New teeth = new baby

I'm amazed by the human body. Certain parts of our body that we take for granted because they've just always been there aren't even created yet when a baby is born. The body is still creating itself as it develops. What's even more amazing is the havoc is wreaks on the body as it creates itself.

Specifically, I'm talking about teeth. Jared is getting some more teeth in and he's just not himself. He's sick and slobbering and very tempermental. Plus, I've changed more dirty diapers than I care to remember. I miss the real Jared. We just haven't played like normal in the past couple of days and I miss that. What is it about new teeth that causes the body to fall apart?

Well, wish me luck as we go through this new round of teething. And hopefully the real Jared will be back soon. I'll keep you posted.

Some other blogs on training in the corporate world to check out

I found some other blogs in class yesterday that deal with training and education in the corporate world.

Check them out and let me know if you find some others worth reading.

eLearning Technology blog
Corporate Training and eLearning blog
Allen Communications Learning Services blog

Emily Post

I am a student at Drake University.

What's a Wiki?

Check out this video to learn about wikis in plain english

Welcome to Des Moines, IA

Click the picture of the Des Moines skyline to learn more.

I can't shop without Amazon

I was shopping for a vacuum last night at Target, but I was really struggling with making a decision because I didn't have enough information. What I really wanted was the reviews from Amazon to help me. I wanted to hear from others on their opinion of the different models and which one is worth the money.

While it's not a peer production of things, it's definitely a shift in the way people shop. Granted such things like Consumer Reports have been around before the Internet, but I was reminded last night of how much I like to read the reviews on Amazon. Scrap that, I was reminded of how much I need the reviews on Amazon.

He has discovered Cheerios

In just the last week Jared has discovered Cheerios. In the past, he would just push them around on his high-chair tray. They'd all end up on the floor or littered around his waist. But one day he finally picked one up and put it in his mouth. What was that? I like that, so another one went in. And then another and another. And then he choked so I jammed my finger in his mouth to fish them all out. But we survived and he's a champ now. He usually has a handful and a mouthful at the same time. And it's so fun to watch him try and gum them and roll them around with his tongue. With four teeth, he's on his way up the food chain. I can't believe that he'll be eating real food in just a few months. He's growing up so fast.

Why didn't I think of that?!

As I read about all of the innovative new ideas that are coming from people who use the successful websites like Amazon or Google maps, I'm just kicking myself and thinking - why didn't I think of that? Some of the ideas that Tapscott talks about in chapter 7 seem so obvious but there's so much else out there that hasn't even been thought of yet that will seem obvious tomorrow.

As I read about these platforms for participation, I'm wondering how all of this applies to adult education? Does it have to be about e-learning? What I think is that it should open our minds about how we guard our content. Just like Amazon who opens up its data to innovators, we too should open up resources to others to create training for their own uses. It happens in some ways today, other departments borrow our material and strip it down for the basic information. But is there more we can do?

I think a lot of where we can help out is in the data we collect on how well people are doing with training. We're working on updating our evaluation service and I think that eventually it will be a huge source for people to determine where training needs exist. The challenge for us is to open our doors versus fortify.

It will be interesting. I'll keep you posted.

Unauthorized hacking is half the fun of it

Tapscott proposes on p. 148 that more companies need to open up their products to allow consumers the ability to hack and modify the product much like the way Wikipedia works. Let the public build the best widget that's possible.

I wonder if more companies opened up there doors and allowed people to hack away, would it be as popular? After all, hacking is as much a rebellion as it is an act of improvement.

However, I'm all for it. Let the everyday user have a say in the 2.0 version. We're the ones who have to live with a cheap zipper on a new coat or a laptop bag that could use more pockets with better access. What I'd like to see is the ability to hack a movie. I just watched Star Wars 3 again last night and I'd love the opportunity to make that movie better! Seriously, Darth Vader screams out for Padame as if he's in a high school play of a Streetcar Named Desire?? WTF George Lucas?

All of us are smarter than each of us?

I'm intrigued by Tapscott's discussion of Wikipedia when talking about peering. In one year, Wikipedia had over 18 thousand articles - all contributed by volunteers who just wanted to share their knowledge with the world. Today the article count is estimated at over four million.

It's an interesting concept that knowledge would be trusted in the hands of anyone. For so long, we've always left knowledge up to the experts and scholars. You didn't know anything unless you had a bunch of letters behind your name like Old McDonald, Eieio.

At Principal we have put all of our knowledge online in the shape of articles and procedures for anyone to access. However, we only have a very small group that can edit the pages. I asked one of our technical writers about opening up eSource to allow others to edit the content. She quickly and adamently said no. She said we'd lose control of the content and no one could trust it. That's the exact same argument used against Wikipedia, but it's one of the most trusted sites on the Internet for information.

In the short time I've worked for Principal I've heard from so many people of work arounds or extra knowledge that isn't documented in eSource. One person is the go-to person for an entire department. So what happens when she leaves? All that knowledge leaves with her. Wouldn't it be nice if she or others that have learned from her the opportunity to document all of this?!

Customize your blog

I haven't tried this yet, but I thought others may find this interesting. Here are instructions on how to customize our blogs.

Antonio Lupetti offers 7 tips to design professional blog layout using Blogger
http://woork.blogspot.com/2008/09/7-tips-to-design-professional-blog.html

Good luck

First observe and then implement

On page 245, Tapscott tells us that one of Robert Stephens' rules for running Geek Squad successfully is, "first observe and then implement." The rule is in reference to Stephens' discovery that his employees were actually using a video game to stay connected instead of a wiki he'd created for employee collaboration. Stephens learned that he needs to observe how his employees are approaching a challenge before he tries to fix it.

At work today, I was talking with a colleague about a Q&A document that we're putting together for a project. It currently has 37 questions that cover 12 pages of questions and answers around the topic of document fees for retirement plans. We both concluded that no one is going to be able to absorb all of the information we assembled. It's a lot of information.

The frustrating thing about it is that Q&As rarely receive any attention. The subject matter experts love them, but that's partially because they help create them. However, for the intended audience, they don't really care for them because they're not that useful when you actually need to find an answer - ironic I know. So what people do when they have a question is they ask their co-worker who also hasn't read the Q&A. Now they go to the SME who reminds that their question is answered in the Q&A and sends them both the link again.

All of this made me think about Stephens rule. We're trying to impose upon the learner a way of learning that they don't want. We need to observe how they search for answers when they have questions and put the information in a medium that meets their needs. WHile I'll probably have a hard time talking people out of creating Q&As, I need to make it a goal of mine to learn how people want to use the document so that it can be sculpted in a way that's useful. I feel there's a way we can meet in the middle to make them useful again.

I'll keep you posted.

Discovering the world with his mouth?

Jared's main investigative tool used for discovering the world is his mouth. He puts everything he picks up in his mouth first; and that which he can't get to his mouth he brings his mouth to it. This morning I found him laying on the floor trying to taste the door stop stuck under the hallway door.

It's just boggles me how he insists on putting everything in his mouth. Our family doctor gave me a little perspective on why. He said, "that's what he trusts the most." So I guess that makes sense when it comes to toys and shiny objects, but a door stop?

But who am I to judge. I gotta admit - I've never tasted a door stop. Maybe I'm missing something. Either way, that's one more thing discovered and checked off his list of discoveries. One can only imagine what he'll try next.

So what do you think?

On page 38, Tapscott talks about the new web and the collaboration that's evolving out of it. No longer are people okay with just reading static pages. They want to add their comments and opinions to build upon one another. I find it interesting how many websites are opening up and asking for feedback. Readers can post comments or edit the content.

What's even more interesting is how this new wave of interacting with one's audience has been handed down to the traditional medias like newspapers. In the recent Juice (Sept 9, 2008), there was a section asking for readers to provide content. They want their audience to help shape the content that gets delivered to others.

With all of this, I think about my son. He's going to grow up in a world where he has the ability to always offer his opinion on just about everything. He'll probably grow up expecting that channel to be open. I just hope that we can raise our kids with something worth saying!

When will he learn fear?

Jared is an active 9-month old little boy. He's pulling himself up on anything and everything. He's found that a whole new world exists two feet off the floor. Our remotes are no longer safe. Our coffee table is a warzone. But he's just so darn cute!!