RESOURCES
It's impossible to to be any kind of designer without great resources to inspire your work and keep you informed of the latest trends and technology. Here's a list of some of my favorites:
Websites
Shutterstock.com - Best source for royalty-free stock photos, vector illustrations, and videos.
The Noun Project - Over 150,000 icons to spice up your infographics, eLearning, and curriculum.
Pinterest - Explore what's exciting people and discover the new and emerging trends.
eLearning Brothers - Libraries of eLearning templates, stock assets, interaction builders, and software training.
eLearning Industry - The go-to destination for eLearning professionals featuring free webinars and articles.
Mind Tools - Rich resource for management, leadership, and professional development training ideas.
Blogs & Communities
Instructional Design - From Concept to Delivery - My Google+ community that provides a professional learning network for Instructional Design professionals who want to hone their craft and use project management best practices to drive their design and development process.
Learning with Digital Stories - My WordPress blog examining and participating in learning through blogging.
The Inspiration Grid - This daily-updated blog celebrates creative talent from around the world.
Creative Design of Learning Experiences - Mayra Aixa Villar's fun blog touches on Instructional Design and Adult Pedagogy.
E-Learning Provocateur - Ryan Tracey's blog is designed “provoke deeper thinking” about the future of eLearning.
Fun & Inspiration
Mental Floss - A great place to blow away the mental cobwebs or distract yourself from a mental block.
This Is Sand - Take a mental break by drawing with virtual sand.
Weave Silk - Draw symmetrical digital images with your mouse. Share with your friends!
Sporcle - Quirky brain games and quizzes to wake up both sides of your brain and get your creative juices flowing.
TED - With thousands of talks on any subject you can think of, TED is a great place to expand your understanding.
Following on LinkedIn & Twitter
Wired & Mashable - Outstanding sources for news on business, technology, culture, science, design, and what's trending.
Richard Branson - Founder at Virgin Group, business and design innovator, and all-around cool guy.
Harvard Business Review - Ideas and advice on strategy, innovation and leadership from the world's best business experts.
Think With Google - Google's source for insights, trends and research in digital media and marketing.
Association for Talent Development (ATD) - The world's largest association dedicated to those who develop talent in organizations.
Training Magazine - Print & online rofessional development magazine that advocates workforce development as a business tool