Beresford and Stolovich (2012) defined human performance improvement (HPI) as three perspectives: vision, concept, and end. Vision is for individuals to succeed in areas that are valued by their organization’s stakeholders. Concept is to use the vision to accomplish the organization’s goals through successful interactions with not only the organization’s stakeholders, customers, regulatory agencies, and … Continue reading "My Human Performance Improvement Toolbox"

[Post by Greg Gammie, Implementations Manager at GeoMetrix Data Systems Inc.] Industry executives are invited to share their views on changing learning technologies with Elearning! Magazine. How are your organization’s talent and development needs impacting your platform requirements? Please share your views in the 2016 Learning & Talent System Study. In appreciation of your time, you can enter to win an iPad Air or up to $2,000 in conference passes. As a study participate, you will also receive an executive summary of the study. Thank you for investing 15 minutes of your time to collect this important information. To take the survey visit: Learning and Talent Management System Survey

According to The Collaboration Paradox: Why Working Together Often Yields Weaker Results, some of the reasons that workplace collaboration fails is due to: overconfidence in our collective thinking; peer pressure to conform; and reliance on others to do the work. The article goes on to show that collaboration works when: we work with people with different skills; we do what each person does best; and we all contribute our own work. This shows the underlying problem with collaboration. To be effective, collaborative work needs to be done by cooperative people. In cooperation for the network era, I explain that cooperation is freely sharing, without direction from above, and without expectation of direct reciprocity. The three identified problems with collaboration are due to the nature of collaborative work. Someone is in charge and the objective is usually not shared equally by all group members. Therefore some may be prone to slack off or not care. Others will be more interested in their status within the group, and how they are perceived by the leader. In the cases where collaboration works, it is more like cooperation. The example given of Lennon and McCartney is one of two equals, not in talent, but in their position in the group, and their ability to leave it. Successful collaboration requires cooperation as the basis. Getting work done then becomes an agreed-upon objective, and a temporary hierarchy is established, if necessary. The challenge for working in today’s networked economy is to connect cooperation with collaboration. For the past century, too much work in too many organizations was focused on collaboration to the exclusion of cooperation. It is time to reconnect these solitudes. Plans and structure are necessary to get work done, but open and free participation ensures creativity and a focus on long term value. When dealing with complex challenges, collaboration without cooperation yields efficiency without effectiveness, especially if creative solutions are needed. Image: Amy Burvall      

Scientists have known for a long time that when we learn, our brains and senses react, but how to apply this knowledge to the enhancement of learning is not as clear. The 6 articles below shed light on how biology and learning are connected. Environment and Learning 5 Ways to Optimize Your Learning Environment for Better Results by Marianne Stenger Environmental elements impact the effectiveness of studying. Stenger reviews research and makes suggestions for learning success by controlling these factors: location, lighting, body temperature, study environment, and clutter. Emotion and Learning The Neuroscience Behind Stress and Learning by Judy Willis Neuroimaging and EEG studies of the brain have shown that neural networks can actually prevent learning during times of stress. The amygdala is the part of the brain that reacts negatively to stress. Researchers found that when students are anxious, the amygdala becomes "over-activated" and "new sensory information cannot pass through it to access the memory and association circuits…" How the Brain Learns Successfully, Even Under Stress by Carol Gregoire If brain activity makes it more difficult to learn under stress, then what should we do? Researchers found that students can overcome stress by switching from conscious reasoning to unconscious reasoning. But the best way to overcome stress is through self-assessment, becoming aware of the stress, and employing strategies to lessen it. Why Curiosity Enhances Learning by Marianne Stenger Our own experience tells us that when we are curious, we are more eager to learn. It turns out, that there is scientific evidence to back this up. According to Stenger, The researchers found that when the participants’ curiosity had been sparked, there was not only increased activity in the hippocampus, which is the region of the brain involved in the creation of memories but also in the brain circuit that is related to reward and pleasure. This circuit is the same one that lights up when we get something we really like, such as candy or money, and it relies on dopamine, a "feel-good" chemical that relays messages between neurons and gives us a sort of high. Neural Networks and Learning Using Fewer Brain ‘Tools’ and Learning by Julie Cohen Cohen reviews the work of researchers who observed how different regions of the brain connect when humans are presented with learning new tasks. One of the findings was that using executive function, the part of the brain associated with organizing and other higher cognitive levels, can actually interfere with simple learning. If students "suspend" executive function when  learning simple tasks, they might do better. Neurons Reveal the Brain’s Learning Limit by Shilo Rea Researchers found that tasks are easier to learn if learners can use neural networks already in place from previous learning. This research supports the concept that learning is "constructed" or built on earlier learning and experience. When Acrobatiq courseware breaks down learning objectives into learning skills and processes so that students can build learning connections, it makes learning more complex concepts easier.

National Geographic has just released their new, free Puzzle Explorer app for iOS and Android devices.  The app is meant to be a fun way for students to use creativity and problem-solving skills in order to design their own unique mazes which they can share with friends.  Additionally, the Nat Geo team has also put together some great teacher resources to help bring the app to the classroom.  Find out more on our reviews page.

Hey Folks — the second edition of Design For How People Learn is now out! It came out right before the end of the year.  I’ll be updating the website this week. Design for How People Learn, 2nd Edition What’s different? The first edition content is still mostly there.  I expanded on a few points about motivation and skill development, but the main change is the addition of three new chapters: Design for Habits Social and Informal Learning Designing Evaluation Both the social/informal material and the evaluation material are things that probably should have been in the first edition and weren’t (fixed that!), and the habit chapter reflects a change in my own practice — I’ve been finding it useful to call out habit formation separately when doing analysis and design. Where can I get it? All the usual places, in all the formats: Amazon Barnes and Nobles Peachpit If I already have the first edition, do I need to get this one too? Not necessarily (don’t tell my publisher I said that), but if you’d like to get around buying a whole new copy, here are some other resources: The habit chapter is an expanded version of this article: https://www.td.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/TD-Archive/2015/07/Habitual-by-Design The social/informal chapter is an overview of that topic, but there are lots of smart people writing about social/informal learning who specialize in that area.  A few include: http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/762/nuts-and-bolts-social-media-for-learning http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1417/nuts-and-bolts-how-and-why-to-show-your-work http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1037/is-content-curation-in-your-skill-set-it-should-be I collected a few other favorite resources here: http://usablelearning.com/2015/08/30/social-games-community-development/ The last chapter is evaluation.  It’s an overview as well, but the biggest two points are: - User testing (see Steve Krug’s Don’t Make Me Think book) - Qualitative measure (see Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method) I go over some of it in this presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/usablelearning/guerrilla-evaluation-for-learning But what if I want the shiny new version? I, of course, support that  Maybe you could pass on your first edition copy to somebody who could benefit, and get yourself a second edition? Just a suggestion. Sincere thanks to all the readers of the first edition!  If I’m reading the royalty statements right (no guarantee), it looks like we are right around 25K copies sold, which is fantastic and amazing and gratifying. Thank you.

New Year’s resolutions are for the weak.  I don’t do them.  Instead, I consider the goal for the year; the one thing I need to start, finish, continue, look into, etc., that can move me to the next level either personally, professionally, or spiritually.  I’ve done this before, finishing on my masters, looking into Google … Continue reading →

The Litmos team showed off Litmos and the future of learning to 1400 training professionals at ATD TechKnowledge in Las Vegas. I was able to catch a couple keynote sessions, work the Litmos expo booth, and present a session on a new collaboration tool called blab.im. I also started testing out Snapchat during ATDTK2016. And, as usual, engaged in some very interesting hallway conversations about the L&D industry. Overall it was a great event with a lot of learning. We were all happy to be there. The Keynotes David Rose is the CEO of Ditto Labs. You can follow him on twitter @davidrose. He also authored Enchanted Objects presenting his work and experience with the Internet of Things. There are plenty of blog posts that have covered the keynote in a play by play style. There is no need for me to give you the same reporting. He had a few interesting products to present that represent his overall concept of technology enhanced objects that are made to do just one simple thing. Like the umbrella that lights up when rain is near. Much of what he presented was not new. If you’re interested in seeing the internet of things that will be coming this year, then check out Intel’s presentation from CES2016. Or follow the twitter hashtag #CES2016 for an overload of IoT coverage that will truly inspire you. Kate Matsudaira keynoted the second day and covered how to be a successful employee. You can learn more about what she is doing on her now page. And her presentation is embedded below if you’d like to click through it. Your Career Success Formula from Kate Matsudaira Much of her model for success felt very basic to me on the surface. But after thinking about it quite a bit I realized that her model, while directed at all employees, was really the recipe for a successful training department. The keynote could very easily have been titled "A Better Training Department Strategy". Let me know what your thoughts were on it. The Expo I always enjoy being part of the Litmos booth at industry events. Its an easy place to meet old friends and make new ones. Our team had a lot of conversations with training professionals eager to finally enjoy an easy to use, powerful and flexible, learning management system (LMS). We presented on the expo stage to a standing room only crowd, and gave away an iWatch to one lucky attendee as well. Many industry professionals and companies are beginning to discover the power of Litmos and that it’s okay to enjoy your LMS…and actually enjoy using it. Social Collaboration Tools I presented on blab, but also used the event as a testing ground for my snapchat stories. I was invited to teach attendees about a relatively new free video streaming app blab.im. The session had 3 demos running at once. JD Dillon covered Slack and Rick Lozano covered Periscope while I blabbed with my group. You can view 2 of the group sessions that we recorded by going to my blab profile. ATDTK2016 was also my first opportunity to try out Snapchat as an social sharing app. I know many don't see the use of Snapchat. But that's why I believe it's becoming so popular. The negative feelings around Snapchat feel very similar to my earliest days on Twitter. Some of the most outspoken twitter users in our own community first thought twitter was a bad idea. I'm not saying Snapchat will follow the exact trajectory as Twitter, but it sure does feel like it might. The following video is what you get if you decide to download your own story. And yes, it's very informal but it's also authentic and very real. Do you Snapchat? For more resources on the event your can go to the event backchannel archive here. The post ATD TechKnowledge 2016 and the Future of Learning appeared first on Litmos.

I am so excited to be bringing you all the 10th episode of What's New In Adapted Physical Education! I cannot express how happy I am that we are already at 10 episodes. Our goal for the podcast is bring awareness to people all over the country about the field of adapted physical education. I believe we are starting to accomplish this goal but we still have a lot more to do. So please share this podcast and blog with people you know and think may benefit from learning a little bit more about the importance of physical activity and education for people with disabilities.To celebrate the accomplishment we created a best of episode. In this we took 5 of the interviews and used their favorite stories from the field. In this episode I also share more about myself and how I came into the field of APE. This episode was very personal for me and it was definitely a lot more difficult being on the other side of the mic.Thank you so much for continuing to support the podcast. Our next episode topic will be with a panel of non-profit organizations that work directly to improve physical activity and fitness for people with disabilities. Please keep the comments coming and I will get to your topics soon.If you would like to make a donation to our podcast, we would greatly appreciate your contributions. Please click here to contribute to our mission of spreading the word of APE!

Hi All, In Annenberg watching launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 with Jason 3 load. Yey! http://www.spacex.com/webcast/ Ray Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Hi All, In Annenberg watching launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 with Jason 3 load. Yey! http://www.spacex.com/webcast/ Ray Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

[…] "Organizations have been remodeling their learning and training strategies around new and rising technology. No matter which technology they use certain fundamentals they must consider about. In this post, I would be addressing those fundamentals and they way these are focused by one of such rising technologies i.e. MOOCs, much widely discussed concept in my last few posts."  […]

[…] "Organizations have been remodeling their learning and training strategies around new and rising technology. No matter which technology they use certain fundamentals they must consider about. In this post, I would be addressing those fundamentals and they way these are focused by one of such rising technologies i.e. MOOCs, much widely discussed concept in my last few posts."  […]

[…] "Organizations have been remodeling their learning and training strategies around new and rising technology. No matter which technology they use certain fundamentals they must consider about. In this post, I would be addressing those fundamentals and they way these are focused by one of such rising technologies i.e. MOOCs, much widely discussed concept in my last few posts."  […]

[…] "Organizations have been remodeling their learning and training strategies around new and rising technology. No matter which technology they use certain fundamentals they must consider about. In this post, I would be addressing those fundamentals and they way these are focused by one of such rising technologies i.e. MOOCs, much widely discussed concept in my last few posts."  […]

[…] Learning in a number of organizations is passing through immense change. Some are letting go their training rooms in favor of the digital delivery of content, and managers who are forward thinking are investing on social media, social learning, and mobile devices to support their employees’ learning. Organizations have been remodeling their learning and training strategies around new and rising technology. No matter which technology they use certain fundamentals they must consider about. In this post, I would be addressing those fundamentals and they way these are focused by one of such rising technologies i.e. MOOCs, much widely discussed concept in my last few posts.  […]

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Last week I promised to delve more into Accelerated Learning, so I am making good on that promise. I am currently reading the book The Accelerated Learning Handbook by Dave Meier. In the book it lists these five things as the "major principles of accelerated learning: Total learner involvement enhances learning. Learning is not the passive storage of information but the active creation of knowledge. Collaboration among learners greatly enhances learning. Activity-centered learning events are often superior to presentation-centered ones. Activity-centered learning events can be designed in a fraction of the time it takes to design presentation-centered ones." Accelerated Learning is not a step-by-step approach like some instructional methods. It encourages trying different methods, techniques, and media to find what works and use them. Then keep trying more to find what works best. I like this approach because it fits with one of my core beliefs (and is part of my company’s vision) to "learn always." Things change, people change, times change. What works today may fall flat tomorrow. Try new things to keep those brain juices flowing. I will continue posting additional tidbits about Accelerated Learning as I read the book, and I will leave you with instructions for my Wake-up Bag. The Wake-up Bag is an element of Accelerated Learning by "waking up" the senses, making participants alert and engaged. I recently used them during a presentation on Technical Writing. Everyone loved them and they stayed energized the entire hour session of learning how to write in Simplified Technical English! I know! Amazing, right?! The Wake-up Bags are nothing more than beanbags stuffed with coffee, but here is what they do: Participants earn a Wake-up Bag by participating - asking or answering questions, sharing experience, etc. The bright colors wake-up the eyes. The squishiness wakes-up touch. The sound of the beans wakes-up the ears. The smell of the coffee beans wakes up the nose and triggers the brain to wake up (true story, check it out on "WebMD - Coffee’s Aroma Stirs the Brain"). Here’s how I made them.

I HATE writing assessments, especially multiple choice. It’s a struggle for me. If you struggle with assessments too, the blog post by Ant Pugh on Litmos, Top 5 Rules for Great Multiple Choice Questions | eLearning Blog may have the help you need to write great mulitple choice assessments.

5 Tech Tools for Teachers to Use in 2016 The future is now, and it’s a whole lot more advanced than we expected. Internet connected everything and there is an alarm clock that will wake you up with the smell of bacon. And this year, edtech is seeing a whole[Read more] The post Guest Post — 5 Tech Tools for Teachers to Use in 2016 appeared first on Teaching with Technology.

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