Many were educational but not related to my field of study. So I apologise for those who have made comments and I have not moderated….sorry 1000 times over.

In the middle of my studies last year I became pregnant with my first daughter…she arrived on April 9 2009. So my lastest work in progress has been her and much time has been spent doing research on babies…. not e-learning. I have learnt so much from the baby blogging world out there and have done a crash course in motherhood.

I will be back at my studies next year (2010) and back blogging. It was an important part of  reinforcing my learning.  I was really pleased with my results and got great grades so I must be doing something right. So apart from working full time, moving house, moving city and doing two subjects at uni I was working on my major masterpiece – Aveline Grace Dorothy Bell.

So apologies again upfront for my slackness and yes bub and mum are doing great!

Background:

Call Centre staff are required to gain and retain knowledge on multiple organisation wide services, department, policies and procedures. This knowledge is dynamic and can change on a daily basis. There is currently no one stop online training solution or knowledge management resource in place to train new staff or offer an opportunity to maintain and update the knowledge of existing staff. This information currently resides in various sources such as databases, corporate web site, hard copy documents and various frequently used external websites. As staff spend 100% of their working day online and answering calls an online solution would provide a flexible opportunity for staff to access information quickly and efficiently. In addition when staff have down time they can access training information, access self-paced learning modules and resources to help them learn and do their job more effectively. To clarify it simply there are two main learning needs:

1. An online one stop shop for knowledge/information with live feeds

2. A collaborative based e-learning training solution

The question is though how would I construct a rigorous process to ensure all stakeholders are captured in the design process and that learner needs are paramount in the design process as opposed to being an afterthought. So I have taken my thoughts and focus from Customer Service principles. As we are a customer centric organisation I would also like to think we could also be a learner centric organisation. My staff are my internal customers and therefore I should provide a design which meets their needs and creates a positive and exceptional learning experience. Other internal customers like management and other relevant stakeholders will also be included in this process.

Some key topline requirements which I would like to see included in the design are (they are currently not in any order):

1) Scaffolding – the use of mentors or supervisors to assist learning

2) Collaboration – opportunities for learners to learn from each other and share resources and information

3) Consultation:

An understanding of learner needs – taking into account diverse age groups, gender, socio cultural issues, cognitive styles and technology uptake

An understanding of other stakeholder needs – taking into account budget/resources/IT Capabilities

4) Reuse of information and learning materials which may already exist – don’t’ reinvent the wheel if necessary.

5) Learning Theory – learning theory which underpin design meets the needs of learners and management/organisation outcomes

6) Learning Framework chosen is based on sound principles of instructional design and is suited to the learning environment – this will be supported by literature review, an understanding of learners and workplace context.

7) Evaluation and Feedback Mechanism – learners will be involved in the planning and evaluation of their learning

Real world and specific organisation problem solving application – the design will have an immediate application and benefit to their work and hopefully stimulate a personal learning journey

 Learning is essentially a social activity which comes about through the relationships which are created between people and the connections individual’s makes between the knowledge, activity and the communications which are delivered in a situated context. The factors which are important for learning include a desire or motivation to learn and the ability to apply oneself to the task or area of study. To learn you need to have clear goals about what you want to achieve from learning and they should be matched with what is on offer. Effective role models which may include mentors, teachers or peers provide opportunities for learners to observe and model behaviours which can support and enhance the learning process. The opportunity to practice the skill or activity being learned is another important factor to help learners retain knowledge and demonstrate the new skill or knowledge is being retained. For meaningful learning there has to be a change or increase in knowledge base, meaningful personal connections with the knowledge and a profound awaking which is sometimes described as the ‘ah ha’ moment. Meaningful learning is also evident when intellectual curiosity is further stimulated beyond the original learning goals and thus takes you on tangents or fosters a desire to further expand your knowledge base.   

 b) Technology Mediated Learning 

The role of technology mediated learning is to provide systems and tools that support and enhance the learning process. The technology platform must be engaging, motivational and support the learner’s goals and needs. As learning is primarily a social activity, technology mediated learning has to provide opportunities for humans to interact in a social context beyond the face to face environment. To do this technology has to have relevant instructional content, be easy to use, easy to install, easy to navigate and understand. It should allow both asynchronous and synchronous interactions where learners can choose when they want to participate and choose their level of active involvement. In addition, there needs to be a strong role model to mediate and frame the learning conversations and to foster an understanding of the implicit and external rules that govern the learning environment.

The best example of technology mediated learning I have experienced was my recent participation in the web based social networking application, Ning as part of e-Learning Experiences one. The Ning fostered social behaviours such as observation, modeling and participation in a wide range of social practices such as conversation, discussion and feedback. These primarily social activities offered opportunities for meaningful interaction, responding to each other socially, encouraging debate, evolving ideas and problem solving. My personal participation, both through lurking and active participation in the Ning definitely contributed to a more meaningful learning experience as the views, support and knowledge of other participants expanded my knowledge beyond my original learning goals.   

c) Teaching  

Teachers provide an important support structure and can reinforce a leaner’s motivational process by articulating the goals and the reasons for coming together in the first place to begin the learning process (often evident in tools such as a learning contract). Teachers play an important role in ensuring that the technology mediated learning environment has its origins in an educationally sound theoretical basis such as social constructivism and providing engaging and relevant content which supports the learning goals and outcomes.  Teachers also play an important role in modeling a range of behaviours where students can learn by observation and importantly provide support, links to resources and feedback during the learning process. In addition conscious facilitation by teachers within the technology mediated learning environment will help students understand a predictable rhythm about how and when they should participate and help participants learn the norms, roles and expectations of the learning environment.

Came across an interesting SMH article by Jill Serjeant titled “Why the switched on are switching off” which I could totally relate to and it could sum up my experience with ELMT1. Although I have loved every moment of this course I have spent a huge amount of my waking existance on line. 

So as the subject draws to a close I am wondering how much I will scale back my online time.

Saying that I have finally joined Facebook….and have found another new reason to spend more time on line

 ”Soloman Asch (1952 p.261) expressed the complexity of team composition using a chemical analogy:

A substance like water is made up of the elements hydrogen and oxygen and yet has different properties from either constituent. Furthermore, these same molecular constituents when differently organized or structured produces substances with quite different characteristics such as ice, water or steam. Thus in the real sense the compound H20 is not the simple aggregate of its constituents but is crucially affected by their arrangement. So too with human compounds, or groups”  

  (Rutkowski,Saunder,Vogel and Genuchten 2007, p 20)

 So it got me thinking and wanting to know more about Soloman Asch.  I stumbled across a classic YouTube on his experiments on group conformity and how people bow to the pressure of the group. Apart from the fashion, side burns and lack of women it is an interesting study on group think.

Having problems uploading today the rain still playing havoc with very slow internet ….but you can check it out on…

On reflection of yesterday’s group session I was amazed at how quick and painless the process of group work can be if using the principles of collaboration and utlising a “wiki” to its full advantage. Much of our pre-work had been done on the wiki so our F2F get together was really a matter of editing and resolving some issues relating to content choices. 

The above image shows the elements of the group process which when working in harmony can produce some great work and lesson the perceived negatives of university group work. 

Thanks to fellow Ju Jus … Michelle, Prue, Nicole, Mal, Heather and John for a productive  day yesterday and hope to see you on Bling soon  :)  

In Amy Jo Kim’s book “Community Building on the Web” she talks about the various roles  which community participants assume in their journey within the community.  The above picture shows the stepping stones as visitors become novices who in turn become regulars and then can become leaders, experts and then finally elders.

“Shy visitors evolve into confident contributors; eager students become knowledgeable teachers; and novice game players become tournament champions. It’s your job as a community-builder to create an environment that fosters these basic social roles, while meeting the changing needs of your members as they become progressively more involved in community life” (Amy Jo Kim)   

In designing our learning communities we are looking at the roles that people play withing the community and in community building…we havn’t got the answers yet but so far I agree with Wenger (1999) who states that you can define the roles but you cannot design the identities that will be constructed through these roles.  

“A one day seminar with a workshop component designed to get you thinking on your feet and engaging with the latest techniques to build and manage fast growing social networks.

This course is focussed on how business needs can be met by supporting an online social network and is ideal for those with a reasonable grasp of user applications such as blogs, wikis, and tagging – even if you are currently a forum or community leader, you may not have thought of all the insights this course presents on running a community.
Attending LAMP Insight Seminars are a great opportunity for participants to:

• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing social networks
• Explore the emerging opportunities of online media to enrich creative projects
• Evaluate tools and techniques for building online communities
• Stay up to date with the latest cutting edge work in web 2.0, mobile media, advanced TV, games and virtual worlds

• A light lunch is provided “

The link above will direct you to how to apply. Places are limited…..

From a blog by Kathy Sierra called “Passionate – Creating Passionate Users”

There are some great graphs and pics on her blog and lots of relevance for learning theories and tips for desiging and maintaining interest in learning communites. This article focus is on user communities however there is relevance for learning communities….

“Most user communities take a typical path–the newbies ask questions, and a select group of more advanced users answer them. But that’s a slow path to building the community, and it leaves a huge gaping hole in the middle where most users drop out” 

So how do we encourage people not to drop out, to keep being active and support a culture which encourages newbies and supports learning and participation.  Kathy lists the following tips and the creation of “there are no dumb answers policy instead of there are no dumb questions policy”: 

1) Encourage newer users–especially those who’ve been active askers–to start trying to answer questions

One way to help is by making sure that the moderators are not always the Ones Who Know All. Sometimes you have to hold back the experts to give others a chance to step in and give it a try.

2) Give tips on how to answer questions

Post articles and tips on how to answer questions, which also helps people learn to communicate better. You can include tips on how to write articles, teach a tough topic, etc.

3) Tell them it’s OK to guess a little, as long as they ADMIT they’re guessing

4) Adopt a near-zero-tolerance “Be Nice” policy when people answer questions

Don’t allow other participants (especially the more advanced users) to slam anyone’s answer. A lot of technical forums especially are extremely harsh, and have a culture where the regulars say things like, “If you think that, you have no business answering a question. In fact, you have no business even DREAMING about being a programmer. Better keep your paper hat day job, loser.”

5) Teach and encourage the more advanced users (including moderators) how to correct a wrong answer while maintaining the original answerer’s dignity.

And again, zero-tolerance for a**holes. All it takes is one jerk to stop someone from ever trying it again.

6) Re-examine your reward/levels strategy for your community
Is there a clear way for new users to move up the ranks? Are there achievable, meaningful “levels”?

The body of work on communities of practice by Etienne Wenger is starting to make a few ELMT1 students heads spin. Check out Prue’s summaries – a truly brillant  summary which we are all grateful for.

In my research for both ELMT1 and ELMT2 wherever I turn his name pops up again and again……does Wenger ever sleep I wonder? His website is a great resource for e-learning students with links to various papers and reports that you can download – you can find it at  www.ewenger.com.

Does anyone know that song “Jesus is Way Cool”……start humming a few bars while I amuse myself or click on the link if you haven’t heard it

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGz3wO1zxao&feature=related).

“Wenger is way cool. ELMT students liked Wenger. Everybody wanted to hang out with him. Anything he wanted to write, he did.He turned community into practice…..