Informal Learning - 2010
Informal learning (a.k.a. social learning) grew immensely in 2009. I think there is little doubt that it will grow further in 2010, but I also expect it to find more of a foothold in corporate training departments where its adoption been a challenge. Now I know there are corporate training departments that have embraced informal learning, but those are the more innovative companies. There are many that are slower to change and often do not adopt new approaches until they see others, including competitors, reap the benefits of such approaches.
As I am confident we will see informal learning become more prevalent in the corporate environment, companies must also be cautious when jumping into the social media and informal learning stampede. There are many social media tools and approaches. Be strategic when identifying social media tools, how they will be implemented, and how you can facilitate learning within the media. Remember, you cannot truly manage informal learning, but you can facilitate learning along with coaching others to facilitate learning. You can also coach learners on how to effectively use social media to meet the learning objectives they set for themselves.
Here are some great resources on informal learning that help us understand this transition from the formal to informal.
First off, Jay Cross and Clark Quinn on how meta-learning subverts the traditional training hierarchy.
Jane Hart’s “From e-Learning to Social Learning.”
Plus, last November the Learning Circuits blog’s Big Question was “Presenting the Value of Social Media for Learning,” which had many valuable comments and advice for anyone implementing social media in the workplace.
I think this democratization of learning will be a benefit to corporate staff and if engaged by corporate training departments it will be boon to their ability to assist learners in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for their success.
TweetDeck and Adobe Air
Here is an interesting interview with Iain Dodsworth, TweetDeck founder, about his experience developing his now prolific Air application.
Want to create your own Air app? The video below will show you how to convert a Flash project into an Air app.
Big Question - Presenting the Value of Social Media for Learning
Learning Circuit’s Big Question this month is ”How do I communicate the value of social media as a learning tool to my organization?” In response, I have put together a list of strategies I feel are important and if done right can be effective.
Management buy-in
- Demo its use to decision makers.
- Show them case studies (from your industry, if possible, and emphasize return on investment (ROI)).
- Emphasize ROI again. Can it increase sales, reduce losses, limit errors, etc.?
- Teach them how to use it and continually encourage them to use it.
Staff buy-in and prototyping
- Get a willing group of staff to use and evaluate the prototype.
- Make sure content/communications are relevant to its users.
- Stay very involved in its implementation, facilitating discussion.
- Get its users to help you market the course…creating a “buzz” about the initiative.
- Document any success stories that come from the prototype and share with the entire organization.
Get IT buy-in early
- We all now IT can sink your initiative quickly, so get yourself buy-in from a decision maker in the IT department.
- Do as much leg work as you can before you bring it to IT. Not only will they appreciate any prerequisite work you have already done, but you will be that much closer to implementing the initiative.
- Find numerous people in IT who are already using social media and ask them to use the prototype. They mayhelp you push the initiative through the possible IT bureaucracy and can provide additional evaluation and advice from a tech perspective.
- Read more about Working With IT.
Communicating the value of social media and informal learning is far from an easy task and overcoming the challenges of getting management and staff on board differs with every organization…some are more open to it than others. Either way, communicating its value does not have any end point. Like any learning initiative, it needs constant encouragement.
Searching Screenr
I am still exploring Screenr. While exploring, I wanted to find Flash tutorials… I can never learn enough about Flash. Am I missing something? Believe it or not, there is no search function on the Screenr site. Luckily, I eventually found a Screenr tutorial on how to search Screenr. Thescreencast is below and was created by onEnterFrame.
Remember, if you are looking for Screenr tutorials, just use a search engine to conduct a site search - site:screenr.com yoursubject. And yes I know one could search Twitter for Screenr tutorials, but keep in mind many companies still do not allow access to Twitter.
Thank you onEnterFrame for sharing this simple solution.
Using Screenr to Create a Video Post
With all the hub-bub around Screenr, I had to check it out. It is extremely easy to use. If you have not heard about it yet, Screenr gives you the ability to capture your computer screen, mouse movements and audio (e.g. software simulations). Once you click done, it compiles it and sends it and your text description out as a tweet.
While I was playing around with it, I realized I can capture my webcam on it…what an easy way to create a video post that I can tweet. Here is the result of a 2 minute investment of time.
If you would like to see it in my Twitter timeline, you will find me at http://twitter.com/minutebio (@minutebio).
Video on Twitter in the Classroom
Here is a really well done video about Twitter being used in a UT Dallas classroom. It provides perspectives from the professor and the students. Goes to show ya, in the classroom Twitter is a great medium for increasing participation.
