I don't know whether or not we had to do a post this week (I've been immersed in writing my paper on Peter Senge and "Organizational Learning") but this learning-related topic has been screaming for a post so here it is.
I see my primary task in Foundations of Training I as learning some theories of adult education and understanding how to put them into practice in a training setting.
That's why our big assignment is not only to write a paper, but to teach the content using techniques we've learned.
I was all excited about this because I think it will be fun (the presentation part, anyhow), but when I heard that we might have to use Power Point my blood ran cold. I have never created a presentation in Power Point, in fact I don't even think I have it on this shiny new laptop I bought at a discount before I left my last full time job.
When I worked at my last job I did a number of presentations that had Power Point as a backup but I provided the content and someone else provided the Power Point version. Yes, I knew enough to make a few changes (not much different from working in Word) but that was it. And as I discussed my subject matter and fielded questions, someone from the IT Department operated the computer so that people could see the slides.
Out of the corner of my ear I also heard people talk about "saving it to a Memory Stick". To be honest, although I have a vague idea what a "Memory Stick" is, I doubt if I'd know one end from the other let alone where to insert it (oh my, sounds risque, doesn't it?). Yes, yes, I know this is probably a skill I should acquire along the way, but not now, please. I need to concentrate on my presentation.
Luckily, we were told in class that Power Point was not a must. Thank goodness. I mean people have been doing charismatic and memorable presentations where some good solid learning occurred eons before Power Point or even computers had been invented.
So right now I have my priorities in order.
There's been a lot of talk about how technology "frees" people, and certainly I think web 2.0 does, obviously, since I love blogging, Facebook, email, and surfing the net. But a lot of the nuts and boltsy types of things just seem awfully onerous. I mean when I started working as a Secretary my hallowed boss didn't even know how to type, but was "freed" to deal with the content of what she was creating.
So my question is: do you agree that there are certain things that it's just not worth learning right now, so you can learn other things?
I think that there are so many options when it comes to learning that there is no real option but assessing which are truly essential and will benefit you most, and taking care of those first.
ReplyDeleteFor as many people that mention PowerPoint, you'd think it holds magical properties that somehow take the nerves out of conducting a presentation, speech, or lesson. At the same time, though, I think there is a sizable group of people who are actually opposed to PowerPoint and speak out against it whenever given the chance.
I think it has its merits, but it is not going to make a poor presenter magically brilliant. There may be more of a chance that it takes someone who has presentation talent (but perhaps doesn't know how best to apply it) and make them worse off because they use it as a crutch.
For your purposes I think there are probably better ways to spend your alloted learning time that will better contribute to your development than focusing on learning PowerPoint. It's nice to know, but not what I would consider a crucial skill.
I think the issue of priorities has become very confused lately. In a world where we can seemingly do 10 things at once the idea of priority has been diluted.
ReplyDeleteOur most important tasks often get pushed behind the 5 other tasks that we can more easily initiate and/or complete. When you can check your email, pay some online bills, start to research a topic on wikipedia, while at the same time starting a load of laundry and microwaving your lunch while waiting for a page to load (it's taking a while because you are streaming a news station and downloading the new Christina Aguilera single) it becomes hard to imagine just sitting down and reading a book.
I think we need to make the reevaluation of our self directed learning time a top priority.
Something that I think has happened is that with the digital revolution, suddenly everyone has to be able to do everything. That's what I meant about "the olden days" when, for example, if someone was a book editor (publishing is the business I was in for most of my life) they might not have known how to type or use a photocopier! That's what secretaries were for! Maybe it was elitist, but it freed the editor to do her job and provided a nice low stress, four hour a day's worth of work (for a full salary of course!) for a young woman who wanted time to do her schoolwork during downtime, or a returning housewife who didn't want a lot of stress. Now the person writing the content has to not only be proficient in a subject but also in how to use various software packages that need constant upgrading, as well as the mechanics of what to do with their hardware. As I said, I wouldn't trade email or the Internet for anything (in fact I only began writing seriously after I was able to do it online) but I would be happy not to have to figure out what to do with various new gadgets every time I turn around. I try to have as few as possible. I don't have an Ipod, for example. I'd rather buy opera tickets. I mean do I really need to listen to music in the grocery store?
ReplyDeleteI think it is critically important to prioritize our learning and focus on what is most important! I agree with Melissa that we have to look carefully for what is in our best interest and what will help us meet our goals. I agree with Chris that it is really rough to do this with all the (screaming) things that demand our attention!
ReplyDeleteGood choice, Rebecca to look out for number one!