Jennifer Oakes

Collaborative Learning in the Corporate World

2006-05-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

There is a great post by Debi Lord regarding how to use collaborative learning in the corporate world. Although I struggled to figure out how these tools will work in the corporate environment, Debi has discovered numerous ways to integrate these tools. I look forward to keeping tabs on Debi's future posts to see how these integrations have worked in her department.

Suggested Course Improvement

2006-05-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

In looking at the posts of other course participants, I came across a very interesting post by Paula Powers. Paula has suggested numerous ideas for course improvement. I joined Paula in being overwhelmed by the first week of the course, and think that her suggestion of making the first two weeks about learning and applying the tools is a great idea. It seems like many people were extremely frustrated by the first week's workload and gave up.

I am glad that I stuck it out and worked through the difficult times. I would definitely recommend this course to others that are looking to research some of the Web 2.0 tools and learn how they can be applied to collaborative learning.

Tony, thank you so much for all of your hard work and for putting up with us for the past 6 weeks. We really appreciate it.

My Course Experience

2006-05-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

The first week of this course was really difficult. There were so many tools for us to figure out - and each of them took a considerable amount of time. However, as the weeks went by, the time spent working on the assignments was much smaller. If I were to teach this course, I would separate the work from week 1 into 2 weeks. I liked that it was challenging to figure it all out, but it was also extremely frustrating.

I can see the general value in all of the tools we discovered, yet I am unsure of collaborative learning and how it relates to the tools. I would like to have seen more examples of how this can apply to the corporate environment.

Collaborative learning is a great way for people to share ideas and feed off of each other, yet I can see this type of learning working more effectively in a school environment. Graduate students would benefit greatly from this type of interaction.

Reflection

2006-05-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Looking back at this experience, and reflecting on what we've learned and how to apply it in the future...

Collaborative Learning
I have an understanding of collaborative learning, and how it is effective as a learning tool, however I am not sure of how to apply this process in the corporate environment. I can see that it will be difficult to get busy professionals to sign up for the different tools, and then get them to actively participate in any type of collaborative experience.

Learning 2.0 Tools
I can see the 2.0 tools we worked with doing well in a personal environment. Blogs, the RSS reader, and Social Bookmarking and Networking are great ways to keep tabs on friends and what they're doing. I will definitely use blogging and the social tools in the future. They are relatively easy to use once you get rolling.

Unfortunately, I am still having difficulties in seeing the value of these tools in the corporate environment.

Week 4

2006-05-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Completing the Team Project

The assignment from team 1 was to complete a few questions on blended learning and how it relates to a scenario of training employees at remote locations. I have never really delved into blended learning and what it really means, so it was great to research this topic a bit more. I discovered that blended learning is highly effective and is most likely the way to teach in the future.

I think that team 1 chose a great topic to have us research and reflect on.

Team 1 Project Exercise

2006-05-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

Question 7: Will blended learning replace instructor class room training?

Blended learning is the future of training instruction. However, instructor classroom training is an integral part of a blended learning program.

Blended learning involves combining various resources into a training program. It can include computer based initiatives as well as classroom based ones. Although classroom training is more expensive to deliver than a computer based program, there are times when classroom interaction is a necessity.

We are asked if blended learning will replace classroom training, however I think it is more appropriate to say that blended learning will replace e-learning. Computer based training is an asset to the training world, yet they are more effective if combined with other types of training into a "blended" learning experience.

Team 1 Project Exercise

2006-05-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

Question 3: What are some of the biggest benefits of blended learning as it applies to a software rollout to field offices?

The real question is: how do we quickly and proficiently train people at various locations? Blended learning programs are the answer to this challenge.

With blended learning programs we can train large numbers of employees within an extremely short timeframe. The biggest challenge is selecting a combination of media that will drive the biggest impact for the lowest cost.

Computer-based Training
The most effective way to teach a new software package is using computer based training. In this type of training, the participant will be shown the screens that they will be using as well as assistance in navigating the various functions. This will provide the user with hands on experience in the software and how it works. This option will promote low cost compared to the cost of sending a trainer to each of the various locations.

Webinar
A webinar is effective as a follow-up to the CBT. This will allow the users to share insight to what they've learned while going through the CBT and give them the ability to share their knowledge with others.

Blended learning is definitely a smart choice for providing the biggest impact with the lowest cost for a field rollout in software training.

Week 3

2006-05-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

For this week's assignment, we were to include an add-in to our blog. I chose to include both a Blog Roll and a Site Meter.

Overall, this week went well. It was quite simple to chose and include the add-ins for the blog. Our team was able to share the project responsibilities, and get the task done in a short amount of time.

I am, however, struggling to understand the bigger picture of what we're doing and how it can make a difference to the learning environment.

Surviving Week 2

2006-04-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

This week was a 180 degree turn from my challenging experience last week. Signing up for Yahoo 360 and My Web were very quick and easy. I probably spent about an hour getting these tools up and running.

The project related assignment was a little more difficult for me. I had trouble understanding the deliverable for this project. Thankfully, my team had a better understanding of what the assignment was, and we were able to collaborate on a project plan. Our team also set up a discussion group for communications during this process.

Overall, this week went great!

Social Bookmarking and Wikis

2006-04-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

Social Bookmarking and Wikis can both be used to create a list of links. However, they are used in very different scenarios. Social bookmarking is best used when you are researching a topic. You can view the links that the people in your network has deemed valuable. A wiki is best used for a list of links when you want a group to view only specific web pages. Everyone can go to the wiki and look at the links provided - there is no research involved. In a course like ours, if we are instructed to look at specific web pages, the wiki is definitely the best choice. However, if we need to research a topic, social bookmarking is the way to go.

Surviving Week 1

2006-04-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

What a week I've had! I was so excited to begin this adventure, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Each one of the tools we used this week was new to me. It took at least an hour to get moving on each application, along with trying to review articles via Technorati and bloglines. I spent at least 10 hours working on this first assignment.

This assignment forced us to immerse ourselves in these tools. We had to figure out how to set up a blog, add posts to the blog, as well as comment on other's blogs. We subscribed to bloglines and added feeds from team members' blogs. We read and reviewed posts from Tony's blog and searched other blogs to review their articles. We also edited the Wiki to add our blog information.

I'm not sure if there is anything that could have been done to make this first week go better. My novice in these applications was definitely a hinderance, but I am glad that I pushed through the frustration. It is exciting to see that we can accomplish these goals with some hard work and patience.

Overall, it was a good yet challenging experience.

Review on Team Formation

2006-04-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

While skimming posts, I came across a great post by Shelly, Forming Collaborative Learning Teams. Shelly not only gives suggestions as to how we should form teams, she also links a survey for collecting the groups thoughts.

I agree with all of Shelly's suggestions in the post. It will definitely benefit the process to have small groups with members that have a variety of skills. I think that varying skill sets takes precedence over a company connection among members.

The only thing I have to add is the consideration of different time zones and how this will affect the group meeting to discuss the project.

Online learning tools

2006-04-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Trying to determine which content from this course should be put in blogs, wikis and discussion groups has been a challenging quest. Although I know what each resource is, it is difficult to assess each one with such minimal experience. While searching through different blogs looking for insight to our dilemma, I found blogs and wikis and rss, oh my!, with a title like that, how could I not stop and read. After facilitating a few sessions on blogs and wikis, this writer lists 10 new understandings around these tools. Additional research led me to Bill Bruck's post Blogs and Wikis: New tools for Online Learning, where he writes "Blogs are for publishing, wikis are for co-writing documents and discussion forums are for dialog."

Blogs
Blogs are great for personal reflection. We can review other's posts or just give personal thoughts and opinions on specific subjects. We can alsotrack new posts to certain blogs via RSS feeds. Blogs mainly support independant views, and through commenting and links we can exchange ideas with others.

Wikis
Wikis allow for learner involvement in a project. With a group, such as ours, we allow each member to have input in the outcome. We are all moving towards a common goal and the wiki encourages a consensus idea. We should definately use the wiki as our source for future Collab201 participants. The wiki also points viewers to each member's blog if one wants to investigate the opinion of one team member.

Discussion Groups
Discussion groups are a conversational type of sharing ideas. We can bounce ideas off each other to collect other's advice and opinions. In this course, the discussion group is great if a participant has a question and or comment on an assignment. We can assist others with their questions and it will help the group to better understand the goal.

In our collaborative learning experience, we should use a combination of these three tools to better understand how each one works for the common goal. Each tool is pertinent in our search for effective learning.

Initial Discovery

2006-04-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

As we begin our discovery of collaborative learning, it is important to first gain an understanding of the principles behind collaborative learning. According to Wikipedia, collaborative learning is an approach that "involves joint intellectual effort by students or students and teachers. Groups of students work together in searching for understanding, meaning or solutions or in creating a product." An interesting study by Anuradha Gokhale, Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking, looks at the effectiveness of individual learning versus collaborative learning. She finds that the exchange among students promotes critical thinking through discussion, clarification and the evaluation of others' ideas.

In the next few weeks we will be looking at what works and doesn't work in collaborative learning. With wikis, blogs, discussion groups, social networking and RSS feeds, we must figure out how to best use these models to make the most of the learning experience. Tony Karrer's, Personal Learning for Professionals, takes a look at using Web 2.0 tools to make reading and research more effective. He compares tools for bookmarking and tags, with the recommendation of using Yahoo's MyWeb 2.0. Tony also suggests setting up a blog or wiki as an avenue to share information with others.

As a novice to all of the Web 2.0 tools, I look forward to actively participating in each of the tools to see what works best for the learner.