Here's what I was thinking. Book after book, article after article, study after study talk about the importance of repetition in learning. As adults, we have to mess around with a topic or bit of information 7-14 times before we form a memory, or we "learn" it. Since, not if, that is the case, how can we leverage technology to actually support this fact instead of ignoring it. I believe that while we intellectually know this to be true, as learning professionals we are all secretly hoping that our learning intervention will be the one that magically only took once and the learning occurred. Well, that's probably not realistic. So, what can we do about it?
With so many programs available to us, many with wonderful options available for free such as Audacity, Jing and join.me, how can we leverage these within the design not just of an event, but in a learning strategy? What I mean is, can this technology provide additional opportunities for participants to interact with the content outside the actual learning event? How can we do a better job of designing a series of interactions instead of one touch with the content. What types of pre and post touches could we design?
In the real world many of these pre and post suggestions are discouraged due to monetary and time constraints. However, these programs allow us to create effective interactions that are inexpensive, short and available when the learner wants to access them. From an adult learning perspective, it allows the best of both worlds. The ability for the learner to engage with the content several times in different types of interventions at a time that they determine is right for them. From a business perspective, it allows for inexpensive and effective design which can lead to real learning and real results. Who doesn't like the sound of that!
It is sort of like what we talked about in class, that we could use Twitter as a follow up "reminder" of content, or a wiki as a place to post new things and get others to engage again without spending boatloads of time. Send out a Jing video a couple weeks after(or the week before) training to get it in front of them once again. Really good thoughts!
ReplyDeleteand, on a more pedantic level, with artifacts of our learning/conversations we also have this information available for review, or to consume again, and later, at our own pace to try to make additional connections and pull out additional learning.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing me back to center! Also, Robin, had to look up a few words in your comments, but you'll be ever so glad to know that I used Google Features to find it!!! You have to admit that's pretty funny!
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