Monday, January 28, 2013

Learn with Me Chat #learnwme - Effective Questions - January 28, 2013

Lately, much of my conversation with a good friend and some colleagues has centred around the issue of effective questions. The two main sources that have triggered my exploration of proper questions and the act of proper questioning have been Julie Schell's, "How to Write Effective Questions to Evaluate Deep Learning", and John G. Miller's book, "QBQ! The Question Behind the Question".

Therefore, I've decided that tonight's Learn with Me chat will focus on effective questions and how they relate both to learning and to our own daily lives. I believe that Julie's wonderful focus on evaluating deep learning will connect well into John's thoughts on questions that facilitate personal accountability.

Join us tonight at 8pm EST for an engaging, fun and interactive Learn with Me Twitter chat that as always, will include visuals to deepen the experience. Use the #learnwme hashtag and TwitterChat.com and we'll see you tonight!

Update: Here is the Storify link of the transcript with the sketches I created to visual the concepts we touched on. Enjoy!

Friday, January 18, 2013

What I'm reading - January 2013

As a lifelong learner, I'm reading books, articles and blog posts constantly throughout the day, almost every day. I love to learn more, be challenged and have my mind stretched and strengthened.

The great thing about being Social online is that you can discuss, debate and share what you learn and discover with other bright minds from any geographic location. I'm currently in the planning stages of some fun and meaningful collaboration with a few great people I have met via Twitter and LinkedIn.

I'd like to share with you the books I'm digging into on a monthly basis. Hopefully, some of you may have already read what I'm discovering and some others will want to do the same. I would love to have discussions with any of you about what I post here and what I'm reading, so please don't hesitate to contact me.

As an extension of this, it would be amazing to create an informal, social, online book club around the titles I aim to read this year. If that sounds like something you're interested in, let me know and we can get the ball rolling. (Marc Binkley has created an amazing group of like-minded individuals to learn with together on Google Plus.) I believe that discussing and furthering your thoughts on a book rather than just shelving it after, helps you to process and remember the ideas better. And hey, it helps deepen relationships which is always good.


Speaking of relationships, Never Eat Alone, by Keith Ferrazzi, is a book I am really enjoying currently. It's practical, insightful and spot-on with it's focus on networking and how it can enhance your professional and private lives. I was one of those people who shuddered at the sound of the word, 'networking', in the past. It invoked images of business card wielding, overbearing suit and tie executives who were more concerned about 'What's in it for me?', than how they could contribute to the path of others.

My approach to the Social Media universe -and hopefully life in general- is to make everything a two-way street. To incorporate the 'pay it forward' mentality to as much of daily life as I can. And to be generous. These concepts are what networking is about, as Ferrazzi points out. If your focus is only on your benefits and what others can do for you, then you better quit now.

So far, I'm folding down the corners of quite a number of pages I want to go back to (yes, it's an actual physical book, not on my Kindle). Never Eat Alone is full of great practical advice and successful examples from his own life. I also think the Networking Action Plan he asks you to commit to in the beginning of the book is a wonderful way to help gain focus and plan accordingly so that you succeed rather than flounder.


Thanks to someone posting a picture on Twitter a while ago, I came across The Sketchnote Handbook, by Mike Rohde. Now, for someone visual like me and with a background in the arts, this is pretty much a must-have IMHO. 

Brilliantly looking more like Mike's sketchbook than a 'real book', you learn how to focus on the 'big ideas, using a mix of words, drawings, and type' so that your notes at meetings, conferences and other events become more visual and fun. How cool is that? Check this excerpt:


As you may have noticed, I'm trying to steer away from less text and more images in my work, planning and instruction, so I think what Mike has created here -along with his videos and podcast work- is wonderful and needed. Similar to Dan Roam's approach, whom I'm also finding inspiration from these days, The Sketchnote Handbook will engage more of your brain and help you to integrate concepts and ways of thinking more successfully into your everyday. I say go for it! Grab your pencils and start drawing!

Please let me know what you're reading and/or suggest, and if you'd like to join me on my exciting learning journey. Cheers!

Monday, January 14, 2013

#learnwme chat - January 14, 2013: What Do I Tweet?

If I had to state which question I get the most from people when talking about Twitter, it would be, 'What do I tweet?' Many are willing to jump into the Twitterverse, but once they do, they have no idea what content or message they should be sending out in 140 characters or less.

Tonight's Learn with Me Twitter chat will focus on this issue, so please join us for a fun conversation about what to tweet!

Our focus will be the following:

1 - What should you tweet about?
2 - What should you NOT be tweeting?
3 - What should you do on Twitter besides tweet?

See you tonight at 8pm EST, using the hashtag #learnwme ! Cheers!

Update: Here's the Storify link for this chat for your reference. Thanks. -Jamie



Sunday, January 13, 2013

Idle No More: Rethink Social Media & Hire an Instructional Designer

If there's one thing that comes up in conversation a lot these days, it's Idle No More. The #IdleNoMore hashtag is buzzing, their Facebook page has racked up almost 75,000 Likes and Chief Theresa Spence has over 35,000 followers of her Twitter account. Impressive numbers, but so what?

Idle No More is taking the wrong approach to Social Media, despite what the press is saying. In a recent Toronto Star article titled, Social Media helps drive Idle No More movement, Karissa Donkin writes:
Idle No More and its rise have been driven by social media, a place where anyone — no matter how physically isolated they are — can participate in discussion and follow news if they have an Internet connection or smartphone.
Yep, similar to the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement, Idle No More (INM) has used the convenience, simplicity and ubiquity of Social Media to connect, grow and speak out. And with good reason. Facebook and Twitter are free to use and available in the palm of your hand and in a vast country such as Canada, these platforms get the word out fast and to all corners.

But, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram need to be used by INM as tools to educate, not simply to rant and collect people together around drum circles and public squares. And they'd do well to hire some expert Instructional Designers to help create their Social Media strategy.

Currently, there are significant gaps between what the 'average Canadian' knows and believes about Aboriginal Canadians and what the latter would have us understand and accept. This obviously limits any support they hope to gain from Canadian taxpayers and the voting public. As instructional designer Connie Malamed states in her post, 'What is instructional design':
Instructional design involves the process of identifying the skills, knowledge, information and attitude gaps of a targeted audience and creating, selecting or suggesting learning experiences that close this gap, based on instructional theory and best practices from the field.
Therefore, hand in hand with skilled instructional designers, INM must design an approach to closing the knowledge, information and attitude gaps that exist between themselves and the rest of Canada. And the tools to educate, connect and engage should include, at the very least, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. Here's what I briefly worked out on my whiteboard that I will expand upon more after the image (please click on photo for enlarged version):


Let me elaborate on what I'm getting at in the photo. Chief Theresa Spence is being criticized -and I think rightly so- for not granting access to the media on Victoria Island where she is undergoing a hunger strike. If INM wants to garner support, then transparency is key. 

Via Facebook and Twitter, INM is connecting and updating supporters, building momentum and organizing protests. 

And the media is doing its part to confuse and overwhelm the public with their biases. 

The result? Idle No More vs. Canada. 

How do INM go from versus Canada to plus Canada instead? Through creative instructional design and use of Social Media. For example:

1) Twitter
  • Host Idle No More Twitter chats that broaden the discussion and involve more citizens. 
  • Educate Canadians on the Idle No More issues via succinct tweets and links to documents that explain what INM is demanding. 
  • Tweet links that illustrate the history of Native Canadians and why current demands exist. 
  • Engage followers AND detractors on the Twitter stream like many corporations do effectively. 
2) Pinterest
  • Pin recipes and photos of unique Aboriginal cuisine. 
  • Pin photos of Native Canadian clothing, styles and fashions from all Aboriginal nations. 
  • Focus on individual chiefs by giving them a pinboard spotlight. 
3) Instagram
  • Show the 'rest of Canada' who you are = photos of reserves, paintings, sculpture, textiles, etc.
  • Demonstrate daily life through photos = Native Canadian portraits, customs, events, etc. 
  • Encourage Aboriginal photographers to submit and participate. 
4) Facebook
  • Include documents, posts and videos that educate and illustrate what it is you're wanting from the rest of Canada and the government. 
  • Announce activities that Canadians can attend and experience, giving opportunities to rub shoulders with members of INM and create meaningful connections. 
This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as I'm concerned, but I think even these few ideas I've explored would help bridge the gaps immensely. What do you think? 




Monday, January 07, 2013

#learnwme chat - January 7, 2013 : Productivity

The theme of Productivity pervades our professional and private lives on a daily basis. We are not only pushed to do more by our bosses, families and friends, but we often believe that we must. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I am regularly frustrated by how many tasks I need to fit into a 24-hour period.

It seems Productivity is most on our minds at the start of a new year, too. So, tonight's Learn with Me Twitter chat will focus on this ever-present idea of Productivity.

We will discuss tools (a few are mentioned in my previous post) that can help you accomplish more and share approaches that work for some that might work for others. Regardless of your profession or interests, you can pretty much guarantee that Productivity is something you will struggle with at times.

Join us tonight at 8pm EST for #learnwme and learn, share and discuss how 2013 can become the year you accomplish much and Productivity is no longer elusive.


Friday, January 04, 2013

App Review: Productivity - 30/30 and EZBuzz

It seems like so many people start their new year off by saying, 'I resolve to be more productive this year!' This is followed with lists, plans and inbox emptying and lasts until mid-February at best. Sound familiar? Trust me, I can relate.

As those close to me know, I'm a self-confessed 'App Addict'. I have spent considerable time discovering apps and testing them out and endeavor to share my findings and favourites with you from time to time on Let's Learn Social.

Let's start with two apps that I feel are good for those looking to be more productive, shall we?

1) 30/30 :
I love the 30/30 app. It's perfect for helping you to focus on tasks, but not get overwhelmed by them all. I use it to chunk my tasks into more manageable time 'pieces' as well as give myself variety throughout the day. There's lots of research out there that attests to the benefits of keeping yourself and your mind fresh by 'switching it up' and this app helps you do so brilliantly.


For example, as you can see in the above screen shot from my iPhone, I focus on writing a new blog post for 45 minutes and then give myself a 'break' by washing dishes. Then I may have blog writing scheduled in later in the day for another 45 minutes following some other task. This prevents me from sitting too long and provides necessary mental breaks. 

Another advantage to splicing up some tasks this way is that when I return to said blog post, I may note some parts that need improvement or may add some better content I thought of while allowing my mind to daydream during the chores that happen in between. 

My most productive days have been thanks to this app and this approach of focused work followed by unrelated tasks. I say give it a try. It's free and and very user-friendly and intuitive. 

2) EZBuzz
If you're like me, you remember things you are supposed to do at inopportune times, ie., when you can't write them down! For a while I was using the native Voice Memo app to simply capture the tasks orally and have them saved, but then I'd forget to check that app later!

EZBuzz takes the convenient voice memo approach a bit further by allowing you to schedule task reminders verbally. And easily. And quickly!




You simply tap on the calendar for when you want to be reminded of the errand or task, record what it is and save it. Easy-peezy. And if you want to add a note, photo or other details you can, but I like it simple and just stick with voice. At the allotted time, your phone will beep, you open the app and listen to what it is you need to be working on, buying or whom you should be calling. I love it.

When I'm out walking, I prefer to use the apps on my iPhone that I can 'speak into', like Evernote and Vlingo, and since I am still without Siri (yes, it's true!), then I find something like EZBuzz a wonderful, free and user-friendly tool.

In terms of productivity apps, this is tip of the iceberg, but I'll leave it at these two for now. Please comment below on your experience with the apps I've mentioned or others you can't live without.