tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post3458155840291427706..comments2024-03-26T23:23:06.905-07:00Comments on Blogger in Middle-earth: The Elearning ApprenticeBlogger In Middle-earthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722634477041121797noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post-531365326487411392008-10-10T00:21:00.000-07:002008-10-10T00:21:00.000-07:00Very useful post!Very useful post!Geekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584892859485868280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post-54143697092704804312008-10-05T16:50:00.000-07:002008-10-05T16:50:00.000-07:00Tēnā koe Tony!Thank you for that. I deliberated ov...Tēnā koe Tony!<BR/><BR/>Thank you for that. I deliberated over the pitch of this post - the basic level of material in the list. Recent experiences in relating with people who will move into elearning environments kept me from editing out the basic material. It was not an easy decision.<BR/><BR/>Andrea Hernandez's <A HREF="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2008/10/teacher-tech-club.html" REL="nofollow">recent post</A> highlights exactly what we found at TCS. Base knowledge, often forgotten about, can be a catch for new players. That includes the instructors.<BR/><BR/>Ka kiteBlogger In Middle-earthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08722634477041121797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post-18184931201999186162008-10-05T07:05:00.000-07:002008-10-05T07:05:00.000-07:00Fantastic post - really got me to think about some...Fantastic post - really got me to think about some of the base knowledge that I often forget about.Tony Karrerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15408035995182843336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post-11884406325028953292008-10-05T01:43:00.000-07:002008-10-05T01:43:00.000-07:00Kia ora Britt!I concur with what you're saying abo...Kia ora Britt!<BR/><BR/>I concur with what you're saying about late adopters and people who, lets face it, are still just getting to grips with what's relevant about all this technology when used in the workplace.<BR/><BR/>We run regular workshops at TCS, for newbies and those who feel they need a boost. I am heartened to say that they have been very popular - long may they be.<BR/><BR/>It shows me that people <B>DO</B> want to keep abreast of things. Many of these participants are about my age. My kids put me in the O-T-H age-bracket :-)<BR/><BR/>I tell them you're never too young to learn ;-)<BR/><BR/>Ka kiteBlogger In Middle-earthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08722634477041121797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post-56525943151966393382008-10-04T19:34:00.000-07:002008-10-04T19:34:00.000-07:00Tēnā koe Sue.I was a corporate computer trainer fo...Tēnā koe Sue.<BR/><BR/>I was a corporate computer trainer for 5 years when DOS was all the rage. I'm now an elearning coordinator in another corporate environment where Microsoft and the Internet are large as.<BR/><BR/>Albeit a school, my charge is providing for teachers who answer pnones and sit in front of computers all day.<BR/><BR/>I've no doubt that some corporate environments may be vastly different, but the same basic tools will be there in all of them. We are talking about the very basics for First eLearners - or did I misunderstand <A HREF="http://learningcircuits.blogspot.com/2008/10/first-elearning.html" REL="nofollow">Tony's request</A>?<BR/><BR/>My experience in working with instructional designers <I>per se</I> who I've often had to relate to and they likewise with me, is that they could well do with some of what I put in my to-learn-list. How that's administered is another issue :-) <BR/><BR/>'Twas ever thus in training and education.<BR/><BR/>My post, which was put up after much deliberation on putting it up, is not about how these skills are imparted to the apprentice elearner. That would occupy, perhaps, a series of posts with quite a different pitch on the verbiage ;-)<BR/><BR/>This post is an attempt to address the <A HREF="http://learningcircuits.blogspot.com/2008/10/first-elearning.html" REL="nofollow">question that Tony asked</A> on first elearning.<BR/><BR/>I well understand the Catch 22 in education and training. The need for learners to have the skills and knowledge, and where they want to go at a time when they haven't got these, is the lot of the teacher/trainer/educator.<BR/><BR/>I also believe that a deal of responsibility lies with the learner.<BR/><BR/>The adage "You can take a horse to water..." is one I am philosophical about. Experience has taught me, sometimes bitterly, that the last part of the proverb is so true.<BR/><BR/>All the pedagogy, preparation, prescribing, prudence and proselytising that are laid at the feet of the learner can only be picked up by the owner of those feet.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://newmiddle-earth.blogspot.com/2008/07/5-explanations-of-zen-proverb.html" REL="nofollow">When the student is ready, the master appears.</A><BR/><BR/>Ka kiteBlogger In Middle-earthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08722634477041121797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post-2081272166076245022008-10-04T18:31:00.000-07:002008-10-04T18:31:00.000-07:00@Ken I believe corporate training is very differen...@Ken I believe corporate training is very different from the others and more likely to involve instructional designers etc. So more likely to involve people trained in the area. University sector here is more about providing a repository for course material. VET sector here is an extremely variable approach ranging from learning objects through to social software.<BR/><BR/>@Britt Every workshop I discussed WHY one uses that tool or application - how learning is impacted and also good practice. Unfortunately every time newbies threw that out the window. What I noticed was those that had year(s) experience in elearning but were being shown a new tool were instinctively able to apply the good practices to the new tool while the new people couldn't. <BR/><BR/>My belief is we have to accept that up skilling people is a long term process (years) and should include mechanisms to ensure they use the tools to experience the learning themselves. Professional development should support this process.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post-56072358320130074972008-10-04T05:17:00.000-07:002008-10-04T05:17:00.000-07:00Sue raises a great point, but I also see some valu...Sue raises a great point, but I also see some value in tech basics. One of my colleagues yesterday suggested we have a brown bag luncheon on the wonders of right-clicking! We sometimes forget late adopters are not steeped in the tools the way you and I and Sue are. <BR/><BR/>But back to Sue - EVERY mention of a tool should also have a discussion of the WHY one uses that tool or application - how learning is impacted.Britt Watwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487014790973980773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post-14789363603392607282008-10-04T04:39:00.000-07:002008-10-04T04:39:00.000-07:00Kia ora Sue!Certainly advice would be tailored to ...Kia ora Sue!<BR/><BR/>Certainly advice would be tailored to a specific niche - it would be short-sighted not to modify any program in the light of specific needs.<BR/><BR/>I'm not so sure ALL of the 8 would be changed considerably according to the sectors you describe. For instance, the first 4 pre-requisites would not need much altering - remember that this is an introduction that Tony is after.<BR/><BR/>The remaining 4, yes, some modification would be in order according to sector. But the basic intent would be there.<BR/><BR/>You are right with your analogy and I agree wholeheartedly with that. Thing is, with such a broad discipline with the capability to be everywhere dense with technical stuff, where do you start? It becomes chicken and eggish. One might go round in egg shaped loops trying to get a handle on everything and end up scratching in the dirt.<BR/><BR/>The KISS approach in the first instance would go a long way to keeping that focus. In any course, it would be the responsibility of the trainer/instructor to ensure that the necessary levity was given.<BR/><BR/>Keeping on track is always a difficulty with any elearning training. The balance is in judging how much to give and when to pull back.<BR/><BR/>Ka kiteBlogger In Middle-earthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08722634477041121797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2107060758629396184.post-42904992765698650102008-10-04T04:13:00.000-07:002008-10-04T04:13:00.000-07:00I suppose the advice you would give a person will ...I suppose the advice you would give a person will depend on what their job role will be in relation to elearning. I'd assume it would be considerably different in each of the following sectors: corporate elearning; Universities; Vocational education and training; and K12. <BR/><BR/>What I have found with work I've done with educators is new people focus too much on learning how to use the tool and lose sight of the reason why they might use the tool. <BR/><BR/>I like to use the analogy of learning to drive a car. When a person first learns to drive a car they spend all the time watching all the mirrors, stressing about changing gears etc. Unfortunately driving isn't automatic for them and they tend to drive off the side of the road. Educators new to elearning are similar to this. <BR/><BR/>My advice to them would be to keep your eye on the road and focus on the outcome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com