I have been thinking...

        photo by quinn.anya

I have been thinking a lot about how to apply all this information we have been learning, but specifically how to apply it in corporate America. With all the firewalls and different sites that are blocked by corporate security, many of the tools we have learned cannot be used in my work setting. But learning all these new tools and what they can do has opened up a whole new world of options for me as an instructional designer. I am fortunate to work with e-learning developers that have access to tools similar to what we have learned, the difference being their tools are approved for use. The problem is as a designer that provides them with instruction on what to create, I have been the one that has held back our ability to use these technologies because I had no idea what could be done.
I feel sorry for my teammates now; I am going to be asking for all kinds of new things. :) I love the idea of audio files, like those we made with audacity. We use audio in the computer based training we create, but that is it. I can see us using it in so many other ways. We could

• have leaders provide a short message about how important the training is and the WIIFM. The link to this message could be included in the invitations to training. 
•  provide short audio clips from the facilitator or leader to recap key points from training. These could be sent out as reminders a week or two after training.
• capture role play activities for customer service or sales training for good examples or even non-examples.

I also think we could use the demos, like those made with Jing, more often. These are such a great way to teach a person a new system or new process within a system they already use. What a great way to expose a learner to a new system before, during, or after training. It would also be great to have links to demos within manuals or procedures to help support the text that explains the process.

And don't forget about Wikis. I am not sure my company is ready for the concept of a self correcting system that does not have 15 levels of review before information is posted, but I think we can use these in a few situations. I am thinking about a class I am designing for our corporate training and development community. It was be a great way to share what they are learning, how they have applied, best practices... Oh wait - they should decide what it become not me. Anyway - I think it would be fun to try it with that group.

I will continue processing all this new information and considering how I can use it, and I will keep you posted on how it goes.

So Many Choices . . . Where Do I Post My Thoughts

As I sat down to Blog, Tweet, and update the class Wiki (it still sounds weird to hear myself saying any of those words) I had to consider where do I post what? What is most appropriate for a blog entry? What should I put in the class Wiki, and when should I ever use Twitter. I went back through Robin's PowerPoints from class and found some information about the spectrum of Blog Posts. I found this very helpful, especially the non-examples, which highlighted all the things I thought blogging included - for example: journaling, posting links, and posting assignments. The idea that blogging is a place for synthesis, reflection, and analysis is a new idea to me. Blogging in general is new to me, but I brought with me a mental model of what blogging was all about, and I am learning quickly I have a lot to learn. So bear with me as I find my way through all these new venues to post my thoughts. I may not always chose the most appropriate vehicle to express my thoughts, but you will be hearing a lot of my thoughts.

Thoughts After Weekend Two

Wow! Another weekend full of new tools - I mean new FREE tools. Amazing there is so much free stuff at your fingertips. How am I going to remember it all and how am I going to use it for learning? It is a bit overwhelming!

These tools we learned about this weekend open up so many different delivery methods for training. Audio, video, demos, real time editing/collaborating and so much more. This is an instructional designers dream: variety. The opportunities are endless! And the time required to create many of these deliverables is measured in hours versus minutes - hard to believe.

Creating New Post - With Demo

Step One

New Post

This is my first post with a demo.

First Audio File

Here is my first MP3 file! Need some practice with editing the audio, but what a great start.

Second Weekend

The first night of the second weekend was packed with even more free stuff that I did not even know existed. I especially loved Google Docs and Skype! And of course I feel pretty cool that I know have a blog and started a Wiki. I have always been so intimidated by technology, but this class has really been a huge eye opener for me. It has made me realize that technology is not that scary - at least not when you have someone to guide you through it.
I cannot wait to see what we learn tomorrow.

Using Twitter in Training and Development

I have been thinking about how twitter could be used in training. I searched blogs to see what I could find about this and ran into an interesting blog about how this can be useful and how to do it.

The Google Reader

I love the Google Reader!! What a great idea. I would never check that many blogs or sites on my own. Now I just log in and it is all right there for me. Love it!