What Were You Doing in Training/Learning 20, 10, and 5 years ago?

As we all know, "Twenty years ago today - Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play"!  But what were YOU teaching/developing 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago?  Did you even know what Instructional Design was?  Was it part of your plans to become an instructional designer/developer?

I recently asked my personal network the following question(s):
What were you doing 20, 10, and 5 years ago?

And so now, I'm extending this question to YOU.  If you don't want to share in the comments you can send me a tweet (@bschlenker) if you follow me and I will send you an email address to respond too.

I'm looking for significant milestones in your journey into and within your learning career.  

Reflecting on the Apple Experience

I decided to take a break and sit outside the Apple store at the Biltmore in Phoenix today. I sit here with an iPhone 4 in my hands. I effortlessly swipe my thumb across the screen looking for the right icon. It's beautiful. Every pixel. Every icon. I simply marvel at this little device every day. I find the new Blogger icon and launch the app. The app opens. It's beautiful too. Not because Google made it that way, but because Apple MADE them make it that way. All the icons are just the right size in just the right place. Hey, look! There's the the camera icon. Tap. Point camera at Jobs memorial outside of Apple store. Tap. Photo inserted into blog post. (let's hope)
And so it's back to writing about this experience. When I'm done I'll Tap the Publish button and immediately have a photo and this text on my blog distributed to thousands of subscribers. No, Steve Jobs, and Apple, did not invent any of these technologies. Steve Jobs simply made using these technologies a pleasure and a joy. He insisted that the user experience come first and he made no compromise. And Apple executed on that vision. Not without mistakes along the way but with a singular vision of making wrongs right and always striving towards an excellent, effortless user experience.
I don't care what functionality people point out on other devices. There is no other technology like Apple technology and from what I can see from the current options available...there never will be.

iSad - Steve Jobs Died Today

iSad Today - Bless you Steve Jobs - Rest in Peace

I did not anticipate feeling so sad today.  I've got nothing.  I don't know what to say.  All I know is that I feel like I need to mark this day in the digital fashion that Steve Jobs inspired.
I'm going to sleep tonight knowing that my sadness will soon turn into anger.  Not sure I'll want to blog about that.  Good night.

May the 4S be with You...at DevLearn 2011

Sorry, I couldn't resist the title.  So, I spent some time this morning listening to the Apple announcement.  Actually, I spent time listening to conversations ABOUT the Apple announcement (live.twit.tv) and WATCHED streaming text and images of the announcement being made.  There.  That's more accurate.  And yes, it was as boring as it sounds.

You can read all of the iPhone 4s details at Apple's site.

All the little upgrades to the iPhone4 are great.  All of which make the iPhone4s an even BETTER media creation device.  And since MOST people STILL don't create that much media with the iPhone they have, the updates aren't that meaningful...to most.

I love the idea of a better camera.  I love that a LOT.  And the higher rez HD video recording is a plus as well.  But it also means that each image will take up more space on the harddrive.  That means, for me, I'll  be needing the 32GB model at the very least.  My current iPhone4 is 16GB and I fill that with video and images, and apps, very quickly.

The real announcement today was about the integration of Siri.  This is the type of app that simply makes the iPhone easier to use.  It's a user experience boost which Apple, in my opinion, is most famous for.  Most of the other technology sites will be debating how well it works.  I'm going to assume it works as advertised. Watch the video.  

What does this mean for eLearning?  Does our iPhone become a mobile SME?  Dare I even write, mSME?  Does something like Siri work well with WolframAlpha?  That would be pretty cool...and very educational.  What if there was an API that we, as eLearning developers, could tap into and give our eLearning solutions the ability to "hear" the learner, and then respond?  These are all the things I'm currently pondering while I wait patiently for Oct. 14th.  Just in time for DevLearn 2011...phew.

Creative Problem Solving Infographic - Works with More than Just Product Development

I found this infographic on Mashable Business.  

from Mashable Business - by Ronald Brown

I kind of feel like we have TOO many process frameworks to choose from at times.  But I like this one. I like that its NOT specifically designed for eLearning developers.  Yet, I think it fits nicely into what we do.

For example, we talk a lot about the A in the ADDIE model, Analysis.  But nobody every really breaks that down into what analysis actually means.  I would argue in this model that steps ONE to SIX are ALL part of analysis...maybe starting to flow into design a little.

I LOVE 4 and 5.  I think disconnecting (4) is something I do naturally when it comes to projects.  And that sounds VERY counter-intuitive, I know.  A more analytical mind would call this "unproductive", when in fact it's when the best mental work begins to happen.  I can't prove it, but I've heard similar stories from other creatives.

Number 5 is priceless in it's definition.  "Wait for an idea to appear." BRILLIANT!  Some might argue that you need to MAKE things happens.  I'm not a big fan of forcing the natural creative process.  However, sometimes you have no choice and you need to be creative RIGHT NOW!  I get that.  And sometimes those constraints can influence a different kind of creativity.  But in general the BEST ideas I've had always festered in the back of my mind for a while, incubating, before something popped.  And that's number 5, RETRIEVE.  But I like "Waiting for something to pop" ;-)

Creativity Takes Daily Practice - Start Today

I believe as learning professionals many of us do not do enough of the A&E. No. I'm not referring to the Analysis and Evaluation bookends of the famous instructional design process, ADDIE.

I'm talking about ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT!

To put it more clearly, it's the amazing power of the creative process that is missing from most learning solutions. And sure we can blame our clients or our corporate superiors for "not letting" us be more creative, but I have a hunch many just don't want to invest the time required of the creative process. WE just want to let the rapid development tools do all the heavy lifting. Being creative and finishing a creative project is hard work. It takes discipline, consistency and lots of practice.
Check out this great video for inspiration on supporting your creative journey.
[special thanks to @douglaswelch for sharing]

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.