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I’m still tallying the responses from last week’s survey. If you take a moment to contribute you’ll get a nice summary report of everyone’s responses. (And who doesn’t want to know what was most valuable to all the other L&D wizards around here?!)

Happy New Year and thanks for reading!

📰 News & Notes

Create Your Own Personal L&D Curation Practice in Less Than 60 Seconds

In a recent blog post, I shared an OPML file containing my top picks for Learning and Development resources. For those of you who already use an RSS reader this file will instantly connect you with my top 10 L&D sources. Simply download and import it into your reader.

For those yet to embrace an RSS reader (I'm partial to Feedly), consider this the perfect opportunity to start – it's free! Adding these 10 sources to see your own unique PKM system. (It takes less than 60 seconds!!!)

If you prefer a more selective approach, here's the list of sources. Feel free to subscribe to them individually, tailoring your feed to your interests.

1. Ethan Mollick’s One Useful Thing
   Ethan Mollick’s Substack serves as a platform where he distills research into concise and practical advice or commentary. Each post is dedicated to “One Useful Thing,” offering bite-sized insights. The primary focus of this content is on Artificial Intelligence and its significant effects on the realms of work and education.
   https://www.oneusefulthing.org/

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2. Dr. Philippa Hardman
   Dr. Philippa Hardman is renowned for her expertise in integrating technology (especially AI) with education. She offers insightful commentary and practical strategies, bridging the gap between academic research and real-world learning applications.
   https://drphilippahardman.substack.com/

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3. The Learning Scientists Blog
   The Learning Scientists are a group of experts committed to making scientific research on learning more accessible. Their blog is a must-follow for evidence-based learning practices.
   https://www.learningscientists.org/blog/

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4. Elearning Coach
   Connie Malamed’s site is dedicated to the field of e-learning and instructional design. It is a great resource for L&D professionals, providing insights, tips, and best practices for creating effective and engaging e-learning experiences. She is known for her practical approach, focusing on real-world applications and innovations in digital learning.
   https://elearningcoach.com

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5. Learning Guild
   The Learning Guild is a hub for professionals in workplace learning and development, offering a rich mix of research, online events, conferences, and publications. I particularly appreciate the resources they share from their conferences. (Free membership required for some content.)
   https://learningguild.com

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6. WonderTools
   Jeremy Caplan’s newsletter provides a curated list of digital tools that can revolutionize how you approach learning and development. It’s all about discovering tools that make learning more engaging and efficient.
   https://wondertools.substack.com

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7. Product Hunt
   This site is a great way to keep up with new apps, tools, and technologies that can enhance your L&D toolkit.
   https://www.producthunt.com/

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8. BrightCarbon
   I love PowerPoint, and like many people, I use it frequently. When it comes to finding helpful information about PowerPoint, these guys are the best! They offer a free add-in called BrightSlide that you should definitely download if you haven’t already!
   https://brightcarbon.com

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9. Deep Culture
   This weekly newsletter contains 10 interesting, useful, and fun-to-read items. It’s perfect for those with curious minds who want a quick read.
   https://deepculture.substack.com/

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10. Mike Taylor
    If you don’t already know, my site is dedicated to sharing insights, tips, and tools for effective learning design and technology integration in educational and corporate settings.
    https://mike-taylor.org

🎯 Take away: The best time to start a personal curation system was 10 years ago. The second best time to start is now!

🧰 Tech Tools & Tips

If tools are your jam, check out my new Work Smarter newsletter.

🎧 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, 2024

sponsored

Great Resources for Gamification in eLearning

Did you know that engagement in employee training continues to be the #1 challenge for L&D professionals? One definite way to boost it is to integrate gamification into your training strategy. Here are some great resources that will give you a great deal of useful information on gamification and resources for implementing it in your projects:

• eLearning Gamification: How to Apply It and Win the Game

• Prefer to watch this content on gamification? We got you → 

• Gamification vs. Game-Based Learning

• 4 Easy Gamification Tricks for PowerPoint and iSpring Suite

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