The Best of Learning, Design & Technology

Learning moves at the speed of conversation. If we want faster learning, we need to start by removing the physical and psychological barriers between people. Create more channels not more content.

– Mark Britz

Last week’s most clicked item:

What Every Successful Person Knows, But Never Says

A Guide to Cloud Fonts in Microsoft Office 365

In the past, sharing a PowerPoint deck with others meant you needed to use one of the small number of “safe” fonts to avoid having things go wonky and have your fonts get substituted for another one if the recipient didn’t have the same font that you used installed on their computer. (This is still true of older versions of PowerPoint 2016 and earlier) Microsoft has made this much less of an issue with Cloud Fonts. Now there are about 700 “safe” options. Learn more and download a guide from the amazing Julie Terberg. 

https://designtopresent.com/2019/03/31/a-guide-to-cloud-fonts-in-microsoft-office-365/

How to Write Bullet Points People Actually Want to Read

Bullet points often get a bad name…and often for good reason. But there are certain times and places where bullet points are actually useful. As Mark Heaps once said, “Bullets won’t kill unless you use them like a dumb-ass.” The goal here is to achieve, “headlineability” with each bullet.

https://copyblogger.com/writing-bullet-points/

Why Community Belongs at the Center of Today’s Remote Work Strategies

Dion Hinchcliffe writes about how many organizations are trying to keep their workers productive and engaged. Except for in-person businesses and essential workers, the workforce has largely been physically disbanded until the pandemic comes to an end, one way or another. And how we must deliberately and strategically cultivate these stakeholders as the communities that they really are and which actually power our organizations.

https://dionhinchcliffe.com/2020/09/23/why-community-belongs-at-the-center-of-todays-remote-work-strategies/

Designing for Complicated Complexity

Learning & Development has a pretty good tool kit for knowledge-based or procedural learning. But what about creating effective learning experiences for complex skills? Get some great insights from three super smart L&D pros: Emma Weber, Mirjam Neelen & Julie Dirksen

https://nerdyshoptalk.com/index.php/2021/02/22/episode-006-designing-for-complicated-complexity/ 

Dual Coding to Organize Ideas

In this ResearchED session, Oliver Caviglioli helps teachers become acutely aware that organization is essential for learning. Exploring the work of Federick Reif, Oliver moves teachers’ understanding to a point where they entertain Barbara Tversky’s assertion that the mind regards ideas as objects. With this new framework with which to understand thinking, teachers learn how to ensure they select the correct graphic organiser appropriate to their curriculum content.

https://researched.org.uk/2020/05/05/oliver-caviglioli-dual-coding-to-organise-ideas/

A few other things just because I can. 

Podcasts

Here are three podcast episodes from this week that are worth a listen:

• Producing Virtual Events withKassy LaBorieon the L&D Lounge podcast
• Help Your Brain Learn, with Lisa Feldman Barrett on the Coaching for Leaders podcast
• Resources, not courses with Jeni Johnson on the Train as You Listen podcast

Tools, Tips & Resources 

I also publish a daily L&D Tech Toolbox newsletter. You can find those and subscribe here.  

• iLove PDF — Every tool you need to work with PDFs in one place
• myNoise — Free online Background Noises, Ambient Sounds, Relaxing Music 
• Wavebox.io — Unify disperate tasks and boost performance with these this app
• Stormboard — Make your meetings, brainstorms, and projects better
• Iconduck — Over 100,000 free open source icons, illustrations and graphics. 

Where You Can Find Me

• Talking Learning Design on the EdTech Take Out podcast
• Learning Technologies UK Digital Experience 2021 – Recording now available.
• Learning Solutions – May 3-14
• Pushing the Elearning Envelope June 9/10
• Nashville ATD – Using Technology for Training – September 16

Interested in the things that didn’t make the cut here? Follow me on Twitter or connect with me on LinkedIn