Blogs: What's the point?
I'll get to blogs. Let me say again, I hate them; however, the lessons we learn each day are what matter. It seems that everything we put on the internet is there forever so let's hop aboard the electronic immortality train. Does this look like a scary ride?
It's not. Here's why:
Went to an (always) excellent annual training conference today called Expo that's held in Austin each February. With own doodle-inspirations courtesy today's guest speaker, Allison Crow, and her mentor, Sunni Brown, who did not speak at this event but is an Austinite and best-selling author on games and visual notetaking. Did you know that there are only five secrets to being happy in life? That's it. Only five, according to opening keynote speaker, Dr. Théres Stiefer, Director of the Center for Management and Executive Education, in the Sam Walton College of Business (U of Arkansas):
1. meditate (go be quiet by yourself for at least 20 minutes per day)
3. live-->we all get 168 hours a week (total) - make 'em count
4. pursue joy --> it often exists for no reason at all
5. love-->you'll feel better and be more apt to forgive and forget as well as to help other people
When she was 18 and one month away from her own high school graduation, Dr. Stiefer's brother (12 years her senior) was killed by a drunk driver. This event has shaped her entire life to take actions like develop this list, talk with strangers in parks and then get an immediate invite to attend their dog's 13th birthday party; or, to put on a giant red-vinyl clown nose at the airport while looking at flight schedules. This also works wonders in traffic at red lights to give grumpy drivers a chuckle (vinyl elephant noses work great, too)!
You would think someone with such tragic optimism would also never have an enemy but all humans have their own "Dragon Lady" (or man). Dr. Stiefer's trick to handle pessimists and many meanies is to watch for their patterns and try to find something positive about the situation (and, in particular, the other person). Dr. Stiefer says after many ulcer-inducing days, one day she notices the Dragon Lady always wears the same colors on the same days so, by happy accident, Dr. Stiefer always knows the day!
One day, Dragon Lady walks into Dr. Stiefer's office and says (in paraphrase): I want you, FIRED. So, Dr. Stiefer calmly reaches into her desk and pulls out a handheld ceremonial flag from the Olympics and calmly puts it on her desk with this retort: "Let the games begin."
Years later, she remembers seeing the Dragon Lady after her retirement.
Dragon Lady: "You know what I hated about you? I hated that you loved life every day."
And, in the end, the Dragon Lady, who happens to make beautiful quilts, gave one to Dr. Stiefer and they remain friends today.
Another presenter, Corrine Weisgerber, an assistant professor at St. Edwards' University who studies social media, points out that Twitter is often *not* popular among 18-24 year olds since the tweets (posts) are often about "what someone had for lunch" and blogs are often seen the same way. Professor Weisgerber asserts that blogs and social media can be so much more and what they do very well is bring information to us rather than have to search for it. She aptly calls these her "unpaid research assistants" named Google, Diigo, and Twitter (among others).
Another presenter, Lisa, an instructional designer from a local state agency, told us that when she got her PhD at Indiana University, she had to travel to the campus (from Austin) and spend four days meeting with her professors and fellow students. Now, 10 years later, her husband is earning his online masters' degree from the same place and he has *no requirement* to ever visit the campus. Wow.
After all the presentations today, especially Lisa's, I'm awestruck how our jobs and roles as trainers or teachers could go extinct as we all have access to the same information online. Of course, we may need assistance to interpret highly specialized data; however, perhaps the future is finding ways to utilize collaborative technology to replace the traditional classroom.
It's not. Here's why:
Went to an (always) excellent annual training conference today called Expo that's held in Austin each February. With own doodle-inspirations courtesy today's guest speaker, Allison Crow, and her mentor, Sunni Brown, who did not speak at this event but is an Austinite and best-selling author on games and visual notetaking. Did you know that there are only five secrets to being happy in life? That's it. Only five, according to opening keynote speaker, Dr. Théres Stiefer, Director of the Center for Management and Executive Education, in the Sam Walton College of Business (U of Arkansas):
1. meditate (go be quiet by yourself for at least 20 minutes per day)
2. move-->body and mind (get a hobby or several)
3. live-->we all get 168 hours a week (total) - make 'em count
4. pursue joy --> it often exists for no reason at all
5. love-->you'll feel better and be more apt to forgive and forget as well as to help other people
When she was 18 and one month away from her own high school graduation, Dr. Stiefer's brother (12 years her senior) was killed by a drunk driver. This event has shaped her entire life to take actions like develop this list, talk with strangers in parks and then get an immediate invite to attend their dog's 13th birthday party; or, to put on a giant red-vinyl clown nose at the airport while looking at flight schedules. This also works wonders in traffic at red lights to give grumpy drivers a chuckle (vinyl elephant noses work great, too)!
You would think someone with such tragic optimism would also never have an enemy but all humans have their own "Dragon Lady" (or man). Dr. Stiefer's trick to handle pessimists and many meanies is to watch for their patterns and try to find something positive about the situation (and, in particular, the other person). Dr. Stiefer says after many ulcer-inducing days, one day she notices the Dragon Lady always wears the same colors on the same days so, by happy accident, Dr. Stiefer always knows the day!
One day, Dragon Lady walks into Dr. Stiefer's office and says (in paraphrase): I want you, FIRED. So, Dr. Stiefer calmly reaches into her desk and pulls out a handheld ceremonial flag from the Olympics and calmly puts it on her desk with this retort: "Let the games begin."
Years later, she remembers seeing the Dragon Lady after her retirement.
Dragon Lady: "You know what I hated about you? I hated that you loved life every day."
And, in the end, the Dragon Lady, who happens to make beautiful quilts, gave one to Dr. Stiefer and they remain friends today.
Another presenter, Corrine Weisgerber, an assistant professor at St. Edwards' University who studies social media, points out that Twitter is often *not* popular among 18-24 year olds since the tweets (posts) are often about "what someone had for lunch" and blogs are often seen the same way. Professor Weisgerber asserts that blogs and social media can be so much more and what they do very well is bring information to us rather than have to search for it. She aptly calls these her "unpaid research assistants" named Google, Diigo, and Twitter (among others).
Another presenter, Lisa, an instructional designer from a local state agency, told us that when she got her PhD at Indiana University, she had to travel to the campus (from Austin) and spend four days meeting with her professors and fellow students. Now, 10 years later, her husband is earning his online masters' degree from the same place and he has *no requirement* to ever visit the campus. Wow.
After all the presentations today, especially Lisa's, I'm awestruck how our jobs and roles as trainers or teachers could go extinct as we all have access to the same information online. Of course, we may need assistance to interpret highly specialized data; however, perhaps the future is finding ways to utilize collaborative technology to replace the traditional classroom.
