What's the Big Idea? (Module 3)

"Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” ~ Edward de Bono

Patterns are integral part of our lives, therefore it should not come as any surprise that they are also can be featured prominently in a multitude of educational environments. Since my topic content area involves using webinars for training/educational purposes, I decided to link the information described in the Sparks book with this particular subject matter.

So where do I begin?

I believe one of the most important takeaways from the section about patterns is the references to a jigsaw puzzle. Two statements resonated with me the most.

The first statement is:

“The most critical part of research is not getting the data, but making sense of it (105).”

That statement aptly sums up where I am in terms of researching my topic. I have gathered some interesting information, but I am not sure what I am going to do with it just yet. Will I apply (1) all of it, (2) most of it, (3) some of it, or (4) none of it? I don’t very seriously I will end up choosing the forth option. The problem I am discovering is that I may too many choices instead of not enough. The ultimate goal for me is to figure out is how webinars can improve the training process for the employees of my company.

Okay, moving along to the second statement that stood out for me. It is:

“The striking thing about pattern forming is not the complexity of the elements that are combined, but the cleverness and unexpectedness with which the combinations are made (130).”

A few weeks ago, I posted a sample webinar created by a few innovative folks at Google. Since then, I have seen a definitive pattern with exceptional webinars. They all contain certain essential elements like being easy to access and have user friendly interactive features.

In my daily practice, I have used Microsoft’s Live Meeting program to create and facilitate training modules. However, recently I have been invited to client training sessions that were presented uses Adobe Connect Pro. From a technical standpoint, Adobe is far superior to Live Meeting. I am currently considering creating a business case to purchase the Adobe software.

Here’s a brief video overview of Adobe Connect Pro:



I believe the Adobe software has options that would allow me to form patterns in our training modules that the users would easily come to recognize. It would also provide trainers to access their back office in one central program. Perhaps that can be considered an avenue to form a new pattern for them?

What is even more exciting is that with a program like Adobe Connect Pro, I can form new patterns of my own as it relates to the creation and delivery of professional training.

Reference:

Adobe Connect Pro Training. Retrieved from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KmJMrWjAgw&feature=related