Monday, June 1st, 2015
Oh I know, it is an excuse. It is a huge excuse! It is my favorite excuse. It isn’t necessarily that I hate it as in, it causes me pain and therefore I should not do it. Writing has never left me stranded on the side of the road in the middle of the desert with no sunscreen. It is just that I am so inadequate at it. I feel like the Weird Al song Word Crimes was written about me. I would much rather have a conversation than write a letter. But it isn’t always an option. I have been published in multiple formats. I design learning events on a regular basis. And yet, I still hate to write. I am called on to write more and more and I must get better at it. So no grading, no judging, and I hope you learn something and enjoy what is coming your way. I hate to write…
Monday, May 4th, 2015
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Monday, April 8th, 2013
Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
In 1984 Marvel Comics released a series called Secret Wars. It was also the same summer I was introduced to comics as a collector. Secret Wars was the first comic series I collected for a story line. (If you are curious I was 15 at the time.) This is the story line in which Spiderman released the symbiotic creature Venom which bonded to him as a new costume.
Since that summer, I have collected stories off and on over the years. From Spiderman to Batman and the Outsiders to the Avengers stories have basically always been about heroes interacting with villains and how they overcome situations in a creative way.
I would not call this a new year’s resolution, however something I really wanted to do was redo my office. I moved furniture, I eliminated some clutter, and in doing this I was able to make some wall space available.
In 2007 Marvel brought back the black suit (this time made out of cloth) in Sensational Spiderman #35. At the time I bought a poster of that cover that has been sitting under a bed. I dusted it off and now it proudly hangs on my wall as a focal point for when I need to be creative. It takes me to a place of great stories, of great characters, of great people being creative.
Now I am curious to hear from you. Tell me, what is your focal point for when you want to be more creative?
Monday, October 8th, 2012
The American Society for Training and Development’s Chapter Leadership Conference (#ASTDALC) is less than two weeks away, and I would like to talk about a few tools and strategies for having your technology ready for the conference. Although I will be referencing a specific conference, these strategies can be used for any conference or event you are planning to attend.
Bring your mobile technology; it should be familiar to you and should be comfortable and convenient to use. In most cases your tablet and/or phone has the ability to take notes, record voice and video, and take pictures. It has the ability to access all your social media channels. ASTDALC will have WiFi available as part of the conference this year so access should be easy. Make sure you have all your chargers and connectors with you. There are several companies that sell gadget bags for the peripheral items you need. I use a simple $4.00 bank change bag with a zipper for all my items.
There will be lots of opportunities to network while at your event. Scope out places to meet that will also give you an opportunity to plug in your device for a while. At ASTDALC we will have power stations set up around the conference hall for those mid-day tech recharges you may need.
Does your conference have a mobile app? ASTDALC has an app called ASTD Events. It can be found HERE. (If there is no app, you can still do this if the event has a website with their schedule published online.) Pre-load this app as soon as possible to become familiar with it. If you are coming with a group, you can plan how your group can cover the most ground or the sessions that are of most valua to you or your group. Also be sure to pick a second choice in the event your main choice is filled when you arrive.
The next strategy involves downloading a very valuable app to your mobile device: Evernote. This app is a great tool for being organized at any event. Using your schedule from above, go into Evernote and start building a note for each of your main and secondary sessions. Add the room numbers, the title, the speaker, any speaker details such as email and twitter ID, note if the speaker will have a special twitter hashtag for their session. Put as much prep information into your note prior to attending as possible so you can just jump right into taking notes when the session starts. You won’t have to fidget with trying to capture details if you have done some pre-work.
I can’t think of a conference or event today that does not run a twitter backchannel and ASTDALC is no exception. As a matter of fact #ASTDALC is the hashtag for this event. You can also do some pre-work prepping your mobile device for the backchannel. The tool you want to use for this is going to be either TweetDeck or Hootsuite. They both work similarly and can perform this task. Set up a column in either tool for each one of the sessions you plan on attending. Some presenters will publish their session hashtag prior to the event. You can also reach out to the presenter before the event starts and ask if they will be using a session hashtag. Go ahead and set up a hashtag column for a session you want more information from; even if you can’t attend it you can still pick up tips and info from its backchannel. Keep in mind that there will be other people who are not at the conference that follow you who will be learning from your tweets.
I hope you find these conference technology strategies helpful. If you are attending ASTDALC I look forward to meeting you and learning from you. Please feel free to reply to this message and share your conference technology strategies with everyone.
Wednesday, September 26th, 2012
This week for Web Site Wednesday I want to introduce to you Infinity Consulting and Training Solutions and its CEO Sardek Love.
I have had the opportunity to not only attend several of Sardek’s sessions at local and international conferences but I have been fortunate to spend some one on one time getting to know him personally and professionally.
Sardek is a powerful speaker in that you leave every one of his sessions motivated to become better. Better as a leader, better as a manager, better as an employee and better as a person. Sardek doesn’t just talk about topics like customer service, sales and leadership, he has actually experienced what he is talking about and relays that in a very easy to understand way.
I highly encourage you to spend some time visiting the Infinity Consulting and Training Solutions web site and discover how you can get to know Sardek better and how he can help you.
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012
I am always excited when I find a tool that I can immediately use in the classroom. Yesterday was one of those days. I discovered an app for my iPad/iPhone called
Decide Now! by Catforce Studio
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/decide-now!/id383718755?mt=8
The app works like a spinner such as you would see on Wheel of Fortune. What makes this app stand out to me is it is 100% customizable. This makes it valuable as a training tool. When reviewing materials, you can randomize the topics you are reviewing. You can assign groups, or choose groups to answer based on spinning the wheel. You can spin for points or difficulty level of question in your review.
Here is an activity I created for an intro to computers class. I set up the names on the dial so that it displays different social media tools. Then for 15 min each week I spin the dial and that is the activity that the students will participate in for the time set aside.
I look forward to hearing how you use this innovative tool in your classroom activities.
Monday, September 24th, 2012
I have been reading about some new applications based around “Couch Potato to 5K” (C25K). The app is designed to help you start at zero and work your way up to running a 5K, which converts to 3.2 miles. Now ultimately what I really need is an app that can work me up to the status of couch potato but that is a different post. I did some searching and found;
C25K™ – 5K Trainer FREE by Zen Labs
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/c25k-5k-trainer-free/id485971733?mt=8
What I really like about this program is it allows you to make a playlist from your phone and it talks you through the different phases of your workout as you transition from warmup to brisk walk to run to walk etc… to cool down.
I know there are several other apps that are out there, but this is the one I chose and I am very happy with it. I will admit that I am cheating a little bit, but not in a bad way. It is designed with three runs a week, but rather than taking two days off in a row I am running every other day. So one week I will run 3 days the next week I will run 4 days, so it is advancing the end goal. Today was my 5th day in the program which is technically Week 2 day 2. I feel good and comfortable with the pace I am up to.
Finally I would like to talk about my play list(s). My wife is also going through the same app and is at the same spot. She has taken the path of loading lots of high energy music into a giant pool that is randomized. I actually went in and created some specific lists that include a warm up and cool down. Cindi did make a good observation, which is, it doesn’t matter what you listen to as long as it motivates you. Here are my two lists I have created so far.
Playlist 1
Comfortably Numb – Scissor Sister
Staying Alive – Wyclef Jean
When Doves Cry – Prince
B.O.B. – Outkast
Juke Joint Jezebel – KMFDM
Valerie – Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse
Canon in D – A. Johann Pachelbel
Playlist 2
Flood – Jars of Clay
Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz
Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
Lust for Life – Iggy Pop
American Jesus – Bad Religion
I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness
Drumming Song – Florence and the Machine
You Raise Me Up – Josh Groban
Why am I doing this? I want to be healthier, I want to be stronger, I want to be able to participate with my friends who are also shooting to be healthier and stronger.
For the rest of this week, look for a Training Tip (Tool) for making decisions, I will introduce you to a great leadership web site on Wed, Thursday we will link two i devices together, and finally be creative with one of my favorite items…Dice.
