The Three C's of a Trainer's Blog

Hi Andragogists,

My last post introduced this idea of using blogs as a supplemental means of distributing take-home materials.  While I am not a big fan of waste, I understand that providing tangible, take-home materials are still beneficial and are appreciated by many.  The point of the blog is not to entirely replace those materials but to simply supplement the instruction in new ways.  This post is not going to delve into the creation of a blog, you can find tutorials on that elsewhere.

Without further adieu, this is how I would suggest using a blog for training purposes:

1. Compile
   
   During the development phase of your class, there is bound to be information that you cannot include for various reasons: time restrictions, cognitive load, etc.  There is also a set of information that is reviewed within the class, and you believe that the participants should have access to this content beyond the classroom.  In both of these circumstances, a blog could benefit your learners.
   
   It is important to note that I do not suggest creating an entirely new class that can be viewed on a blog without training credit.  I am not sure that is a worthy investment for anybody.  Whatever information you would like to include should be a quick conversion from your outline or handouts into the blog-o-sphere.  This includes the links and references to your sources.
   
   In the compiling phase, you are simply finding the materials that you either had to leave out or already decided should be put into take-home handouts.
   
2. Create
   
   At this point, you have all of the extras that are ready to be disseminated.  Depending on how tech-savvy you are and how organized and complete the information is, you have a couple of options.
   
   -  Create a lecture video that covers the information in greater depth and post it to your department's blog.
   -  Copy and paste the information from your outline, if that is an option; otherwise, get to typin'!
   -  Save your handouts as PDF's through Google Docs and make them accessible to download (instructions found here).
   
3. Circulate
   
   Honestly, I just wanted to have another C-word... that's why it is "Circulate."  It could be "Distribute," "Disseminate," "Give out," or something.. but come on - this is now the "Three C's of a Trainer's Blog."
   
   Anyway, you need a good means of circulating this information out to the employees.  Of course, you'll let your classes know that this information is accessible online, but you need reinforcement.  Coordinate with the supervisors and management staff and have them post signs near the clock-in stations (or water coolers?) to remind staff that these options are available.  

That's it!  

I hope this has given you a new approach to ensure your employees get the information they need and always have it nearby.  Let me know how it goes in the comments below and be sure to subscribe!

Blogging and the Reduction of Waste

Hi Andragogists!

For the second installment of this blog, I want to touch on a subject that is very important to me.

WASTE

I don't really see the point of handing out hundreds of papers that I am certain go into the trash, get lost, or are never looked at again.  You might be wondering, "Kyle. How do you know that people waste these items?"  

Well, let me clarify.  

I'm not referring to an immediate time frame, although that happens as well; I'm thinking more long term.  There are very few training materials that, as an employee, I revisited or needed in the future.  When I did need to revisit those materials, I had to hunt them down, dust them off, and when I was done with them, they went right back where they came from for another extended period of time.  Ultimately, ALL of them have been thrown out.

Their purpose was to serve as a quick reference for me on very few occasions.

You know what would be more effective?  

Posting those materials in one conveniently accessible and searchable blog online.  No more shuffling through old paper work, realizing that item had already been thrown out, and having to return to the Training Department to retrieve another copy that would likely be lost just like the first one.

While that process is a wasteful one, in my next post, I will provide a quick layout of my solution to that waste, in which you will be mesmerized by its simplicity:

BLOGGING.

Image retrieved from http://greenoffice.uu.nl/projecten/paper-waste-project/

Pilot

Hi Andragogists,

If you happened to stumble upon my blog, you are likely in the field of adult education, corporate training, or a related field in which instruction is given to an adult audience.  It is my hope that you already know the many important factors to consider in your approach to teaching adults, as many of those factors will come up throughout these posts.  If you haven't explored the topic of "Andragogy," I would suggest exploring it here, here, or (if you're into a more detailed history and explanation) here.

Since it is unlikely that my readers will come to this page first, I will leave this short and simple.  I want you to know what you will find as you revisit my blog.  We will primarily be discussing the appropriate use of technology within corporate training based on informed andragogy. The topics that will be covered are as follows:

• Blogs
• Wikis
• Podcasts
• Videos
• Web 2.0 tools
• Multimedia
• Hypermedia

Thanks for reading!  See you next week!

-Kyle