Lifetime Learning: Thinking at its best

Lifetime Learning: Thinking at its best Samuel Warren IS330 Professor Nobels November 20, 2010 Lifetime Learning: Thinking at its best When grass is being planted, the earth is prepared, the grass seed is laid, and the ground is watered. During the initial growing period, grass requires frequent watering. If the grass is not watered frequently, or the earth is improperly prepared, the grass seed will not take root and grow. The analogy works well when describing the human mind. The mind is like the grass; going through education and experiences is like planting seeds. The action of watering grass is likened to the process of learning. In life, constant learning is the key to a healthy mind. Often, people try to go through life just with what they have learned in high school. However, they are unable to attain the same benefits as those who continue educating themselves. The same can be said for those who only utilize college experiences and cease the educational journey. Once grass has grown roots, it still needs additional water to be green and healthy. As the analogy suggests, learning is a lifetime process. If the mind discontinues learning, it gradually becomes unhealthy and less vibrant. Some of the most distinguished lifetime learners are those who educate us; “Teachers often require sustained, extended time to incubate ideas, internalize beliefs, and refine the associated practices” (Polly and Hannafin, 2010, p. 564). As suggested, it takes time and repetition to truly fashion the mind. The problem with continued learning is there is no end. If one were to continue learning in a school setting their entire life, they would be spending an enormous amount of money, time, and energy. What are some cost effective ways to maintain an ever-learning brain? Many jobs currently offer the answer to this conundrum in assisting, and even encouraging, employees to continue their education in their field. There are several ways to combat the process of lifetime learning. Reading educational resources, on-the-job training (OJT), and making use of free online training websites are a sample of continuing education possibilities. Regardless of the duration of time spent on the job, the need to keep up with advancements in one’s field is crucial. Imagine if the early colonists looked out at the open country, giant mountains, and vast lakes, but decided to go no further. The analogy presents a perfect example of the positives and negatives of reading scholarly resources. On one hand, reading through educational resources can greatly assist with actual increased knowledge. On the other hand, just like settling a country, its hard work to go through all the different potential resources and sift out only the applicable sources. One advantageous tool available to everyone is the internet. With its increased popularity, the internet supplies information simply a click away. An Internet connection can put you into a classroom anywhere in the world. Learning management systems have been developed to facilitate discussion, download study material, upload assignments, deliver content by means of text, video, audio, and interactive features developed from gaming technologies. (Marmin-Nation, 2007, pp. 319-320) With such power behind sharing, learning, and growing, one can almost stumble upon a plethora of information in a short span of time. Additionally, reading job-specific articles, magazines, and publications adds value in the continuing education realm. Furthermore, on-the-job training advances continued learning efforts. OJT is when a company gives its employees skills and resources related to their jobs by way of classes or workshops. To demonstrate, companies train employees in CPR/first aid enabling them to respond quickly to emergency situations. One positive of OJT is the ability to tailor the educational resources for employees. When a company offers OJT, they often employ more seasoned veterans in that field to facilitate the training. A negative to this approach: it requires employees to attend. As the saying goes, “time is money” and spending time away from production or operations can be a risky endeavor. If the training is unproductive, the employers lose something they cannot take back: time. Highlighting some complexities: “The 60 participants were administrative staff at National Park headquarters and field-based park directors and senior staff, who could not be absent from their positions for too long; thus the training had to be short but effective” (Murcia, 2010, p. 139). While this kind of training is often best suited to larger companies, it works equally well with smaller companies when the training is informative and focused. Finally, using online-based training websites greatly aids in continued education. As previously mentioned, the internet is booming with potential training opportunities. While it is a challenge finding free or low-cost training websites, when they are discovered, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience that is quickly and easily mined. One pertinent example is “creativelive.com.” This website offers a wide array of video training on new techniques and tools in the creative community. When looking at this site, many of the training sessions are free or low-cost. In fact, their “About” section has this to say: creativeLIVE [sic] is about providing the best free, live creative education on the web. From our studio in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood, we offer free online workshops in photography, video, web and graphic design, app development and a wide array of other creative topics. (http://www.creativelive.com) One constructive reason for using a service like Creative Live is the wide availability of learning opportunities for their customers. Websites such as this often search for the best resource(s) they can get to facilitate the training. While they do not always get the leading expert, the training is often very insightful and done in a well-balanced manner. One other aspect of such a service is the ability to just sit and listen to the training without having to be taken off of production or operational-type work. People are able to log on, listen, and continue their day to day responsibilities without too much significant impact to their work. Continued education is the extra point after a touchdown. It takes what would be sub-par experience and makes it extraordinary. Without it, our minds become outdated and obsolete. The practice of adding new information is one that can be accomplished in many ways. However, as explored, doing so in a traditional educational-sense can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. Using some non-traditional know-how to accommodate this difference is easy and relatively inexpensive. As the internet expands, so too, the opportunities to continue education. Using educational resources, such as scholarly documents or news articles, can be a constant practice that while easy, is overwhelming in the amount of resources available. To supplement learning, one can also choose to participate in on-the-job training or use a website, such as Creative Live, to not only enhance knowledge, but also learn new ideas. Continued education is fast becoming a fact of life, such as traditional education; however, the attitude in which one pursues that education is just as important. References Creative Live. (n.d.). About [fact sheet]. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from http://www.creativelive.com/about Marsh-Nation, M. (2007). Online Education: The Future of END Education and Professional Development.American Journal of Electroneurodiagnostic Technology, 47(4), 318-319. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Murcia, C. (2010). On-the-Job Training for National Park StafF What They Need to Know about Ecological Restoration (Colombia). Ecological Restoration, 28(2), 139-141. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Polly, D., & Hannafin, M. (2010). Reexamining technology's role in learner-centered professional development. Educational Technology Research & Development, 58(5), 557-571. doi:10.1007/s11423-009-9146-5.