When we encounter a new tool it if often difficult to understand what it does and what good might it be for use in addressing some community (or personal) need. There seem to be two key cases: 1) New members of a community learning tools that are already in use by a community (or core members of a community); and 2) New tools which are not well known in the community but may have applicability. Are there necessary stages that individuals or groups have to traverse to learn new tools? What strategies might help facilitate that learning?
Focusing on the first case for now, it seems that someone learning a new tools must simply try it. Some things that might help would be descriptions or explanations that help frame the key features of the tool and examples that show the tool being used for do various things valued by some individual or group. For a tool used by a community, watching others use the tool (and the practices around the tool) are useful. All of these take time for the learner (and for those supporting that learning, e.g., creating clear examples). And these elements of learning are not linear by spiral. In other words, it is probably most effective for a learner to try some of the tool features, then see an example, try to apply the example for themselves, see how others use it, and then return to exploring the tool features, and so on.
Nick Noakes said
Most of the time I either find tools or people in my networks do and we put calls out about this through del.icio.us feeds, twitter, blogs and then experiment/play together sharing practices and purposes.
Shirley Williams said
I really like your final sentence, I think exploring (and imagining) are the only way in which developments can be made; you add grounding by suggesting looking at examples and seeing what others do.
smithjd said
How about some concrete examples, Steve? I think that talking about the confusion and anxiety of learning without some concrete details puts the real action at a distance. This posting of Jeffrey’s could serve.
Sylvia Currie said
This is a tough one! This is probably too obvious but I find the best approach is to introduce tools is in context — have a reason to use them right away. Then, although it takes a bit of fiddling with the techical side of things, keep bringing attention to the purpose of the tool.
I remember going to a workshop on how to create spreadsheets back in the 80s. I went because the workshop was free and I had my first desktop computer, not because I had any great need for spreadsheets. It was strictly a ‘how-to” session — nothing about why, no good examples of use. I still look back on that experience as a lesson in teaching, but also as a lesson in timing. My needs were not yet lined up with technology. Of course when I did discover a need for spreadsheets I got right into it, especially when I started to learn about the things I didn’t know I needed. You know that feeling? It’s like oh cool! I could use that to do this, yet you’re managing fine without it until that point.
So sometimes it take time to see the value in new tools. It’s like asking somebody who has never used the internet if they would like a website for their business. (extreme example
) I found when introducing wikis to instructors it worked best to find a purpose that served their needs first, preferably as a learner. Then shift to thinking about how to use a wiki in their teaching.
I don’t know with this ramble if I’m coming close to what you’re asking! Such good questions though!
Nancy White said
Good starting point, Steve.
I have been noodling on this and keep feeling there are a couple of paths/patterns we might tease out.
1. I have a need – what tool can I use – experimentation with a specific need in mind, good to have related examples, someone to ask who has done it already. How do I evaluate it?
2. I have a curiosity – I heard about X tool, how might it be of use to me/my community. May have no specific examples, requires play and experimentation. How do I classify it for future application (or not)?
3. I have been recommended a tool by a community member/trusted person – I should take a look at it … may or may not be relevant to the community. How do I evaluate it?
Are there other patterns we should look at?
Also, I love the spiral image
Etienne Wenger said
I like the patterns you describe, Nancy. And probably a fourth is what Steve describes from the perspective of community participation (the first three being more “network” patterns).
4. I belong to a community that uses a tool, and my participation in this community requires that I learn how to use it, at least in the way the community uses it. It may only evaluate it as a door into the community, and use the community as a resource to explore its use. It may or may not be useful to me in other ways.
Kimberly Rosenfeld said
On Learning New Tools
Steve,
I agree that many of us learn new technology contextually. In other words, we learn by doing and then revisiting the content for more information to fill in our knowledge gaps. I see it as play back and forth from the “classroom” to the “playground” back to the “classroom” back to the “playground”, etc.
Keeping this in mind, I have personally had the most success with scaffolding from the new technology’s introduction to full usage within the community. A few strategies could be used to help the process.
1. Begin the scaffolding by using some type of group introduction to the tool. This could be accomplished in numerous ways (a) use of a video enhanced tutorial on the technology’s basic functions and possible usages within the community. There are several of such videos on You Tube already. For example, Twittter and PhotoShop have HOW TO’s on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hxKVRjEFI4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHUOESHpVk or (b) conduct a live, synochronous session where participants’ computer screens are taken over (i.e., become slaves to) the moderator’s screen who walks them through a demo of the technology’s uses.
These sessions are typically quite brief (around 10-15 minutes) to allow for play with the tool, to sustain interest, and to avoid information overload. Some technologies may require more than one session.
Time Concerns? post a tutorial video on You Tube or the community’s server and invite participants to comment on it asynochronously. It is also nice for community members to have something they can re-visit.
2. Give folks some time to use the tool in non-threatening, playful ways. For instance, run a Delicious exercise where group tag and share at least 5 web sites related to the topic of say American Idol or the democratic candidate race. As questions arise, pair more experienced members with less experienced members to troubleshoot questions together.
Then, revisit the group via a Skype call to answer questions, discuss problems, etc.
In theory, this should lay the foundation for the next step, which would be to explore further on one’s own and then ultimately use the tool in the context of the community.
Of course, scaffolding takes time (i.e., creation, set up and facilitation), skill (i.e., one community member who is the particular technology’s expert) and leadership (i.e., someone to organize and rally all the players).
When a community doesn’t have time to set up the scaffolding, then what?
twsolutions said
Kimberly:
Thanks for your in-depth comment. It does look like you have identified a number of key steps in teaching people to use a new technology. And I agree that this takes time (sometimes a lot of it). I think that is where I often get stuck since it is tedious to get all this set up and I always resist spending the time (even if I have it).
And your ending question is provocative. My initial sense is that a community is really under no obligation to set up the scaffolding. Nor will they necessarily have members with a special talent for setting these up or teaching/facilitating the learning (i.e. educators). I think the typical case (at least based on studies of apprenticeship) is that communities simply do what they do and learners pick up the practices over time, sometimes with help, sometimes with sweat.
LaDonna Coy said
Thank you all for these insights and I hope this post isn’t too far off to the side. I’m sitting here curious as I think of my colleagues across three levels of a state system who are trying to work together and facing all sorts of technical constraints around things I take totally for granted these days. While I’ve been teaching some about the tools via some of the methods you mention Kimberly e.g., small group explore approved platform or web-based learning sessions and yet I am often told, “we can’t use these tools, our IT department has forbidden it”. GASP!
For example, despite the fact that everything is moving to web-based and mobile, some organizations/agencies (especially government) are in a very different place. I work with people I have to call rather than email because gmail is blocked. They can watch a youtube video but no sound, its been disabled. They are forbidden to use a flash/jump drive. They have no access to their organizational email when traveling so you can imagine the inbox pile up. Worse, the agency records every website visited and if they are on the web too much (I suppose there is some magic number) a written notice is sent to the supervisor to intervene. I say all this as I stand in gratitude and wonder. Gratitude that I have such freedom to use these tools and wonder that so many of those I work with do not.
I often find it very difficult to find and subsequently recommend tools they can use across their organizations/counties/state because it seems when they try – they are denied or worse, stand to be punished. They don’t dare “play” with new tools at work. Does anyone else run into this situation?
Kimberly Rosenfeld said
LaDonna,
Participant’s lack of access must be very frustrating for all involved!
I am curious…
Is it possible for these folks to participate at home? To provide the community with a personal vs professional e-mail address? If they must participate during work hours, and it is an activity valuable to the organization, is there a way to establish “special” access via management and IT?
I come from the world of education. Over the years, I have learned if the right people are behind a project (e.g., administration), then all types of exceptions can be made. It takes communication, and in many instances, education such as inviting these folks to join the community themselves to get the message across.
Barbara Dieu said
Adopting tools while I was teaching always came out of a need – For instance, when the platform through which we had been publishing our classroom paper since 1999 closed down in 2002, I started scanning the web for a replacement. I found a Swedish platform on European Schoolnet but it did not last long – and then in 2003 I moved into blogs, which were very primitive (no comment function at the time) and much more difficult to operate than now.