Learnin' and Bloggin'

There are many ways in which companies can promote networked knowledge - the sharing of curated information from which employees can learn - in the workplace. As simple example can be found on a piece of technology which has been in place for some time now - a company intranet site.  Intranet sites are simply "internal" web sites used by companies to host files and web pages which are to be accessed strictly by those with granted permissions (i.e., employees and managers). An example of a basic intranet site would be a collection of downloadable training manuals and reference items for a call center. The agents would have access to these materials on the site, and would be able to upload materials here as well. As a practical example of using an intranet to support networked knowledge activities, a company might decide to build a Knowledge Base (KB) - an online repository, similar to a library, which provides access to a catalog of case studies, articles, a...

Us instructional designers...we love tools. Like my dad. Man, he really loved tools too. He did a LOT of DIY projects around the house, and he used to have tools scattered everywhere. Of course he had his tools he loved to use. Then he had tools he used once to finish some task - probably some last minute run to Home Depot, hoping beyond all hope there was some gadget that would finally let him finish that one-day project that had somehow manage to stretch into three. And of course he had tools he never used. They had purpose, and they will get used. Just not today. And for those in the instructional design field we also have a plethora of tools at our disposal. In today's world there are tools everywhere! Shiny tools, brand new wonders of technology which are mind-blowingly neat. An AI tool, perhaps, which can use the face of your CEO and turn it into a chat-assisted knowledge base.  We have robust, enterprise level tools, like a community centric all-in-one LMS whi...

This week I've enjoyed thinking about the idea of learning networks and my experiences with them. As we examined the various elements of these networks - curation, collecting/sharing resources, etc. - I reflected on how social media and the internet has revolutionized how we can learn from each other.  In a sense, we've always had these networks. Knowledge has always been curated and shared amongst friends, families, coworkers - I recall at family gatherings aunts bringing over recipes/dishes, and my mom discussing them at length. Sometimes friendly debates would ensue as to techniques, uses of spice, and more. In my circle, I recall some of my friends sharing techniques for weight lighting (we played football, so it was something we all had a vested interest in). We sometimes exchanged journals, or literature regarding lifts, and then would get back together and discuss the outcomes. So yes, we've had these types of networks in which we would all learn from each other for ...

One of the questions related to the use of social media in learning is, "Should we use it in our organization?" It's very basic, and I think these types of conversations are happening in all sorts of environments where learning is taking place - K - 12, universities, in the work place, and more. Social media is all around us, and in the never-ending quest to provide a richer experience for our learners, it makes sense to ponder this question. After all, most of us are utilizing some type of social media - often learning (either actively or passively), so does it stand to reason we should just commit to what seems like the inevitable? At work, for instance, we are in the midst of implementing a new socially connected means for staff to collaborate and (hopefully) share knowledge and learn from one another. It's really no different than the traditional mentorship style of learning - a master sharing their accumulated knowledge with a novice, and promoting learning via t...

  Choripan  - An Argentinian sandwich of chorizo topped with chimichurri If you ask me and my brother, "Who is the better cook?" you'll likely get two different answers. I mean, there's only one of course, which is me , but he likely would say the same about himself. It's ok. He's older than me by 18 months, and he thinks he knows more, so it's fine. After all, I know the correct answer which is all that matters. But, I suppose I will allow that yes, I do occasionally learn a thing or two from him about cooking. Like the Argentinian chorizo and chimichurri sandwich shown above. This was his creation that he so lovingly shared with his little brother. And yes, I'll reluctantly admit that I tried it and it was...it was good, ok? There I said it! But joking aside, it's become a neat ritual of sharing recipes with my brother and another close friend. We are all scattered about in various states, and we will often source and share recipes with each othe...

Another interesting week of thought focused on how we gather and share information as a collective group. If you would told me 10 years ago that people would categorizing Twitter as a "learning platform" I wouldn't likely have believed you. Yet, here we are. At a recent conference  attended there was an entire session on how to utilize TikTok in a corporate setting to promote learning in an organization. TikTok? Learning? Really?  But yes, this is where we are. Like it or not, we are now connected in a digital space and are learning from each other - sourcing ideas, and making decisions based on the content that we view online. And as we found out this week, how we sort through the supposed "experts" online is extremely tricky. How do we know, after all, that the content that we're viewing is accurate? How do we self police to ensure that we're not simply absorbing rhetoric or inaccurate information? It's a tough task.  In the end, we must apply our ...

Crowdsourcing is one of those terms that has a few different meanings. However, on the surface it's basically the same across all - gathering contributions from large groups of people, and there are a lot of ways in which this can be of benefit.  For instance, a group of astronomers used this technique to help search for the elusive "Planet 9" - a theorized planet outside of our solar system. Scientists had long speculated the planet was there based on how its gravity was affecting our solar system, although they couldn't see it.  So the scientists set out to achieve, "four years of scientific analysis in under three days" through the use of crowdsourcing. Basically, they asked the public to look at data sets which would help them sort through the vast amount of information. Essentially, they temporarily hired thousands of extra workers to help them with a very involved task. So crowdsourcing has these types of benefits. You can lean on the collective masse...

  Digital badges - if you're in the world of learning, human performance, training, etc. these things are everywhere right now. Go to a conference, or demo a particular learning management system and you will inevitably see some type of learning pathway associated with a digital badge. The concept is simple enough - complete some particular task/assignment, and receive a badge. But not just any badge...a digital badge!  So what's their point? Do people even like these things? What do you do with them? All good questions, and depending on who you ask you may get different responses.  To start, the point of badges is pretty simple. Similar to a Boy Scout's badge he may receive for learning how to light a fire with a stick and his shoelace, someone in a corporate office might also accomplish some task. Say, learning how to reconcile an accounting budget. Boom! Here's your Budget Badge ! To the second question - do people like them? Well, again responses may vary. In my ...

This has been an interesting week of self exploration. As I posted in a previous blog, I kind of came to terms with my lurking behavior in online forums. As my classmate pointed out in the discussion, I don't necessarily think it's an altogether bad trait. Even lurkers contribute to the overall experience. Knowledge and thoughts are shared, and sometimes not immediately reacted to by those simply absorbing. However, one can't really exist without the other. In some ways, I kind of attributed it to a concert in which an artist plays for a crowd.  Having said that, I did make a resolution (of sorts) to perhaps "put myself out there" a bit more, as I truly feel as though sometimes I fail to do an adequate job of sharing my knowledge with my communities. In these professional communities, I have a great deal of experience which others could learn from - both the mistakes I made, as well as successes - and I feel an obligation of sorts to share more. Finally, I had a g...

  Ok, ok...I know. I haven't exactly been keeping up with my professional networking responsibilities. I get it. But the thing is, I've been busy. With a ten year old running around the house, work...the creeping vine that's adamant on taking over my yard one square foot at a time. There's been a lot on my plate, okay!? So with great excitement, I'm here to announce that this week I have successfully joined a couple of LinkedIn professional organizations/groups of relevance to my career. Was one of them for the school assignment? Yes. But let's not get hung up in the details. I'm a member now, and on my way to creating more of an online presence.  So far the majority of the posts have been more or less ads for the companies they work for. No, I'm not really in the need of AI chat bots at the moment, or a new LMS. Would I like one? Sure. Can I purchase one? No. So, hang tight. I might need you soon... But ads or not, I'm committed to sorting through t...