Tag: family

Man Declares that His Solo Learning Qualifies as a Learning Conference of 1

“I figure just because I am capitalizing on some FREE terrible coffee at Lowe’s and solving a problem with my cedar deck at home, it doesn’t mean I can’t pretend this is just like coffee you might get at a conference.”
-Kolmer reported to Linked In what he had said on Facebook:

It was reported that instead of traveling to DEVELEARN in Las Vegas, David Kolmer stayed home: hung vintage glass LED lights on his home, purchased items at a hardware store (Where he also scored a few free cups of coffee), started a large fire in the backyard, and then went camping in the cold. Kolmer also reported removing skeletons from his front yard.

Vintage-Style Glass LEDs

VIDEO FOOTAGE

Safety is our Number 1 Priority.

Team DAVELEARN takes great pride in the level of security we provide at our events. “Dave is a fantastic security guard. He is beyond professional.” Recounted the team’s leader, who is named Dave.

Tree Trimming Skill Practice

“Trimming of trees with chainsaws was a very large part of the DAVELEARN event”, recalled its single participant, David Kolmer.

Lighter Fluid Safety Training

Kolmer also reported “Starting a big fire out in the back yard.” as something that happened during the scheduled events of the Davelearn Conference.

The following day, Kolmer admired the progress the fire had made on the stump. Just after that, a neighbor called him and asked if he knew he had burning leaves in the yard, and he shared that he did and thanked the neighbor for the call.

Tent Camping Simulation

Kolmer overshared with his concerned neighbor one the phone, and stated that they had a fire because they had been camping in the cold.

After discussing how cold it was outside that night, Kolmer reported that he will be working with the BALSA Foundation, providing learning sessions for young entrepreneurs on Brand and Marketing via Podcasting and Videocasting (Vodcast or Vidcast).

Announced collaboration with The Balsa Foundation

Video Footage

At the end of the interview, Kolmer shared that they had started the “week of intensive learning and confernece-esque activites.” By packing up the plastic skeletons back into their plastic bags, they live in. The skeletons were stowed away between the basement shelves and the floorboards at the time of the interview.

The conference of one, that might have never happened, or maybe it did.
Reports are not clear; there certainly were a lot of pictures.

From Abandoned Blog to Podcast Guest: My Story

How I Broke the Seal on Podcasting
Improvement Dave – David Kolmer

In 2023, I revived this blog, Improvement Dave, which I originally started in 2017 while earning my Master’s Degree in Educational Technology but had since abandoned. Why did I bring it back? The answer is simple: I attended a session by Betty Dannewitz at DEVLEARN 2023 on podcasting. Her session not only gave me the confidence to think about starting a podcast but also provided logical steps to follow. Her first piece of advice? “Just keep writing.” I thought, Well, that’s easy—I can just pick up where I left off with my blog from grad school.

I posted the above passage into Adobe Firefly AI and it gave me these images:

5 images generated by AI, a group of people huddled around several microphones, their bodies are distorted, the man in the foreground is bald and has a misshapen head with organic tapestries hanging down around it. The second is a pink and blue US 1980's synth-wave styled image of a man with sunglasses sitting in a dark room with a laptop and complicated microphone apparatus. The third image is a bizzarro paper art collage of an incomplete damaged human head hovering before drapery next to a realistic Podcast USB microphone. The third image is a microphone in an open room with tall windows that have light drapes on them. The floor has rifts made of paper that give the sense of wood grain or the pews in a church. The fifth image is a wolf head that seems to have two realistic wolf bodies attached but between them is a condenser microphone, and to the side one of the wolf bodies has a microphone stand coming out of it.

Keep On Writing

What I didn’t realize was how much this simple act of writing would impact my personal and professional growth, as well as my sense of identity and self-worth. From participating in daily push-up challenges (Push-Ups for St. Jude) to learning 3D modeling on Adobe in just two weeks (30-Day 3D Model Challenge), writing more turned out to be excellent advice.

Feeling inspired, I reached out to Betty as both a fan and a student to let her know how much she had motivated me. She responded with kindness and even became an ally and friend. Emboldened, I pitched her a complex concept for a show exploring how the musical Hamilton relates to Learning and Development. To my disappointment, she politely declined, saying she didn’t want to open that particular can of worms.

I am a Blackstar
Just Come With Me
We Were Born Upside-Down
I’m a Blackstar

A Hero Must Fail

At first, this rejection stung. I felt vulnerable and as though I had failed. However, after some reflection, I realized that the only person truly letting me down was me.

So, I returned to writing, regrouped, and started building a sound studio as I added an office to my home. (Building My Sound Booth). I used my undergrad knowledge of stage lighting to hang lights in my office and began vlogging alongside blogging, creating videos of myself speaking.

Image of a laptop with two external monitors, a wireless keyboard a wireless mouse, and 4 lightbulbs of varying color placed around the setup facing the camera.

I kept finding ways to improve and grow. I strengthened the Improvement Dave brand I had created back in 2017 into a visual brand and a creative identity.

Click to See how I build my Sound Booth

Determination Pushes You Forward

Eventually, the tables turned. Betty invited me to appear on her show, If You Ask Betty. For some, this might just be another item on their calendar, but for me, it was a milestone. I had reached a point where I could feel proud of my progress. Everyone’s path is unique, and while I sometimes take my accomplishments for granted, others view them as remarkable or even unattainable. The effort I had invested in developing my writing voice, building my brand, and learning new skills paid off. I was on the show. I prepared extensively, and from my perspective, it went pretty well.

This blog post celebrates that achievement and curates the content that came from this experience.

Highlights

Bonus Content

When Betty shared her favorite part of “Barbie” (2023) Film,
I just couldn’t resist making a cartoon of it. (NSFW)

This video is not for children if you can not tell by the cover image.

Conclusion

So, I did it—I got on the show, and it all happened so quickly. I gave it 100%, even if some people may have been aggravated by my takes on social equity and gender as a social construct. I’ve moved past that now. No matter what you do, about 30% of people will dislike it, 30% will love it, and 30% won’t even know it happened. The key is to keep moving forward. Either way, I got a new friend out of the deal so it’s a win.

Next, I’m focusing on getting out there more, taking more chances, worrying less, and finding a way to launch my own podcast.

“I have all the genitals.”

-Ken

Picture of David Kolmer
Improvement Dave Logo
Improvement Dave Logo inverted with blue and green background with white ID logo