My Top 10 Tools for Learning (2015)

In General L&D, Technology by JD Dillon

It’s once again time to vote for your favorite toys as part of Jane Hart‘s annual Top 100 Tools for Learning survey. To compile last year’s list,  Jane received input from 1,038 learning professionals from 61 countries.

You can submit your top 10 list as part of the 2015 survey here until noon GMT on Friday, September 18. The list will then be revealed on Monday, September 21, 2015.

Beyond the value of the final list as a way to scale best practice sharing, I enjoy the individual top 10 lists my fellow L&D pros share via their own blogs. This provides me with added insight into my peers’ methods (and madness). Check out the 2015 lists from Clark Quinn and Brian Washburn with many more to come as voting continues.

Jane’s survey also reminds me to take time to reflect on my use of learning tools – both individually and in support of others – and the need to continually assess the value that those tools bring to my efforts. Am I making the most of the tools on my own top 10 list? If a tool isn’t important enough to make the list (or even be in consideration), should I continue to use it at all?

Finally, it’s just interesting to compare my current list against last year’s post to see what tools continue to support my efforts as I grow professionally.


My List

Here’s my top 10 learning tools for 2015. Remember, Jane defines a “learning tool” as …

Any software or online tool or service that you use either for your own personal or professional learning or for teaching or training.

  1. Twitter – home to my PLN as well as regular chats and curation efforts …
  2. Google Search – where I head when I get curious (often) and don’t have an existing resource or SME…
  3. Evernote – preferred app for all of my personal and professional note-taking …
  4. Wikipedia – only the single largest (free) collection of collaborative knowledge in the history of history …
  5. Hangout – my primary meeting/collaboration tool both at work and away from the office (no more phone) …
  6. Axonify – through which we drive daily (voluntary) reinforcement of key knowledge and skills in our workplace …
  7. Confluence – an attempt at Wikipedia for my workplace – collaborative knowledge documentation and social performance support for everyone …
  8. YouTube – never-ending collection of tutorials and shared ideas on all topics (once you get past the cat videos) …
  9. HipChat – replaced email as my primary tool for virtual brainstorming and sharing with work groups on the fly (especially when mobile) …
  10. SlideShare – hosts my shared collection of presentations and a great way to follow event backchannel content or find creative inspiration …

Honorable Mention

  1. WordPress – host of my long-form sharing via blog (which I still need to do more often) …
  2. Google Drive – real-time collaboration, brainstorming, prototyping galore …
  3. Flipboard – easily-consumed content curation featuring topical collections from me and several peers (ex: Sean Bengry) …
  4. Pocket – great curation app, especially with Twitter integration (just find myself using it less and less) …
  5. Degreed – love the overall concept, especially when applied to the enterprise …

What tools are on your top 10 list? Do we have any tools in common? Has your list changed much since last year? Have you submitted your vote in the 2015 survey?