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Monday, September 22, 2008

Examples of eLearning 2.0

During my presentation last Thursday that was an introduction to eLearning 2.0 as part of an online event for the eLearningGuild, I mentioned a few common ways that I've seen eLearning 2.0 approaches used in corporate learning settings:
  • Alongside Formal Learning
    • Blog as writing tool
    • Wiki as a collaborative learning tool
  • Editable reference materials (Wiki)
    • Internal / External Product information
    • Process information
    • Sales scenarios
    • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) / support information
    • Online reference / glossary
  • Experience Capture
    • New-hire blog
    • Maintaining a “lab or project notebook”
  • RSS Reader, Podcasts - Steady Drip
Then I ask the group for examples of how they are using eLearning 2.0 approaches. In the past, I've only had a few people respond, but this time, there were so many responses I couldn't really read them and present. Here are some of the things that people mentioned:
  • link new hires and senior staff through a wiki to learn from one another in starting at corp
  • questions and answers
  • used a wiki to collect data from managers instead of surveying them
  • Vodcasts
  • wikis and semantic engine for knowledge management and mining
  • classroom extension / preclass work
  • wiki for java programmers
  • sharing info about sustainable practices throughout the corporation
  • We are using a blog to assist our Adobe Captivate users with internal troubleshooting and to release important internal standards
  • group roleplays that grow over time
  • creating learning paths on wikis
  • converted help manual from robohelp to wiki for our support team
  • We have a wiki where people describe new business processes they've developed.
  • new acct mgrs have an online community space
  • wikis for student collaboration
  • project management
  • RSS feeds from social bookmarks to capture reading list for group of SMEs
  • We use a wiki to update associates on new documentation
  • wikis internally and learning blog pointing users to most valuable resources
  • Allow people to post their software tips on our intranet
  • Using blog as answering tool and wiki as collaboration tool
  • using a wiki to support development and techniques in for WebEx trianing
  • blogs for student experience - marketing tool
  • wiki on grape varieties
  • project WIKIs, best practices dissemination via RSS
  • rss feeds for hr pages
  • Using a tool like "linked in" to help network our different users with each other, started using blogs.
  • internal processes on wiki
  • starting to use wikis internally
  • Moving faculty bookmarks to Delicious
  • use wiki for learners to craft definition of 'seamless service' after searching orgs that proclaim to provide seamless service
  • We hope to build wikis that our students can use to share information.
  • We use podcasts to release information on department updates
  • wikis for SMEs to submit content/feedback
  • project Wikis ; resource / tools sharing on wiki
  • online reference for patient care
  • using podcasts for our ASTD chapter to introduce upcoming speakers
  • wikis, blogs, jing to capture best practices, conduct training and elearning resources
  • virtual learning environment that encompasses social tools
  • Use discussion boards and blogs for reflection and share learner experience
A great list of examples. One thing I really like about the list is how tactical they are. I always suggest people shouldn't try to come up with a big eLearning 2.0 strategy and worry about culture change, but should instead look for tactical implementations that just make sense. These make sense.

There's still work to make sure you support users. But, wow, what a great list!

5 comments:

V Yonkers said...

I see a lot with blogs and wikis, but less with some of the other web 2.0 technologies (i.e. pageflakes, interactive visualization tools, video). How would you say these uses measure up to the research you're doing with the eLearning guild?

Anonymous said...

I think what's great about this list is that the key words are to do with connections and dialogue, collaboration, sharing and exchange, not about one way learning from the top down. It seems that a lot of these initiatives are at grassroots level, and are examples of a need to exchange ideas that drives the desire to adopt a particular web 2 tool or approach, the kind of small scale bottom up process that in my opinion is far more likely to succeed than any imperatives imposed from on high that demand that an organisation adopts a technology just because everyone else is doing it. identify the need in your team, and then find the right tool to resolve it - whether a wiki for collaboration, a blog for information, opinion or reflection, or a podcast for getting out the message. But the organsiation needs to support these possibliites by making an open process for setting them up - making access to servers and installing the relevant software eg wikis or blogging
so that the staff can easily and quickly pick up the right tool with the right support when they need it. It seems that establishments like the jordan schools district T4 program - transforming teaching through technology (see- http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/)
for example is the right way to go - providing a set of tools and guidance on how to deploy them - and then letting the people at the coal face decide which is most relevant to their needs.

Kevin Forgard said...

Tony, How well did this presentation go over at the conference?
From my perspective as a student right now (and VERY green when it comes to business training), the content seems pretty obvious. However, it seems that there is a big cultural hurtle in taking advantage of eLearning 2.0 tools.
For me, web 2.0 tends to be very democratic and bottom-up, which could contrast sharply with traditional top-down management.
Its a rather complex issue.

Kevin Forgard

Valerie said...

It is a great list of eLearning 2.0 tools

Adam said...

I'm a developer and both myself and collegues are fed up with VLE's that are overbloated with too much stuff, especially when it comes to primary learning.

So here's our pimary learning VLE that comes with content and uses web2.0 technology, multi language support, SEN support etc, plain and simple. See video captures...

http://www.mylearningltd.co.uk/view/learning-platform-products/my-learning-junior/

You might want to show this in your presentation to show how an online virtual learning environment should look to primary kids.. colourful, fun, animated and not just another bad re-hash of moodle or some other VLE that wasn't designed for kids and just isn't nice to use.