Yes, that’s what Bloomfire wants me to do. Apparently I’ve got two weeks make up my mind. If I don’t it looks like my rate may triple. Yup. Triple. I do not feel like a customer right now even though the company I work for pays them several thousand dollars each year. Let me back up… Bloomfire is a knowledge sharing platform but how I use it has been a bit unusual - I’m not the typical use case. To support the activities that happen between live vILT sessions, I set up a new Bloomfire sub-community for each session. In that sub-community, students have discussions, share work, comment, ask questions, submit assignments, and download course materials. As a result, I can end up with 100 sub-communities per year but only six or so active at any one time. Each only stays open a few weeks after a course ends then it’s deactivated. So I’ve got a bunch of deactivated communities. One of the features I liked about Bloomfire when I started using it was unlimited sub-communities. Imagine my surprise when I noticed little locks on top of several features when I went to set a new one up. Clicking on it brought up a message that this was a premium feature and I should contact sales. WTF? I had no notice of this change. I submitted a support ticket. It was fixed. Then next time…you guessed it, locked again. And fixed. And so on. Then I heard from sales. Adversarial would be the best adjective to describe this call. I expect to pay more for new features. I don’t expect to have features shut off and then have to pay to turn them back on. I expect to see a solution provider raise their rates - it’s the nature of business. But I expect to have adequate time to make a decision and adjust. Thank goodness I’ve got a second platform I’ve been using more and more of. Otherwise I’d be left high and dry. "You’re messin’ with the wrong guy!" (because I blog). Just moments ago.. Here’s the response I received within their public community when I mentioned this. I hope to hear from other users as well.

I’ve recently been given the opportunity to oversee The eLearning Guild’s research function, while continuing to oversee the Guild Academy, an opportunity I’m both grateful for and extremely excited about. In the past, as an analyst and industry researcher, I’ve generally followed the hourglass structure for conducting research; however, I’ve been uninspired by the lowest part of the hourglass - the output for communicating findings, insights, and recommendations. In my experience, research is often presented to users via a lengthy PDF document. I’ve written many. For years, I’ve kept a folder full of PDF files and just never seem to find the time to read them.  I will scan the abstract and the conclusions and tuck it away for future reference. Maybe that’s just me but I suspect there are others that do the same thing. We’ve become a scanning society with so much content at our fingertips. My hope is to present Guild research through multiple channels: Infographics Video interviews Executive summaries PPT templates for presenting the findings to others Graphs Listing of whom to follow in the topic area Research summary (pdf) In the future I’d also like to offer prediction graphs. Of course, not all topics warrant all of those assets but I think it will make the research more consumable. Do you agree or disagree? What else would you like to see? What else have you seen? I’d appreciate your feedback.  

In 2015, I traveled roughly ten weeks for work and went on some solo backpacking camping trips for pleasure and sanity. Backpacking alone was new to me and it really turned me on to minimalist camping where ounces matter. I missed having my husband/manservant lugging all the big, heavy stuff about 3 miles into my first hike. I had no idea! So selfish! After that first solo camping experience, I became an avid (maybe rabid) consumer of small, lightweight things and quickly learned to separate critical items from unnecessary items like deodorant.  As a result, I dropped about a third of the weight of the pack. I used the experience to lighten my business travel bag. Here’s what I’ll be grabbing from my camping backpack when I travel to New York City next week. I haven’t gone to the extreme of cutting the handle off my toothbrush but I’m getting there. Item Rank I Like Weight Cost Winter Coat Critical Packable Calvin Klein down coat Shipping weight is 11 ounces Around $100 Rain Jacket Suggested Packable Guide Series rain jacket Estimate at 10 ounces Around $25 Day Pack Optional Packable Hikpro backpack 6.5 ounces Under $20 Glow Stick Suggested Any like this 1.6 ounces Pack of 2 for $2 Sneakers Critical Skechers GOwalk 4.2 ounces each shoe for women's size 6 Under $50 e-reader Optional Kindle Paperwhite 7.2 ounces Around $120 Portable Power Critical Jackery Mini 2.72 ounces Less than $15 Sleep mask Suggested Alaska Bear silk sleep mask Shipping weight .6 ounces About $10   Winter coat: My home airport is Syracuse NY where the average low temperature in December is 22 degrees F / -5 C. In the past when I’ve traveled in December, I left my "real" winter coat in the car and traveled with something too light. This packable winter coat packs into a little bag the size of a football and can be jammed into the corner of my bag no problem. It looks good on and it’s warm but not too warm. Plus I’m going to a NY Rangers hockey game and I can safely tuck it away in the bag and avoid spilling beer on it. My daughter tells me people bring these to frat parties (maybe for the same reason). Rain Jacket: I prefer a rain jacket over an umbrella. It’s hard to walk in crowds with an umbrella, especially when you’re short like I am. I’ll take someone’s eye out! This packable rain jacket comes with a little carrying bag and can fit inside a shoe. Day Pack: I love this little backpack. It rolls up into one of its own pockets and is about the size of a pack of cards. Open it, stuff your jacket, purse/wallet, purchases, water, and explore handsfree. You’ll feel like a magician when pulling this out in public and packing it up. Glow Stick: If you’re ever in a hotel when there’s a power outage, this will help you get around and may help others exit the building. Sneakers: Hands-down the most comfortable, lightweight shoe for walking - whether the streets of NY or a conference. I have the GOwalk 3 slip-on walking sneakers. Not super attractive but I’m over 50 so practically invisible anyway.  e-reader: I read a lot. A lot. This is so much less bulky than the iPad and better reading. I bought the wifi only. Portable Power: This is powerful and tiny (3.7 inches). Sleep mask: Super smooth and lightweight. Blocks the light and no one will bug you on a redeye. Doubles as a blindfold. Just sayin’ ; ) I have yet to bring my one camping luxury on a business trip - a portable French Press - but am considering it. Coffee’s kind of a non-negotiable for me. What space and weight saving tips do you have for business travel? Note: I received absolutely nothing for linking to these products. I share specific products because I did a little research and relied on the ratings and reviews of others.

I’m thrilled to return to Bersin by Deloitte after a nearly three-year stint at The eLearning Guild. It sure feels nice (and unexpectedly cathartic) to see those "Welcome back!" messages. I’ll be working alongside great minds like Dani Johnson and David Mallon writing about and conducting research in enterprise learning. Deloitte is an amazing company to work for. My husband Andy and I decided this would be a good time to rent shared office space too. Sometimes you just need quiet space away from the home office you know? Here are my dogs checking out the view. I’ve ordered a SKARSTA sit-or-stand desk from IKEA because the evidence suggests active desks are a win for the body and at least a push for the mind. What a great way to start the upstate NY winter. Onward.  

Serious trouble. Difficulty. Deep doo doo. Why do I think this? Here’s just a sampling. This: The next shooting is happening soon. This online course isn’t helping. The Washington Post, by Dan Zak. December 3, 2015. Quote>>>"Mass shootings, in the parlance of Human Resources. Part of work. Part of life. America, 2015." - Dan Zak A reporter notes his experience taking a Homeland Security / FEMA online course called "Active Shooter: What You Can Do." It’s a printable, one-hour self-paced course with T/F questions (which most people could easily answer without taking the course) and narrated "video" presentations with photos/text/transcript. There is a final exam and links to supplemental content. The course is typical of the type of courses one creates using rapid eLearning development tools. Stock photos are predictable -keys in doors, a woman cowering behind a desk, fist bumps for working together, etc.  There are many statements that are obligatory: i.e., "Call 911 when it is safe to do so!" (Gee, thanks. I would not have thought of that  but for this course.) I’m not being irreverent on the topic, the fact that we need a course because we (in the US) have so many active shooter incidents is appalling and tragic, but I am being irreverent about the online course. While I imagine the course is part of a larger plan for the organization-real drills, planning, etc., what irks me is that this >>read/listen to narrated text with stock photos/click next/take an exam/read some more<< model might be the only contribution L&D made or paid someone else to make. The way I see it, L&D consistently under-delivers-the curse of developing "easy" compliance training. It bleeds to other areas. If I’m right, L&D is in trouble. I do apologize for singling out this one course but they are a dime a dozen.  This: Align L&D to the Broader Organization, Bersin by Deloitte (my new employer) by Dani Johnson. December 3, 2015. Quote>>>"…business leadership has completely lost confidence in L&D." - Dani Johnson Dani Johnson, VP, Learning & Development Research, writes about hearing how "L&D is not keeping up with the needs of the business, how employees are turning to outside sources to spend their developmental hours, and how business leadership has completely lost confidence in L&D. She says L&D, as a function, is in crisis mode. Dani has some great observations and advice for organizations to get on the right track (it’s all about alignment). And this: On alignment and more…an eLearning Guild - Adobe Systems study I co-wrote with Sharon Vipond before leaving the eLearning Guild revealed some dismal findings. Many organization say they are failing to meet their learning challenges… 25% Unable to justify their current learning investment 41% Unable to tie learning outcomes and activities to their business objectives 52% Unable to keep their learners fully engaged and motivated to actively participate in learning 67% Unable to determine the impact of learning on their employee’s performance What other industries would say these percentage are acceptable. They’re not.  

I recently had to answer a question for a presentation: "What will L&D need the most help with to be successful over the next 10 years?" I came up with six areas: L&D needs to get "unstuck." There are many, many smart L&D people who (I think) know the way they’re working today isn’t going to hold 10 years from now but can’t move to the next level. They’re stuck. There’s a MUST READ Fast Company article, Why We Hate HR, that I highly recommend which touches on this. It’s an incendiary article. Be warned. Within it, you’ll see a reference to "educated incapacity." The original phrase, "trained incapacity," comes from the economist Thorstein Veblen. Basically, "training does come at some costs by narrowing the perspectives of the individuals concerned." You must read The Expert and Educated Incapacity. L&D needs to refocus. I read a terrific article by Con Gottfredson, Now’s the Time for Performance Support, about "reconceiving learning to influence the primary purpose of the organization: to perform effectively and efficiently." Although the article was written nearly three years ago, I think it’s sends an important message about focusing on L&D’s role is in the organization. L&D needs to improve the way learning is measured and linked to business performance. I’m not sure L&D does a great job measuring learning outcomes and linking metrics to business performance. This has been a recurring problem for years. I’ll bet at least half of organization don’t do or don’t know how to do this well. L&D needs to analyze and use data to improve performance. Invest in tools and people who can analyze data and use it to improve performance. Data! It’s everywhere. L&D needs to deal with disruption. Does it seem to you that there is a narrow point of view about the future and how organizations (and their jobs) are going to change? If you’re only reading content from people who work in L&D, expand your reading. From Risk to Resilience: Learning to Deal With Disruption (do you understand your vulnerabilities?) How "Focused Priorities" Deal With Disruption L&D needs to develop business acumen. For the most part, I think L&D is ill-equipped to help make the business effective and successful. There’s a great need to get equipped to do business…you work in a business! Here’s some great reading on that TWO VITAL STEPS FOR FIXING YOUR EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT PROBLEM.

Ought and Is by Stephen Downes. A nice reminder to be sensitive of inferences involving is and ought. "If wishes were horses," goes the old saying, "then beggars could ride." There’s wisdom in that. Certainly we may believe things ought to be one way or another. But this belief doesn’t mean that anything actually is one way or another. This would be nothing more than wishful thinking. "The fun, ridiculous website Spurious correlations reminds us to have some god damn fun. Spurious correlation is "a term coined by Karl Pearson to describe the correlation between ratios of absolute measurements that arises as a consequence of using ratios, rather than because of any actual correlations between the measurements." Tyler Vigen notes that his charts "aren’t meant to imply causation nor are they meant to create a distrust for research or even correlative data." So, have fun!!! HT my colleagues Andrea Derler via Ben Carroll. Via David Mallon, The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016. Deloitte surveyed nearly 7,700 Millennials from 29 countries during September and October 2015 to learn more about Millennials’ values and ambitions, drivers of job satisfaction, and their increasing representation in senior management teams. …emphasis on personal values continues into the boardroom; the rank order of priorities does not change for senior Millennials. As such, we can expect Millennial leaders to base their decisions as much on personal values as on the achievement of specific targets or goals. Via David Mallon, Deloitte Center for the Edge,Passion at work: Cultivating worker passion as a cornerstone of talent development. Terrific stuff.

I met my husband in the early 80s. He had a 1970-something Chevy Nova SS. I’m not that great with car model years. It was drab green but I went out with him anyway. I had a Chevy Malibu that apparently had a combination of 1973 and 1975 parts so it was alway a bit of a conundrum at first for folks. Was it a’73 or a’75? I don’t recall where we landed but I do recall it was bright blue and ticked like a bomb. I bought it for $350 and sold it for $400 after I graduated from college a few years later. I told the guy who bought it that it had ticked like a bomb since I bought it. He thought nothing of it either. After that, I went through a VW and Saab phase followed by a seven-fucking-mini-van-phase. And then back to VWs. I like driving a stick shift. It’s why the minivans were the bane of my existence. My husband, Andy, has been a Toyota guy for a number of years. He doesn’t care for stick shift. Don’t hold either of those things against him. That’s the first part of the story of our cars. The second part is about driving. Let’s just say that over the past three decades, I’ve learned to just go along with Andy’s desire to take the road less traveled. "I’ve always wanted to try this road," he’ll say. "Let’s see where this goes. You’re not in a hurry right?" This used to drive me insane. We’ve ended up almost stuck on tiny seasonal access roads during the wrong season. Hungry. Nearly out of gas. In total darkness. Lost for just longer than we wanted. But I’ve also been lucky enough to have witnessed beauty not found on main roads - both in nature and in the human form. Quirky restaurants. Oddities. Knowing Andy makes me richer. Had I went for someone with my driving habits, I’d go from point A to B in the shortest amount of time. To anyone but the driver, it’s as boring as sitting in a self-driving car. And that’s the third part, not driving. I read the article The Self-Driving Car Is Not What You Think It Is by Brett Berk. It ends… "If you let the robot drive, it may take the most rational route. But more times than not, rationality is the opposite of humanity." And that right there is what I find the most disturbing about self-driving cars. Berk notes, "the self-driving car is also predicated on finding solutions to a multiplicity of dilemmas—societal, social, anthropological, infrastructural, moral, regulatory, human, machine—that we have barely defined, let alone figured out." Killjoy. So yeah, I need to get over myself but still…as much as I know I would love to sit in the driverless car and read or work or just gaze out the window, who’s going to accidently drive me through a dangerously muddy meadow so I can witness a bunch of snow geese? Will there be a setting for human mode? For Andy? I don’t they’ll be enough room enough for all the computers, servers, and sensors the car would need.

What a relief. "The ‘digital native’ is a ridiculous metaphor." I feel vindicated! In four provocations, anthropologist Donna Lanclos argues that the notion of the "digital native" is bogus and disempowering, that pandering to student expectations can backfire, universities should be open by default, and our attitude to educational technology needs a rethink. The death of the digital native: four provocations from Digifest speaker, Donna Lanclos, 23 February 2016 What a downer. Roughly one in three respondents (33 percent) do not feel comfortable taking personal time off/vacation days. This is according to Deloitte’s 2015 Human Capital Trends Report. Boston business journal: The wonders of work-life balance and well-being. Time to take responsibility. What a great way to think about content! I was speaking with some folks in Ottawa and mentioned that they should Google "David Bowie + Obituary + Curation. " If you do, you’ll find a post (among other things) on different types of Curation which I thought was a good starting place for a discussion on how such types of curation could be used for enabling learning. Now Connie Malamed has posted a process for creating curated courses. Thanks! Building Courses from Curated Content, Connie Malamed, 24 February 2

This standing up while working rocks. Seriously. You must try it. I wrote about the sit-to-stand desk I bought in December. I read that it was healthier than sitting and as a bonus, Deloitte has a cost-sharing wellness subsidy that would cover half the cost. Deloitte also rocks. So what have the past three months of work have been like standing up at work? I’m pretty sure I sound more engaged on calls when I’m standing. I know feel more engaged and focused. I seem to able to stay focused on one thing for a longer period of time. I’m keeping weight off despite a decrease in activity that often coincides with winter in upstate NY (for me anyway). More reading on sit-stand desks: The impact of sit-stand office workstations on worker discomfort and productivity: A review. This is a small meta-analysis that concluded sit-stand workstations are (1) likely effective in reducing perceived discomfort (vs. prolonged seated work) and (2) do not cause a decrease in productivity. Too Much Sitting: The Population-Health Science of Sedentary Behavior. Basically, sitting time, TV time, and time sitting in automobiles may increase premature mortality risk (although further research is needed). Health benefits of standing desks: separating hype from reality. There are a lot of great links within this article including correct posture.