How to Use Blogs Within Learning Contexts

Before we discuss how to use blogs, did you ever notice that when you talk to people about them, it is amazing how different people have different concepts of what blogs actually are? I think much of this disparity has to do with the context, or what the blog is being used for and who is blogging. Let's take a look at some of the more common definitions...

Merriam-Webster defines a blog as: a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.

Wikipedia defines a blog as "a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on..." (you can read the rest here...)

WhatIs.com probably has the most useful definition: A blog (short for weblog) is a personal online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs are defined by their format: a series of entries posted to a single page in reverse-chronological order. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or reflect the purpose of the Web site that hosts the blog. Topics sometimes include brief philosophical musings, commentary on Internet and other social issues, and links to other sites the author favors, especially those that support a point being made on a post. The author of a blog is often referred to as a blogger. Many blogs syndicate their content to subscribers using RSS, a popular content distribution tool.

In all, I think we can agree that blogs are a Web/Learning 2.0 technology that initially channel journal-like communications from one person to many, usually as text from newest entry to oldest, (syndicated audio or video blogs are types of podcasts and vod-casts), which allow for interaction between the author and its readers regarding the subject matter discussed. So now that we know what blogs and bloggers are and what means to blog, how can we use blogs within a learning context? Well, I guess this has to do with the learning context... What the blog is being used for, who is blogging, and in this case, when best to attach it to the learning event. (Kind-of familiar - right?) Some examples follow:

Sharing Expertise:
In the learning and development field, subject matter experts (SMEs) are highly valued resources, usually with high costs for their time (internal or external) and little of it to share. Those of you who develop courseware for a living know how difficult it can be to secure time with a SME. Face time with a SME can be even more difficult for the average employee, partner, or customer. Blogs allow SMEs to interact on a self-paced schedule on a one-to-many basis. They are an efficient way to share expert power on job-critical topics before, during, and after learning events and in relevant areas of interest. Blogging is highly efficient for the SME while providing the learner with Q&A opportunities based on job context that would be less likely in alternate scenarios.

Instructor Follow-Up:
Instructors can use blogs to extend and dovetail the learning experience beyond traditional class-time and on completely virtual and self-paced basis. Ever have that question for your instructor after the learning event was over? Here is where learners can ask and get their answers. All the benefits of SME interaction apply, but the instructor has the added benefit of directly tying learning curricula to the relevant experiences and responses of her blog readers. Through principles of adult learning, instructor blogs can reinforce learning as relevant reminders that can increase the likelihood that what was learned during the event and reviewed in the blog will be subsequently applied on the job.

Thought Leadership:
Like SMEs, thought-leaders are experts in their areas of proficiency and are highly valued resources with high costs for their time. Unlike SMEs who tend to be more tactical or ground-level in their expertise, thought-leaders are strategic. They are the forward thinking visionaries who see the bigger picture and can typically foresee and convey the consequences of a given set of tactics. They bring credibility and insight into blog communications that can catalyze the thoughts and imaginations of its readers and motivate their actions. Thought leader-blogs are effective when paired with alongside (during) learning events and also as follow-ups to reinforce application on the job.

VIP Interaction:
Very Important Persons (VIPs) bring a widely-known and celebrity-like quality to a blog through their achievements and experiences. They can inspire others based on social learning concepts of modeling and vicarious reinforcement. Because their fans and followers identify and relate to the VIP, learners can be inspired to learn and perform based on a desire to obtain similar success, status, or prominence. VIP interaction blogs are especially effective when introducing new curricula or events, but are also effective for interaction during events.

Peer Interaction:
In a community setting, everyone has something to share and thus the potential to spread his or her wings. Through the act of blogging and providing consistently useful or interesting information, community peers can become the de-facto SME, instructor, thought-leader, or VIP. Anecdotally this supports the reason why blogs are so popular today. Peer-groups tend to identify with ordinary persons who communicate or teach at an extraordinary level about various topics. Through this ‘like-me’ effect – learning through peer interaction can be socially reinforced before, during, and after learning events. Also powerful are peer-level observations from industry-events and conferences, which allow one participant to communicate what is happening or being learned to many, and thus sharing a transfer of knowledge without incurring the cost of sending many to the event.

“Knowledge and human power are synonymous…”
- Sir Francis Bacon -

So… blogs can be useful to support learning – just look at the context. I all depends on what the blog is being used for, who is blogging, and when best to attach it to the learning event.

Millennials

(Adapted from my corporate blog originally published December 11, 2007)

Who are the millennials and do we need to be concerned with their needs? Well, there is lot’s of debate over what started out as Generation Y, or the NetGen, but for the most part, millennials are those born after 1981. They will populate the workforce after their parents, the Baby Boomers, start retiring en masse at about 2011, and they think, learn, and do things differently.

Why do they do things differently? They are wired differently – not through nature but through nurture. While Generation X was raised on TV; the millennials were raised on the Internet with access to information like no population before them. Some say they are spoiled with their sense of entitlement, and some are, but characteristically, they like to be challenged and rise to the occasion. Look at the millennials in the workforce today - unlike some of their Generation X forbearers, millennials tend to get the job done right and done on time. Much like their baby-boom parents who embraced the advances that followed WWII, the millennials are masters of technology who embody the principles of goal setting espoused by Lock and Latham with a bit of bravado. Yeah, they have their own way of doing things, but as a parent who is a baby-boomer, I think they understand the world is different one that’s ripe for the picking.

For those of you who have teenagers 13 and up, watch what they are doing before dinner (or between after-school athletics, karate, dance, heading out with friends, etc.). What do you see them doing when you walk into their rooms at 7 PM? I don’t know about you, but mine have a book open (they are either reading or doing a good job of pretending); they have their TV on (the volume is off at least); they are listening to their iPods (that’s why the volume is off); SMS-texting on their cell phones; their computers are on so they can do homework in Word or on Blackboard; and update Facebook while IM’ing on Yahoo Chat... All at the same time! Oddly enough, they do well in school, one’s in line for a sports scholarship the other an academic one… How the heck do they do that? Those of you with teenagers, does any of this sound familiar? You have probably heard this story before, but the fact that so many convey similar anecdotes lends support to what makes them special.

Their needs are are important because they are the managers and key technicians of the future. From an instructional perspective, we need to map the characteristics and tools of this new learner to the required job-skills and organizational needs of the workplace. Like everyone who came before them, as professionals in learning and development, we need to enable them while managing behavior and performance. We need to design and develop systems and programs that support rapid information gathering and channels of collaboration, through technology. At the same time, we need to create opportunities for knowledge-transfer where the intellectual capital for those who are leaving the workforce can be passed on to the millennials entering. Web 2.0, Learning 2.0, and mobile devices are where we can bridge this gap between the boomers and the millennials.

There’s an old saying my grandfather used to say when I would try something new, “you will get out of it what you put into it…” The millennials seem to have mastered this concept. Not a believer?... I am. Look at some of the millennials entering the workplace now – easier to manage than the GenX’ers that preceded them - and they are bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to conquer. Are we ready? Well, let’s just say we are moving in the right direction. Hey, you are reading a blog aren’t you?

Recommended Articles:
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_consulting_millennialfactsheet_080606.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y
http://www.generationsatwork.com/articles/millenials.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200.shtml

BTW – I strongly recommend the Deloitte article.

Combining Web 2.0 and Learning Collaboration with mLearning

Back in May of 2008, I was interviewed and quoted in Workforce Magazine regarding how we are combining mobile learning with Web/Learning 2.0 collaboration technologies. The bottom line here is that if you want to take advantage of Web 2.0 from your smart-phone, ensure your set up to receive email and that the Web 2.o tool you are using has an email subscription feature. The advantage from a Learning 2.0 perspective is that instructors, coaches, mentors, and room facilitators can all interact in near real-time with their learners through email subscription sent to the mobile device. I am featured in the Support on the go section if you would like to review.

http://www.workforce.com/section/11/feature/25/56/00/index.html

My Response to a Blog on the CLO Magazine Site

CLO magazine recently published on their CLO Blog an article by Lindsay Edmonds Wickman regarding how email after-hours is a no-no. She quotes Tim Sanders from his Email A-Z Blog regarding the perils of sending email after traditional work hours, that it “steals personal time from employees,” and that it “has a direct relationship on turnover.” I have a somewhat different opinion that I posted back. My response follows:

I think Lindsay is discussing some valid observations regarding the world of today's worker and Tim Sanders' Email A-Z Blog provides some useful tips. However, I would suggest that in a highly competitive economy along with the current global market, to expect to receive email from 9-5 in your time zone only is a bit naive.

Also, although Tim Saunders quotes that the after hours email issue "has a direct relationship on turnover,” this merely suggests just that - a relationship and coincidental symptom - not necessarily the root cause for turnover. For example, it's a statistical fact that the rate of ice cream consumption in NYC is positively correlated and strongly related to higher rates of murder in NYC. Does this mean higher rates of ice cream consumption led to higher rates of murder? No, but it suggests a third variable problem - in this case, heat during the summer months that led to both outcomes. Additional research involving quasi experimental design or multiple regression analysis would better get at the root cause of the after hours email issue; my hypothesis would be that it is more likely that job satisfaction, corporate culture, propensity to leave, and or managerial traits led to higher rates of turnover.

Bottom line, as learning leaders we need to be careful when reviewing and interpreting research, especially when it involves correlations and relationships. Despite the implications, and as Lindsay and Tim recommend, using email in the most positive ways possible makes for sound advice.

You may read and reference the article and my response from the link below:
http://www.clomedia.com/clo-blog/2008/September/2370/index.php

What are your thoughts on the issue?

What's in a name?

Son of fire... Where does it come from? It's how my last name, Ateshian, is translated from Armenian to English. Atesh meaning fire, ian meaning "son of." Thus the title of this blog and my nom de plume: Son-of-Fire.

The name is one that suits me as it reflects not only my name, but my passions. It's important to note that some of the blog I will post may originate from research, work, or other blogs I post to at work.

Speaking of work, I believe I have the coolest job in the world because I get to pursue my interests on behalf of my employer. Specifically, I research, test, and pilot learning technologies to support the business of one of the largest IT management software companies in the world. My learners include employees, partners, and customers. These include disruptive technologies that are not only changing today's learning landscape, but the learning landscape for tomorrow.

So expect some interesting dialogue on learning technologies and my other interests. Let's set the landscape on fire...