Network Size- from the small is beautiful to - really big

[liz lennon]

I'd call our SKIL2 network a little gem. Small but beautifully formed.

What we lack in size -we make up in quality.

For me - it feels like a safe space to try out my own SKIL2 learning.

I also need to wander out - in real and virtual time - and see what other people are doing, learning and sharing. I want to learn from other people.

Well folks - if I'm a wee minnow in the pond - let me introduce you to a - whale.

Learning Town was established using Ning a few weeks ago. It was set up by Elliot Massie and his team to link and network learning professionals around the globe.

It currently has 3656 members and about 30 working/talking Groups on all sorts of learning and learning tech topics.

When I first went to it I found the size and sheer number of groups a bit daunting. Just like walking into that big party and it seems like a crush of noise and people.

Last week Elliot sent us all an invitation to make a cup of tea/coffee and go introduce ourselves to people we didn't know. I was going to and once again I just got a bit daunted - where to start? who to go to?

Anyway - last night someone sent me a hello message and a lovely comment about my photo and profile. Obviously I liked her immediately and went to have a look at her profile. Interesting woman - works with non profits just like me. So - I sent a reply to her comment - and the conversation begins.

Well - I spent the next few hours wandering around looking at people's photos and just popping in a note to say hi. I read their profiles and looked at their friends - and sometimes wandered across to their friends profile- and then left a note to say hi .....

It was a lot like a face to face party - except I forgot to bring the champagne.

In the whole process I have found someone who will give me support on the Wiki development end of SKIL2. There were people from all kinds of areas and countries that I dropped in on and introduced myself and SKIL2.

I've also joined a few groups and am enjoying the sharing of ideas and challenges.

Gotta say though - it's also nice to come across someone you already met. One of the SKIL2 members - Michael - is also a member of Learning Town. It was great to say hi to him and one of his Irish friends.

It was also cool to see Irish members on Learning Town. It all felt a bit like a convocation of Americans until I saw a few people from other countries. Also interesting to see that different countries have set up Groups in Learning Town - Spain, France, Holland, Scotland.

Note to Michael - do you think an Informal Learning Group would be a goer in Learning Town? Everyone is talking about formal courses and I'm more interested in how to capture all the stuff that happens when informal learning is going on in the workplace. And - I really really don't want to get bogged down in deep level semantics on what is informal, formal, unformal. I want to hear how people are practically & creatively capturing all the informal + messy + tacit learning and knowledge that exists.

So -once I said hello to a few people the sheer scale of the network became less daunting. I was mingling with individuals and didn't have to really think about the whole huge group - a bit like a real time party.

And the whole process felt a little like SKIL2 (or any other big life/learning project).

Sometimes SKIL2 all looks so daunting - the sheer size and scale can be scarey.

When I deal with it in smaller pieces - then I feel calmer and more connected. I can work with this piece confidently - and then this piece - and then those pieces and then .... all eventually resulting in SKIL2.

And - when I feel too caught up in the grains of sand - I take a breather and look at the whole beach - the vision of SKIL2.

Hope your week is going well.

Best regards
Liz

[Lindy Ross Barnes]

Hi Liz, thank you for sharing Learning Town with us. What a great learning-based site. I joined today and will now spend some time finding my way around.

I know you specifically asked Michael the question about formal vs informal learning. However, if you don't mind I would like to add my 2 cents :-D. As a teacher who has spent more time in professional development meetings than I care to think about I am very aware of how easily any workshop, course/class, meeting, etc. can get overwhelmed with "educational vocabulary" or (and I love your term for this) "deep level semantics". People get hung up so easily on the jargon they (we) often lose sight of the purpose. So, my vote = informal :)

Lindy (100 degrees on my outdoor thermometer at this moment :(

[liz lennon]

Hi Lindy
Firstly, it sounds lovely and warm where you are - here - it's the usual and I hope it warms up soon.

Glad you found Learning Town useful. I have found it helpful and the range of people is very interesting. Go and be your sunny self and say hi to some of them.

You're always welcome to make comments on anything I write here Lindy. It really helps me reflect on what SKIL2 is all about.

I don't want to give the impression that I don't see value in formal instruction based learning (like workshops) - I do. And some people would say that unless a workshop is accredited then it too falls under the informal learning banner. Fair enough - but workshops based training is not what I want to concentrate on in SKIL2.

And - it can be very helpful to be clear about what a project isn't as much as what it is.

I'm interested (nay - fascinated) in the whole area of informal learning.

And I will stop here for a mini semantic sojourn. Lindy - I don't hate semantics - I think we need discussion so we can define things and communicate ideas. It's when the conversation about definitions becomes the purpose to the exclusion of action that I get a little antsy. I love a semantic/conceptual chat as it can also help to clarify values and practice.

Informal learning for me covers all the conversations, actions, attitudes, connections that a worker engages in during their work day to do their job. It's about what they do to learn and be a so so/good/great worker who delivers services in a non profit. It's the tacit and explicit knowledge, information & skills that are harnessed by a person to do their job.

I'm fascinated by this whole area because it's so - messy & intangible - yet - it makes up what some people say is 80% of learning in the workplace.

And - it's an area that doesn't get the same attention as more formal workbased training and learning initiatives - probably because it's so slippery and messy and intangible.

We live in a world that demands metrics and standards and competency based training and evidence based evaluations and .... tangible evidence of progress. I have and am part of supporting this approach - until the tools become the end not the means.

Social media (and more to the point - how it is used by millions of people of all ages) can and cannot be measured and controlled - it is paradoxical in that it exists, has impact & has a life all its own - some of which can be measured/controlled and a lot that can't. It's a bit like mist or a really great dream - we can see it/ feel it - but we can't really capture it.

That's how I see informal learning in the workplace - we can see that it has impact on the nature, kind and quality of services delivered to clients - and - it's pretty darn slippery to capture, share and grow.

Using social media to help capture, share & grow informal learning is a bit like marrying 2 paradoxes together - both uncontrollable + slippery - and ultimately deeply impactful on people's lives.

Well folks - I didn't say SKIL2 was going to be easy - but what an interesting ride it'll be.

Lindy - thanks for your comment. In commenting back I've clarified some of my own thinking.

Liz

Would people be interested in a short post on some of the interesting sites and blogs I've some across so far?