TikTok As A Collaboration Tool? Why Not? - Workshop Tip #228

Collaboration is a powerful concept that has long been present in different workplaces. Unfortunately, many experts and consultants in the L&D world only talk about it in theory. There have been too many discussions on how to open more collaboration at work, but implementation always falls short.

But I'd like to have a different take on this. As I see it happening today, collaboration now comes from a series of conversations and entails a continuous bouncing off of ideas. It is the fruition of hours of working together, establishing relationships, and building trust. For us humans, collaboration is not a foreign concept. We possess this as an innate behavior.

In the L&D space, we often fall into thinking that instilling a culture of collaboration can happen overnight. In a perfect world, maybe. However, in reality, it takes work and support from management down to the rank and file. Our job in learning and development is to kickstart the initiative. We need to have activities and solutions to promote it.

Just recently, I’ve come across a Josh Bersin article about TikTok. I find it thought-provoking how he suggested that this seemingly for-entertainment-only app can actually be used for collaborative learning. Here are my impressions and takeaways from understanding TikTok and learning.

1. Collaboration happens whenever it is practical for people to get results. Whether it is by sharing or uploading a video and people begin to relate to it and spark an exchange of comments or by rating someone else’s video, that's collaboration. It doesn’t need to have all the elements of collaboration. The important thing is that it serves the instant need to work with others to achieve a specific goal or result.

2. When technology is micro-sized, it becomes spontaneous. When technology enables multiplicity of tasks, and yet in a very simple form like in TikTok, we are more able to get the results quickly. It is mimicking or allowing us to behave in the way we wanted to in the real world. This is really how technology prevails upon us.

3. It is now shaping our relationships, language, communication, and thinking. I remember a book talking about which came first: is it our thoughts or language? Now it could be either or both. But in the case of TikTok,  what I see going on is that it’s reconstructing our language and it helps develop our thinking. Some people might disagree and find TikTok to be terrible, synaptic, and too cryptic for learning. However, the key point to emphasize here is that we're communicating, although in a very different form. This language  developed by TikTok is something that we need to consider in what we do in L&D.

4. Lastly, as L&D specialists, I think that we can benefit a lot by looking at this technology to see what kind of enhancement, endowment, and functionality we can encourage our learners and our workers to investigate and test.  Because only then will we see how this impacts the way they do work.

So, watch out for TikTok. It may just be in your learning before you know it.

Ray Jimenez, PhD

Vignettes Learning

"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

Steps in Creating Content That Helps Learners Achieve Their Goals - Tip #206

Here’s an initial question to you. How do participants learn in a situation? Let’s find out by comparing certain examples.

THE CASE OF ECONOMICS

I like this video simply because it is a “shining” example of how you can bore your learners to death, disconnect with them and be equally assured that they have not learned anything or retained any of the content you shared.  On the other hand,  analyzing the learners’ behavior and the lecturer’s demeanor provides us with a clearer perspective of what not to do and helps us understand what can be done to improve the approach.

In this instance, did any learning happen?  What did the video show about the learners’ reactions? Was the content that was being shared appreciated at all?

These are the cold facts of this case:

• It is a lecture approach
• Really boring
• Dry delivery of the content
• Lecturer’s monotone voice
• No engagement, no retention

Realize that I am taking you through a process as learners, using the example to help you experience what you can give your learners. Notice that a pattern has been established.

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By doing steps 1 to 4, how did we help you (the learners) to focus on your own goals? If you answered a resounding YES then you are correct!

This is what I would call the “learning engagement strategy.” Why?  Answer: The learning is a goal in the mind of the learner and not from the trainer.

We all learn differently. Thus, we need to tune in to the learners according to their own goals and help them fill in their gaps. For you and I to get the learners to set their minds in motion, we need to give them the opportunity to reset their own goals. Their goal is what is important, not our own goal.

SOFTWARE

Here’s another illustration on the usage of a simple software.

How do we help the learners so that they can find their own meaning when using the software?

What do you think are the problems that can be resolved?

Images or images with captions help our learners interpret how the software can be used and how it will benefit them. It also provides them insight into its relevance to their current responsibilities. It allows them to employ the application.

CONTENT

Here is another concept that deals with content.

What ideas in the circles would you first look into, to help this couple review their problem?

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From a design point of view we, 1) showed a real life situation, 2) showed options in the circles, 3) proceeded to ask questions and 4) then shared the responses from all who posted ideas and feedback in the chat.

By doing steps 1-4, learners learn the content we share. They are able to relate a situation to the concept. They get connected to a real-life situation that engages them to reflect on solutions and alternatives in the process of problem-solving.  It allows them to share their perspectives, experiences and learn from each other.

AN INTRODUCTION TO STORYBOARDING/SCRIPTING TEMPLATE 

Let me take you through a short introduction into Storyboarding.

A key factor in successful webinar delivery structure is creating a series of micro-lessons. 

First, we begin to focus on objectives. Moving on, we come up with an event that includes story questions. Here, we flow in a pattern that we are trying to build on with the learner.

Relative to this, notice that in our three examples above, our lesson content varies by changing the application in real-life situations.

Let's do a short exercise. Create a real-life situation plus your content. Make it very short like real life one word or two words plus content. This is an exercise of a quick application. Try using your own content, courses or webinars.

Some helpful examples:

• Need a job, asking good questions
• Car accident plus filing a claim
• Man in shock, review bank statement
• E-tech issue plus how to navigate the system

Realize that each one of these are tiny lessons. Within it you have the learner’s objective. Then you have a situation plus content, building up the learner each step of the way.

Let me leave you with this food for thought.

Preview this short video and answer the question: What happens to our learners if we don’t encourage them to reflect on our content, but instead, ask them to memorize?

Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

Technical eLearning Made Easy - Tip #204

Technical training appeals to me a great deal because of the way training is designed around technical and factual information and the ability to get returns from whatever investment has been made.

The challenge presented by these trainings, has always been the inundation of so much facts, measurements and other factors.  As a result, there is a lack of focus on the right and much needed learning content. This causes tremendous overload in our learning design.

Learning by Doing : Problem-Solving Approach

In today’s learning environment, the reality is that there are varied types of learners including those with technical or even medical orientation. The best way to help them appreciate the learning is by taking them through the discovery process.

Science, Mathematics, Technology and Engineering are major areas where technical and scientific data abound. So, how do we sift through the massive information to generate meaningful and useful content for the learners?

How do you fuel their interest and raise interactivity levels to keep them engaged and focused?

Let them discover the problem and work to resolve it!

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Discovery learning takes place in problem-solving situations where the learner draws on his own experience and prior knowledge. It is a method of instruction through which students interact with their environment by exploring and manipulating objects, wrestling with questions and controversies, or performing experiments.(Wikipedia)

Faye Borthick and Donald R. Jones emphasized the advantage of collaboration in discovery learning and the sense of community that results from it. They opined that, "In discovery learning, participants learn to recognize a problem, characterize what a solution would look like, search for relevant information, develop a solution strategy, and execute the chosen strategy. In collaborative discovery learning, participants, immersed in a community of practice, solve problems together."

Implementation Models - Discovery Learning Approach

Here are two implementation models to help you guide your learners through the Discovery Learning Approach.

SAMPLE APPLICATION OF THE  MODELS:

Ask learners to study the process and find the deviations.

• This may mean looking into technical documentation and even into the equipment
• Ask them to look for deviations and identify the exceptions or those not within the norm

The important info is not in the norms or standards. Rather it is in those deviations the learners discover. These are what they focus to resolve.

Creating the Micro-Content

Prepare a micro-content - not teaching all the details or all of the content. Rather, identify what is most important that must be learned or resolved.

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The basis of identifying micro-content is affected by the deviations that are discovered. This is what you drill into, as the learners work out the solutions to the deviation or problem.

Take the learners through the above learning process so they are able to approach it properly.

What have we accomplished with this design?

In the model above, realize that the job of the trainer is to organize the setting so that you may ask the learners to do all of the above steps in the process. This allows your learner to go through their own discovery journey.

• Identify an issue with characters in conversations
• Allow them to play around with a representation of the equipment
• Let them go through the equipment

This allows a trial and error process as well. You can ask the learners to translate the complex technical information into real and vivid ways.

Conclusion

Why is this a more fun way of doing technical training compared to lecturing to your audience?

This design approach helps the learners discover the learning on their own. All you need to do as a trainer is to prepare the environment where they could do this.

It alludes to the “near-learning” concept that the learning and the distance to application in real life are very close to each other.

Let the learners do the work. You create the conducive environment and ask the learners to complete the journery to discovery.




Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

3 Ways to Learn Better in the Modern Era - Tip #175

We’re living in the sci-fi of yesteryears, where robots do the work that humans did. For instance, there’s a 3-foot-tall robot named Elvis at the Renaissance Hotel in Las Vegas. Elvis brings a toothbrush or toothpaste, an extra towel, or a newspaper to hotel guests.

While Elvis hasn’t relieved any hotel staff, the idea of AI (artificial intelligence) replacing humans at their jobs is a valid concern among employees. And, it isn’t a far-fetched reality: A University of Redlands Institute for Spatial Economic Analysis (ISEA) study states that 65% of jobs in Las Vegas could be automated in the next one to two decades.

However, rather than worrying, I advise workers and training professionals to focus instead on the opportunity to re-train and acquire skills that machines can’t handle, e.g., jobs that require creativity, social skills, and physical dexterity and mobility. Here are my thoughts on how adult learners can learn and thrive better in a fast-paced workplace.

Experience Sharing and Expertise

Microlearning’s idea of expertise is “what we know and can do now” and it essentially requires workers and learners to continually contribute and test their knowledge against the uncertainties and unknowns in work situations (Contributor-Expert model). 

This entails a shift from skills thinking to capabilities thinking. Whereas “skills are bounded within a specific context” (what),  capabilities is about “learning the context” (why). Capabilities are “curiosity, imagination, critical thinking, and social and emotional intelligence.” Through capabilities thinking, workers and learners can find the right knowledge and use the appropriate skills to address issues, thus enabling them to learn quickly and more effectively cope with the demands of work.

Reflection

Because workers aim to fix, solve and improve work issues, work then is a diagnostic process.

The Diagnostic Process is where experience sharing and expertise are not only essential but already a natural way of learning and fixing, solving and improving work.

This kind of “social reflection” becomes crucial to ever-evolving work situations. While in social reflection mode, the desire to fix a problem is a key motivation and learners are mentally open for answers. It is in this mode of reflection that a learner is predisposed to learning and ready to take actions which leads to faster decisions.

Furthermore, Harold Jarche believes learners must be adept at their own learning. Training as we know today will cease to be the effective way to confront uncertainties in the faster and more complex world.

For microlearning to make an impact, we have to address the demands of the real world rather than focusing on the static mode of recreated worlds.

Metacognition

One way to help workers find fast answers and solutions is through the use of micro-questions in the content and solutions.

Target Question directs learners toward the result: What do I want to change, fix, or improve? What’s the expected/desired outcome?

Recall Question aids in remembering experiences, making decisions and taking actions: “What do I know about this? How should I proceed?”

Feedback Question allows for pause and reflection: “How do I know the solution works?”

In addition to uncovering both benefits and negative consequences, micro-questions help learners “think it through.” By “thinking through,” learners find the answers and solutions they need. For trainers and designers, asking and answering micro-questions will help make it easier to write content for micro-actions.

The Ultimate Survival Tool

There’s only one way to survive in the modern workplace brought about by the “new Industrial Revolution”. That is to learn how to learn. “Learning to learn” is “one of the most important talents of the modern era, the skill that precedes all other skills,” says Ulrich Boser, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and author of “Learn Better.”

References

Tekla S. Perry. CES 2018: Delivery Robots are Full-Time Employees at a Las Vegas Hotel. IEEE Spectrum, Jan. 12, 2018
Jess Chen. Future job automation to hit hardest in low wage metropolitan areas like Las Vegas, Orlando and Riverside-San Bernardino. ISEA Publish, May 3, 2017
Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee. Brynjolfsson and McAfee: The jobs that AI can't replace. BBC, Sept. 13, 2015
John Hagel III and John Seely Brown. Help Employees Create Knowledge — Not Just Share It. Harvard Business Review, Aug. 15, 2017
Anne Murphy Paul. Discovering Better Ways to Learn as an Adult. KQED News, Aug. 9, 2017
Harold Jarche. The uncertain future of training. May 8, 2017
Tip #93 - Expertise: Why The Odds are Stacked Against Novices
Tip #142 - Why a Reflection Pause is Critical to Performance
Tip #165 - Why Avoid Comparing Microlearning with Instructional Design



Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

3 Examples of Microlearning Lesson Storyboards - Tip #172

One of the challenges in Microlearning is how to smartly reduce big, bloated, and overloaded courses. These courses are the typical “click-and-read” eLearning, lengthy classroom programs and long references.

This tip and guide presents the key steps in Microlearning Lesson conversion and three example storyboards of Micro-Lessons.

These are the steps we cover in the Microlearning Workshop and the book on Microlearning.

You will learn valuable insights on how to smartly reduce your lessons into useful and smaller lesson content aimed for Microlearning.

What Are the Parts of a Micro-Lesson?

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1. Select the must-do and must-learn - this is content that has significant impacts on the workflow and requires the workers’ immediate attention
2. Use events - these are situations or issues that get the workers' and learners’ attention the most
3. Add context - always explain factual content with real-life applications
4. Ask micro-questions - this creates a feedback loop that helps the worker reflect on the testing of ideas and solutions
5. Ask application questions - these are micro-questions intended to reinforce the workers’ and learners’ need to find ways of applying ideas on the job
6. Replace learning objectives with target questions - this is necessary for instructional designers and SMEs to clearly define what they want their learners to learn
7. Create learn-on-need references - these are tips, FAQs, guides, hints and others that help accelerate actions. It is a link for easy access of workers and learners who may wish to review the linear goals of the lesson
8. Share the lesson - workers and learners are encouraged to share “what we know and can do now” for experience sharing and expertise development

Examples of Microlearning Lesson

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Conclusion

In converting big, bloated, and boring courses to a micro-lesson, always keep in mind the 8 parts mentioned above. The main goal is to bring learning closer to work. Use real-life incidents or situations and ask questions that raise the value, provoke the emotion and make it easier for your learners to apply the lesson in real-life, while doing work.

Related Blogs

Tip #84 - Remove the Sting of Compliance Courses: Make Them Short, Succinct, and Easy to Learn
Tip #108 - How to Create 5-Slide Microlearning - Tiny, Succinct, Fast

Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

How Empathy Makes Your Learners Learn - Tip #168

Back in 2012, Time named Google Glass one of the best inventions of the year, but Google pulled out the headset in 2015 after a short-lived release in 2014. What happened?

Empathy Gap

In marketing speak, Google Glass failed because the team behind it did not do the market research right. A MediaPost article states:

In learning and development, we face the same problem with a different name. Let’s call it the “Empathy Gap.” This happens when the instructional design fails to connect with online learners or meet their actual needs. It happens when trainers fail to stimulate and motivate learners.

Storytelling Links Technology and Empathy

Fortunately, there’s a simple formula to fix the empathy gap in elearning.

Image Source: Jacquelyn Quinones | TEDxIHEParis

Empathy fuels connections and its mechanism is stories, or experiential storytelling, as Bandyd CEO Jacquelyn Quinones calls it. Through stories, we can connect with learners on an emotional level. Stories help learners recall their own memories and experience what others feel as if it was them in that specific situation.

An empathic person says, “I can imagine how that feels.” Empathy is connecting with something in ourselves that knows that feeling in order to connect with others. Empathy is feeling with people. And, stories open the portal and transport us to that emotional or imagined experience.

Stimulating the Growth of Empathy in Online Learning

How then can we leverage storytelling and technology to elicit an empathic response from elearners? Here are some tips:

• Weave a story around facts. Hard facts can be emotionally overwhelming so weave them into a story that helps learners feel and take someone else’s perspective.
• Create scenarios. When developing stories, try including characters with different emotions and ask learners to identify these emotions and how they might respond to these emotions.
• Encourage collaboration and communication. Hearing what others have experienced or think about helps learners understand them. It helps learners put themselves in another person’s shoes or brain.
• Customize resources. Some learners are more empathetic than others, so it would be best to tailor resources to meet their specific needs and preferences.

References


Empathy Gap. Wikipedia
Collin Sebastian. Google Glass and Market Research: A Cautionary Tale. MediaPost Marketing Daily, February 26, 2015
TEDx Talks. Technology’s “empathy gap” | Dan Hon | TEDxLiverpool. August 27, 2014
TEDx Talks. Is Technology killing our empathy? | Jacquelyn Quinones | TEDxIHEParis. June 23, 2016
The RSA. RSA ANIMATE: The Empathic Civilisation. May 6, 2010
Making Facts Stick With Stories - Jiggling Atoms
Creating Micro-Scenarios – X-Men Plays Hockey
Tip #75 - Insight Sharing - How They "Meet and Mate"
Tip #113 - Empathy: Helping Learners to Feel Others

Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

Why Avoid Comparing Microlearning with Instructional Design - Tip #165

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, explains why many good ideas never become successful ventures (paraphrased):

“When we assess an idea, we need to see if the core concept works and has potential to provide solutions and new opportunities. What we often do, however, is compare the new idea immediately to current-day conventions -- to what we know and do today, today’s standards -- that kills the idea even before it shows its true promise.”

 

Microlearning is undergoing a similar comparison and evaluation today. Most literature on Microlearning compares it to “Recreated World” conditions. Its value is evaluated based on what we know and do today - the principles of traditional instructional design which is rooted in the “Recreated World.”

With the "Recreated World" model, it’s easy for many learning professionals to think of Microlearning simply as “small content” and “chunked content,” delivered in spurts. The main criteria here is the small size of the content. Most think of Microlearning as content.

Our definition of Microlearning (low effort, easy, fast, quick to apply and *useful) does not fall into the patterns of traditional instructional design. In many cases, there is a conflict of understanding and application with traditional instructional design and Microlearning.

These types of comments tell us that a person has compared Microlearning with traditional design standards:

• “How do you know they are learning?”
• “Learners will miss a lot of information.”
• “They need to pass a test to show retention.”
• “Who should say what is the correct micro content to learn?”
• "Where is the change in behavior?"

By shifting the focus of Microlearning initiatives from recreated worlds to the real world, we can begin to explore the opportunities that Microlearning principles provide.  When we do this, we will change the playing field and do justice to the true applications of Microlearning.

With this shift of focus towards the real world, Microlearning will yield these disruptive results:

• Lower content development costs
• Faster answers and solutions
• Higher usefulness of content and solutions
• Easier to launch and maintain
• Higher levels of experience-based learning

References

Vance, A. (2017) Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and a Quest for Fantastic Future
Jimenez, R. Old Instructional Design Does Not Work in Microlearning
*We added usefulness to the definition of Theo Hug on Microlearning

Related Tips

Tip #124 - Are Instructional Designers Incapable of Microlearning Design?
Tip #127 - 3 Strategies for Sure-Fire Microlearning Success
Tip #135 - Learning by SNIFFING: Are Learners Really Distracted or Are They Learning Differently?

Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"