2. • Social Learning
• Problem Solving Through Social
Learning
• Addressing Business Issues and
Strengthening Relationships
through Social Learning
• Social media tools, a review of
current options and applications
Agenda/Topics To Be Covered
4. Social Learning is not…
1. Training low-level workers.
2. “At odds with formal education”
3. “A replacement for training or employee
development”
4. “Synonymous with informal learning”
5. “A new interface for online search”
6. “The same as e-learning”
7. “Constantly social in the same way a party is”
(2010)
7. Addressing Business Issues and Strengthening
Relationships through Social Learning
Social learning platforms need to be
monitored from both internal and
external positions
Original written content is most
important for social media
marketing
Self-Guided Social Media Training Manual and Presentation
Gerald Armbrister, Carolyn Scott, Jonathan Studdard
AET 562
May 11, 2015
Kathryn Wyatt
ACME Corporation has realized and embraced the value social media brings to the fold as well as the opportunities for career development, professional competencies, and more effective communication it offers. The activity that will take place from ACME Corporation employees will not only represent each participant individually, but the company as well. All activity will fall under the banner of ACME’s core value pillars of integrity, compassion, responsibility, and professionalism, and will be governed by ACME’s policies and procedures.
The expectation up front as with any major initiative is that implementing social media at ACME Corporation will be a tremendous challenge with numerous risks involved. From a technical perspective, there will certainly be site issues internally and externally, compatibility barriers, and varying levels of experience from participants. Along the same lines as participant experience with social media, they cannot be mandated to contribute towards ACME Corporation's social media footprint.
Implementation leaders will work hard to invite everyone to take a front seat and not sit back while disconnected from all that social learning through social media brings. Social media will be considered the gateway to professional development moving forward and employees that have aspirations to grow and advance in their careers would be wise to take an active part.
Image: http://www.tonybates.ca/latest/
Learning through social media is obtained through observance, listening, and guided practice. Real-life, on-the-job experiences that get shared through an outlet of social media are the basis of social learning. The exchanging of ideas, strategies, and vantage points allow for learning to be an ongoing, revolving carousel of knowledge where participants can stop in and absorb as much as needed to either address a specific issue or inquiry, or to gain an entire understanding of in depth topics.
The two primary segments of social learning are Personal Learning Networks; (PLN’s), and Communities of Practice; (CoP’s). PLN’s are comprised of people we turn to for quick answers, resolutions to problems, and a place to draw from for enhancing one’s job performance. CoP’s are comprised of those actively engaged in the same task striving for a shared goal while sharing applicable points and data.
Bingham, T. (2010). The new social learning: A guide to transforming organizations.
One of the greatest components that social learning brings is being able to problem solve by assessing the experiences of others that have face the same or similar problems already. This component in itself offers something that every organizational environment needs, and that is COMMUNITY. Through that community, social learners know that they are not on their own, they gain confidence when they are not the only one’s that faced the challenge or needed help, and they develop relationships which in turn expand access and capabilities, leading to faster, more efficient production.
Within social learning, as opposed to formal training, that sense of community expands far beyond just those participating within the formal training setting. Shared learning experiences promote a sense of empowerment from employees that in turn generates more genuine trust and investment. Through social learning, the element of collaboration will more likely lead to knowledge retention, which directly impacts the approach to problem solving, and the impact and effect once the problem is addressed.
Internal observation allows inappropriate content to be deleted and persons notified of their transgressions; from the external position, consumers needing input or answers to queries will need to be attended to. The entire social learning initiative is reliant upon ACME Corporation being able to allocate the manpower to monitor social learning platforms.
Social learning participants cannot be identified by aliases; rather first and last name only. Employees will be required to review the social learning policies and procedures upon hire and annually thereafter. Any staff member taking advantage of social media access or that posts inappropriate material, or any material that does not align with the ACME Corporation Social Media policy will fact disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
Original written content is most important for social media marketing: A significant 58% of marketers stated that original written content is the single most important form of content, followed by original visual assets (19%)” (Schroeder, 2014).
Schroeder, H.M., (2014). Social media in business strategy: The learning and development
implications. Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal,
28(6), pp.12 – 15.
With over 288 million users, Twitter has the ability to share information holistically and departmentally for the purpose of informing individuals on matters of interest. Within Twitter the use of hash tags enables researches to review information under a uniformed subject title. Twitter feeds within the organization will be used for open sharing and information relay between departments
Facebook allows for networking within specific groups or by common interests. Through the outlet of Facebook as a means of social learning, users can observe, present or challenge ideas, ask and answer questions, as well as expanding and enhancing dialog.
ACME Corporation will utilize Facebook to gauge reactions to products and services, as well as a means to respond directly as needed. As stated in the ACME Corporation Social Media policy, employees may NOT use Facebook as a personal platform under the ACME banner.
A Wiki can be considered a conglomeration of a webpage and word document where users within an organization can take part in the creation of the Wiki space, edit content, and interact through discussion. Wikis will be a primary tool of choice when best practices are discussed so that innovations and possible work-around can be documented and shared.
Tools like YouTube offer interactive multimedia lessons that involve sound, picture and language. Visual components within social learning is more stimulating to the learner and most likely lead to information being retained more than if it were learned in a more traditional method. A plethora of content can be uploaded to YouTube that can promote not only ACME Corporation itself, but its core values internally and externally. Social learners can view motivational speeches, how-to videos, interviews with industry or content leaders, day-to-day best practices, or they can take part in and share the marketing initiatives of ACME Corporation. As with all forms of permissible social media outlets, acceptable YouTube uses are detailed within the ACME Corporation Social Media Policy.
As more staff come to the organization with experience with these tools in personal use, the translation of these platforms will transition more easily. Social media is not an end all however. Formal training remains the core of any organizational orientation to core policy, procedure and expectations. A successful launch of social media sites by ACME Corporation is deemed necessary to ensure inclusion of both employees and consumers in the process of social learning, improving processes and work in real time, and maintenance of open and transparent communication. A social learning community will be the structure that ACME Corporation identifies itself by.
