Friday, January 30, 2004
Getting people to learn, when it comes down to the very bottom of it, depends upon the learner's own motivation. We can set forth all the tools ever needed, and a prospective learner may never touch them.
However, to learn, the learner who is motivated to learn must have those tools available - whether he (I'm going to use "he" to refer to any person, male or female at this point) must search the world for them or find them at his fingertips.
Our job, as tech writers, as information distributors so to speak, almost as teachers, is to place that information as close to the learner as possible and present it in a "learnable" format. I'm not an expert on teaching - or guiding or supporting, for that matter - but I venture to suggest that the components of teaching include, as stated above, presenting the information in a manner suited to the audience, allowing for error and correction, assessing progress, and providing feedback.
I believe all of those aspects are applicable to online learning, and aspects of the tutorial, procedure, and reference can all be effectively integrated. They provide some form of guidance, whether in narrative form, step-by-step processes, or simple reminder notes, and can be advanced by interactive online technology and feedback to educate.
However, to learn, the learner who is motivated to learn must have those tools available - whether he (I'm going to use "he" to refer to any person, male or female at this point) must search the world for them or find them at his fingertips.
Our job, as tech writers, as information distributors so to speak, almost as teachers, is to place that information as close to the learner as possible and present it in a "learnable" format. I'm not an expert on teaching - or guiding or supporting, for that matter - but I venture to suggest that the components of teaching include, as stated above, presenting the information in a manner suited to the audience, allowing for error and correction, assessing progress, and providing feedback.
I believe all of those aspects are applicable to online learning, and aspects of the tutorial, procedure, and reference can all be effectively integrated. They provide some form of guidance, whether in narrative form, step-by-step processes, or simple reminder notes, and can be advanced by interactive online technology and feedback to educate.
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
OK, now that everyone seems to be comfortable with blogging... Let's look at the big picture for our next round of discussions. We have just read a chapter on tutorials. The next two chapters are about two more kinds of documentation: procedures and reference. Think about the bigger picture though--getting the user to learn, to complete a procedure, or understand a new term. Online learning is a part of the scene too--how do we get students, who are not face-to-face with us, to understand and complete assignments? What are the components of teaching, guiding, and supporting that help us understand how to teaching effectively online? Are there similarities? Are there aspects of these three kinds of documentation that we can adapt for use in online learning?
