The are many facets to e-learning and one of those is Social Media. But how does it fit with learning within the workplace? Most of us would probably think of Facebook and Twitter as prime examples of social media applications and you wouldn't be wrong. They are there for the masses, easy to use and can be accessed almost anywhere. So what are these sites doing?
Communication, collaboration, comment, opinion or just people wanting to say stuff. Well it's all of those and that's where it can become confusing to adopt these in to our everyday working practices.
Social media in this format is about communicating to an audience in real-time which is why we need to think carefully about what we are trying to do with it. It's almost like designing a training course, what is the aim, do we have an objective, what is the content...............arh yes social media could meet our need. It's classic stuff really.
Then there's the audience to think about. Has your organisation embraced e-learning at all because if you go straight in with this type of social media there could easily be a knock back. Technology is definately there but again what has your organisation invested in already. Smartphones are everywhere and really can punch there weight. The iPad has turned the potential in to reality and can provide a very exciting experience on which to learn. But these technologies aren't cheap and in many businesses these are probably not the ideal or most effective solution at the moment.
But don't be scared off. We all have work colleagues rushed off their feet and looking for engagement. This type of e-learning which is go anywhere, access when you want, comment as you see fit will meet the needs of some. Lets not forget that alot of the most effective learning is informal and doesn't this type of technology provide that?
Social media should be looked at as an opportunity rather than just a new fad. It's a way for people to engage with learning, to update and maintain there skills and knowledge in an ever changing landscape.
Plenty of food for thought on what is a hot topic at the moment and I'm sure will be over the next few years as our workforce, technology, budgets and learning requirements constantly change.
Here's an interesting podcast from the CIPD titled ...... Learning and development in a socially networked age
