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.

TED Talks vs. New Year's Resolutions

Well, it's that time of year again when we see lots of year-end lists of best this and worst that. Along with these always comes lots of introspection of what was and consideration of what is to come.

For many, this takes the form of a New Year's Resolutions list. A noble effort that rarely extends beyond February or March.

I thought I'd take a different approach and would love your collaboration and feedback on it. I've created and embedded below a list of Unforgettable TED Talks. On this list you can vote on those included and also add ones you think are missing.

Instead of focusing on a list of resolutions, why not just sit back and enjoy some inspiring, challenging and mind-stretching talks? And how about we keep this list handy whenever we feel we're struggling and overwhelmed in 2013?

As a lifelong learner, I believe increased self-awareness is possibly the best goal to have and strive for in life. Once your self-awareness grows, maybe those resolutions you've already written down will stick. Or maybe that list won't need to be as long as it is. Watch these TED Talks videos and learn, consider and grow. Then use the power of Social Media to help others do the same.

Next year can be better. But that's up to you...

Unforgettable TED Talks

View more lists from Jamie Good

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? 

Twitter Chats - Guest Post by Nadia M. Ollivierre

Part of my participation in the Twitter backchannel at the CSTD2012 conference included meeting new people. Although Nadia M. Ollivierre and I didn't have the chance to meet in person at conference, we've connected on Twitter and through this relationship we have helped each other learn, discussed meaningful L&D topics and encouraged each other to go forward professionally. 

Her enthusiasm to dive right in to Social Media, and Twitter especially, prompted me to ask her to write a guest post for this blog. To help facilitate further learning, we settled on the topic of one of my favourite things: Twitter Chats. Accompanying this article is Nadia's SlideShare presentation that gives you some visual understanding of what she explains below. I encourage you to take a few minutes and check it out as well. Now, I'll pass the mic to Nadia...


Following users on Twitter is a fairly easy process. You enter a username and click the follow button. Following a Twitter chat should be just as simple right? Wrong! I discovered this only after joining my first twitter chat - #CSTD2012. I was eager to get involved in the discussion so I posted a tweet in response to a question. I was surprised to see how fast each tweet from other users in the chat filled the timeline.I was trying to keep up and frequently forgot to add the chat hashtag when making a comment. I was gaining a lot of new information but I still had so many questions and clearly so little time.

• How do I stay involved in the chat?
• How much can I tweet?
• How do I respond to comments?
• What other chats can I join?

With the help of a fellow tweeter - @JGoodTO - I have come to realize there are a few things to bear in mind when you join a Twitter chat:

1. Remember to hashtag - #! This may seem obvious but when you are trying to keep up with the topic it can be easily forgotten. This will result in your tweet being posted on your timeline and not in the chat. Tweetchat is a tool that automatically adds the hashtag to your tweets and can keep you up to speed and focused on one topic.

2. Keep your posts short and sweet. Given the pace of the discussion you are going to want your tweets to get right to the point. You can use your 140 character limit efficiently by using acronyms and shortening some of your words. Keep in mind the chat hashtag is included in your character count as well.It is also easier for other tweeters to retweet or quote your comments if they are brief.

3. Check your Mentions. You need to remember to check ‌ your ”mentions” to ensure you have not missed any opportunities to answer direct questions regarding your tweet or share ideas. Forgetting to do this could limit your chance of enhancing your discussion.

4. Explore the twitter-sphere. Join chats you are interested in and practise, practise, practise! Search Twitter, read other user tweets and click on the #hashtags they have added to their postings. You can also make up #hashtags and see what has been posted.

I have learned a lot from joining these chats. They have helped me collaborate with tweeters around the world to brainstorm and build resources, so get out there and enjoy your journey towards lifelong learning. ‌ ‌

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!