Fighting Change and Sustaining Motivation – Module 5

Have you ever been faced with individuals with low self-efficacy when it comes to trying out new technologies? Or do you as an individual feel you are that person slow in accepting or trying new technologies?

From my experience as Project Manager, I find it ever so often that individuals are not always open to a new idea of change. In my experiences, this is due majorly to the following:

a. People do not want to be the scapegoat in trying out the new technology
b. They can not seem to see pass the effort needed now to implement the change talk less of using the new tool
c. The benefits or advantages is not obvious to the eye nor are they able to see the value add of such tool

The most common attitude or behavior I see in my colleagues when it comes to trying out new technology or a new process, is the lack of interest or motivation and sometimes I experience delay in getting things done. If benefits in terms of advancement are not presented to show how useful it will be to them, the resistance to change becomes very apparent in the individuals and in the effort put forward in completing tasks.

Using the Keller’s ARCS model, I have discovered some of the ways success can be encouraged and change can be embraced. John Keller discovered four key steps /process that can increase and maintain motivation in a learning process. This process is also helpful to consider when experimenting a new technology. The four steps are Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction.

Attention: Create a buzz; present issues, difficulty and disadvantages with current technology or process.

Relevance: Tie it back to the overall company goals and how such process is a value add to them performing their job function in a value add manner and being more efficient; working smarter and not harder.

Confidence: This almost comes natural in most situations once you can prove the relevance of the process or technology. However, one can go a step further by presenting opportunity for people to critique the process or tool; a brown bag session on opinions and thoughts on the process or change. It is imperative to also provide decision power opportunity when applicable. They can decided what part of the process they would like to modify or tailor to their needs

Satisfaction: Nothing is as valuable in a workforce than a good and comprehensive feedback. At each an every project, process change or tool implementation, I send to individual team member ½ to 1 page feedback which includes area of strengths, weakness and areas of improvement which I make open for any further discussion. The critical factor here is the timely manner in which it has to be done. In addition where needed or necessary, we have a mini-get -together to celebrate success.

It is one thing to inspire and create motivation in people, it is another to sustain it and keep it going through all level of a change implementation.

My Mind Map - Making the Connections

In this week’s post is a picture of my mind map. It gives you a picture of what my learning network looks like. A shift in focus to myself this week, I write about how the picture you see above describes how I learn. My ability as an individual to make connection in learning provides the opportunity to think in a wider range and think critically. I use a wide range of information presented to me in a plethora of forms for me to critically evaluate and build or modify existing knowledge.

Tools that best facilitate my learning will be technology tools: the digital age that we are in allows for a varied array of learning medium. Using the Internet to attend webinars, reading and following related blog pages, collaborations through IM and skype or Google docs and a number of communication mediums all help in facilitating my learning experience.

A question goes off in my head; a question that could have been triggered by conversations, readings, email, meetings and so on which means the call for new knowledge or time to modify an existing one. Following the map shown above, it gives you an idea of where I would go and how I would use the tools to accomplish my learning objective.

Module 3: Collaboration in the Digital Age

Working together is something that has been in existence for as long as I can remember or have read about. Humans will generally work together to collectively do good or the opposite. We see even in biblical terms that people worked together to build the ark (Noah’s ark). People worked together to ensure the smooth running of things such as the government, schools and in workplaces. In a video I saw this week for class, Rheingold discussed the word collective action what it means and how it has evolved over the years with the help of technology.

Surely human beings are naturally drawn to want to work in groups to solve a problem; be a part of a society and collectively carry out a task or an activity. In some cases you can say this not a true statement hence the selfish winners that think defeat or destroy to win at all cost. However, in modern times Rheingold discussed that the self-interest rationale is not as dominant anymore. This is were collaboration comes in and collaboration in the new age also known as digital age has helped close gaps and bridges over diverse group of individuals or organizations trying to extend their global reach or presence.

As we are aware, constructivist principles are based on progressive learning; hands on, practical and learning as an experience. Various technology tools are available to promote and strengthen collaboration among learners and such tools include skype, internal workplace chats and IM, team room for document sharing, blogs, wikis, videos conferencing, net meetings and even email are some the tools that has and will foster collaboration. Collaboration ensures workplaces maximize their potential and taps into the numerous talents of its people; challenging their ideas and strengthening work relationships amongst learners and even educators. These tools makes it possible to collaborate across the globe in a seamless manner to ensure speed in product or service delivery, quicker problem solving, life long learning, knowledge sharing and most of all close off the barriers we have in communication.

Additional Resources:

“Howard Rheingold: Way-New Collaboration” http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.htmlitional
Learning Through enhanced technology collaboration: http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm?section=news&tpl=article&ID=88475

Learning Theories Continues.. the_isms

My post this week continues from a series of discussions between well seasoned bloggers and educators: Bill Kerr and Karl Kapp.

The topic simple put: The battle of the _isms: Constructivism, behaviorism, Cognitivism. Betting this is a never ending conversation of which of learning theory is superior over the other. As it is fair to pick a favorite over one, it is also advised to know that that not one of these theories defines the learning process. Kapp puts it best in his post:

Kapp wrote: “The issue many forget is that “learning” is not one thing…it is a multi-layered word that tends to get treated as if it were just one thing…and it’s not. It is multi-facetted and that is why developing new models for “learning” is so difficult…there are too many levels for one school of thought or one model to do it all”.
To blankly reject one over the other would not be a good way to effectively asses the strengths and weakens of the theories.

To summarize in my perspective:
Behaviorism: Observable, external factors, programmable
Cognitivism: The internal process, what mental activities occur for learning to take place?
Constructivism: Experiences, connections

Taking a step back at the above, it is easy to see that learning can occur in any one of these forms. It is fair to conclude not one of these theories is the ultimate best way to learning.

Original Blog posts:
Bill Kerr: Original blog post can be found:
http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html
Karl Kapp: http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html

Additional References:
http://www.funderstanding.com/content/constructivism
http://www.learning-theories.com/cognitivism.html

Philosophy of Education: Famous Philosopher's Quotes on Educational Philosophy, Teaching Philosophy Truth Reality

Philosophy of Education: Famous Philosopher's Quotes on Educational Philosophy, Teaching Philosophy Truth Reality: "http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Philosophy-Education.htm"

How Do you Learn?

It is a lingerie question indeed. “How do people learn best?” For the purpose of this blog, I will focus on higher education and technology. I believe 90 percent of learning that occur in this area is by interests, guided instructions either in form a syllabus or course curriculum, and experience either own or shared. The reality however is people can learn in various ways.

A few learning styles I have stumbled across to categorized in general terms are:

1. Listening learners
2. Seeing learners
3. Touch or feel/ experience learners
I am a strong advocate for two and three of the learning styles however; I strongly believe that people learn through a combination of the styles.

Howard Gardner in 1983 introduced his Theory of Multiple Intelligences. The theory is: each person has the same learning ability; the difference is HOW the connection occurs; HOW do they connect to what they want to learn. He broke it down to eight different ways learning can occur

• Words (linguistic intelligence)
• Numbers or logic (logical-mathematical intelligence)
• Pictures (spatial intelligence)
• Music (musical intelligence)
• Self-reflection (intrapersonal intelligence)
• A physical experience (bodily-kinesthetic intelligence)
• A social experience (interpersonal intelligence), and/or
• An experience in the natural world. (Naturalist intelligence)

For more on Gardner please see: http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm

In educational technology, learning theories are especially helpful. It is helpful to know learning is not about filling a container up with new “stuff” or imposing ones ideas on another without a good argument for doing so. Hence technology plays a part in that role for education to help mold, guide, aid, and visualize. It can help a learner draw the connection points to ideas, expand thought processes that forces questions to be asked, and can create an engaging conversation that drives a learner out of their usual mode of thinking to see a whole new world.

For additional reading on how people learn best please see: http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/01/crash_course_in.html

To you my readers I ask you the question - How do you learn best? What works for you?