U-Blog 6

We presented our workshop on "Instant Messaging and Chatting Online" at the Lowman Home Community. I feel like our presentation went really well today. Our presentation was well prepared and executed as we had planned.

With each person needing to create an individualized account, we felt it was best to work one-on-one with the participants. They responded to this teaching method very well. While the participants had written instructions in front of them, they followed better when we could explain the exact step they were working on. The participants proceeded at different paces as some had email addresses they could use as their screen name and others needed to create a screen name from scratch as their email address was already in use as a screen name. With a small group, we were able to integrate some of the training tools discussed in Learning at Work (Chapter 7). For small groups they said that games were an effective teaching tool. We used a game as our group activity. Writing down all the participants screen names, we switched them and had the participants IM to find out who they were talking to. I feel they not only enjoyed this game, but also learned something. Soon, they were asking their neighbors to switch their papers so they could add another new "buddy" to their "buddy list".

I am glad we did this project, I feel like both sides gained a lot.

U-Blog 5

With only two weeks to go until my group presents for the Lowman Home, I am trying to make sure that we have a smooth, concise, and do-able presentation. The other groups have had very sucessful workshops, giving us something to live up to but also hope that participants are interested and responding well to presentations.

In a preemptive effort to work to troubleshoot any possible problems our workshop could encounter, I plan to attend another groups presentation. I feel there are many benefits to attending another project. Firstly, I am terrible with directions. Getting to the location, no matter how early I leave, could possibly be very difficult. Attending a workshop before my groups ensures me that I will know how to get to the location and once there I will know I am in the correct room at Lowman Home Center. Anytime you have an important event at a place you have never been, say an interview or presentation, you should ensure you can get there, double checking direction is a responsible thing to do especially when you are the one at fault if you do not arrive.

Another benefit of attending a workshop prior to presenting our workshop is to ensure our workshop is set up. Since our workshop is for internet chat and we need to have AIM downloaded on the computers, I can ensure this has been done.

Preparing for this workshop is like preparing for meeting, interview, or presentation. Learning to think ahead and troubleshooting possible problems are important things to adapt yourself to. These skills are valuable in various real life future situations.

U- Blog 4

Speaking to your audience. I feel like this is the key component in effectively communicating. Gathering the information is a job anyone can accomplish, but to convey that knowledge onto others is another job entirely. After observing Dr. Norris’s workshop, I realized that captivating an audience’s attention is a necessary part of teaching a workshop, regardless of the subject matter.

Dr. Norris’s audience was high school students and his topic was computers and technology. As a person only a few years older than his target audience, I can appreciate the difficultly of teaching/lecturing on computers and technology to a generation who grew up with it. Our generation likes to claim technology as being part of our generation; we feel we know more about it than anyone else. Dr. Norris took the challenge and used modes of communication that were appreciated by high school student; he used the contemporary video website YouTube. Its success was inevitable. In combination with the popular website, Dr. Norris incorporated videos illustrating the futuristic technologies. The movie-like sneak preview of futuristic technologies entranced the young participants. The workshop was extremely successful as the students wrote down the YouTube video names to watch again from their home computers.

Our audience for the Lowman Home project couldn’t be more different than high school students. However, the principal of an audience absorbing material better when interested, remains true. I began to think of ways to interest the senior citizens in computers in general, not knowing our exact workshop topic. Having not taught a workshop in a while, I spoke to one of my professors, Dr. Chappell, who teaches an advance Professionals Masters of Business Administration course to upper-level business executives looking to get a Masters degree. I felt with their age and accelerated course schedule is resembled a workshop in many ways. I asked Dr. Chappell what his teaching strategy was to best convey his knowledge to his learners, he said, “After a long day, I feel that the last thing these executives want to do is listen to me drone on for three hours, I keep my class as high energy as I can.” I decided that the retirees at the Lowman Home would be more interested by an instructor honestly enthusiastic about their subject matter as well. Thinking of other ways to get the learners interested, incorporating easy games and relating every subject to their lives are other ways to keep participants actively processing and learning the information we are trying to communicate.

I feel the more we plan for the workshop the more error-proofing and trouble-shooting will be accomplished, and the better the workshop will run. The retirees at the Lowman Home will be most impressed and interested in a well prepared and thought through workshop.

U-Blog 3

So, we have been talking about learning styles in the current Module and I began to think about online courses and the factors that influences ones adaptability to them. I took into account my current experience with TSTM 444 and my previous online course Astronomy 110.

Analyzing online classes based on learning styles was a thought provoking task, and after reading the articles related to learning types and intelligences, I realized only some are suited for online classes. Specifically, after looking at the learning styles chart link, I recognized that online courses seem to be best suited for kinesthetic and tactile learners. I say this because, in my experience, online courses are more hands on. You are not sitting in a classroom as much as you are doing assignments, projects, and learning applications. The teacher/professor needs to make sure that you are capable of the course objectives. The only way to do so is to force the student to actually preform them. In this class, its not just reading about blogs, we each created one. In astronomy, we didn't have class but we had labs to demonstrate our applications of the concepts we were supposed to be learning. Auditory learners, I feel, would struggle the most with these courses. The reason behind my theroy is that these classes do not incorporate an instructor with lectures and continual instruction. One whose learning style is auditory might be best suited to stay with the original classroom-set courses.

In the future, hopefully online courses will be adaptable to all learning styles. Already the technology is allowing various ways to learn. For the visual learner in Dr. Keanes J444, their are a number of links and posted directions for those who need to be able to read to understand a certain concept. She is working with video recording so their can be a "virtual instructor" which would benefit the auditory learner. Once more learning types can use such courses, I believe they will be come more widespread do to their cost reduction and ability to remove the classroom size limitations that other courses bring.

U Blog 2

The Lowman Home Project, I feel, will be a great project for all those involved, both the trainers and participants. The advantages the internet has provided the people of my generation have only been extended so far to senior citizens. They did not have computers in the classroom, video screens for Power Point presentations, and going to college did not require a laptop computer. Some were immersed into some technology when they entered the business world; however, more jobs were available in the labored work industry outside the office/cubicle. Today, the labored worker, for example, a mechanic, still inputs data into a computer before and after working on a car. The generation before did not have computers in a mechanics shop for client information and the internet for ordering parts.

While they say "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" I am going to have to disagree. You most certainly can. Most people simply don't see the point in spending the time to do so, however technology is an exception. Technology can help senior citizens in making their lives easier and more comfortable if learned. Adjustments will need to be made for teaching elderly persons to use technology, as their learning style is different than a younger pupil according to Jamie Wilson's, "Teaching Senior Citizens About Computers". The article goes on to say that the as a student, a senior citizen is, "smarter, more motivated, and genuinely excite about learning." I agree with Wilson, these pupils are not required to attend a program to learn, they are volunteering either by asking a family member/friend or attending a workshop such as the Loman Home Project.

While I fully agree that teaching senior citizens is fully possible and will benefit them in future; Wilson says, "...but it will be a challenge," another comment which I agree with. When I lived in Kansas, my school hosted a similar program called "Senior Citizen Saturday". We taught basic computer concepts like making a word document and using the internet. The program was extremely successful, but challenging in ways I had not anticipated. Physically, vision was an issue. Wilson's article mentions this as a possible problem. However, we taught them how to adjust computer and internet settings to allow for larger font sizes and how to permentantly set these controls. The internet was another problem that we encountered, while those who use the internet know its benefits, you have to know where to start or it can feel daunting. We started by explaining the internet terminology (web browsers, search engines, homepages, etc.) and giving handouts for easy reference. Then we walked through the simple internet usage. We explained Google's capabilities, email, and personalization. Many found the current weather to be a favorite. Stopping often to ask for questions encouraged the participants to ask more than waiting for them to interject. This too we found to be a generational difference, as they learned to listen to authority and speak when spoken to. The participants in our program were very appreciative of the knowledge we gave them, ensuring my feeling that the Lowman Home Project will be just as, if not more, successful.


Wilson, Jamie K. "Teaching Senior Citizens About Computers".
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/281822/teaching_senior_citizens_about_computers.html. June 20, 2007

Why Actually Read the Articles?

In class we have been constantly reading articles relating to the corporate training and how it has changed and will change for the future with developing technology. Going into these articles I didn't know to what extent they would apply to me, being a college student who has held only part time/seasonal jobs or internships. After reading the articles, I realize that training has become an integral part of a number of corporation’s successes and failures.

Sure, there are jobs for the small town shop that the one or two other workers can teach you in your first few days, throughout the course of the day. However, the percentage of people that are employed at these places is nothing compare to the number of people employed by Corporate America. For example, the number of people employed at “The Shop”, a specialty purse store in my hometown, is nothing compare to the number of employees trained as a Customer Service Representative for Michelin North America. Whereas with a small shop you can have the best employee train the new hires, Michelin cannot have its best Customer Service Representative answering questions for the eight new hires it took on, and expect that same person to continue to excel at their job. On the other hand, Michelin cannot expect for a new employee to be able to provide the service they desire if they are not properly trained.

I worked for Michelin as a summer intern in their Credit and Business Development Department; I was trained with other interns and new hires. We went through a video introduction workshop and then were trained in our respective departments. Reflecting on the articles I had read, I realized that employee-training programs had already affected me. I realized just how widespread employee training was when applied the article to my training for the restaurant business at PF Chang’s China Bistro. Even a franchised restaurant feels the need to properly train its workers, despite the facts the jobs were as simple as running food and seating guest. We had a team representing multiple franchises across the nation and a few individual from National Headquarters.

Seeing that these articles have already applied to my work life and knowing that I will be more affected with the intricate positions my degree will allow me to hold has made the workforce articles more interesting to me than originally imagined.

Workplace Learning and Training Trends for the Future

We are a much different generation than any of those who have come before us, often called the "Net Generation," as the people in our generation grew up with the Internet. The Internet has changed the way people live, work and learn. We are the first generation with the computer in our classroom since day one, and this puts us at a huge advantage. However, we must use this advantage or the American workforce will suffer. Many corporations already have "corporate universities" which allow for in-house corporate learning. The generation that is going to be coming to these corporations in the future is not going to have the patience to sit in a classroom; they are going to need to be working and learning. Web 2.0 tools allow this new generation to take learning and training into their own hands and time. These tools include blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, and other technologies.

Technology has given corporations the advantage of using workforces outside of the U.S. for less cost than American workers. This forces the American workforce to prove their worth over the less expensive workers. American colleges and universities are known as the best in the world, so it is not that our workforce is less desirable on a knowledge basis. The problem is that a company can hire a few number of more knowledgeable American workers or outsource and hire a significant number of less knowledgeable workers. The American workforce needs so be so advanced that they are more knowledgeable and productive than five or so workers. To make American workers so that they are so, the training they receive from K-12 all the way through graduate school has to be the very most advanced especially in the fields of math and science/technology. More than just putting in the extra effort to train our future workforce, the government needs to back schools in their efforts. The American government needs to invest funds in education to improve the future American workforce investment in the future will pay out when American jobs are not being outsourced because using a few American workers is worth more than using a number of less knowledgeable but cheaper labor.

Look to my delicious account for more articles relating to trends and training the American workforce. http://delicious.com/brennan.kellya