Comments for Views From the Gulch http://gulch.edublogs.org Just another Edublogs.org weblog Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:19:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 Comment on The Challenges Of e-learning In The Workplace by gulch http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/05/17/the-challenges-of-e-learning-in-the-workplace/#comment-25 gulch Sat, 17 May 2008 22:48:56 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/05/17/the-challenges-of-e-learning-in-the-workplace/#comment-25 I agree John with you John - especially after our very fruitful face to face meeting yesterday. I am leaning towards a blended learning format for e-learning. Regardless of format, management support for learning is vital - and in turn learning is vital for the ongoing success of the organisation. I agree John with you John - especially after our very fruitful face to face meeting yesterday. I am leaning towards a blended learning format for e-learning.

Regardless of format, management support for learning is vital - and in turn learning is vital for the ongoing success of the organisation.

]]> Comment on The Challenges Of e-learning In The Workplace by John http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/05/17/the-challenges-of-e-learning-in-the-workplace/#comment-24 John Sat, 17 May 2008 10:58:31 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/05/17/the-challenges-of-e-learning-in-the-workplace/#comment-24 Heather, I can't help thinking that the issues you identify for online learning have not yet been fully resolved in face to face events. <b>Collaboration </b>- this is still a problem in the classroom. some are more willing and some are more able to contribute than others. <b>Conducive environment </b>- mobile phones, late arrival, need to leave early still get in the way in the concrete world too. <b> Legitimising time away from the job </b> is often a problem. Training takes second place. Upon return from training the work is still there. So while you (and Thompson) have identified some real issues that will impede online learning, they have not yet been fully resolved in the traditional model either. On the other hand on line has some advantages: - The time away from the job is reduced - Individual needs can be addressed more effectively - Participation requires more than just attendance. There are some real issues that on line has not yet addressed effectively, like: - the human preference for social interaction face to face - the real risks associated with online security and privacy - the availability of bandwidth in regional areas. Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages. The future is probably an integration of both. I know I feel refreshed tonight after face to face activity with members of our online group. John Heather,
I can’t help thinking that the issues you identify for online learning have not yet been fully resolved in face to face events.

Collaboration - this is still a problem in the classroom. some are more willing and some are more able to contribute than others.

Conducive environment - mobile phones, late arrival, need to leave early still get in the way in the concrete world too.

Legitimising time away from the job is often a problem. Training takes second place. Upon return from training the work is still there.

So while you (and Thompson) have identified some real issues that will impede online learning, they have not yet been fully resolved in the traditional model either.

On the other hand on line has some advantages:

- The time away from the job is reduced
- Individual needs can be addressed more effectively
- Participation requires more than just attendance.

There are some real issues that on line has not yet addressed effectively, like:
- the human preference for social interaction face to face
- the real risks associated with online security and privacy
- the availability of bandwidth in regional areas.

Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages. The future is probably an integration of both.

I know I feel refreshed tonight after face to face activity with members of our online group.

John

]]> Comment on Musings on Learnings and Happenings by John http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/musings-on-learnings-and-happenings/#comment-23 John Sat, 10 May 2008 11:13:34 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/musings-on-learnings-and-happenings/#comment-23 Heather, My experience with change is that it works when one person has a total commitment to it (maybe that's the start of Nielsen's 1%) who forms a coalition of influential people who are intertested, willing to giver it a go, but not necessarily committed. some of these will join the 1%, others join the 9% of irregular contributors or even get lost in the 90% of lurkers. The key to continuity and acceptance is early small wins. And they need to be attributed and publicised. It's not just a matter of build it and they will come. Rather it is about finding what they don't have now, finding a way to provide it and then watching while they discover what else they need. 20 years ago no one knew they needed a mobile phone. now I never leave home without a camera, which also has an address book. I didn't even know I needed them 20 years ago. Now they are indispensible. But I don't own a home espresso coffee machine, though I drink lots of espresso when I'm out and coffee when I am not. No one jhas championed that product to me. Your (our) project will take off if it serves an existing need that people can see being filled. John Heather,
My experience with change is that it works when one person has a total commitment to it (maybe that’s the start of Nielsen’s 1%) who forms a coalition of influential people who are intertested, willing to giver it a go, but not necessarily committed. some of these will join the 1%, others join the 9% of irregular contributors or even get lost in the 90% of lurkers.

The key to continuity and acceptance is early small wins. And they need to be attributed and publicised.

It’s not just a matter of build it and they will come. Rather it is about finding what they don’t have now, finding a way to provide it and then watching while they discover what else they need.

20 years ago no one knew they needed a mobile phone. now I never leave home without a camera, which also has an address book. I didn’t even know I needed them 20 years ago. Now they are indispensible.

But I don’t own a home espresso coffee machine, though I drink lots of espresso when I’m out and coffee when I am not. No one jhas championed that product to me.

Your (our) project will take off if it serves an existing need that people can see being filled.

John

]]> Comment on E-Learning Readiness Survey by John http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/04/21/e-learning-readiness-survey/#comment-22 John Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:34:28 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/04/21/e-learning-readiness-survey/#comment-22 A valuable resource, heather. thanks for that. I can see how some of the organisations I have worked with vary. A valuable resource, heather. thanks for that.

I can see how some of the organisations I have worked with vary.

]]> Comment on Implications of Social Psychology For e-learning by michaelhanley http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/03/29/implications-of-social-psychology-for-e-learning/#comment-21 michaelhanley Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:03:15 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/03/29/implications-of-social-psychology-for-e-learning/#comment-21 Glad to participate Heather - let me now if I can assist your researches in any way - M Glad to participate Heather - let me now if I can assist your researches in any way - M

]]> Comment on Implementing Online Training - Some Challenges by John http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/04/12/13/#comment-20 John Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:16:29 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/04/12/13/#comment-20 Nice reading your post. More and more companies now a days encouraging their employees for online studies. Every employer want their employees to excel in their own field and use the skills for the best interest of the company that's why online study has become so much popular as one can study thoroughly without hampering their work Nice reading your post. More and more companies now a days encouraging their employees for online studies. Every employer want their employees to excel in their own field and use the skills for the best interest of the company that’s why online study has become so much popular as one can study thoroughly without hampering their work

]]> Comment on Implementing Online Training - Some Challenges by John http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/04/12/13/#comment-19 John Sat, 12 Apr 2008 05:24:28 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/04/12/13/#comment-19 Based on Sealy Brown's 1999 reading and the Horizon Report of 2008 I suggest that the right direction to go for on line learning is with short bites. <a href="http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2008-Horizon-Report.pdf" rel="nofollow">Horizon</a> suggests that mobile broadband, grassroots video and collaboration webs are among the next technologies to be adopted. These would seem to meet <a href="http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/seelybrown/seelybrown.html" rel="nofollow">Sealy Brown's </a> expectations of a quick meeting of technicians with potential knowledge about a problem as described in his 1999 article. I have used <a href="http://www.jingproject.com/" rel="nofollow">Jing </a> to develop five minute video responses to questions about software use in responses to our class blogs. Each took about thirty minutes to plan, capture voice over and post. I guess that the quality could be doubled in twice that time, but improvement beyond that is unlikely to be justifiable. So five minutes of training can be developed in an hour, once the need has been identified and the subject matter expert found. Your post says that the demands for on line training are coming from "the subject matter experts and the end users. Both would be expected to find on line training more useful. The experts can focus on critical issues in short bites. The users will get what they need when they need it. Just transferring classroom training to the computer is no more likely to work than the use of training videos did when that medium became widely available. On the other hand integrating on line with existing techniques probably will, in much the same way as videos have been integrated. Based on Sealy Brown’s 1999 reading and the Horizon Report of 2008 I suggest that the right direction to go for on line learning is with short bites.

Horizon suggests that mobile broadband, grassroots video and collaboration webs are among the next technologies to be adopted.

These would seem to meet Sealy Brown’s expectations of a quick meeting of technicians with potential knowledge about a problem as described in his 1999 article.

I have used Jing to develop five minute video responses to questions about software use in responses to our class blogs. Each took about thirty minutes to plan, capture voice over and post. I guess that the quality could be doubled in twice that time, but improvement beyond that is unlikely to be justifiable. So five minutes of training can be developed in an hour, once the need has been identified and the subject matter expert found.

Your post says that the demands for on line training are coming from “the subject matter experts and the end users. Both would be expected to find on line training more useful. The experts can focus on critical issues in short bites. The users will get what they need when they need it.

Just transferring classroom training to the computer is no more likely to work than the use of training videos did when that medium became widely available.

On the other hand integrating on line with existing techniques probably will, in much the same way as videos have been integrated.

]]> Comment on Post on Posts by John http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/post-on-posts/#comment-18 John Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:47:10 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/04/06/post-on-posts/#comment-18 Heather Prue mentioned a technique in one of her posts that may help clear some images that have been posted in the past that you may prefer to see removed. She suggests uploading a blank image with the same file name to the social networking site where it was posted. An alternative may be to post a more complimentary image, still using the same file name. It is an interesting dilemma. Of course a blog post such as yours remains under your control - you can choose to remove this any time you choose, but my comment also becomes your property, so if I choose to change my mind about this comment, its removal relies on your agreement to remove it. Similarly posts to discussion lists remain forever. Having them removed may be a nightmare. The concern for students is particularly high. Comments that may make while they are learning will remain long after they have learned more and have increased their understanding or changed their mind. I see the solution as a well explained introductory session at the beginning of an e-learning program, so that the fears of what could go wrong do not overshadow the tremendous benefits that could arise. Heather

Prue mentioned a technique in one of her posts that may help clear some images that have been posted in the past that you may prefer to see removed.

She suggests uploading a blank image with the same file name to the social networking site where it was posted.

An alternative may be to post a more complimentary image, still using the same file name.

It is an interesting dilemma. Of course a blog post such as yours remains under your control - you can choose to remove this any time you choose, but my comment also becomes your property, so if I choose to change my mind about this comment, its removal relies on your agreement to remove it.

Similarly posts to discussion lists remain forever. Having them removed may be a nightmare.

The concern for students is particularly high. Comments that may make while they are learning will remain long after they have learned more and have increased their understanding or changed their mind.

I see the solution as a well explained introductory session at the beginning of an e-learning program, so that the fears of what could go wrong do not overshadow the tremendous benefits that could arise.

]]> Comment on Implications of Social Psychology For e-learning by gulch http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/03/29/implications-of-social-psychology-for-e-learning/#comment-17 gulch Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:00:43 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/03/29/implications-of-social-psychology-for-e-learning/#comment-17 Thanks for the information Mick. I'll check out your site and some of the authors. Heather Thanks for the information Mick. I’ll check out your site and some of the authors.

Heather

]]> Comment on Implications of Social Psychology For e-learning by michaelhanley http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/03/29/implications-of-social-psychology-for-e-learning/#comment-16 michaelhanley Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:26:39 +0000 http://gulch.edublogs.org/2008/03/29/implications-of-social-psychology-for-e-learning/#comment-16 Hi Heather, From the viewpoint you develop in your post, it sounds to me like you're leaning towards a Social Constructivist approach to e-learning. Social Constructivism is a well-established theoretical and methodological approach in the context of e-learning, and the body of work associated with it is too vast to discuss in a blog comment. I would recommend that you look at the work of the following people if you want to find out more about the topic: Jean Piaget Lev Vygotsky Kolb & Fry Schon & Argyris David Jonassen Richard Mayer If I may humbly submit my blog The E-learning Curve as a place to begin your researches, I did a series of posts on the social constructivist approach beginning here: http://elearningcurve.blogspot.com/2007/12/constructivism-pt1.html Hi Heather,
From the viewpoint you develop in your post, it sounds to me like you’re leaning towards a Social Constructivist approach to e-learning.
Social Constructivism is a well-established theoretical and methodological approach in the context of e-learning, and the body of work associated with it is too vast to discuss in a blog comment.
I would recommend that you look at the work of the following people if you want to find out more about the topic:

Jean Piaget
Lev Vygotsky
Kolb & Fry
Schon & Argyris
David Jonassen
Richard Mayer

If I may humbly submit my blog The E-learning Curve as a place to begin your researches, I did a series of posts on the social constructivist approach beginning here: http://elearningcurve.blogspot.com/2007/12/constructivism-pt1.html

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