sharing worldwide learning and research: informal, formal, individual and social learning, mobile, learning analytics, MOOC, AI, maker-based learning design... I love it, and combine it
If you have ideas on ensuring continuity in pedagogy when clustering courses (research), on certifying across corporate and university learning (blockchain/bit of trust certification), on opening up industry academies to decrease L&D costs (HR and L&D), ... please think along and respond to the challenges mentioned at the end.
People in high and common places seem to agree that the world is in transition, especially workplace learning, as innovations keep changing what is possible. As I am working on one such an innovation (the skill project of InnoEnergy), I am at the one hand very excited about the new opportunities it might open, yet at the same time concerned that the complexity is bigger than expected.
First: have a look at the demo screencast here. It shows the overall idea, and ... this might immediately give rise to questions.
Today the Business Booster event (TBB) is opened, and with it, the skill project demo is launched. The skillproject (we still need to get a brand name for it), is combining AI and learning for the sustainable energy sector. But in essence, once we get the sustainable energy sector mapped with this tool, others can follow. AI and learning? What does it do: the project identifies industry needs (AI-driven), pinpoints emerging skill gaps in the sustainable energy sector (AI-driven), analysis the existing workforce to know
where urgent skills gaps are situated (AI-driven) and then refers employees to
a personalized learning trajectory addressing their skills gap (part AI, part
human support). The goal of this project is to ensure that employees of the
sustainable energy sector stay futureproof in a quickly changing working
environment. Let's be honest, it sounds cool, but ... the challenges are multiple.
The emergence of a Learning Engine
The skillproject helps realize the emergence of a learning engine, an intelligent career-oriented
engine which knows your own skills and which signposts you to where you want to
go with your career by suggesting a personalized learning track.
In the
Learning Engine you simply type in “goal: become Director of Innovation’s in
offshore wind energy which courses?” and the engine immediately returns a
tailored, personalized learning track consisting of a variety of certified,
business training from both universities, corporate academies, open
educational energy resources and coaching options to send you on your way. This
will allow professional learning to surpass the limits of classical,
university-based learning.
Challenges
In order to get our engine to come up with the best, most-tailored courses, we need access to industry academies, as well as university courses.
Learning-to-Learn capacities. Once we signpost learners to a cluster of courses, they need to take them (the familiar 'take the horse to water' comes to mind). But even if the learners are taking the courses,
Granularity for course clustering: clustering courses to keep on top of your field of expertise is one thing, but then what is the granularity of those courses? Micro-learning is an option, and modular learning will become a clear necessity, as all learners have different existing knowledge, which means they all need different parts in order to upskill what they already know.
Ensuring pedagogical continuity, even OU finds that a challenge. Great, so let's cluster modules. But then, how can we link these modules together, Do we believe in the non-pedagogical support (e.g. hole in the wall from Sugata Mitra already dates back 10 years), or do we need to find a solution to provide pedagogical continuity that fits with this new assembly of short modules, and courses coming from different sources (both university and industry)?
Certification across the learning ecologies: to blockchain or not to blockchain. Once we start learning across institutes, we need to keep track of that what we learn, by keeping tabs on the actual learning: corporate academy learning, university modules, hands-on training, workplace learning... one solution is to embed blockchain in education to keep track of all learning. But this is easier said than done, and open standards and trust might be an issue to consider (bit of trust initiative offers good reading).
Feel free to send questions, comments, share your own projects... let's get together.
On this last day at online educa berlin, these are my notes from the keynote with Cornelia Daheim, John Higgins, Ioannis Angelis on the topic of future and future work(ers).
Work or jobs or employment… paradigm shift in work. We all
earn our living, with a variety of different models, but the classic work
traject of school, job, retirement will be less frequently happening.
Cornelia Daheim
Future of critical future topics, specifically work –
non-profit organisation
About 50% are at risk of being automated, since that oxford
published report people looked at which type of jobs would might disappear.
We have a high possibility that work in the future will be:
we do not have to work. So not in the terminology that we have today.
AI where machines can learn to learn, which affects the face
of work.
Industry4.0, but how will this shift affect knowledge.
There is a chance of 25% of 2050… but we might get into a
new society, where more machines do the jobs, and a such we need to make a new
system.
We need to find a new way of how society can function in the
long run when the model is not based on jobs/income.
We need to start thinking about it.
She looked at predictions of 2030. If there is no a major
breaks (war…) and demographic evolution continues. If we extrapolate these
changes, people might live longer, but this means that you work in a 4
generation team (which is really new). A new way of generations working
together. The same is true for more freelance, project oriented work, more
international… so here are the new forms that come into play. We need to use
new terminology for this new era.
The studies show us that there is a possibility for radical
change, but even if we simply extrapolate we already get multiple challenges.
What are the new skills needed
John Higgins
Discovered that in 1831 (Peel) he mused that we might prefer
that brittain stays a country of cotton fields, but we will be a land of cotton
mills. This is representative for current age, one of the interesting pieces of
data: cognitive robotics, AI, but also basic connected things (internet of
things)… wave of new technologies, and looking at EU adoption of these
technologies, only a limited amount of companies (50%) is picking this up.
It seems to me that the pressure is on to start using all
these tools to move with the drive pushed by technology.
He does not buy the idea of hollowing out jobs. There is an
interesting piece of McKinsey report that all jobs will need to be able to use
parts of these technologies, and will be improved by these sort of jobs. (eg;
exo-skeletons to carry objects and/or people – nursing, car assembly)
What sort of skills are companies looking for: three main
one’s:
Analytical data driven reasoning: identify different sources
of information, and be analytical about them (numerical mostly, draw
conclusions from big data)
Not following processes, but understanding the goal of an
organisation (details change too quickly, so goal-oriented thinking is
preferred). Curation: how to filter out
the massive information you get.
Working in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams: using
modern collaborative tools. Eg. The 5 why’s model.
What sort of skills are we going to need? New jobs will
appear, so there are changing hard and soft skills that will be needed.
Ioannis Angelis
Our predictions about the future fail frequently as they are
built from the presence.
The workplace of the future is significant in this debate.
There will be multiple spaces that will offer learning and working spaces. But
this means that the virtual reality office will give an immersive experience,
which will give us a real feeling of reality. But how will this affect work.
Paradoxical trend that done is better than perfect (in terms
of work), so how can technology be used to point people in the right direction.
Digital transformation: two ICT people led the debate:
somewhere in that discussion was a topic: we cannot speed innovation down.
There are risks: it might endanger us by addiction, tension, virality of data…
Nomad society sees themselves as workers in the future, they
can work for anyone anywhere at any time.
We all need to take ownership of our own learning.
Creative adjustment: people will continue to look for the
meaning of life, but they will use their own creativity.
We want to be competent and skilful.
Missing in a lot of skill discussions: we all need to be
change makers (not project management, but in terms of how we influence
humanity). We need to focus on humanity.
Dealing with change is an attitude.
In order to become the worker of your dreams, we all need to
slow down.
At the agora, if we take this to the future, the slaves can
be replaced by the robots (which to me might sound as some people will not be
in society anymore).
Aren’t we as workers obstructing the technological drive, as
we are unable to change that rapidly? Big systems are extremely slow, but
people get happier if they can self-adapt their learning/working.
People resist or adapt to change, which is delivering a
balance, but it affects the speed of change or the take up of new options.
(inge note: uptake of mobile use).
My ultimate scientific breakthrough dream would be the Qualified Self in the analogy of the Quantified Self. The Qualified Self as a state of being, enabling to be a more qualified human. All the gathered data would gather data on: emotions, creativity, understanding, progress, personal character... data and characteristics that occur in most humans from all areas and backgrounds. And with Utopia on my mind, I would love to become a member of the Qualified Self movement, if this is a movement build on accepting the differences that we all have. It is a natural thing, each of our brains has neurons connected in different ways, nevertheless we all have emotions and maybe once the Qualified Self movement is at full speed and development, we - humanity - will realize we are all just the same as we are all different, and that is a good thing. War would end, conviviality will be natural, equality in difference will be achieved for all genders, races, and abilities. And while achieving this, we will have learned from each other, from the qualified data that will be available and from the actions we must all undertake in order to reach all the benefits coming out of the qualified data and establish a society that is prosperous.
Maybe this sounds a tiny bit unrealistic, but hey, it might happen! So here is my plan!
Quantified self as a starting point
So I am looking at what is available (quantified self), and build upon this to start the qualified self option.
With Big Data pushing its way into every niche of society, one of the more individually lived experience with big data is the Quantified Self (QS). The quantified self movement is a movement to incorporate technology into data acquisition on aspects of a person's daily life in terms of inputs (e.g. food consumed, quality of surrounding air), states (e.g. mood, arousal, blood oxygen levels), and performance (mental and physical). Such self-monitoring and self-sensing, which combines wearable sensors (EEG, ECG, video, etc.) and wearable computing, is also known as lifelogging (Wikipedia, 2014). The quantified self movement proclaims that the data will ensure a better (physical) world for everyone. Who knows, the ideas and hopes of the Quantified Self will be realized: better health for all (e.g. Ari Meisel who learned how to control his Crohn's disease through the use of data), a better sleeping pattern for all (for those interested in tools look at this list, or the tools provided on the QS website (one section is on mood)), or in general getting a better understanding of the human physical body and world. But at the end of the day it is just quantity, it is not about Quality and to me
My quantified life as a diabetic
As I am a diabetic type 1 (insulin dependent) I have a bit of experience with logging some part of my physical being. With an average of measuring my blood sugar 6 times a day, I track my blood glucose. I did use a continued glucose meter (CGM) in the past, and the constant, live streaming detail surely made my life easier keeping track and understanding the impact of various food intakes. But as the CGM was quite expensive, I switched back to strips and blood sampling to keep on top of my blood-sugar levels. Does this measuring improve my life? Yes, it surely does. And this results in a better quality of life as well, but ... measuring physical data only goes so far. I am more than my body, I am mind. So I want to understand more.
Shifting from quantity to quality
There is also an interesting development based on statistics coming from the Quantified Self embedded in the professional workspace. One such example is Fitbit data, a Japanese experiment to map workplace relationships (professional relationships that is) by providing pedometers to workers and analysing the data coming from those pedometers.
And although efficiency sounds wonderful, it does not necessarily align with the thought of life's quality. And it is that quality of life I am interested in. For let's be honest, if technology keeps moving forward, automation will take over most jobs as accounted by many articles and experts, and in the end we - as a society - will have to rethink work, financial transaction, leisure time and getting
Setting up first trial for qualified or qualtified self instrument for measuring learning
So the first step I want to take to make use of the technology for a more qualified self improvement, is to build a mobile research instrument that measures learning. I need it, as I am investigating all the factors that influence self-directed learning in MOOCs for learners using multiple devices and engaged in individual/collaborative learning. I hope to come up with a mobile app that will make it easier for the learners to share their learning track and ... keep track. I know there are personal learning lockers out there, but still I want to see what I can come up with, ideally something so simple it becomes beautiful (quality yes).
Stephen Downes added a more appropriate word for the instrument: the qualtified self. I can see this as a next step between quantified self and qualified self, and due to the human difficulty to surpass the wish/need/capacity for metrics instead of matrix.
A critical lens on the quantified self
After doing some initial exploring, I stumbled upon an article with solid critique on the challenges of the qualified self as it is designed now. The article was "A dream of a feminist data future", a great essay written by Amelia Abreu in whch she puts wonderful, intelligent questionmarks on each step of the quantified self movement saying that Women’s lives have been subjected to quantification for decades, and how this is not always for the good of womankind. Amelia takes the reader through history of data handling (mostly a women's job at first) and puts an important factor into the equation (also raised in software development): "The Quantified Self movement searches for universal points and scores and payoffs, but doesn't acknowledge the systems behind how those are valued, who chooses them, what they mean, and who they leave out -- often the already overlooked and marginalized, like caregivers and other low-wage workers."
Amelia concludes with the question whether "we can ever reach a point where sensor technology and data-mining can be accessible and successful, flexible enough to be genuinely empowering, allowing users to control their own narratives".
So Amelia's article provides me with an additional point of interest. Will try to honor it and find an empowering angle to my app, at least it will be used to track learning, which to me is part of anyone empowering themselves. As always ideas are welcomed and joining hands are appreciated.
If you have any ideas on what should be researched asap to enhance mobile learning, share it and I will put it before an international mobile learning group and send the feedback back to us all so we can build upon it.
20 – 21 May 2010 I will be presenting in the 2nd Annual ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) S&T Workshop which will focus on Mobile Learning. You can follow ADLnet (the people that came up with SCORM) via ADLnet twitter, they give free webinars on instructional design topics. It is a true honor to be asked to speak, as there will be an International panel of mLearning specialists discussing the future challenges of mobile learning. I was asked to speak in the European panel, and I am currently preparing my 10 minute (aiming at engaging so thinking openness and creativity) presentation. As it will be a workshop, most of it will be dynamic exchange of ideas. The outcomes of this two day workshop will be helpful for any mobile oriented learner/provider/researcher, as it will try and map what the future challenges will be for mlearning, and which mLearning topics should be researched. So if you know of, or are blocked by a difficult mobile learning issue, let me know, I will take it along and send you feedback.
Topics that will be covered during the workshop: augmented learning, connecting mobiles to learning management systems, what mobile projects are currently developed successfully all around the world, successes and lessons learned… It will be a brainy blast of ideas! It is also stimulating, as the format asks you to really analyze what the mobile project(s) lacked, or why it worked ... no blah, just the facts and down to earth analysis to be able to extrapolate into the future.
To think ahead and envision the future is what really stimulates me. So I wondered what could make me come up with ideas that are new or building on what is there, with true affordances for the mobile world? This is what triggered me to start carrying an ‘Ingenious Mobile Universe device’ (IMU-device). Basically I imagine I have an implant, and I move around in an unknown part of the world, surrounded by unknown people, that speak an unknown language and I must discover who is with me and who is against me (in the quest to find world peace). Now it is of course a play, but it is the sort of play that got Jeff Hawkins onto the Palm Pilot which capabilities got designed based on Jeff walking around with a block of wood that symbolized the mobile device so he could feel what would be good to add to this block of wood (thanks Clark Quinn for the anecdote).
Walking around with the IMU-device is not only tech-oriented, I also include the ideas that pop-up when thinking about mobile capacity and human brain necessity as I walk along. This might seem weird, but let’s be honest, all the other speakers are sooo well informed, I have to go for the wild imagination to be able to put forward different ideas that envision the future.
If any of you have encountered a mobile challenge or if you are struggling with one right now, let me know. I will put it before the joined specialists and I will give you feedback on it. Let’s get our minds together.
What I came up with so far:
mobile standardization (so mobile learners can access any content with any device),
easier scripting languages to enable augmented learning via a mobile device (without too much programming knowledge, ideally based on the modular approach),
recognition of people (like google goggles but with people, that would be great for me as I have a slight default in my facial recognition system).
Any other ideas out there?
Why was I asked to speak in this wonderful mix of participants? Because of the iPhone/Moodle project (which is currently in its next stage: the cleaning up of the code = a challenge which my developer friends are working on in collaboration with wonderful php programmers from all around the Moodle world). This project was picked up by mobile learning guru Judy Brown.
BTW: mid May I start a conference/workshop/training rally that might take me to a place near you (London in UK, Lusaka in Zambia, Tromso in Norway, San Diego in US and Bangalore in India… after that I will go on holiday in France looking at ancient roman buildings and settlements). If by any chance you happen to live or work in one of these areas and you feel like meeting up, do not hesitate to drop me a line.
Formal education does not lead up to much for a big portion of its content. After leaving school (university, high school…) the learners often lack the skills to truly be prepared for the working world. There are many hypotheses on why that is actually the case. My hypothesis is: some people feel that formal education shackles them, and a lot of the time this happens to learners from less fortunate classes, as they do not see or learn the benefits from higher education, nor its unspoken rules and social interactions. So what do learners do that feel shackled by formal education? Those types of people will either rebel (get out, start for themselves), or get numb (becoming machines of society, obeying whatever they are asked to do on the professional floor).
I got out.
Downward spiral So I paid for it, due to my lack of knowledge on how to get sorted in life. For years I did rather numbing jobs. I compensated these jobs by putting them on hold each time I earned enough money. Unfortunately if one is ill equipped for life, one risks to get in a downward spiral and … I did. At a certain point – well in my twenties – I had nothing: no house, no passport, no work, no nothing (well, I did have one bag with around 12 books and some clothes). In that time I slept on the street and in squatted houses, some of them clean, some of them so filthy it looked as if I was living in a Zoo of rodents and piles of shit (no euphemism). I did not know any better, and such conditions creep up on you (see the wonderful movie Nobody Knows from Koreeda. I did not think I was worth anything back then.
One person makes a difference After yet another police raid and yet another friend hanging herself from a banister out of sheer despair, this lifestyle got to me. Luckily a friend gave me an option to get back on track with all the bureaucratic paperwork (he made me a deal: work three months for free as a trial, if I did this, he would provide me a job and help out with all the necessary bureaucratic stuff (yes, one person can make a difference, I know that thanks to him, thx Patrick). After working harder than I ever did for one year (all hours of the day and night, at least 6 days a week) eventually my paperwork was back in order and I rented a small home. My grandfather (72 by then) gave me my first furniture: a rug, a sleeping couch, a small table and two chairs. He even came over (2 hours drive each day) to paint my house and get it fixed. I did not think much of it then, but I know now that such kind gestures make a huge difference.
Discovering I could think Once that year was over, I quite my job and went back to school. I studied to be a administrative sales secretary (after cleaning and waiting tables, this was a big deal). This time round I did not quit education, but once the course finished I knew I was not fit to be a secretary, I was – and still am – rather disorganized when it comes to paperwork, and my mind needs to act not react. So, I realized that I needed to look for something different: a job that would suite my sometimes rebellious mind and that would frighten off most people from even considering to apply for the job. What better job to choose than a very chaotically described job in a feminist equal opportunities organization? It worked, they choose me to do the job because nobody else wanted it: bad hours, low pay, and quite a bunch of tough thinking women discussing political issues.
Why critical political organizations can make you better In that environment I really learned a lot: how to organize events, how to lobby with politicians, the importance of a network, how to look at society through your own critical mind, how to rally for human rights, how to change laws to better fit the need of the few (or many). Although I started out as a secretary, I moved on to be a staff member getting funds, writing articles… But I wanted to learn more and get better, so I got myself enrolled in a post-graduate course (feminist theories and media). I got accepted thanks to the willingness and open-mindedness of one professor, allowing me to enter although I had no formal degree. Again, my learning was enabled by an individual, not an institution. I followed the course successfully on top of my work. It felt good, and I could apply what I learned immediately in my job. It felt like authentic learning and… it was given as an online course, which intrigued me.
The start of the eLearning concept At that time I also started with giving lessons on how to use electronic devices and services. As most of the members of the organization were working on a voluntary basis, I started providing feedback and updates through mail… hence I rolled into eLearning without giving it the ‘proper’ name. Because I learned all these new things just by doing stuff, just by being immersed in a group of very intelligent and engaged people, I suddenly realized that my mind just might be capable of more. So I quit my job and went back to school once again (now well in my thirties).
Never accept a ‘no’ that restricts you from accomplishing your personal growth It was not easy to get into education. I wanted to learn more about eLearning, and the only thing I could find related to that topic was IT/web design. Unfortunately, educational institutions do not allow maverick learners easily. I was an administrative sales secretary with a post-graduate in feminist theory… it just did not sound comfortable to them. So I turned to my network, and another friend. He told me I could make a chance if I was willing to take an IQ-test, showing that my mind was on the same level as alumni from universities (this might sound strange, but there was indeed this one IT course organized for technical graduates that could be entered that way). So I took the test and I got in. I started the IT course and found myself between engineers and all sorts of technical graduates that wanted to specialize themselves in one particular field (you could choose between programming, network skills, and web design). I was again the odd one out, but by then I knew that role would fit me well. I was given a wild card and I was more than eager to use it to its full potential.
Against the odds It was a tough time. The courses were very difficult as I did not have the technical background, so I was learning all the basics at home, while trying to keep up with the more advanced course during the day. I fell back on well-fare, which really challenges your financial creativity, luckily I knew what to do thanks to my past. When I looked at my learning colleagues, I was well aware that I was not the best of them technically, but I did stand out in the combination of technical and human skills. So they were technically better equipped, they were sure about themselves. I struggled through it. By the time the course almost ended, I knew that IF I wanted to make a chance in getting a new job aged 38, I needed to aim at the odd job out once again. I found it in a strange profile description, with loads of demands that were both soft and hard skills, and which required working with different cultures, speaking different languages, it was entitled 'webmaster for eLearning platform'. I got in, again for the same reasons: the other people were bailing out as the job talks progressed, the job just seemed too undefined for them. By that time I knew I could let any odd job fit my strengths: so I observed what was there, what was lacking, I got to know all the people involved, and I learned whatever I thought would allow me to construct this job to one that was both challenging and possibly lift the institutional eLearning to another level. I choose a specialty (mLearning), read up on it, and started researching it. By now I also knew the strength of sharing knowledge: so I put everything I learned out there for anyone who might be interested.
But where do I go from here? Have any ideas? For me informal learning in addition to high contact immersion with knowledgeable people, access to courses of choice, and opting for wild cards really made and makes a difference in my learning life. For sure, at every stage most of the people said I did not make a chance. But I never had a chance for years, so I knew never to listen to negative vibes, they just do not see what you know is inside of you. The great thing is, now, I still want more. Where formal education could not charm me in my teen years, I am now looking to learn more, know more, get better! So a year ago I started a master in DE. For I know that with this formal course, my mind will certainly see a path to informal learning that will lift me higher, and that will lift my professional work as well.
I am nearing my thesis route, so I am pondering about possible topics. If you have any wild card topics that you would like to see researched, let me know. I want to go for a wild card thesis for the same reasons I had in the past: the wild card does it for me.
Feel free to share your learning story, are there more of us wild cards out there?
To finish a song that has inspired me on many occasions: Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The revolution will not be televised’ (an early version of 1970)
In the Big Question launched by Tony Karrer this month, he wonders how do we keep up? Posting a great central sub-question: isn't this an ever-expanding universe of tech goodies? Will we be forced to chase hot tools and social platforms to stay competitive? How the heck are we supposed to stay up to speed on all the latest stuff and be successful using it personally and professionally?
This is a question I pose myself every week. The amount of technological advances that are launched is staggering and numbing at times. It is sometimes numbing, because I feel stupid and behind when following all these new apps and innovations. And taking all these new innovations into account, how can I successfully implement them for learning purposes? The more extreme these innovations seem, the more I feel out of touch with it, and the more estranged I become.
To reduce this uneasy feeling, I use 5 strategies to keep up:
Strategy 1: true innovation through collaboration and trust The last new development that blew my mind was a lens equipped with nanotechnology that enabled augmented reality. Just imagine that you put in a lens and you can immediately see the information you need to make full use of the knowledge you have or want to obtain? Within a near future relevant data can be superimposed on the visual perception of the person wearing the lens. This has great potential for surgeons, engineers, ... but also for students, for educators as this takes learning, and specifically authentic learning to a complete new level (without too much of an intrusion). This technology will allow professionals to have the latest updated information on e.g. their patient, or the surgery they are performing, or the history of a place you are standing in, or the evolution of a certain aspect of architecture...
Now on a completely different scale: while writing this I realized I just got a new technology out as well thanks to a wonderful team (the iphone, android - and by now multiple phones - to Moodle project). So sometimes, even simple, ordinary educational people such as me can add their two cents to new developments? This made me wonder on what it was that enabled the innovation. I wrote about the little steps we took to get to an educational innovation earlier, but the most important one was: collaboration and trust.
There is no longer - was there ever? - one person making an amazing innovation. Nowadays there is always a complete team behind an innovation, and most of the time it is an multidisciplinary team. To keep up with innovations that might have educational potential, I connect to people I trust and admire. So, one of my key keeping up strategies is to construct my own trusted knowledge team, assembled from different disciplines.
Now this latest one always brings me back to earth and feeds my creativity. Afrigadget recycles, finds amazing solutions for priority needs, and gets the mind going. For instance this wonderful African robot made from spare parts of television sets (that is something more than lego’s mindstorm).
Technology is not all about miniaturization (like nanotechnology), it is about using what is there and improving to fit the needs of your setting or goal.
Strategy 3: keep the focus on my own educational challenges Keeping a broad perspective is good, but for deepening my knowledge on certain innovations, I need to filter what is out there. Picking up what might solve an educational problem I encounter or focusing on what I can use and what might be helpful for future problems (it is always good to be proactive in any professional branch), helps me to overcome possible educational challenges.
Strategy 4: tuning out, allow my brain some time alone Another important one is simply tuning out. Let all the information that I absorbed become structured in my head and simply wait for it to be processed. This might sound strange, but I feel that my mind knows better than me at times. It knows how to arrange all the information and turn it into something useful. But it only does this when I let it have its ‘playtime’. During that time I chop wood, rearrange my garage, dig holes in my garden… do all sorts of things that do not include using my professional thinking mind/brain. I trust my brain to come up with great ideas, I know it feels very happy when it can do so.
Strategy 5: reflect, write and share And last but not least: feeding it all back to you! There is no network to get anything from, unless you give. And let’s face it: giving simply feels good also. Reflecting on newly obtained knowledge, and writing about it gives structure to all the new ideas. It might also safe others time in finding solutions for their challenges, or others can help fine tune it.
So in short how do I keep up?
Getting and giving to a network of people that I trust and are knowledgeable;
Staying on top through tech-zines;
Balance my curiosity for new innovations, with my focus on new educational needs that need to be tackled.
Tuning out from time to time.
Sharing the new found knowledge.
By the way @TonyKarrer, I will be heading your way in June, attending the mLearncon2010 in San Diego from 15 - 17 June 2010.
What a couple of weeks! Combining formal learning, with speaking at conferences, informal learning and a full time job is just not my idea of great time management. Nevertheless I did order my own agenda, so I can only blame myself for cramping it in such a way that I had to give up blogposting just to keep my mind sane. Barcelona and Bremen were inspiring though.
But I must admit I learned an enormous amount of new stuff, which I will gladly share with you the upcoming weeks. The main topics will be on mobile learning, informal learning, mixed reality, learning theory and new stuff that is worth checking out.
First off: informal learning in everyday practice! Everytime I meet people that are more of the formal learning kind, I get questioned on the benefits of informal learning. They either laugh at the concept (worthwhile learning can hardly be called informal) or the expected result (informal learning is done by kids, yes, but as a grown up we exceed the educational needs of kids. Informal learning just does not give me the specialist edge I need) and so on. I am sure – like many of you - that informal learning builds careers, keeps a knowledge learner on top of her/his field and will result in more visionary ideas and minds than formal learning would. So I decided that I would make a list of informal learning stuff. A set of posts related to informal learning that everyone is more or less familiar with; starting from simple stuff everyone does, up into what only of few of us do and which work well (or at least for most of the time). Starting of with the one we all know: getting to know a city or new area of the world. You have two choices to explore a new area: formally (you follow a guide) and informally (you rely on people you meet in the street, your own street smarts and your brain). The latter is my preferred travelling method.
Let me call all the immigrants, wanderers and casual visitors of all the cities in the world the new nomads. And as new nomads most of us fall back on informal learning to assimilate and explore the new region we visit or start to live in.
Preparatory work I am not the bravest of nomads. In fact my friends know I am a neurotic - yet ever curious - traveler. Although I will look up certain details in advance of any mission abroad (google, listening to peers about their encounters in that area …, gathering information adlib); I cannot help but feel an urge to go out and explore it on my own. Basically I will obtain a city map, yet feel too much like the perfect well-oriented city pigeon to use it. I have this idea that if I only glimpse at a map, my memory will guide me across the mazes of any town without any problem (ahum). Who told me how to read a map, I wonder?
Understanding the bigger picture The architecture of any city is the framework for understanding its atmosphere, priorities and sense of direction. New nomads get around by assimilating buildings and marketing boards or remarkable strangeness that sticks to the mind (at least I do). If you are in a part of the city were there are a lot of suits marching up-beat, you know you strolled right into the business part of town. If the houses and streets get smaller you might be in a artistic area or – when bottles fly around your ears and people ask for hand outs - chances are you wondered off in a less economically strong part of town. As a new nomad you know these areas and you know why you visit them at different parts of the day or during your stay. For instance, in Barcelona they hang curtains outside on their balcony and not inside the house before the windows as most of my neighbours do in Ghent, Belgium. This makes good sense as it is hotter and by including your balcony you keep the outside air flowing in your house and you increase your living room size.
Building my own translations Urban planning is the big picture, the hardware, but on a second level you learn about the language that accompanies the architecture. Although more and more regions start to look similar (the down part of globalization), every city does have its own icons and symbols. If you are a lucky nomad, you can read the language that accompanies these symbols. If you are not familiar with the language, the challenge will grow. But with or without language, symbols and icons will guide you wherever you go in a city or what you might expect. This bus stop sign in Bremen for instance resembles the hospital icon in Antwerp (accept for the colours).
Why would you choose to explore a city informally? Because
you will find parts of the city that matter to your interest;
you will have to talk to natives;
you are human and being lost and finding stuff makes life exciting;
you want to use your brain actively and not just follow a sticking-up talking umbrella;
visiting a city is not about seeing what needs to be seen, but knowing what the city is all about
and of course any reason you have encountered that added to the experience of visiting a new area ...
Anyone have ideas on informal learning in everyday practice?
Do you remember the time that you were trying to cope with geometry? I remember my encounter with squares and formulas and well, I was not to enthusiastic about it. But now there is geometry fun coming right to your screen!
Emre Sevinc (who has an astonishing knowledge on eLearning, IT architecture and cognitive sciences amongst others) got me on this great movie which features geometrical characters that speak with the voices from famous actors.
Let me paste the synopsis of the story: "Flatland: The Movie is an animated film inspired by Edwin A. Abbott's classic novel, Flatland. Set in a world of only two dimensions inhabited by sentient geometrical shapes, the story follows Arthur Square and his ever-curious granddaughter Hex. When a mysterious visitor arrives from Spaceland, Arthur and Hex must come to terms with the truth of the third dimension, risking dire consequences from the evil Circles that have ruled Flatland for a thousand years."
Does not this look like great fun! And look at the trailor, its simply motivating. And the movie is part of an educational dvd also. Sometimes I wish I was a kid in this age.
Another movie that made my day yesterday (watched it on my mobile while commuting) is 'the history of computers' made in the 20th century, it still gave me great new insights in the computer evolution (new names, economic factors).
What if the abundance knowledge out there is getting to you? Are there quick actions that you – as a learner and eLearning professional – can use to get motivated again? You will have to think outside the box.
This blogpost from Lisa Neal started me thinking and by Jove, I think I can add some quick motivational tips. Jay Cross commented on that post with a small nudge, so … here is my 2p worth:
Find white ravens: start interviewing people that are eLearning professionals. Do not interview the ones that are already known, dig up people whose voice is not spread wide and all across the internet. They know how to think outside the box. Keep the interviews limited in time and think about solid questions that will benefit you.
Put your speciality out there: what is your speciality? Share your speciality with others and ask them to tell you yours. Social networks do not dig into specialities, find your knowledge star and get it out there to be discussed or shared. Why not suggest people you are willing to give an interview or a course on this specific topic through an online seminar?
Find a frank test group: get your best eLearning project and deliver it to a set of people that you have not worked with, but that are a bit similar to your target population. Make sure – and this is very important – that they do not have any connection with you. Ask them for feedback, they will be frank and non-apologetic for any ill-design in your online course.
Ask feedback from kids: take an online course you develop and present it to a 12 year old. It does not matter that the content is too difficult, they will ask relevant questions related to the design. I use my sister from time to time, she radically pinpoints weaknesses and gives amazing solutions. She is a digital native just like a lot of other kids (you will have to do something fun afterwards to keep them motivated).
Get a game going within your team or with other eLearning colleagues: the most abstracts accepted, the quickest one to get an article published from the word ‘go’, the longest list in an eLearning brainstorming sessions wins…
Well, I hope this short list will get your minds rolling as well.
Profile - Flash developer: knowledge of ActionScript 2.0 is a must, knowledge of ActionScript 3.0 is a plus; - Basic knowledge of graphical design is a must; - Knowledge of instructional design is a plus; - Knowledge of 3D animations is a plus; - Good knowledge French (verbally and written) is a requirement; - Good knowledge English is a plus; - Inquisitive and a quick learner; - Good at structuring your own work load in an independent way so in the end the goals of the team are reached; - Passionate about new web technologies; - Interested in eLearning.
Function - developing eLearning courses, focussing on flash components; - support the design of generic Flash applications for all departments; - backup for the system administrator in Blackboard (or future LMS); - reinforce of the graphics department; - full time.
What we offer: A nice working environment in which both employees and employers look for a balance between independent work and team consultation to jointly reach the set goals. A team that knows the importance of freedom to keep up to date with new technologies. As a flash developer the expansion of your knowledge is ensured by the challenges that are presented to you from a research and educational point of view.
Deadline for submissions is not set yet but will be somewhere in the middle of January 2008.
Yesterday the eLearning Guild came with their latest report on salary and compensations. This got me thinking. My salary is 25% less then the ones in Canada (taxes not deducted) for similar responsibilities and experience. A mind starts wondering... of course people that give out their salary in a public yet anonymous place will probably be exaggerating a bit, but still there is a significant difference.
Now I wonder if this difference in salary is a difference in appreciation for eLearning per country itself, or if it is an immediate result of differences in living costs ... Work is not everything, of course the freedom to explore and learn comes into the new world equation. For me freedom to learn and explore new areas is the most important factor in deciding on a job or not.
So should I ask for a raise with this report in mind?
Karyn Romeis just send me one of the best soothing ideas concerning work and expertise: "we now live in an age where nothing stands still long enough for a person to become expert in it before it has become obsolete!"
This is what I call a great idea, it takes away the pressure and gives free reign to feeling comfortable in ones work place, time and intensity.
Still reading Ricardo Semler's 'Seven Day Weekend', I think I was born into some of his ideas.
