Using social media for learning

Following on from my article yesterday by leader Dean Royles on the value he places on social media, I was contacted by another senior manager with similar views, and thought I would share his thoughts with readers of Diary of an internal communicator.

Perry Timms is Head of talent and organisational development at the Big Lottery Fund, which awards lottery money to community groups and projects that improve health, education and environment in the UK.

He sent me a link to an interview he filmed with People Management magazine where he talks about using social media for learning – which he describes as creating “a playlist rather than having to listen to full albums”.

The standout quotes for me from Perry’s interview are below and you can watch the whole thing online:

• Twitter has connected me to a influential individuals and a world of different thinking
• I enjoy the excitement, energy and interactivity social media brings
• Apps such as Flipboard mean I get the freshest info I can about the topics I’m interested in
• I’ve found an MBA app so you can experience (Skill-Pill) learning on the go
• People are fearful about the consequence of instant information being accessible by anyone who has access to Twitter or Faceook
• They are also scared about what they can use social media for.  I would urge people to experiment with it and to take a duty of care but the sharing of information and instant accessibility provide a strong case of why you should use it
• A (social media) policy is not necessary if you have a workforce that understands how social media is used and aren’t fearful of the consequences
• You can illustrate good use of social media (with employees) and how influential the use of those tools can be and how it can help them filter information
• In my mind, e-learning is passive and not a learning tool, the stimulus isn’t there. Social media gives you interactivity and excitement. It is short bursts – what you want, where you want it
• Social media… provides a playlist of your own learning content rather than be shoved a couple of albums to listen to from start to finish.It’s about user-driven and user-produced playlists.

What are your experience of using social media for learning? Do you agree with Perry’s thoughts? Feel free to comment below, Rachel.