Is it smothering, or authoring? Are we authoring actual learning, or creating smothering amounts of content? Maybe the answer is 'yes'...I'm suspicious, however. So, I've had opinions on authoring tools, though they've changed over the years. Still, there are some things that need to be core. And, of course, they're violated. So here're some thoughts on smauthoring tools. So, first, to achieve real learning - acquiring new skills - you need real practice. 

So, just as I've been reviewing a book on evaluation (and sharing one issue), I also get my mitts on a copy of an evaluation report. And, yes, I tend to blog about what I'm currently doing (this is learning 'out loud' after all!) Further, while I'll freely admit that I'm not an evaluation expert, I do know a wee bit about methodology, who's said what, and bad graphics.

YouTube video by Musk

I'm having a look at a book on evaluation that I am finding has a lot of value. A familiar model (not well-referenced, mind you), for one. Not as nuanced as Thalheimer's Learning Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM), but comprehensible. And importantly, really good analytics of problems and ways to communicate them. However, there's one aspect that I've seen elsewhere, and it's bothered me without me being able to articulate why, until now.

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I've been talking a fair bit about AI, but that's not really what I'm interested in right now.  So maybe it's worth talking a bit more about two things I'm currently on about. I'd welcome your feedback! So, first, I'm on about bridging. For obvious reasons, I've been thinking about the gap between training and sustained impact on the business.

I wrote about small hybrid agents, but I missed something. That is, having a layer above to integrate your agents and systems.

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The author of The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy, has a warning.

One of the things that goes into my work is taking research and theory, and putting it into practice. Which manifests in a number of ways, but I thought I'd share one. Credit goes to the team at Elevator 9, because this is definitely a team effort. That is, others take my initial stabs, theory and practice, and turn it into practice.

A legal battle over what looks like a cartoon stick could help set the rules over whether creators can claim ownership of their AI-generated characters.

This guide will help you with choosing an infographic to visualize concepts and data.

I've been supporting Jane Hart's Top 10 Learning Tools since I first heard about them. It appears I missed a few years here and there, but it's interesting to see that it's at least as far back as 2008! I see many tools that have passed on, or I've passed on. Let's see where we're at this year. And it's the final, because this is Jane's last go.

It's always been a battle between generalists and specialists. Despite folks like Don Norman making the case why we need both, we're seeing this play out again. A post by Tom McDowell triggered this recognition, so let me talk a wee bit about what I see going on. Tom's post was about how you shouldn't automate a process until you understand it.

YouTube video by Jane Bozarth

I've been complaining about AI slop, probably not publicly, but clearly. And, I've been noticing the complaints about brain rot from using AI. Let's be clear, this is an instance of people saying "AI" and meaning generative artificial intelligence, a subset. Still, both are being seen, and not surprisingly, they're linked. At least, let me make the case that AI slop and brain rot are related.

Regardless of what tech stack you’re using, it’s increasingly clear that tech is changing the environment in which we work. In particular our cognitive environment. The generative artificial intelligence wave has made clear that the ways we use technology are likely to change. There are lots of issues, so how do we handle it? As a complement to my post about…

So, I’ve been pretty harshly critical of the current generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) situation. Again, I have no problem with the tech itself, but the big providers I have several problems with. Not to rehash those objections, but I’ve been investigating alternatives. And, I think I’ve now converged on a solution: small hybrid multi-agent systems. I owe thanks to several informants, including Elizabeth Dalton, Markus Bernhardt, and Scott Parker.

Memory prices have doubled, Macs and iPads have gone up, and iPhones are expected to follow. Ed Zitron – who writes the Where's Your Ed At newsletter, hosts the Better Offline podcast, and has been de...

Of late, and I'm sure you're seeing it too, there are an increasing number of attempts to inappropriately separate one from one's money. Which I understand, if they're ethical. Often, they're not. So here are some scams & recommendations associated thereto. For one, it appears that everyone wants to loan me money. I get offers seemingly every day. Texts, emails, and perhaps the calls that I don't see if they're from someone I don't know.

Alt: Don't Forget To Vote - Lucas & Friends

Like others, I've been somewhat less than thrilled with the decrease in quality we're seeing in more and more of our experiences. Such that Cory Doctorow even termed it "enshittification". Of course, I haven't read the full expose, but I also see it in what L&D is doing. Which leads me to wonder if we're asking the right questions, or focusing appropriately on same.

Conducting a root cause analysis for learning design will help you evolve from being an order-taker to a strategic partner. Learn how.

There's been much debate of late about how generative AI (read LLMs) is taking over our thinking. Which, of course, has caused me to think about what's crucial for us, as thinkers. And, arguably more importantly, as learners. In short, we're asking what is learning, and what is it that we can't abrogate if we want to keep doing so.

I recently opined that while I thought the ideas in an article by Dr. Page Chen (COO of Elevator 9, the startup I advise, and very smart) were brilliant, I had reservations about the term 'cognitive presence'. And maybe I should explain why. So let me do some riffing on cognitive presence. First, it's a well-regarded concept. In typical formulations, it's part of a three-element model of learning under the concept of '

US Independence Day was never the simple morality tale Americans often tell themselves. Under Donald Trump the debate over its meaning is more politically charged than ever.

I just released a blog post this morn. And, as soon as I saw it in the wild I had a brutal realization. What occurred to me, of course, is that I'm going about it totally wrong! Or, at least, totally contrary to what I advocate. Yes, I had activities, but I focused on the content. Not a bad thing, maybe, as a step, but the…

I've written about writing before, but I don't think I've talked about designing a workshop. Yet, that's what I'm doing right now, and so I'm also reflecting. Which, of course, is very 'meta', because reflection is one of the topics of the workshop! Still, I'm pondering what's different about designing a workshop versus writing, whether book or article or... So here're some thoughts.

In the book Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, cognitive scientists present key findings and learning strategies drawn from rigorous lab and classroom research.