What I've Learned.....

My Thoughts on Web 2.0
During the first half of my Computers, Problem solving and Cooperative Learning course, I've learned about many Web 2.0 tools. As I've explored some of the many applications available, I've also analyzed the value these tools might add to classrooms as well as how they might increase problem solving skills of students. Overall, I feel that Web 2.0 is a great opportunity for users affording us the ability to broaden our learning communities and to become more active in our learning by exchanging ideas with others ultimately helping us to look at concepts or subject matter from different angles. These tools can help improve users understanding and help them construct knowledge that well-rounded and authentic.

Exploring Web 2.0
After attending a webinar I learned of through Ning's social network site Classroom 2.0 I learned of some applications that a first grade teacher from Canada has been using with her students. I've learned of some useful applications before through platforms such as these but the guest speaker talked about using twitter to follow educators interested in exploring ways to use these tools to enrich learning environments and engage students. Since then I've logged on more than I had in the past and have learned of the different ways educators are using these tools in their classrooms. This information has been helpful in increasing my knowledge and research of how the tools can aid in improving learning environments. The idea of Web 2.0 seems to have increased the amount of collaboration in many classrooms giving students the chance to learn from one another and expand their learning circles beyond their school walls. Collaborative learning can help make concepts more concrete and it gives learners the ability to be in control of their learning which reseach has shown can make learning more meaningful.

Learning from Other Students
I've enjoyed learning from other students that are also attending the course through the discussion board forums in Blackboard and through building wikis with them and communicating one on one through email. I enjoyed the mindmapping exercise that we did and feel that this can be a useful problem solving, and brainstorming tool. One of my other classmates commented on a previous blog that I posted about mindmapping and brought up a good point about using mindmaps to reinforce the idea of working through problems in steps using a building block approach. I agree and appreciated the analogy he gave of using this with students to help build better understanding of the fundamentals of a domain so that they can infer the understanding in more challenging tasks.

Applying 2.0 & Mind mapping Concepts at Work
Where I work the culture of my organization as with most businesses is get employees up to speed as fast as possible. I work in the training department and while we want to oblige managers we also want to at the same time create meaningful learning environments that will be effective in helping new hires understand fundamentals concepts they need to know to get off to a great start before they start their second half of training which is learning on the job. This can be a challenge sometimes because we have a variety of new hires some more experienced and some with not much prior knowledge in what they will be doing. For example, we have a department that helps consumers facing foreclosure explore options available to avoid it. I've had many trainees that had no prior knowledge of the mortgage industry or of mortgage products and terminology. The timeframe I had to train these folks was three weeks so you can imagine this could be a challenge. Through collaborative tools and mindmapping I can help these employees get up to speed faster by sharing information with others that have more knowledge of the subject while also giving them a chance to exchange ideas on subjects that can help in their job that others with mortgage knowledge are not familiar with.

I was talking to my boss recently about using a platform like the site Wallwisher as kind of brainstorming tool with classes. The site enables users to post their thoughts, ideas or comments on an electronic bulletin board for all invited to post on the board. I thought this might be more efficient than writing participants responses on a white board or flip chart as I've done in the past. I also thought it might help promote contributions from everyone in the class as sometimes more vocal trainees overshadow quieter ones. I also thought it could help trainees construct knowledge and deeper understanding of the content we explore in the class because they will have to think about the answers they post on the wall.

I would also like to use mind maps to help participants in class make connections to strengthen their understanding of content being cover so that we can then infer that understanding to other situations. For example, going back to the foreclosure prevention counseling training that I mentioned earlier I could use mind maps to help trainees make connections through an external mental representation of the roles various groups play within the mortgage marketplace. Once trainees understand the role of the servicer, investors, mortgage insurance companies, etc. they can then infer that understanding to how the information can help them better inform and help clients calling for help. I think this might be an effective way to help trainees in my classes develop a deeper understanding of the content we cover in a way that's more meaningful to them and that allows them to share knowledge with each other as they build on what they know and learn. It will also help me to better gauge where trainees are in their learning and where gaps might exist in their knowledge construction so that I can help them work through breakdowns in their understanding.

Another tool that we have available where I work is SharePoint and this application has some great features available including the ability to create blog sites, wikis, discussion forums. I've tried using the discussion forums with classes as a tool to communicate with classes after they've completed training so that they could talk about their experiences on the job. Unfortunately I didn't get a very good response. I think employees limited time and lack of motivation to continue to increase their knowledge and skills in this way were a huge part of why responses were low. I am going to start using the blogging feature with future training classes during class as a reflection tool that they can also use to construct knowledge as they think about what they will write in them. I am planning to have trainees blog at the end of each day or maybe every other day about content that's been explored and their understanding of it or something to that effect. I am hoping that using this tool will aid in enriching my classrooms so that trainees can deepen their understanding of the information we cover in the class.