reflections on strategies for upgrading skillset / mindset of Web2.0 in the Workplace

As indicated in my profile and in previous posts - one of the reasons I have embarked on the creation of this blog - is to explore ways in which my team and I could keep abreast of so-called Web 2.o tools - and by extension - begin to explore and put into practice, the creation of resources (courses, resources, guides, wokshops, etc) that utilize such tools - while at the same time - to critically reflect on and exploit the kinds of (new?) pedagogical practices such tools engender.

Over the last couple of weeks - I have been researching and reading materials that address the need for knowledge workers to stay on top of such Web developments as well as looking at recommendations / strategies for staff members / teams to do so. I have also spoken with team members (as a group and one-on-one) to probe their knowledge of the unfolding web culture, and to try to argue that an intimate, hands-on knowledge will have an impact on our collective practice, their individual professional development, and fundamentally - on the communities that we serve (profs, students and other service sectors that touch the same constituents at the university).

As noted in my previous posting - Stephen Down's Blogs as PLEs - suggest that creating a blog is a good place to start in the creation of one's Personal Development Environment. Ater having read it and other postings on PDEs in a variety of sites - I outlined for the team the rationale for this approach and proposed that each member of the team create their own blog, which would - after a period of time -be made available to the university community and beyond. This proposal was met with two general concerns. First - there was an overall response that there was no time to do what I was proposing. Second - there was a general unease with the proposal to make their PDEs public. There was a belief that such environments were best kept private -given that most of them were novices in the use of such a tool. Second - there was a concern that if they were to be made public - it would take them more time (which as noted above,they contended they did not have) as they would want to represent themselves in the best possible manner which would be more time consuming than if they were to create something that only they would see.

Tomorrow - I will post ways in which I propose to address these concerns.

In writing this posting - it occurred to me that I too am well on my way in emersing myself - through this blog - with issues and concerns that I am presently engaged in - particular in respect to the topic area of my last two postings. I have been searching and reading strategies for how others define and address this issue. I have also used this space as a place of reflection - a reflection that I hope - will develop into a dialogue - a series of dialogues - with members of my team, members of the service I work with, the university community and with others well outside the walls of U of O.

Personal Learning Environments

Personal Learning Environments

I have decided to set up this blog for two basic reasons. As the head of the e-Learning Centre at the University of Ottawa - I wanted to find a method by which my team and I could keep up with developments occurring in the world of Web2.0 - and explore (individually and collectively) the ways in which these emerging tools impact on pedagical practices in general - and on what and how we produce, in particular. Invariably - these issues are inextricably tied.

In the process of researching strategies for how we - as knoledge workers - might keep abreast of these developments - I came across a few very interesting ideas.

The Bambo Project / My Personal Learning Environment is a great introduction into the philosophy and benefits of creating PLEs.

Stephen Downes' Blogs as PLEs argues that the best way to learn about these tools is to get your hands dirty and work / play with them and embark on creating a PLE for yourself starting with the creation of your own blog.

Another interesting blog I found reminded me that we are not alone in having to find methods for updating knowledge about Web2.0 developments. 23 Things: Staff training into Web2.0 provides a week-by-week Web 2.0 syllibi created for staff members of the Public Services Technology Director for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC).

Electronic Pedagogy