What I have Been Working On?

• My main achievement was completing the development of 4 modules of the Work, Connect and Learn Program for Coca Cola Amatil.  This took me over 8 weeks to complete with various edits and version controls as well as exploring and learning more about SharePoint 2013 and Lync.  This project not only will help create a community for the engineers and maintenance teams but it fed my desire to connect, work and learn collaboratively with my client.  I was continually learning and sharing what I was learning and for that, I’m thankful.

• Helping a couple of new clients in the Health industry – Pathways to Well Being to use social networking to promote their health and well being courses and to learn how to use them to engage with their clients.  If you’re interested in this topic, they have lots of educational resources on their website.

• Preparing a couple of presentations and webinars for the Vocational Educational Training Centre and Learning Lab Conference in a couple months around using social media in classrooms
• Started my 12 month Business Coaching Development Program with David Guest.
• Organised a couple of Third Place Meetup events as we will have some interstate Learning and Development colleagues visiting Melbourne in February and March so it will be wonderful to see them
• I’ve been updating my website and various social media sites which always take time
• Seems my physiotherapist has also been busy this month working on my back.  Sciatica with a vengeance – but thanks to Dr Daniel Lewis from Pathways to Well being for alerting me to the Varidesk – and doing all our coaching session…standing up.

What has been published?

• My book review on Nigel Paine’s (@ebase) The Learning Challenge has been published in the eLearn Magazine this month.
• I also did a short review of David Hopkins (@hopkinsdavid), new book called The Really Useful EdTech book.

What I have Been Reading?

• Don’t Go Back to School by Koo Stark as part of the #lrnbook chat with Mark Britz (@mbritz), Jane Bozarth (@Jane Bozarth), Rachel Burman (@RachelBurman) and Michelle Ockers (@Michelle Ockers) that started on 19 January.  Missed this book chat? Don’t worry, stay tuned for the next one.

• Establishing and Maintaining Your Online Reputation for Physicians and Medical Practices – in an effort to understand why some professions are against social networking and media, I borrowed this book from my client in the medical industry and I’m glad I did. Filled with case studies, examples of how and why physicians can use social networking sites, it provided me with an understanding of why certain professions may be filled with dread around the concept.  I wish someone now wrote a similar book for lawyers, teachers, learning and development…
• Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – decided to revisit this book and read little bits of it at a time to reflect on each habit as well as the classic, must have on any consultant’s bookshelf –  Peter Block’s Flawless Consulting
• The Art of Belonging by Hugh Mackay.  Why haven’t I seen his books previously?

• How to Do Everything in SharePoint 2013 (well not exactly but there’s SO MUCH in SharePoint that it boggles my mind).  For the record, I despised SharePoint 2007 when I used it at my previous organisation.  I’m now coming around to SP2013…No wonder people hate it so much – no one tells/coaches/teaches/supports them on how to USE it for their own work (but expects them too).  I spent my time flicking through the pages of this book while working in SharePoint site to apply what I was reading…and ended up buying the book in the end.
• Social Networking for Business Success (brilliant – I ended up buying this book).

• Microsoft Lync 2013 Plain & Simple (picked up a few tips I didn’t know)
• Teach Yourself Vine in 10 Minutes (it always annoys me when authors write books about tools that they don’t actually use themselves).

Who Have I Met?

• One of the goals I set for myself is to meet my PLN in person this year – well, through Skype.  I had a lovely chat with Julian Stodd (@JulianStodd) as I’m a great admirer of his blog on social learning, communities and networks.

• I caught up with Nigel Paine (@ebase) at my happy place at the Library at the Dock in the Docklands one day and he interviewed me asking me about how organisations can go about implementing social learning.

• Michelle Ockers (@MichelleOckers) and I caught up at the NAB Village and it’s amazing to think that our face-to-face time has been quite minimal over our work on the Work, Connect and Learn program which has all been conducted via Lync, SharePoint, email and SMS.

What Have I Been Watching?

Let’s not go there, it’s all about Helix, East Enders, Vikings, The Fall, Interweave DVD Knitting Series 6…one has to zone out at times…it can’t be all about work you know…Vikings in particularly, has been an interesting show which has piqued my curiosity about Viking history and legends.

Serendipity intervened this month and I had a house guest for a few days who happened to be from….Norway! So naturally used this opportunity to bombard her with questions about their language, history, customs and of course, The Temple of Uppsala.  Hopefully, she comes and stays with us again and I haven’t frightened her off with my 20 questions.

What Have I Been Learning?

• Yes I started another MOOC called Exploring Innovations in Networked Work and Learning through #MSLOC430. I enjoyed the first one simply because of the abundant ideas, connections and immediate applications in my workplace context at the time. It’s explained as “not quite a course, more like a conversation” – and in that sentence alone tells you why I love connectivist learning…
• Been exploring SharePoint 2013 and it’s abyss of possibilities

What New Apps Have I Used?

• Movenote (Google Chrome) – present documents and slides with video (similar to Present.Me)
• PhotoGrid (Android app): like I need another photography app…
• SnapChat: (reinstated it but quickly got bored)
• Ello: (revisited for a brief time then realised it’s died off and got bored)
• Vine: (been mucking about on this app again in bits and pieces and created a short animated video for a laugh. There’s so much to explore here but I really just play with it while waiting for the kettle to boil – it’s one app I keep revisiting.
• Complete (thanks for the suggestion by @LearnKotch) – it’s a To Do list app which you can share however, I’ve gone back to paper and pen.
• 7 Minutes (health and fitness) – great little app that has a drill sergeant yelling orders to you to do seven minutes of exercise.  Of course, when I was in the military, I never ignored the drill sergeant but with this app, I can! Brilliant!
• fiverr – you can get any service you can think of for $5.  I can get lost in this site with some of the things that people do for $5! Like this seller who replicates your logo on the palm of her hand. (why?!) or Killer Clown Who Sings Happy Birthday.

 The Quirky Things That Have Amused Me

I’m a big fan for using my wider network to work on collaborative projects – and no, they don’t have to be paid work because the fun happens to be in the learning.  This month, I did a photo shoot with my good friend, Mary whom I have known for many years.  She is a qualified masseuse, photographer and now moving into film making.  With a zany and enthusiastic outlook in life and a laugh a minute, we both laughed through this project – you may see some new photos of me around on social media sites.  She also helped me with my back pain…

We’re going to try our hand in creating a short film – for no other reason but just to explore this new medium.  Once again, it’s the process for me – not the actual output.  I really don’t like being in front of the camera – I’m much more interested in conceptualising an idea and then creating the script and planning the shots and seeing how the end product results.

Who Made Me Smile?

Big thank you to Bruce Kneuer (@BKneuer) who sent me a YouTube clip of the Beatles – Good Day Sunshine when I had a shitty day one day this month (if you really must know it was because our cats had urinated all over my treasured photo albums and memorabilia of my Navy days and childhood journals and albums so everything rapidly went downhill from then…but *sigh* I will endure)…