Creating a simple guide to ed tech for my organization.

Recently, my supervisor asked the inevitable question: "could you give us a list of all the technologies available for learning?"  Naturally it's hard to respond with other than vague bewilderment.  The question is at once both strangely naive and yet totally reasonable...

Kiss myAsthma

Kiss myAsthma is an app designed with and for young people with asthma that we launched on World Asthma Day (2 May). It supports users in learning how to set smart goals via interactive dialogues with "monster assistants", and includes educational content in the form of "Daily tips" and resources.

Technology & Mindfulness Training

Mindfulness training is all the rage as a method for dealing with workplace stress.  But can mindfulness and technology play well together? What do we need to know to design for mindfulness?

In a recent article for The Conversation Rafael Calvo and I share insights from a conversation with well-being psychologist, Richard Ryan, PhD and the Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi, director for the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT.

Article: Can an app help us find mindfulness in today's busy hi-tech world?

New 3D & Wearable Devices for Learning

In 2014 we saw an explosion of suddenly affordable cutting-edge devices hit the consumer market and some learning designers and researchers are already bringing them into real and virtual classrooms.  If you missed out on some of these game-changing devices and what they might do for learning, check out the following 2-minute cheat sheet.

Note: Special thanks to Jim Cook & Jai Honeybrook-Carter at the Innovation TechLab at the University of Sydney, Rob Manson & Alex Young at BuildAR, and to the staff at the Powerhouse Museum for sharing their experiences, showing off their gadgets, and catalyzing change.

Learning resilience

Who among us, including our learners, couldn't benefit from an added dose of resilience? After exploring the research on compassion, I discovered some ways that we as designers can contribute to our users' resilience...

Online Forum on Visual Design for Learning

This November, the ELearning Guild is putting visual design in the spotlight.  The Online Forum "Making Learning Memorable with Graphics and Visual Design"will be held November 13-14th and feature 12 speakers from across the industry.  Attendance is virtual (via Adobe Connect) so come as you are.

I have been invited to do the closing session at the forum and will present:  "Bringing It All Together: Optimizing the Graphic Interface for Memory, Engagement, and Learning, ". 
Check it out on the Elearning Guild Forums website.

Happiness, the MOOC

Join me and 100,000 others in Berkeley's new online course on the "The Science of Happiness".

Taught by world leaders in positive psychology from Berkley's Greater good Science Center, there will be Q&A session with the likes of Dacher Keltner, Sonja Lyobimursky, and Barbara Fredrickson.  This free MOOC is a unique opportunity to learn the fundamentals of positive psychology to inform your work with technology (and life).

 I've been invited to lead the Positive Computing "dojo" with Dr. Rafael Calvo (my colleague at the Positive Computing Lab in Sydney) and Dr. Anna Pohlmeyer (Delft Institute of Positive Design in the Netherlands). This special interest group will bring together those interested in applying wellbeing psychology to the development of technology.  

Trello's Innovative Approach to the Newbie Learning Experience

The project management program Trello is simple, powerful, free and highly recommended.  One of the secrets to their masterful design for both the user experience and the learning experience, is the fun and creative approach they take to progressive disclosure.  The idea of progressive disclosure it that you release information or features gradually rather than all at once so as not to overwhelm the user or learner.

In order to keep the experience of finding your feet in the program fun and simple, Trello shows great respect (and support) for cognitive load by removing some of its features for the first-time user.  As you gain proficiency rapidly by playing around with the features that are available, small contextualized hints begin to appear to suggest there's more to this program than you thought at first glance.  Click to add a due date, for example, and the calendar reads "enable the calendar power-up to see your project in calendar mode".  

Holding back on the calendar feature not only keeps it out of the way, thus allowing new users  to focus on the basics first, but also, positioning it as a "power-up" bestows the extra value of an exciting bonus feature. The game reference is also a nod to the user's progress in mastering the program since in games, power-ups become available with mastery.

Kudos to Trello for the creative mix of progressive disclosure and game style for a great newbie learning experience. 

Learn Design from Don Norman

Don Norman, author of the classic The Design of Everyday Things and my personal favorite,  Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (among many other books), has made his MOOC debut on Udacity.  You can now learn from a short and accessible intro to his ideas in the form of a free online course made up of videos,  reflection exercises, and design challenges...

Learn Strategies for Better Interface Design for Learning

Eminent eLearning Coach, Connie Malamed is also a master of graphic design in the eLearning context. I had the honor of being invited onto her podcast to talk about how interface designs impact learning. Her show is a gift to the industry offering a wealth of insight from experts in a broad range of areas.

In my interview, we cover the user interface, video, social learning and community building, how to cut cognitive load in graphics,  how to support visual perception effectively, and the surprising findings about emotions and learning.

Subscribe to her podcast or head direct to the episode 16: Strategies that Improve the Interface to Learning.

image source: WebIconSet.com