Journey to a Focused Career

Happy New Year!

I started this blog last year in one of my graduate courses for ISD (Instructional Systems Development).  At the time, I named it “Journey to a New Career” appropriately, at the time.  What I have come to realize is that I am not starting over, but re-focusing.  I am officially re-naming my blog to fit this new perspective.

Am I learning about a new field?  Yes.  Am I learning new skills and theories?  Yes.  Will I be looking for a new job?  Most likely.   But, it is not a new career.  And, let me tell you, my shoulders feel lighter now that I recognize this!  What I realize is that my career path is not changing roads, but taking a different direction.  Above all the wonderful things I am learning in my program, I am learning that my operations and logistics experiences will only make me a better ISD specialist.  As I learn the current challenges and goals for the training and development field, I am able to use my business perspective to think through practical solutions.

It is reassuring to know that I have spent the last fifteen years building up to what I will do next.  I am thrilled to jump into training, development and education a little more and I know that I can also bring the skills that I have gained that will allow me to step back and see the big picture for the organization.  Not only do I understand the need for continued learning and the importance of employee development, but I also know that the way to achieve the resources necessary is to bring it back to the business and bottom line.

Pay attention to the details; Tie the goals to the big picture.  This is what my experience and my education will allow me to do.

PLN? PLN!

What is this PLN thing that I keep hearing about?  And, I have to create?  That was my question for the first few weeks of class this summer.  According to Wikipedia,

“A personal learning network is an informal learning network that consists of the people a learner interacts with and derives knowledge from in a personal learning environment.  In a PLN, a person makes a connection with another person with the specific intent that some type of learning will occur because of that connection.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_learning_network)

Clears it up, huh?  Well, it did and it didn’t.  For me, I understood what a PLN is and should be but I had no idea what it should look like or how to begin.  Isn’t that typical of this program?  If there is one thing that I love about this ISD program, it is that many concepts are vague enough to allow creativity and make them our own.  A PLN is exactly as it is defined by Wiki, but it is also very unique to the individual.  Mine will not look like yours and yours will not look like your brother’s.  My PLN is just that – it is mine.  It should look and feel like me and should be created in a tool that I will use and enjoy using.  My PLN is only as good as my ability to use and grow it.

My PLN is quite simple.  Moving forward, I will continue to grow this PLN and keep track of those with whom I can connect to and their specialty.  Some day, I hope to be on someone else’s PLN.

I created my PLN in Mind Meister.  Unfortunately, I could not figure out how to embed it correctly, so here is the link. For me, this works because I was able to sync this file with my Google Drive.  (I am definitely a Google user!) I hope you like it – I know I enjoyed putting it together!

http://www.mindmeister.com/318008558/pln-melissa-roane-melisser33

EDUC 689 – What a Ride!

Here we are – Week 12 – the last week of EDUC 689.  Time to take a breath and reflect on the semester and all the learning that has been done.  I can honestly say that I have taken so much from all of my courses in my journey through the ISD program, but this class has been, by far, one of the best experiences yet.

Why?  What makes this class so special?  Let me tell you…

1 – The teacher, facilitator, expert, leader and motivator.  Jeannette is a master at what she does.  She is knowledgeable, tough but fair, clear in her expectations and was able to create a community of learners in a short time.

2 – My classmates.  What a diverse and exciting group.  I have learned about yoga, K-12 education, the pharmaceutical industry, etc.   I appreciate that everyone was open, flexible and willing to collaborate.

3 – Experts.  So many experts.  And, the ability to ask them questions and hear their insights.  Amazing, too, that many of them are willing to let us reach out again.  Can you say network building?

4 – New Tools.  Whew.  Too many to truly appreciate right now.  But, knowledge of the tools, their functions and their uses is so helpful as I begin new projects.  For now, I know I will use Twitter, Facebook Group, Jing and Slideshare on a regular basis.  As for the rest, who knows?!  But, I have more tools in my toolkit to pull from.  Who needs powerpoint and conference calls?

5 – Informal Learning.  I love that we are talking about informal learning.  It is such a natural, instinctive part of us as individuals and this course has really brought it to the forefront of my brain.  When we think about what we teach ourselves every day, combine that with what the person next to us is learning AND we start sharing the knowledge, imagine the possibilities!

I could go on and on.  But, in the end, I am so grateful for this course.  I only wish all of my courses could be this dynamic.  So much was achieved and learned – without Blackboard, formal grading, structured lectures, etc.  I know that I will continue to build my network and learn.

Thank you.

See you online #LearningIsFun

Balance

So many experts, so little time.

The best part is hearing about the different perspectives and experiences that are included in the umbrella of instructional design.   For me, listening to Jane Bozarth and Abigail Wheeler was motivating and forward thinking.  On the other hand, Cammy Bean and David Kelly was interesting and practical.  All are doing something different but have the same goal.

“Find the business metric that needs to be tracked for improvement; measure the behavior related to that metric””Do an analysis before choosing an approach”
“Look also for non course related solutions for performance challenges”

Successful instructional design is many things including the balance between the creative and innovative trends of learning and development and the practical need to show value to the C level suite.  Being an operations person myself, I find it easy to keep the business need in mind and it was refreshing to hear the above key points from David Kelly.  But, because the business acumen is one of my strengths, I often focus on the other parts of ID in an attempt to understand and become proficient in those areas.  Through these interviews, I was reminded how important it is to balance the different areas of ID and to not focus on one area over another.  Just like Daniel Pink argued, we need both the right and left sides of our brains to work together to be successful, in ID we need to use all of the pieces of the puzzle together to be successful.

 

The Future of Workplace Learning

This is what happens in many organizations today:

Director: “HR is hosting a training and I think you should go.  I know you will get a lot out of it”
Employee:  “Ok.”  But thinks, “Gee, another training where I will be taken away from a day of work and learn things that are, Im sure, helpful but not relevant or practical.  This is going to put me behind.”

Learning should not be a chore and it should not be, as many of our experts have said, pushed onto people.  The future of workplace learning will change that dynamic.  In one sentence, the future will bring to the forefront what people are already doing to enrich their learning.

Currently, many organizations are structured with a LMS and standard trainings for all levels of employees.  It is organized, linear and managed.  The future of workplace learning needs to be holistic, less structured, and pulled by the employee (rather than pushed).  It should include formal, informal and social learning opportunities.  The challenge is that the new model is often difficult to manage and, therefore, can be uncomfortable to embrace.  But, the reality is that when you need to figure something out, you learn it on your own and cant afford to wait for training.  Additionally, formal training is often costly and untimely.

As we heard from Dr. Bozarth, everyone’s on Facebook and many are on Twitter.  Abigail Wheeler said that much of her success comes when she goes where her people are.  The theme is to create workplace learning with the learners in mind.  Too many of current organizations create programs that may look good on paper, but don’t work in the execution. We need to start with the learner and observe what they are actually doing and determine how to best integrate learning into their day to day.

The future of workplace learning needs to be a hybrid approach that includes formal training (this is the best for new hires, product knowledge and new policy) and a place that encourages peer to peer learning, informal learning and knowledge sharing.  The training department needs to refocus from designing the next Captivate to create places for employees to learn, share and grow.

Go Where They Are

To paraphrase Abigail Wheeler, it is no longer about “if you build it, they will come,” but more “go where they are.”  She was speaking, of course, about using the tools and technologies that fit with her sales force.  So simple, but so overlooked.

It is this ideology that I need to remember everyday.  My organization is trying to figure out how to use technology to better our graduate program.  But, we need to remember that it is not about what is available to us or, to quote another expert, what is cool, but what our customer is already using.  To get the most out of any training, educational program or learning experience, it should be built around the learner.  Go where they are.  If we use the technologies that they are already using and integrate the platforms that they are comfortable with, our job will be easier and the end result will be a better experience for all involved.  Go where they are.  Make it seamless.  Create a learning environment that feels comfortable and effortless rather than laborious.

Go where they are.

 

Mid Way Reflection – EDUC 689

This week, we had the opportunity to speak with eLearning expert, Dr. Jane Bozarth.  She talked about her approach to learning and training, tools she prefers to use and advice for us as we are evolving in our own careers. Some of the key quotes that I will take with me are:

• Design for performance improvement
• Leverage the “ambassadors” – the people who are already using social media in their everyday life.  Use them.
• Everybody in every class does not participate equally.  Social media will not change that.  Have key people, have smart people, get your leadership.

One thing, however, that she said inspired me to take a step back and reflect on the semester thus far.  She said (paraphrased)  “what is your motivation?  Why do you want to implement this [social media tool]?  Just because ‘its cool,’ is not an answer.”  This course is moving so fast and we are juggling so many balls  that I have found myself testing new tools, playing with them and immediately trying to squeeze them in to my workplace.  It is time to step back.  Stop. Reflect. Think.  What is my motivation?  What is the outcome I am looking for?  What fits?

I love this class.  I love learning.  But, what is my end goal?  The answer is simple, really.  I am a sponge, trying to learn as much as I can in order to explore a new career path.  This class is not about integrating twitter, flickr and jing into my work RIGHT NOW.  It is about building a portfolio of options.  It is about understanding the importance of informal learning and seeing examples of how various tools have been used successfully to leverage this learning in order to work smarter and more effectively.  It is about how I can change my thinking to focus on improving performance.  It is about the PLN that will I end up with at the end.

What is your motivation?  What is the outcome you are hoping for?

 

 

Organization vs. Network-Centric Thinking

In any given organization, should employees sit:
a) with their team or
b) with others who do the same type of work?

This discussion is one that I have heard and participated in multiple times in different settings.  To me, this is the perfect example of the difference between thinking organization-centric or network-centric.  As an organization, you want teams to be in close proximity to allow ease of collaboration, information sharing and access to managers.  Additionally, this setting will help build a better team because employees will naturally interact with each other often. But, is each employee continuing to learn, grown and develop their skills relative to their responsibilities?  Would they be more effective if they sat with people who had the same role?  Yes, because they could talk through challenges, solutions, etc.  This was seen in the example of the Xerox repair men meeting regularly for breakfast to collaborate. (Shirky, p.100)  The concern with employees sitting with those who have the same responsibilities is that the team will be negatively effected, or forgotten altogether.

At my last job, I was the only Associate Director on the Admissions team.  It was important for me to sit with my team so that my Director and my team could easily find me (organization-centric).  But, my learning curve was very steep because I was, in a sense, a team of one and was figuring things out as it would come.  After about a year, I discovered other people in the organization with the same challenges, same role, similar responsibilities, etc.  Because this company is solely organization-centric, it took me a YEAR to find these people.  But, like the Xerox repair men, once I found them, we met, learned from each other, collaborated, and it made me a better AD.

From what I have seen, communication is one of the biggest challenges in most organizations, as people tend to work in silos, whether that silo is their team OR their network.  So, what is the answer?  What is the best way to run an organization?  I would argue that the best solution is to have employees sit with their team but include in their job competencies the need to create a network with others outside of the team who do the same type of work.  And, there is no better time for organizations to start incorporating this type of interaction!  With the amount of free social media tools available to us, networks can be created faster, easier and at NO COST!  A wiki could have allowed me and the other ADs at my last company to continue our collaboration without the need of formal meetings.  Can you imagine what we could have accomplished?  The possibilities are endless.

Reflection – EDUC689 Readings Week 2

Communities.  The central theme to our readings is communities.  The transition from the industrial age to the knowledge age is bringing the importance of human relations and networks to the forefront.  Organizations are realizing that, in order to stay competitive, the key is for their people to continue to learn more and do more.  With Web 2.0 holding such a common place in our everyday lives, the tools that are available to us personally are creeping into the workplace as well.  It would be in the best interest of any organization to embrace this possibility and tailor it to work for them.

Jay Cross talks about “Workscaping” as a way to work smarter.  He argues that people learn from their own experiences and the experiences of others.  To move forward in our professional lives, we need to interact with others in the same profession and have opportunities to share and grow with those individuals.

Kasper and Scearce introduce the importance of networks and using wikis to efficiently create and manage various networks for professional gain.  It has been shown that people are naturally drawn to being connected and social and Web 2.0 has created an abundance of tools to allow these connections.  The challenge today is for an organization to test the tools, find the tools that are right for their culture and, then, encourage their people to utilize those tools to work together and learn together.

Jane Hart explains the power of Twitter and how to best use it for building communities and staying “in the know.”  Again, we find a tool that many people dabble with personally that can, when used correctly, grow your professional network and know how exponentially.

We are moving into an age where the tools are taking over our daily lives.  It is imperative to not allow the tool to be more important than the result.  Each has its advantages and taking the time to play, research and test will allow each of us to determine the best use for the tool.  The creation of the right communities to help us grow professionally and personally.

Social Media – Personal vs. Professional

Like many, I started working in a professional environment immediately after college.  Looking back, I realize that I was behind my peers in maturity.  If I had known better, I think graduate school would have been better for me.  As a result, my first job out of college was a true learning experience.  I was green, immature and finding myself.  It took me many, many years to feel confident in my professional abilities and reach a point (where I am today) to say what my strengths and beliefs are.  I have always prided myself in my work ethic and my ability to separate personal vs. professional and it had always worked well for me.  Until Now.

We know the world is changing.  It began changing with the mainstream of cell phones and has continued with social media.  The lines that distinguish personal and professional “time” are moving, and in some cases, disappearing.  Until this point, I have been able to continue the separation and keep very clear lines.   The change, for me, is social media and its power.

For someone who thinks in the “black and white,” it is easy to distinguish the purpose of Facebook and LinkedIn.  I can be silly with my friends on FB, but present a professional demeanor and discuss what is important to the business when on LinkedIn.  I bet you can tell which outlet I spend more time on … Facebook.  Why?  Because its me!

Twitter, on the other hand, does not sit in the “black and white” but the grey.  **Alert – comfort zone being attacked**  When I first signed up for Twitter, it was to follow celebrities.  I would check it daily and rarely tweet.  On occasion, I would send a tweet, hoping for a RT but never achieved one, which led me to use Twitter less frequently.  After all, do I really need to add another thing to manage when I am not receiving mentions?

This week I have reached an “aha moment.”  Interactions with others is what keeps us going.  I was bored with twitter because I hadn’t created my community.  As I work through my class this semester, I am learning the true power of twitter and what it can do – and its exciting to say the least.  I see that I can create a community with experts that I want to learn from and possibly, begin to interact with people with similar interests and goals.  But, it has put me in a true quandary – do I need to give up the personal me to become the professional me?  Can they both exist?  The idea of managing two twitter accounts is daunting and why should I?    Can I follow New Kids on the Block and still be seen as credible in the ISD world?  I don’t know the answer but I am going to take this semester to test it out.  After all, when you are interacting with someone that you may never meet, what will you remember about them?  Maybe you will remember that I am that crazy BlockHead who believes in changing education!