Closely Examined v2.0

This is an updated version of a blog I published on our internal HR site at work earlier this week.  I tweeted that I had published it and this stimulated a discussion with @elearningguy @MikeCollins007 @ChangeContinuum @DaveBrown2001 about what the differences are between internally and externally delivered blogs, and whether there should be any.

There were good reasons, I thought, for not publishing this blog externally.  It features my son and his educational challenges this year, culminating in him getting his AS exam results this week.  He has his own twitter presence and, as twitter is my main social media collaboration and communication medium, I didn't wish to embarrass him by 'cross-contamination'. However, no-one at work knows him, and the blog would have a much smaller audience (work to do here with regard to internal engagement with SoMe).

David Goddin (@ChangeContinuum) asked if Sam had read it himself.  He hadn't - and still hasn't. So he hasn't had the chance to say whether he was bothered about it or not. My bad.  If I publish this blog today, it will be because Sam has read it this morning and OK'd it.

So, here's the original blog, with an update at the end on how things turned out. Enjoy and please comment on anything you've read, be it internal v. external blogging, privacy, education systems, ICT, change, L&D... Enjoy.

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Like many other young adults in England and Wales, my son will get his AS exam results on Thursday this week.

Sam seems remarkably sanguine about this, despite what has been quite a rocky road for him in his first year at 6th Form College.  As well as taking three AS levels, he also had to re-sit his Maths GCSE following a D pass in the previous year at school.

The 'rocky road' to which I referred really touches on a couple of areas of concern that I have had as both of my children have worked their way through our state education system.  Let me say here however that I am a passionate believer in state education, but I am saddened at how it has become a political football over the last several years and as a result, has become muddled, target-driven and seemingly unsighted on the real needs of our children.

Natasha seemed to find a direction and a focus for her efforts.  She had an aim in mind - to study Interior Design at University - and directed her energies to the subjects and grades that she required.  She is now going into her second year at Nottingham Trent University, studying Interior Architecture & Design.

Sam, on the other hand, didn't have a plan.  Neither his Mum nor I, nor his tutors, seemed to be able to offer the guidance and support he needed to help him find a path through Year 1.  In the subjects that he enjoyed, he did well all year - Music Technology and Film Studies.  However, in ICT and Maths, he floundered - he skipped classes, missed submission deadlines, was unenthusiastic whenhe did attend and generally got himself into a position where his behaviour and performance was jeopardising his continuing at college.  I'm pleased to say that he did eventually get back on track, began to see a potential plan for Yr2 (and maybe Yr 3 as well), and got his head down.  We await his AS and GCSE results 'with interest'...

Two things here: I remain unconvinced that 16-17 year old young people are ready for the 6th Form College environment.  I think it's too early.  I think they still need the more formally structured day of school.  Maybe, just maybe, girls are slightly more mature and can adapt to the new, personal responsibility environment more readily, but boys? I'm not so sure.

Secondly, Sam hated his ICT classes.  He found them boring and irrelevant.  OK, he is in the fortunate position of having two parents who work extensively with IT, and has access to his own kit.  But the ICT curriculum takes no account of how his generation are already using IT in the real world.  To them, it's not 'ICT', it's 'Life' - communication, connection and entertainment - via smartphone, PC, tablet, iPod etc.  It's facebook,Twitter, Spotify, YouTube etc.

But as I say, he got his head down eventually and worked to catch up and do as well as he could in his exams.  But he's dropping ICT now, to take up Media Studies and Drama in Year 2.  Not exactly an endgame plan, but some definite themes emerging.

But here's the ironic bit: It turns out Sam's got his own YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Samuel24842?feature=watch where he posts his own film review video blogs (vlogs?)!  He's been doing this for two years, has posted tens of reviews, has hundreds of subscribers, over 45,000 views and he's done it all by himself.  He's used his passion for movies, his desire to have a say and a discussion with his peers; he's learned by watching and listening to others' video blogs, by trial and error, by feedback from his audience and, as a result, he's found his voice and his confidence has increased dramatically.  And co-incidentaly, he's just got his first part-time job, after a year of trudging round Brighton and Hove with his CV.  His first two-part interview and he aced it.

I think there's a message here for us about what the future of learning looks like and what UK schools, further and continuing education/learning providers need to consider and act on.  Front-loading alone does not work.  We don't know best, but we can certainly help our learners to develop their curiosity, questioning and analysis skills.  And we need to provide relevance, context, curation, facilitation, empowerment, access and the media and technology channels to enable them to be applied.  It's beginning to happen and I'm excited by the opportunities.

If you have AS, A2 and/or GCSE results coming this week and next, what's been your experience?  I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.  Good luck to you and yours too!

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Post Script: Sam got his AS results on Thursday.  Sufficient passes in Music Tech and Film Studies to allow him to carry them forward to A2, starting in September.  He's dropped ICT, so we can gloss over that result. Just Maths GCSE to come now on 23rd August.  We are quietly confident.

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Post Post Script (23/08): Sam got his GCSE Maths result today - Foundation level 'C' Pass, highest achievable on that grade!  We are all dead chuffed! Thanks for your interest.

What I FELT on my Holidays

We've just come back from a week's break in North Yorkshire and are now on the second week of our staycation at home. I'm reflecting on the whole experience here, not from a learning blog perspective, but from a FEELING perspective and have focussed on five moments, each different, but all significant in their own way...

Family: We spent an evening at my Brother's home in Sleaford on our way up North, with my Brother Malcolm, my Sister-in-Law Diane and my Nephew, Daniel.  Always good to meet up with them, but there was added significance in the turn of conversation.  I blogged back in December about passing the age my Father was when he died, and the realisation for me that I had been gifted the time that he never had.  At one point in the evening, over coffee, Malcolm said, "Not sure whether to raise this or not, but sitting here looking at you, Niall, is like sitting here looking at Dad. You look exactly now as I remember him before he died."  My Sister-in-Law chipped in, "I only knew him for a short time, but he was the age you are now when I did, and it's spooky how much you look like I remember him".  I was profoundly moved by this, as it resonated with my feelings when I wrote my blog on that topic in December Age - Appropriate.  It's nearly 30 years since we lost our Father, and Malcolm and I haven't really talked about him since then.  This evening, we all spoke of our memories of him and our regrets at what he missed in our family growth.  For me, this was also a healing experience, as things were difficult between my Brother and his then fiance and our Mum and Dad at the time he took ill and died.  I felt that we had finally put that time and those feelings to bed and had collectively honoured my Father during our visit.

I FEEL closer and better connected to my family.

Theatre: When Mandy and I were in Scarborough, we went to the theatre to see Alan Ayckbourn's new play "Surprises".  Scarborough is the home of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, the cradle of his play writing and directing for many years now. I was totally caught up in the drama and humour of the piece, totally engaged with the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the faultless performances of the ensemble cast. The three acts flew past.  At the end of the piece, as the cast took their bows, I found myself applauding enthusiastically, but with tears streaming down my cheeks. I was moved and sad at the same time.  Why?  Because - if you didn't know this already - I used to be a professional actor.  I went to Drama College and graduated with the intention of becoming a Drama Teacher.  However, I elected to follow the theatrical path and became an actor, a career I pursued for some 12 years, until other priorities (like earning a decent wage, being able to pay the rent, save for a house, start a family - you know, that stuff), became more important and I stepped away and moved into training.  But I remember the feeling of performing, being part of an ensemble, interacting emotionally, exercising and developing my first choice craft, and, yes, soaking up the applause at the end.  I still miss it.  I need to find that passion and inspiration again in my work life.

I FELT torn - enthralled and energised by the play, but sad that my first choice career never worked out.

Trains: We spent a day on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, travelling from Goathland to Grosmont, then all the way to Pickering and back. This is without a doubt the best working 'heritage' railway I have ever visited.  Mainline steam trains travelling through stunning scenery for up to an hour-long journey.  The trainspotter geek, the inner free child and the nostalgia fan in me were all fully immersed and satisfied in the joy of a day with steam trains.  Mandy said that half of her enjoyment of the day was the pleasure of seeing me enjoying myself so much, and in fact, she tweeted a photo of me expressing my excitement, which I reproduce here, for your enjoyment/amusement.  You can see the pictures of the day, as well as the rest of our holiday, on my new Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/niallgavinuk/sets/72157630821521698/

I FELT unalloyed 'free child' joy and happiness.

Marriage: Throughout our holiday, Mandy and I are spending quality time together, without considering the day-to-day issues of work/life imbalance, financial worries, managing the household, etc.  We walk, we talk, we laugh, we dine out, we drink, we read, we argue, we smooch... 

I FEEL a deeper love for and connection with my wife.

Olympics:  During the home-based week of our UK staycation, I am watching a lot of the London 2012 Olympics, and am genuinely and pleasantly surprised at how much I am enjoying the experience.  I have watched so many different sports, and really got caught up in the excitement and the emotion of each and every one of them.  I am so impressed and inspired by the passion, commitment, strength and athleticism of these young people - and, having been a bit of an Olympics sceptic beforehand (impact on London commuters, G4S, ticket lottery and empty seats), have been completely won round by the logistics and the organisation of the whole event.  It's a pleasure to see the athletes and the public united in enjoying this unique event in London.

I FEEL proud to be British. 

(On further reflection, that Olympics paragraph ties in with the concluding contrary remarks of my last, rather downbeat, blog, "We're only little - and our time is short"- "I actually think that there is much to love about us humans; that we can do remarkable things and show astonishing creativity, compassion, generosity, mindfulness and tenacity.  That's why I'm in Learning and Development.")

So, why are all these experiences resonating?  Because in each case, I was/am caught up in the emotional, sensed moment - not intellectualising, not over-analysing, just being.  And that's a damn good reason for making sure that  we have a lot more holidays and tune-out time, in the gift I have been given of the time that my Dad never got to enjoy.  So, to conclude...

I FEEL GOOD!

We're only little - and our time is short!

This is one of those blogs where the title's been looking for the story.  I think I might just have cracked it...

I came up with the title as a tweet when I finished a book of apocalyptic, end-of-the-world short science fiction stories on my #kindle.  @dougshaw picked it up and tweeted favourably on my turn of phrase - and that got me thinking more deeply.  Why had I enjoyed this apparently depressing set of stories so much?  And what had triggered my apparently eloquent phraseology?

For someone who's always worked in and thrived on communication and people related activities, I've always held  fairly negative views about the human race and its long-term future.  We seem to have a built-in self-destruct driver, which historically has lead us into war, famine and ecological melt-down and I think our time is nearly up - maybe not immediately, but it's coming.  So reading that collection of short stories satisfied my sense of righteous schadenfreude - we're gonna get what we deserve!

'Cos, here's the thing; on a cosmological/interplanetary timescale, we ain't been around that long.  This big, old, world of ours has been orbiting our sun for billions of years, and the evolution of life hereon has taken millions and millions of those years (sorry, Creationists)!  We've emerged fairly quickly and, ecologically, we seem to be doing an excellent job of ensuring that we're not going to be around for much longer.  I guess the main message in these stories was, it's not the end of the world - it's the end of humanity!  The world will go on, in whatever state we leave it, and will change again and again and again...

So, you  see, we're not so big and we're not that clever.  We're only little - and our time is short!

Sorry about that.

PS: I actually think that there is much to love about us humans; that we can do remarkable things and show astonishing creativity, compassion, generosity, mindfulness and tenacity.  That's why I'm in Learning and Development. It's gotta be worth trying to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

TLA Tales

Quick ranty blog.  This one has been bubbling in my Evernote 'Blog Ideas' file for a while now, just waiting for the motivation to develop and publish it. And this morning, I finally lost patience and have written this piece.  What kicked it off?  Another bloody Three Letter Acronym in my twitter stream, the meaning of which I do not know.  Do I know what the miscreant is talking about? No, I don't. Can I be arsed looking it up? No, I can't.  Do I feel excluded? Yes, I do.

 

I find the unthinking use of acronyms in meetings, discussions, Project Plans, Twitter, Blogs and the like disempowering, smug and elitist.

Yes, they have a place - in a closed, all-informed forum, where everyone in the loop knows the jargon.  Outside of that, how dare you assume that I know what you're talking about, or that I will take time out of my busy day to look it up.  IPOs, APIs, SEOs, SEN, TED, REM, RAB - it doesn't matter how many times I look at these and other three letter acronyms (or shall we just call them TLAs and have done with it?), I can never remember what they mean.  And why should I?  Just 'cos you're too lazy to write it out in full doesn't mean I should have to fill my head up with even more jargon, which I may or may not need for weeks or months later, if ever again.  If your communication needs a Jargon/Acronym Buster appendix, it's safe to assume that I'm not necessarily the right audience for your message.

Look, I've been guilty of it myself. It's easy to slip into within any given culture. For instance, when I became the IT Training Manager for Sussex Police, I was immediately exposed to 'Acronym City' - IT and Police Jargon in one big melting pot!  But I was in the club, and I soon picked it up, and dammit, I soon started using these self same acronyms myself.  In FirstGroup, a UK  public transport operator, we have all sorts of Bus and Rail-related acronyms, some of which still elude me even after seven years...! But these are internal discussions, where it behoves us to get to know the language of the business.

 

However, if we're communicating with an uninitiated or general audience, that's a different matter.  Show some respect and consideration. Keep your TLAs to yourself and your buddies.  Don't assume that the rest of us know what you're talking about.  Because I/we probably don't; I/we might be too embarassed to ask, but more importantly, I/we resent the fact that you're too lazy/smug/insecure (delete as appropriate) to speak with clarity and include me/us in a meaningful conversation.

It's Not a Numbers Game

A funny thing happens when I start to get stressy about writing my next blog.  Once I get the germ of an idea in my head, seemingly unrelated events and interactions start to come together and miraculously align themselves within the emerging theme or themes of the story.  And it's happened again.  Once the idea of 'Numbers' emerged from the fog in my brain, my online life obligingly started lining things up for me.

Numbers and counting have been on my mind for a while now, and I could see a theme emerging which might be worth exploring in more detail.  I've realised that I place a great deal of importance on numerical criteria - dates, deadlines, milestones, anniversaries, (occasionally ROI), totals, bank balances, days to pay day, etc.  I blogged about the personal significance of outliving my Father on my last birthday in December - Age - Appropriate - and I recently posted my 21st blog about my first year of blogging - A Year in the Blogosphere . Shortly thereafter, I also posted my 5,000th tweet.

I recently engaged in a light-hearted exchange with someone in my Twitter network, Holly MacDonald (@sparkandco), which revolved around the number of followers I had in Canada (Holly's Canadian).  Out of a previous discussion, when I ruefully disclosed that my blog stats indicated that I apparently only had one reader in Canada, Holly immediately offered her services as an advocate to launch a campaign to increase the number of my Canadian followers.  We kicked the topic around for a few tweets, recognised that we were 'having a laugh' but when she suggested starting a #followniallgavinuk meme, we agreed that we'd probably gone as far as we needed to in that discussion.

And here's the thing; I had actually started to get really uncomfortable about discussing follower numbers, because I didn't - and don't - want people thinking that that's why I tweet and blog.  If I attract followers to my Twitter stream or blog, I hope it's for the same reasons that I follow other people - that there is something of interest and value in our dialogue and exchange for all of us.

Examples: #1 - Matthew Pearson (@mattpearson) recently posted an excellent blog on the subject of Twitter as a Professional Development Tool http://mattpearson.org/2012/06/01/twitter-as-a-professional-development-tool-love-it-or-hate-it/ .  I commented on that blog, recalling an exchange that he and I had last year and the learning points that we both got from that around immediacy and opinions, and some of the pitfalls of 'shooting from the hip' in such a public arena.  We continue to follow each other with interest.

#2 - Last week, I tweeted that I was going to be in Bracknell for a two day workshop. Immediately John Bartlett (@Projectlibero) tweeted back that it would be good to meet up. We'd never met before, but have followed each other for a couple of months. So I was delighted to get the opportunity to meet up.  We juggled our diaries and arranged to meet in the evening. A short walk to a local hostelry with good beer, a bit of get-to-know-you-better chat and a really useful exchange of ideas and opinions.  As ever, I came away the better for our chat, if not the beer, and have already followed up on a couple of social media tools and contacts recommended by John.

I hope the above gives a flavour of why I think social and informal learning is not a numbers game.  Yes, it's interesting to track things, to note and celebrate milestones - as part of a reflective process - but what I really value are the connections and the community that I find myself a part of, and the learning I get from those interactions.

So, to my 965 Twitter followers, my now 13 blog readers in Canada, my 34 Instagram followers and my 25 Storify subscribers - I hope we continue to share amongst and learn from each other. And if we don't, who's counting anyway?

A Key Note

So, I'm back in the office today, catching up on a day out, and reflecting on the learning points I took away from yesterday's trainingzone Live 2012 conference in London ( http://www.trainingzonelive.co.uk/ ).  The organisers helpfully provided us all with a reflective Personal Learning Log sheet in our conference pack, which I've scribbled into, but I've already decided to capture - and more importantly, share - my key learning 'nuggets' (from my own and others' contributions to the Twitter backstream yesterday) in a Storify story.  That's for later tho'...

I got a lot out of the workshop sessions I chose to attend, and that will show up in my Storify.  But, whilst I have come away from those sessions intellectually and professionally stimulated, I have been thinking today about what most inspired and energised me during the day.  And it wasn't the workshops, it wasn't the opening presentation, and it certainly wasn't the closing "Any Questions" expert panel discussion - it was the second-to-last session with key note speaker, Steve Backley OBE ( http://www.stevebackley.com/ ), Olympic javelin multi-Medalist, World record-holder and now development consultant with his partner Roger Black.  Not only was Steve an engaging personality, he told an enthralling story of success and failure in his athletic and Olympic journey, authentically, with passion, humility and humour, and he had the audience in the palm of his hand throughout.  Others have - and I will, in my Storify - shared their 'take-aways' from Steve's session, but here's what I wanted to talk about today...

I have been fortunate enough to attend several conferences - and my first UnConference - in the last year.  From each of them, I came away with useful personal and professional development ideas which I have been able to utilise, in one way or another.  But what has really hit home after yesterday's trainingzone Live, is how great the different Key Note Speakers at those events were, and how humble, entertaining, intellectually stimulating, inspiring and downright 'value for money' they have been.  

I heard Lord Robert Winston ( http://www.robertwinston.org.uk/ ) speak on the development of the human brain (at the Learning and Performance Institute's LearningLive conference) last year); I also enjoyed Edward de Bono ( http://www.edwdebono.com/ ), Ray Kurzweil ( http://www.kurzweiltech.com/aboutray.html ) and Jaron Lanier ( http://www.jaronlanier.com/ ) delivering challenging - and contrary - keynotes at the Learning and Skills Group's 'Learning Technologies' Conference in January this year.  And now I am pleased to add Steve Backley to that list of inspiring speakers.

What I loved about them all is that, whilst they are 'experts' in their own specialisms, they brought into our increasingly navel-gazing L&D world a different energy, passion and perspective, which challenged me to step out of my professional comfort zone and consider what we do and the people with whom (and,in some cases, to whom) we do it, in a completely different light.

What I missed at yesterday's TZL, particularly from the 'expert' panel at the end, was that sense of humility, of that recognition that we now operate in a very different world, with different expectations of what learning looks, feels and tastes like; that it is happening out there now, with or without our involvement, and that, maybe, we should lift our eyes up and look at what's happening around us.  I was really disappointed that no-one mentioned the growth of social and collaborative learning (not social media - that's just a tool in the arsenal) and that our roles in L&D need to change to embrace, facilitate and support peer-driven learning - as another part of the blend.  If we keep thinking of ourselves as the experts, then we are going to be arched and sidelined by the wisdom of the crowd and by people's own desire to share and learn from each other.

So here's where I'm going with this.  My recent attendance at the L&D Connect UnConference (to which, incidentally, I was invited through LinkedIn by one of my Twitter friends and on which I have already blogged) opened my eyes to another way of thinking about the opportunities afforded us when we get a load of L&D people in one room at the same time.  In an UnConference, the attendees set the agenda, discussion groups are formed and dynamically change during the sessions, with people free to move between groups as their interest/whim takes them.

Now, imagine the stimulation for discussion if your next conference was an UnConference AND it was kicked off by a quality keynote speaker of the calibre of those above, who would challenge you to think outside of your comfort box, before you break out into your discussion groups. And then you share your learning during and afterwards by whatever social and other tools are available to you.

So, conference organisers and colleagues, let's take a chance, look up, get a different perspective, and let's put some humility and passion back into the mix.  Any thoughts?

A Year in the Blogosphere

I'm in danger of missing the boat with this blog, so I'm going to quickly finish it off and publish it before its 'tell-by' date has expired.

This is my 21st blog (It was going to be my 20th, but attending the recent L&DConnect UnConference in London on Tuesday forced my hand with another blog instead).  No big deal in itself, but I am writing this as part of my reflection on the fact that I have now been blogging for one whole year.  I posted my first blog - on the subject of posting my first blog - on 14th April 2011.  

So, at the risk of disappearing up an ever-decreasing orifice of blogging blogs about blogging, I thought I'd review how it's going, and share what I've learned thus far, in case anyone else out there is in two minds about starting.

Feel the Fear...

...and do it anyway.  I procrastinated for a long time before actually committing myself to blogging.  I confess to not having been a great blog-reader beforehand - having only just got the hang of micro-blogging on #Twitter - but I noticed that many of the people I followed in my Twitter #PLN (Personal Learning Network) were already blogging.  So I started reading their blogs and commenting, mentioned on Twitter that I was toying with the idea and getting inspiration from their postings and suddenly, I got a flood of encouraging comments back from those same people - and others - suggesting that it was time I bit the bullet.

Biting the Bullet...

I'd been keeping a document going of blog ideas, fleshing them out as I could, so I felt that I might be ready to have a go.  So I crowdsourced recommendations for a hosting site (i.e. I asked the question on Twitter).  Again, the wisdom of the crowd was generously, quickly and effectively given, and I settled on #Blogger.  Nice n' easy interface, no complicated web presence requirements.  I signed up, copied & pasted my first blog content into the window, published - and I was out there on the blogosphere!  I tweeted the fact, along with the link to my new blog page, and to my surprise and delight, people went to my site, read my blog, commented on it and retweeted the link to my new page!

Holding Hands...

Apparently there were several of us taking our first steps into blogging and we quickly established a couple of Twitter Hashtags (which seem to have fallen by the wayside as we've all gained confidence) #bloggingnewbies, followed a couple of months later by #bloggingimprovers.  We published our blogs and announced them to the twitterati with either of those hashtags and then we knew to go and check out ch others' latest and offer our support/feedback.

I want to acknowledge here and thank a great bunch of people who offered their support and advice then, and continue to do so now - Mandy Randall-Gavin (@ MandyRG), Kate Graham (@ KateGraham23), Stephanie Dedhar (@ StepanieDedhar), Lisa Johnson (@ TuppyMagic), Craig Taylor (@ CraigTaylor74) and Colin Steed (@ ColinSteed) - all of whom write and publish their own excellent blogs, which I thoroughly recommend to you.

It's not a one-way street...

...it's a two-way street!  Engage, don't pontificate.  I am thrilled when someone takes the trouble to read one of my blogs in the first place, but even more excited when they comment.  I will always try to respond (room for development here, I think) and then we are in dialogue.  A recent blog by David Goddin (@ ChangeContinuum) touched very effectively on this subject  http://peopleperformancepotential.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/pseudo-intellectual-blog-bomb-of.html 

Review and Reflect...

I've gone back and re-read my 20-blog output over the last year, and I see a definite change in them.  My early blogs were a tad forced, contrived even, when I felt unsure of my own voice or what I wanted to talk about ("Don't over-think them" was the advice from a seasoned blogger here).  However, when I was inspired or - as importantly - energised or empassioned about the topic, they flowed more naturally and with more authenticity.  People notice that kind of stuff, and comments and feedback from my great #PLN confirm that fact ("It read much more 'conversational' and as such, I found it easier to read" was a recent comment from another experienced blogger).

Oh, one thing I do think I do well (feel free to challenge) - I write great, catchy Titles. I like puns and I try to make my headlines intriguing, walking the middle line between being too clever or too pompous.  Like I said, feel free to challenge that one!

My key learning points?

I've written some of them already as the sub-headings in this blog.  But here they are in a convenient, take-away sized bullet list.

• Feel the Fear
• Bite the Bullet
• Maintain a potential topic list
• Hold Hands
• It's not a one-way street
• Invite your Friends
• Follow other blogs
• Review and Reflect

I'm no expert here - I'm sure you will have other tips.  Let's add to and share this list.  

So here we are; the end of my 21st - but not my last - blog.  Thanks for taking the time to read this one. Now let's talk...