Sometimes, we cheat ourselves. One day we open the medicine cabinet looking for a pill. We grab the bottle. The expiration date has passed but we take the medicine anyway because we are in pain. We hope it works. We once read somewhere that medicines are still good a year after expiration. We rationalize. ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate) is one of those medicines.
The core principle of ADDIE is sound. But the rapid demands of competition, changes in the nature of work, learning and learners and advances in technology nullify the expired practices of ADDIE. Do-It-Yourselfers need to find new medicines and new doctors for eLearning. Avoid snake-oil ADDIE doctors posing as eLearning specialists.
(This is a series of post from my book "Do-It-Yourself eLearning 2009).
I have been reviewing the blog discussions on Work Literacy Gap and Frameworks between Harold Jarche, Tony Karrer and Michelle Martin. The discussions are very helpful in formulating my thoughts on the issues of social learning tools, technologies and impacts on performance.
The exchange of ideas is very rich with practical stories and theories.
Michelle asks this question:
"In talking with various experts in the worlds of Information Literacy, Information Seeking, Personal Information Management (PIM), Personal Knowledge Management (PKM), Personal Learning and others, it seemed that there’s a fairly consistent opinion that once you drill down with most knowledge workers, there’s a gap between how they do their work today and how they might be able to do their work if they took advantage of new(ish) methods, tools, information/expertise sources, collaboration techniques, etc."
Furthermore, Michelle asks:
"Who should we be talking to when we talk about work literacy and how should we be talking to them? What messages resonate with which groups and how should we differentiate them so that people see “Ah–this applies to ME!”?
I must admit that I am quite late in following the conversations. However, some of my observations and thoughts are:
1. The areas I am often asked is: "How do we use social learning and networking to improve performance at work?"
2. What is the role of the leader, trainer and manager in implementing the social learning process? Who is to lead? What are the skill sets? What process or discipline does he/she apply?
There are many more issues in the discussions, but the two issues above are foremost to my mind. Social learning is focused on interactions of users. An equal amount of focus should be on the implementors.
Ray Jimenez, PhD http://www.vignettestraining.com/ http://www.trainingpayback.com/
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way" "Helping Learners Apply Learning"
Application Points: Cisco could be blinding many of us. Commercially viable. Massive solution focuses on technical prowess. Cases still persist on really bad LMSs and Synchronous presentations (virtual meetings).
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Many of us are struggling about how to discover the true value of the Web 2.0 and Social Learning in business. Cisco's move is another glare from the sun. (To see clearly, I need to wear sun glasses.)
"Major components of this collaboration scenario, according to Chambers, are social networking and video — in fact, he said that “visual networking is the future.” But Chambers said Cisco plans to add vision to social networking, putting structure behind Web 2.0-type tools like Twitter or Facebook (he alluded to the way “kids” use social networking tools here), validating their use as business tools."
"A highlight of the session was the demonstration of WebEx Connect and how Cisco’s latest and greatest collaboration technology (brought about by Cisco’s recent WebEx acquisition) will enable us to communicate differently. Jim Grubb — jokingly dubbed “chief demonstration officer” — joined Chambers on stage for the demo. They showed off one-touch meeting functionality and something called “casting,” which I captured in this short video. "
Amy Kucharik concluded her article with some skepticism. She feels technology may not keep the integrity of the social interaction.
I share her skepticism. I have been concerned with the problem of massive adoption or our propensity for scale. Technology, like that of Cisco, is an important recognition of the potential contribution of social networking. The downside is that trainers and those who wish to implement social learning and networking will overly focus on the use of the collaborative aspects and the tools, consequently using social networking in a very narrow and muted way, like an orphan.
For example, Virtual Training and LMSs are great tools. We are too familiar with what ails go with the systems and the quality of content and use. How often do we see poor applications of these tools?
Social Networking is like an eye medicine. You can't apply it from a second story building. You need an eye drop to apply it directly.
Social Networking: Surveying Learner Participant TechnoProfile
I have been fine-tuning a survey tool to gauge the TechnoProfile of the target learning audience in social learning, networking, collaboration and Learning 2.0 environments. I call it “Learner TechnoProfile.” The survey design is based on my discoveries from social learning sessions, (ASTD handout) client projects and my research “in helping learners apply their learning” or Micro-Learning Impacts in social networking context. I also used the ideas presented by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff Growndswell, (2008).
My goal is to understand the participants better and develop a strategy based on my findings.
Premise 1: Shifting from Web 2.0 tool dependencies
Implementors of Learning 2.0 tend to rely on the tools available to them, e.g. Blog, Wiki, Search, etc. without first understanding the behavior of their participants or learners. It’s like buying a pain killer off-the-counter to cure all pains. Learning 2.0 is not a pain killer for all types of learning problems.
(1) The first step is understanding “the current state of behavior” (Techno-Profile) of participants, then develop and apply the appropriate tools to implement in the social networking environment.
(2) Second step is to nurture the network of participants from one form of behavior to another. It is possible that many learners prefer to watch videos or read content and are reluctant to interact or make comments. In this case designing social learning content to appeal to this audience is the initial phase; eventually the participants can be coached or enticed to provide comments or ranking, or other forms of behavior.
Premise 2: Understand participant learning behaviors (a) before exposure to and (b) while in social networking environments.
I devised the questions to cover our typical understanding of a learner in a current condition. Current, meaning traditional methods of learning, e.g. classroom and e-Learning approaches. See “Learning Framework of SCL" (Social & Collaborative Learning.) I then juxtaposed and superimposed the behaviors that Li and Bernoff (2008) utilized. See the descriptions of “Technographics Ladder” from Li and Bernoff.
Premise 3: Social Networking Trainer, Facilitator and Leader Needs
I added an element that relates to questions on what trainers, facilitators and leaders want to accomplish in social networks and Learning 2.0, or in accomplishing learning and training using Learning 2.0 and Web 2.0 tools. It occurred to me that we need a questionnaire for trainers and leaders or those responsible in facilitating and implementing Learning 2.0. Without knowing this group’s preferences, interests or needs (business or personal) we are missing a key element in the implementation process. The primary interests behind these questions have to do with “what tasks Learning 2.0 facilitators” can accomplish in Learning 2.0. The questions may provide insights on what types of Web 2.0 Widgets we can develop to help trainers, facilitators, and leaders accomplish their goals. For example, I have been tracking networking interactions and sociograms as a way of providing leaders with tools to better understand the networks that they manage or nurture.
NOTE: The survey below is a draft and is undergoing editing and testing.
e-Learning 2.0 and Performance Survey
Learning in Social Networking and Learning 2.0 Environments
Part I – Learning Behaviors
Please select which of the following describe your behavior(s). You can choose more than one answer.
As a participant or learner in classroom sessions:
[ ] Listen mostly to presenter or lecturer
[ ] Prefer to be an audience rather than active participant in discussions
[ ] Learn well by listening, watching presentations
[ ] Learn well by watching videos
[ ] Learn well by reading hand-outs
[ ] Actively participate in discussions
[ ] Actively involve in games and exercises
[ ] Actively involve in simulation
[ ] Ask questions to presenters and trainers
[ ] Ask follow-up questions to trainers after the session
[ ] Ask advance questions to trainers before the session
[ ] Ask trainers and coaches for one-on-one conversations
[ ] Contributes by providing examples and illustrations
[ ] Offer to help others in the session
[ ] Make yourself available to others who may need help
[ ] Express your opinions and ideas freely in discussions
[ ] Share freely your comments on trainer presentations or ideas
[ ] Get together with other participants after sessions
Part 2 – Social Networking Behaviors
Please select which of the following describe your behavior(s).
You can choose more than one answer.
As a participant to social networking sites, I would like to:
[ ] Publish a blog
[ ] Publish my own Web pages
[ ] Upload video/slideshow you created
[ ] Upload content or presentations you created
[ ] Upload or link to e-Learning course you created
[ ] Write articles or stories and post them
[ ] Post ratings/reviews of discussions, content and products
[ ] Comment on someone else’s blog
[ ] Contribute to online forums
[ ] Contribute to/edit articles in Wiki
[ ] Use RSS feeds
[ ] Add tags to Web pages or photos
[ ] “Vote” for Web sites discussions
[ ] Maintain my profile in a social networking site
[ ] Visit social networking sites
[ ] Read Blogs
[ ] Watch video or presentations posted by other users
[ ] Listen to podcasts
[ ] Read online discussions
[ ] Read participant ratings and reviews
[ ] Seek others who can help with learning problems
[ ] Seek others to help with project needs
[ ] Seek others to help with jobs or opportunities
[ ] Seek others to have an on-going in-depth conversation
[ ] None of the above behaviors
Part 3 – Trainer, Facilitator, Network Leader Needs and Functions
Please select which of the following describe your behavior(s).
You can choose more than one answer.
As a trainer, facilitator or leader in training and learning social networking sites I would like to:
[ ] Learn what learners/participants want to know more about
[ ] Know what topics participants find the most useful
[ ] Know what problems participants want solutions for
[ ] Learn how learners prefer to learn
[ ] Learn how learners apply solutions on the job
[ ] Know what learning methods learners/participants prefer
[ ] Learn the medium and delivery that learners/participants prefer
[ ] Learn the work and learning situations of learners/participants
[ ] Provide learners/participants engaging content
[ ] Provide learners/participants ways to interact and learn from content
[ ] Provide learners/participants ways to interact with trainers, leaders, and others
[ ] Obtain feedback and ratings on quality of content
[ ] Obtain feedback and ratings on quality and depth of interactions
[ ] Obtain feedback and ratings on quality and depth of network relationships
[ ] Create and publish content for learners/participants
[ ] Use social networking as blended with other sessions, e.g. Webinar, classroom
[ ] Use social networking as pre and post classroom or Webinar participant interaction tool
[ ] Use social networking for learners/participants to seek out coaching opportunities
[ ] Use social networking for learners/participants to assist others and be coaches
[ ] Use social networking small groups to assist each other in projects or problem-solving or collaboration
[ ] Learn how to evaluate the value of social networking to impact performance
[ ] Learn how to help participants measure or gauge contribution of social learning activities to job results
[ ] Learn how to help participants measure or gauge contribution of social learning activities to personal learning and growth
[ ] Learn how to obtain timely feedback from participants
I would be interested to get your comments and suggestions.
Ray Jimenez, PhD
http://www.vignettestraining.com/
http://www.trainingpayback.com/
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way" "Helping Learners Apply Learning"
