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World Book Day was this week, and it made me think about all the amazing things that books and libraries do. Our local library is particularly amazing, especially in the context of the disturbing trend of book banning that has arisen in some parts of the US recently. Oftentimes, I wonder what it would be like if librarians ran the world. I'm thinking that it would be a MUCH better place.

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📰 News & Notes

What I Learned From Thinking Fast And Slow

Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" is celebrated as a transformative exploration into human cognition, contrasting the intuitive, emotion-driven 'System 1' with the analytical, deliberate 'System 2'. His book reveals how our default cognitive processes, heavily reliant on biases and heuristics, often lead us astray, and provides a deep dive into various cognitive biases that shape our decisions. Kahneman emphasizes the importance of being aware of these biases to enhance decision-making. Through engaging critiques and revisiting the experimental setups, the author challenges readers to rethink how they process information, highlighting the book's profound impact on understanding human thought and behavioral patterns.

🎯 Take away: "Thinking, Fast and Slow" serves as an essential guide for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of human cognition and make more informed decisions by understanding and mitigating the influence of inherent biases.

Cognitive Load, Student Attention & PowerPoint Presentations

Science shows that presentation design matters for student learning. This is because of something called "cognitive load" - the amount of information our brains can handle at once. If slides are overloaded with text or complex visuals, students get overwhelmed and struggle to learn. Studies using eye-tracking technology show a clear solution: simple slides win. Slides with fewer words, clear visuals, and information broken down into bite-sized chunks keep students engaged and help them understand better.

🎯 Take away: Design presentations with minimal text and clear visuals to reduce cognitive load and boost learning.

Innovation Through Prompting

In this Substack post, Ethan Mollick discusses the potential of AI prompts to democratize innovation, particularly in the field of education. He presents a paper that outlines different levels of using AI prompts, from using pre-made prompts to creating tools that make tools, and emphasizes the importance of sharing and experimenting with these prompts to solve problems in various contexts. Mollick believes that while there are risks and ethical concerns to consider, AI enables educators to create personalized resources tailored to their needs, and that cooperation and sharing of knowledge are essential for ensuring a positive and inclusive AI revolution. I’m looking forward to reading his new book “Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI”

🎯 Take away: AI prompts empower non-technical experts to innovate by creating tailored solutions for their specific needs.

🧰 Tech Tools & Tips

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🎧 Podcast

This is the conversation that caught my ear this week. Check out previous episodes in the Friday Finds podcast playlist.

🧳 Where’s Mike?

• ATD ICE, New Orleans May 19-22

• Canadian eLearning Conference, Toronto, June 13-14

• Greater Cincinnati ATD, September 4

• DevLearn, November 6-8

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