PLNs and Hot Sauce?

As I was unloading groceries from my husband's shopping trip the other night, I noticed that he bought the wrong hot sauce.  He told me that he had intentionally bought the chipotle flavor instead of the delicious original (see below).  When I asked him why, he responded with a question, "What if you like this one better?"

What if I like it better?  Of course I won't like it better!  I don't want to change my hot sauce flavor.  We had a good thing going.  But out of mere desperation, I tried the new flavor, and it was not bad.  In fact, I enjoyed it.

So how does this relate to PLNs?  Sometimes we are comfortable with our social media use (like the original hot sauce) and become resistant to try a new website or way of managing our social media sites.  Out of desperation (or for a school assignment or job requirement), we are nudged to evolve and try something new.  PLNs can seem daunting and outside our comfort zones, but we just need to get started.  Some may prefer to start slowly, and others may prefer the head first approach.  Either way, below are a few questions to ask yourself when looking for people and resources for your Personal Learning Network:

• What organizations do I work with on a regular basis?
• How do they disseminate information?
• What organizations would I like to work with in the future?
• What projects or tasks am I working on?
• Are there others who may be working on something similar?
• What do I have a lot of experience with?
• What lessons have I learned that I can share with personal or professional partners?

Once you determine the answers to some of these questions, you have identified some areas for potential connections and relationships.  Your next step is to build these relationships.  Try following organizations or interest areas on Twitter or Facebook, use a Google search to find modes of information dissemination, or even consider sending an email indicating that you would like to learn more.  You may want to start your own blog and follow those who comment on your posts.  There are many ways to begin a PLN, but the key is to start somewhere and act.  

Oh, and try the Chipotle hot sauce.  You just might like it.

PLN--What is it and why do I want one?

According to this blog, a PLN can be a Personal Learning Network and is a way of describing the group of people you connect with to learn their ideas, questions, reflections, and references.  You choose who is included in your network, it connects others, and is focused on learning.  A PLN can also be a Professional Learning Network and is described here as a network of professionals with whom you share knowledge and from whom you gain knowledge.

PLNs can be of value to anyone and are not tied to one area of expertise or profession; they benefit those new to their professions and those more tenured in their fields.  They keep us fresh on ideas and keep us engaged in our fields.  Our individual knowledge is not nearly as powerful as collective knowledge within a network.  In this time of evolving technology, many readily consult social media networks on personal matters like "What doctor should I visit for this ailment?" or "Is it normal when my child does this?"  So it is natural and obvious for us to utilize this powerful tool on professional topics.

I am the Laboratory State Training Coordinator for Idaho and a member of a great PLN, as encouraged by a partner agency, The Association for Public Health Laboratories.  They utilize a few applications of PLNs including a SharePoint site where we can share documents, ideas, and calendar items with each other, regular conference calls to maintain contact and discuss topics of interest, monthly electronic newsletters, and a face to face conference every two years.  My involvement has helped me build a PLN without even knowing it where I see the benefits on a weekly basis.  If I have a question, I can easily contact other state training coordinators and tap into their expertise.

After reading more about PLNs, however, I have realized that there is more I can do.  I can take a more active role in participating in this group and sharing ideas, but I can also further develop my PLN with other organizations and interests of mine.  This will allow me to be better informed in my field and serve my organization more effectively.  How do you build your PLN?

3 Converging Workforce Trends

For the course mentioned in my introduction post, the textbook is titled, "The New Social Learning," and written by Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner.  This week's reading requirement included the foreward, introduction, and Chapter 1.  Chapter 1 attributes reasons why the trend of social learning has become more prominent.  The authors refer to this as "3 converging workforce trends":  first, there are expanding opportunities for personal connection; second, there are emerging expectations from shifting workplace demographics; and third, there is an increasing reach of customized technology.

These trends make sense to me, but I found the second particularly enlightening.  The shifting demographics include a generation very comfortable with technology and with an expectation for it to be fully utilized in the workplace, change in the outlook of consumers where we are bringing knowledge from the marketplace to work, and a shift in gender demographics in the workplace.

I found the section discussing gender to be especially fascinating.  The text states that close to 60% of our current workforce consists of females (a huge shift from previous decades).  Because females in general connect with others on a verbal level and tend to be more social, this has led to the shift of more social learning in the workforce.  I hadn't before considered that more women in the workplace contributes to a more social work environment.  Although I try not to succumb to gender stereotypes, my background in education and work experience have taught me that learning styles are diverse and making generalizations based on gender with regards to learning can be beneficial.

Workplaces are evolving in many ways, and in order for training to be effective, we need to understand our target audience and train to their learning styles, taking gender and other demographics into account.

A second point that I would like to briefly discuss is the section discussing the importance of connecting with other people.  The authors state that "when we connect with people, the exchange sticks with us."  I agree with this statement and try to make social connections during training.  For example, I try to encourage introductions to be less about one's professional accomplishments and more about their personal life.  When we get to know others and make genuine connections, it is much easier for us to learn from them.

Welcome to my blog!

I think the first blog post is always the most awkward, but here goes!

I started this blog as a requirement for one of my graduate school classes, Instructional Technology in Human Resource Development.  I am in the Masters of Public Health program at Idaho State University and am taking this course as an elective.  In my current position, I am Idaho's State Laboratory Training Coordinator, and I have a bachelor's degree in secondary education, so I am very interested in integrating new training and outreach methods and techniques.  I think instructional technology has the power to make a training program more than just a job requirement but an opportunity to embrace learning.

I plan to blog throughout this course to share my impressions of the content covered, which will be a great resource when this class is complete and I need to recall earlier impressions and ideas.  The online format of a public blog is great because it increases visibility and accountability for me to improve training programs in my current position.  I also look forward to reading comments posted by others to share insights and help develop ideas.