I'm just back from a long week of training and Wii bowling with Christine Martell, which explains my unanticipated blogging break. I had intended to write, I swear, but somehow time changes and cross-country travel got in my way. And yes, the afore-mentioned Wii bowling didn't help either. One of my stops was to Portland, where I did a day-long session on blogging, podcasting and screencasting with about 25 members... Read more →
Blogging for Learning--How To's
This week we're exploring various strategies for using a blog to support personal and formal learning as part of the Work Literacy course's focus on blogging. Today we're going to talk about "how to's" or instructional blogging. "How to" posts can serve a few purposes in terms of learning. They're a great tool for assessing skill development. If you can write an effective instructional post, then you're demonstrating you have... Read more →
This week we're exploring various strategies for using a blog to support personal and formal learning as part of the Work Literacy course's focus on blogging. Today we're going to discuss running a blog challenge. What is a Blog Challenge? In a blog challenge, several bloggers work together on a group learning project over a period of time--a few days, a week, a month. Each day during the challenge, learning... Read more →
But Do They Work?
One of the big questions I'm frequently asked about using social media is whether or not the tools "work." Depending on the questioner, this can mean a variety of things, but underlying everything is one issue--will my department or organization improve if we use social media? Via Shel Holtz and Workplace Learning Today comes yet another "yes," to that question. Shel cites a brief published by the Aberdeen Group, titled... Read more →
Web 2.0 Wednesday: Find an Expert
Over on the Work Literacy: Web 2.0 for Learning Professionals Ning where we're on day three of the course, one of the more active forum discussions has been on getting value out of LinkedIn. Fortunately for us, Tony Karrer is a whiz at using LinkedIn to find expertise and he's recorded a couple of excellent screencasts to show the rest of us how it's done. For this week's Web 2.0... Read more →
Sign up for the Free eLearning Guild Webinar on eLearning 2.0
On Thursday, October 2, at 11:30 a.m. (EST) the eLearning Guild will be hosting a free webinar to discuss their most recent 360 Report on e-Learning 2.0. I'll be there with report co-authors, Tony Karrer, Brent Schlenker, Jane Hart, Mark Oehlert, Steve Wexler, and Sanjay Parker. (Unfortunately Will Thalheimer won't be able to join us.) If you want to learn more about how social media is being used for learning... Read more →
In Another Country
My older daughter, Jess, left on Monday for her semester abroad in Paris. A few days ago we met in iChat (video!) so she could "show me around her apartment" (i.e., lug her laptop from room to room as she narrated what was on screen) and I could hear about how things are going so far. In hearing her talk about her first experiences living among strangers in a country... Read more →
Will Social Media Help Your Boss Micromanage You?
I had an interesting call this afternoon with the team that's working on the eLearning Guild's upcoming report on eLearning 2.0--Tony Karrer, Brent Schlenker, Jane Hart, Mark Oehlert, Will Thalheimer, Steve Wexler, Bill Brandon, and Sanjay Parker. We're reviewing and discussing the most recent findings from the Guild's survey of its members on elearning 2.0, much of which you can find on their blog. Tony has also been analyzing some... Read more →
Can Social Media for Learning Co-Exist with Command and Control Work Environments?
In response to yesterday's post on supporting learning to performance, Dave Ferguson left me an interesting comment: I think you have a good suggestion in terms of applying social media, though I'm not convinced it's always and everywhere necessary. You say, for example, "when workers are sharing and discussing via 'closed' systems such as email and face-to-face conversations," information about thinks like lack of understanding or need for new skills... Read more →
Supporting Learning-to-Performance in Organizations
Will Thalheimer has posted an excellent diagram that describes the flow of activities that take place from learning to performance in organizations. Go here for a larger version. What strikes me is how many of the activities that Will describes for both learning professionals and management can be supported by social media. For example, in the pre-learning phase, learning professionals need to identify organizational learning needs. In an organization that's... Read more →