Donna Cowan's Weblog

It’s been a year since I’ve posted on this blog. I continue to work toward my Masters in IT – which for USF is Instructional Technology – not information technology. I am completing Instructional Media with Dr. Downey. I love working with the technology and creating learning. I could spend hours tweaking to make the product perfect, but a some point I have to say “that’s enough”.

Next term is Measurement. Wish me luck, I am taking it via distance learning – which should be interesting.

Have a happy holidays to whomever stumbles across this message.

Donna

In doing some research on good presentations that deliver a message about Web 2.0, I keep getting sidetracked. It seems I get caught up on Web 2.0 itself (instead of finding good visual presentations on the subject). As with this blog, a social networking component of Web2.0, I end up adding to blogs, wikis, and making comments on YouTube videos and presentations I watch. Which brings me to one of my sidetracks…

If you have an interest in the digital effects on todays students, check out: Digital Ethnography @ http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/ – it has some good artistic videos on the topic. Very Cool.

I get a lot of news letters that I skim through, which lead me to new finds out there on the WWW. Today I got an eletter from Vignettes of Training that has a GREAT example of simple learning we as L&D professionals can create.

Check out CommonCraft videos (ok, the Zombie thing has no value but was fun to watch).

The lesson, elearning doesn’t have to be involved, gorgeous and perfect, it just has to teach something. I learned about Google Documents, Wetpaint Wikis and Google RSS readers pages while being entertained by the simple videos.

Well, the Distance Education course is almost over. It has been an interesting course, and the discussions were great. I noticed that the “new” wore off for me, and others toward the end of the class and the discussions were not as dynamic and full as earlier in the class.

This makes me wonder about the amount of effort that is put into distance learning and how I can design around keeping the “new” new. At the very least, how to make sure there is not a sense of work overload.

I realize for a DE class in an academic setting this is appropriate, but in a work environment where the culture has not fully embraced distance education the amount of work would have to be small and quick dips into the pool. Definitely something for me to think about.

Yo, while Googling around the WWW for articles to back up a response to our Module 7, D7 assignment (going for that 4th grade point) I ran into the ITC site. I have it bookmarked, but find Googling on a seach term easier than going to a specific site, then searching. But I digress.

The e-Learning 2008 conference is in St. Petersburg in Feb. 2008. May be fun to attend and for a conference, fairly inexpensive. Thought anyone who stumbles across my blog might like to take a look. I will look again in Jan 2008 and decide if I am interested. Might meet you there. http://www.itcnetwork.org/elearning2008.htm – Hmmm, then again it is a conference for e-learning, should it be online synchronously? LOL

Heck, if you are using e-learning, you too can be a presenter. I was asked to present at another conference, Learning 2006 that Elliot Masie does every year in Orlando. Now that is a fun conference (more pricey) and not your typical stodgy conference. Lots of informal disscussion round tables and thoughtful seminars.

As a distance instructor that uses Centra as a synchronous environment to deliver training in our organization. We create programs for our HR partners in the field who must deliver HR program and processes to their internal customers. I have to decide on how to deliver the information to these HR professionals in the best way to get the message to them 1) using the tools my company has available and 2) in a format they can deliver to their customers.

We have a wide variety of levels of comfort with technology in our company and although we have asynchronous methods (bulletin boards, document repositories, intranet collaborative websites) most won’t use them. I have used most of the tools that are available to me – some with success, others not so much. So instead of new tools, I will consider using some of the interactions I’ve experienced in this class in different ways in my teaching schemata (plans).

Specifically, I will try having the learner answer questions posted on our intranet community boards, directed at using the information they were taught via the Synchronous session and have the answers tied into completion of the course materials. This will hopefully help to embed the learning more effectively and show me that they understood what they were trained on. Of course, I must still battle a culture of getting information fed to the employees in classroom or via email and get them to actually go to the intranet community boards. A marketing strategy might help. I’ll have to ponder it some more. ~donna

I just got back from Atlanta and the ASTD 2007 International Conference. It is great to go to hear and meet thought leaders in our profession on everything from traditional learning to distance learning; from ADDIE models to Radical Rapid Development; and on topics of evaluation and ROI. You can look at some of the presenter slides that are available on th ICE page at: http://astd2007.astd.org

My key take away from a coporate training perspective is that you have to look at your organization, the culture, the suppport of leadership and customize the learning developed to those needs. Corporate leaders don’t care if you know (and they certainly don’t want to hear) what pedagogy, ID, distance-learning, etc. is. They want results – what is in it for them that will help the company 1) meet their financial goals and 2) align to the company strategic values.

In my opinion and ramblings… Yes, learn the principles of Instructional Design – but remember who your audience is when you present your ideas. The theoretical and the practical don’t always meet in the middle.

I like the idea of distance learning, and would like to think I am ready, willing and able – but I know I have more to learn. I do like the fact that I can sit in my house, in my over sized lounge chair and use the computer and wireless networking to interact with the learning. I don’t necessarily need to interact with humans physically to get what I want from a class, so distance learning where there is interaction virtually appeals to me.

I learn through the variety of mediums. I think reading, and then writing summary notes is how I retain the most information. As I’ve said in a previous post, I can learn software by reading the technical bibles that are written. What is odd to me is that as much time as I spend on a computer I prefer to print out text to read it. It is not comfortable reading on a computer screen. I would rather write on the screen and play with software and programs. Reading and learning theory is another matter. I tend to only remember the information that I like and directly connect with. I must have a mental block trying to keep definitions of terms, like epistemology, phronesis, etc. I have to keep a glossary to help me. Argh!

In thinking about my ideal distance learning experience, I would like a well defined set of objectives and assignments that are due at the end of the term, with no interim deadlines. That way I can choose how I will manage my time to get all the assignments (or in PM speak, deliverables) completed based on my schedule. Maybe it is a control thing, at least on a personal level. I know this doesn’t work for everyone, as I’ve read in some of the definition of distance learning posts, but everyone learns differently and as we all know this is the challenge with creating any learning – to accommodate the multiple styles of learning.

As this is really my first structured distance learning course, I don’t have any anticipated expectations. I am just going to go with flow and hope I can work through it working toward an A, of course. The structure of this class is different than anything I’ve experienced and it appeal to my sense of order. Very specific, detailed instructions provided well in advance of the due dates with lists ( I am a list person – Myers Briggs analysis, I am an INTJ).

This intro is about me. I’ll keep it as short as possible and answer the questions posed in Module 1. I will ramble more when I can and try to figure out how to post a picture.

Me: Donna Cowan

Program/Standing: M.Ed IT, 4 classes applied from the IT Cert program, accepted in the M.Ed program this semester and 1 class per term until completed, probably at the end of 2009.

Family: Married happily for 23 years – 2 boys 20/16 both at home

Background: USAF for 4 years in computer service – BA, Finance at U of F in Gainesville – working in learning and development field for many, many years. Certified DDI Leadership Program Facilitator – Certified Project Manager.

Technology level: Expert Level with computer and windows – Expert level MS Office – know enough to be dangerous with PhotoShop, Premier, InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat Professional, Flash, Captivate and other various freeware programs for graphics, sound and video. I can pretty much read a book on how to use software and know how to use it effectively. Love keyboard shortcuts.

Why Dist. Learning: I need to use it more effectively in my profession to supply blended solutions to minimize time in the classroom and assist knowledge transfer. The concepts in the class will provide me with more ideas, skill and theory on effective distance learning.

Employment: My title is Dean of Learning and Development Administration, and what that means is I am middle-upper management leading a team of L&D folks that develop learning for HR compliance and leadership training for my company. I work for Wyndham Vacation Ownership in Orlando, FL and have to say, what better job than to work for a company that sells vacations. (side comment: Academia is really different than when I got my undergrad and not part of the real world from what I’ve seen so far. )

My schedule: it was part of my getting to know you post – here it is again. I work 40 hours , Mon – Fri. I travel about once every couple of months for business. I can work on school work only about 5 – 6 hours during the week, and will give up my weekends to get my deliverables completed.

Experience with Distance Learning: I’ve taught/presented via online conferencing systems like Elluminate. Taken WBT classes, and last semester my ILT class became an online class, but it wasn’t managed as effectively as this one seems to be. This class is so organized and since I am a list person, this is near perfect.

Role in a group: I have played most roles in many projects, but project management and organization is what I gravitate to.

Little known fact: I have lived in Florida for more than 20 years and I don’t own a bathing suit.

There is more I could ramble on about, but this should give you a quick view. As soon as I can figure out how to post a picture, I will.