CETS 2011, Elizabeth Raichle Wolfe, Using Social Media to Lead Learners to Their "A-Ha!" Moment

Using Social Media to Lead Learners to their A-Ha! Moment

Elizabeth Raichle Wolfe, CPLP 1

Using Social Media to

Lead Learners to

Their "A-HA" Moment

Elizabeth Raichle Wolfe, CPLP

Hudson

Twitter in the Classroom: Watch This Teacher Engage Shy Students in Learning History

http://www.good.is/post/twitter-in-the-classroom-watch-this-teacher-engage-shy-students-in-learning-

history/



2

•Define debrief and recognize its importance in the virtual learning space

•Discuss the three basic types of questions that help connect, reinforce, and apply knowledge (RAC

model)

•Recognize and appreciate the need to tailor questions for the virtual learning space

•Explore common social—and corporate!—media tools you can use to help lead learners to their ‘a-

ha!' moment

•Given your available social media tools, apply today’s learning to create debrief questions you can

use to help lead learners to their ‘a-ha!’ moment.



We all know asking questions throughout learning and conducting debriefs after learning events are

critical to ensuring knowledge transfer. When you provide learners the opportunity to reflect upon

their experience through guided questioning, you begin to create meaning and value in the

educational transaction. This transforms the learner; they begin to discover how their newly acquired

knowledge affects them, molds them, empowers them. Questioning – the simple practice of guided

reflection – leads learners to have the a-ha! moment.

Questioning then, quite simply, is a very powerful instructional tool.

So what gives these new social media tools the capability to allow people to learn and transform?

Mason and Renniet (2008) wrote that there were four major benefits of learner generated content that

these tools provide:

◦The learners have the tools to actively participate in the construction of their experience, rather than

passively absorbing content.

◦The content can be continually refreshed by the learners rather than requiring expert input.

◦Many of the tools are collaborative in nature, thus the learners develop team skills.

◦Shared community space and inter-group communications are a large part of what excites young

people [and many people of other ages]; therefore it should help to motivate them to learn.

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/media/social_learning.html



How’s it done? Use the RAC model:

REPORTING asks for reactions, insights, feelings or observations

APPLICATION asks for how skill / knowledge might be used, expected benefits or challenges

CRITIQUE asks what people did well / not so well; what changes should they make to do better

There are three simple ways you can construct a question: Reporting, Application and Critique. What

you must keep in mind though is that you should construct these questions in line with the overall

learning objectives. After all, you want to ensure your learners are getting what you're delivering.



Short and

tweet!

Embrace the ‘Twitter Mentality”! Make your questions clear, deliberate, and succinct.

Bounce off key words to extend the questions – give them leads to find the information.



One good thing Ben Stein did is that he consistently asked questions. Often we tend to fall into the

trap of waiting either until the end of the lesson to ask questions or when a student seems completely

lost.

Don't wait until the end of a lesson or course to check of your learners are getting it; in actuality,

questioning can be used throughout the course – even to introduce a concept! Let's examine the

different ways we can incorporate questioning into our sessions: beginning (engage learners,

measure current knowledge), middle (check for understanding), and end (promote application and

independent thinking).



Turning Ideas

Into Action

Think about the questions you currently ask. Now pick one. Complete one of the following:

•Change your question using the twitter mentality

•If you already do this, then change your question to fit another point within your learning experience

(i.e., ask at end? Then how would you ask the same in the beginning?)



What are the tools to use:

Externally – Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogs

Internally – SharePoint, Lotus Databases, internal blogging

How does corporate culture affect this? >> you can have all the tools, but if it’s not the culture, then

the point is moot.

•LinkedIn – Professional

•Twitter – social, quick, easy (Yammer is the alternative for corps)

•Facebook – usable, but carries ‘social stigma’

•Blogging – internal/external



So what’s the big idea here? Find out what’s available to you, learn it inside and out, and exploit it

according to your learning needs. Common tools available within a corporation include:

• Web conferencing and live presentation (MS Live Meeting, WebEx, Adobe Connect, Skype)

• Internal Social Media (Yammer, MS Communicator, SharePoint, Lotus Notes)

• External Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube)



Turning Ideas

Into Action

Split up the group:

1. Web conferencing and live presentation (MS Live Meeting, WebEx, Adobe Connect, Skype)

2. Internal Social Media (Yammer, MS Communicator, SharePoint, Lotus Notes)

3. External Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube)

Take your question and talk about how you would use the tools available to you to present in your

learning activity.



The more debriefing is integrated

into your company's everyday

activities, the more useful a tool it

becomes.

_Jimmy GutermanPresident of The Vineyard Group

and Harvard Management contributor

Twitter in the Classroom: Watch This Teacher Engage Shy Students in Learning History

http://www.good.is/post/twitter-in-the-classroom-watch-this-teacher-engage-shy-students-in-learning-

history/

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CETS 2011, Elizabeth Raichle Wolfe, Using Social Media to Lead Learners to Their "A-Ha!" Moment