Welcome to The Life of an Adult Educator

As an adult educator, I try to deliver the best instruction to my students that I can offer. My agency provides basic remedial instruction and high school equivalency instruction for 17-24 wishing to go into the workforce. It excites me every day to contribute my small part in educating the youth population.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Training PowerPoint

Training and Development Power Point



https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bw_bl-a9NvC2MUM2RF8tTmFaelhFd0RCSllreWFvZ0xCU0c4

Developmental Styles

Development Styles

Companies that create developmental plans for their employees must keep the focus on how can they improve the quality of their employees. Employees that participate in developmental programs are helping them to grow in their chosen career path with providing leadership skills that will prepare an employee for the future. (Laureate, 2011)

In creating a developmental plan for my company, Eckerd Kids, there a few areas that can benefit in preparing our employees for the future of our non-profit.

Mentoring - Mentoring is a feature that can add to preparing Eckerd employees for our role in preparing youth for the workforce. Allowing seasoned employees that are more experienced and have more knowledge to mentor and coach new hires can increase the collaboration with employees. (Noe, 2011) Learning best practices from a colleague may be better received than from a manager. Mentoring allows employees to share experiences and knowledge that can promote growth in a career path.

Onboarding- Onboarding is the described as a process for new staff to adjust to all the aspects of their new position. (Noe, 2011) Currently, our company does not have this process. It may be due to low turnover rates. Still, this could be beneficial to employees. According to Noe (2011), effective onboarding can increase job satisfaction, lower turnover outcomes, promote high performance and reduce workplace stress. Noe also suggests these four characteristics presented in a useful orientation:
·         Compliance-  understanding basic legal and policy information
·         Clarification- understanding job performance
·         Culture- company history, traditions, and values
·         Connection- understanding formal and informal relations

Job Rotation- Job rotation allows employees to work in other areas of the company to gain a holistic view of the business. Job rotation can be a great benefit because employees can improve critical thinking and decision making skills. (Noe, 2011)  Job rotation can help all employees and can allow managers to address developmental needs for job assignments. (Noe, 2011)

360-Degree Feedback System- this system allow themselves, colleagues, customers, and managers to evaluate their workplace performance. This can allow feedback from several views as to the employee’s performance. For example, an employee may be very useful for their customer, but not a team player, never wanting to lend a hand to help others. Managers may not be aware of these behaviors. This type of evaluation can also place the accountability on the employee to self-reflect and improve their work ethics.

References:
Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Employee development [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee training and development (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Five Training Methods

We’ve been exploring different types of training methods and technologies that are used within training environments. I chose five of those methods to provide a little more in-depth look at how these resources can assist with training developments.   

1.      Social Media- This technology involves online and mobile technology that creates interaction of user-generated content. (Noe, 2013)  Such types of media include blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and a host of many others. These sites help videos, articles and/or other supplemental information that can help support your training.  Social media can also link your participants before, during, or after the training period to allow them to know one another. Many companies may create internal social media tools, such a micro blogs to use among employees to communicate within.

2.      Adaptive Learning-refers to the technologies monitoring student progress, using data to modify instruction at any time. (Horizon, 2017) This tool provides individualized learning to learners based on their strengths and weakness within a learning environment.  Using adaptive tools, students will be guided through foundational concepts such as peer review strategies, argumentation, and designing multimodal compositions, ensuring a strong understanding of these concepts before moving on to more sophisticated activities. (Horizon, 2017)

3.      Mobile Technology- Mobile technology allows someone to learn from anywhere and at any time.(Noe, 2013)  Devices that allow this type of learning includes, tablets, smartphones, laptops, iPods, etc.. or any device that is capable of having an internet connection..(Noe, 2013)  This type of training can be formal or informal such as using blogs, or a type of social media. Convenience is driving demand for this strategy, with potential for new mobile-enhanced delivery models that can increase access to education. (Horizon, 2017)  This type of learning is greatly impacting the learning environment. Mobile devices have become the channel to personalized working and learning environments that introduce learning at each user’s pace (Horizon, 2017)

4.       Virtual Worlds-  Virtual world is a computer-based 3-D representation of a real world scenario. (Noe, 2011) Carol Leaman suggests training can become a game as well” gamification..” Gamification is the process of making nongame activities more fun and engaging. (Leaman, 2014) Gamification also is often used to engage people in learning when and where it’s convenient; information often is distributed over a long time period and not meant to be learned in one setting. (Leaman, 2014) Virtual worlds can imitate the work environment while allowing employees to practice the skills needed to perform their job effectively. (Noe, 2011)

5.      Intelligent Tutoring Systems- These are technology tools that provide additional support to learners, such as tutoring, coaching or empowering. (Noe. 2011)  There are five components to ITS: user interface, domain expert, trainee model, training session manager, and trainee scenario generator.  These type of systems allow tailored instruction, a communication tool, determine learners’ level of understanding and assessments. 

References
Horizon Report. (2017). Horizon Report: 2017 Higher Education Edition. New Media Consortium.

Leaman, C. (2014). Boost Basic Job Skills Training. TD: Talent Development, 68(8), 34-39.


Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee training and development (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Planning for a Needs Assessment

In preparing a needs assessment for a company, I chose Southwest Airlines.  Within recent months, the airline industry has been under enormous criticism because of employee actions towards passengers. At one time, airlines took great pride in servicing their passengers and the standard should continue to preserve the quality of flying. Southwest Airlines started in 1971 servicing three Texas cities. Currently, they are servicing 101 cities within 48 states and abroad. How would I prepare a needs assessment for Southwest Airlines make improvements to adhere to the needs of all their stakeholders?  The first task is to get feedback from flyers. The passengers are the key stakeholders in this industry. If passenger sales decrease, the airline would not be able to stand.  Feedback on flight service is important. Qualitative and qualitative results should be examined to see what areas of the airline need the most improvement. It can be ticket prices, baggage, flight delays, or anything that passengers feel need improvement.

The next step, if possible, would be to interview employees from these areas from different areas. Services from smaller, less populated areas may be better than those flights from major cities, like Chicago, Dallas or Atlanta. An employee focus group consisting of flight crews and ticket agents can be a critical component because they have direct interaction with the passengers and they have more insight of passenger needs.  There are numerous questions that can be asked, but it will depend on what feedback is pulled from the passengers.  One area that every airline can improve on is flight delays and how can they improve in this area to avoid passengers missing scheduled deadlines.   Once those areas are identified, and employees and passengers have expressed their views on what policies should be reviewed;  a professional development session should be designed and required for all employees to attend.  The sessions should be an update on daily operating procedures and changes that will improve the quality of flights for their passengers.


Techniques used are focus groups, questionnaires, and interviews. These techniques would provide credible feedback on issues that would directly affect the passengers and their experiences.  These types of assessments are needed to make sure that consumers (passengers) are getting quality service. The airline industry is making billions of dollars each year and the airline will suffer if the overall flying experience is not good for the customer.

Not only in the airline industry, but in any area that goods or services are rendered, the primary stakeholder is the consumer.  Assessments are needed to often visit if the services and goods rendered are aligned with the overall mission of the company. 

References

Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee training and development (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Southwest Airlines (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://www.southwest.com/


Sunday, July 9, 2017

Elevator Speech


I want to talk a little about training and what I learned this week. Training for me from an educator’s perspective has been enlightening.  As I’ve Studied for a while adult education and learning, the dots are finally connecting as to how it all relates to training and development. Training trends for adult learners as I gathered in this week’s resources, has evolved. Professionals who have to chosen to increase their knowledge in their chosen careers are choosing to seek their own professional development so to speak. Talking from personal experience, this is what I’ve done. I know that my agency is limited to who receives training and what they’re willing to pay for and how will it be an asset to our agency, so I’ve sought to take classes on my own that will help me become more diverse in teaching my learners. And of course, the expense is on me. I can bring adult learning concepts to learners that will be able to reach every learner and not just inclusive to a few.  Another thing that is important is that more and more people are willing to learn, but it has to be at their convenience.  I want to design curriculums that are convenient and are willing to be flexible in their learning environment.  So, this is the first week, and I’m very intrigued about learning more about training and development that will allow me to better serve my learners.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Theories and Thoughts

Many theorists have explored several concepts on how learning takes place. Theorists from B.F. Skinner, Bandura, and Vygotsky have all shared their studies and beliefs of how individuals learn. Throughout these many theories, the idea that one person can be confined to one learning theory may be unrealistic. Based on experiences from an educator perspective and a student, the process of learning has changed based upon the components of the situation. Many others may share the same this same perspective.
The theory that best aligns with society from a personal angle is connectivism. Connectivism, developed by George Siemens, states that it’s theory is motivated by the rate of how information is being gathered and how it continues to change based upon the current status. (Davis, Edmunds, Kelly-Bateman, 2008)  Society now is digital driven. Everything is instant and motivated from a technology perspective and how technology can improve the way of life.   The methods of technology we have today will not be relevant ten years from now.  As the internet is a component of connectvism, the internet has bridge a gap between the world of the unknown to being instantly informed. Such markets of the internet include Youtube, social media sites, and other resources that help people to share information.
The choice to join the ranks of education, along with many colleagues, was received through observation as a young adult.  Viewing how an educator had the ability to make a difference and shape the outcomes of an individual. That’s what observation and modeling provided from a personal perspective. This would be considered part of social learning, changing ideas and behaviors based on what’s been observed, modeled or imitated.  Social learning theory also allows individuals to create mental images and connections from sensory experiences as well. (Deaton, 2015)
Social learning can have negative as well as positive results. An individual may decide they want to model or imitate many of the negative behaviors they’ve been subjected to.  They may or may not be aware that their exposure to such behaviors will impact their behavior and become aware that environment is critical to this aspect of the theory. From personal observations, as an educator, we often see the product of what our students’ have experienced based simply on their actions in our classrooms.
How can technology be best utilized in learning? Technology has become an intricate part of learning with adult education. Allowing learners to use technology as a tool to engage in active learning is becoming more of a necessity than a choice. All of the students that enter our program fall into the age range of “the millennials.” This age group must have that instant gratification or pleasure. In order to ensure active learning is taking place, implementing parts of connectivism, social learning, cognitivism, and behaviorism theories must all be used.  For that reason, becoming a lifelong learner is essential in order to continue a career in adult learning.

Reflection

Learning theories have made many contributions to understanding how people learn. The concept of learning and it’s processes is a longstanding dilemma within education. It doesn’t only lie within K-12, it’s also a continuing concern within adult education.  Most adult learners want to learn. Throughout these past weeks, studying the inspiration of the theorists and their theories have highlighted an interest of how important the learning process be within adult learning.
One theory that I’ve mentioned throughout this course that I absolutely resonate with is the connectivism.  From personal experiences and interactions from an educator’s perspective, connectivism links individuals with that resource that allows one to be involved in the digital world. Theorists George Siemens and Stephen Downes defined connectivism as the interactions of the technology advancements that are used to share information and network with others. (Davis, et. al., 2008)  Siemens has as one of his connectivism principles is the readiness to know more information is pivotal. (Davis, et. al., 2008) Technology has evolved to the point where it's constantly changing and what seems relevant today, may not be compatible tomorrow. (Davis, et. al., 2008) Some of the current technological advancements of today, twenty-five years ago many would have thought of them never to exist.
One component of adult learning that is a common thread is the motivation factor.  Dr. Ormroad discussed in her video, Motivation in Learning, that adult learners have a firm need to want to know. Adult learners are able to highlight their ability to self-direct, and take control and be accountable for their own learning. (Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith, 2003)  As an educator and an adult learner, the drive that lies within is a cognitive decision to continue to seek and acquire more knowledge in my field in order to better serve my students.
As this course is coming to an end, it is also recognized that adult learning can be subject to a number of factors that may be challenging for adults. Besides motivation, age, life experiences, cognitive abilities and other challenges can affect the learning process of adults. Designing and creating instructional curriculums that are motivational, engaging, and interactive is vital to the adult learner. It is believed that once adult learner creates that need to learn, Keller motivational theory consisting of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction will exude and the learner will have successful outcomes in their educational experience.  


Friday, June 23, 2017

Many theorists have explored several concepts on how learning takes place. Theorists from B.F. Skinner, Bandura, and Vygotsky have all shared their studies and beliefs of how individuals learn. Throughout these many theories, the idea that one person can be confined to one learning theory may be unrealistic. Based on experiences from an educator perspective and a student, the process of learning has changed based upon the components of the situation. Many others may share the same this same perspective.
The theory that best aligns with society from a personal angle is connectivism. Connectivism, developed by George Siemens, states that it’s theory is motivated by the rate of how information is being gathered and how it continues to change based upon the current status. (Davis, Edmunds, Kelly-Bateman, 2008)  Society now is digital driven. Everything is instant and motivated from a technology perspective and how technology can improve the way of life.   The methods of technology we have today will not be relevant ten years from now.  As the internet is a component of connectvism, the internet has bridge a gap between the world of the unknown to being instantly informed. Such markets of the internet include Youtube, social media sites, and other resources that help people to share information.  
            The choice to join the ranks of education, along with many colleagues, was received through observation as a young adult.  Viewing how an educator had the ability to make a difference and shape the outcomes of an individual. That’s what observation and modeling provided from a personal perspective. This would be considered part of social learning, changing ideas and behaviors based on what’s been observed, modeled or imitated.  Social learning theory also allows individuals to create mental images and connections from sensory experiences as well. (Deaton, 2015)
Social learning can have negative as well as positive results. An individual may decide they want to model or imitate many of the negative behaviors they’ve been subjected to.  They may or may not be aware that their exposure to such behaviors will impact their behavior and become aware that environment is critical to this aspect of the theory. From personal observations, as an educator, we often see the product of what our students’ have experienced based simply on their actions in our classrooms.     
How can technology be best utilized in learning? Technology has become a critical part of learning with adult education. Allowing learners to use technology as a tool to engage in active learning is becoming more of a necessity than a choice. All of the students that enter our program fall into the age range of “the millennials.” This age group must have that instant gratification or pleasure. In order to ensure active learning is taking place, implementing parts of connectivism, social learning, cognitivism, and behaviorism theories must all be used.  For that reason, becoming a lifelong learner is essential in order to continue a career in adult learning.
  

References
Adult Learning - Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Adult_Learning
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Connectivism

Deaton, S. (2015). Social Learning Theory in the age of Social Media: Implications for Educational Practitioners. Journal Of Educational Technology, 12(1), 1-6.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Exploring Instructional Blogs(Class member)

I reviewed a blog that was posted on one of my classmate's blog, Cathy Moore, http://blog.cathy-moore.com. As I explored this site, it provides different resources to help you design curriculum for adults. Ms. Moore provides tips of what strategies what works and what doesn’t work depending on your audience. As instructional designers, the key to creating an effective curriculum is knowing knowing your audience and knowing how to keep them engage for the entire learning activity. 

Brain Based Learning

This week we explored brain base learning and information processing. Both of the articles examined provided theories of how the brain works and how instructional design can help students improve in the classroom. The first article, Learning to Learn: Understanding the Brain and Learning, written by Dennis Ryan, takes a look at how the brain process and retains information. The second journal entry, Examples of Instructional design for Social Studies According to Meaningful Learning and Information Processing Theories written by, Cem Babadogan and Fatma Unal examines the use of instructional design from theory to practice using examples from a social studies curriculum.
The first article provides key tips to extending short-term memory into long-term memory. Ryan examines the use of assessments of learning styles that have been created throughout the 20th century such as Myers-Briggs, Blooms Taxonomy, and the theories of Howard Gardner. Ryan presents eight study tips that will provide students with the tools to retain information long-term. Those tips are 1. Exercise-it provides stimulating proteins for the body; 2. See the Big Picture-summarizing materials can help the student connect the relevance of the material; 3.Set Goals- Write down information and study when they’re at their best; 4. Stay in Focused Mode- Remove all distractions if possible; 5. Take Breaks- Reward yourself to avoid fatigue; 6. Plan, Monitor and Assess- Ask how what, and why to gain deeper understanding; 7. Chunk- Break the information down into sections; and 8. Repeat to Remember-Repetition of new material is recommended. (Ryan, 2017)
In article two, Ausubel, a theorist and cognitive psychologist believe that learning occurs through remembering useful learning materials.(Babadogan and Unal, 2011) The teacher in this study provides the student with different concepts of human and natural elements; and the teacher provides several instructional examples such as short films, 3D drawings and photographs, and a map. As the lesson continues, the students are expected to provide feedback of what they knew from prior experiences and what they learned from the examples presented. At the end of the activity, Gagne, the developer of “ Instructional Design Model,” concludes that memory is the key component to learning. (Babadogan and Unal, 2011)
These two articles provide some insight of what I believe how the brain works, through memory and practicing retention of the information gained. They provided me with examples that I’ve found myself to have used in the past and currently use to retain information. As an educator, I strongly believe in repetition, the more it’s repeated, the better it’s remembered.


 References

Ryan, D. (2017). Learning to learn: Understanding the brain and learning. Techniques, (4), 8.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Welcome to my brand new blog.
This blog is dedicated to those adult educators who work every day to help adults make a difference. In my opinion, adult educators often go unnoticed because they’re not working in the “K-12” arena. But yet, someone has to teach adults basic math and reading skills, employability skills to get that new job, basic life skills or any skill that will help them become a better person.