Swarms of Nomads

Bryan Alexander writes in the Sept/Oct 2004 Educause Review about the effects that mobile technology is, and will have, on learning. The now/future he paints of learners who are now "creative, communicative participants rather than as passive, reception-only consumers" challenges current educational institutions and Alexander asks educational providers if they will be fighting against, or making the most of this tide?

The type of interaction a student has with a mobile device is more 'personally intimate' than they have with a desktop, and 'such machines become prosthetics for information, memory and creativity' (p30). Which is very much how I treat my mobile devices and make them work for me. I'd even put my blog into the category of mobile device - it is not tethered to a particular desktop computer but lives on the web, and can be updated from any internet enabled device. It is my mobile memory bank.

Alexander suggests that 'information literacy may change as students expand their multitaksing, mobile, learning-on-demand ethos' (p32). A critical skill in the use of any information is to be able to judge the worth and validity of that information - if the information is being accessed in the moment, then this aspect of information literacy will need to highly tuned and instantly responsive.

One flow-on of the 'connected world' is the speed at which information can travel through informal and uncensored pathways. 'Swarms' can form at any time, any where. Alexander's article ends with reference to Kakfa's cautionary tale "An Old Manuscript":
I am reminded of Franz Kafka’s “An Old Manuscript,” an account of a nomadic army arriving in an imperial city.18 The nomads arrive suddenly, surprising the urban population and appearing without warning in city streets, markets, libraries, and homes. Kafka’s tale focuses on the incomprehension of the city-dwellers, as well as on their dogged willingness to attempt living life as if the nomads simply weren’t there. The story charts their progressive decay and their slipping grasp on reality while the nomads build a new civilization literally in their front yard. It’s a very funny story, in Kafka’s unique way, but of course it’s also a cautionary tale, especially for those of us in higher education. At colleges and universities around the world, the nomadic swarms are already arriving.

Building Box Hill Insitute

On Thursday 19th August I visited Box Hill Insitute in Victoria with Roger Parry and Brian Gepp of Douglas Mawson Institute in SA. We met with Peter in Building Studies who outlined how they are gradually changing their practices in response to industry needs.

There is now one trainer from Building & Construction who is dedicated to workplace visits and assessments and the demand is gradually growing from industry. Building industry growth is creating huge demand for training across the three states talking together that morning - similar issues of tracking apprentices and grappling with flexibility exist. This confirmed my belief that without administrative processes and system that can adapt and change, flexibility in training and assessment will place loads on teachers that are not sustainable. When you scale from 20 to 200 workplace trainees, a 'workaround' system and processes can turn into chaos. Not that I saw that at Box Hill mind you! Just a comment on the need for scalability and systems to support not drive processes.

Should we be using Learning Styles?

A report for the Learning & Skills Research Centre in the UK by Frank Coffield, David Moseley, Elaine Hall and Kathryn Ecclestone. ISBN 1853389145.

This research project examines 13 models of learning style and concludes that it matters fundamentally which model is chosen. Probably there is not great deal in this report that directly relates to my project, yet I include some comments and quotes from the report here as they relate to learning design as a whole. The context in which the report is situated is the post-16 learning sector which includes community colleges, A levels and Further Education (FE) colleges which equate more or less to the VET sector in Australia.

On page 11 commonalities between the Australian and UK situations emerge in the discussion of workplace learning: “weaknesses in the initial assessment of training needs, in the preparation of individual learning plans, progress reviews, assessment and verification of achievements and career guidance”.

While “a knowledge of learning styles can be used to increase the self-awareness of students and tutors about their strengths and weaknesses as learners” the authors argue that the way learning styles questionnaires are commonly administered does nothing to promote learners actually making use of that information. (p37)

Leadership as Corporate Capability

Talk by Professor Roger Collins for the AGSM Breakfast Series in Brisbane, 2nd July, 2004.

I stumbled across this talk on the web while I was looking for something, and luckily I was in Brisbane that week for the Beyond the Break Conference.

Prof Collins talked about the difference in dynamics between a team and a management group at the top level of organisations and the impact those dynamics have on decision making amongst other things. When organisational stability is needed a group will function, but when organisational renewal is needed, a team is vital to making it work. One of the great things I got from the talk was the Sigmoid Curve. This was not a concept or graphic I had come across before, and was timely as an announcement about a restructure back at work was due to be made that day! He also suggested that the focus of performance development should be at the team level as opposed to individual workers – to play to the strengths of the individuals yet to always keep in mind their contribution to the whole.

Most impressive was the followup from the breakfast session which was held in the pretty Customs House in Brisbane’s CBD. Shortly after returning to Hobart I received in the mail some additional readings relevant to the talk.

Online Collaboration Tools

Link to a presentation by Robin Good about Online Collaboration
Tools, in which he outlines new breeds of tools which are emerging and their benefits are:

• generally inexpensive with pricing models that do not lock you into
  lengthy contracts, and allow you to budget for planned use rather than time
  or memory based charges.


• simple feature sets that focus on doing one or two things well; many of
  the traditional tools have to compromise between a rich feature set and user
  interface simplicity.


• easy to use intuitive interfaces

Names that Good sees as fitting the above descriptions: Groove, Flash
Communication Server, iVocalize, InstantPresenter, Glance, GoToMeeting,
Voxwire, iVisit...

Eight features Good recommends you should look for in an online collaboration tool (slides 16-17):

1. Text chat


2. VOIP


3. Presence (ability to see when others available)


4. Multi protocol Instant Messaging


5. Inviting (being able to email someone into the meeting after it has
   started)


6. Record / Saving sessions


7. File Sharing


8. Signalling (being able to use icons/ sounds to indicate agreement etc)

Factors affecting workplace learning

Factors affecting the implementation of training and learning in the workplace by Ridoutt, Dutneall, Hummel and Selby Smith. NCVER 2002 ISBN 1740960602. Explores "the quantitative relationship between factors identified previously in the literature as influencing the extent and intensity of training within organisations across two different industry sectors - entertainment and process manufacturing." (p6)

I first read this paper in 2002 when I was working on a TAFE Tasmania project about workplace learning which included both a snapshot of current practice and also a literature review. What did I learn from this paper then, and again now?

Defining workplace learning is essential to measuring it: the Australian Bureau of Statistics defines on-the-job training as being when an individual participates in a workplace training activity designed to improve their job skills, while working in a job, but workplace learning is much larger than this. It can include 'asking questions of co-workers or colleagues, teaching yourself, being shown how to do your job, watching others work and other activities.' (p12)

Size does matter - but not to the volume of workplace learning, rather the
nature of workplace learning (p8) and the drivers for it (p17-18). Smaller
enterprises 'cannot afford to invest in training not directly related to their
work' (p17) and are unlikely to have a person dedicated to a training function
or human resource development.

The economic climate also plays a significant role in the employment of
apprentices and trainees, with increasing levels of subcontracting, industrial
relations concerns and more short term work, employers may be reluctant to commit to an apprenticeship (p22). Where an organisation has a 'capacity building model' for making decisions about training, this is the most favourable for training activity.

Table 26 from page 48: Proportion of worksites surveyed offering training by types of training provided
Types of training provided: Proportion (%) of worksites surveyed
Induction training: 85.1
On-the-job training: 98.8
Mentoring: 60.5
Structured job rotation: 42.3
In-house staff development courses: 66.9
Regular staff/management meetings: 82.5
Regular team meetings: 77.8
Opportunities to attend other worksites: 61.7
A system for evaluating and learning from unusual events, incidents, problems etc: 55.9

Although nearly 80% of businesses contribute in some way to formal learning
for their employees, 60% of those that don't are small businesses. (p49)

In conclusion (p70-1) the authors argue that trainers are increasingly
recognising the informal learning that takes place, and that "better ways
of identifying, describing and measuring this 'unrecognised' training is a key
step towards improving its efficacy". Also education providers need to look
at the way learning is supported in the workplace already, and introduce some
structure to it - with the aim of recognising such learning. The rate of change
in the enterprise is also a strong factor in participation in training: 'is the
enterprise is not currently being subjected to  change of some sort, then
it is unlikely to be in the training market' (p71)

Jargon can stand in the way...

'Knowledge sharing' should be avoided

This next issue is that the concept of knowledge sharing will generate little enthusiasm (and therefore action) amongst staff. In fact, when asked (or instructed) to 'share your knowledge' staff will typically respond with confusion, passive resistance or hostility.
The simple fact is that staff simply don't 'share knowledge', they conduct whatever work activities are required in their jobs. In our terms this may include sharing knowledge, but to them they are 'updating client details', 'discussing project schedules' and the like.

Sydney visit

Wow! Last week I was in Sydney and I feel like it was a fantastically productive and enlightening time.
On Monday & Tuesday I took part in a MindMapping workshop run by Mindwerx (http://www.mindwerx.com.au/) and was amazed at the immediate uselfulness of the information and activities. I've dabbled in mindmapping before but this really opened my eyes in how I could use it. Does anyone else feel like their head's going to explode because there's too much stuff whirling in it? Well, this workshop fixed that problem for me.

I don't know whether it was the concentrated workshop 'thinking about thinking' or something in the water ;-)
We practiced applying the techniques (so I mapped out what I'd still like to do in my FLL project amongst other things) and I've continued on since being back home. Maybe it's just appealing to the girl who likes coloured textas. And they even give a 25% educational discount. Highly Recommended.
Wednesday was courtesy of Terri Connellan who organised a fantastic day's program with teachers and head teachers involved in workplace learning. I met Susan Carter (Business & Admin), Clive Quilty(Painting & Decorating), Dianne See (Frontline Management), Leo Darby & Jenni Harding (ex FLLs)for lunch, Greg Murphy and team (Printing, Pre-press, Graphic Arts) and Connie Hart (Fashion). One common feature - sheer enthusiasm - what they were doing was exciting, client focussed and flexible whereever they could make it flexible. A key message from my day - institutions need to work hard to make sure that these people and their counterparts throughout any organisation do not get disillusioned or dispirited.
Thursday was spent at UTS talking with Geof Hawke - he is a Senior Researcher with OVAL (http://www.oval.uts.edu.au) and I gained some great insights into the 'big picture' of VET and workplace learning. One key topic we discussed was the growing conflict between workers needing to be generalists and their job roles becoming more specialised (underpinned by general skills such as communication or computer user) and what this means for VET - basically he sees it as VET needing to be more strong when negotiating with employers about the skills mix their workers need, which also prepares enterprises for the inevitable changes ahead. Heaps of papers are available on their site - themes are changing pedagogy, urban disadvantage etc. This is the group which did the High Level Review of Training Packages.
Gadget Girl Tips - on past trips I have travelled with a digital still camera, video camera, as well as a Palm handheld and a laptop. This trip I trimmed down and only travelled with my Palm handheld (which can take reasonable quality photos and low qual video) and a laptop (for internet access and video conferencing back to my family). Heaps easier to lug about on public transport! Photos are still high enough quality for my blog, and ok for printing out 10*15cm if I do some retouching.

Mindmapping Photos

MindMapping workshop

13- 14 September, 2004 Sydney

Victorian Photos

Victoria, August 2004

E-Learning Flexible Frameworks and Tools: Is it too late ? – the Director's Cut

Derek Morrison, Director, Centre for the Development of New Technologies in Learning, University of Bath, discussess the issues around institutions locking into one VLE, or Virtual Learning Environment, and some of the alternatives available. This paper (word doc) includes several screenshots that may be a good resource for demonstrating the possibilities.

He reaches the conclusion that...
"My opening statements raised the spectre of an e-learning monoculture developing unless we reduce our dependency on a few mainstream commercial players. The JISC et al vision plus work taking place in the international open source community suggests that this is exactly the wrong time to be 'locking in' to any one solution. Unfortunately, key decision makers within institutions may not be receiving the message and place greater emphasis on bringing themselves into line with the enterprise decisions already made by other institutions in their regional or collaboration cohort."

Take the time to think

link to website

Finding the time to think has been one of the harder tasks this year...

"Working longer hours is no longer the point. Sure, the longer I stay out baling hay the more bales I will bale. However, I for one know that if I spend much longer than an hour writing, the quality severely diminishes. I need to take a break and when I come back I tend to have a freshness and clarity.
Being busy is often an excuse for not doing something you should be doing. For me it has often been an excuse for not thinking, managing, and planning properly. Working hard is no longer the route to success it once was perceived to be. In an era of outsourcing and offshoring, success definitely does require hard work, but what is way more important is smart work. Basically, all the hard work will be outsourced, with just the smart work remaining."