eLearning - The Fast and The Furious

You Must First Seek to Understand

There were but a few who answered the question about content and where it should reside. I think we need a better understanding of the reasons behind each tool as well as their pros and cons before we feel confident enough to make an "educated" guess. Let's start there -- first seek to understand (at least better than I do), then further the discussions about wikis and blogs as though we are people who understand. Seems reasonable . . . .

All for One . . .

After briefly reviewing the RSS feeds of my colleagues, it seemed that the majority of us decided to comment on how to form teams. Thankfully, we seemed to be in agreement that small, diversely rich teams are the way to go. For my full post on forming teams, please see, "A Rich Mix of Ideas".

Review of Week 1

WOW! Where do I start?!? In the midst of trying to climb my steep learning curve with a new job, I decide it's great timing to also take this fascinating "sounding" course. Yikes!

After missing the informational part of the first meeting because Elluminate didn't agree with my system, I decided, at 1:30 Sunday morning (when I finally had a moment), after my guests had left, to listen to the meeting recording and figure out my first assignment. With a class estimate of 3-5 hours per week, I figured I'd have plenty of time to complete the assignemnt before the kids were awake to hunt eggs. Well, the recording kicked me out as well so I had no idea what was actually said during the meeting, after intros. Whether or not anything relevant was discussed during the first meeting, this left me feeling rather lost. So, I printed the week one assignment list and went to task. Starting a little after 2:00, I worked through the morning until 7:30 when my last post was lost during the save process. It was time for a shower. By 8:00, I was refreshed, finished my last post, again, was extremely relieved that I lived through the process and went hunting for eggs.

So, you ask, what went well. Hmmm, the only part I think went well is that I actually have a blog that seems to work. Although I'm typically independent and enjoy a challenge, this one seemed a bit much. Not wanting to push blame though, I'm sure my lack of time to complete the project, along with the stress of needing things "perfect" for the holiday, surely contributed to my not-so-positive-feelings of my overall ability to contribute.

Now, what could have gone better . . . I spent a great amount of time looking for the bloody wiki password. Not sure if I missed it somewhere, but everything that alluded to it said "(provided elsewhere)". Where is that "elsewhere"?! Finally, out of desperation, I guessed, and thankfully, guessed correctly. Between that and searching for substantiative information, I felt as if I was going in circles, and that which I was chasing was probably sitting on a higher branch just mocking me.

All in all, this has been a good learning experience. It is great to learn what it takes to create a blog and what it would take to maintain it. It's not as cut and dry as I had anticipated and this class will definitely help me make more informed decisions as I continue to consult on what our future routes should be for e-learning.

My husband asked what I learned and I simply said, "I'm back in college, working three jobs and barely making it by the skin of my teeth". He understood completely and continued filming the kids on their much-more-productive (and gratifying) search.

A Rich Mix of Ideas

When we bring together global teams, sparks of innovation flash at every turn. My company's accelerated development programs pride themselves on bringing our high potential employees together to work in small project teams consisting of cross-regional/cross-functional leaders. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive for the experience and exposure.

It seems the more diversity infused into a project, the better "out of the box" thinking occurs. If innovation is key, as with e-learning, then working with people from every aspect of the learning chain would, in my opinion, help to create a better development product.

As you can read in many articles, such as "Whirlpool Corporation Today . . . Building Customer Loyalty Worldwide", companies are turning to cross-regional teams to ensure they have their finger on the global pulse. In one blog, "Speaking of Change", the author, "ckg", explains how silos negatively affect an enterprise because "the organization disintegrates into a group of isolated camps, with little incentive to collaborate, share information, or team up to pursue critical outcomes." We must focus on ensuring collaboration and innovation thrive in all of our projects.

Best Jobs in America -- Not Your Parents' List Anymore!

As I read Dr. Tony Karrer's article, "Best Jobs in America - Time to call your parents", I pondered how many of us have moved on from one of the jobs listed in Money Magazine's article, the Best Jobs in America, to something not readily recognized. At least once per week, I field the question, "So what do you do?". And my hesitant reply is typically, "I'm an e-learning consultant". Oddly enough, 9 out of 10 people ask what that means.

To those of us in the e-learning field, this is HOT stuff. But to those outside our world, it's still an intangible. How do you convince people, especially parents, who barely know how a computer works, that your profession is worthwhile and not some fly-by-night scheme? I'm open to suggestions. Parents want their kids to grow up and have "solid" jobs, like a doctor or lawyer. Since I got my degree in Psych, my Dad has wondered about my sanity -- then I told him I'm working in the L&D group in HR . . . he's lost all hope.