Learning

5 Must Reads for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

in ,

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. POST? Share your must reads in the comments section below.

LEARNING IN 2010 | 3 Valuable Resources

in

10 WAYS TO LEARN IN 2010 > from eLearning Coach this is a list of specific and concrete ways to play to various learning styles with 41 links to incredible resources.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2010 > eLearn Magazine collected predictions from 29 industry leaders. There are a few contradicting trends (what kind of impact will Google Wave have), but all are thought provoking. My favorite is "Use it or Lose it." What's yours?

SHAPING VS MODELING > This post is from 2006, but I think Harold Jarche's point still offers guidance for effective learning in the year ahead. What can we do to include more doing and less telling. Or as Elvis would say, "A little less conversation, a little more action please."

When LPT Nerds Decorate

in

Here's a true sign of a Learning and Performance Technology Nerd, Christmas decoration job aids. For years, I was relearning the best way to display and arrange our Christmas decorations all over again after Thanksgiving. So a couple of years ago, I got the idea to create a few holiday decor job aids. I made myself a few notes, stuck them in the boxes we pack away in the attic for 11 months, and then when it's time to pull them out and put them back up... Viola! It's just-in-time learning.

I know; it's a sickness. But in fairness, my grandfather, who was an engineer by trade, would cut branches off his Christmas trees and rearrange them in holes he would drill in the trunk to help the tree look more symmetrical. Where others see compulsions, we Chandlers simply see the continual practice for our craft.
For now, I've packed my festive job aids away until next year. But in the meantime, I've developed another very practical job aid for my home life. The problem was I would often forget how long I had been wearing my extended wear contacts. I usually took them out on a Saturday and put new ones in on a Sunday, but I couldn't remember if it had been one, two (the recommended amount of time), three, or sometimes four weeks; and now, I have new contacts that last 30 days. I quickly realized the need for performance improvement.
I could jot the date in a journal or in my calendar, but I usually don't have those by my bathroom sink where I change my contacts. Then it hit me. I've recently discover how versatile dry erase markers can be. They work great on a number of surfaces, vanity mirrors being one of them. I simply write the date I put the contacts in on the upper corner of my mirror and know exactly how long my contacts have been in. It's like the annoying cling stickers those lube places put on your windshield when they change your oil.
WHAT IDEAS DO YOU HAVE? I would love to read any examples of job aids you use around the house. Leave me a comment.