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

Learning? Nah, history tells me I am just being social-able !!!

Social [Soh-shul] - Pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations

Able [Ey-buhl] - Showing talent, skill or knowledge.






"Social learning, social learning" was the cry but what did they actually mean? There are many different versions of what it is, how you do it, if you can and is there a cost? However That Learning Dude recently tuned in to a webinar from Jane Bozarth and she summed it up perfectly when she said it's not new, it happens already and it's not all about the tools and tech. This is probably the clearest description I have heard. So why then if it is everything she says do people still get confused? In most cases it may well be that people make it sound difficult and spend time being more concerned about the technologies of the time which creates some form of technofear, which alludes to people claiming it's a generational thing, or too time consuming or or or etc etc etc blah blah blah ! Of course the funniest thing about that is this message is spread via social mediums. All this of course got That Learning Dude thinking (a recurring theme). Social learning has been around for a long time but how did we achieve it without some tech and where did the big players in the social media arena really get their ideas from?



So let me take you on my historical whizz through how we became Social-Able.

A long time ago the Neanderdudes took to recording their day to day routines through cave paintings. A varied range of theories as to why they did this go from post ice age Dulux decoration to spiritual ceremonies aimed at drawing out spirits from the cave walls and my favoured link with sharing stories for those who may pass through or live in the dwelling in the future. So here lay the foundations of the first recorded Dude-inar. An artist captured his image by way of prehistoric Instagram moment and more than likely shared an audience with the cookery class going on at the other side of the cave as they roasted the spoils of the hunt whilst observing a carefully painted recipe for buffalo wings on the wall in a Pinterest stylee !

Some time later in ancient Egypt a Wikipedia style movement was well under way. The book of the dead was worked on with multiple writers and editors updating different parts of the book. The interesting part about these and other Egyptian artefacts is how far and wide they have been spread out over the world. A social and global connection all from one culture where those studying ancient Egypt have went to great lengths to recreate what the time may have been like as though it was their second life :-) We must also give consideration to the fact that Hieroglyphs would not have been deciphered if it wasn't for the help of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone ;-)

Viewed 11,000 plus times on You Tube but that is sooooooooo now and not how we did it back in 1919. I say chums lets all head down to the picture house and see what's happening in the world. Pathe News was a social revelation. No longer did you have to read the news but you could see it in the company of friends.

Then of course came the 50's and the advent of  iTunes, granted the pocket version wasn't exactly portable but diners and dance halls around the world increased the knowledge of the hip and groovy kids with new ideals of fashion, music and dance.......just like our happening couple on the right.

By the time the 60's came round revolution was all the rage with festivals, free love and the idea that we all needed connection with mother earth.

It goes on and on and on and the world said let Betamax be my Bebo as will Facebook be my VHS.

And there you have it, we are doing nothing different and social learning evolution has always existed. I can't tell my Canopic Jar from my Microlith but the Egyptians knew this and left enough clues across the globe for interested parties to connect with. If you don't believe me check out the awesome linked in crew at the British University in Egypt and make the distinction. History set the scene for where we are with Social Learning today because we are a social bunch and love to be innovative and create amazing new things. We are Social-Able and learn using what we have created through histories lessons with special thanks to the likes of Marcus Aurelius and his blog type musings "to myself" which made it possible . 

That Learning Dude  follow me @learningXDude