Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Just in Time

I met up with a colleague while passing through Bristol Temple Meads station this afternoon, to discuss her request for some help with MS PowerPoint 2003. I totally understood one of her issues straight away, as I had had the same problem myself (running custom object animations in a presentation) when I created my WOLCE presentation.

But could I remember the command?  I had done it myself only a month ago but, try as I might, I could not now remember how to repeat it.  I spent 20 minutes of our time together trying to remember and/or find the relevant command on my laptop, but was completely stumped. To say I was embarrassed is to put it mildly.

Realising I was wasting my colleague's and my own time, I stepped back and acknowledged that I couldn't do this. I picked up my mobile phone and called  Debbie (@macabroad) in my team.  I explained the problem and she was able to point me to the appropriate Menu, Dialog Box and Check Box (Slide Show / Set Up Show / untick Show without animation - See below, if you're interested).  Sorted in two minutes. Thanks Debbie.

And that, right there, is the point of informal, just in-time learning.  And the value-add is that I have now consolidated that learning for myself by writing this blog AND I have now shared it with you.

It's good to talk.

2 comments:

  1. Niall, I think that this contributes to the theory that it's not as important to remember the information itself, as to remember where the information can be found.

    To quote Homer: "...every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain." (H Simpson)

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  2. It's good to talk, but it's also good to check YouTube. I use YouTube as a great just in time tool. In fact just the other day a colleague found a series of great YouTube vids showing step by step guides for adding macros in Excel.

    Of course we don't have access through work PC's but we found the vids easily enough from our smart phones. Performance support = on the go and just in time?

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