A couple of weeks ago, my group made our presentation at the Lowman Home. Topic: Compact Discs. Not exactly the most exciting topic, but still something that could be interesting.
Our presentation was scheduled to last no more than 20 minutes, at which point we would give the class some tasks to perform and test their knowledge. Following this, we would have a very brief activity and a homework explanation. We had planned for 1 hour total of lecture/activites.
We ended up having our presentation last about seven minutes. Not that there was anything wrong with that, we just flew through the material at a rapid pace. Moving along into CD-ROM operation was intersting to observe. Opening or closing the drive is second nature to many folks, but to these senior citizens, this was an adventure. Proper placement of the disc in the drive, operating the disc, and many other tasks were now tasks they could perform without assistance.
Even though our CD portion of the class lasted 30 minutes, a YouTube 101 class filled in the remaining time perfectly. The senior citizens were able to properly navigate YouTube and find videos that interested in them.
I have taught a couple of classes to adults before, but teaching senior citizens is a completly different experience. To some degree it seems a bit more rewarding, as the participants acted interested in the topics and genuinely wanted to learn. Hopefully they found the information useful and can apply it towards their computer use in the future.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
U-Blog 5
In reference to Module's 7 list of readings, this one was filled with some interesting information.
When it comes to Learning Methods, I'm not surprised to read that a majority of employees turn to self paced e-learning for their job. If their job already requires a significant amount of their day, one would benefit greatly from working on their own time. I am not surprised by the results stating that only 6% use portable devices to watch videos related to their e-learning. I view my iPod as something to enjoy when I'm not at work, something to use when I'm running or just listening to music. I don't want work related material on it.
Once again, no surprise that people are satisfied with the ability to use technology to educate themselves, but people find that there is a lack of time available to actually learn. If a company wants to get the most from an employee, then maybe a slight deduction in their hours worked should be done, as to allow them ample time to study. Granted some may be milking the time a bit, but if people are interested in bettering themselves (and the company) why can't the company offer some perks? Maybe establish some kind of contract? One could also consider placing some consequences if the time is not being taken advantage of by the employee?
When it comes to Learning Methods, I'm not surprised to read that a majority of employees turn to self paced e-learning for their job. If their job already requires a significant amount of their day, one would benefit greatly from working on their own time. I am not surprised by the results stating that only 6% use portable devices to watch videos related to their e-learning. I view my iPod as something to enjoy when I'm not at work, something to use when I'm running or just listening to music. I don't want work related material on it.
Once again, no surprise that people are satisfied with the ability to use technology to educate themselves, but people find that there is a lack of time available to actually learn. If a company wants to get the most from an employee, then maybe a slight deduction in their hours worked should be done, as to allow them ample time to study. Granted some may be milking the time a bit, but if people are interested in bettering themselves (and the company) why can't the company offer some perks? Maybe establish some kind of contract? One could also consider placing some consequences if the time is not being taken advantage of by the employee?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
U-Blog 4
You might have seen this website mentioned on our Blackboard page: GCFLearnFree.org First a little background information.
If you have read some of my other posts, you have probably read I work for a nonprofit here in Columbia, Fast Forward. One of our services we used to offer was free, or low cost computer training classes for a variety of computer related topics. Sadly, the last year has been detrimental to nonprofits. Grants are less numerous; donations and partnerships are down. All of these provided the funding to operate the nonprofit. To keep our place open, along with a few other programs, we had to cancel all future classes, as it was one of the costlier items to run.
Luckily, we had been instructing users to give GCFLearnFree a look when the class was over for extra practice. This software was developed by Goodwill Industries, and they have really done a fantastic job expanding upon their original idea for the website. Self paced tutorials and courses with continuing educational credits are available.
Multiple versions of Microsoft Office are available, whereas only Windows 98 and XP are the only available operating systems. Windows Vista's course is still under development. These courses are certainly not anything in high level detail. They do a fantastic job at making someone competent enough to understand the basic functionality of the program. It also reveals tips/tricks along the way. It's quite easy to follow along, especially if you open the program on your local computer.
Computer related offerings are not the only available courses. Life skills topics, mathematics, tax assistance, etc. It is all available on this website. Completion of these tutorials and courses make you eligible to receive certificates for your work.
This probably sounded more like a GCFLearnFree informerical, but I really cannot say enough good things about this website. While some may prefer the classroom setting to the virtual world, those that are receptive to learning new concepts and ideas will hopefully be happy to try out online education. It is certainly worth making the effort.
If you have read some of my other posts, you have probably read I work for a nonprofit here in Columbia, Fast Forward. One of our services we used to offer was free, or low cost computer training classes for a variety of computer related topics. Sadly, the last year has been detrimental to nonprofits. Grants are less numerous; donations and partnerships are down. All of these provided the funding to operate the nonprofit. To keep our place open, along with a few other programs, we had to cancel all future classes, as it was one of the costlier items to run.
Luckily, we had been instructing users to give GCFLearnFree a look when the class was over for extra practice. This software was developed by Goodwill Industries, and they have really done a fantastic job expanding upon their original idea for the website. Self paced tutorials and courses with continuing educational credits are available.
Multiple versions of Microsoft Office are available, whereas only Windows 98 and XP are the only available operating systems. Windows Vista's course is still under development. These courses are certainly not anything in high level detail. They do a fantastic job at making someone competent enough to understand the basic functionality of the program. It also reveals tips/tricks along the way. It's quite easy to follow along, especially if you open the program on your local computer.
Computer related offerings are not the only available courses. Life skills topics, mathematics, tax assistance, etc. It is all available on this website. Completion of these tutorials and courses make you eligible to receive certificates for your work.
This probably sounded more like a GCFLearnFree informerical, but I really cannot say enough good things about this website. While some may prefer the classroom setting to the virtual world, those that are receptive to learning new concepts and ideas will hopefully be happy to try out online education. It is certainly worth making the effort.
Friday, February 13, 2009
U-Blog 3
Take a look at this chart: http://www.chaminade.org/inspire/learnstl.htm
You have probably already seen it.
I found it interesting to look over the chart. Mostly, I found myself saying "yes" to Visual column of the chart. However, looking at my responses that didn't fall under the Visual cateory, I thought it was worth trying to anaylze and reason.
When I am talking, I can't say that I find myself using more than average gestures and movements. I am a pretty patient person, and I don't mind listening to people. I don't exactly fit in one particular cateogory. If I am trying to really focus on some work, I tend to prefer not having a lot of distractions. Otherwise, I enjoy having some background music on. If I have a task to accomplish, more than likely I'll stick to it. Unless something urgent comes up.
After working in the nonprofit world for the past year, I have come to realise that while over the phone meetings and discussions are fine, I tend to prefer face to face meetings instead. You can better judge how receptive (or unreceptive) someone is to your ideas/thoughts, and your reasoning accordingly.
Lastly, whenever I need help with a computer, I will query Google, and see what comes up before anything else. Written how-tos, diagrams, or YouTube videos are all OK with me, so long as it fixes whatever issue the computer has. If that fails, I'll call outsourced technical support. When all else fails, I'll do my best to refrain from "growling at the computer". I wonder if auditory learners actually do that?
You have probably already seen it.
I found it interesting to look over the chart. Mostly, I found myself saying "yes" to Visual column of the chart. However, looking at my responses that didn't fall under the Visual cateory, I thought it was worth trying to anaylze and reason.
When I am talking, I can't say that I find myself using more than average gestures and movements. I am a pretty patient person, and I don't mind listening to people. I don't exactly fit in one particular cateogory. If I am trying to really focus on some work, I tend to prefer not having a lot of distractions. Otherwise, I enjoy having some background music on. If I have a task to accomplish, more than likely I'll stick to it. Unless something urgent comes up.
After working in the nonprofit world for the past year, I have come to realise that while over the phone meetings and discussions are fine, I tend to prefer face to face meetings instead. You can better judge how receptive (or unreceptive) someone is to your ideas/thoughts, and your reasoning accordingly.
Lastly, whenever I need help with a computer, I will query Google, and see what comes up before anything else. Written how-tos, diagrams, or YouTube videos are all OK with me, so long as it fixes whatever issue the computer has. If that fails, I'll call outsourced technical support. When all else fails, I'll do my best to refrain from "growling at the computer". I wonder if auditory learners actually do that?
Friday, February 6, 2009
U-Blog 2
Corporate Training Funding and Methods.
This is probably not news to anyone, but the stories on the internet have facts to prove the point. Take this article for instance. "$58.5 billion to $56.2 billion" is a significant drop. 2.3 billion dollars and the drop in expenditures on employee training dropped 11%.
John Bersin in this article says "Today's business world demands a combination of formal and informal learning with an emphasis on collaboration, knowledge sharing, social networking, coaching, and mentoring". He goes on to mention that formal instructor led courses are not going by the wayside anytime soon, the funding for such courses is diminishing. It's quite understandable that instructor led, classroom based education is still going to exist. Some people prefer that method and style of education.
I think it's safe to say that my parents, and possibly others from that generation, tend to prefer the instructor led, classroom based, style of education. I see this often at work, where people ranging from ages 40 and older come in to learn about "computers". We offer them a free, online based service called GCFLearnFree from Goodwill. We have no funding (imagine that) to offer classroom based instruction unfortunatly. They try the service but end up confused/frustrated/uninterested.
It doesn't bode well for training companies and facilities if the market cannot afford to employee their services. Many people out there need the education to perform their job better, or to broaden their skills and obtain a better position within their company. It is understandable that a company must force budge cuts throughout a corporation. However, undereducated employees may end up wasting company time and money. Cutting education expenses is certainly a difficult call to make. Hopefully this current trend in education spending will change in the near future.
This is probably not news to anyone, but the stories on the internet have facts to prove the point. Take this article for instance. "$58.5 billion to $56.2 billion" is a significant drop. 2.3 billion dollars and the drop in expenditures on employee training dropped 11%.
John Bersin in this article says "Today's business world demands a combination of formal and informal learning with an emphasis on collaboration, knowledge sharing, social networking, coaching, and mentoring". He goes on to mention that formal instructor led courses are not going by the wayside anytime soon, the funding for such courses is diminishing. It's quite understandable that instructor led, classroom based education is still going to exist. Some people prefer that method and style of education.
I think it's safe to say that my parents, and possibly others from that generation, tend to prefer the instructor led, classroom based, style of education. I see this often at work, where people ranging from ages 40 and older come in to learn about "computers". We offer them a free, online based service called GCFLearnFree from Goodwill. We have no funding (imagine that) to offer classroom based instruction unfortunatly. They try the service but end up confused/frustrated/uninterested.
It doesn't bode well for training companies and facilities if the market cannot afford to employee their services. Many people out there need the education to perform their job better, or to broaden their skills and obtain a better position within their company. It is understandable that a company must force budge cuts throughout a corporation. However, undereducated employees may end up wasting company time and money. Cutting education expenses is certainly a difficult call to make. Hopefully this current trend in education spending will change in the near future.
Friday, January 30, 2009
U-Blog 1
After working for a local nonprofit/community technology center for the past year as a part time employee, I have seen a variety of people walk in and out of the doors. The article for module 3 entitled "Quick Tips for a Senior Friendly Computer Classroom" provided some rather useful ideas that I wasn't previously aware of. After reading it, a few other ideas and comments came to mind.
Someone new to computers is not going to be well versed in lingo that regular computer users are familiar with. Take the action of scrolling. Many of us are aware of clicking and dragging the bar up or down the page, using the touch pad, or the rolling wheel on your mouse. Telling a computer novice to "scroll to the bottom of the page" may result in a blank stare. Instead, telling them "Go to the bottom of the page" is easier to understand and may result in the desired action.
The above becomes especially true when writing out directions or instructions. In some classes, there will be people who can hear and see fine, but there will also be people who are hearing impaired and some who are blind. Writing out directions for these 3 different persepectives requires addtional thought. For instance, incorporating a video clip into your instructions is a great way to demonstrate a task. However, a deaf person would not be able to hear what you have to say, thus you would have to incorporate closed captioning or a text writeup of what you said.
The article makes a great point that instead of using the mouse to scroll on a page, taking advantage of the Page Up and Down keys on the keyboard makes navigating the page easier. It is odd however, that horizontal scrolling has no keyboard duplicate action; a mouse must be used.
Trying to hold a mouse stable, while fast double clicking and focusing on the screen can be difficult for some people. A great trick is to get the user to single click on the desired action, and then push the enter key on the keyboard.
Taking advantage of the Accessibility features in Windows XP and Vista can benefit both the end user and the instuctor. Using screen magnifiers, screen readers, changing the screen resolution/contrast, slowing down the mouse movement speed/double click speed, and increasing font sizes can make using the computer easier for a senior citizen.
Someone new to computers is not going to be well versed in lingo that regular computer users are familiar with. Take the action of scrolling. Many of us are aware of clicking and dragging the bar up or down the page, using the touch pad, or the rolling wheel on your mouse. Telling a computer novice to "scroll to the bottom of the page" may result in a blank stare. Instead, telling them "Go to the bottom of the page" is easier to understand and may result in the desired action.
The above becomes especially true when writing out directions or instructions. In some classes, there will be people who can hear and see fine, but there will also be people who are hearing impaired and some who are blind. Writing out directions for these 3 different persepectives requires addtional thought. For instance, incorporating a video clip into your instructions is a great way to demonstrate a task. However, a deaf person would not be able to hear what you have to say, thus you would have to incorporate closed captioning or a text writeup of what you said.
The article makes a great point that instead of using the mouse to scroll on a page, taking advantage of the Page Up and Down keys on the keyboard makes navigating the page easier. It is odd however, that horizontal scrolling has no keyboard duplicate action; a mouse must be used.
Trying to hold a mouse stable, while fast double clicking and focusing on the screen can be difficult for some people. A great trick is to get the user to single click on the desired action, and then push the enter key on the keyboard.
Taking advantage of the Accessibility features in Windows XP and Vista can benefit both the end user and the instuctor. Using screen magnifiers, screen readers, changing the screen resolution/contrast, slowing down the mouse movement speed/double click speed, and increasing font sizes can make using the computer easier for a senior citizen.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Workplace Learning
Multiple trends in workplace training and education have become apparent in recent years, and the need for it is stronger than ever. Companies are wanting to understand how an employee functions (including what knowledge they possess to do their job), and how the company can make their employee have a "competitive advantage" through education. Companies are looking for the correct method of introducing a new employee to their job. Companies are also looking to their employees for assistance in figuring new ways to do their job, in a more efficient, cost effective manner.
New ideas and methods of training and educating people have become prevalent in today's workplace, as technology has opened the doors to new ideas and concepts. According to one research paper entitled "Corporate Blended Learning Techniques", Western countries are earlier adopters of newer methods/technology when it comes to workplace learning. However, it was discovered that Eastern countries were more likely to stick with the newer program and "embrace" it before their Western counterparts.
Competition from rising countries in Asia such as China and India, are proving the US based companies are falling behind in their education, according to a recent publication in CXO. They also made an interesting note how the well known MBA is over 100 years old at this point, but the necessary curriculum to be completed for the degree has adapted to the changes in the business world. Since 1995, according to an issue of Business Week in 1996, spending for corporate education has increased 16% in one year. Companies are realising the need for training and continuing education in the workplace, and have placed funding for in-house education, consulting firms, tuition reimbursement for employees, etc. The focus today is seen more in competency and communication according to SmartBusiness Online.
New ideas and methods of training and educating people have become prevalent in today's workplace, as technology has opened the doors to new ideas and concepts. According to one research paper entitled "Corporate Blended Learning Techniques", Western countries are earlier adopters of newer methods/technology when it comes to workplace learning. However, it was discovered that Eastern countries were more likely to stick with the newer program and "embrace" it before their Western counterparts.
Competition from rising countries in Asia such as China and India, are proving the US based companies are falling behind in their education, according to a recent publication in CXO. They also made an interesting note how the well known MBA is over 100 years old at this point, but the necessary curriculum to be completed for the degree has adapted to the changes in the business world. Since 1995, according to an issue of Business Week in 1996, spending for corporate education has increased 16% in one year. Companies are realising the need for training and continuing education in the workplace, and have placed funding for in-house education, consulting firms, tuition reimbursement for employees, etc. The focus today is seen more in competency and communication according to SmartBusiness Online.
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