The Applications Trainer

Mini How-to's

2010-01-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

Been creating some fun how-to videos and figured I'd share. I'm doing them for my co-workers, but I imagine others could benefit as well.

Here is where can you find them all, at my screen cast site.
Work Vids

Here is a sample of one. Enjoy!

On the Purpose of Style

2009-05-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

NOTE: This refers to Microsoft Office 2007 primarily.

Learning to use more style in your documents (meaning papers, spreadsheets, slideshows, etc...) can only result in a better response. That's because better communication and preparation mean better results. Better meaning, cleaner, clearer, professional and polished. From a neighborhood flyer to a business report, it's all the same.

Whether people realize it or not they respond to a sense of style. Think of choosing a car. You pick a certain car for lots of reason (cost, efficiencies, amenities, look - a.k.a. Style) and style is important. It's often why you choose one over the other.

An often overlooked and simple way to add style to your projects is be familiar with the tools already at your disposal.

Each of the major applications have provided you with styles menu's. A collection of Styles are housed in Galleries. These Galleries are drop down menus with a visual display of the styles that you can choose from.

Select the styles you like and then choose different ones until you find one that you feel best conveys your message.

Check out this simple demo from Microsoft.

Open Word 2007 and click on the small blue dot with the question mark in the upper right of the window.
In the search window enter, "Styles"
Look for the item titled, "Demo: Make documents look great in Word 2007"

Cheers,

-Mike

What’s so New About Social Learning?

2009-03-18T16:33:00.001-07:00

I recently took a survey on Social Learning. The survey covered how it's being used in my organization, how long we've been using it, how are we measuring its success and whether or not I thought it was a fad.

As I sat and thought, it occurred to me that Social Learning is hardly new. We have always learned from our parents, elders, friends, family members, etc… Some societies base all of their learning on the social aspect. Think of Native American stories that are handed down from one generation to the next.

No, social learning it not new at all, but the tools we are using are. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, just to name a few are breaking the distance barriers and relationship barriers that inhibited social learning before.

No longer are we bound to the knowledge of our own small tribes. Our tribe is now global.

Learning Actualized

2009-02-04T09:26:00.001-08:00

Imagine you are sitting at a computer and you are making your way through a survey. It's a survey of what you know or don't know about say, Excel. You have choices like, I have no idea, up through, I know it well and could teach others if needed.

In the background, as you make choices, the system you're on is also making choices. Choices like, they say they don't know that particular skill so I'm going to flag it in their profile. And choices like, they say they know it well so I'll present them with a few questions to validate that knowledge, and if validated, indicate them as mentor material for that subject.

Now imagine that at the completion of this survey the system tabulating the answers has a profile of that individual's skills for that subject at that time. Linked to this profiling tool is a set of well crafted learning modules. On the one hand, the skills that are lacking are gathered up and plugged into an engine and inside of a minute a customized self-paced learning guide is generated just for that person! On the other hand skills they excel at are identified as ones that can be mentored to others in need.

Furthermore, as you move forward in time you begin to see a historical learning pattern for each individual that allows not only them, but their supervisor or managers to see their progress. And at any given time accessing the collected skills database tells colleagues who the experts are in any given area and therefore who to turn to for help in a pinch.

Imagine a 360 degree approach from assessment to learning to measuring results all customized to each person and automated.

This is not some fantastic dream I had while dozing. In fact I can't take credit for such a comprehensive idea at all. This is all the result of a rather inspiring conversation I had with one of the most innovative members of the technology learning arena I know, David Kelly from Watsonia Publishing.

This bold fore into the world of assessment and feedback is part and parcel to the mind set I encountered from even my earliest conversations with David and his team. It's a marriage of quality and innovation that's rare, and I'm personally giddy with excitement to see what's next from this outstanding company.

Finding the Answer

2009-01-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

See my online demo of this here.

Over the many years I've been helping assist people with their computer questions I've found that having the answer isn't always a matter of experience but more about having the skills to find it.

Clearly no one person can know everything, even on a given single subject, especially in the technology world because it's moves too rapidly. So, in this post I'd like to talk about how to find the answer in a way that doesn't involve reaching for the telephone or hollering over the cube wall and asking someone else.

Here is how I arrive at the answers I often present to the questions I get asked.

1. The first and fastest response is relying on wetware (memory). This means my experience and whether or not I've encountered the problem before. Memory recall is typically the easiest and quickest way to answer the question.

2. The second thing I do, if it doesn't come directly to mind, is explore the application. Taking a few minutes to really scrutinize the screen and examine the menus and options can often reveal the answer.

3. If one and two fail to provide the answer relatively quickly, it's time to tap into the amazing answer vault of the web. Understanding the search tools of your favorite search site are not nearly as important as simply understanding what words to enter into the search box.

My personal favorite first stop for looking over the great and wonderful web is Google, but these tips are general enough for any search engine.

First it's important to recognize that search engines are not smart or intuitive. They're trying to be, but they are not. You are still at the mercy of knowing the right key words. Here are some tips and examples of what to enter into a search box.

GENERAL HELP

Let's say I want to find out more about how to create a repeating appointment in my Outlook email program,

Main topic word: Outlook

Main topic detail: 2007

Feature name: Calendar

Feature detail: Appointment

Feature detail: Recurrence

IMPORTANT: Use the language of the application. If you go into Outlook for example and look at calendar items you will see the language written for you such as "Recurrence". Try to avoid making up your own language. Remember these tools are NOT yet smart enough to know what you mean; only what you tell them.

So in this case your search box contains, "Outlook 2007 Calendar Appointment Recurrence" without the quotes shown here.

Also, the more feature detail you provide the slimmer your list of results, so you can back off on details if you want a broader list of results to browse.

SPECIFIC PROBLEM RESOLUTION

If you're trying to find out about a problem that you're having with your computer or a certain application on your computer, pay close attention to any error messages you are getting. Those error messages are often the key words you need to find the fix or resolution. And if the message is long or specific, use the entire text in quotes (or at least the first sentence). That is what the vendor uses it in their support pages.

E.g. Error message: "The function cannot be performed because the message has been changed"

Even in this example I would use the main topic info in my search as shown in the first search above. So a search for this issue might be, outlook 2007 "the function cannot be performed because the message has been changed" including the quotes this time as shown.

A note on reviewing your results:

Look for answers that come from recognizable sources, particularly those from the vendor that might indicate a hit form their support arena.

If you find yourself on a forum (as often happens) where it turns out others are asking the same question, scan quickly down the page toward the bottom where someone has indicated a clear and firm answer. Forums are hit and miss, but they are more frequently becoming a mainstay in the Q&A arena.

WHAT ABOUT THE HELP MENU AND BOOKS?

I'd like to wrap by talking a little bit about why I have not addressed using the Help menu or a handy reference book.

For many years I've taught students to go into the help menu and for many years I've found that students still do not use it. Why is that? The reason is "vocabulary".

What I mean is, without a solid vocabulary of that particular application you will find over and over again that the search is useless. You could go to the index or table of content and scan it hoping to stumble over the answer but for efficiency sake, stop doing that!

These built-in help tools are getting better but they just don't include the broad range of resources a web based search provides. So, you're better off starting with the bigger bucket of answers.

As far as reference books go, they are not searchable, so you're back to scanning the table of contents or the index or flipping through the pages hoping to spot a picture of your problem!

Now, I thought about providing links to various resources that talk about web searching, but I think rather I'd like to leave you with your explorer cap firmly placed and the encouragement to seek those answers on your own favorite search engine!

Share with me what you've learned about finding things on the web and your favorite search tools and strategies!

Wisdom of the crowd or stupidity of the mob?

2008-11-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

To paraphrase Kevin Kelly, editor at Wired Magazine (see http://www.kk.org), "Between the wisdom of the crowd and the stupidity of the mob lies a very fine line."

We are living in an age where certain things are happening that were previously thought to be totally impossible. For example, we are seeing an exponential increase in the power of the group while at the same time seeing increasing individualism. Think about about it. While expanding our own sense of self through wiki posting, social networks and personal blogs we are at the same time seeing an amazing transformation and expansion of group knowledge via these same tools.

It was once believed that by linking people together across the globe, we would see a homogenization occur resulting in the loss of uniqueness, culture and personal identity. This clearly has not panned out.

There is a big unknown that is yet to come from this and that is, what can be accomplished by adding up all these small bits of personal knowledge and understanding to create something bigger and greater that the sum of it's parts.

This collective intelligence/knowledge has yet to fully reveal it's true potential but one interesting use of it in the business world has been to take advantage of a lesser recognized facet and that is the transparency that comes with it.

In one business case, a company started by lifting all travel expense restrictions. The caveat was that all travel expenses by any employee were posted to a company wide site which was viewable by all the other employees. The essence then is that within this transparency, the travelers are trained by the group as to whats an OK expense and what is unacceptable!

I doubt my company (OHSU) is ready to allow the crowd to dictate acceptable standards, but I'm encouraged to see the introduction of blogs and a lot of participation in some social networks like Linkedin. Perhaps one day the mob will rule, but not today.

Social Networking & The Business World

2008-11-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

Social networking (think Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace) is woven deftly into the everyday fabric of the latest generation (gen y). They use social networks as a means of personal expression, communication and sharing experiences. They are redefining the meaning of 'friend' via these networks.

As one conventioneer told his story, it became clear that the use of social learning among this new crowd is more than just idle wasting of time.

Imagine a teen who finds them self faced with a dilemma, say they've just discovered they're failing a class. Within moments of this knowledge they post this problem to their 1200 'friends' on My Space. And within moments of that 15 'friends' write back relaying their own experience with this kind of problem and then provide a dozen different ways ways to handle this with the parents.

By the time the teen gets home they have a well armed, well laid out plan for addressing this issue. Meanwhile, the unsuspecting parent is caught totally by surprise and may find little defense when faced with such a well presented case!

Now, without this sort of techno-thinking ingrained in our own fabrics, how do we as working professionals take advantage of this sort of knowledge sharing and problem solving!?

I don't have the exact answer but I am exploring Facebook, Linkedin and others to try and find out.

How many of you use social networks for problem solving and knowledge sharing?

Shamu, Virtual Classrooms and Wiki-madness

2008-10-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

From Amy Sutherland, author of, What Shamu Taught me About Life Love and Marriage, boiled down one key message that was, "what you get is what you reinforce". Meaning that if there is behavior that you do not want from a person, animal, or what-have-you, you should ignore (to the extent possible) the behavior altogether. Conversely, don't let behavior that you do want go unnoticed or unrecognized. So, basically reinforce what you do want and ignore the behavior you don't want.

From a veteran of virtual classrooms, Randah McKinnie, had the following tips.

Prequalify your audience with pre-tests and reinforcement of that during the live virtual classroom.
Find your own virtual style and pace. You may find it's different than your in-person style and pace.
Anecdotes are very powerful learning tools but *only* if it contextually appropriate and contributes to the learning.
Practice, practice, practice.
Disclose lapses in communication. Like silence on the radio, it can be a killer so don't leave your audience hanging.
Be specific with your questions. For example, if you think that's true, display a green check mark and if you disagree, choose a red x.
Create a sense of expectations, by letting the students know you will call on them directly for input, and then follow up by doing so.

Sue Gardner, new Executive Director of Wikimedia Foundation described the remarkable reality of the Wiki sensation. The free, open, online encyclopedia is the results of harvested knowledge from the people of planet earth (my words, not hers). It is a remarkable, personal and self-driven collection of facts and trivia. Our assignment by Elliot is to edit at least one wiki page before the end of next week.

What is Learning 2008?

2008-10-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

Learning 2008 is an ongoing yearly conference where technology educators come together to share knowledge and connect with others in the field.

Held at the Coronado Springs Resort in Disneyworld, it's a great setting for socializing, learning and getting inspired. Elliot Masie (seen in the yellow jacket to the right) hosts this event and always manages to ask compelling questions from his guests.

In the morning General session that kicked off the weeks events, Elliots asked Arch Lustberg, "what is the most important thing to remember to be an effective presenter?"

He said, "Don't try to be someone you're not. It comes off as bad acting. Don't be a bad actor, be a good performer. Speaking from the heart is the most powerful way to communicate."

More pearls of knowledge (as my college guitar teacher used to say) later...

Educating Adults

2008-10-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

I've been educating adult learners in the IT field for many years now. The thing I find most interesting is what motivates people to learn. With adults they have to know it will benefit them in someway before they feel it's worth their time. Learning for the sake of learning is pretty rare, especially in the business world where I teach.

Even for myself, although I find a great deal of things fascinating and interesting to learn, I'm not motivated to attend a class unless I see clear benefit to someway in which I intend to apply it.

What motivates you to learn new things?