My Personal Statement, Part 3: The Fork in the Road
My initial interest in organization-sponsored informal learning came when I wrote a research paper on an emerging topic for EDUC 641: Online Learning entitled "Risks and Opportunities of Integrating User-Created Content in a Training Strategy". Though I have written extensively for professional purposes, this was my first academic paper in almost 40 years. In writing the paper, I learned to use and cite web resources for research and how to use APA style. But my real learning was the realization that organizations will need to provide opportunities for informal learning, knowledge sharing and collaboration to occur in the workplace, and that social media will play a large role in creating these opportunities. My focus began to switch from designing and developing e-Learning to designing organizational systems to support informal, social learning in the workplace.
The paper was published, co-authored by my professor Zane Berge, in The 2012 Pfeiffer Annual: Training, edited by Elaine Biech.
The paper was published, co-authored by my professor Zane Berge, in The 2012 Pfeiffer Annual: Training, edited by Elaine Biech.
The Sticky Wiki
As part of the requirements for EDUC 689: Instructional Design for Informal Learning, we signed up to read and report on a book pertinent for informal social learning. Classmate Kay Kane and I selected Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. We decided to create a wiki to share our thoughts about the book and, in the spirit of social learning, we invited a number of friends, coworkers and members of our networks to participate. We posed and answered questions and shared our reflections on the book as we learned far more than if we'd read the book alone.
Here is a link to the wiki we created: The Stick Wiki, and another link to the book report we submitted using flipsnack. Click the Click to Read link to view the book report in foll screen.
Here is a link to the wiki we created: The Stick Wiki, and another link to the book report we submitted using flipsnack. Click the Click to Read link to view the book report in foll screen.
My Blog
Creating a personal blog was another requirement of EDUC 689: Instructional Design for Informal Learning. I had never written a blog before and initially found blogging difficult: staring at the screen, fingers poised on the keyboard, and trying to think of something profound to say. As I accepted that my initial efforts wouldn't attract a huge following, I resolved to just pay attention, reflect, and write about what I was learning. I sometimes found myself somewhat surprised by what I had written, and the conversations with my classmates on their blogs and mine demonstrated how collaboration enhances thinking. You can visit my blog here.
Other Insights on Social/Informal Learning
As a means to build my professional network, I'm the founder and coordinator of a consultants' special interest group for the Maryland chapter of ASTD. My passion for social learning was evident to the members, so I designed this prezi on social media tools I'd learned about in my coursework at UMBC.
And even after the EDUC 689: Instructional Design for Informal Learning was over, classmate Karen Mattingly and I wrote an article, Power to the Learners, that was published in eLearn Magazine. I designed the concept and wrote the first draft; Karen edited, added content, and created sidebars.
And even after the EDUC 689: Instructional Design for Informal Learning was over, classmate Karen Mattingly and I wrote an article, Power to the Learners, that was published in eLearn Magazine. I designed the concept and wrote the first draft; Karen edited, added content, and created sidebars.