When I was in grade school, my local library had a reading challenge every summer. To a young nerd like me, it was very exciting. You went to the library—conveniently in biking distance of the house I grew up in—to pick up your summer reading packet, which usually included some sort of game board where you could track your reading by genre and other little activities. There were PRIZES. This was much better than the school assigned summer reading that came about as one got older.
In the spirit of nostalgia, I thought “Why not bring back summer reading?” Plenty of people are traveling over the summer and need something to read on a plane, bus, or in the passenger seat while on your way to a fun family vacation. You can use this as your excuse to get out of driving: “Sorry, I need to read this for work.”
I do not have prizes for you, but if you post a picture of yourself reading any of these books and tag us @eLearningBros, we will absolutely retweet you. That’s almost a prize, right?
Here are 5 training and technology books we recommend you read:
Shock of the New: The Challenge and Promise of Emerging Technology
By Chad Udell and Gary Woodill
In a recent interview, eLearning Brothers Co-founder and CEO Andrew Scivally talked about the evolution of eLearning and how today’s tools are so much more sophisticated. He and interviewer, Jon Tota, talked about how AR is already being implemented in eLearning, with VR on the horizon. But what other emerging technology do instructional designers and eLearning developers need to be ready for?
In “Shock of the New: The Challenge and Promise of Emerging Technology,” Chad Udell and Gary Woodill create a new framework for anticipating emerging learning technologies, outlining six key perspectives you should consider with any new technology. They examine some of the day’s most commonly discussed emerging technologies and pose the questions that will point the way to your own strategy.
A Working Guide to Artificial Intelligence
by Pamela S. Hogle
Staying on the topic of emerging technology, the eLearning Guild is currently producing an eBook series called "Working Guides to Emerging Technology." This is one of five released so far. You can download any or all of them with a free eLearning Guild membership.
“A Working Guide to Artificial Intelligence” explores the emerging technology, artificial intelligence, and addresses its current and future impact on eLearning.
10 Steps to Successful Mentoring
By Wendy Axelrod
We’ve been talking a lot about mentorship lately and how it can be an integral part of a blended learning program or on-the-job training. eLearning Brothers User Experience Designer, Josh Bleggi, mentioned it in his webinar this week: Thar Be Dragons!... Taking Inspiration From Live Action Roleplay for eLearning. He talked about implementing a strategy of learn, rehearse, and then perform and how building a culture of mentorship helps new members of the live action role play group learn faster. Our Custom Solutions team has experience helping companies create mentoring programs that reduce time to efficiency.
What I like about this book, “10 Steps to Successful Mentoring,” is that it focuses on supporting the mentor, not the mentee. I think we often focus on the mentee—he or she is the person we’re trying to build skills in, after all. But the mentor needs to have the right tools for what they’re doing too.
Fully Compliant: Compliance Training to Change Behavior
by Travis Waugh
In “Fully Compliant,” Travis Waugh challenges traditional compliance training that simply ensures employees avoid the legal risk of failing to comply with a specific mandate. With an ever-increasing number of compliance subjects to address, such programs are unsustainable. Instead, organizations must design compliance programs that serve a higher, broader purpose and build robust, resilient cultures focusing on integrity and ethics learning. Optimal compliance programs are flexible and create real learning experiences that change real behavior, thus diminishing the chance of misconduct in the first place.
Due to customer demand, we’re currently hard at work releasing new compliance training and HR topics in our Customizable Courseware library. (Send us a message if you’d like to be the first to know when the new modules are available.) Waugh’s book, just released this month, underscores how critical good compliance training is for an organization.
Millennials, Goldfish & Other Training Misconceptions
Debunking Learning Myths and Superstitions
By Clark N. Quinn
This one isn’t new, but I had to include it because the title is great and I’m a fan of Clark Quinn’s blog. He always has some thoughtful looks at different learning-related concepts.
“Millennials, Goldfish & Other Training Misconceptions” debunks more than 30 common assumptions about good learning design to help you avoid wasting time, resources, and goodwill on unproven practices. Drawing on cognitive psychology and learning sciences, Clark equips you to challenge the claims you’re likely to hear from peers and co-workers.
So, will you be lounging on the beach with any of these? Be sure to tag us on social media if you do!
For more eLearning resources, templates, and stock assets, sign up for a free 7-day trial to the entire eLearning Brothers Asset Library.
