Social Media for Trainers: Techniques for Enhancing and Extending Learning [Paperback]

Jane Bozarth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0470631066 | ISBN-13: 978-0470631065 | Edition: 1

New social media technologies and strategies provide quick, easy solutions to many of the challenges faced by workplace training practitioners. Social media vehicles such as Twitter and Facebook, for example, can help trainers build learning communities, facilitate quick assignments, offer updates or follow-up tips, and otherwise extend the reach of the formal training event. Social Media for Trainers is the first how-to guide on the incorporation of social networking techniques into a trainer's repertoire. It covers the most popular Web 2.0 tools for instructor-created content (blogs), community-created content (wikis), micro-blogging (Twitter), and community sharing and interaction (Facebook), all with detailed instruction on conducting several training/training-related activities.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A how-to resource for incorporating social media into training

Whether you work in a traditional or virtual classroom, social media can broaden your reach and increase the impact of training. In Social Media for Trainers, e-learning and new media expert Jane Bozarth provides an overview of popular tools, including blogs, wikis, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, SlideShare, Flickr, and others. You'll learn to leverage each medium's unique features and applications to deliver training, facilitate discussions, and extend learning beyond the confines of a training event. This key resource offers a new set of powerful tools for augmenting and enhancing the value of your training.

PRAISE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA FOR TRAINERS

"Clear explanations and practical examples of the use of social media for learning, make this book essential reading for all workplace trainers."
—Jane Hart, founder, Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies, and founding member of the Internet Time Alliance

"... a practical, intelligent book teaching trainers how to effectively utilize technology for real learning outcomes."
—Karl Kapp, professor of Instructional Technology at Bloomsburg University and author of Learning in 3D and Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning

"Trainers who want to succeed in the new social learning world should read this book. Jane has made social media easy, practical, and simple to use."
—Ray Jimenez, PhD, Chief Learning Architect, VignettesLearning.com

About the Author

Jane Bozarth, Ed.D., is an internationally known trainer, speaker, and author. She is the author of Pfeiffer's E-Learning Solutions on A Shoestring; Better Than Bullet Points: Creating Engaging E-Learning with PowerPoint; From Analysis to Evaluation, and, with Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner, The Challenge Continues. In addition to her work as Elearning Coordinator for the state of North Carolina, USA, Dr. Bozarth is the Social Media Strategist of InSync Training, LLC and she is also a moderator of a number of popular Twitter real-time #lrnchat sessions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Pfeiffer; 1 edition (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470631066
• ISBN-13: 978-0470631065
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.4 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Management > Social Media for Business

More About the Author

A decade ago I moved from the world of traditional instruction to designing and facilitating both asychronous and synchronous training. Now that technology -- and learner access to it -- has finally caught up with possibilities, my interests have expanded to the world of social media tools to support and extend the work of the workplace training practitioner.

I have an M.Ed. in Training & Development/Technology in Training and a doctorate in Adult Education. (My dissertation, on workplace social learning/communities of practice, is available free via a Google search). I enjoy writing, and in addition to my books I was, for 10 years, a member of "Training Magazine"'s book review team and now write book reviews and a monthly column, "Nuts and Bolts" for the eLearning Guild's online "Learning Solutions Magazine".

You can find me "live" most anytime on Twitter @janebozarth and almost always on Thursday evenings as one of the moderators of the popular #lrnchat sessions. My Twitter profile describes me as a feral learner, positive deviant, and World's Oldest Millenial.

I also drive too fast.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Better training through Social Media August 31, 2010

By Arthur D. Johnson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the fourth Jane Bozarth book that I've purchased so clearly I'm a fan. The writing is clear and to the point; well-researched and includes numerous personal examples. Most importantly this book is chock full of practical advice. Jane tackles Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Wikis, and other tools discussing advantages and disavantages of each medium. I especially liked the many activities that she suggests. For example, in the general discussion on Blogs Jane lists at least a dozen different activities such as Case Studies, Debate, Scavenger Hunt, and Round Robin providing explanations of how each activity might work in a blog. As a trainer, I can't wait to to try some of these for myself. Even though the book is a compact 173 pages, I feel it could benefit from an index. Also, as is true of many other training books, this is a bit pricey at $35. Nevertheless, I'm certain that this book will be very useful for a trainer seeking to take advantage of Social Media. It is very timely and relevant.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent practical book for trainers October 10, 2010

By christiana

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Yes, it's that kind of book. The kind you read, perhaps even skim the chapter on Twitter/microblogging because today you are feeling over tweets, then something clicks in you later and you think, "oh! Jane had a great idea about using tweets in training!" Then, there you are with the dog-eared book, making notes in the margin about another great idea.

On page 21, Jane encourages the reader to "walk the talk" and make strides towards being The Networked Trainer. She includes a graphic that I think really shows what the book and social media are all about. It's about you. It's about the whole you. (You'll have to get the book to see it. Not sure about permissions and I have scanner issues. Mea culpa.)

This image, it shows you as the hub in wheel of social media. What I like most about it is that various spokes several multiple purposes. There's spokes on Twitter, LinkedIn, Videos, Images, Conferences, Resources. Let's look at this wheel.

--These spokes can be for your learners. As in, this is your class: "here class go watch this video...connect to each other on LinkedIn...meet me in the conference room Tuesday at 3pm."

--These spokes can be for you. As in, this is your informal learning and professional development plan: "I need feedback on my wild ice breaker idea...I need to store resources on my fav topic...I need to see what others are doing!"

Social Media for Trainers can fit you where you are now. Ready to bring it into class? Great! There are techniques. Ready to build yourself? Great! It can help you with that too. Too scared of Twitter? No worries, the book is segmented so you can read just the chapters that you are ready for. Best of all, Jane offers practical, real world examples with pictures!

I thought I was networked. I've got Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Delicious, WebEx, IM, Flickr & Picassa, and this blog. I learned about Google Wave, wikis, mashups, slide share, and ways to host an online classroom without Blackboard. Wow. So much to learn!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How do I apply Web 2.0 social media to learning? October 14, 2010

By Kelly Smith

Format:Paperback

The challenge of finding a book on applying social media to a learning environment (whether K-12 or business and industry) is the inherit nature for Web 2.0 applications to change. Over the last two or three years many Web 2.0 applications appeared, disappeared, merged, or changed without warning.

Jane Bozarth's "Social Media for Trainers" serves as a handbook for supplanting existing training or replacing traditional training with social media. The author examines Twitter, Facebook , blogs, wikis, and other tools (including but not limited to Google Docs, YouTube, social bookmarking, Skype, and SlideShare.)

As with any successful handbook for trainers, instructional designers and trainers "Social Media for Trainers" covers major aspects of implementing and managing social media in training. For each social media application, Jane Bozarth covers, from a training perspective, the major characteristics and the advantages and disadvantages of social each of these social media applications. Additionally, she provides a view of each application as a stand-alone or a supplement to existing training efforts. Best of all (and where other training handbooks sometimes fail) is that the author describes how to get started using social media tools. This is especially important since the design of social media tools does not specifically accommodate learning. Additionally, the author provides detailed case studies which include pre-work, in-class, intersession activities, and post-training event activities. Each of the case studies with a focus on the unique attributes of the specific social media.

I recommend "Social Media for Trainers" for trainers, instructional designers, and teachers involved with training and teaching at all levels.