TheMoreYouKnow

As I transition into a new career I have decided to develop a personal development plan to introduce my desires of how to improve my career journey. The four areas of improvement are specified below.

1. Communication Skills:

Effective communication is foundational for success in any role or relationship. By improving my communication skills, I aim to articulate ideas clearly, facilitate teamwork, and create a positive work environment. Improved communication fosters understanding, reduces misunderstandings, and enhances collaboration. It can also lead to better relationships with colleagues and clients, ultimately contributing to the overall success of the organization.

Action Steps:

• Advocate for communication skills training workshops or courses.
• Seek mentorship opportunities to receive feedback on communication style.
• Set a goal to regularly practice and refine written and verbal communication in various contexts.

2. Cultivating Resilience:

Resilience is crucial in the face of challenges, setbacks, or change. Developing resilience equips me to adapt to unexpected situations, maintain focus during turbulent times, and bounce back from adversity. In a dynamic work environment, resilience is a key attribute that not only benefits personal well-being but also contributes to sustained high performance and problem-solving.

Action Steps:

• Attend resilience-building workshops or seminars.
• Incorporate mindfulness practices into my daily routine.
• Seek opportunities to take on challenging projects that require adaptability.

3. Active Listening:

Active listening is foundational to effective communication and collaboration. By actively listening, I can better understand the perspectives of my colleagues, clients, and superiors. This skill promotes a more inclusive and supportive work environment, leading to improved teamwork, problem-solving, and decision-making. Active listening also enhances my ability to provide valuable and constructive feedback.

Action Steps:

• Participate in active listening training sessions.
• Practice reflective listening in meetings and one-on-one conversations.
• Solicit feedback from colleagues on my listening skills and implement improvements.

4. Technical Resilience:

In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, technical resilience is essential. This involves staying abreast of emerging technologies, adapting to software and tools changes, and continuously updating technical skills. A proactive approach to technical resilience ensures that I can leverage the latest tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in my role.

Action Steps:

• Advocate for ongoing technical training and certifications.
• Engage in self-directed learning through online courses and tutorials.
• Seek out opportunities to work on projects that involve new technologies or tools.

This personal development plan aims to not only enhance my individual capabilities but also contribute positively to the organizational environment. By focusing on communication, resilience, active listening, and technical resilience, I believe I can become a more effective and adaptable contributor to the success of the team and the company as a whole.

We are slowly entering the future of learning and development! In this post, we’ll explore five groundbreaking technologies that are revolutionizing how individuals learn, interact, and  of training and development.

 1. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality have created a breakthrough of the boundaries that traditional training methods held. With VR, learners are immersed in lifelike simulations, providing hands-on experiences without real-world risks. On the other hand, AR enhances the real world by allowing for situations that would take ample time and money to occur anywhere, making it an excellent tool for on-the-job training.

Impact:VR and AR offer a complete shift in the normal way of training, creatinging realistic scenarios that not only enhance engagement but knowledge retention. Industries like healthcare and manufacturing are utilizing these technologies to simulate complex situations, ensuring that trainees are well-prepared for their roles.

Implications for Training: As these technologies become more accessible, organizations should consider integrating VR and AR into their training programs to provide memorable learning experiences.

2. E-Learning

E-Learning has become a cornerstone of modern education and training. Whether it’s online courses, webinars, or digital resources, e-learning offers flexibility and convenience, allowing learners to access materials from anywhere with an internet connection.

Impact: E-Learning has enhanced the education experience, breaking down barriers and providing access to a vast array of resources. The rise of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and online certifications has revolutionized skill acquisition.

Implications for Training: Organizations can capitalize on e-learning to create a more convenient training processes, reduce costs associated with traditional classroom training, and cater to the diverse learning preferences of their workforce.

 3. Mobile Learning (m-Learning)

In an era dominated by smartphones and tablets, Mobile Learning has become a game-changer. This technology enables users to engage with learning materials on the go, fitting seamlessly into the fast-paced lifestyles of modern learners.

Impact: m-Learning provides just-in-time access to information, facilitating continuous learning and skill development. Its mobility ensures that learning can happen anytime, anywhere, making it an ideal solution for busy professionals.

Implications for Training:Organizations should embrace mobile-friendly training platforms to accommodate the mobile-centric habits of their employees, promoting a culture of continuous learning.

 4. Gamification

Gamification injects the elements of play and competition into learning, making training programs more engaging and enjoyable. Points, badges, and leaderboards create a sense of achievement and motivate learners to actively participate.

Impact: Gamification taps into the innate human desire for competition and rewards, enhancing motivation and participation. It turns mundane tasks into exciting challenges, fostering a positive learning environment.

Implications for Training: Integrating gamification into training programs can boost employee engagement, increase knowledge retention, and create a more dynamic and enjoyable learning experience.

5. Artificial Intelligence in Learning Management Systems

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping Learning Management Systems (LMS) by personalizing learning experiences, analyzing data to identify gaps, and optimizing content delivery.

Impact: AI-driven LMS platforms tailor learning based on individual strengths and weaknesses, ensuring a more personalized and efficient learning opportunity. Predictive analytics help organizations identify trends and areas for improvement in their training programs.

Implications for Training: Employers can leverage AI in LMS to provide targeted and adaptive training, resulting in more efficient use of time and resources. This not only benefits individual learners but also enhances overall organizational performance.

The rapid evolution of these technologies is creating a magnitude of opportunities for improving how students of all ages learn and interact. For training and development professionals, embracing these innovations is not just a choice; it’s imperative to stay ahead in the ever-changing world of education and workforce development.

Feel free to add links if there are particular sites or programs you use for any of the technologies mentioned or consider how they might revolutionize your approach to training! Have a great week!

Reference

Noe, R. A. (2020). Employee training and development (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.Chapter 8, “Technology-Based Training Methods”

Training seems to have no gray area. You either find yourself in a training that is completely time consuming and unbeneficial or you walk away feeling more knowledgeable and informed of the topic discussed. The problem is trying to create a session that leaves learners feeling the latter rather than the first. 

There are 3 main things to consider during your training; the goals, the audience and the delivery. The goals are imperative to knowing what the takeaway should be once the training is through. It’s important to have a true understanding of what you want your audience to leave with after completion. Keeping goals in mind assists with the creation of the material to ensure that the material being relayed is relevant and on topic. The audience is important because everyone learns differently and you will need to truly think about who you are targeting and what aspects may need to be involved in order to keep their attention during the delivery. This leads into the last consideration; the delivery. 

Once you have thought about the goals and objectives to outline,  the audience and how they can best be presented with the information, then you can actually work on the delivery of the information and look into the presentation tools possible to enhance the learning experience as much as possible.

Training can begin to be something to look forward to once trainers and managers take the time to cohesively work together and truly determine how to take full advantage of the training time to deliver useful new material in a unique way.

Just wanted to say welcome to the new comers to the blog. Feel free to go back and look at older post in relation to Instructional Design and Project Management.

Hope to hear from you all soon

One beneficial thing about the internet is the access to material with the simplistic click of a few keys. When creating schedules and timelines for a project you have lots of things to get organized. The last thing you want to add to your list is creating and organizing these things in a way that can be easily viewed by your team or stakeholders. With resources at our fingertips it is only logical to compare them and use them to work smart and not hard.  Below are two sites that have templates for just that reason. 

https://www.smartsheet.com/content/project-schedule-templates

This resource can be experienced through a 30-day trial with no credit card needed on file (which is a very rare occurrence). The Gannt template is available here as well as many other templates for your desired need. There is even a section where it breaks down what a project schedule is. So, the outline of this resource is very user and beginner friendly. There is a “Dashboard” option which is for those who are working on several different projects and need to look at multiple portions of information. Smartsheets shows easily created graphs for a better visual of data and looks innovative and appealing to the eye.

https://monday.com/lp/templates?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=1403932493&cq_term=project%20schedule%20template&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=adwordssearch&utm_campaign=us-en-prm-workos-project-project_templates-p-search-desktop-core-aw&utm_keyword=project%20schedule%20template&utm_match_type=p&cluster=&subcluster=&ati=&utm_adgroup=project%20schedule%20template&utm_banner=523616350688&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote_2GRVmkdv9HvvhhO5_Ag0ex_zz4xzjvDqwcOGmfJmCPwYrBeEZvNMaAmLFEALw_wcB

This resource is always free which is a necessity for some. You can simply sign in with an email and create a password or link it through Gmail. This site also shows templates that are appealing to the eye which will be useful in presentation. Though it does not give as much guidance as Smartsheet it seems to still be able to make the templates cater to the specifics of your project.

In the classroom and the workplace collaboration is becoming a more and more popular part of completing projects and assignments. In the world of education collaboration happens with others in similar grade levels than you, similar content areas, similar demographics (SPED, ESOL etc.) and for many other similarities.  The common phrase, “two heads are better than one” is amplified when scholars or coworkers are put together to accomplish a common goal. Oftentimes in education when planning we utilize a method you use for planning lessons; backwards design. This is often used in planning and can also be known as “planning with the end in mind”. In many projects I have worked on in education that process is done in order to fully have in mind the end result. One of the projects I worked on, which was planning an International Night, did not go entirely as planned. It was an annual event that had been planned throughout the last few years to celebrate the various cultures of students and faculty at the school.

The failure of that project was the lack of a PM. Having a board which would have created leadership would have assisted in creating a more solid foundation for the project.Another failure was that backwards design, as previously discussed, was not implemented. Instead there were two main issues. Due to there being no PM there were too many people attempting to be leaders and input their ideas without the group coming together initially to determine what the objective was that we wanted to reach. Due to not using backwards design there was not an outline or true plan to check off what needed to be done. Instead there were just several meetings in which there was continually something else needing to be added to the list of “to-do’s” and the stress began to pile on as the event was arriving sooner and sooner. 

There was some success in the creative process. Incorporating collaboration with staff and students contributed to the success of the project. In having student input there was positive feedback from both demographics in relation to what they wanted from the event. Including all stakeholders can improve the outcome of your project tremendously. Your audience wants to know that their thoughts and ideas are considered in the planning process and in including the students in the planning we made sure to accomplish that goal.

When converting from a face-to-face learning style to virtual there are a few aspects that need to be considered. Though going virtual may eliminate the need to do presentations whole group there is still lots of work and preparation needed on the back end. Written and created to support the trainer this best practices guide was created in order to assist with that transition.

Best Practices Guide: 

Converting from Face-to-Face to Virtual Learning

Preplanning	For the transition from face-to face learning to virtual learning there are a few things that need to be done in preparation in order for an efficient education experience to take place. Technology– It is important to be aware of your audience. This will determine the varied abilities you may come across in transitioning to online learning. Depending on your audience you may have learners who do not have daily access or any experience possibly with the working of basic technology. This can cause a halt in the learning process if learners cannot simply maneuver through the coursework.  You have a few options of how to handle this and here are a few;       (1) send out a survey asking about comfort with technology, (2)send out a draft of the learning with directions for learning to go to a certain module or discussion and make a post or comment to ensure they can maneuver through the layout, (3) if technology is available have a quick session showing how to access the class, and (4) create a video showing step by step how to access the class and maneuver through the platform. Time- Yes, online learning is beneficial for time due to learning not occurring in the workplace for possibly a few hours. However, you may need to determine times when learning needs to occur for small amounts of time.
Adjustments	Trainer roleContinual maintenance- Though virtual learning will eliminate the face-to-face presentation aspect for the trainer there is still ample work to be done before the trainer simply becomes a facilitator. As you communicate with learners and gather feedback there may be adjustments that need to be made to technology aspects as well as the actual training material itself.  Research has shown that distance learning is more work on the back hand than a traditional face-to-face class, especially in the initial development stage while creating the content. (Moller, L. ,2008, p.68). Continual communication- “… our educational system is producing learners who prefer, or are able only to interact with the content and/or the instructor, but not each other (Moller, L. ,2008, 74).” It is important for learners to communicate not only with the trainer as discussed above but with the other learners. Collaboration is an important aspect of virtual learning. Ensure that a discussion platform of some sort is created in order for students to have conversation and learn from each other. Sometimes students can assist each other with questions with more ease than you as the trainer. To break the ice have an ice breaker that allows students who are unfamiliar with each other to get to know one another. It seems that once getting started learners feel more comfortable talking online than they do face-to-face.
Benefits	Time-Depending on the material being shared, having face-to-face training all in one day may be overwhelming for learners. Virtual learning can split up into different days or weeks to prevent that frustration from occurring. Being able to deliver training material at different times can be more accommodating for the trainer and learner. Learning can occur in smaller groups to ensure the work day is not interrupted all at once. Efficiency-All learners do not learn the same. In education you learn of the various learning styles and accommodations that some need in order to learn to their fullest potential. Incorporating video that can be rewatched, giving material virtually that can be rewatched and allowing self pacing can ensure that instruction is efficiently being delivered to reach learners in ways they learn best.

References

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for 

instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70-75.