Now That's What I Call Learning Vol 1

Have you ever admitted to owning something and the response you get it from others when mentioning it is........ "Oh oh, someone is showing their age"

In most cases you laugh it off, say you were talking about a friend and try and run away before further mocking. However in the case of Now That's What I Call Music there are something's that are timeless and seem to have been around long enough to capture the hearts and minds of so many people that suddenly we are 14 again and buying our first records...........yes I know. that's right....I said records......yes yes showing my age........but you know what I could have said cassette !!!! and a double cassette at that, but, be it cassette, record, CD or download the timeless wonder that is the "Now that's what I call music" brand is under threat.

As part of the approved takeover of EMI by Universal for £1.2 billion pounds, they had to agree to sell EMI's 50% stake in the Now brand. This could spell the possible demise of the franchise as finding a buyer may be something of a struggle for many reasons, the main one of which is we no longer buy music in the same way. The Now format started back in 1983 at a time when people made their own compilations by taping their favourite songs off the radio chart show on a Sunday night and signalled the death knell of the old C45.............now if you remember that, you ARE getting old..

In preparation for the potential passing of this legendary musical institution, That Learning Dude would like to take a short historical tour and provide you the only track list you will ever need for every training course you'll ever run.

So November 28th 1983 is our starting point as we fly back to the very first Now that's what I call music release. Phil Collins took to the stage and told us you can't hurry love and he was definitely singing to every customer out there that wants training and wants it now.......perfection takes time and time is what you should factor in to every training project to ensure you deliver the right product . Not content with that, Duran Duran said is there something I should know......eh well I hope so! Why else would you be in my training session? So if they are there to learn something ensure you source information from only the best of Subject Matter Experts. Malcolm Mclaren warned about the dangers of churning out poor quality material decrying that such content is hard to follow and mostly Double Dutch

By the time Now 18 had come along in 1990 The Beautiful South had decided there was more reflection required on training needs analysis and requested a little time to find out more about individual requirements, in part this was because Belinda Carlisle was fed up attending the same thing although some people like Public Image Ltd had no interest in participating in the TNA and said don't ask me. Poor Kylie Minogue it seems though wasn't sure about where the training was going either and just suggested we step back in time, causing much eye rolling from Belinda.

1994 brought forth Now 29 and a time of evaluation for Eternal and in tribute to the session they attended wrote a song about it called so good. Louis Armstrong found himself wanting to ask more and more questions about the chosen topic for this event and despite the workshop running from 9-5 insisted that we had all the time in the world. Robert Palmer wasn't convinced though and told Louis he should know by now and the Cranberries suggested that if they stayed any longer they would feel like a zombie

On Now 52 Scooter were convinced more than ever that thing made sense with the logical song and Kelly Llorenna felt the session should be more in tune with her needs and said tell it to my heart. Mary J Blige however thought it was becoming a bit soap opera with all the role play and demanded no more drama. All this while Nelly struggled to concentrate with the faulty air conditioning in the room and wanted to know if it was just him or if indeed it was getting hot in here?

In 2008 and the age of Now 69 the Feeling failed to return after lunch with the only excuse provided as I thought it was over and the Sugababes with all the issues of swapping members of the band registered for the course but admitted that attendance would be subject to change. 

Now 77 brought it's own problems for Cee Lo Green and forget you was something he often said about pre course material. Not that we ever got round to discussing it on the course as Jason Derulo brought a suitcase full of hypothetical questions and asked what if?

And yay it comes to pass that November this year could see the last ever Now That's What I Call Music compilation. At time of writing this there is no published track list but you can be sure there is much to learn from it.





When all is said and done though, just like the demand for a presentation skills course, I don't think it will die.

That Learning Dude @LearningXDude

P.S. Stop the rise in Open University Tuition Fees http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22316

For a McFly look at Unlearning go Back to the Future

A couple of things got me thinking today. The first was due to a comment about unlearning after I overheard a conversation about a change of system and process. "Am I supposed to just unlearn everything I have been taught over the last few years?" The answer given to them was a simple "yes" and then the killer question was driven home, "so how do I unlearn?" You could hear a pin drop, then a few cogs, then an overheating neural processor before finally the manager uttered the words "just forget about it" 

You could see this was not the answer the person was looking for and I felt it was time for That Learning Dude to ride to the rescue but I stopped myself. You see, it is something I have heard a few times now in the last couple of months and I should have responded along the lines of "we are made up of our experiences, our culture, our interactions. A product of ourselves, however sometimes if you want to continue to personally evolve etc etc you sometimes have to unlearn, challenging ideals that you may have held for sometime etc etc etc blah blah blah. Imagine a cup full of water, imagine yourself pouring the contents of that cup out and watch as it soaks into the earth. The earth quickly dries up and your water  is gone, that water is the water you once"......STOP ! I have a better idea. That Learning Dude was also sourcing a Back to the Future clip and that got me thinking.

I then have to admit, I got lost in thought....

If you got sent back in time, what are the things you know now that would help you learn then to be better now? Unlearning Back to the Future Style.

Take Marty. A lot of what Marty experiences is the process of unlearning in order to create a better life for himself in the future although it is not necessarily his intention. The pursuit of happiness for Marty is also beset by rejection as his band fails to make the grade in the audition for the high school dance. It is interesting to note that a lot of his success as rock n roll legend is not provided by unlearning the style or instrument of his future success but by unlearning the experience of rejection. His rendition of that future hit from his past Johnny B. Goode excites Marvin Berry enough to call his cousin Chuck with that great new sound he'd been searching for........oh how Marvin could have unlearned from helping his cousin and made it HIS new sound instead.

Now Marty isn't the only one that has to go through the process of unlearning, although Doc Brown has a slightly different journey. What he knows in 1985 about the 1.21 Gigawatts of power required to power the flux capacitor in order to travel back and forth in time is perceived by his 1955 self as unthinkable and therefore he has to unlearn or unconvince his current conviction that this is a truly unthinkable thing to think. However, Marty through the medium of a portable TV studio and the Docs ability to remind himself in a letter to pass to his future self to tell himself from the past of what to do in the future is enough to keep a good story line going...................although I think I may unlearn that one for the benefit of my own cranium.

All in all though the Doc demonstrates many of the thoughts I have on unlearning. There is something in it but I am not fully bought in to the empty the vessel type examples and certainly wouldn't advocate it because for me things we learn are all connected to either lessons learnt or lessons still to be taught and also I think there are somethings that will never be unlearned......just ask Biff.........he never stopped hating manure !



Now if you'll excuse me I am heading out to see if my little car can hit 88 miles an hour, I think I spotted a spelling mistake in a post from July, if successful you will never have noticed it.

That Learning Dude @learningXDude

If at first you don't succeed....rewriting the Bruce, Murray style.

Andy Murray, US Open champion. Amazing ring to it, a Grand Slam now in the bag, defeating the defending champion and climbing back up to world number 3. It has been a long time coming but it is testament to that age old saying of if at first you don't succeed try, try again.

You see it was Robert the Bruce (legend says) when driven into hiding by the English happened upon a spider as he sat in a cave pondering his next move. Bruce watched the spider as it attempted to spin its web and indeed fail a number of times and fall from the cave wall. However, undaunted by the failure the spider pressed on and continue to slowly climb back up and try again. It was this observation that led Bruce to rally the troops if you like and in later years defeat the English at Bannockburn.

So from one legend (and a little bit of poetic licence) to another. Andy Murray. He has shown that with determination, focus and direction that you can achieve greatness. It may not happen over night and each time you fail, climb back up, dust yourself down and start again.

All of this achieved with an unbelievable amount of pressure to succeed with a million eyes upon him and a million points of view. Outstanding really when you think about it.

Nothing is really impossible, no seriously. If you are committed, have the desire to harness a talent and stay the course then you will succeed.

When things may seem to be impossible, that is when some people throw the towel in. Start to think of things in the context of possibility. Bruce looked at his situation and dismissed the impossible, yes he had suffered defeat, yes he had been driven from his cause but he began to believe in the possible and this led to success

Andy Murray had pressure on him from day one of his tennis career, his older brother Jamie would beat him in local tournaments as a young boy but rather than give in he would harness what he learned in those defeats to motivate himself to improve and succeed. I firmly believe that there is no more a challenging task than wanting to beat an older sibling at anything.

Now there is no pill to instant success but you can write your own prescription (ensure you can read your own handwriting ). Start by looking what you want to achieve, and by that I mean really achieve. Make sure you are as bold and bright as possible about what that success will look like. The more vivid and the more real you make things then the better an understanding you will have of what you have to do. On that note if you rely on others to help you, coaches, mentors, fans !! etc, make sure the role they have to play is clear as well.

It is also important to think a little about how you will cope in the event of failure, do not walk away, walk towards it. If you have failed at something, this has happened for a reason, analyse results, look for areas which you can make changes in and then try again, do this until it brings you what you desire. There is also a lot to be said for bringing in people who truly understand what you are going through or trying to achieve. Andy Murray has worked with some great coaches over the years each bring him success but neither could truly understand what he was dealing with in his quest to win a grand slam, that is until Ivan Lendl came along. First came Olympic success, then the ultimate goal. A grand slam. Ivan Lendl lost his first four grand slam finals before finally nailing nirvana at his fifth attempt. Andy lost his first four before Mondays win. Lendl went on to win a further 7 grand slam titles, perhaps Murray just found his new sibling motivation :-)

That Learning Dude @LearningXDude

Don't blame Millennial's. Keep up !

When the Who sang about My Generation it was a rebellious angst driven blast at the lack of understanding by the older generation about what was happening and the fact that they just "didn't get it"

So what was "it"?

Well I've read a couple of versions about the songs origin. Pete Townsend is reported to have written the song after being inspired by the Queen Mother who was alleged to have his hearse towed off a street in Belgravia as it offended her on her daily jaunt around town.

Later, Townsend is also reported as saying when Roger Daltry sang " I hope I die before I get old" that by "old" they meant rich, so perhaps the origins were based on fear that maybe you don't have long to do what you want before you are expected to be rich in knowledge, standing and experience?

Now the reason That Learning Dude is writing about this tonight is I have just read an article in the Wall Street Journal about how companies are beginning to bend over backwards in order to retain the skills and talents of Millennial's (GenY) by offering a number of additional perks that accommodate faster promotions and greater responsibilities.

 Now there is a business case to address that has plenty of data to show that within the next eight to ten years as much as 40% of the workforce in the USA will consist of millennial's so of course a business is going to get a bit panicky and many CEO's recite the well trodden line that indicates they have no choice to bow to demands in order to retain the top talent.

In one company a number of exit interviews conducted to try and understand why turnover was so high reflected that there was too much bureaucracy, not enough comms, lack of fun or use of talents and little in the way of flexible hours.

Other data critical to support a business points to what millennial's bring to the modern day office. For a start they have fresh skills and in most cases tech savvy. They will be socially connected and more collaborative and also likely to be more culturally and racially diverse. Not a bad CV  before they even start but it is easy to see why older workers could be disgruntled when exhibit A starts on the Monday and already has 300+ friends, follows (not stalks) 600+ individuals and organisations and is connected to 250+ people which in the grand scheme of first, second and third connections gives them a network of a squillion people from Alaska to Auckland !! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Data zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Nothing new. Really, it's nothing new, there has been and always will be a gap between generations and as the older generation will always know better from past experience where as the current generation will always know better from future preferences. The fact the Who sang about wanting to die before they get old was a cry to avoid the handover point when they have to communicate with that generation to say give me the knowledge you have so I can progress and that is where the clash happens.

Millennial's are sometimes criticized for being impatient but surely that comes from a lack of understanding of things like how they like to communicate i.e. fast paced, social and virtual.

Seek first to understand, then be understood - Covey.

So here is the thing, I'm Gen X (happy at that as it sounds cool in a Billy Idol style) but I can't be critical and dismissive of something I know nothing about, I need to embrace the way millennials learn and want to communicate, but The Who said "don't try to dig what we all say" therefore it is not about trying to be like them and suddenly getting down with the kids, wearing your baseball cap in whatever the current jaunty fashion is.......that would be waaaaaay too uncool for skool. (sorry was that too hip?)

So here is the thing, if you are that person that is complain about the next generation up getting more opportunity than you,  what are you doing to keep up with the world? Sorry if that is being direct, i'm not trying to cause a big sensation, just talking about my generation !

That Learning Dude - Follow @LearningXDude

Is (an) Apple the forbidden fruit?

The definition of the apple being a forbidden fruit is probably one of the oldest recorded metaphors and linked to any indulgence or pleasure deemed to be immoral or illegal. That Learning Dude reads with interest and notes that in this instance it wasn't Adam and Eve that pinched and snacked on fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil but Samsung who have been hit with a fine of just over..........

Now I am not too concerned about the judgement, if Samsung infringed copyright then of course it is right they are punished, but it is more than just the money that is at stake. It is about the battle for space in the gadget pockets of you and I.  Apple demanded $2.75billion in damages but the jury felt this was extraordinarily high, citing that they wanted to give Samsung more than a slap on the wrist and make the fine painful but not unreasonable, but are Apple really that interested in the fine and how handy was it having a foreman of the jury having knowledge of patents in the US given he has one himself......Oooooops cheeky me.

Recent sales figures published in the US, indicate that 64% of mobile devices sold ran on Android versus about 19% on Apple and despite the fact that Apple make far more money on hardware and app sales than anyone else, a ratio of 3 to 1 units must still concern them.

The battle isn't about good versus evil and isn't about Apple versus Samsung, this is about killing off Android   of which Steve Jobs himself said he wanted to destroy and I don't think that's healthy, you see, if you truly want to beat your rivals then innovate by picking up their challenge and going one better. I am not meaning by adding 1, 2 and 3 to your product or indeed 1, 2, 3, 4 and soon rumoured to be 5 as eventually your customer will eventually look beyond the hype and say "this ain't new" 

Now this is going to be a long drawn out affair as it is estimated that there may be as many as 6000 plus different types of Android powered handsets and shutting it all down is probably far from possible but it ever did happen would people instantly switch to IOS? Probably not.

So if you were ever faced with a similar challenge what would you do? Stand and fight as a matter of principal or get on with being as innovative and creative as possible to leave your rivals further behind.

I'd grab a pen and draw every time, and I ain't talking battle lines

@ThatLearningXDude

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It's no use, I can't shake it and yet it's not really there

"Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people rely sole on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling: from observing one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action." 

-Albert Bandura, Social Learning Theory, 1977

So an interesting debate sparked up in the office around 70:20:10. The mix of understanding and relevance of everyone's point of view merely strengthens my resolve that as a theory, guideline or framework in principle, it places too much emphasis on it's existence as a solid model. 

Now I am not disputing anything here but interpreting my own interpretation of an interpretation that has been interpreted by someone else based on their interpretation of what someone observed........and perhaps said or done. Ergo today's blog is of course open to interpretation.

If you look at what Albert Bandura proposed in 1977 he spoke about the danger of learning in isolation and being left alone to come to your own conclusion, he highlights the importance of modelling through observation and how you form your own version of how a behaviour is performed and then goes on to speak of how that information you have taken on board has been coded by your brain and will then at a later date be put in to practice. 

So his Social Learning theory is very much steeped in the 70:20.......so what about the 10, well perhaps it's just 100....yep that's what I will call it the 100 or will I?.......You see he didn't need to add numbers, and yet surely as a Professor at Stanford there should have been numbers.?

My point is it doesn't have to have a number to mean something but we are a quantifying bunch, feeling the need to add numbers and create a sense of value, but the value is not for us to add as part of Banduras theory points out just because someone learns something does not mean that it will result in a change of behaviour. Okay so what else happened? Well, his observational model had three parts (See I knew he would have numbers somewhere) 

ANYWAY !!! Where was I going with this? Ah yes, the existence / non existence of 70:20:10. So the reason the debate was set off is that the business is on a journey of learning that requires a change in approach and one of the ways it has been communicated is by telling them about our 70:20:10 learning philosophy however seek first to understand then be understood is the order of the day and perhaps the sticking block is that each of us has our own view of what it actually is but it relies heavily on everyone having a structured approach to learning, a regiment that has the time to create new ideas and innovate thinking. After that of course we all settle down for some reflective moments and then strike a balance between experimentation and the day job.

That's a lot of assumptions........so let's think of what is true.....human nature is inquisitive and wants us to learn but it has to have the freedom and fluidity to learn how it wants and when it wants. Our job as learning professionals is not to give them models, theories, behaviours, coffee and cake........(okay maybe cake)....but our job is provide tools to help them choose their own journey. Classic lead the horse to water scenario but you, them and me alone can choose to drink. Another classic assumption is that learning happens in silo's or separate parts i.e the split between formal and informal but to me it's one in the same. Formal may be the setting but the informal is the environment for learning you create be it offline, online, mobile or classroom etc etc etc.

So there you go, that's my view, it doesn't exist and does at the same time but we don't have to make a song and dance about it we just have to do it.

P.S.........You're doing it now

Follow@thatlearningXDude

Magic Olympic moments.....oh if only we could learn

That Learning Dude just spent two great weeks at one of his favourite parts of Scotland and I confess a little too long in front of the TV watching the 2012 London Olympics. Quite easily my favourite games since 1984 when That Jet Pack Dude flew into the Los Angeles Coliseum to help light the flame. 

As iconic as that was I think even that may have been pipped by James Bond escorting the Queen into the Olympic stadium by parachute. 14,000 athletes from 204 countries (and others under the flag of the IOC) competed in 26 events at 34 venues. To be selected to represent your country in your chosen sport is the ultimate accolade for any athlete and for many proved that dreams can come true with hard work and dedication. 

Now as I wandered and pondered each night at sunset on the beach in this sleepy little hollow it struck me the amazing..........okay mildly amazing similarities that the games have brought when reflecting through all my learning years and so with that in mind I thought That Learning Dude should break those post holiday blues with a chortle and a guffaw through those memorable Olympic moments.

So sit back and have some fun at some true and not so true facts about the Olympics and L&D

Some four billion people around the world are reported to have seen at least a moment of the games on Television. This is an amazing number of people but is still far short of the number of people who request to go on a presentation skills course each year. 

Around three thousand technical officials we involved in administering the games. That's a staggering 115.384615384615384615384615384612 officials per event. Blimey! I can't even get one administrator to help book a venue and print materials for me. 

It took almost 8 years for the Olympic park to turn from plans into the completed venue that hosted the games.

8 years is also the number of years of your life you will waste (and never get back) watching mundane and incredibly boring Powerpoint presentations. To this day nobody has been convicted of death by powerpoint.

The temperature of the Olympic swimming pool was a terribly accurate 26 degrees centigrade. Most training rooms do not come with a thermometer as standard and make up 38% of CO2 pollution due to overheating

The hottest ticket in town was for the 100 metres Mens final with over one million requests for tickets.

One million is the average number of requests received on an annual basis for people to go straight to the test on an eLearning course

The keys to Wembley stadium which was hosting Olympic football were lost during the games forcing security chiefs to change the locks. The person responsible for losing the keys has made and average of 8.4 requests for a new password to his companies online learning account in the last six months

The closing ceremony for the Olympics featured a number of musical artists past and present with even the Spice Girls returning to the stage.

Sometimes it isn't a good idea to roll out old material but if you do, make sure you have a taxi for a quick getaway.

That Learning Dude is back !

Follow @LearningXDude

That Learning Dude Rises, Batman Style

That Learning Dude Rises

Hugely anticipated and it never let me down. I had waited so long for the arrival of the Dark Knight Rises I was beginning to worry that it would be somewhat of an anti-climax but how wrong I was. A compelling storyline, that delivered interest scene after scene after scene. It's funny how we sometimes build ourselves up when it comes to learning too. Learning is much valued as much as it is under rated. It is hugely anticipated and then sometimes fails to deliver. So how can something so great sometimes go spectacularly wrong? Perhaps the simple answer is because at times there is not enough bravery in taking risks, or quite simply it lacks the characters..........so lets add some of them.

Learning starts with a hero, somebody that wants to do good for others. To do this they have to go underground, get behind what the customer really wants and if required challenge the establishment. If all is good and the learning has been achieved they sometimes receive little praise, not that what they have done is not welcomed, just that the sense of accomplishment lies not with the hero but the person who has actively been involved in the learning process. The hero of course is continually learning and that is why they keep doing what they do. 

Learning needs a joker or something to inject a bit of fun into the proceedings, sure there is a dark side to the Joker especially when you are faced with them in workshops, seminars or forums etc but by embracing their chaotic sense of enthusiasm you can capture something which will light the fires of engagement. You have to draw people into what you are doing, get them to drive the learning and most of all not be so serious.

"What is always on its way but never arrives?"..........."Tomorrow"

Learning needs a challenge and  plenty of food for thought. Where possible the learning should set tasks that make people think and reflect. If in the classroom make it experiential, if eBased then drop in assessments, surveys and gamification. 

Riddle me this, riddle me that, why is an orange like a bell? They both need peeled !!!! Make a lot of noise about Learning, let them know the purpose, benefits and results it can bring.

Learning.......like Bane should be powerful and provide strength to the learning experience. Sometimes you could say it is good to have a little fear built in, that charges the atmosphere and creates challenge and competition. If you look at the Dark Knight Rises both Bane and Batman actually have a similar sense of vengeance and whilst I am not suggesting this is good for learning, the fact that both share a common goal is a great example of how we should look for shared purpose with the learner, help to build rapport and set the expectations of support throughout the session or situation.

Dressing to impress as Bane is probably a little scary too, use it wisely.

Now what we are really looking to achieve is for the Learning to spread, not too quickly as this can be lost in translation but like Ivy (not poison) to creep along and build momentum. You want the learning to slow burn, provide things in little branches, build your learning in such a way that people can pick up like pollen and drop in different areas to grow and develop in new and exciting ways. 

There is one last character I think our learning needs.  We all need an Alfred, someone who can stand over us and offer us support. A champion who can sponsor the learning and make us believe that what we are doing is the right thing and most of all the person who can deliver a tough message and let us know pure honest feedback which can help us develop and grow. Mentors come and go but an Alfred will never leave you.


That Learning Dude @LearningXDude

Curiously creative or creatively curious?

"Ideas come from curiosity" - Walt Disney

I'm a huge fan of Walt Disney and many things Disney Corp, call it the inner child, call it the outer child but I just find him and it special for a few reasons. The main thing is I worked for the company for a couple of years as a cast member in stores and got to immerse myself in a culture which I felt really engaged with and on most days it was a joy to go to work. However.......(and you knew it was coming) I have to dispute something which has been in the companies folklore for decades.

On October 27th 1954 as Walt spoke of his plans to create Disneyland he said "I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse"

There is no disputing that he said this but what I do dispute is that it was not all started by a mouse at all but by a blank sheet of paper, some curiosity and a dash of creativity.

There are some simple reasons which highlight why I like to be curious and why I am more than likely to have a pad of paper and a pen close by rather than not. I am a nosey person......naturally nosey. Observant and interested in things, stuff and a little bit more. This curiosity fires my imagination and makes me think how things work, how I can make stuff better and what can I do next.

It's exercise for the mind, an active mind which helps to fire the  neurons and get things ticking, I love the feeling I get when this happens, a creative euphoria that produces a strong and more productive mindset. Pen and paper to me is the minds running machine

When you have a blank sheet of paper you can begin to imagine the art of the possible (to coin a phrase often used by a mate). This is all about awareness of ideas, you find that when you become more aware of what is possible you rarely miss a trick. Look at this cup, how many times have you thought about something outlandish, completely bonkers but the idea is gone as quick as it came?  The key to opening your creative mind is taking that gamble, making that plan and putting it into action, I would so love to have come up with the cookie pocket mug. Even if you only go so far as building the prototype, do it. This is creativity and this is learning from your awareness of the art of the possible. The excitement you generate at doing something like this will also be rewarding and that in turn also gives the neurons a kick.......to keep firing.

The next thing about that curiosity and creativity is the capture. Grasp as much information as possible about your idea and transfer it to the paper. Or indeed if you can, take a picture be it mental or physical imagery. Look for the pot of gold in the idea and take it.

Add colour, add life and give things a name. Attach words and let the idea talk to you.............if anyone asks who you are talking to? hold off saying Harvey the Rabbit.......at least for a little while.

Before long things jump out of the page.



So that blank piece of paper started the process, that in turn fired ideas for Walt and he took a gamble on so many things, there was lots of knocking of doors and rejections to deal with before that mouse dude really took off, but he never let the mouse be the end of it. I leave you this week with a look at how far things moved on and how much fun people have when being curiously creative.

So grab the paper, grab the pens and let your curiosity and imagination run wild


That Learning Dude @LearningXDude

The new learning style, I give you the Technist, born from B.YO.D.......D !

Just like my Nike's

I have this pair of trainers, I've owned them almost 8 years now. They are not your standard type of trainers, they were retro when I bought them, they were not to everyone's taste and most certainly don't conform...................which played a huge part in the purchase.

They were / are the comfiest shoes I have ever worn and hence the reason I still wear them. I have bought several pairs since and they have found their way home with me but nothing has come close to that pair. So I guess you understand their importance to me but for one thing.

I have one mate who still to this day refers to them as clown shoes !

Now I am sure any of you are hanging on to every word of this weeks post wondering if the message is around finding something that fits and wearing it with pride, eh....be comfy with what you choose Learning Dude or have you ever learned the ways of the circus but alas there is no such line of development I have considered for circus skills although it has given me an idea :-)

You see the thing about the shoes is their comfort and feel is important to me. They're my clown shoes, I bought them because they didn't conform and because I don't.........unless Mrs Learning Dude tells me to.

I have made many a purchase like this, none more than with tech. When people were gearing up to buy a Sony Playstation I was buying an Atari Jaguar (well it did have Tempest) When people were buying a Commodore Amiga I was buying an Atari ST and when they were opting for iPod's I bought an Archos 5.

Back then the choice was limited to one or two parties competing with each other for supremacy. Now however there is so much choice you can expect people to have a number of gadgets in their pockets and bags all across the globe.

Stop what you are doing and look around, how many can you see? I have four scattered in front of me just now. Each running different versions of Android and Windows.

Three of these will travel to the office with me tomorrow and each is capable of running varied content. Now, I don't think I am (that) unique and  recognise that there is an opportunity to engage with people like never before. You see it's like the shoes, if they are comfy you will happily walk miles in them, throw in your choice of music player and that pair of headphones that provide maximum sound with minimum fuss and everything is good.......and don't you just love the power you feel when you run your finger over your touch screen device.  By contrast, if you pop on my headphones, grab the clunk and chunky feeling of that old Archos and slip into my clown shoes and how far will you walk?

You see we all like the things that are the most comfortable and that we chose for particular reasons. I would also like to advocate this from a learning perspective. If Kolb, Honey, Mumford and Gregorc etc had been a little bit more forward thinking then perhaps the "Technist" may have been a welcomed addition to the much disputed learning style family. I am a Technist (occasionally non conforming) and up until the point people start reading this weeks post perhaps the only one.

The "Technist" likes to take information on through the medium of the gadget. Sit them in a soulless class and watch them fade away. Sit them in a class and review the content on their phone or tablet and they start to engage. Provide them pre and post course material accessed through the very same gadgets and they will probably start sending flowers. Invite them into the room and interact through their gadgets, gizmo's and various formats and there is a danger they may wish to move in with you.

When building content today you have to think of the Technist and make multi format versions of what you do. Don't Apple in isolation without considering the Jelly Beans. Let them choose the content to match the Tech. The format they chose will be as comfortable to them as the shoes they wear (but not as comfy as my clown shoes) With comfort comes confidence and confidence builds support and engagement . Bring your own Device is dead, long live Bring Your Own Development Device B.Y.O.D........D :-)



That Learning Dude on Twitter @LearningXDude