Blog #12: Workplace Expectations

After reading "The Future of Learning the Workplace" I believe we will be learning about technologies that will impact our job in the future workplace everyday. Most people I know have smartphones and tablets. Devices such as these will be the future of the workplace. With these devices and the emergence of cloud computing, learning professionals are no longer bound by the workplace, meaning they can work from virtually anywhere and access the information they need. This new unlimited workplace allows for the globalization of business in a way that has previously not been a realistic possibility. Informal learning will be more prevalent in the future workplace. Social media will play a bigger role in business and e-learning will be much more popular tan it is today. Technologies that have not even been invented yet will play a role in the workplace of the future.

http://www.mindflash.com/blog/2012/01/a-review-of-2011-and-the-future-of-workplace-learning/
http://www.slideshare.net/UpsideLearning/mobile-learning-the-future-of-workplace-learning-15080571
http://www.dontlookhere.com/blog/2013/03/11/why-mobile-learning-is-the-future-of-workplace-learning/
http://id697-f12-bateman.wikispaces.umb.edu/file/view/Blended_Workplace.pdf

Blog $11: IT - Always Changing

Whenever someone tries to force help on you, it always feels awkward. In an ITEC class during my sophomore year, a guy sitting next to me saw I was lagging behind a little in the hands-on demonstration we were having that day. I felt a little uncomfortable because I did not ask for the help. It made me feel like he thought I was not smart enough to figure it out on my own. I gladly accepted his help as he was giving it, but it was not the most comfortable of situations. Based in that experience I think it  would be wise for organizations to not force learning initiatives on its employees. It would be best for the employee to take part in the learning initiative on their own accord. This will serve to enhance the learning experience for the learner. If the employee is forced into the learning initiative, they may not be enthusiastic and willing to learn.

Blog #10: Why Assess?

Assuming a learning and performance department completed a needs assessment by identifying a group of employees who need to learn project management, how would they identify relevant evaluation criteria? The most relevant evaluation criteria the performance department to pull from would be the employees knowledge of the PMBOK(Project Management Body of Knowledge). Both certification tests(CAPM and PMP) you have to pass to become a project manager directly relate to information found in the PMBOK. There are practice tests available similar to that of the CAPM and PMP that are available to take as practice. Administering these practice tests to the employees undergoing the needs assessment could serve as the evaluation criteria.

Blog Post #8 : Informal Learning

Paper-based mediated instructional methods remain popular despite the widespread availability of computer-based instruction for several reasons. Paper-based methods are cheaper to provide to a large mass of students.  Computer based instruction is much more expensive compared to paper-based methods. Supplying elementary and middle school students would require constant maintenance and updates. Support costs, as well as hardware and software costs, would be much more expensive for schools who already have tight budgets. Paper-based methods have remain popular because that has been the norm for so long. It would be hard to integrate an entirely new way of learning and teaching into the school systems. Training teachers would be a very painstaking task and as mentioned before, IT support costs would be high. These are some of the reasons why I believe paper-based methods will remain popular over computer-based methods.

Blog Post #1

My name is Pete Tapp. I am a senior Integrated Information Technology major at the University of South Carolina. The purpose of this blog is to explore certain issues pertaining to Information Technology.

Blog Post #6: "Lecture only if you must."

Lectures haves been a popular method of delivering classroom material. Some educators are against this method stating, "Only lecture if you must." While lecturing is a good way to deliver information to large groups, many believe it creates poor learning and is too instructor-centered. I believe lectures should be used to present information in a classroom setting, as long as there is a visual aid to accompany the lecture. They can become dull and dry without the use of a power point or some other visual aid. Visual aids allow the audience to gather information visually, as well as audibly. Lectures, when used to present an informational topic, give the chance for the audience to gather information and ask questions. Ultimately, everyone learnes best in different ways. Lectures are a good way for instructors to present a large amount of information to a large audience.


http://www.inf.ucv.cl/~bcrawford/Experiential_Learning/Learning_At_Work.pdf (pg. 200-201)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecture

Blog Post #4: How do you learn?

As we grow, the way we learn changes. From early kindergarten through middles school and even into high school, there is a pedagogical approach to learning. We are dependent on others to teach us and build a foundation of knowledge. A pedagogical style is uniform by age and generally taught the same level of curriculum. The orientation of learning is subject centered and motivation is driven by rewards and punishments.

As we move into college, our learning shifts to an andragogical from that of a pedagogical style. Especially in the early years of college, learning becomes more self-directed. The learning style of androgogy tends to pull from real life experiences and tasks. Androgogical learning motivates individuals more through internal incentives.

As we transition from college to the workplace, our learning gogies change as well. Though there still is an androgogical style of learning, it shifts to more of an heutagogical and peeragogical style of learning. Heutagogical learners learn best individually. They are skilled, self-motivated, practical-oriented workers.  On the other side peeragogical learners are insecure, afraid to fail. The are hesitant to learn themselves; instead, they wait to learn from the mistakes of others. They tend to be hands on learners and follow the crowd.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedagogy
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andragogy
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heutagogy