Category Archives: Art

Learning from art: social learning in museums and the difference between virtual and real

Posted on March 20, 2013 by

Seeking inspiration yesterday, i ventured into the Stedilijk museum in Amsterdam. It promised to help me in two ways: a world class collection of modern art and unlimited free WiFi. The perfect destination. We appreciate art on two levels: the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Collaboration, Community, Concepts, Creative, Environment, Experience, Exploration, Formal Spaces, History, Knowledge, Learning, Meaning, Museum Education, Narrative, Nuance, Social Learning, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How do we communicate? A song about the languages of learning

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

I’m editing my new book on ‘music in learning‘ and trying to draw out my thoughts into some practical models around the subject. Part of this involves trying to characterise how we use different the different languages of learning to … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Agile, Art, Creative, Effectiveness, Experience, Graffiti, Haiku, Instructional Design, Learning, Learning Design, Meaning, Media, Message, Music, Narrative, Performance, Poetry, Songs, Stories, Storytelling, Twitter, Voice, Words, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Music in learning: formal education

Posted on February 20, 2013 by

This week i’m working to finish my new book on ‘music in learning’. It’s based on interviews with musicians and music fans to understand how the process of learning music, of creating music, has changed them. Throughout this week i’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Book, Creative, Experience, Language, Learning, Meaning, Music, School, Stories, Teaching, Writing | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Environment and learning culture: The view from the top

Posted on December 6, 2012 by

Yesterday i was in the Gherkin in London, the iconic Norman Foster building in central London. It’s a great building, irreverent and friendly, unlike it’s taller and newer neighbour, the Shard, which is simply aggressive. The client i was visiting … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile, Art, Change Management, Community, Community of Practice, Creative, Culture, Effectiveness, Environment, Formal Spaces, Graffiti, Inclusivity, Learning, Management, Mentoring | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The senses of learning: touch

Posted on November 30, 2012 by

I have only thrown one pot in my life, a rather lumpy green affair, but nonetheless, it holds pride of place on a shelf, testament to a liberal schooling system and limitless enthusiasm. This morning i was listening to an … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Community, Craftsman, Global, Heritage, Learning, Narrative, Perception, Sensation, Touch | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The languages of learning: manga

Posted on October 31, 2012 by

Manga is an art-form without taboos, a free flowing comic book style that is unafraid to tackle challenging subjects. Unlike Disney, which is constrained by child friendly certification, manga is free to roam wherever it chooses. It’s stylised, often gritty, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Choreography, Comic Book, Communication, Creative, Culture, Integrity, Language, Learning, Manga, Narrative, Performance, Stories, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sign here: pride in learning design

Posted on July 10, 2012 by

When the design for the Apple Macintosh was complete, Steve Jobs had the small team sign a piece of paper, then engraved the signatures on the inside of the case of every machine that went out of the factory. Painters … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Brand, Creative, Design, Education, Identity, Inspiration, Learning, Learning Design, Pride | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Imagery in e-learning: is a picture really worth a thousand words, and are they the right ones?

Posted on June 12, 2012 by

We’re working on a kind of storybook project this week, using photos to create montages of action, with speech bubbles and text panels. It’s a neat and simple presentation style, but it does mean you have to think quite carefully … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Clarity, Creative, Drawing, Engagement, Graphic Design, Learning, Stories, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

If you learn one instrument, is it easier to learn another? Economies in learning.

Posted on May 22, 2012 by

Road trip! Yes, five friends and I are squeezing into Rufus and we’re heading to Brighton to see a Norwegian band called Katzenjammer. This is quite intrepid and earplugs may be required, not for the band, who are instrumental norwegian … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Creative, Drawing, Language, Learning, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A picture is worth a thousand words. Exploring how images can enhance our messages.

Posted on February 23, 2012 by

I got sent a link to a great infographic: http://www.onlineuniversities.com/digital-classroom. It’s a visual representation of the battle between e-books and real books, using icons, clever layout and simple, pithy text to get it’s point across. It engaged me, captured my … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Infographic, Infographics, Information, Knowledge, Leadership, Learning, Meaning, Message | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments