It’s that magic time of the year again!
No, it’s not Christmas yet; heck, it’s not even December. It is exactly November 10th, and it’s the one year anniversary of the Business Blog!
Just imagine the MATRIX team wearing silly party hats and eating yummy anniversary cake. Ok, anniversary cupcakes. There were cupcakes instead of cake. Still yummy. Were. (Who needs complete sentences when cupcakes are nearby, right?)
The Business Blog turns one!
Precisely one year ago I published the very first blog post, obviously entitled “MATRIX says hello!”. Its 314 words (making it the shortest ever post on this blog) were supposed to introduce the new kid on the block.
Twelve months and 69.023 written words later, and the Business Blog climbed in the first 20% (15.7%, to be more exact) of all e-learning blogs. Not bad for a new kid on the block, I would say. Keep on climbing, my friend!
Some of the 80+ blog posts got more fame than others, but they all made a contribution. I would like to give the proverbial pat on the back to each of them, but that would mean to rewrite the entire blog in this post. So I’ll just focus on the very best:
Top 10 blog posts on MATRIX
While the first five entries were obvious, there was quite a fight for the last five. Especially for the last one. Finally, here is the official list of the best 10 posts on the MATRIX blog, from the first year of its existence:
-
Millennials + Video = Love
Love them or hate them, millennials are the largest generation of the US workforce. They may not have the best credentials, but workplace learning is a top priority for them. If companies want to benefit from the sometimes surprising minds of millennials, they need to adapt their strategies for training programs and include video. Because between two cat videos there can be a tutorial on how to better perform a tough task everyone else avoids to do. Video learning rocks!
-
Top 7 e-learning trends for 2016
This is one of the oldest posts. Combine age with the “fortune-teller” keyword, and you get a shiny spot on a top 10 list. I hope the seven trends I addressed — personalized learning, mobile learning, social learning, gamification, video learning, cloud-based learning management systems, and augmented learning — satisfied the natural curiosity of all the people that read this post. It’s only a few weeks until I’ll focus again on the trends that shape up the e-learning scenery.
-
How to use social intelligence in online training
A great IQ score is not enough for someone to be a great learner; people also need a great score on social intelligence, as these both affect the learning process. Social learning is all about interacting successfully with others in various learning contexts. Instructional designers who use social intelligence principles when creating training courses will help their learners not only retain knowledge better, but also develop their empathy and interpersonal skills.
-
5 Teaching techniques that annoy adult learners
E-learning instructors spend a lot of time perfecting their online courses but sometimes they seem to overlook the needs of their audience. Adult learners are sophisticated by definition and have high expectations from all courses they attend. Instructors need to be clear on the usefulness of their course, sprinkle some humor in the learning content, recognize the individuality of learners, address different learning styles, and respect learners’ time. If not, they'll only be annoying.
-
Branching scenarios: Getting to e-learning’s El Dorado
If El Dorado is just a myth, the usefulness and effectiveness of online training have been proved countless times, with strong figures and outcomes. And branching scenarios are one of the most complex and successful training techniques, as they transform learners from passive observers into active and involved participants. Branching scenarios make learners experience real-world challenges and deal with real-life consequences of their decisions, all without real-life risks.
-
How big data changes the training scenery
You know how the saying goes: the more, the merrier. But companies that are seriously involved in training their employees need more than big data related to learning; they need to make sense of it as fast as possible. While there are some concerns regarding the possible misuse of big data in the context of business learning and development, cloud-based learning management systems do a pretty good job with gathering relevant learning data, analyzing it, and keeping it safe.
-
Why each employee needs a learning path
Olivia’s parallel between a new employee and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz sure got our readers’ attention. Taken away by a tornado of new information, people, and environments, most new employees end up in the wonderful land of endless possibilities, also known as the workplace. They need to find the yellow brick road that is the right one, and personalized learning paths created by L&D professionals help employees do just that.
-
7 + 1 Learning and Development apps for businesses
This is the “youngest” post on the list. We are all riding the wave of mobile apps. They're everywhere. The phrase There’s an app for that gets its way into every conversation, including almost every aspect of the workplace. The eight L&D apps for businesses that got the spotlight in this post were: Udemy for Business, SkillPill, ATD trainer toolkit, ATD publications, Chief Learning Officer Magazine, Lynda, Box, and of course, MATRIX LMS.
-
Top LMS features that increase employee productivity
The best LMS provides the right piece of information to the right employee at the right time. That’s the only way all employees can reach their full potential every day at work and deliver great results. Personalized learning paths, progress tracking, collaboration tools, and branded mobile apps should be provided by all company learning management systems, as these features contribute to higher employee productivity, and eventually business success.
-
6 LMS best practices for instructional designers
With so many features and options, things can get a little overwhelming when it comes to using a new LMS. We’re talking about a new platform, after all. Instructional designers should do their best to keep everything organized, avoid posting the same piece of information in multiple locations within the LMS, keep all important documents in one clear place, use announcements, try new tools, and complete the training LMS vendors usually provide.
And these were the top-performing 10 posts on the Business Blog, from the last exactly 366 days since I published the first one.
Happy anniversary, Business Blog! MATRIX LMS is proud of you. May there be many happy returns of this day! (And cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes.)
