Lately I've been fascinated by the concept of personal learning environments. As an instructional designer and trainer, I've spent a lot of time trying to develop learning experiences for other people. But through my own personal experiences with Web 2.0 tools, as well as my ongoing belief in constructivist theories of learning, I've come to believe that the future of staff development lies in our ability to go beyond structured... Read more →

Emily Turner at World Grows Wide has had two great posts recently on the thinking processes she's used in helping nonprofits select technology tools. They're both great examples of the ways that nonprofits should be thinking and I encourage you to read them to get a peek inside the brain of someone who's thoughtfully considering how technology should fit into and enhance organizational culture, work processes, etc. In the first... Read more →

Finding high quality multimedia content online can be a bit of a chore. Few of us have time to plow through YouTube or Google Video looking for the best resources. Fortunately, others are doing that for us. Via Open Culture, here's a pre-screened list of the best online documentaries. Depending on your organization's mission, some may be good resources to use with clients (such as in the health and lifestyle/society... Read more →

In the past several days I've received a number of comments and emails on my posts regarding scarcity thinking in nonprofits. I wanted to try to summarize some of what's come my way because I think that it all furthers the conversation. In a comment on my original post, Mike Wassenaar left me a link to an interesting 2003 report entitled Battered Agencies: Supporting Those Who Serve Low Income Communities.... Read more →

Continuing on my abundance vs. scarcity thread, in a post a few days ago I quoted from Chief Happiness Officer, Alexander Kjerulf, who notes that scarcity thinkers have little tolerance for mistakes, while the abundance mentality embraces mistakes for the learning that they bring. Reader Marie notes in comments that most people she knows are deathly afraid of making mistakes and that it's particularly true the higher up the ladder... Read more →

Through a circuitous route I won't bother to explain, today I find myself thinking about the impact of scarcity thinking on nonprofit organizations. One of the most powerful learnings I've had in my professional practice is that our mental models have a profound impact on our work practices. One of the mental models I'm observing at work today is scarcity vs. abundance thinking and I'm starting to wonder if the... Read more →

Beth Kanter's screencasts have been making me jealous for awhile now, so I was incredibly happy to see that she's sharing the Primer on Screencasting that she'll be presenting at NTC on April 5th. As usual, she has a wikitation to go with it. This one of those "run, do not walk" must-reads that I've already bookmarked. Thanks as always, Beth, for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Read more →

Over the weekend my husband sent me a link to Leafletter, so I took a break from grant-writing and web site development to experiment with it. One of my experiments was for a client, but, unfortunately, I can't share that with you. The other was for me, a result of me thinking about re-purposing some of my blog content after a Skype conversation a few weeks ago with David Wilcox.... Read more →

If the idea of creating a podcast seems daunting, take a look at Bob Sprankle's elementary school kids who take you step-by-step through the process of creating a podcast. My theory is that if they can do it . . . Read more →

Earlier I wrote about blogging as a learning tool. Pulling My Hair Out picked up on that idea and suggested a weekly learning review, which I'm thinking is a good idea for a Friday afternoon when I need a break from the major deadlines breathing down my neck. So here goes. . . 1. You CAN Teach Old Dogs New Tricks I'm smack in the middle of a major grant-writing... Read more →