That's Awesome ID!

Head of Learning Engineering, Kristin Torrence joins me to share her experience as a first-time presenter at DevLearn Conference and Expo in 2021. Kristin gives a play-by-play of her process, from submitting a proposal, to preparing her presentation, to delivering her presentation to a somewhat sleepy crowd. She also gives some tips for how to find resources if you are interested in speaking at conferences.  Connect with Kristin on LinkedIn.  Watch the video series "I Have Questions About Speaking at a Conference".

Sara Johnston, Cofounder at motive.io, joins me to share tips and tricks on how to design learning for immersive environments. She offers some common mistakes, pitfalls, and traps to look out for to make sure the learner has a good user experience. Her biggest tip, keep things simple! More realistic isn't always better.  Connect with Sara via email (Sara at motive.io) or on LinkedIn. 

Instructional designer and eLearning developer, Asha Mohamud, joins me to talk about her journey into the field of L&D at such a young age. We also discuss the things that excite her about the field, and the ways in which her generation prefers to consume content, whether that be for entertainment or for learning.  Connect with Asha on LinkedIn. 

Instructional designer Mandy Brown joins me to share a little bit about her own journey of self-discovery as a woman on the autism spectrum. We talk about ways in which designers can keep neurodivergent learners in mind when designing learning experiences. Mandy shares the ways in which her own neurodivergence affects her learning, and offers some suggestions on different accomodations that can be made which don't just help neurodivergent learners, but neurotypical learners as well.  Connect with Mandy on LinkedIn.  Producer note: In this episode I use the terms neurodiverse and neurodivergent interchangeably, but have since learned that neurodivergent is the most appropriate term for what we are discussing. Thanks for your understanding!

Global Learning Partner and host of the "The Jr. High Dropout" podcast, Elizabeth Fine joins me to talk about the importance of messaging on LinkedIn. Elizabeth share a little bit about her own story and why she is so passionate about helping educators transition into new roles. She shares ways to optimize your profile and the ways in which you might be underselling yourself.  Connect with Elizabeth on LinkedIn. Listen to the "The Jr. High Dropout" podcast here. 

Voiceover Talent and Host of the "DIY Narrrator" podcast, Josh Risser, joins me to share some tips for getting the voice over narration that you need, regardless of your skill level. Josh shares pointers for absolute beginners and for those who might know a thing or two but still want to improve. He also gives advice on how to source VO talent for your A-list projects that require a higher production value. Connect with Josh on Linkedin. Check out more VO narration tips on the "DIY Narrator" podcast. 

Instructional designer and founder of Teaching: A Path to L&D, Sara Stevick, joins me to talk about building a portfolio. Sara shares why a portfolio is important, how to come up with ideas for portfolio samples, and what you should be demonstrating to prospective clients or employers.  Join the Linkedin group "Teaching: A Path to L&D". Connect with Sara on Linkedin. 

Senior Learning Experience Producer, Destery Hildenbrand, joins me to talk about the differences between 360 immersive experiences and what most would consider typical VR (virtual reality) experiences. We also chat about some use cases for both types of learning experience, as well as where the technology might be going in the corporate workspace in the near-ish future. Learn more about CGI VR for learning at Motive.io. Connect with Destery on Linkedin. 

Instructional designer and podcast host, Amy Petricek, joins me to talk about needs analysis. Amy shares what the term means to her, how she and her team use it in their work, and the consequences of what can happen if this stage is skipped over in the design process.  Listen to the "Share Whatcha Learned" podcast at amypetricek.com.  Connect with Amy on Linkedin. 

That's Awesome ID! will be taking a break this summer. Therefore, to wrap up this season, I put together one more blooper real of some laughs from various episodes over the course of this past year. I've had so much fun talking with all of my awesome guests about all of their awesome ideas. Thank to everyone who has helped make this such a fun and rewarding process. Stay awesome! Connect with me on Linkedin.