A quick search of the almighty Internet reveals that there is no end to the amount of advice on how to do just about any job better. ELearning is no different. While plowing through dozens of blogs, articles, and how-to sites will likely garner you quite a bit of good information, it will also take up valuable time you could use actually to design and improve your craft. So, because a big part of our job is to make you better and more successful at your job, we’ve compiled a list of top elearning blogs for 2016 to ramp up your design skills and stay on top of the industry.
Quick tip: use the handy Feedly app to organize the blog content you want to read.
1) Shannon Tipton's Learning Rebels Blog
As the owner of Learning Rebels Performance Consultancy, Shannon Tipton ensures that her blog meets her vision of innovating workplace learning and creating a culture that encourages curiosity and downplays traditional teaching/learning practices.
What’s in it for you?
- Real Discussions about Real Issues Facing Designers: Sometimes you just really need to hear someone else’s account of how they pushed through an obstacle to make your own problems feel more manageable. Read about things such as the often elusive state of productivity like in this post: Go Make Something Happen
- They Review, so You Don’t Have to: The Rebels blog reviews books and includes summaries and recommendations on sites and other reading material to keep you informed while not wasting your time on subpar information.
- Improvement and Inspiration: They constantly share inspirational quotes from industry leaders, lessons learned from Tradeshows and events, and much more.
Start Reading: Learning Rebels Blog
Find Them on Facebook: Rebels Facebook
2) Arun Pradham's Design 4 Performance Blog
Get informed while enjoying some graphic eye candy when you subscribe to Arun Pradham’s blog. Pradham, who considers himself a “learning geek,” is not only an experienced instructional designer, he is also all about the visuals which make for an exciting as well as informative blog.
What’s in it for you?
- The Graphics: Pradham’s visual design gives subscribers a chance to not only read but to see, making the content stick that much better for many viewers. Visual learners rejoice and share this spiffy infographic: If Learning Was Water.
- Pradham is the New Kid on the Block: Pradham’s blog is pretty darn new which means you can learn and read as Pradham creates content. While a more established blog will have more information, a new blog gives subscribers the feeling of being on the ground floor.
Start Reading: Design4Performance
Follow on Twitter @arunzpradhan
3) Crag Weiss's 24x7 Blog
Feeling left behind whenever new trends or technology take center stage? Renowned eLearning guru Craig Weiss runs a blog dedicated to helping readers keep up-to-date on all things new in the eLearning world.
What’s in it for you?
- Learn from Experience: Craig Weiss is far from new to the eLearning game and his years of experience lend exceptional credibility to his blog.
- Learn by Asking: Weiss’s blog aims to ask thought-provoking questions that lead to learning and inspiration through discussion. Soaking up info is great, but when you can openly discuss how something works and how it can be improved, you gain a far deeper understanding.
- Reviews you need: Don’t waste your money on ineffective tools, Weiss’s product reviews help you find the diamonds in the rough.
Start Reading: 24/7 ELearning
Follow on Twitter: DiegoinStudio
4) Follow THE Guild with Twist
The eLearning Guild is elearning professionals’ most trusted source for news, updates and more and has been for many years. TWIST, the official Guild blog, offers tons of advice, insight and more to start and grow your career. The name TWIST comes from the unique perspective, or “twist” that writers put on each post.
What’s in it for you?
- Expert Advice: Learn from the best when you read posts written by designers and writers working in the field.
- Relevant Content Weekly: With multiple contributing writers and curated posts there is no shortage of content.
Visit the blog: ELearning Guild
5) Rob Hubbard's LearningAge Solutions
LearningAge Solutions (LAS) is Rob Hubbard’s answer to the question, how do we take new technology and use it to teach people new skills? For over ten years Hubbard’s blog has been helping improve workers’ performance and understanding of their jobs.
What’s in it for you?
- Learn from the Man, Who Wrote the Book: Hubbard’s impressive resume includes an eLearning instruction manual that contains over 200 pages of useful info. Find it here.
- In-depth Articles: With a long career comes a greater understanding of the field you work in and how current trends will eventually evolve. Start with these articles: A Decade in Elearning and How Does Responsive Design Impact Learning Culture
Start Reading: Rob Hubbard WordPress
Follow on Twitter: @RobHubbard
6) ATD's Science of Learning and Human Capital Blog
Nearly a dozen blogs for the click of one. The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is famous in the industry for its multitude of resources and development of design talent.
Pick of the Blogs: While each ATD blog covers something useful for the eLearning community, these are two that are particularly insightful:
- Science of Learning: Interested in how you learn? Then check out the Science of Learning blog.
- Human Capital Blog: Delve into the human resources side of eLearning with the Human Capital Blog.
What’s in it for you?
- Learn from the Best: Experts like Karl Kapp and Patti Shank contribute blogs and articles of the highest quality and value.
- New Content, Always: Keep your learning skills active with fresh content weekly.
- Get Connected, Stay Connected: Update your skills while you meet others in the field and engage in virtual presentations and other visual resources.
Find the Blogs Here: ATD Blogs
7) Bonus: Learning Solution's Magazine
Learning Solutions Magazine, as the name implies, is not a blog but a magazine publication. The eLearning Guild is responsible for this one too and has been going strong for well over a decade. This trusted source for best practices in the industry brings you all the expert knowledge of their blog and more.
What’s in it for you?
- Articles from the Best: With even more in-depth information than a blog, these curated articles from leaders in eLearning are the best source for credible information.
- They’ve got it Covered: Topics that are significant industry-wide like instructional design, training strategies, and others are well covered, but so is more obscure and unusual info. In this blog, you will find interviews, factoids and case studies that you can use to improve your techniques and also use in conversation to become the most interesting person in eLearning. .
- Tools, Tips, and Reviews: Find all of this and more.
Start reading: Learning Solutions Mag
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