Monthly Archives: January 2012

Have you read that book? eBooks, iBooks, favourite books and second hand bookshops.

Posted on January 31, 2012 by julianstodd

I am reasonably sure that i’ve only read about half the books on my bookshelf. ‘Awakenings’ by Oliver Sacks is a favourite, i’ve read that three times. ‘The Hobbit’ i won in an art prize at the age of about … Continue reading →

Posted in Book, e-Books, Education, Fiction, Formal Spaces, iPad, Ownership, Publishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Where did all the willpower go? Playing with words and hearing when things just seem right.

Posted on January 30, 2012 by julianstodd

Some things just sounds right. We probably notice this most often with songs: something just sticks in your head. Song’s don’t have to be clever, long or sophisticated to be great, they just need to make you tap your feet … Continue reading →

Posted in Craft, Creative, Language, Music, Songs, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mainstream Mentoring. Understanding the benefits of a consistent approach.

Posted on January 27, 2012 by julianstodd

There is a difference between a ‘conversation’ and a ‘mentoring conversation’. As with so many things, it’s the nuance and detail that counts. The point of adopting a formalised mentoring programme is that it can give a consistent approach to … Continue reading →

Posted in Coaching, LGBT, Mentoring | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Commuter skills: iTunes U and the way we spend our time.

Posted on January 26, 2012 by julianstodd

Let me tell you, the train this morning is not a happy place. It’s cold, dark and an early start, so i could understand if everyone were gloomy, but it’s more than that. We haven’t all climbed on and fallen … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Education, iTunes U, Knowledge, Learning, Learning Journey, Mobile Learning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Learning Leadership: how doing nothing can be more powerful than trying to do everything.

Posted on January 25, 2012 by julianstodd

Leadership can be as much about creating space as it is about taking actions. It’s a hot topic at the moment: ‘what is leadership?’, ‘can you learn leadership’, ‘are leaders born or made’? But leadership is not always about doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Coaching, Leadership, Learning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Building a ‘Results Logbook’: an alternative view of the footsteps we take out of learning.

Posted on January 24, 2012 by julianstodd

We often build ‘activity plans‘ to take out of a piece of learning: it’s a way of capturing actions that we hope will drive us to change behaviours. Sometimes, with sufficient motivation and coaching, it works! But a different approach … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Case, Coaching, Effectiveness, Footsteps, Instructional Design, Learning, Learning Methodology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Finding your voice. Discovering a coherent social media tone and strategy.

Posted on January 23, 2012 by julianstodd

We talk about ‘tone of voice’ in writing, meaning the way in which you pitch your messages, the language that you use and the ways in which you express things. You can take a conversational tone of voice, an authoritarian … Continue reading →

Posted in Informal Spaces, Language, Message, Music, Social Media, Tone of Voice | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

What is iBooks Author? The democratisation of publishing.

Posted on January 20, 2012 by julianstodd

iBooks Author is a new piece of software from Apple that allows you, or me, to author and distribute iBooks and enhanced media books. In my view, it’s one of the most significant software releases of all time. I’m not … Continue reading →

Posted in Apps, Book, Change, e-Books, Education, iPad, Publishing, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Irrational Learner: doing things just because they feel right.

Posted on January 19, 2012 by julianstodd

Driving to the station this morning, i commented to my colleague ‘i don’t like this road‘. What then ensued was a discussion of how we have some ‘favourite‘ roads and some that we just irrationally dislike. Not on any particular … Continue reading →

Posted in Diversity, Equality, Gender, Implicit Association, Learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Does assessment work? Or are we just asking people questions because ‘that’s what we’ve always done?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by julianstodd

Assessment is a tricky thing. There are many different ways of doing it: some good, some bad and some just plain lazy. Whilst there is no definitive answer to the question ‘does assessment work’, there is certainly a truth that … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Engagement, Knowledge, Learning, Learning Design, Learning Methodology | 4 Comments