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Conversation 2.0
September 30, 2008
The human element is a big part of Learning 2.0, which means the new instructional design skill is mastering conversation.
By Brent Schlenker
What if anyone could create instructional content and distribute it to colleagues quickly and easily? Well, today they can&and they do. For instructional designers, that means our job is changing in important ways. It's a shift that only just has begun, and it is rapidly changing how we use the Internet and related new technologies. Many of us have been through this before, but today there is a major twist. Learning design is becoming less about presentation, and more about conversation.
Do you remember when your training department began shifting focus from the classroom to e-learning? You may be living that shift now. Or perhaps you already are resting comfortably in your role as an e-learning developer. A decade ago, as exciting new media empowered instructional designers, we began moving beyond the development of lesson guides for instructor-led classroom training sessions. We created computer-based training, and then Web-based training. We were excited about changing the way we delivered instruction and how learners received their training. But while we shifted from the whiteboard to Blackboard, the core one-way relationship between teacher and student remained the same.
That's changing as Web 2.0—the interactive, socially connected Web—shifts the ability to create and publish content from the expert to the user. There is more to this shift than just upgraded technology. Power and control are shifting to the learners, who can search, connect, create, and share their knowledge within global social networks. It is easier than ever for those requiring knowledge to connect with those who have it, from anywhere in the world. This wave of change is relatively new, but spreading rapidly. There is no turning back. And while change is exciting and refreshing to many, it's frustrating and "all hype" to many others. No matter how you feel about this wave of change, its impact will be significant in all that we do.
The popular name for this power shift and for the Web 2.0 tools that make it possible is "Learning 2.0." Powerful search capabilities from Google present an infinite world of content. Social tagging and bookmarking facilitate sharing discovered resources. User-friendly blog and wiki tools offer platforms of mass global communication and collaboration. RSS (Real Simple Syndication) empowers us all with the ability to subscribe to a steady flow of new and updated content. While it is not immediately obvious how these tools work together, their real power lies in their collective use. Connecting, Creating, Finding, and Sharing are the
primary learning activities of the future, made possible by Web 2.0 tools. Learning 2.0 is about empowering the learners and embracing their use of these tools as part of each individual’s own learning style.
Students and employees alike benefit from these tools. They enjoy the freedom to express themselves, to be visible, accessible, and most important, to be heard and to engage in conversations…any and all conversations. This is an important part of Learning 2.0. It is as important as searching for and creating content.
For instructional designers who create e-learning, it is this element—the human element—of the learning process that so often has been overlooked. We gave it up when we first shifted away from the classroom in favor of e-learning. Learning 2.0 is simply giving it back. And with all of these tools available to us, as well as to our learners, we must look toward adapting our skill set again. To transform your skills and remain relevant in a Web 2.0 world, you must master conversation.
Brent Schlenker is a program manager and emerging technologies analyst for The eLearning Guild. His past experiences include helping companies (Intel, ST Microelectronics, and more) transition from old-school instructorled models to e-learning. Schlenker now is leading the transition from e-learning to Learning 2.0 by taking advantage of Web 2.0 technologies, social community models, and the interactive 3-D gaming environment. He will conduct sessions and (un)sessions at DevLearn 2008 about Learning 2.0 technologies and the untapped value of informal conversations and collaborative learning environments.
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