Five Best Practices to Harness Social Media in Learning
by Cynthia Clay
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Social media is having a major impact on social learning, and those who work in the learning field should take note. To review just a few 2010 statistics:
- Facebook now has 400 million users and has moved into the #2 spot as the second most popular site on the Internet, surpassing Yahoo (behind Google).
- LinkedIn has over 60 million users and is growing by 2.5 million users each month.
- Twitter saw tweets increase by 1400% last year and now boasts that 600 tweets are created per second.
- 57% of YouTube videos are posted by 25 - 35-year old bloggers.
Social media is defined in Wikipedia as "the online technologies and practices that people use to share content, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives, and the media themselves." And, of course, this definition of social media was created using a social media application.
At NetSpeed Learning Solutions, we have experimented with the link between social media and informal learning for four years now, ever since we observed these social networking applications appearing on the scene. And from our experience, we recommend five best practices to help our clients develop effective virtual solutions:
Best Practice #1: Incorporate specific assignments using social media in the learning design (not as an afterthought or a cool add-on).
Best Practice #2: Ensure learners are oriented to the virtual environment (demystify it for them; this is especially important for those who are less comfortable with technology).
Best Practice #3: Help learners build "virtual presence" to encourage peer-to-peer learning (use photos, posted profiles, and other techniques to help learners get to know each other).
Best Practice #4: Blend asynchronous (on demand) social media with instructor-led synchronous (scheduled) events.
Best Practice #5: Develop learner accountability (track, monitor, and reward participation).
We have developed the NetSpeed Fast Tracks integrated learning system as a private platform that allows our clients to capitalize on social media for internal use. We call this brave new learning experience "The New Blend" because learning professionals are now able to incorporate a plethora of tools and mediums to support the learner's experience. Cynthia Clay, President/CEO, NetSpeed Learning Solutions recently published an article titled "Making Sense of the New Blend" in Training Industry Quarterly, Spring 2010. Let us know how we can help you bring social media to learning solutions that drive business results.
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Webinars don't have to be boring...
Do you want your trainers to conduct engaging, cost-effective webinars that lead to learning transfer? Pick up a copy of Cynthia Clay's new book, Great Webinars: How to create interactive learning that is captivating, informative and fun, now available at our web site and at online book retailers such as Amazon.com. Watch an interview of the author and read a book chapter or check out some of the reader testimonials. Cynthia Clay is the president/CEO of NetSpeed Learning and a nationally recognized expert in virtual learning methodologies.
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Speed Read Recommendation
Drive
Daniel H. Pink
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Drive is a paradigm-shattering look at what truly motivates us and how we can use that knowledge to work smarter and live better. Most of us believe that the best way to motivate ourselves and others is with external rewards like money - the carrot-and-stick approach. The secret to high performance and satisfaction - at work, at school, and at home - is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world. In Drive, Pink examines the three elements of true motivation - autonomy, mastery, and purpose - and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action.
This recommendation comes from the Leadership Book Club by Frumi Barr, a certified NetSpeed Learning Solutions consultant based in Newport Beach, CA.
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| End Role Play Blues |
by Louise Carnachan
"Don't make me role play!" I can't really blame them. Role plays are often poorly done and not much is gained. Yet practice is the best way to integrate conceptual knowledge with behavior for knowledge transfer.
As an actor myself, I know the value actors bring to role play so I use them when I can (they're cheap and always willing to work!) Actors easily adapt to changed circumstances and are affected by the other person, whereas many participants feel they have to "hold on" and not be changed - or feel sorry and go too easy on their colleagues.
Over the years, I've learned to increase the likelihood of role play success by using actors and the following steps. The process takes about 45 minutes before the actual participant practice.
- First, show the participants examples.
If I'm working with an actor, we start with a poor example and have participants comment on what went wrong, then provide a better example and have them comment on what went right and provide any additional suggestions. If I don't have access to an actor, I play the good model with a participant. The participants use observation guidelines to provide feedback.
- Use their examples, then stop and start the action in a fishbowl.
Asking for their typical situations, we find one that's "hot." I play the person demonstrating the skill. At critical junctures, I'll stop and say, "What should I do now?" giving them the chance to do the cognitive work of figuring out what to do without the pressure of demonstrating the skill. I take their suggestions and play them out so they can see the positive or negative consequences of their advice. I "re-wind" when it doesn't work and take the next suggestion.
- Be clear about what they are practicing and give them time to prepare.
Give them 10 minutes to prepare notes on a worksheet that lists the steps they are following. You can use either prepared scenarios or their own (which takes more time to prepare).
- Run the practice.
It's great if you can use an actor for each group of 4-6. The actor changes role for each participant, while the rest are observers. The person practicing has the ability to "freeze" action to ask for help from the observers if needed. For participants working with each other instead of an actor, use groups of 3-4 but monitor the quality and be prepared to coach role players if they become overly agreeable or difficult.
- Provide observational guidelines with clear instructions.
- Debrief gently.
People take a risk when they demonstrate, so it's important to be gentle, but helpful, in providing growth feedback. In the small groups, start with the person who demonstrated the skill stating what s/he did well and anything s/he'd change. Observers then provide their comments. The instructor (or actor if available) adds comments only if needed, adding only one growth opportunity.
If you use the process above, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the increased level of skill you see in participant role plays!
About Louise Carnachan
Louise Carnachan is a trainer and retreat facilitator with over 20 years' experience in the field of leadership and organization development. She resides on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington state and is an actor, director and playwright in her spare time.
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| What's New |
New: Virtual Facilitator Trainer Certification (VFTC) Course
Reduce your training costs with web conferencing. The Virtual Facilitator Trainer Certification program is a four-week intensive course designed to give you all the skills you need to lead powerful, interactive, engaging webinar training. Our Fall 2010 session begins on September 6 and runs over the course of four weeks. Learn more. Ask us about customization options for private course offerings.
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| Upcoming Events |
You're invited to a complimentary webcast: From Blah to Aha! Ten Best Practices for the Virtual Classroom
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 1:00 p.m. Eastern (noon Central, 10:00 a.m. Pacific) -- one hour
Cynthia Clay, author of Great Webinars, helps organizations repurpose traditional classroom learning into highly interactive, virtual learning experiences. Hear her share ten best practices to help you move from Blah (boring, talking head presentations) to Aha (engaging, interactive classroom facilitation).
Learn more or register for this complimentary webinar presented by NetSpeed Learning Solutions.
Would you like to see how our tracking and reporting tools work?
Learn more about our online reinforcement, and measurement/tracking tools by arranging for your own web demo. See our most recent enhancement feature: the third party evaluation utility.
For more information, complete our contact information form and include "Web Demo" in the "Additional Comments" box.
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