Educational Blog #2 of 2
http://nagtad.blogspot.com/
Author: Jane Bozarth
Topic: Web 2.0 in training, Ivy Bean, and So Do Something!
Audience: Government Learning Professionals (and educators in general) “A weblog for members of the National Association for Government Training and Development (NAGTAD) members to connect with other members, develop training strategies, and discuss current topics of concern to Government Learning Professionals.”
Summary: This blog item shows you are never too old to learn to Web 2.0! (There is a 9-week challenge link http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/ to get you on your way). Ivy Bean, a 104 year old woman learned some high tech things and this just goes to prove that technology improvements (user friendliness) have come a long way. Years ago, if you would have attempted to start your own blog or Twitter or text message, you would be writing code for days. Ivy Bean, our 104 year old in the story, would not have been able to accomplish anything, if that had still been the case today.
Also in this blog, they talk about social media and government:
‘"Don’t tell me it’s too hard or that your boss doesn’t know YouTube from an iPod. Those are excuses, not reasons. If YouTube is blocked where you work, get it unblocked. Write a white paper justifying why it shouldn’t be blocked. Meet with your boss about it. Meet with your boss’s boss about it. Start a blog where you talk about it. Volunteer to give a brown bag presentation to your office. Just DO something! Take the initiative and work on changing how your organization works - don’t just sit there sulking, saying, “I wish we could do social media here, but we can’t even get on Facebook so there’s no use.” Bringing social media to your organization isn’t something that happens from 9-5. It happens from 5-9, after everyone else has gone home...’ (excerpt from blog)
Unfortunately, this comment (above) is a reality for most government workers. We are blocked from so many things! How will this evolve in a government working climate? Will social networking only be 5-9, after every one else has gone home?
How this blog is relevant to my career: What is the climate at the workplace with regard to technology ESPECIALLY when your job is to create instruction that USES technology (which may or may not be blocked, by the way). This is a reality the Army group (Fellows) will have to contend with.
Lessons Learned: Everyone seems to have a reason (justification) for pushing the technology envelope, but, in a military environment, when (and how) does technology become regulated? When is “pushing” the envelope going beyond what is necessary and lead into security issues? As technology continues to evolve, how can we protect information from misuse? This website has many talking-points that address these issues and the current trends that are guiding some of the decisions being made.
http://nagtad.blogspot.com/
Author: Jane Bozarth
Topic: Web 2.0 in training, Ivy Bean, and So Do Something!
Audience: Government Learning Professionals (and educators in general) “A weblog for members of the National Association for Government Training and Development (NAGTAD) members to connect with other members, develop training strategies, and discuss current topics of concern to Government Learning Professionals.”
Summary: This blog item shows you are never too old to learn to Web 2.0! (There is a 9-week challenge link http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/ to get you on your way). Ivy Bean, a 104 year old woman learned some high tech things and this just goes to prove that technology improvements (user friendliness) have come a long way. Years ago, if you would have attempted to start your own blog or Twitter or text message, you would be writing code for days. Ivy Bean, our 104 year old in the story, would not have been able to accomplish anything, if that had still been the case today.
Also in this blog, they talk about social media and government:
‘"Don’t tell me it’s too hard or that your boss doesn’t know YouTube from an iPod. Those are excuses, not reasons. If YouTube is blocked where you work, get it unblocked. Write a white paper justifying why it shouldn’t be blocked. Meet with your boss about it. Meet with your boss’s boss about it. Start a blog where you talk about it. Volunteer to give a brown bag presentation to your office. Just DO something! Take the initiative and work on changing how your organization works - don’t just sit there sulking, saying, “I wish we could do social media here, but we can’t even get on Facebook so there’s no use.” Bringing social media to your organization isn’t something that happens from 9-5. It happens from 5-9, after everyone else has gone home...’ (excerpt from blog)
Unfortunately, this comment (above) is a reality for most government workers. We are blocked from so many things! How will this evolve in a government working climate? Will social networking only be 5-9, after every one else has gone home?
How this blog is relevant to my career: What is the climate at the workplace with regard to technology ESPECIALLY when your job is to create instruction that USES technology (which may or may not be blocked, by the way). This is a reality the Army group (Fellows) will have to contend with.
Lessons Learned: Everyone seems to have a reason (justification) for pushing the technology envelope, but, in a military environment, when (and how) does technology become regulated? When is “pushing” the envelope going beyond what is necessary and lead into security issues? As technology continues to evolve, how can we protect information from misuse? This website has many talking-points that address these issues and the current trends that are guiding some of the decisions being made.
Linda, I liked what you said about our responding to our boss or whomover it is that prevents social networks at our govenrment institutions such as public schools. "Don’t tell me it’s too hard or that your boss doesn’t know YouTube from an iPod. Those are excuses, not reasons. If YouTube is blocked where you work, get it unblocked." Until I enrolled in this course, I never thought anything about it. But your right, it takes informed action, proposals, white papers, brown bag presentations and such to change the attitudes toward these tools. I am flat out excited at the positive things that can be done with social media in the classrooms. As guess we as educators are desperate for education. I know I am. Thanks for the post. Really enjoyed it, and certainly it is relevant to many of us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Peggy. Unless we experience the difficulties, first hand, we will not understand how limiting our work environment can be with regard to social media.
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