RSSFood for thought: Timothy Ferris, learning, and instructional design
Dec 16
Opinion, TED, e-Learning, instructional design 4-hour workweek, e-Learning, instructional design, TED talk, Timothy Ferriss No Comments
The thing about this TED talk that interests me is the fact that Timothy Ferriss is an über-learner. He focuses on what he wants to learn to nearly the exclusion of all else … with extraordinary results.
I wonder what instructional design could be if the same concepts were applied to the design cycle? To the students’ interests and well-being? To the teacher’s enthusiasm and communication abilities?
I am not a “self help book” kind of person. I never have been. But after watching the above video I requested his book, “The Four Hour Work Week,” from the local library. I wanted to know how he could attain so much focused, informal learning (a bit of an oxymoron) into such small amounts of time.
I was surprised at what I found. Here was a self marketing guru who understood what it means to challenge the assumptions of, well, about everything. This intrigued me as I tend to question the assumptions of e-learning and design all the time. Why use an LMS? What can I get out of branded products vs. open source? Who benefits the least from e-learning? Does it matter how and when learning happens just as long as it happens? Can informal learning replace the classroom? Will the community as “producer” overtake formal education today or in the future?
Applying his formula for success (DEAL) to the instructional design process may be an interesting foray into leveraging “lifestyle design” for education.
Has anyone had any experience with Timothy Ferriss and his book as applied to education, in general, and e-learning, specifically? Let me know!