Curated Industry Content for the Week of 05/02/16

Every Monday we curate a number of articles and blog posts that have relevance to members of the eLearning Guild Community, and to the learning and performance field as a whole. Each piece of content that we share includes a brief introduction from the member of the Guild Community sharing why they think the content is important.

Here’s the content for this week:

Welcome to the post-app world? by Tom Goodwin
The ways in which we interact with the digital world continue to evolve at a rapid pace. The idea of an app, which has rapidly risen to the default method for interacting with content, may just as rapidly disappear. This article explore the constraints of apps and the technologies that may replace them. As learning professionals, it’s critical that we keep our fingers on the pulse of how people are interacting with content as consumers. -David Kelly

How To Master The Art Of The Accidental Career by Amy Sample Ward
For many the role of trainer and instructional designer was not something intentionally sought out and prepared for through schooling. A large percentage of people in our field fell into their role through a combination of subject matter expertise and circumstance. Our success as learning professionals is not linked to how we entered the field, but how much we harness the opportunity once here. This article explores three great tips for taking the reins of an accidental career move. -David Kelly

Design 101: How to Make Great Graphics Without Design Skills by Aja Frost
Many people in our field do not have formal education in design. This post does an exceptionally good job of providing a quick overview on many of the foundational elements of good design, and it shares tips on how to quickly create good graphics. It’s a great read for those looking to better understand how design works. While reading it, I encourage you to also look at how the article educates the reader. I love the fact that the author provides a concise overview of each topic, and provides links that further explore each topic that allow readers to take a deeper dive into the sections that most interest them. -David Kelly

Why the Widespread Belief in ‘Learning Styles’ Is Not Just Wrong; It’s Also Dangerous by Simon Oxenham
The debate over learning styles in education has been going on for decades. There is plenty of research exploring the topic and debunking this common myth. I share this post, and the TED Talk linked within it, for two reasons. First, it effectively explains why the belief is wrong. More importantly, it explores why the myth persists and the dangers that the persistence of the myth presents. -David Kelly

How To Apply Reflective Practice when Teaching Online by Joan Gilbert
Reflection is a huge part of learning, so it makes sense that we as learning professionals should incorporate reflection into our own practices. This post explores strategies on how to bring more reflective practices into the field of online teaching. While the narrative of the post is tailored to an academic audience, the lessons explored can be applied to any sector of online education and training. -David Kelly

Building Emotional Connections with Game Design by Sande Chen
There’s a great amount of attention given to building emotional connections within learning programs. It’s one of the reasons that the interest in using games for learning continues to rise. This post explores a number of ways that games can build emotional connections, ways that can be used in games, in learning, and in combinations of the two. -David Kelly

What are you reading?

If you have an article, blog post, or other resource that you think we should consider sharing in a future Curated Industry Content post, please feel free to send a link to the resource to David Kelly along with a few sentences describing why you think the resource is valuable.