Academy Thoughts

Robots Can Now Talk like Humans with Thanks to Google’s DeepMind Project

Google’s DeepMind researchers have been at it again creating technology that will help change the world as we know it and this time it comes in the …

Hyper-Training And The Future Augmented Reality Workplace

If you’re like me, you may be exhilarated by the possibilities inherent in augmented reality (AR) workplace training. Not only does AR open the doors for limitless creativity and innovation, it also enables enterprises to speed up the training process and make it more beneficial to employees. As …

Reducing Cognitive Overload For A Better User Experience

The best user experience is the one the user doesn’t notice. It appears smooth and simple on the surface, but hundreds of crucial design decisions …

Jane’s Top 10 Tools for Learning

On Friday 23rd September, voting closes in the 10th Annual Survey of Learning Tool – so it’s not too late to vote!<p>You can find out how to do so HERE …

NOKIA's Training Team Leverages a DITA to HTML5 Presentation Framework

Professors should reclaim the buzzwords around their own teaching innovations (essay)

Coursera’s recent pivot, following the departure of its founders, from saving the world to providing corporate training might tempt us to indulge in …

How This Company Is Using Deep Learning to Change the Retail Game

Houzz is offering people remodeling their homes a brand new way to buy products.<p>Online shopping has the potential to be so much smarter. If you stumble across a rug or lamp you like in a photo, shouldn't it be easier to track down where to buy it? One home design website is aiming to do just that, …

Why Students Don’t Like Active Learning

On Tuesday, I attended a presentation on active learning given by Brian White, associate professor of biology and science education, University of …

7 Surprising Facts About Creativity, According To Science

The brain's creative circuitry holds some unexpected secrets that scientists are only just beginning to understand.<p>Daydreaming. Horsing around. Aimless wandering. A sudden, traumatic loss. So many things that seem to conjure an automatic, negative connotation can actually have an …

How I Rewired My Brain to Become Fluent in Math - Issue 40: Learning

I was a wayward kid who grew up on the literary side of life, treating math and science as if they were pustules from the plague. So it’s a little …

How To Think, According To This Winner Of The Brain Prize

MIT's Ed Boyden on thinking, taking notes and rebooting your failures.<p><i>”Synthesize new ideas constantly. Never read passively. Annotate, model, think, and synthesize while you read, even when you’re reading what you conceive to be introductory stuff. That way, you will always aim towards</i> …

How Experts Can Help a General Audience Understand Their Ideas

When you’re presenting to people in your field, it’s OK to use specialized terms and acronyms, because they’ll be comprehended quickly. But for everyone else, you need to take a different approach. Communication methods that would impress your peers may ostracize a broader audience — and reduce the …

The Science of Memory: Top 10 Proven Techniques to Remember More and Learn Faster

I've always been envious of people with exceptional memories. You know, the kind of people who amass encyclopedic knowledge with seemingly little …

Science Explains How Talking To Yourself Improves Your Brain Functions

Many of us start talking to ourselves when we are children. Speaking out loud and directing internal conversation at yourself is more intelligent …

A Beginning List Of The Best Resources For Learning About Google Classroom

Our district is taking baby steps towards using Google Classroom, and I thought it would be a good time to begin a related “Best” list.<p>You might also …

Learning takes more than teaching. It requires mentoring, training, parents and more

<b>To the editor:</b> Karin Klein’s opinion piece suggests mentoring to improve teaching skills. A good idea, but it doesn't address the core of the problem.<p>First, define “teacher ... ’’<p>Time is up! What’s the right answer? People talk of “teaching” as if means “magically instill knowledge.” It doesn't …

DevLearn 2016 Conference Expo

DevLearn 2016 Conference & Expo<p>Creativity Comes in Many Forms<p>This year’s keynote lineup examines the many ways creativity influences learning. Our …

Professional Development and Virtual Schools: Swapping Ideas and Practices

Distance Learning<p>Michele Eaton, director of virtual and blended learning for the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, explains how teacher …

Let's teach for mastery — not test scores

Would you choose to build a house on top of an unfinished foundation? Of course not. Why, then, do we rush students through education when they …

Project-Based Learning Can Fuel Tomorrow's Workforce

<i>By Guest Author: Jim Postl</i><p>I've in the business world for over 40 years. The perspective that comes with four decades of experience includes understanding how much has changed . . . and how much remains the same.<p>The one immutable, undeniable constant in a successful business is a quality …

Learning differently doesn’t make you any less intelligent

<i>Kirstie Lannon, 22, is studying psychology and philosophy at the University of Victoria. She is a volunteer for the Victoria Brain Injury Society.</i><p>When I was five years old, I was with a bunch of friends in the yard on a winter’s eve in February.<p>As I crossed the road to see some friends on the other …

5 Methods of Learning That Set Successful People Apart

Want to work smarter? Incorporate these five rules into your daily habits.<p>How do you define success?<p>We all measure prosperity in different ways. But it doesn't really matter what your personal goals are. The key to getting better at anything is summed up in one word:<p>Learning.<p>That's why the most …

Creating A Culture Of Continuous Learning

There’s a huge problem in the workplace that nobody is talking about, and it’s only getting bigger and bigger.<p>Employees are expected to know and do …

70-20-10: Origin, Research, Purpose

This is a re-post of an article by Cal Wick of Fort Hill. The original is on the 70-20 Blog site. There are a few observations from me at the …

3 Ways to Use MOOCs to Advance Your Career

The vast majority of people who sign up for a MOOC—a massive open online course—never complete it. More than 50% consume less than half of the course’s content. This is wrongly viewed as evidence that MOOCs don’t work, that people are dropping off and not getting value. The assumption behind that …

In depth: Take a step inside the classroom of tomorrow

Inside the classroom of tomorrowWhen you cast your mind back to the days of school, you probably think of dusty textbooks, graffiti and chewing gum, …

The Way We Learn Today Is Just Wrong

Over 155 million Americans play video games, and spend upwards of 3 billion hours per week engrossed in a game.<p>The way we learn today is just wrong.<p>Learning needs to be less like memorization, and more like… Angry Birds.<p>Half of school dropouts name boredom as the No. 1 reason they left.<p>How do we …

Leadership Development: What Makes A Great Learning Manager?

Learning Manager. Talent Development Director. Human Resources Manager. No matter what your job title, it’s safe to say your responsibilities—and …