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For a week in March, I was consulting with the Academy of the Ministry of Finance in Georgia. The training is part of a project managed by a Finnish sister-organization, HAUS. The project aims to strengthen the Academy’s capacity to design and deliver high quality training and support for professional career development in the ministry. My topic was open educational environments, educational communication, and the use of social media in education and in professional work.
The assignment began by connecting participants to blogs, wikis, Twitter, YouTube, and so on. Last summer, Georgian ministries had closed access to such social media because they wanted to eliminate their use for entertainment during working hours. Facebook is the most popular service in Georgia, and the way it’s typically used has shaped attitudes toward the entire spectrum of tools. Participants repeatedly asked why they needed multiple channels like wikis, blogs, and Twitter; why can’t the same functionality come from a single service, namely Facebook? I myself use Facebook pages and groups professionally; I think these work well for relatively superficial discussion and sharing, such as agreeing on schedules. However, more complex work requires a wider range of tools, such as a blog for fuller reflection, or a wiki for building knowledge. When we combine such tools with a rapid reaction channel like Twitter, we create an effective social media environment for learning and for professional work.
We Need a Common Language on the Internet
The audience’s understanding of English varied, and so an interpreter translated my words into Georgian. Fortunately, the topic of my session was online tools and activities, which made it possible to create multi-lingual environments and foster interaction there. At the same time, my week clearly illustrates how essential a solid knowledge of English is, if you want access to global networks. When presenting MIT’s open learning resources, the deputy director of the Georgian agency commented with wry humor: If we want to keep our jobs, we either have to stop teaching English, or stop teaching anything except English.
In every case, it is necessary to make use of open educational environments in order to foster the experts’ own development. It’s also crucial that they are able to connect their own trainees and local groups to global networks.
The participants had used social media mainly for entertainment and marketing. During the week we examined their suitability to instruction and other professional activities. After work, Georgia offered excellent meals and sulphur baths; even “wine” origins from the Georgian word ghvino. |