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By Erica, February 27, 2009 4:01 pm

He’s one of my favorites.

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By Erica, February 27, 2009 1:03 pm

I’m running a pilot of an online course right now. The course is for people who are considered mandated reporters for adult protective services. This course has the potential to be touched by many people across the state. We like to have a mix of pilot participants who represent our target audience. When we run a pilot, we ask participants to complete some simple forms so that any bugs or other flaws can be identified before the course is officially published. I’ve been reviewing the forms to see what bugs exist and to see if there are any problems with content. Often while reading the forms I talk out loud and ask the forms if the person who completed them actually read the course (it’s kind of like when you talk back to the TV). Other times the forms are spot on with issues that must be addressed.

Several of our pilot participants have pointed out that some people who may take this course may not have computer skills and the course will take a good amount of their time because of this (the course is about an hour long). At least one person critiqued the course tutorial (how to move through the actual course–a road map of our icons, buttons, interactions) as being too simplistic and asked us if we really need to explain what a Next button is.

It’s interesting the assumptions we make about people and their comfort with technology. It seems like by now everyone should be comfortable interacting with a computer because it’s what so many of us do all day long. Dr. Carter made a good point in the Capstone class the other night that each of the groups has no idea what it’s like to be illterate, work for a small radio station or what makes an aggregate company tick. I have no idea what it’s like to not have ready access to technology. Heck, I carry more technology around with me on a daily basis than some people have probably ever seen in their whole lives in other parts of the world.

This amounts to a digital divide and is something that really interests me. Unfortunately there’s not a whole lot I can do to make our course any more “friendly” to people who are unfamiliar with taking online training. I know we’ve taken some thought in how we present the material by using lots of white space and images that tie directly to the content. Our quizzes aren’t particularily difficult but, hopefully, reinforce the material. We also limit how much text is on each screen so the screen doesn’t overwhelm trainees.

There’s another online course that I’m working on that breaks some of those conventions because it is acting as a review for instructor-led training. Some of those screens are more text-laden than what I’d normally do. However, the target audience for this course is quite different from the other course as all of the audience members have at least a Bachelor’s degree and they are familiar with technology. It will be interesting to see what these pilot participants think of this course format and if they touch on some of the same issues as those who reviewed the course that will touch a larger audience.

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By Erica, February 24, 2009 1:48 pm

I think I’ve officially given up at work. You say, hey it’s a bad day, things will be OK tomorrow. Perhaps.

I just want to work for an organization that recognizes that the lowest bid is not necessarily the best bid. If I don’t have reliable and adequate tools then I spend more time working around than actually doing whatever the task was. You know the scenario–you sort of forget what you were supposed to be doing because you just spent so much time fighting to get access to that whichamacallit.

I want to work with like-minded people. I just listened to the 99th rant about blogs. How they are no darn good and should probably be illegal. Thank heavens they aren’t or I’d be drinking at my desk right now.

Speaking of social networking and evil blogs, here’s a very interesting article from the eLearning Guild about Social Networking and Formal and Informal Learning. Coming across things like this really help brighten my day.
Social Networking: Bridging Formal and Informal Learning

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By Erica, February 23, 2009 5:16 pm

I’ve been trying to come up with a way to reflect on our trip to see Michael Marquardt present at the Academy of Human Resource Development last week. I’ve been nervous about doing it because he doesn’t float my boat. I agree with him that using a questioning approach and reflecting is a great way to learn and, in turn, lead. The agreement stops there. His style puts me off. Perhaps it has something to do with my problem with authority.

Whew, now that’s off my chest, I can move onto other things that I really liked about the trip. I got to talk to a classmate on the way up to Crystal City. He and I aren’t sitting together this semester and are working on different projects in both of our classes. It was nice to talk to him about what’s going on with us and our thoughts on pursuing another degree. It’s nice to hear that someone else is conflicted and we each seem to be in roughly the same place. I’d like to see our five years in the future selves to see how our stories turn out.

On the way back to Richmond another classmate and I worked out some details about a presentation we’re giving that I hope will be a beneficial starting place for when our whole group gets together to talk this week. It was nice to have the quiet time on the train to make notes, think out loud and come up with the genesis of a plan.

Being able to relax at dinner and share our thoughts on the day was also a highlight. I think we would have missed out on some great conversation had we not traveled together. I’m glad I went on the trip as it has made me think and explore the parts of the day that made me uncomfortable as well as the points that have energized me.

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By Erica, February 20, 2009 4:13 pm

In the ongoing Silly Friday tradition, here’s a joke my Scots friend sent me. I have to admit I laughed out loud. Enjoy.

Barak Obama is visiting a Glasgow hospital. He enters a ward full of patients with no obvious sign of injury or illness. He greets one. The patient replies:
Fair fa’ your honest sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the puddin race,
Aboon them a’ ye take yer place,
Painch, tripe or thairm,
Weel are ye worthy o’ a grace
As lang’s my airm.

President Obama is confused, so he just grins and moves on to the next patient. The next patient responds:
Some hae meat an canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat an we can eat,
So let the Lord be thankit.

Even more confused, and his grin now rictus-like, the President moves on to the next patient, who immediately begins to chant:
Wee sleekit, cowerin, timorous beastie,
O what a panic’s in thy breastie,
Thou needna start awa sae hastie,
Wi’ bickering brattle

Now seriously troubled, President Obama turns to the accompanying doctor and asks,
‘Is this a psychiatric ward?’
‘No,’ replies the doctor, ‘this is the serious Burns unit.’

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By Erica, February 17, 2009 2:25 pm

I’m finding myself in a not unheard of position at work. I really don’t have enough to do because I’m right at the end of a couple of projects and the future is pretty uncertain as to what projects I’ll be assigned in the coming weeks. Added to the uncertainty is whether or not we’ll be able to bring in another person. We need to but our client is on a power trip–controlling the decisions we make. If this person isn’t allowed to begin work, then my workload may increase, or not at all. All of this doesn’t make me any more uncomfortable than usual but it is giving me way too much time to think about the organization.

Typically at this point in the year my organization begins negotiations with our client over what monies will be available and what products are expected from us for the coming year. Our years follow the state’s fiscal calendar and so the limbo I described above isn’t really that unusual for me because we typically fall into the “we’re done with our projects but new ones don’t officially start until July 1st” lull in May. Of course it’s still February so the idea of skating for an extra two months is troublesome to me.

Couple this with the above hiring problem and a few other ridiculous actions at the workplace and I find myself more disillusioned than usual and I have a pretty high tolerance for disappointment. My supervisor has been a little more forth coming with information with me than in the past which is a bonus and a burden as it contributes to the disillusionment. I wonder if she’s making an attempt to tap into what I’ve been learning about organziations. We’ve had several good conversations lately about motivation and the intricacies of human behavior. I’ve been able to hold up my end of the conversation by drawing on Schein, Weisbord and even Block. I’m even finding a way to throw some systems thinking into the mix.

While I am discouraged by my work situation, I am thankful I have work to complain about. More importantly, I’m glad that I have some new tools at my disposal to make my thinking about work richer. I’m not just participating in a bull session, I’m finding ways to make the situation a little less horrible for myself and others.

Asides and disclosures:
I believe we have to take out the clause in our contract that allows our client control over hiring decisions. I don’t know how we can be expected to deliver our products with our hands tied on such basic issues. I’ve acted as a contractor before on large projects and the client pays the bill with the understanding that the product will be good, timely and legal. The details of how that product comes to market aren’t important.

I don’t want to paint the picture that I’m always well behaved at work–some of the things that come out of my mouth are blush worthy. Lately there’s been a better rational thinking to blushing ratio.

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By Erica, February 15, 2009 5:56 pm

And we think we’re cutting edge because we’re using blogs and wikis…just think what we’ll be using in 20 years.

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By Erica, February 13, 2009 4:00 pm

So, I think I’m going to post something silly on Fridays this semester. This is to help remind me that there’s life out there aside from work and school. It will also make me post more during the week so this doesn’t turn into ETV–all music and fluff all the time.

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By Erica, February 11, 2009 9:47 am

We visited our client site yesterday for Capstone and I have to address the physical environment they’ve created because I was trying to figure out a way to hide in a cubicle during our tour and then through the magic of Hollywood, I’d just start working there. I guess I’ve been in decaying buildings (like the one I’m in now on campus) or old office buildings with utilitarian furniture and bland beige walls for too long.

There’s been research on the effect of the physical environment on employee well-being. I’m assuming that the building our clients work out of is not a high-traffic area for outsiders so all that beauty is for the employees. And, it wasn’t just the beauty of the space but how thoughtfully it was laid out–with breakout space for formal and informal meetings. I think it shows how much this company cares about their employees and how serious they are about the subject of our project: employee engagement.

I know it’s easy to be side-tracked by the “ooh shiny” thing but it’s hard to deny the impact that building had on me. I was also impressed by everyone I met while on site. I went to the wrong door initially and a guy sneaking out for a smoke pointed me in the right direction. He was more helpful than he needed to be and I think that also says a lot about the employee population. It’s a far cry from the environment I’ve been in for the last ten years.

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By Erica, February 9, 2009 8:48 am

I thought everyone in the Spring Change Strategies class would find this article interesting. The article is an interview with David Cooperrider, the father of Appreciative Inquiry.

I especially like the idea of strengths revolution. It ties in to what I’ve been thinking about with regards to how organizations may be missing a huge resource by not finding out what strengths employees have, from all levels, and then acting on those strengths. Why not use all of the resources available instead of picking and choosing favorites that have little to do with what’s best for the organization as a whole (and for the employees) but more to do about political forces?

It’s like having a leg injury and you only receive PT on your calf muscles. What about the rest of the leg and how it ties into the rest of your system? If you have recovered the use of your calf muscles that’s wonderful but your femur is really the strongest bone in your leg so why not work to build up strength in your hamstrings, quadriceps and adductor muscles? Don’t forget how important your knee, ankle, hip and feet are and how other parts of your body may have been compensating for the original injury. You have to work to build up strength in the entire system.