A Line in the Graph

Like my blog title suggests, I spend a lot of my work time making reports and metrics.  While I may know what the numbers mean, they lack real value unless they can be easily communicated. Companies spends millions on reporting, and each will have a different way they do it.  My particular organization is not very sophisticated in the reporting scale and does not utilize a lot of statistical analysis.  This is good, because it's me that does it and while I have taken some classes in statistics, it's not my strong suit.

However, we do use a very handy standard graph and I wanted to include a video that shows how to make one.  This is a pretty simple graph, but can quickly show if you have met your goal or not.  Now setting performance guidelines could be many many blog entries along with deciding what to track, but today I wanted to show this graph video

Using Twitter's powers for Good, not Evil

Recently one of my favorite authors, Jeff VanderMeer (he wrote Annihilation) is someone I follow on Facebook.  He is a sort of dry humor that regularly makes me laugh.  He uses social media extensively to discuss causes that he cares about, talk about his book and movie, and random comments.  It's interesting that his posts talk about the two sides of Twitter. 

The Bad...
Twitter can lead to a group think like mindset with some disturbing lack of morality.  Jeff discusses Twitter encouraging him to move a candle closer to someone who was leaning into his table while out to dinner.  Twitter is a giant rabbit hole that people use the anonymity of the internet to say or do nasty things.  Looking to justify a really bad behavior?  There is an entire dark web and multiple support groups to jump on it.  People will say terrible things to each other they would never say in person. 

The Good...
On the flip side of the coin, Twitter can connect people to things they would never run into.  Jeff twitted support for a relatively unknown author.  This created a significant amount of interest in the author and led a publisher to look deeper into her work.  Jeff also tries to use all social media platforms to bring awareness to his many causes, such as animal cruelty.

Twitter and the internet as a whole can be a very dark place.  It can be a city with no lights on being looted by mobs, or it can be a never ending library with an entire population of helpful librarians.  Twitter is what you make of it.

Free Information, not free for the taking

Back in 2000 when I was in high school, the interview became more and more widespread.  Bit Torrent and Napster were just coming into play and the online world of digital music downloads exploded like a dirty bomb on the internet.  College students were using faster and faster internet capability to rip and download music in a digital black market.  Viruses were rampant of the music industry was facing the end of hard media.  The music industry struggled, focusing on a legal fight, going after FTPs and downloaders. 

This gave rise to legitimate digital media distribution.  Now, streaming music is the norm.  Many pay for subscription and digital sale services are a multi billion dollar industry.  What does this mean?  Almost all music has become easily available.  I stress, most.  Some artists resist this change.  Unfortunately, my favorite band will not put their music online. 

Long ago my car was stolen, along with my cd collection.  Over the years, I have not replaced my cds, instead counting on digital music.  When I changed phones some of my old music did not transfer over.  Last night, I had to order a cd.  I have not bought a cd in over 7 years.  It is odd to wait two whole days for music.  However, I could listen to the music on youtube.  Individuals have violated copyright and put the songs on youtube.  But this isn't ethical.  The artists have not authorized their music to be put online.

Right now I only own one cd player and that is in my car.  Hopefully my favorite band, Tool, will decide to release their next cd online.  However, they have not released a cd in over a decade.  For now, I may be like a teenager driving around in my car so I can listen to my music.

Making a Better Final Product through PLN Feedback

This week I would like to explore what I view as the most exciting part of using a PLN (personal or professional learning network).  PLN's have many great applications, such as exposing users to outside ideas, introducing new technology and providing personal growth.  While most of these networks are focused on teachers, they can also provide significant benefit to students.  From a professional aspect, I am not a trainer, but I do find the possibility of feedback from people outside of my coworkers as the best part of having a PLN.

Last week my organization hosted people in similar jobs to mine from all across the country and we had three full days of informal workshops.  This lead us to have open discussions on issues we all face and allowed us to discus paths forward for new and emerging issues.  In one part of the workshop, we discussed a new government regulation and I posted a form that I had been working on to deal with it.  Everyone looked at the form and gave great feedback and will provide a much better product than I would have had without their insight.

 
However, it's not practical to fly everyone across the country more than once a year and we are working on starting a Skype meeting monthly.  Technology will be important for all of us to brainstorm emerging issues as a group.  Together we are stronger than the sum of all our parts!

Your Attention Please all Passengers

So far I have noticed a couple of key patterns with blogs that I like to read and what makes a blog post.

 

1. Start with an image that is clear.  The picture needs to be related to the topic and give the reader an instant idea of what the post topic is.
2. Have an interesting title.  Titles should form a relation in people's minds to the topic and maybe have a little intrigue.  
3. Keep it short.  In both the professional world and the internet, too much text is a turn off.  Readers want to get the information and get out.
4. Keep the topics relevant.  Blogs should tie into current events.  Posting about using obsolete equipment or technology will make a reader search elsewhere.

Let's get this started!

Hello classmates and anyone who has stumbled into this blog!

My name is Katie Kain and I am a third year student in the OLP program at ISU.  This blog's main focus will be on topics from my Instructional Technologies in HRD class.  I will use this blog to explore exciting technology that can be used in adult learning environments.  This is not my first blog, but any other blog I have done has been slanted towards my hobbies of spinning yarn and when blogs were brand new, about animal rescue.

I currently work at the INL as an admin.  I do get to help with training and look forward to finding out how this degree program and many of the important things I learn in this class can help me with career growth.  I also get to do our department metrics which are kind of my passion.