You have probably heard about The Flipped Classroom model where the traditional classroom has been flipped on its head, so that students watch lectures as homework and then apply the concepts in the classroom. If not, you can read more in Dan Pink’s article in The Telegraph here. Anyway, when I was discussing my upcoming webinar with Sibrenne, Simon and Joitske, I thought it might be a good idea to try the same with the traditional webinar model, and flip that. So that instead of me presenting to you for an hour with only a small amount of time for questions which you have to think up on the spot, we flip that model.
So I provide you with some article to read in advance, which means that you have time to read it and reflect on it, as well as consider the questions you’d like to ask. And then we spend the time on the webinar discussing your questions, and their application and implication for workplace learning.
So, what should I ask you to read? Well I’ve been writing a lot, as you may well know, about the use of social media for learning and, in conjunction with my Internet Time Alliance colleagues (Jay Cross, Harold Jarche, Charles Jennings and Clark Quinn), a lot too on the importance of working smarter. So I thought an article that brought these two aspects together and which summarised a lot of my thinking would be the best place to start. Of course it’s then up to you if you want to read further around it. So here’s the article to get you started:
>> 10 steps for working smarter with social media
Now, in order that we have time to prepare for the webinar on Thursday evening, it would be great if you could leave your questions in the comments area below by the end of Wednesday 14 December 2010. If you would like to ask me any other questions, please feel free to leave them here too! Of course there will also be an opportunity to ask other questions in the webinar itself – and also some time too to get your feedback on Flipped Webinars.
I look forward to reading your questions – and talking with you on Thursday 15th at 20.00 Amsterdam time in our Flipped Webinar!
Jane Hart
Dear Jane,
Thank you for the interesting posts and ideas! Looking much forward to the webinar next week. I have lots of questions singing around in my head now, and will try to formulate a few questions. They are related both to work place environments and networks, as I work both on the payroll of a small NGO (part time) and as freelancer (part time, focus on small NGOs also, mostly in countries in transition).
First questions when it comes to the work place. The success of learning and using social media I think comes down to willingness and culture to share. I have noticed that this is a big hurdle within organisations where I’ve worked. There is of course always the issue of time: not time for sharing as it’s not seen as a core activity but an extra. But there is also the issue of personalities and positions I think. There are some people that are insecure to share (I have no worthwhile experience or ideas to share – everybody knows already what I just discovered; and I do not dare share my questions because I will be perceived as stupid or incompetent if I do; and I work in a position that is unique and therefore my experience is not relevant to others; I work in a sensitive position and cannot share confidential data and without sharing those data I have nothing to share and discuss; and I am too important to share, I have no peers). Part of those issues might be solved by finding a CoP outside the organisation, part maybe by coaching and awareness raising, etc. Then the follow up question could be how external CoP info can be shared back within the organisation? Do you have any best practices to share on those issues?
I think similar sensitivities arise when it comes to the concept of learning. Not many people would say they are perfect at their job, but on the other hand, not many of them can point out real issues they need to learn to be more effective at their job. I recognise the example of the Word course – people saying they need to go on an Excel Course, whereas it is more about whatfor they would need to work with Excel (let’s say if they know how to formulate the formulas they still would not know how to use them). In the small organisations I have worked in there is no L&D person, and learning is ad hoc: if you find a course and there happens to be money, then you can go. If not, then not. So there is also no person who can initiate a discussion about what the real learning objective is or could be. For such situations I do favour the sharing culture, because then everyone can learn and can learn from each other too, but then you sometimes get stuck on the above mentioned issues. Do you happen to have tips to get out of the catch-22?
Last work place related question is on security/safety. I currently work in an NGO with a very sensitive mission, so that some social media are only useful to a certain extent. We recently started with Yammer, but there still remains the issue of data security. Is there somewhere where we might find an analysis of social media tools based on this criterion?
As freelancer I work with NGOs abroad and currently also with a network. I have found that your 10th point is really true – be a role model, combined with finding the best tool for the specific circumstances. What I find challenging here is the distance. It is sometimes dfficult to find out about a hurdle if you are separated by 1000s of kms, and if there is a language barrier, too. That makes it also challenging to make improvements as needed. In a previous environment, a big wiki was set up for sharing and collaboration, which everyone claimed was needed and desired. However, actual contributions were most of the time limited. In hindsight, the wiki may not have been the best tool. But by now, it may be hard to switch tools because of the idea of failure of the wiki may stick to any new tool before it’s used. I am sure such occasions happen more often – initial choice seems OK and rational, but does not work out. Do you have experiences in how acknowledging a “wrong” choice can be “repaired” successfully, keeping people on board who did use the old tool and expanding to ones that did not?
Last remark before I bore you to death. Thinking of flipping things. I was thinking of starting the day with for example “one tip for my successor” based on what you learned the previous day at work. One insight, practical or philosophical, to share. This may be done on Yammer, or using IDoneThis (individual I think). That way you’d start not with the work, or even with improving yourself, but with the whole of the organisation in mind.
Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, and apologies for this too long reply.
Suzanne
Thanks Suzanne – a very well articulated post with some very valid points. Hopefully I’ll be able to answer them to your satisfaction on Thursday.
Jane,
A large part of my work revolves around professional development of advisors to multi-stakeholder processes with poverty reduction goals (for instance access to renewable energy technology in rural Nepal). I share a few of the notes I took while reading your blogpost, and insert some ❓ questions that emerged.
Continous learning: quality depends on regular reflection! I agree that it is not about learning/reflection per se, but about performance. Yet there has to be a drive to do well, and a realization that doing well requires that you reflect about what is going on, what you (the main instrument of change) are doing/thinking etc and if that is good enough. ❓ Jay CRoss says learn or become obsolete, but how many are beginning to feel that effect of becoming obsolete?
It’s about helping people to connect and find new solutions together, and that is where social media come in.
Under the radar change, I like that. While controling may continue, people can begin to connect and solve their problems without mgt or gvt prior approval. Before you may have needed approval for resources to see each other to work out problems, now all you need is a computer (and the realisation that learning/connection doesn’t cost time, it saves time). ❓ Can you share more about how SoMe has enabled such shifts in organisational culture?
Raising awareness to develop self-sufficiency through SoMe: I recognise the eyeopeners about what is out there.
Using SoMe within a Performance Consulting approach: For instance, in my current consultancy I’m using new tools like google docs to develop an MoU, and survey monkey on SoMe use. Interesting initial finding: many people respond that email backlog is a reason for “difficulty to participate online”. ❓ Are there convincing examples I can use that show how email has reached manageable levels after SoMe introduction?
Embedding SoMe in the organization.
You don’t know what’s useful until you have tried it. So it is important to show people what’s available, and let them try it. Use it in your team so that it demonstrates itself, and then they can continue on their own.
COP needs gardening, enabling conversations, weeding so that relevant stuff can flourish, feeding conversations. Sounds like ‘facilitators’, and these are not always easy to find. ❓ What are your experiences with finding the right ‘garderners’ and creating resources for such a function in organisations? Maybe in HRD depertment?
Tools for working and learning are the same! Measure success in the performance. Develop yourself first, and others will follow. OK! Looks like I’m on the right track with this course.
Looking forward to the conversation.
Thanks Lucia – some great points – hope to address them too in the webinar
Jane
Jane, related to the questions of Suzanne and Lucia, I would like to add some questions.
1. Can you give some specific examples where managers have taken away barriers for their employees, so that they feel confident and free to use social media in their organisation and that an IT department is not hindering them in applying social media? (this in relation to Lucia’s question)
My experience is sofar that many managers in my working environment say that people who facebook and twitter all day are not focused at their work and cost time and money? So can you give some specific examples how managers have encouraged use of social media for the organisation?
2. My experience is that self-employed consultants are less hindered by using social media and faster and more entrepreneurial in using social media, than people working in organisations. What is your experience? And what are ways, how I can identify and encourage the entrepreneurial people within organisations to create commitment and support for social media within organisations?
3. Myself I am very lazy in reading. I learn a lot in meeting and talking to people. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by all information at the internet, that I get blocked and insecure I am obsolete all the time. So, my question is, how can a person like me who is more a people person and not a strong reader at internet or a dyslectic person, learn effectively from social media?
Regards, Simon
Dear Jane
Your flipping blog post is quite something, it works for me to rethink and at the same time I am pleased that an experienced SoMe professional like you, still embarks on a webinar with the expectation to have somebody kick start the content and direction of the webinar. 🙂
Reading through the 10 steps I found myself nodding in agreement and would like ask is there not an additional step of getting senor management to take an active interest and to lead by example. For the past three years I have been part of a Senior Management Team that has allowed various SoMe initiatives to start, but has withdrawn from taking a leading or even interested stance, the consequence is that there is disarray, conflicting initiatives and a range of organisational accounts. Luckily I have since left this team and can spend more time discovering SoMe work.
Together with a techy colleague am currently fascilitating the build of a wiki for a client, sadly we are noticing that their contributions to the wiki are very limited. We did a week long induction training, and moved from wiki to workspace to lower the threshold and it was still painfully obvious that the SoMe skills of the intended leaders were very low. In hind sight I realise that we should have started with some basic of social media and that your ten steps would have been nice steps to discuss. Both experiences mentioned are about how can you get that informal buzz going and also how can you entice senior managers to admit that their skills and competencies will improve if they seriously engage with SoMe, this will however require somebody to engage and possibly admit that their social media skills need some improvement?
Sorry Jane I have a further question:?: How much effort should we spend in trying to capture the wealth of informal learning?
Are self selected highlights enough?
Hello Jane,
Reading you’re blog makes me think of an own experience a while ago. When you get questions in relation to a subject you’re not yet experienced with, and some times give the wrong answers, it helps you focus. When you hear or read more later on, about that subject, you’re focussed on those questions (and their answers). So I can imagine that the flipped classroom is a success.
After reading the 10 steps for working smarter with social media the quenstion that pops up is ‘how do you use SoMe in relation to the learning styles?’ Do you have experience with different ways of gardening?
That’s my question for this moment. See you tomorrow!
Cora
Hi Jane, your article offers a nicely balanced insight is all things to be considered while starting to use SoMe. ‘Spot on’ and very useful. It hands me some strong arguments in a currently running assignment. I don’t have any questions regarding your article, but one thing I’d like to explore …
❓ can I (and how to …) use social media to help employees to take responsibility for their own working, learning and performance improving activities?
In the organisation I’m thinking about, all SoMe infrastructure is present already – like Yammer, wiki’s etc.
The way I perceived your article is that you write about applying SoMe when there the desire to learn is present already.
I hope you can share some of your reflections on the ‘pre’-stage: creating an intrinsic desire to learn with the use of SoMe.
Hallo Jane,
your article helps me to develop a more systematic approach in introducing SoMe in our organization. For this moment I have some questions.
1. Many of my colleagues feel the problem of information overload. I am curious to know what kind of filters you advise.
Fe during our last conference we organised the ppossibility to twitter. There were so many reactions, that my colleagues didnot read them any more and were discouraged to use twitter: too difficult to focus, you have to read too much trivial remarks before you find something really interesting. Or on our Yammer, there are so many comments that it is difficult to find the ones interesting for you,
2. You write about using SoMe as part of the process of helping people to understand the value of collaboration. Can you give some examples of how you do this?
Hi Jane,
I’ve read your article and it’s pretty insightful, but most points are just tipped slightly. I’ve got lot’s of questions regarding the article, but I got a bigger question regarding the actual topic of the webinar: Serendipitous learning.
How to create the happening of learning while the focus of the audience isn’t at learning? So how to set up unintended learning experiences? What mechanics are at work in such a process and how to use these mechanics.
Reading the above posts I really get the feeling that the webinar is moving towards a general social media session and I hope you will also focus a bit on how to use social media to facilitate learning.
There’s also another topic I hope you can help me a bit with.. I just started a brand new job and I’m coaching trainers in using social media to share their incredible knowledge with the outside world. I think an essential part in this process is to learn them how to build a sustainable online network that exists of a nice mixture of experts in the same field and non-experts. Do you have some ideas on how to create such a network and what ingredients are needed?
I hope you can understand my questions due to my bad English grammar!
Hello Jane!
I am really curious to discover what role a facilitator will have when it comes to serendipitous learning? Are there things that you should or should not do?
In terms of using social media, how can you stimulate people to share knowledge and experience without them feeling insecure about sharing or feeling that what they want to share is insignificant?
I have many more questions and reading through the previous posts, most of them have been raised. One that is really important to my organisation is how to change the perception of our L&D department itself that classroom training is not the only solution?
Looking forward to tonight!
Hello Jane,
I am really looking forward to meet you within an hour. After reading your ten remarkable points there is popping one big question.
It’s all about doing and trying. Having failures and recover and try again. That is not an everage culture aspect in our society. We have to think very hard before we decide, making mistakes has to be avoid.etc.
So how do you invite people and feel comfortable in this new perspective of working.
See you soon!