All My Sketchnotes from the Learning Technologies Conference 2024 UK

 Rachel Burnham writes: This work the Learning Technologies Exhibition and Conference #LT24UK has been taking place on 17 & 18 April at ExCel in London.  I was attending the conference as part of the social media team and contributing to the social media coverage for the event by Sketchnoting sessions.   I will include in this blog all my Sketchnotes for the sessions I participated in over the two days.

 

With a keynote address on each day and up to 5 streams of sessions for the two days, a lot of different topics and takes on those topics have been explored over the two days.  Each participant will have chosen to participate in a mix of sessions, with differing formats and will have come with a range of experience and from varying contexts, so each person will have their own view about what the conference covered and how valuable it was.  My experience was that all the sessions I participated in were thoughtful, interesting and of value.  Of course, there are some points made by speakers that I disagreed with, some things that weren’t new to me but familiar territory and also lots and lots that challenged, inspired and intrigued me.  

Here are my Sketchnotes from across the two days.  I have included both the titles of the sessions and the hashtags based on the session numbers so that you can look at other social media coverage on these sessions if you wish:

Opening Address Wednesday – A world in flux: AI and the forces transforming work, and what we can – and should – do about it

Daniel Susskind was looking at how AI is disrupting not just blue collar jobs, but also professional roles. He identified that this happening at the task level for a wide range of professions, rather than replacing the job as a whole. He also identified that AI tackles tasks differently compared to the way a human does, but may still be able to do specific tasks more effectively than a person does.  It was a pity that he seemed unaware of the way that modern L&D works and the range of ways in which effective learning can be supported.

 

#T3S1 The Case for Rethinking Organizational Learning

Here is my Sketchnote from the interactive session led by Dr. Nigel Paine and Dr. Celine Mullins on rethinking Organizational Learning.

The point that resonated with me particularly was about focusing not on knowledge but on knowing. With Sketchnoting I find the value is in 'the doing' and the insight this gives rather than in the Sketchnote produced.

 

#T4S3 Instructional Design in the Real World

Andrew Jacobs chaired a fully interactive session with a fabulous panel made up of Jane Bozarth, Julie Dirksen and Cammy Bean. The session was exploring designing learning for the way people learn and work and addressed questions from session participants - by doing this it modelled one of the points made in the session that relevance leads to engagement.

It was fascinating that so many questions related to managing relationships in order to be able to design effectively eg with SMEs or other stakeholders. Lots of practical approaches for doing this were shared by the panel.

 

Opening Address Thursday – What on earth will people do next? Understanding human behaviour now and in the future?

Lively, informative and helpful keynote from Thimon De Jong at the start of the second day of the Learning Technologies Conference. He focused on the implications for learning of two key areas - mental health and our response to the introduction of new technology.  I loved his use of metaphors – being stranded on a sandbar and the elevator – a gift for a Sketchnoter!

 

#L2S1 L&D and Sustainability

I was very glad that I was able to take part in the lunchtime session yesterday on 'L&D and Sustainability' hashtag#L2S1 with Rob Hubbard, Bryan Hopkins, Natalie Ainsworth and Jodie Pritchard. There is a lot we can be doing in L&D to be contributing to sustainability in our organisations - we need to put our hands up, find out what is already going on in our organisations, talk about it and remember that we have useful skills in changing human behaviour which is so important to this work.

 

#T1S5 VR in Learning

Lots of practical advice and experience shared from two very different organisations about when, how and when not to use VR for effective learning.

Really liked the DICE mnemonic for situations in which VR can be a good option shared by Charles Neuner and the practical examples for when to use the real thing, video or VR from Matt Day. The session was chaired by Stella Collins who kept the questions flowing.

 

#T4S6 Al Literacy for L&D

This session at yesterday's Learning Technologies Conference by Jon Fletcher of the The LPI (Learning and Performance Institute) was informative, challenging and got behind the hype about AI and into sufficient detail to be practically helpful. It focused on what knowledge and skills L&D professionals need to be developing in the next months/year to be able to both use AI effectively in our own work and also to be able to support our organisation/clients at they adopt AI technologies. In addition, he helpfully identified existing skills of L&D folk which will be useful in working with AI.

There is a lot for us to be learning, but Jon set out a map of what that looks like at present and by doing so gave us a great starting point.

 

Rachel Burnham

19 April 2024

I help individuals and organisations to use visuals to think, learn and work more effectively, particularly though using Sketchnoting and drawing.

 

'Teams' Everywhere

Rachel Burnham writes: At the moment I am seeing and hearing Teams everywhere.  Not ‘teams’ but ‘Teams’, that is Microsoft Teams to be precise.  I am seeing presentations about it, talking about it with friends & colleagues, reading about it and even receiving emails about it (there is an irony here, as Teams is often talked about reducing the need for emails). It is in my work and soon to be in my volunteering. Microsoft Teams seem to be everywhere I look – I think I am having one of those times when having become aware of a topic or product, you suddenly see it everywhere.

If you haven’t yet come across Microsoft Teams, it is  a communication and collaboration tool designed by Microsoft that works alongside a whole array of their other products, particularly Office 365.  There is a paid for enterprise version and also a free version that anyone can download – there are some differences in capabilities between the two.  I’ve heard it described as hub for your work, both with people, within and without your organisation and the software tools that you regularly use.   Or the glue that holds it all together.

It isn’t the only game in town.  There are of course other alternatives available from other providers (I am feeling a little like a BBC presenter at this point) and they each have many common features and their own strengths and weaknesses – I am most familiar with the alternative offered by Slack.  I have no interest in promoting Microsoft Teams over any of these other platforms and tools, it is just that this is the one that has grabbed my attention at this point.  I am not making  a case for this particular product, over any other, but I do want to make the case for using what we have well.  

If your organisation has chosen to adopt Microsoft Teams as it’s chosen platform, then it seems to me that it behoves us in L&D to really get our heads around how the organisation is using it and how we all can make best use of it, including L&D.   We need to be playing our part in seeing how this tool can be used to enable effective performance. That means using it in ways that do not stimulate unhelpful habits (eg like not being able to do ‘deep work’ for constant interruptions through poor use of chat features) nor seeing it as a silver bullet, that can of itself solve major challenges (eg silo working) without doing the other work needed to support this. However, I do think it has a huge potential, if used well, for supporting and enabling behaviours that lead to effective performance, including learning.

My thinking around this was stimulated by this year’s Learning Technologies’ event, where I went along to a presentation which was titled ‘Microsoft Teams as a Learning Platform’.  I was hoping for lots of sharing of ideas and experiences of using Teams to enable learning in the flow of work.   Lots of people turned up for the presentation.  But I was very disappointed by the content, which was very much about using Teams as an LMS and about access to training.  But it made me ponder how else we could be using Teams.  It made me focus on the question ‘If we are working within Teams, why not learn within Teams?’

Anyway, I Sketchnoted the session and as is my habit, I shared my Sketchnote both on Twitter and later on LinkedIn – I received a huge response from people, so many comments, questions and lots of sharing of experience.    Many were sharing that their organisation is adopting Microsoft Teams and they are trying to get their heads around it, some were puzzled about how it can be used to aid learning, others excited by the possibilities but wanting help and support, others were already making use of it to aid collaboration and support learning and shared some of the ways they are doing that.

 

Two comments in particular stood out for me.  Jo Wainwright shared on LinkedIn ‘I use it because it is where people already are and it already connects to everything else.’   When you are wanting to encourage social and collaborating learning, it is always helpful to consider where people already are – it means you don’t have to work hard to get them there or to overcome barriers to access.   Secondly, Mike Bedford shared on Linkedin ‘…I do not want it to be seen as another wasteful LMS missed opportunity’.   Nor do I!

One of the other people who responded to my Sketchnote was Helen Blunden, @ActivateLearn, who works for Adopt & Embrace, who along with her colleagues has written a book full of advice on using Teams.   I have been reading this with great interest and recommend it to you for providing some great examples of how Teams can be used and a framework for thinking about what is needed for each Team. 

     

Here are a few quick ideas about how we could be using Microsoft Teams.  Some are my ideas, some have come out of the conversations with colleagues since Learning Technologies, some from my reading and some were shared via social media in response to my Sketchnote – many thanks to all those who have contributed towards my thoughts on this. 

·       You could host a community of practice or a Working Out Loud Circle in a Team and use Microsoft Teams to host the conversations and resources shared.   This can provide a safe space for conversations and exploration of ideas and practices.

·       You could build reflection into every single Team by always incorporating a channel dedicated to ‘Lessons Learned’ or something similar.   Of course setting aside the space, won’t make the reflection happen, but it could provide a mechanism to enable it.

·       You could use the Teams Meeting feature – a video chat feature similar to Skype for Business – to host online coaching or webinars/virtual classrooms.  These can also be recorded, so you could record webinars or walk-throughs sharing your desktop. The features for webinars are not perhaps as fully developed as in other platforms, but can be combined with other tools.

·       You could share resources with colleagues through Teams eg a line manager or a peer recommending an article or video to colleagues.

·       You could curate useful resources as an individual or as a team using either OneNote or a wiki, both of which can be easily linked to a Team.

·       You could create a curated learning programme involving online discussion, reflection and sharing hosted either within a Team or using a wiki.

·       You could help people to find who within your organisation has particular expertise using ‘Who’, a bot that can be utilised.  You could then ask for help from that individual using Chat.

·       You could make relevant performance support tools and resources easily to hand within the relevant Team via a Tab.

·       You could make use of Forms to develop questionnaires and other tools within Teams.  Or use Teams with existing other survey tools eg SurveyMonkey.

I am sure this list is only scratching the surface of the possibilities and of course, it is making these ideas work that is the challenging part.  Encouraging the behaviours and habits of individuals and teams to give these tools and approaches a go.  

Microsoft Teams is just a tool.   We know that it isn’t the tool that is important.  What is important is how we use it to solve the problems that matter to the people we work with and our organisations.

If you are interested in joining me in working together to explore how Microsoft Teams can be used effectively to aid learning and performance, do get in touch.

Rachel Burnham

8/3/2020

I help individuals and organisations to work and learn more effectively, particularly though using the tools of Sketchnoting and the curation of resources.  I make use of Sketchnoting to introduce people to using visuals to aid thinking, working and learning.  I help people to manage for themselves the information they need to stay up-to-date in their professional work.

 

Collection of Sketchnotes from the Learning Technologies Exhibition 2020

Rachel Burnham writes: Last week on 12 & 13 February I participated in a number of sessions at the Learning Technologies Conference and Exhibition at Excel, London.   As with all exhibitions, the sessions were variable in quality and relevance, some being mere sales pitches and others well informed and thought-provoking.  I have taken the decision to only share my Sketchnotes from the sessions, I found of value or stimulating.

I shared these Sketchnotes via social media during the event and one in particular got a huge response, both on Twitter and on LinkedIn.  It was the Sketchnote of the session on the use of Microsoft Teams for learning – I don’t think it was the session itself, which focused on an add-on to Microsoft Teams, but the idea of using Teams effectively and using Teams for learning really hit a chord.  I think there is huge potential for using Microsoft Teams to aid learning in the flow of work and that is what I think people were responding to.  

I also participated in the launch session of ‘Back to the Future: Why tomorrow’s workforce needs a learning culture’ which is the 2020 annual report from Emerald Works.  Previous years reports were published under the name of Towards Maturity and you may be familiar with them under that name.  Do take a look at this report, there is lots for us to work on in L&D here. Copies of this report can be downloaded from Emerald Works.

Here are my Sketchnotes:

Rachel Burnham

21/2/2020

I help individuals and organisations to work and learn more effectively, particularly though using the tools of Sketchnoting and the curation of resources.  I make use of Sketchnoting to introduce people to using visuals to aid thinking, working and learning.  I help people to manage for themselves the information they need to stay up-to-date in their professional work.

5 Ways We Could Change How We Think About L&D

Rachel Burnham writes: At this time of year, I often curate a set of resources that I think are helpful for developing L&D and enabling L&D professionals to modernise our ways of working.  This year I have decided to do something different and instead take a step back to focus more generally on how we think about L&D.

  

Whilst some in the L&D profession are forging ahead trying out new ideas and experimenting with approaches based upon well-founded research and evidence of what works well, we also are part of a profession that is slow to change. Many continue to use methods and practices that we know are not as effective as they could be - methods and practices that are not meeting the challenges facing organisations or individuals.  

Here are five areas that I think we need to work on as a profession.

1.  Evidence-based

Whilst this approach has been adopted recently by CIPD, there is still a lot of muddle and confusion around about what this really means.   I think getting more in our profession familiar and confident using an evidence based approach can help with three challenges:

·       Tackling the pervasive influence of learning myths around subjects like learning styles, left brain/right brain and so on.

·       Encouraging a focus on effectiveness and what actually makes a difference to performance.

·       Building an appetite for making use of data analytics that is practical in focus.

2.  Looking at a wider range of jobs and sectors

So often the case studies, research and examples explored in L&D conferences, articles and podcasts are from the same rather narrow fields of employment.  It is time that we started to look more broadly beyond the knowledge worker or service sector and also consider the needs of other types of worker, sector and size of organisation.

 

When we are only hearing from this relatively narrow field, important though it is, we risk considering only these needs of these kinds of organisation and that the ideas and solutions presented only are effective in those situations.  If we want to tackle the long tail of L&D that is mostly still only using face to face delivery of content-heavy material, then we have to ensure that our examples, our research, our practices can meet these needs of a diverse range of job roles and organisations.     

3.  Less black and white, more nuance

I think we are running a risk of being too simplistic in some of our thinking about L&D practices.  Of making ‘blanket –judgements’ about ways of working.   ‘This is good’, ‘this is not’.  This is current, up-to-date, the latest thinking and this is not.

For example, I notice in each at the time of the Learning Technologies conference and exhibition a slew of articles about the latest technologies and a corresponding slew of articles defending face to face delivery.  

When it isn’t either or. 

We need to be so much better at being nuanced.  Not just about about the respective values of using technology and face to face, but across the whole field.  It is not helpful to run down the whole of education.  We know that context matters.   So let’s get much clearer about what works when, and in what circumstances, for who and at what point in their career and what the limitations are.   Let’s identify the boundary conditions for approaches, rather than portray each approach as the answer to everything. 

4.  Connect ideas

There are some amazing ideas being developed and explored in L&D.  New ways of working and new (well, newish, in some cases) models and practices.  Many have slightly different focuses and emphasis.   When you begin to be exposed to the range of approaches to performance consulting, models of learning, alternatives to face to face, learning at the point of need or in the flow of work and so on (and also their critiques) – I think a lot of people in our profession, who are new to these approaches can feel overwhelmed and over-faced.  ‘Where are earth do you start?’ 

It would be great to see some more linking up of these ideas, some more comparing and contrasting of them, so that they are not just used piecemeal, but more systematically. We need help to work our way through the thickets of new ideas and research, to weigh up what is of value and work out which ones  link together and are worth taking action on.     

5.  We neglect skills at our peril

I think there is some very interesting thinking around at present about knowledge – mostly about how we make much better use of resources or other performance support tools to reduce the need for knowledge learning.   There is great work on behaviour change around – work on habit formation and learning transfer to support this.   But I think we need to be also paying attention to how to effectively support ‘skills’ development. 

I think we have taken our eyes off this area a bit, yet it is hugely important.  High level skills can be challenging to develop and continue to be important in many areas of work.   Although we critique learning programmes for ‘mere content-dumping’ and a reliance on knowledge transfer done badly, we haven’t really focused much on how to develop complex skills effectively.  Skills that are needed in this wider range of jobs and organisations that I think we should be looking at.  

So, these are the 5 areas, which I think we could usefully focus on, to help shift thinking within our L&D profession, this year.  What do you think?

  

Rachel Burnham

13/1/2020

I help individuals and organisations to work and learn more effectively, particularly though using the tools of Sketchnoting and the curation of resources.  I make use of Sketchnoting to introduce people to using visuals to aid thinking, working and learning.  I help people to manage for themselves the information they need to stay up-to-date in their professional work.