Putting it all Together

While e-learning is used frequently within our organization, we currently do not leverage Web 2.0 technologies to enhance the learning experience. Also, most of our training is not conducted over a long period of time. These tools would most likely be used for our induction programs that run for several months and include classroom workshops, e-learning and on-the-job training. While several of these tools can be used together, implementation would most likely take a phased approach. It would be too overwhelming to get them all going at the same time.

RSS Reader – This is a pretty straight forward. The preliminary work to get this implemented would be to get a simple job aid created that includes the basics – signing up, adding a subscription and organizing your sites. While this information is usually available, having the basics written out is helpful as not everyone is as comfortable with new technologies. We often have learners who vary in age and computer exposure. The implementation could be simple as adding it as an exercise within the induction program itself. Also, this would ensure everyone is using the same RSS Reader. (eg: Google Reader) As a final step, providing a short list of required sites to subscribe to will help everyone get started.

Twitter – Since this is a social networking site, it’s unlikely this will be used within our company because these types of sites are usually not available at work.

Blogs –I believe blogs could be best used by the facilitators to keep the learners up-to-date on what’s happening that day in class – kinda like an online calendar. Having each person keep their own blog would not be beneficial in this environment. Including additional resources and reading materials would allow learners to ensure they know what they are responsible for, as well as, allow them to extend their learning circle if they choose to do so. A key element of implementation is ensuring the facilitator (or whoever is running the blog), keep timely posts. However, after the first time around it would get easier as postings could be leveraged for the next wave of learners.

Online Photo Sharing – While this is a great tool, I don’t think it would provide much value in terms of learning. However, it could be leveraged a social tool to help people get to know each other better. It can often be intimidating being in a large group of new people. Prior to getting the learners to upload their own pictures, having the facilitators and a few key players post their pictures first would be beneficial. This provides learners with something to look at before they have to create their own photo profile. Flickr could also be used to share photos of events. We often celebrate events and never know how to share the pictures from everyone’s cameras

Podcasting – While I feel podcasting would not be created by the learners themselves, I believe the real benefit would come from incorporating podcasts in the e-learning that learners take as part of the induction program. One area where it would lend itself nicely is when dealing with client scenarios. It’s often a bit dull when you have to read a conversation. Creating a more realistic approach with two people actually talking creates a more realistic experience. Including audio allows for the learners to hear the changes in tone and the actual degree at which a client may be upset. These elements get lost when reading a conversation. As for implementing audio podcasts into our courses, it would not be difficult as we already have the software required. If we used ourselves as clients, it may take a bit longer to get the right feel for the podcast. An alternative is to higher actors to play the roles or leverage audio software and have a computer talk. One advantage of the computer taking is making changes down the road is easier since you would not have to track down the original person to re-read the script. Also, we’d have to keep in mind the challenges of translating the conversations into French.

Wikis – The main learning goal of implementing wikis is to share information. Assuming we are able to house the wiki internally, implementation is based on getting buy-in from the team. If no one sees any value (i.e. what’s in it for me), then it will never get off the ground. Additionally, having moderators manage the content and the update is important to ensure it does not become a free-for-all or a “one person opinion”. Proving a framework for content is the first step. A blank page could create some uncertainty of “what am I supposed to do”.

Social Bookmarking – While these are great tools, they would not play a significant role within our induction programs. Most learners would not have Internet access to be able to bookmark their sites. However, the facilitators may find it useful to keep track of learning sites.

So, all-in-all I think several of these tools could play a role in providing an enhanced learner experience. An overall element of implementation is getting participation by the training department, management and the learners. If no one uses it, it will go no where. Before implementing everything, I would recommend to run these as a pilot. It would allow for feedback from facilitators, training and learners. Also, not all the tools may have the outcome we originally expect. It may need to be tweaked or removed all together.

While I know implementation of some of these tools is a bit further down the road, I look forward to sharing these with my team to discover how we can use the tools to better communicate and share ideas.

Podcasting - Episode 2

Well, this attempt went much better than the first. It appears the more you play with a new tool, the better you get at using it.

In this podcast I talked about:

• being exposed to the world of podcasts as I had never paid much attention to them before
• traits of a good podcast
• audio versus visual
• using podcasts within our team at work

Overall, I enjoyed the experience once I got over the frustration of figuring everything out. However, in the long run, I think I am more likely to listen to podcasts rather than produce my own.

You can listen to episode 2 here.

Podcasting - Episode 1

Well, here's my first podcast. In this episode I explored the world of blogging and how it could be used within our company for learning and training.

A few items discussed within the podcast include:

• Blogging - Is it for me?
• Would blogging work within our company?
• How could blogging be used by our Training & Development team?

Listen to my podcast here.

I hope everyone can hear me as it was a bit softer than I expected when I listened to it after. If someone can't let me know and I will try to fix it.

Using Delicious in a Training Environment

While I can see the advantage of using Delicious to save my favorite sites which I can access from any computer, I don't see it being beneficial as a training tool within our organization.

http://delicious.com/cooperfridays

I think it would take some time to locate sites which are relevant to me and my job. It took some time to at the beginning to find sites that really interested me. I was a bit frustrates with the Google Blog search option. But perhaps that's due to my lack of experience in searching for blogs effectively.

As I explored tags I was interested in, I came across a few of the blogs I had already bookmarked, but not much else at this point. Unless of course I needed to train my dog :) So for this reason I don't think I would use it as much as the RSS Feeder. I like how the feeder works in being able to keep on top of new information easily.

To Flickr or Not to Flickr

Setting up the account was the easy part. I found Flickr not as simple as some other sites I've during this course. However, I did manage to get some pictures posted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarcube456/

As for using Flickr as a learning tool, I can't see it being beneficial within our company from a learning perspective. However, I do see value in using it as a social tool. Not only are our learners spread across the country, but so is the Training and Development team. While I have had the opportunity to visit another office and meet some individuals from the team, there are still a lot more that I have not. We tried a "Getting to Know You" activity last year and while this did provide some info on each person, it did not provide the whole picture. I'd love to see what the other offices look like (most have quite different set-ups) and maybe even a few pictures from around town.

Being able to picture who you are talking to (and even where they may be sitting) plays a big role in being able to relate to others. I can attest to having built a stronger relationship with those that I have either met once or seen a picture of.

RSS Feeds in our Learning Environment

Well, I must admit I am a RSS Feed convert. I love it and have been sharing it everyone I know.

When thinking about how it could be used in our learning environment, I don't it could easily be leveraged by our learners. Many don't have Internet access (with the exception of a few selected sites) and most of our courses are quite structured and do not require the collection of information from outside sources. However, I can see it being used by individuals within our Training & Development team (i.e. the ones who write and develop the courses).

Assuming we subscribe to relevant sites/blogs, I see value in keeping up to date on the e-learning technologies we use, as well as, gathering ideas for making our learning more meaningful, memorable and motivational. Getting new ideas from outside "our little world" may provide new opportunities to engage our learners or even experiment with a new technique.

Course Readings

As I read through the text book, I thought to myself "I wish we had blogs when I was in school". In particular, I found the descriptions of various Weblog posts interesting. Previously, I would have categorized most of them all in to one category, but now I can see the difference.

I was even able to "rate" the various blogs I checked out using this scale. I see the added value when blogs include links to other resources. This can sometimes lead you to a path of information that you may not have found through a traditional Google search.

I look forward to exploring more blogs and the blogs found by others in this course.

The Blogging Experience

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I am feeling a bit out of sorts at the moment. But with each blog I read or post I publish, I am getting closer to having a better grasp on this new experience.

I have felt a bit overwhelmed with the new blogging experience. While I have read blogs on much lighter topics like cupcakes and Disney World in the past, I had not taken advantage of them from a professional development perspective. I can see the benefits of these sites, of course remembering that it is only the view of one person. In trying to keep up with all the postings, I have found the RSS reader a valuable tool. I never knew such an things existed and am going to share it with everyone.

I know moving forward I will search out blogs in a more specifically for assistance in future projects. I was in the habit of looking at traditional web sites and may have stumbled across a blog by accident not knowing what it really was.

As for incorporating blogs into our training environment, that would depend on the training itself. Some of our training would not lend itself very well to a blog since the training period is short and condensed (as little as 20 minutes). I see the main advantage is with longer induction curriculum where there is an opportunity to share and interact with peers.

Additionally, I think blogs could be a good tool used within our Training & development department. Our team is spread across Canada, so having a common place to share ideas, create virtual discussions would be great.

However, even with these great opportunities to introduce blogs to our company, there could be a few issues getting it implemented. Concerns may arise from the technology team about housing all this new information and who is going to manage it. Of course there are external sites available to set up blogs, but that would go against company policy to post/discuss business on external sites.

So I think it would take some time to get everyone on board. But I think trying it within our team first would be a great first step.

Blog Evalution

Well, here it goes. I must admit I was a bit confused int he beginning trying to figure everything out and where everything was. I playing a bit of catch up due to other commitments last week. While I am still sorting through the various blogs and Twitter accounts, I did manage to review a couple of learning blogs.

The first is The Rapid eLearning Blog. The first thing to catch my eye was the today's post (March 16) - 10 Things to Consider Before Your E-Learning Course Goes Live. This title made a connection with me as I am currently working on 4 e-learning courses. I found the posts in the blog valuable and relevant to me. It also included good uses of examples and graphics to provide more context.

After searching through a few more blogs, I found T+D Blog. While this blog explores learning/training on a broader scale, I liked the layout and found the posts easy to read. And more importantly, I found value in reading them. With so much information out there, it seems to take more time to find a blog that you like (and is relevant) as it does to read the posts.

I tried the Google blog search to find these blog. It was a search option that I never even knew existed. I know I will use it again.

First Post

This is just a quick test to make sure I know what I am doing. :)