A great guide for you who are refining your skills or offering training and courses in web development:  Ten Most Sought-after Skills in Web Development.

Your iBrain: How Technology Changes the Way We Think is a fascinating article with major implications for education and training.  We know that increased stimuli can rewire even the adult brain.  But the new Internet technologies is speeding up neuroplasticity in dramatic ways.  The plus side is that people can better sift through data and process it with concentrated bursts of attention.  Even our intelligence is increasing.

The downside is that we are losing our ability to learn through traditional methods and extended periods of electronic stimulation can lead to higher levels of stress and fatigue after just a few hours.  We exist in a state of constant alertness which decreases our ability to contemplate and reflect on information.

I see the greatest implications from this research for those who use blended learning techniques in training and learning.  This will have profound implications for how to design our courses and training sessions.

Tony Karrer has a great post on how technology has changed how we approach work.  I know that the new technology has changed the world of education but there is still resistance from (some of ) the old guard in academia.  And much of this resistance is warranted because the rapid pace of change is not allowing for fully exploring and understanding the teaching and learning potential of these new tools.  So, how do you learn how to use the new tools effectively when the force of change pushes you to the next big thing?

I recently completed a training last Thursday using HRDQ’s Mars Surface Rover exercise for leadership training.  It looked like the participants were having a great time and I felt that they learned much more about leadership than they could have from just viewing a PowerPoint or having a discussion.  So, I am rethinking my project management training to include more experiential activities centered around using building block activities.  Here are some good sites I have found on the subject:

1)    LEGO Bricks (or Building Block) Exercises for Experiential Training

2)   Let’s talk training: learning from Legos

* Why I keep saying “building blocks” is that LEGO is quite vigilant about guarding its trademark.  So, please observe that LEGO is a trademark of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, endorse or approve this site.

which turned out to be good news.  Will be back to blogging this coming Monday.