Tech4learning

Designing for Informal Learning

Over the last year or so, we've all been reminded about the extent to which informal learning in our organisations dwarfs our formal training activity.  And I've always been concerned that on the basis that if informal learning is so popular - and therefore largely not broken - why should we try to fix it.  That is, will we do more harm than good by trying to manage informal learning?

So I was very interested to see the latest Infoline booklet from the ASTD, Designing for Informal Learning.

One of my concerns was whether this 16-page resource would try to overly formalise the informal, especially when I saw that some of the content was based around the very formal ADDIE instructional design model.

Indeed, the authors write: Because informal learning is often implemented spontaneously or in an unstructured way, it is frequently considered disorganised or unprofessional. However, it can be designed and developed.

I think, on reflection, that it gets away with not doing this, as the treatment of ADDIE generally stays at the higher level at looking at where informal learning approaches would fit into an overall blend.

Highlights of this guide include some of the pull-out information panels:

• Six risks of not addressing informal learning
• Options for making learning available on demand
• Generational issues: research and case study

and some of the reproducible tools:

• Moving from formal to informal learning: a step-by-step transition
• 10 questions to uncover content areas and tools for informal learning
• Selecting mode of informal learning

I believe this Infoline booklet contributes to the debate on where informal learning fits into our programmes by:

• Breaking down the characteristics of informal learning that make it a successful method
• Acknowledging that informal learning is a force on which to build
• Recognising where an informal learning element provides a better option than something formalised in the classroom or similar
• Encouraging learning professionals to not so much to manage it, but to ensure that the relevant informal learning sources are easy to access, well researched, accurate and supported

There is also good coverage on how to embed informal learning into the organisational culture and how to evaluate its effectiveness, along with a useful pull-out on recognising coaching opportunities to support the business in its informal learning activities. The use of Web 2.0 technology is also addressed.

An App for Your Leadership Diet

My own plans in the mobile learning space will kick off with DIY rapid content development, but I'm already looking for early entrants into the generic m-learning market. There's not much out there yet - not surprising given the still fledgling nature of this delivery channel, although that's set to change as the year progresses - so I'm looking first in the app world, given the fact that app development has already succeeded into facilitating cross-platform content creation.

This afternoon, while browsing the Ken Blanchard website, I uncovered How2Lead for my iPhone.  When I came to download it, I was really surprised to see that there wasn't a single review for this app (at least not in the UK iTunes App Store). Admittedly the app was only released on 5 February 2011, but I hope that more people take advantage of it.

The well-executed idea behind the app is that it's a feed of valuable (and always up-to-date) content from the Ken Blanchard Companies.  

The app integrates a number of feeds:

• LeaderChat - a weekly blog for managers and leaders
• Twitter - from across The Ken Blanchard Companies
• Ken's Blog - Mr Blanchard's blog: How We Lead
• Coaching - blog postings from The Coaching Source Blog, authored by various coaching experts
• YouTube - the videos from Ken Blanchard's YouTube video channel
• Government - a blog for managers and leaders in the government sector
• New Leaders - up-to-date postings written by a group of young leaders to support new leaders

And this is not a quickly thrown-together mash-up, as so many content-integrators can be, but a well-designed app that is easy to navigate and soon had me drilling down into the wealth of related resources referenced in the various feed items.

Not only is the content topical and bang up-to-date, but it's full of great self-study learning resources, especially within the YouTube video assets.  And above all, it's all free!

I'll be posting its first UK review shortly!

 

Getting to Grips with Social Media

Let's think....passing fads that became persisting features:  e-learning, blended learning, virtual worlds for learning (oh wait...rewind....actually, the jury is still very much out on this one - don't get me started!) and mobile learning (nudging towards a tipping point).  So what about social media?

Tweeting, blogging, Facebooking (is that a verb?) and wikis may still cause blank and puzzled looks when mentioned at gatherings of training professionals, but maybe with some good education, more of us may start to "get it".

A new book, "Social Media for Trainers" may well just do that.  This is another Kindle book I bought. Now when you look at the paperback version, with nearly 200 pages - and corresponding price tag - you may be dissuaded from adding this to your library.  Even on a Kindle with its percentage progress bar, it's not easy to tell how weighty this book may be.  But when you get going, it's an easy and fast read and I was left pleasantly surprised by how much it covered and, unlike other books on the same subject, how practically focused this book was.  If you don't think you understand social media - and are fearful these are technologies you won't be able to master - then this book should give you a confidence boost.

The first chapter introduces the basics (and history) of social media and outlines some reasons why you would want to use them in training.  The graphics highlighting how social media can support informal learning and create much more "natural" and effective training solutions were particuarly useful. The author promotes social media as ways to facilitate learning, extend the training experience, provide practice opportunities and support learners.

The following chapters each cover the main social media channels in a similar format.  For each of Twitter, blogs, Facebook and wikis, you get:

• an "in a nutshell" overview
• a more detailed explanation
• a suggested trainer viewpoint
• a discussion of the advantages and disadvantage of each in training
• a statement of why you should use each instead of and in addition to something else
• some getting started steps
• lots of practical - and realistic - suggestions for using each within learning and development programmes

I have to say that the chapter on Twitter is one of the best pieces of writing I've seen on this particular tool and the copious number of examples of use for training prove how underrated this media could be if ignored.

The sixth chapter skims through some of the other more popular social media tools such as Google Docs, YouTube, social bookmarking, Skype and free virtual classrooms.

The final chapter looks at the bigger picture in terms of how social learning is regarded at the organisational level and what it looks like in practice.  On my Kindle, I highlighted an excellent paragraph introducing the concept of your "personal learning network" (PLN) - a great concept for that group of people you turn to when you need an answer or help solving a problem.  Social media is directly having an impact on the nature of our PLNs.

There is also a discussion of communities of practice and "268 words about knowledge management".

I also liked the distinction between formal and informal learning in terms of "how to do things" versus "how to get things done" - a subtle, but excellent distinction.

The book finishes with a useful checklist for getting started with social learning and advice for selling the change, by being part of that change.

I would recommend this book to all trainers to read, whatever your current plans may be in this area.