“The Art of Effective Communication”

     We take communicating for granted because we do it everyday, but how many times have you run into a problem because there was a break in communication?  I am sure the answer is more than once and we have all been on each side of the communication or error in communication. Communication all depends on the clarity of the presentation, from a simple conversation to a presentation.

     In viewing the email communication, the email that was sent was very professional, business friendly and to the point. The email pointed out the importance of getting the information and even contacting Jane about the matter. The use of bold letters reinforced the urgency and importance of the getting the information in a timely manner.       

     The voicemail was very similar to the email communication, although the message contained a very calm voice. The message was very professional and business minded. The voice message contained directions as well as why the information was needed along with an understanding that Mark has been unavailable and in possible meetings. This message was almost soothing which was encouraging because Mark was not having the “finger” pointed at him for not getting the information to Jane, but an understanding why he could be delayed in getting her the data.

     The face-to-face appeared very similar to the other messages. This communication seems to have more apathy then the importance of the information. The facial expressions were friendly yet professional, keeping a smile while asking for a task to be completed as quickly as possible while seeking understanding or her on Mark’s part to comply

      Looking at three different modes of communication, it is important that the message is clear and professional, Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, “Communication can be formal or informal, written or verbal.  Whatever form communications take, however, project managers should plan and prepare so their message are received and correctly interpreted by project audience” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). The type of communication is based on the people you are communicating with; if it is your peers the communication can contain jargon and be lighted hearted and joking. Whereas communication with your peers within a business environment is going to be professional, no jargon, it can be light hearted but a sense of professionalism. Proper communication is the key to success especially when it comes to completing a project on time and successful.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). The art of effective communication. [Multimedia program].

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E.

Learning from a Project "Post-mortem"

     As I thought about this assignment the only project that came to mind was a recent inventory that we, the audit team, was assigned to complete for the department. One important thing that came to mind was Greer stating, “develop a list of lessons learned so they don’t repeat their mistakes in the next project”(Greer, 2010). This was so true of the past inventory project, once the project was completed, I had a million ways that the project could have been handled better.  

       Now that my knowledge of project management is growing, I now realize the project could have been handled much different from the beginning. Basically there were four of us that were to inventory the entire work based education, which entailed three buildings on the site run by the college. We were simply given a week to complete the project and were to inventory everything the college owned, but not the software company’s items. As we entered the first building our mouths dropped, nothing was tagged and there was a plethora of goods and items to inventory. The manager of the building did hand us an inventory sheet along with the help of another employee that showed us where everything was and who owned what.

Needless to say we finished this in the time frame, kudos for us. Well I now had the job of entering all this information into a Excel spreadsheet based on each location, I had over a 100 pages of this and was given seven days to complete the task. It was awful, basically data entry, but it was not an easy in put. I can say the project was a success and the deadline met, but the project could have been handled much differently if we had all the information, the objectives and the expectation.

As we move forward in our readings, I now understand the importance of clear objectives and why every team member should understand each step in meeting the objectives.  I had a great team; we got along and worked very well together to complete the project. If we had not been able to work together, it would have ended much differently.

References:

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Reflection of Distance Learning in the Future

What do you think the perceptions of distance learning will be in the future (in 5–10 years; 10–20 years)?

Over time technology has become innovative opening the doors for distance learning far more from the 1950’s. In the next 5-10 years the advances that have been made this far will be obsolete and we will see technology advances beyond our comprehension, offering many avenues for distance learning. We will watch distance learning grow; instructors will become tech-savvy and held to a very high standard.  Traditional education will continue to be offered but the majority of people to opt for the distance education or a blended course because people have to balance so many things in their lives.

Geographical distance will not separate the learning; everything will be connected and based on the learner’s needs or wants. As distance learning continues to grow acceptance it could become the norm for adults seeking higher education, but this also will grow as an option for elementary and high school students.  Virtual classrooms will be available utilizing various Course Management Systems with both synchronous and asynchronous materials. The Distance Learning will have various tools for learning through mobile devices, not just personal computers or laptops and the technology probably will be limitless.

Distance Education in ten to twenty years will be the norm for many institutions and be readily accepted by employers for workforce training.   I cannot even begin to envision what the technology will have to offer for distance education, but it will be taken to a whole new level to meet the needs of society. For instance, everything will be connected and to assure validity in course work they might have digital fingerprint scans or voice recognition for tests. The next ten to twenty years for distance learning will bring advances never thought of in this day and age.

How can you as an instructional designer be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning?

As an instructional designer striving to be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning, I will continually be well informed of the technological advances in both software and products. I will continually learn relating these applications to teaching distance learning along with the working knowledge of the various applications for education and businesses because students come from different environments with prior knowledge. Students that come to distance education also come with “an array of experiences to the classroom, even those at distance”(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek).  Finally I will need to continue to focus on current advancements in technology along with business opportunities so distance education can continue to grow with the placement of qualified distance learning students into the businesses.

How will you be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education?

I will be a positive for continuous improved in the field of distance education by continuing to grow and learn my improving my skills through distance education. I will need to learn the tools of technology as the tool advance in order to offer distance learners’ current teaching of technology. These learners need to see a positive instructor who is willing to continue to grow and improve utilizing distance education myself.  It will be important to remember that the learners are separated by distance although the instructor must learn about his/her learners, the learners must take ownership about their learning, “The type of distance instructional setting will dictate the kinds of student responsibilities”(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek)

 References:

Siemens, G. (2010). The future of distance education. Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). Video.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4^th ed.). Boston, MA:
Pearson

The Impact of Open Source

Website: http://oyc.yale.edu/english

This week we were asked analyze a course by Open Source. I chose to look at Yale, the English 300 with Professor Paul H. Fry, William Lampson Professor of English. I thought it would be interesting to look at English 300.

This course is carefully pre-planned and well designed for a distance-learning environment. Starting with the design of the site, it is inviting, the colors are visually clear and easy to read. The colors are soft with the text standing out from the colors. The tabs are easy to navigate without having to “hunt and peck” around for information. The tabs are to the left, which I like because that is how we read. Pictures also go from left to right, so the reader gets visual then is able to read the text. The pictures match the text, professional and realistic.

As I entered the English 300 tab, there are pictures of each professor along with a course introduction. Navigating through the tabs there is information about the course such as; syllabus, sessions, survey, and buy books. The tabs are easy to find and the text for each tab is clear and concise. It is apparent that Yale offers a asynchronous learning environment where the “students access the class at different times” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). Which is key for distance learning.

This course does have sections, where they have oral discussions; the attendance is required in order to assure the learner understands the concepts. This is the only limitation I see if a learner limitation because there is not an on going discussion via technology, only in person, which could challenge learners with different learning styles and comfort levels. This course does follow the recommendations from our readings; syllabus, course requirements, grading percentages. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).   

Overall, I think the Open Course many great options available for those learners who want to continue their education without being tied to a local community college or university.

References

Open Yale courses. (n.d.). Retrieved on October 4, 2013 from http://oyc.yale.edu/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning

     at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.