Personal Learning Network (PLN)

Have you come across this term before? If so, do you have one? What does it look like?

David Hopkins writes a blog: elearning blog don't waste your time. He has been fascinated by PLN and wrote about it here.

Social Learning and Social Media

I've been reading a bit lately on Social Learning:

social learning happens continuously, informally and frequently invisibly in the workplace

What strikes me about this is that now people working in training, assessment, human resources seem to be realising that informal learning is not recognised in a formal way (excuse the possible oxymoron).

I expect you like me have learned most about a job on the job with someone with more experience, workplace knowledge to guide us along the way.   If, like me, you were able to combine study (theory) with practical workplace experience, then you usually end up as a well rounded worker.

I'm only just starting to think about social learning from a trainer/assessor perspective and do not have any definitive answers. However, I believe, the aim of any good trainer and assessor is to 'help learners to become more aware of learning". In reading this article I realise that as a workplace assessor I've been guiding the learner to see possibilities (for evidence) in most aspects of their day to day work. I try to offer ways of gaining evidence by discussing their work role and then relating that to the relevant unit of competence(s).

I'll continue learning about Social Learning with the view of incorporating this into my work practice.

Have you come across Social Learning sites or discussions? What do you think?

Moving to Brisbane

I'm very busy at present preparing to move to Brisbane.  So until I'm settled in Brisbane, there won't be much happening here ...

Stay tuned though I'll be back in late November.

Social learning is not social media in learning

I read this article today.  I've found Jane Hart's website and blog very informatitve: Key Social Learning Resources.

... now with the emergence of social media, the term “social leaning” is also being used to describe the use of social media in learning. However, it is much more than just applying it within the formal learning context.

I'm loving the changes that Web2.0 technologies have wrought not only in my social world but also in my work life.  Over to you, what do you think?

I received a notification from one of my LinkedIn Groups - Australian VET Leaders regarding frequently asked questions on VET qualifications.  I found it to be very useful and thought it worth sharing.

Blended Learning Research

I started a post graduate course in online learning but found I prefer to learn in a more practical way.  The links below were the beginnings of research material for the first essay.  I've been keeping them but today I've decided to publish!  All these links relate to blended learning.


Building effective blended learning programs

Achieving success with blended learning

Use of traditional and elearning components in a blended learning environment

Learning is Social

How Disruptive Innovation is Remaking the University

Supporting eLearning Opportunities

Social Networking Sites and Our Lives & Keith Hampton

My workplace is beginning to explore the best options for delivering eLearning/blended learning.  The above links provide me with some good material to use in helping my workplace make a decision.

Instructional Design & Planning for e-Learning

This week I attended two learning sessions.  One on How to design a high quality course (I'll talk about this in a later post) and the other Strategic Planning for e-Learning.  Both worthwhile in my opinion.

A wiki has been set up - Planning 4 e-Learning, which is available to anyone interested in this area.  It provides lots of information about strategic planning and lots of tools, resources and links.

Those hard soft-skills

Food for thought

Harold Jarche » Those hard soft-skills

Cleverly using PowerPoint

Recently I put a post up on my LinkedIn Group - Innovation in VET asking: "Should we ban PowerPoint" I've found the responses highly interesting.  The overall feeling I get is that PowerPoint has its place but users need to be less text oriented and more visual oriented.

Today I came across this blog: better slide sets which offers a range of tips for developing interesting presentations.  The take out message:

For today’s fast-paced audience with a short attention span, we have to get back to basics and get them involved!

This is related to the six bullet points per slide idea.  If you do need to make a list ask the group about what the list might comprise with the actual list in your notes.  This is a much better tactic as you're involving the group not causing them to fall asleep!


What do you do with your presentations?  Do you use PowerPoint?

Work Smart: learning continuously with social media (Jane Hart)

I thought this was a great observation by Jane Hart.

NTIS replacement

I've just had a play on the new training.gov.au website.  It looks and feels much nicer than the very clunky NTIS website.  I've only looked at the qualifications I deliver as well as the RTO I work for but in both cases I had reached my destination in way fewer clicks and with way less frustration!

What do you think?

My E-Learning Readings ...

Mobile Learning from Real Workplace Learning conducted a 'rodeo'.  Very interesting thoughts on using InSync Apps.

6 Alternatives to Bullets in PowerPoint.

Harold Jarche on Social Strategy over Social Media & some thoughts on Google+

20 reasons the traditional Training/L&D Department needs to change and pick of the week by Jane Hart

Klout

Just discovered Klout.

Not sure of it's utility in Australia but ...

A complete guide to web, Facebook, Twitter & Google+ privacy & security

Edublogger has provided a guide to ensuring your privacy and security settings are how you want them to be in easy to follow steps.  Check it out here.  Well worth checking you have the privacy settings you want on any of the social networks you belong to.

Did you find anything that caused you concern?

Integrating Learning & Work

Harold Jarche

Humane Education

I subscribe to this blog and often share their Facebook invitations to enrol into one or other of their programs.

Online Education

How online education is changing the way we learn - infographic

New Technology

I just saw this on Mashable, a camcorder with a projector included! How cool is that?

Over skilling and job satisfaction

Just saw this from NCVER

Over-skilling and job satisfaction in the Australian labour force by Kostas Mavromaras, Seamus McGuinness, Sue Richardson, Peter Sloane and Zhang Wei

In a not-too-uncommon scenario individuals may find themselves in a job where they feel their qualifications (over-educated) or skills (over-skilled) or both are greater than are required to do the work. Previous research has found that people who work in jobs which do not make full use of their education and training earn lower wages than those in jobs that provide a good match to the education and training.

Using data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, the work of Mavromaras and colleagues extends previous research on the effect of over-skilling on wages in two ways: by expanding the categories of mismatch to also include over-education; and by looking at the effect of mismatch on job satisfaction as well as wages. Further, this study distinguishes between 'genuine' mismatch—where wages and job satisfaction are both low—and 'apparent' mismatch—where a job may pay less but is accepted because it has some other redeeming attribute, such as greater flexibility in work hours.

Key messages

• Irrespective of the type of post-school qualification, becoming mismatched in a job almost always results in lower job satisfaction, especially with the actual work that is done. This is particularly the case for those with vocational qualifications.
• Mismatch is more detrimental for those with intermediate vocational qualifications (certificate III/IV). However, over-skilling is less likely to occur amongst this group and, if it does, will not last long. The same does not hold true for university graduates.
• Being over-skilled as opposed to over-educated is the greater driver of the adverse consequences of lower wages and job satisfaction.
• Gender matters when it comes to experiencing mismatch—compared with their well-matched peers, women who are either over-skilled or over-educated suffer wage penalties and lower job satisfaction. Such differences between well-matched and mismatched males are not as apparent.

Tom Karmel
Managing Director, NCVER

Question

"How many people would actually be distraught if your organisation disappeared?"

My readings for this week ...

Harold Jarche, Life in perpetual beta, offers a list of tweets or blogs he has come across.  This weeks has an interesting article on psychopaths ...

Articulate community offer very good elearning development tips, especially to improve delivery ...

Jenine Ruby offered some advice on writing and grammar that inspired me to add her link to my Facebook page I use for my Business trainees ...

I also shared this with my Business trainees - designing text-based information ...

I learned how to keep up with thinking in my field ...

and for some relaxing reading I go here

Agile eLearning

A blog I read recently attracted my attention from Workplace Learning Today on Agile eLearning.  Agile eLearning has emerged from agile software development.

As I understand it, the focus is moving away from predictive to adaptive; from documentation to collaboration; from periodic reviews to continuous feedback; from specialisation to generalisation.

elearning Technology blog has gathered together a number of articles on agile learning, here.  A quick search indicates that people have been talking about this form of learning since about 2007.  For me the model has potential for learners and teachers.

One thing I like about this model or philosophy is continuous feedback.  I came across a good presentation on giving and receiving feedback here.

Have you come across this and if so, what are your thoughts?

Related links:

On becoming agile and adaptive through collaboration

Agile eLearning

My Personalised Agile or what I have learned from it

The Agile Elearning Design Manual

Tightening the feedback loop

Agile Learning

Tools for learning - facebook

I created a page on Facebook as a resource and access point for trainees studying the Certificate III in Business. I spent many hours creating discussions and adding loads of links. So far, I couldn't say this page has been very successful, although at present three students have liked the page out of a possible 10.

At a Moodle session I recently attended, the instructor stated: "resources do not teach" (or words to that effect).  I was much struck by this.  The other thing I've realised is I need to be active and/or proactive on this page.

Anyway, I found this article from The Edublogger to be of great interest.  I'm now wondering if I could persuade my workplace to set up a Facebook page for its students and trainers to develop community and communities of practice.

I would love to know what you are doing in this area?

Email

I came across this very informative post from Mashable:

The Past, Present & Future Infographic

Back in the day ...

I didn't go to university.

I went to the Hobart Technical College to study the Commerce Certificate (Secretarial).  At High School, I chose typing, shorthand and commerce instead of languages, art or music.  When I reflect on this choice I can only surmise that I had made up my mind to be a secretary when I was 11 and I cannot for the life of me recall why, when or how!

After one year at Hobart Tech I achieved the Commerce Certificate (Secretarial).  I was ready to work!

During this year I achieved a typing speed of 55 wpm on a manual typewriter.  This is one skill I'm very pleased to have learned back then as it has been so useful when computers became ubiquitous.  Touch typing provides me with delight, especially when I can talk to someone while continuing to type!

and a shorthand speed of 90wpm (I haven't kept this skill up, sadly)

I recently bought an old portable manual typewriter (on a whim), it's gorgeous.  Bright yellow and in very good nick.


I had forgotten the sound of typing, the clack, clack of the keys and the little ding when the end of a line is reached.  Oh the memories.  The only advantage to using a typewriter is that the document is printed as you type.  Making a mistake is difficult to fix and finding a ribbon could be tricky.

Back in the day, good for reminiscing but technology has moved on ....