My Top iPhone App Picks - Part 2

My Top iPhone App Picks - Part 2

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We're ALL Visual Learners

If you're reading this sentence, you're a visual learner. To get to my blog, use your mouse, swipe your screen or click on the link I tweeted out, you have used the visual processing aspect of your brain. Just like you do to walk from your bed to the bathroom in the morning and pick up your toothbrush instead of a hair brush when you need to brush your teeth.

Almost two weeks ago I went to a talk by Dan Roam at the Rotman school here in Toronto and have been on a completely new mental direction ever since. Dan's book, 'Blah Blah Blah: What to do when words don't work', has been so affirming. It has set my creative imagination on fire and has prevented me from sleeping at a decent hour as my idea generator has been working overtime.

As Dan has stated in a number of fantastic podcast interviews (Boxes and Arrows, Mastermind Podcast, etc.), we have purposefully trained our brains to ignore the visual part of it that makes life so wonderful and meaningful. The linear and the verbal rule the world today. As he has said, we aren't electing Prime Ministers and Presidents based on their drawing skills, but rather their ability to talk. Contrast this present reality with another: the incredible growth of applications like Instagram and other platforms -Twitter and LinkedIn- updating their UI's to be more visually oriented.

Let me quote Dan here for a minute and target this passage to all those linear-focused business folk out there:

"The biggest buzzword in business these days is innovation. The business press, business leaders, and business schools can't say it enough: 'Innovation is the key to success.'...

When we're searching for innovation, aren't we simply seeking a different way of looking at the world? ...Why is it that at the moment in history when we most need to see the world differently, we don't force our mind to look at problems differently? If our goal is to look differently, where have all our pictures gone?"

Good question.
So, let's try an experiment. Take a gander at some of my recent Instragram photos:

Now, what did you just learn about me? 

Death to Learning Styles?!

In the past two years, I have learned so much about so many things that if it weren't for Evernote and PearlTrees, it would be hard to keep track of it all! One of the things I've learned about and appreciated was the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory.

Once the group I was in learned what style they most closely connected with and then separated out into those sub-groups, we had a blast! (Well, the Divergers certainly did!) I was utterly amazed at how blatantly we demonstrated our learning style characteristics and it truly opened up a new way of thinking for me. It also helped me improve my instructional design that I was working on at the time and helped me to challenge myself to learn in varied ways.

Now, over the past month, this lone tweet in the Twitter-verse appeared along with a subsequent blog post and has stirred up some conversation:

I posted Mark's blog post on Twitter and LinkedIn and was honestly surprised at the quick responses and to which way they were leaning -leave the learning styles behind. Surprised because of how valuable learning about these styles had proven to be for me and others.

Mark writes:

It is the desired Learning Objective or Performance Outcome (and, to some extent, the content) that will determine an appropriate instructional strategy. While instructors and leaders may have a responsibility to support the learner through their progression from (potentially) novice to (developing) expert, they still have to acknowledge the optimum methods for delivering said instruction. Any instructor trying to adapt instruction to ALL learning styles (e.g. Kolb) is setting themselves up for failure.

I read this and my immediate reaction was, 'Really??' And my second reaction came from my love of Social Media: 'How great it is that I can connect and discuss issues and topics like these with people from all over because of a tweet and a post!'

The Learning Objectives and the Performance Outcomes we focus on are certainly crucial to effective instruction and training and I agree that adult learners are ultimately responsible for their learning. But aren't we called 'facilitators' for a reason? Are we not out there to facilitate deep, meaningful and engaged learning? And can we not enhance our approach by ensuring that in our Learning Objectives, Performance Outcomes, content and presentation that Divergers and other learning styles are 'targeted' and considered? I have come to believe that the 'optimum methods' for delivery would mean making sure you don't simply cater to Assimilators and hand your learners a textbook and say, 'Read it'. So, if you're not 'adapting instruction to ALL learning styles', who are you leaving out and disengaging? And can you make those that aren't engaged 'responsible' for their own learning when you've basically left them out of the equation and they can't relate?

I still believe from personal experience and conversation, that many people do not adopt Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook into their professionl development or personal lives because of their learning styles. But don't quote me on that, because as a lifelong learner, I'm still doing just that -learning.

I would love to know what you think about the Learning Styles approach to instruction and training, so please add your comments below and thanks for continuing the conversation!

SPECIAL NOTE: Join me for tonight's Learn with Me Twitter Chat at 8pm EST (December 3, 2012) where we will be discussing this issue of Learning Styles and their value, the case against and what alternative viewpoints and approaches lead to engaged learning as well. Use the hashtag #learnwme and see you tonight!

Twitter Value: Part 3 - Connecting, Meeting, Sharing

Writing 'Part 3' seems a bit insufficient in that I really feel I could have a 10-part series of posts on the value Twitter brings, but this blog is about more than just one Social Media platform. So, I'll focus on the value Twitter has brought me in terms of the connections I've made, the people I've met and the sharing that has taken place.

Connections have been many, vast and surprising. I have connected with Aliza Sherman, as mentioned previously, and we have collaborated on MightyBell compiling apps that we feel are must-haves. She has been an amazing resource person for me as well and helpful when I have questions.

I have connected with many through the various Twitter chats I particpate in - #HBRChat, #blogchat, #lrnchat, #smmanners, and #mediachat among others. I've expanded my LinkedIn connections with these people as well and found support, encouragement and a welcome openness.

Meeting people face to face has happened, though many detractors of Twitter think it only creates 'virtual' relationships. At the recent #CSTD2012 conference, I organized tweetups for attendees who had either connected on Twitter pre-conference and/or during. It was great to be able to meet in person, continue the conversations already started and to meet new people. By experience, I can say without a doubt that the one improvement of this year's conference over last year's for me was the fact that Twitter helped me meet many more people. These new connections are already leading to collaboration opportunities and mutually shared learning.

What has been shared with me and what I have shared back has been simply mind-blowing for me, no exaggeration. During Twitter chats I have been tutored and guided through questions I've had which have resulted in amazing learning opportunities. As one fellow chat participant expressed, it's like having your own free college course!

Most recently, the Chief Evangelist, Oliver Starr, of PearlTrees, gave me an amazing run-through of the limitless capabilities and exciting possibilities of PearlTrees via Skype. I was very impressed by the offer and chance to learn that way, and it all came about by some brief conversations on Twitter. I love how sharing ideas and information between tweeters can open up so many doors.

I would really love to hear how Twitter has helped you connect, meet others and share. Please leave a comment below and if you are new to Twitter and are not sure how to make these amazing opportunities happen yet, feel free to let me know and I would love to guide you. 

LinkedIn: #learnwme Chat - November 5, 2012

The partial transcript for my Learn with Me chat that just happened tonight is published and ready to browse. It includes some useful links and tips to improve your LinkedIn profile. Our discussion tonight provided great advice between participants as well, so I'm sure you'll find this Storify link useful.

Please take advantage of the great info linked here and let me know below in the comments if you have any other LinkedIn questions. Thank you to all of you who participated and see you next Monday at 8pm EST!