Learning & Development · Melbourne, Australia
Always be learning.
Activate Learning Solutions is the home of Helen Blunden’s writing on lifelong learning: more than a decade of posts on personal learning networks, social and workplace learning, working out loud, and staying curious.
About
A curious learner, a builder of networks, a connector of dots.
With over 25 years in Learning and Development across banking, defence and consulting, Helen has openly shared her learning through this blog since 2011. The archive traces how workplace learning changed: from the classroom, to social networks, to learning in the flow of work.
Explore by topic
Over 1,500 posts, organised.
Social Learning & Networks
Personal learning networks, enterprise social networks and working out loud.
155 postsBook Reviews & Reading
Every book Helen has read and reviewed over more than a decade.
97 postsLearning Technology & Tools
The platforms and apps that shape how we learn at work.
89 postsWeekly & Monthly Learning Notes
The recurring series capturing what Helen was learning, week by week.
88 postsConferences & Events
Reflections from conferences, summits and MOOCs Helen attended or spoke at.
76 postsCareer & Professional Growth
Career development, coaching, mentoring and professional portfolios.
33 postsInstructional Design & Training
ADDIE, training design and the craft of building learning experiences.
26 postsCommunity & Volunteering
Rotary, community service and the third places where learning happens.
26 postsLife, Work & Reflections
Personal reflections, travel and everyday moments from the years.
919 postsFrom the archive
Start with these.
- Top Learning Tools for 2022A decade of contributing to Jane Hart’s annual Top Tools for Learning, and a complete flip away from social media.
- Is There Any Agility in ADDIE?On instructional design, agile ways of working, and whether the classic model still holds up.
- From Training to Performance to SocialA personal learning journey through the changing world of workplace learning.
- What Is the Instructional Designer Breed?On the craft, identity and future of instructional design.
- What I Learned About Learning FrenchLessons about motivation and practice from picking up a new language as an adult.
Recognition
Learning out loud, recognised.
Co-author of two books
Microsoft Teams: A Manager’s Guide, and Gourmet Teamwork. Practical guides to communication and hybrid work with Microsoft 365.
Jay Cross Memorial Award
Inaugural recipient in 2016, recognising advocacy for a more humanistic approach to workplace learning.
Microsoft Ignite reporter
One of ten global community reporters covering Microsoft Ignite 2019 in Orlando, Florida.
Say hello.
Questions about the writing, permissions to reuse content, or anything else: email mail@activatelearning.com.au.