking to taking on a project that requires skills you don't yet have, and rate your confidence in them. When my table discussed our results our numbers were wildly different. Some of us were rather self assured in the work situations, and terribly unsure in the social ones, and then some of us were the polar opposite. It really is an individual thing.<br />
<br />
But, regardless of whether you get into a crisis of confidence about taking a vacation by yourself or while asking for a raise, that crisis can really get in your way. And a crisis of confidence can happen to <i>anyone</i>, no matter how outwardly successful you may be. If you want to overcome whatever your personal confidence barriers are, there are a number of general tips that you can apply to help you along the way.<br />
<br />
First, you have to actually have a growth mindset: a belief that you're continuously learning, are willing to try, and your qualities are malleable (terrible related joke - Q: How many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb? A: One. But the lightbulb has to really want to change). You also have to become more aware of you inner monologue and what it's telling you. The things you tell yourself can frame how you interpret your own abilities, so you have to be careful not to accidentally sabotage yourself with beating yourself down.<br />
<br />
Next, you need to become more aware of what makes you awesome (my words, not Roche's) and get comfortable thinking of yourself (and presenting yourself to others) that way. This is essentially figuring out what your personal brand is: what awesomeness you bring to the table. To get started on this, Roche put up a huge list of potential words you could use to describe yourself and then asked us each to select the three that we felt described our skills the best.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuNgvtE_GCVqZf0pTAK8iphGHaBxD4S1DD-sKSMh9KgVEEAB71wcT6uHGRHuzeqaijztkVYAyl5OXZW6e4jnvZ7oyz0NAWoRTFrfsSyu6X-XcWXCEE-GV37LQe36ZZ65DpykRW2YcoMM/s1600/Three+words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuNgvtE_GCVqZf0pTAK8iphGHaBxD4S1DD-sKSMh9KgVEEAB71wcT6uHGRHuzeqaijztkVYAyl5OXZW6e4jnvZ7oyz0NAWoRTFrfsSyu6X-XcWXCEE-GV37LQe36ZZ65DpykRW2YcoMM/s1600/Three+words.jpg" height="475" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I picked passionate, humorous, and expressive. How about you?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Those words are the start of being more mindful of what you actually have to offer the world. Use them to figure out how to play to your strengths in a situation you're less confident in (or consider using the broader list to try and figure out where you and another person might be having a disconnect because of drastically different skills).<br />
<br />
Next up is taking a look at the people you surround yourself with. Roche mentioned the Jim Rohn quote "We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with." That can be a scary thought if you look around you and see yourself regularly in the presence of people who tear others down, don't support anyone but themselves, or always see the world as out to get them. It's no wonder that people in that situation don't feel overwhelmed with confidence. So what can you do? You need to change the people you're around the most. In some cases that may be as extreme as leaving a job or a relationship, but it doesn't always have to be. You can simple refuse to let those people be whiny, mean, insufferable, and/or energy sucking around you. You'd be surprised how well just shutting down negative conversations right when they start can be for changing how people talk to you (or encouraging negative people to go whine somewhere else).<br />
<br />
Next is how you project yourself to others. Your body language does a lot to shape how people view you. It also subconsciously shapes how you view yourself too. So stand up straight and use confident body language. Even just faking-it-til-you-make-it can change how you feel about yourself and how others interpret you. As well, be thoughtful about what you say and how you say it. Things like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitigated_speech" target="_blank">mitigated speech </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140120061951-64875646-want-a-promotion-then-don-t-upspeak?_mSplash=1" target="_blank">upspeak</a> can lead people to believe you're confused or unsure of what you're saying. Trying to correct yourself out of those habits can do a lot to convince others to see you as someone who knows what they're talking about.<br />
<br />
So that was the session in a nutshell. If you want more information on becoming more confident, then I recommend checking out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lean-In-Women-Work-Will/dp/0385349947" target="_blank">Lean In</a> by Sheryl Sandberg. Yes, it's technically a business book, but she talks a lot about how to overcome a lack of confidence (in particular, how to cope with one of the bigger confidence disruptors I know of: <a href="https://counseling.caltech.edu/general/InfoandResources/Impostor" target="_blank">impostor syndrome</a>).<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>3) <a href="http://astd14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=18AFCC" target="_blank">User Experience Design for Learning</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Julie Dirksen</i></span><br />
Defining user experience is reasonably simple (at least, if you forgive some massive oversimplification): it's the experience someone has through the journey of interacting with a thing/product/service/etc. User experience is somewhat subjective (my experience may be different than yours simply because we're different people with different expectations and experiences), but there are ways to craft great user experiences based on what we know, on average, about our target audience. There are also some broader best practices in user experience design that pretty much apply to everything.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEi0NXJBzCiVYTpD9LCaeLgj0dbvofvt8pUwHFMnhC5u6gq0vT9GZWSeFk8w-w_a1xopFu_K4-wDv25ZQtt0nSMQqiproiQZMmCgiSn4uwUjNAJMnQJqQ3_Lmfp00LObL139VYtMYzaN4/s1600/Remotes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEi0NXJBzCiVYTpD9LCaeLgj0dbvofvt8pUwHFMnhC5u6gq0vT9GZWSeFk8w-w_a1xopFu_K4-wDv25ZQtt0nSMQqiproiQZMmCgiSn4uwUjNAJMnQJqQ3_Lmfp00LObL139VYtMYzaN4/s1600/Remotes.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The remote on the right is, no matter what the audience is, just plain crummy user experience design</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, and here's what appears to be the question of the day, how does this apply to learning? Well, whether we realize it or not, we all design user experiences on a regular basis, be it with designing eLearning lessons, putting together participant guides, or making resource websites. The thing is, if the design gets in the way of how your audience wants to interact with it, then a bunch of their brain is being used to figure out how they're <i>supposed</i> to interact with it instead. Want to bet that this means less of their brain is available for... you know... <i>the actual learning</i>?!<br />
<br />
And so, we need to be aware of when we're designing or influencing user experience in our training and put our end user in mind when we make design choices. This can be tricky when you're in the dreaded "order taker" position, where your SME, stakeholder, or client just tells you what they want you to do and expects you to simply comply. But hey, who said our job was easy and stress free? We need to convince these people (and, let's be honest, ourselves too sometimes) that thoughtfully creating an experience that focuses on the audience's needs makes for better, stickier content. And what better way to do that than to learn from the industry that's been tackling this problem for ages: user experience (UX) design.<br />
<br />
So here are a bunch of the tips you can learn from UX:<br />
<br />
First, don't design in a tunnel. You need to go outside of your own experiences when you make something for others or else you may end up blinded to the problems it has (the whole "it's hard to edit your own work" issue).<br />
<br />
Next, if you have the opportunity, go out and actually observe your users in their real world setting and simply talk to them. Often subject matter experts are great at telling you how things <i>should</i> happen, not how they <i>actually</i> happen. Observations and conversations with your users will tell you a lot about how things actually work in the real world. Observing also provides another benefit: people sometimes leave out telling you about the steps/tasks they've personally automated. This is like most of the math teachers I had in school: they know how to do the task they're trying to teach you, but they skip steps because they're so knowledgable that they don't even think about those parts anymore. So they tend not to tell you some things just because they're second nature to them now.<br />
<br />
Observing has one additional benefit: it shows you the triggers that tell a person when they actually need to use the content you want to train them on. Knowing that can help you better decide how to present that content. It also tells you how to make sure your training resembles the real word application as much as possible. Never let it be forgotten that the closer a practice experience is to the real thing, the better that practice translates into being able to use that skill or knowledge in the real world.<br />
<br />
Another thing that UX does that we in L&D could stand to leverage is personas (or, as we call them at work, learner profiles). These are documents that summarize one or some of the different target audiences for what we're creating. Obviously not every one of our learners will be exactly the same, but it's worthwhile to figure out what things most of them have in common so that you can build your user experience with them in mind. Remember, good design isn't the same for everyone, so you need to have general understanding of your audience in order to build something that works well for them.<br />
<br />
Something else to try is prototyping and user testing. Build mockups of what you're creating, then let a small group of potential users (always make sure they come from your target audience) try it out and give you feedback. Observe what was easy for them, what didn't work well, and where they got confused. Reflect on that feedback, suggest changes, make those changes, and test again. You'll be amazed at what will seem easy and straightforward to you and your team, but will make your audience stumble.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, the simple truth is that design changes behaviour. Bad design can lead to flawed learning. But great, audience-centred design can make mastering your content so much easier for your learners.<br />
<br />
On a related note, I felt like a lot of what we talked about in this session related back strongly to great product design. Dirksen acknowledged this by recommending we all read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465050654" target="_blank">The Design of Everyday Things</a> by Don Norman. I also suggest checking out the documentary <a href="http://www.objectifiedfilm.com/stream/" target="_blank">Objectified</a> and the podcast <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/" target="_blank">99% Invisible.</a><br />
<br />
<hr />
<br /><div>
So that's it for the first day. I actually kind of liked this more mellow start to a conference. It makes it a bit easier to ramp up and get into conference mode than the ones that just fill the first day up to the brim with sessions and content.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Join me tomorrow for more blog coverage of this event. Also, shameless plug, if you're at ASTD ICE and looking for a Monday afternoon session, definitely consider popping over to<a href="http://astd14.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=10A1&cm_mmc=Membership-_-ICE-Session-_-web-_-NotSet" target="_blank"> my talk on infographics</a> at 1:00pm in room 144BC.</div>
Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-2952821418948803962014-03-27T19:30:00.000-04:002014-03-27T22:10:29.651-04:00Learning Solutions 2014 - Day 3Okay, it's taken me a bit of time to get this up here (I blame a terrifying wave of post-conference exhaustion) but here's your wrap up of Learning Solutions: Day 3 (AKA: the half day in which everyone is both ready to fall over from tiredness AND still sad the conference is almost over).<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1) BYOL: <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/concurrent_sessions/session-details.cfm?session=5219" target="_blank">Awesome Audacity - Tips and Techniques for This Free Tool</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span></b><i>Don Bolen</i></span><br />
This was a walkthrough of the basics of using Audacity, so it's a bit hard to give you all a rundown of what happened other then yes... we <i>did</i> get a great introduction to the tool. Instead, here are a few links that will help you get up to speed with this tool:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>You can download Audacity for Windows, Mac, and Linux (yes, Linux!) <a href="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
<li>Learning the keyboard shortcuts in Audacity will speed up your workflow a lot. <a href="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/keyboard_shortcuts.html" target="_blank">Here's</a> a handy dandy keyboard shortcut cheat sheet I found.</li>
<li>One of the first steps in getting used to Audacity is figuring out what everything on the Control Toolbar actually does. <a href="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/onlinehelp-1.2/toolbar_control.htm" target="_blank">Here's</a> a quick guide to it.</li>
<li>Finally, <a href="http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/" target="_blank">here's</a> the Audacity help manual. Among other things, it also has a number of tutorials.</li>
</ul>
<br />
I'd actually never used Audacity before this session, but had previously had friends tell me it was a great tool. By the end of this session I'd have to say I agree. While it's not remotely as easy for newbies to just pick up and go the way Garageband can be, once you have someone show you the ropes it's pretty simple. It's also substantially more powerful in a lot of ways than Garageband. I honestly wish there was some way to mesh the ease of use and friendly UI of Garageband with the power of Audacity.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">2) <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/concurrent_sessions/session-details.cfm?session=5228" target="_blank">Today's Visual Design Trends: What Non-Designers Need to Know</a></span></b><b> </b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Bianca Woods</i></span><i></i></span><br />
Yes, I actually did two sessions at Learning Solutions this year.<br />
<br />
I'm going to do the exact same thing I did with my Thursday session: show my work by giving you <a href="http://biancawoods.weebly.com/design-trends-2014.html" target="_blank">the link to my session resources website</a>. It's got links to all the tools I talked about in this session (plus a
few more I thought were worth sharing), the session slide deck, and my
full speakers notes. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>3) <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/content/3010/learning-solutions-2014-conference--expo---keynotes/" target="_blank">Keynote: Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn</a></b></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Cathy Davidson</i></span><br />
Awww... the last session of the conference. It's always a bit bittersweet.<br />
<br />
In this session Davidson explored the idea of attention, in particular how our perception of how well we pay attention to the world around us doesn't typically mesh well with reality. In our heads we think we're fantastic at paying attention, but as it turns out we're rather rubbish at noticing things outside of what we're focused on.<br />
<br />
To make matters worse, it's incredibly easy to manipulate our focus. Take this famous video: the Monkey Business Illusion (AKA: the Gorilla Test). Don't read any farther... just go watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">this video</a> and come back.<br />
<br />
Did you watch the whole video? Great.<br />
<br />
So did you notice all the other stuff going on in the video? Chances are you missed most or even all of it beyond the basketball. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with <i>you</i> in particular, this is just a demonstration of how human brains tend to focus on one thing to the exclusion of everything else. Our attention can be influenced by others (such as the directions in the gorilla video telling you to focus on the basketballs), but it can also be influenced by our own experience. Yes, your expertise can actually make you <i>less</i> inclined to notice some things because your attention is guided by your expectations and past experience. This is why sometimes a newbie can notice things that experts can't, particularly if that thing is surprising.<br />
<br />
Yes, our brains sometimes betray us. So what can we do? Well, we need to leverage tools and partners to help us see the whole picture and catch the things we miss. Here are a few ways you can do this:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Like I mentioned before, think about including thoughtful non-experts (or people who aren't close to a project) in some of your reviews and discussions. Their lack of expert focus will actually cause them to see things and expert might miss. Of course, <i>thoughtful</i> is the key word here in choosing who to ask to be your non-expert in the room. </li>
<li>Don't do everything alone. Team up with other people who have different skills and experiences from you. These differences will help your group pick up on different things (this is one of the great arguments in favour of team diversity).</li>
<li>Just simply talk about ideas/problems with others.</li>
<li>Everyone has different things that help them focus their attention. Do some reflection and think about what things work specifically for you, then remember to use these techniques regularly.</li>
</ul>
<div>
The session wrapped with Davidson talking about how our current education system is rooted in the Industrial Age mindset of just teaching kinds to have singleminded focus and punctuality... the exact skills required to work in a factory. However, these skills don't prepare us for our world today, a world in which it's much more important to be able to see topics both deeply <i>and</i> broadly. A world in which it's not just important to know how to <i>learn</i> skills, but also know how to <i>un</i>learn and <i>re</i>learn skills too. A world in which we're lifelong learners. Changing how we teach (and the values our teaching methods imply) is the best way to strengthen our ability to notice more and come up with better solutions.</div>
<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
And so Learning Solutions 2014 came to an end. As always I found myself happy I had attended, but really ready to take a nap for about three days straight.<br />
<br />
As a final side note, this year the conference was helpful not just for learning from sessions and other attendees, but also for this spectacular reveal about DevLearn 2014:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnbaCE1UKDtxGgS0b-soBE3cK1TXE6fzBawgJqlGDJB09Xuj_JUpLublWt4KH0JDX6C7omUmU1Ov_HN0QHHYfH8IbNpylWA5YqH7-cwnZpQEbc4DdjvEtYeE8NgvXTIfWXdfueaRkPBM/s1600/DevLearn2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnbaCE1UKDtxGgS0b-soBE3cK1TXE6fzBawgJqlGDJB09Xuj_JUpLublWt4KH0JDX6C7omUmU1Ov_HN0QHHYfH8IbNpylWA5YqH7-cwnZpQEbc4DdjvEtYeE8NgvXTIfWXdfueaRkPBM/s1600/DevLearn2014.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh HECK yeah!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Yeah, the fangirl squeeing will be non-stop until October. :)<br />
<br />
<br />Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-75920121470545695762014-03-21T00:08:00.005-04:002014-03-21T00:08:56.225-04:00Learning Solutions 2014 - Day 2Day Two of the conference featured absurdly good weather, yet again. Seriously, it is making me so happy to not be wearing a big, bulky coat (and, even with that, STILL be freezing to death). *sigh* I don't want to move back to FL anytime soon, but it's definitely great to visit at this time of year.<br />
<br />
So here's what I was up to today...<br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1) <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/content/3010/learning-solutions-2014-conference--expo---keynotes/" target="_blank">General Session- Big Data Demystified for Learning: What's Important, What's Not, and What's Next</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span></b><i>Douglas Merrill</i></span><br />
I feel like most conferences have at least one session these days that focuses on a buzzword topic (not a complaint, just an observation). So this was our LSCon trend topic session: big data.<br />
<br />
Big data is something we hear about constantly, but often without much context other than "Look at all the info we can capture! More info must mean we'll do better at _____." But Merrill made the point that there's no guarantee that'll actually happen. In fact, he made some very sensible challenges to the idea that big data is an automatic game changer.<br />
<br />
On one hand, big data isn't this magical, mystical thing it's sometimes made it out to be. Many people get stressed out at the very mention of the word "math", and so they buy in to this religion of data because it's a way of dealing with the potential for data and math to help us, without going into the actual details of how exactly it can do that. You don't have to understand the data... you just have to have faith that it works.<br />
<br />
Except there are so many ways to manage and interpret data, so if you don't understand how that process works, you're going to just mangle what all your data actually means. Be aware of how outliers can warp results in weird ways. Acknowledge that data isn't independent, it's always connected to other factors ("No data is an island..." *laugh*). Understand how the real world can be messier and more chaotic than mere data can represent.<br />
<br />
Or, to summarize, ignore your anxiety and go take a great Stats 101 class (seriously, stats is the best kind of math for people who hate math)!<br />
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On the other hand, if you can learn to interpret data properly, it can empower you to do some fantastic things. It allows companies to pay better attention to what their customers are <i>actually</i> doing, not what they <i>think</i> they're doing. For instance, take the music industry back when they were in the early days of dealing with pirated MP3s. They thought the solution was to sue the people who were illegally downloading the most of their music. But, as it turns out, these exact same people were <i>also</i> the users who were spending the most on legal downloads as well. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot instead of looking at the bigger picture. Now, this doesn't mean you only listen to what your customers want and do. That mindset gets in the way of innovation (sometimes customers can't actually conceive of the new thing they might someday want),. That said, it's definitely worth paying attention to data for interpreting what your customers are actually doing.<br />
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Crowdsourcing is another angle on using big data smartly. Done right it allows you to use a wide array of sources to do things as different as building a spell correct system for Google searches or hiring more effectively.<br />
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At the end of the day big data isn't the magical solution that some people think it is, but if you use it smartly (and stop being so darn afraid of math) it can be more effective than skeptics would lead you to believe.</div>
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<div>
So overall the session was enjoyable. However, there was one thing that, while it may have seemed small to others, stuck out to me. Merrill made this crack during his talk about the CEO of Zappos and what exactly it said about him that he spent so much time around women's shoes. I'm sure he wasn't intending to be a jerk, but, you know, that's not the kind of comment that would be likely to make a transgender Guild member feel particularly welcome. It's more often the repeated little things, like those kinds of jokes, that make people feel like they're not a part of a community and I would have thought a lot more of the session had that one thoughtless joke not been there.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">2) </span></b><b><a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/concurrent_sessions/session-details.cfm?session=5176" target="_blank">Doing Things With Words: Words That Work in eLearning</a> </b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span><i>Lisa Russell</i></span><br />
In this session we talked about the nuts and bolts of the words, phrasing, and sentences we choose to use in our training.</div>
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Words, even a small number of them, have the power to move people. Take, for instance, Ernest Hemingway's famous 6-word story:<br />
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."<br />
It's just a few words, but because they're so cleverly chosen they can still stir a surprising amount of emotions. </div>
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<div>
And yet, when most people write they pad out their content, using filler words and sloppy sentence structure to convey information clumsily. But in training, we don't have the luxury of letting our writing meander. If you don't grab people in the first few words, you may have lost them for good. So you need to make your prose snappy, and you need to figure out what your specific audience will actually respond to.</div>
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<div>
So how can you fix this? First, pay attention to your phrasing. Arrange your words for emphasis, keeping in mind that the first and last words in a sentence will get special attention. Next, don't be a word hoarder by padding your writing with filler words. If you can't tell your information simply, you don't know it well enough. Also, use active, not passive words. Passive language kills the action in what you're writing.</div>
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Finally, use the framework of the MEAL plan to balance your paragraphs:<br />
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<b>M</b>: Your main idea</div>
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<b>E</b>: Your evidence</div>
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<b>A</b>: Analysis</div>
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<b>L</b>: Link back to the main idea or lead out to the next one</div>
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Keeping these tips in mind can make your writing clear and concise.</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>3) </b></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/concurrent_sessions/session-details.cfm?session=5194" target="_blank">Best Practices For Enlivening the Virtual Classroom</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Pandora Bryce</i></span><br />
You know what's a bizarre but amusing experience? Live tweeting a session lead by a coworker where she's presenting a case study involving your own workplace. Not bad... just a bit surreal. *laugh*</div>
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Bryce used this session to talk about two aspects of virtual classrooms (VCs): a summary of some of the ways we use VCs at BMO Financial Group and a selection of VC roadblocks (plus suggestions for ways around some of them).</div>
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<div>
So, for context, we run about 110 VCs per week at BMO and have 50+ certified VC facilitators. That is a <i>lot</i> of VC content. On the plus side, VCs have no travel costs, don't require a physical classroom, enable broader access to training, have features that are difficult/expensive to replicate in classrooms, allow anonymous knowledge checks, make it easy to capture questions and output, and are, no surprise, relatively cheap. On the other hand, all of them suffer from the same problem: it's a challenge to maintain learner attention.</div>
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So there are a few VC best practices that can help attract and keep people's attention in them:</div>
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Bryce then followed this with a description of two programs at BMO that use VCs in engaging ways, one for Customer Service Representatives (bank tellers) and another for first time leaders. In both cases the VCs were just one part of the program, with eLearning, manager 1-on-1s, and group work (obviously done via conference calls) included in the overall experience. The VCs themselves were used not for basic content that was explained by a talking head, but instead for facilitated group discussions and debriefs on the more complex, grey areas of the content. And using VCs for discussion and talking through tricky issues tended to get people to buy in to the learning experience substantially more than just asking them to put on a headset and listen to a live lecture.<br />
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As for VC roadblocks (and a few suggestions for solving for them), Bryce mentioned 3:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Human Obstacles: </b>What if people don't do their prework? What if they haven't figured out their tech setup before the session. Solutions can include giving them training and support on the tech side of things long before the session starts. Also, set their expectations for the VC early, so they get why the prework is important.</li>
<li><b>Organizational Obstacles:</b> In the case of the new customer service representatives, when they began their training many of them didn't have access to corporate email or the company intranet yet. Plus, many bank branches only had a single computer available for employees to use for training, which meant you couldn't schedule more than one person at a branch at once for a VC at any given time. Because learners didn't have remote access to the intranet either, they couldn't do their training remotely from home. As well, there was a culture of text and content-heavy slides for VCs that didn't work well for learners.</li>
<li><b>Technology Issues:</b> What if the technology doesn't work as planned? Obviously doing the pre-session tech test first helps, but sometimes things just stop working in the session itself. What should you do then?</li>
</ul>
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If you can figure out your own team's solutions to these barriers, it makes running VCs much easier.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>4) <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/concurrent_sessions/session-details.cfm?session=5241" target="_blank">Telling Your Story With Infographics</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Bianca Woods</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i> </i></span><br />
Oh look... it's my own session!<br />
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Obviously I'm not going to review my own talk. However, I <i>am</i> going to to do the "share your work" thing and give you <a href="http://biancawoods.weebly.com/infographics.html" target="_blank">a link to my session resources page</a>. It's got links to all the tools I talked about in this session (plus a few more I thought were worth sharing), the session slide deck, and my full speakers notes.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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And this has turned into yet another terribly late night for me. So I'm going to keep this wrap up short by saying this conference continues to be excellent in all ways.</div>
Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378642600729809557.post-3865246116358992632014-03-20T00:28:00.002-04:002014-03-20T00:28:25.218-04:00Learning Solutions 2014 - Day 1I've got to say, it's nice to be at Learning Solutions in Orlando right now. Yes, obviously it's great to hear fantastic speakers and catch up with industry friends, but, as I'm sure anyone from the northeast will agree, it's even more exciting to actually be without snow for awhile! *laugh*<br />
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Okay, all kidding aside, I really am happy to be back here for my second Learning Solutions. As this was a particularly session-packed day (and I have a presentation tomorrow and need my sleep) I'm going to cut to the chase and get right down to the session reflections.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1) <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/content/3010/learning-solutions-2014-conference--expo---keynotes/#keynote-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Keynote </span>- Leapfrogging to Learning Breakthroughs</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span></b><i>Soren Kaplan</i></span><br />
I've said this before and I'll say it again: I feel like the first session of a conference needs to focus on getting you energized and open to learning more. In this case, Kaplan definitely hit the right note with his talk of creating breakthroughs using surprise.<br />
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Kaplan became interested in finding out how business leaders had made major breakthroughs, and what he found was this: many great breakthroughs involve an element of positive surprise for the customer, and sometimes even the business too. In fact, brain science confirms the benefits of this as well. When people experience a positive surprise, the pleasure centres in their brain actually light up.<br />
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But how do you go about finding the right surprises? And how do you broaden your view so your focus on one issue or thing doesn't get in the way of your seeing other options? Kapan suggested there are three things anyone can do to become more innovative and find the surprise in their business or role:<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>Rethink what your role actually is. </b>If you're making drills, you're not really in the drill business. You're in the hole making business. If you can see what your real role is, it's easier to find surprising solutions.</li>
<li><b>Fall in love with problems, not solutions. </b>If you get married to what you think the solution should be, you're not going to be able to tell when there's an even better problem to solve.</li>
<li><b>Go outside to stretch your inside.</b> Staying inside your organization/role isn't going to challenge you to think of things in new ways. You can't just play it safe and expect to be able to find surprise. You have to step outside your comfort zone and go outside your organization/role to get new, surprising ideas. You also have to be open to trying new ideas out and possibly failing for awhile until you find an idea that sticks.</li>
</ol>
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Sure, I'll agree that much of his content wasn't rocket surgery or anything new, but it was a good reminder to all of us that we need to not just know these things, but actually act on them on a regular basis.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">2) </span></b><b><a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/lscon/concurrent-sessions/session-details.cfm?session=5246" target="_blank">Featured Session - Subscription Learning: A Fundamentally Different Form of eLearning</a> </b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b></span><i>Will Thalheimer</i></span><br />
Subscription learning is a pretty simple concept: it's smaller packages of learning that you sign up to receive and get on a regular basis. It's like the magazine subscription of the learning world. While it isn't exactly a brand new idea, it is much easier to implement today than even just a few years ago (both from a tool and a cost perspective).<br />
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Many L&D groups put out one-time learning events or a handful of multi-session lessons. Unfortunately, what we know about how content is actually retained tells us this isn't the best way to ensure the people actually learn the information we're trying to teach. The forgetting curve tells us that learners unfortunately don't remember much content in the long-term from one-time learning events. However, if you regularly repeat and build on content over time, people remember substantially more. Subscription-based learning is an excellent option for training in the way we know people <i>actually</i> retain content.<br />
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When it comes to how you teach your information in a subscription situation, there are a few tips to keep in mind. First, repeated content is good, but don't repeat it the exact same way each time. Studies showed that paraphrased repeated content was much easier to remember than the exact same text repeated over and over. Also, space out your learning. Give people time in between learning content, repeating it, and adding on. This gives them some time to process.<br />
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When it comes to actually delivering this content, there are numerous ways to push it out to your subscribers. Email is a simple, yet effective, option. Apps and bite-sized eLearning are other delivery method too. Even texts can be a reasonable choice in some situations. And, while we didn't discuss it in this session, there are tons of other alternatives (both tech enabled and not) you can try. How about podcasts, interactive PDFs, or videos, just to name a few?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>3) </b></span><b><a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/concurrent_sessions/session-details.cfm?session=5144" target="_blank">Where Does the Learning Occur In Games?</a></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Rick Blunt</i></span><br />
You know, I had actually sworn off sessions on learning and games (long story), but this one pulled me in with an intriguing concept and a Twitter buddy (@rblunt81) as the speaker... particularly because I hadn't realized this friend actually had a background in games for learning (the more you know). So, I went anyway and was glad I did.<br />
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To really get this session it's important to first establish what exactly a game is. Blunt's definition was simple: a game is an engaging activity in which players seek a goal by overcoming challenges within a given set of rules. That definition applies as much to a simple game of tic-tac-toe as it does to a modern videogame. Game-based learning (in this case, serious games) is just an extension of that, where the game's main purpose is learning. Games like this aren't just fun, when designed well they give nearly all types of learners a noticeable boost (the only group left out: most learners over 40... sorry guys!). Now, just like any tool, you can't use games for learning in all situations, but for the circumstances they work well in they're a good option to consider.<br />
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When you're designing a game for learning there are three goals you need to consider: the business goal, the learning goal, and the game goal. Only when you've considered all three of these goals (and made sure your solutions for each aren't working against each other) can you create a game that actually teaches content in a meaningful and successful way.<br />
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Then Blunt showed us an example of a serious game done right: <a href="http://www.re-mission.net/" target="_blank">Re-Mission</a>. This game was designed for adolescents with cancer to both teach them about the disease, as well as prepare them for how it would affect their day-to-day life. And what was interesting to see was that, by structuring the game missions and elements around what you want players to learn (in this case, how to live with cancer) while also not forgetting the fun, you could create an engaging game that would also manage to teach players content as they played. Game-based learning also allows for something we know is a powerful learning tool: failure in a safe environment.<br />
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Now, this isn't to say that all game-based learning is effective. Goodness knows any kid from the 80s can tell you about all the well-intentioned, but content-devoid learning games they played as kids (I'm looking at you <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oregon_Trail_(video_game)" target="_blank">The Oregon Train</a>). But it does mean that there are ways to make games that can lead to actual learning.<br />
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And if you only take one lesson from this session, let it be this one: a game will resonate with people if you make sure to give players the opportunity to make <i>meaningful</i> choices.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>4) <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/concurrent_sessions/session-details.cfm?session=5150" target="_blank">Reality TV Training as an Onboarding Program</a></b></span><b></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Gail Griswold and Samuel Weber</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i> </i></span><br />
I'll admit, other than an affection for the early seasons of Project Runway I'm not that in to reality TV. But, based on the sheer number of different reality shows available right now, it's clear that many people <i>are</i> attracted to this genre, so I thought it was worth taking a peek at how one team had created a reality TV-inspired onboarding program for their company.<br />
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The project started out in a way that loaned itself well to an eventual session at this conference: they actually came up with the concept while attending Learning Solutions two years ago. Their old method of doing onboarding was the usual suspects: lecture and PowerPoint. The team thought it could teach the content in a more interesting way by leveraging the style of reality TV... the episodic content, the in-the-moment revelations, the confessionals, the true-to-life situations and scenarios, not to mention the drama... all of that could be a package for showing the content that new employees needed to know as they began working at this company. While the "reality" would be fully scripted (not, let's admit, unlike some current reality TV), the situations would still be written to feel as true to life as possible.<br />
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However, the team hadn't created anything like this project before, so the first thing on their list was to make a proof-of-concept video. The goal of it was to both have an example of what they were trying to accomplish to show stakeholders, as well as prove to themselves that they could actually create this thing in-house for a reasonable cost. So, they made the proof of concept with the barest of bones resources and used themselves as the actors. Because they were just creating a proof of concept it didn't need to be perfect and polished, it just needed to show the gist of the idea. The video worked, they got buy in early on in the project, and even managed to acquire a bit of a budget for better tools too.<br />
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Then came casting. They knew they wanted to make episodic content revolving around a few major characters, they knew they needed to find in-house employees to be their actors, and they most assuredly knew they didn't want to be the actors themselves. So they did the equivalent of a casting call and screen test. They asked for people to audition using a short script with three mini-scenes, recorded it all on video, and then focus tested the results to land on the best choices for the job. In this case, once they had the cast settled, only then did they start deciding what their characters would be like (a great option if you're using amateur actors: work around the talent and range your people have to offer). In the end they put together 5 characters who represented the various average new employees in their workplace (read: not just new graduates!) and got ready to film.<br />
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The setup for filming was relatively simple. They wrote a detailed script that included many of the standard reality TV tropes; picked up a decent DSLR camera for filming; added a microphone, 3-light set up, and green screen as supplies; and started filming their main footage as well as b-roll. They then used Adobe Premier Pro, Flypaper, Camtasia, and Adobe After Effects to edit and add in effects, and then packaged the results (along with some accompanying eLearning) in Articulate Storyline. And there you have it: a reality TV-style training program.<br />
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Here's one final thing they did that I found interesting: they created buzz around the project even in its early stages by sharing a music video, trailers, and sneak previews with the organization. By the time the episodes were ready to share, people were already excited about the project and itchy to get their hands on it. This isn't the first time I've heard of learning projects successfully using an ad campaign to drive interest, and I really hope it's a practice that we consider using more often in L&D on a whole.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>5) <a href="http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/concurrent_sessions/session-details.cfm?session=5161" target="_blank">Gaining Altitude: Sustaining Ed Tech Culture</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Speaker: </b><i>Mark Sheppard and Luc Blanchette</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i> </i></span><br />
Here's another session I attended both on the appeal of the topic as well as the appeal of seeing a Twitter buddy present (this time it was @MarkLearns). What can I say, it's my duty to heckle... um... I mean "support" my fellow Canadian presenters, right? Okay, all joking aside, I work in a conservative and heavily regulated industry (banking & finance) and I was curious to see how Sheppard and Blanchette had managed to encourage and sustain ed tech culture in an equally strict industry (the Canadian military).<br />
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The school Sheppard and Blanchette design training for is the Canadian Forces School for Aerospace Technology and Engineering. You'd think that a school with the work "technology" in the name would be all on top of using technology for training. Alas, you'd be wrong. The typical method of training is your standard one: lecture and (often bad) PowerPoint. Training aids are surprisingly old. Instructor turnover is, for a multitude of reasons, incredible high (1/3 per year) and many people selected to be instructors have little to no experience as formal teachers. Not a comfortable situation, but one that was most assuredly ready for some revamping.<br />
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I loved that, at the end of the day, Sheppard and Blanchette came up with a flight-related analogy for how you make ed tech culture thrive in this, or any other, environment. They suggested that there are four forces at work on ed tech culture: lift, thrust, weight, and drag. You need to achieve balance between all four in order to succeed, and to do that you need to do the following:<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>Improve lift:</b> Find ways to be cost efficient and align your work with corporate objectives. As well, be sure to make the "trifecta of advocacy" happy: the buyer, client, and consumer.</li>
<li><b>Reduce weight:</b> Make due with less. Be responsible with funds. Get approval from the myriad of people you need to get approval from and go through all the hoops required. (While this wasn't directly stated in the session itself, I have to imagine that reducing both the number of people who need to approve decisions/content and the number of hoops that you have to jump through would <i>also</i> reduce weight).</li>
<li><b>Increase thrust:</b> Focus on project success. Make sure your projects are able to fulfil a need and/or solve a problem. Look for easy opportunities to meet a need too.</li>
<li><b>Decrease drag:</b> Alas, a main source of drag seems to be people who are disinterested in change. Decreasing drag could involve helping them to become more accustomed to change (and get them to buy-in to the plan), addressing their fears directly, or even just waiting for these people to choose to leave on their own.</li>
</ol>
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These forces aren't ever going to go away, which is why it's so important to acknowledge them and work to keep them as balanced as possible.<br />
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This is the part where I'd write a wrap up... except it's super late and I need to sleep or I'll end up walking into walls tomorrow. So, to summarize quickly, yea Learning Solutions Day 1!Bianca Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817706850830221603noreply@blogger.com1