I wrote this post to share my secrets 🙂 of a Self-Directed Lifelong learner. I learn for growing my knowledge. I Learn from my own experience as a Self Entrepreneur. I learned all the time and a lot.
In 2016, Self-Directed Learning is easier than ever for the smart learner. It suffices to get the keys and go.
Self-Directed Learning is the workhorse of Professional Development. With all the possibilities of Internet, MOOCs, and Social Media you are free to learn and reach your goals. Yet the volume available, organization and the length of your learning path may be obstacles. Let’s go through proven twists to break the code.
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Neuroscience shows a few facts that will help you measure your effort. Like for physical exercise regularity, repeated practices, progressive scaling rule. If you have did studies and passed exams, you know the pitfalls of learning too much in the last moment. Similar applies when trying to learn without ever applying. Don’t fret we got you covered with a post dedicated to this topic.
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What are the different techniques of Learning and why it matters to you, not an L&D expert. It’s not a hard science but there are some ideas and concepts generally accepted, many myths also. Debunk some of both and grow your expertise in this field, like you did for your health and cooking.
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Mobile devices help a lot the lifelong learner. You can learn on the go at idle moments. To plan a sustainable learning strategy you should questions yourself on two points.
Is it wise to consume content at every moment? Pushing ourselves to use every moment to learn can be detrimental to our performance. Our brain needs breaks and time for reflexive thinking.
Do you have learning material adequate for mobile learning? It’s not enough to be audio or responsive to make a decent learning material for mobile.
Mobile learning is an ongoing topic among professionals. Beyond the obvious there is not much of a consensus. Innovations add possibilities every week and fuel the debate. It is not going to settle anytime soon. We have different contexts, different habits, and tastes. It’s a hurdle for industries. Because you know yourself you are in the best position to tailor your own practice. Take the lead and help yourself with some tricks. Go read why I don’t think so.
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And thanks to @stipton, this is now stuck in my head RT @stipton: Just for you @TriciaRansom #Earworm https://t.co/HpLXRMlzWN
— 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘮 (@TriciaRansom) January 11, 2016
Do you MOOC? You won’t get objectives advice from your HR dept. For MOOCs, you will have to go by yourself and you will enjoy provided you read our post. Most MOOCs are free, go and audit a few. First things you will understand:
- It’s perfect to get a formal education on any topic but homework applies to make it stick.
- The best universities are often the better design. Despite having a better level, they are actually easier to learn from.
- Once you get familiar with the format, it’s worth it paying for a certificate.
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Twitter Chats, Blabs, Google Hangouts on Air are a great way to get Knowledge alive. Experts chat with the less experts of us and share their experience without looking down on us. It’s a great occasion to engage with them. Learn how they learned. Understand how they addressed questions they faced. Chatters share the most emergent Knowledge on topics like: Startups, Social Media Marketing, Education.
Check Kneaver Open Twitter Chat Directory for an up-to-date list in your local time zone.
See how Sarah, Host of #SproutSocial explains it
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Build a #PLN, a network of people you can learn from. They could be experts sharing their knowledge, or explainers who care to answer your questions or fellow travelers on the same learning path.
Share what you learned, get readers, comment on others, curate.
Join groups to get a support system for your learning.
Networking in 2016 is critical for learning, this is what Social Learning is all about.
May I suggest it’s also more fun. The vintage picture of the solitary learner diving into huge books solely only lit by a candle is behind us. Today learning is a social activity.
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Keep track of what you learned. While you are at it, you should start a full blown Personal Knowledge Management practice.
Personal Knowledge Management is an exquisite combination of processes to crystallize your learnings or turn your experience into lessons. Become a better yourself:
- Constantly hone your knowledge
- Take deeper dives to uncover the underlying connections between concepts.
Get into the Zen of Personal Knowledge Management with us.
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You are now fully equipped to ramp up in your lifelong learning. Keep your growth mindset, stay hungry to learn, consume responsibly and you will get a solid fundation for your professional development.
Now, in my opinion, the best would be that we stay in touch so that you keep learning. There is an easy way. We just started a micro-learning newsletter. We send Knowledge delights, bite sized Don’t miss one, sign-up below.
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