What Did I Learn About Learning in 2009?
December 2009’s “The Big Question” at ASTD’s Learning Circuits blog asks learning professionals w
ho blog to go back through our blog posts over this past year and look for any “aha moments” or highlight the posts that were the best/most interesting.
Um, this is a challenge for me. Outside of a few of my local ASTD chapter peeps, I really don’t know who reads my blog. I’ll get a new Commentor or a surprise e-mail message once in awhile, where someone I don’t know writes that they enjoy my blog post very much. I’m taken aback that they found me, and yet humbly pleased that they took the time to write and express their feelings.
So, I enjoy writing for my blog, but I don’t view it as “some big thing”. Therefore, this month’s The Big Question” intimidates me a little bit. But, out of respect for ASTD, I’m going to try. So, here goes.
- Voice-Over Audio Narration for e-Learning
- Freelancer-Client Relationships | Video of the Month 200907
- Adobe Flash SWFs Inside Quizzes
- Virtual Collaboration Solves e-Learning Issue
- PowerPoint 2007: Designs for e-Learning
- Yes, We Can! Training and Technical Writing
- Blogging, Freelancing, and the Economy
- Managing SMEs: Herding Cats? (My personal favorite)
My “Aha” Learning Moments
- Voice-over narration, quality narration, is an art that takes coaching and practice. It’s acting, and it doesn’t come overnight. I learned that my coach, Beverly Bremers, can help me be the best I can be with this fun avocation.
- Informal learning: I’m learning that I need to enhance my informal learning methods by formally capturing those “aha” moments. I’m open to ideas. How do you capture or memorialize your informal learning? Is blogging about those moments enough?
Thanks, Learning Circuits, and an early Happy New Year to the readers!
(Please feel free to write a Comment. I apologize that I moderate, but if you’re not a spammer I’ll approve you.)
Jenise,
Amen to your “aha”s. Voiceover narration is definitely an art… one that I am continually reminded about with practically each new production.
As for your question about capturing informal learning, I think yes a blog can certainly be an effective method for that. I think, too, it’s what ELSE we bloggers can do with our respective blogs that can also help enhance informal learning. These could include additional widgets, other media, integrated webinars, and so on, that we can use to integrate with other social platforms in order to expand the scope of topics that can be brought in, as well as the scale of people we can include in the discussion.
Finally, of course I’ve written quite often about the activities around Listening and Monitoring the Conversation. I had mentioned recently to a mutual friend of ours (who says he’ll also be launching a blog soon, btw) that Listening is sorta the mortar that binds all those activities together. Analytics, alerts and RSS are just a few ways to quickly effect that with little/no cost.
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
Mel,
Great thoughts regarding informal learning and how to effectively capture the new “aha moments”. I look forward to reading the two (2) posts you mention, and thanks for the links. I look forward to reading them. Let’s keep this topic rolling in 2010, perhaps with our ASTD chapter. I think you have an “in” with the new V.P. of Communications, right?
I do wish to pursuing how best to “memorialize” my informal learning moments as a work-at-home freelancer. My blog is a start! I’m open to additional ideas.
How do you capture the learning moments? A blog is a big part of the answer!
Absolutely, Tony, I couldn’t agree more. Yet I “want more”.
Wikis, Ning communities… it will be interesting to see where 2010 takes me.