No Clarity Around Growth Mindset…Yet | Slate Star Codex
A rare criticism of Dweck's growth mindset research, largely centered around the idea that the results are so dramatic for such small interventions that they can't be real. No proof for falsification is provided (although the author says he looked). There are some more legitimate concerns raised about the social psychology and alternate research showing that yes, innate ability does matter.
A rare point of agreement between hard biodeterminists and hard socialists is that telling kids that they’re failing because they just don’t have the right work ethic is a <i>crappy thing to do</i>. It’s usually false and it will make them feel terrible. Behavioral genetics studies show pretty clearly that at least 50% of success at academics and <a href="slatestarcodex.com/2015/02/01/talents-part-2-attitude-vs-altitude/">sports</a> is genetic; various sociologists have put a lot of work into proving that your position in a biased society covers a pretty big portion of the remainder. If somebody who was born with the dice stacked against them works very hard, then they might find themselves at A2 above. To deny this in favor of a “everything is about how hard you work” is to offend the sensibilities of sensible people on the left and right alike.
So basically, you take the most vulnerable people, set them tasks you know they’ll fail at, then lecture them about how they only failed because of insufficient effort.
Amy Jo Kim looks at the types of players for social games and provides verbs and descriptions for each. This could be useful for thinking about games for learning and the different approaches possible (i.e., it's not all just about badges and competition).
Books on e-learning, visual design, training evaluation, learning research, presentation skills and change management. A brief summary is included for each book listed.
When Captivate publishes HTML5, it doesn't work in Firefox. Captivate exports only MP3 audio, and Firefox only plays OGGs. This post provides some tweaks for the Javascript to get rid of the error message and look for OGG versions of the file when needed. You have to create both versions of the audio files.
An explanation of the variables affecting the time to create e-learning, including considerations of actual time versus elapsed time (i.e., how long you're sitting around waiting for the SME to get back to you).
Time estimates for e-learning and technical documentation, including some breakdowns for creating storyboards and tips on how to adjust estimates for short e-learning. The infographic is available as one long graphic or a 4-page PDF.
The learning styles revelation - research from cognitive science
Summary of research debunking learning styles and recommends following multimedia learning principles based on cognitive science instead. This is a text-heavy Slideshare presentation.
Enter a URL and see how it looks in different widths. Simulates iPhones and Android devices in portrait and landscape. Could be useful for testing responsive projects.
Lieve explains how she used shared actions to create a game. She also details how she labels and groups everything. The labeling system would be usable for many other situations when you have a plethora of objects on a single slide.
Sites with High Quality Photos You Can Use for Free | CSS-Tricks
Free photos. This list includes a number of sites I haven't seen elsewhere. Many of these just share a few photos each week, and you'd have to be pretty creative to use them for most corporate e-learning. This isn't just typical stock photos.
Storytelling as an Instructional Method: Definitions and Research Questions
Descriptions, example, and research questions for four types of storytelling for learning: case-based, scenario-based, narrative-based, and problem-based instruction.
Abstract of Study Related to Storytelling « Karl Kapp
In a comparison of narrative and expository format for video instruction, learners retained more information with the narrative format.
In a controlled experiment, participants listened to videotaped instruction presented in either narrative or expository form and presented at<br>
either a normal or a moderately compressed rate. Results indicate a relationship between organization<br>
and retention such that audience members retain more information when it is presented in a<br>
narrative style and when it is presented at a normal presentation rate. Practically, the results suggest advantages for narrative form in the everyday practice of instructional communication.
How to Prepare Subject Matter Experts to Review Content
This is quite similar to my own approach. I don't have as much trouble with SMEs noting grammatical errors as this author, but setting expectations like this does help get more substantive and helpful feedback.
3 Ways to Take Your Freelance Instructional Design Full-Time – Ashley Chiasson, M.Ed
Tips from an ID two months after moving to full time as a freelancer. I do think a portfolio is critical, especially for those just starting in the field or changing from another career. Having an active online presence and continuous learning are also great tips.
Where to Find Freelance Instructional Design Gigs - Ashley Chiasson, M.Ed
First hand experience from someone who has used multiple different sites and techniques to find freelance clients. I think the cold contacts really only works because she put in so much effort researching and targeting specific companies with customized messages; I doubt generic cold contacts would have done as much for her.
Super fan-girling over here that @ChristyATucker linked to some of my posts! EEE! - Where to Find Freelance ID Gigs http://t.co/34hyGXDHz2