Article published in AITD journal June 2012. Uploaded with permission from publishers.

1. June 2012 Vol 39 No 3
Training&Development
‘Age-old’ problem:
Improving learning initiatives
with A.G.E.S.
PLUS...
• rain-friendly
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training
• earn the
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language!
• ocial media is
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here to stay

2. Technology Resources
Social media is not a
fad—it’s the future!
Anne Bartlett-Bragg
Social media is more than just a fad, it is shaping the way organisations communicate
and engage with their employees, their customers and their business partners. As a
consequence, the nature of business is changing.
There is an irrepressible shift to social • 65 per cent of employees state they At the same time, employees are frustrated
technologies that connect people, break can find the answers to questions more by the disconnect between their workplace
down silos of information and reach beyond quickly. technology and personal computing
the boundaries of the office to enable the • 83 per cent of new workers say they experiences. Traditional enterprise IT
creation of innovative practices that re- feel better connected with co-workers systems (including LMS) do not afford the
ignite the collective intelligence within the through internal social networks—giving lightweight, ease of use people have come to
organisation. The rise of the ‘social business’ them a stronger sense of community. expect in personal social media applications.
is not only enabled through the use of social In addition, the inability to easily share
• Classroom courses blended with social
technologies, it is also being reflected in the and collaborate with colleagues—a process
learning communities now experience
redesign of how we approach our work. that underpins the fundamentals in all
97 per cent course completions—up
social media—further increases current
How effectively organisations harness from only 60 per cent in solely face-to-
organisational technology dissatisfaction.
the power of these fundamental shifts in face delivery environments.
workplace practices will be reflected Anecdotal stories recount examples
in their ability to adapt to these of employees relying more on their
disruptive, changing environments. personal smart phones than their
It’s important to highlight that workplace desktop for faster, more
Social business is one of the biggest
shifts in the structure and process of it’s not about the technology, effective computing—many of the
latter still having limited internet
our organizations in business history.
It taps into entirely new sources of it’s about how we use it! access. Yet, as LD practitioners,
we all know that learning drives
creative output (everyone on the
organisational flexibility and adaptability,
network), relinquishes structure that reduces In 2005, I wrote an article for Training
so being able to foster practices that will
productive outputs, and inverts methods of Development: ‘Social Software: The age of
keep pace with the changes not only in the
traditional control and decision making in connection and the connected learner’,
organisational context but also in meeting
work processes (anyone can contribute as which reviewed the application of a variety
the learners’ needs and expectations will
long as they create value) while focusing on of social platforms such as blogs, wikis, social
be critical. Shouldn’t we be leading by
useful outcomes. An excerpt from ‘Social bookmarking and chat, and examined their
example and demonstrating the value
Business by Design’, May 2012, p.20 potential uses and anticipated implications
that can be attained through the effective
for organisational learning. I revisited this
Further supporting the case of social implementation of social, collaborative
article as I drafted my thoughts for this piece
business changes, organisational research platforms?
and pondered how far we’d progressed in
reports are starting to provide evidence
our adoption of social media technologies in However, learning with social media is
relating to the impact for the early adopters.
our learning tool kits. Disappointingly, in the NOT the same as traditional learning
The results are impressive:
learning context, the answer is that not much practices, including existing eLearning
• Organisations that use collaboration change can be noticed—despite the increase courses. Learning with social media is
and social networking tools are 57 per in positive outcomes demonstrated in case dynamic, learner controlled, self-directed
cent more likely to outperform their studies, as well as the dramatic increase in and at times, it may even appear to be
competitors. journal articles and conference presentations. chaotic. Results from my doctoral research
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3. Technology Resources
that explored the learners’ experience of Modes of teaching:
social media found that: Mode 1: Transfer Mode 2: Tutor Mode 3: Coach
• Learners are more actively engaged— (Directed teaching) (Facilitated learning) (Informal guide)
both with each other and the content. • programmed instruction • problem-solving • complex situations
• Learners report feeling more • to teach, to explain • o observe, to help, to
t • to co-operate, to support
demonstrate
empowered.
• production of correct answers • election of methods and their use
s • ealisation of adequate action strategies
r
• Learners demonstrate deeper levels of
• to know, to remember • to do, to practise • to cope, to master
reflection.
• transfer of knowledge • resentation of pre-determined
p • ction in real situations (complex and
a
problems social)
BUT! It’s important to highlight that
it’s not about the technology, it’s about Source: Baumgartner, P. 2004, The Zen Art of Teaching Communication and Interactions in eEducation.
how we use it! It’s about creating learning
opportunities by engaging, creating and enrich the learning experiences. The learning The learning landscape:
professional becomes pivotal in facilitating
sharing through platforms that connect beyond the boundaries
people with others in ways that have never the establishment of network contacts, and
empowering individuals to identify and • Once the door closes as you step out of
been previously accessible. By integrating
customise their personal knowledge processes the training room, how do you maintain
social media into their learning strategies,
to best support their learning needs in the engagement with your learners?
organisations can generate powerful
networks where the current practices of complex, changing workplace environments. • How do you extend the conversation—
learning are being challenged by reframing transferring learning back into the
the transfer of knowledge and skills in
traditional delivery modes to participatory
environments where learning comes from
social interactions.
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At the recent AITD National Conference, learners and eLearning experts. All these factors combine to ensure individuals gain the necessary
I challenged participants to shed the job skills and knowledge to successfully implement, or improve eLearning in their organisation.
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In 2008, I published another article for
Training Development: ‘Reframing Practice:
Integrating social software to enable
informal learning’, where I focused on the
application of social software to support
informal learning. In that article, I referred
to pedagogical practices and different
modes of teaching. The table above, based
on Baumgartner’s (2004) prototypical
modes of teaching, describes the role
required to enable learning with social
software. Practitioners who continue to
approach learning with social software from
a mode 1 or 2 will not be able to adapt their
practices to support the learning conditions
required for socially enabled technologies. Suite 205 The Cooperage
56 Bowman Street
The role of a traditional face-to-face Pyrmont NSW 2009 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9571 6888 or 1300 66 29 35
trainer must emerge into a role where the ®
Email: mail@bonlinelearning.com.au
integration of social technology is embraced, registered training organisation www.bonlinelearning.com.au
where the shift provides opportunities to
TRAINING DEVELOPMENT | JUN 12 | 035 |

4. Technology Resources
workplace, where it can be applied and
practised?
• How do you extend the reach of your
conversations? Share the learnings
with others beyond your usual sphere
of contact? How do you embrace
and discuss the diversity of differing
opinions across the organisation?
A traditional learning environment,
constrained by physical location or time
zones, has limited our (LD’s) ability to challenge is to move beyond the traditions that blends formal and informal learning,
maintain and support ongoing learning of building content for classroom delivery while providing access and alternative
conversations. Implementing social media and refocus on providing learners with experiences through different channels,
technologies adds an extension to existing new and contextually relevant ways to most importantly now to include mobile
practices and can be one of the simplest access information, engage with others, access with smart phones and tablet devices.
strategies for cultivating the adoption of and provide opportunities for transfer
Learning is a process, a lifelong journey and
continued learning across the business. and application to the learner’s workplace
not a one-off event that occurs at a physical
situation. There is an urgent need for LD
Perhaps it could also be considered that location. Learning must become discretely
to create an entirely new strategic approach
it’s not about the content either! The embedded in everyday activities and not
a dislocated action that occurs away from
the daily reality of business. Quite simply,
learning in a connected company is smarter,
simpler, scalable, sustainable and social.
I encourage you to open the door of the
training room, to look around and to reach
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Further reading
Social Business by Design by Dion Hinchcliffe
Peter Kim.
Social Learning by Jane Bozarth.
Anne Bartlett-Bragg is Managing
Director for Headshift Asia Pacific. She
specialises in the creation of innovative
Save up to communication networks with social
media. She is constantly challenging
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| 036 | JUN 12 | TRAINING DEVELOPMENT