Leadership: The Four Digital Learning Personas in the Workplace

 

Photo Credit: bemycareercoach.com

So you have bought into the collaborative learning and produsage idea, a plan has been made and your team is in the beginning stages of their journey into the world of social media (Web 2.0) learning. As a leader, you will need to know what this experience could look like on an individual level. 

Four Digital Learning Personas in the Workplace

Sarah Prestridge in her 2019 article (click here for article) provides a general categorical  framework in which your new digital learning employees could fall into.  Keep in mind that these are generalizations of the characteristics that engaged users exhibit so that you as a leader can leverage their strengths and maximize the digital learning opportunities. If an employee falls outside the generalizations, they may need to be gently nudged or mentored into the right direction. 

• Info-consumer: Many employees consume corporate training materials (e.g., e-learning modules, policy documents, recorded webinars) passively. Understanding this group allows trainers to focus on clear, concise, and easily digestible content.

• Info-networker: Employees often use internal social platforms (like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or enterprise social networks) or professional platforms (like LinkedIn) to share industry news, ask questions, or discuss best practices with colleagues. Corporate training can leverage this by facilitating discussion forums, peer-to-peer learning groups, or mentorship programs.

• Self-seeking contributor: Some employees are proactive in sharing their expertise, contributing to internal wikis, creating how-to guides, or presenting on specific topics. Recognizing and encouraging these "internal experts" can foster a culture of knowledge sharing and self-generated content.

• Vocationalist: These are the highly engaged employees who actively seek out, contribute to, and champion continuous learning within the organization. They might lead training sessions, mentor new hires, or curate external resources. Identifying and empowering them can create powerful internal learning champions.

Pinterest: Post Campaign Thoughts

 

Photo Credit: www.mochee.com

Post Campaign Thoughts

After running a two week campaign to gauge user interactivity, a few things popped out at me that I was not expecting. 

As with any campaign, the content creator or business has to go where the potential clients are. According to Printiful.com in their 2025 article (click here for article) "As of April 2024, 69.4% of Pinterest users are women, while only 22.6% are men. The platform’s focus on visual content, DIY, fashion, beauty, and home decor continues to attract a predominantly female audience" With such a high rate of female users I decided to set two campaigns against each other; "Cocktails vs Mountain Getaways"

Strengths of Pinterest

According to Pinterest they are a visual search engine that provides the following strengths to content creators and businesses: 

• Drive Traffic: Pins linked to your website or blog can bring a significant amount of traffic.

• Increase Brand Awareness: Visually appealing Pins can introduce your brand to new audiences.

• Generate Leads/Sales: If you sell products, Product Pins and shoppable features can lead directly to purchases.

• Inspire Action: Since users are on Pinterest to do things, your content can directly influence their decisions.

• Evergreen Content: Unlike chronological social feeds, Pins have a long lifespan. They can be discovered weeks, months, or even years after they are published, making your content work for you over time.

The most surprising of the 5 Pinterest strengths was the "Evergreen" effect.  From the data analysis I saw that with in the 2 weeks that I ran the campaigns, there was very little drop off in engagements over the course for the 2 weeks.  This is a marked difference between Pinterest and the other social media platforms in which there is a large drop off in engagements over the same amount of time. 

Beyond Anecdotes: Part 3: Produser

 Photo Credit: https://thesocialcogs.wordpress.com

How does ADKAR, CER, NKA and PLC's all fit together?  In previous blogs we discussed these four topics in separation from each other. However, when thoughtfully and deliberately intertwined together, the organization can allow its employees to be "Produsers" of information which in turn will empower your organization to adapt to an ever changing business climate. 

What is a "Produser"?

Dr. Axel Bruns in his 2011 article (click here for article) identifies a growing trend of individuals who not only are using social media for entertainment proposes but who are also collecting, curating and often times brokering information for others to participate in. According to the article, Dr Bruns describes todays social media users as,  "no longer sufficient to describe participants in these collaborative endeavors simply as ‘users’; instead, they act in a hybrid role of user as well as producer, or for short, as produsers"

Why would employees WANT to be produsers for work?

Very soon, all of the employees you hire are going to be of the generation who have been produsers on social media through most of their formative years.  While it may be a foreign idea to some, most of your employees are already well versed in the culture.  The best ROI for training, is the training you don't have to spend any money on.  

With the ADKAR "bottom-up" and NKA exercises, you employees are going to be empowered to tackle the issues that are occurring in your organization right now.  No more waiting around for the HPT team to do 6 months of data analysis and then the ID team spends another 6 months designing "top-down" interventions.  As the PLC team tackles organizational dilemmas in real time with authentic conversation and data based resources the team will experience intrinsic and extrinsic motivators such as: autonomy, purpose, recognition, belonging and collaboration. 

Why would an organization WANT its employees to be produsers? 

There are 3 key reasons why an organization would want for their employees to consume and produce information for the company:

• Future-Proofing- In an article in Medium.com (click here for article) is is recognized that, "Employers face significant disruption from market forces and technology (like AI). They know they must invest in upskilling and reskilling to remain competitive and avoid future talent shortages" 
• Increased Productivity &Innovation- EF Corporate Learning, in a 2025 study, released a paper (click here for article) indicating that, "Well-trained employees are more competent, productive, and adaptable. Companies with strong learning cultures see higher productivity and creativity, leading to innovation"
• Reduction of "Tribal Knowledge" risk: By democratizing expert thinking and making it visible and shareable, PLC's using NKA reduces the risk associated with critical knowledge residing in only a few heads.

Beyond Anecdotes: Part 2

 Photo Credit: www.graduateprogram.org 

In the previous "Beyond Anecdotes" blog we started laying the foundational reasoning and framework for a corporate level "Bottom-Up" change plan that includes a very powerful synergy between CER. NKA (Networked Knowledge Activities) ADKAR and PLC (Professional Learning Communities). 

Why should an organization want to participate a bottom-up social media style change model?  What's the ROI on such a project? 

When organizations implement a "top-down" HPT process, they often identify instructional strategies as solutions for current problems. The Instructional Design Team then receives these recommendations and creates targeted instructional modules. This design process is inherently time-consuming and a one-way communication, even in optimal scenarios.

It is the nature of today's business environment for the organization to evolve.  Planned Top-down changes will always have a prevalent role in evolving organizations. 

Driving Bottom-up Change with ADKAR and PLC's.

Even the most logically brilliant decisions, backed by impeccable evidence, can falter if the human element of change is ignored. This is where Jeffery Hiatt's ADKAR model for bottom-up change management and the concept of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) become indispensable.

ADKAR stands for: 

• Awareness: Of the need for change.
• Desire: To participate in and support the change.
• Knowledge: On how to change.
• Ability: To implement required skills and behaviors.
• Reinforcement: To sustain the change.

Professional Learning Communities

While generally PLC's are reserved for academia, the concept is rich in data and success stories. In an non-academia organization PLC's are groups of cross department employees who meet regularly to share knowledge, best practices, and work collaboratively to improve organizational performance and individual capabilities. According to Lee Raine in his 2013 book Networked: The new social media operating system the definition of a PLC in a business setting is exactly the definition of a community in the world of social media: a community is "Networked individuals who can fashion their own complex identities depending on their passions, beliefs, lifestyles, professional associations, work interests, hobbies or any number of other personal characteristics"

In a world of social media communities, your employees already know how to be a contributing member of an online community on some level.  In the next segment of "Beyond Anecdotes", with the incorporation of the ADDIE model,  we will map out how to leverage your employees social media strengths to make your organization stronger and more resilient for when the "neat plans meet messy realities", 

Beyond Anecdotes: Catalyzing Corporate Change with Structured Thinking, Networked Intelligence, and Collaborative Learning

 Photo Credit: 20twentybuisnessgrowth.com

Andy Green in his article titled "Bottom-Up Change Management- How to Overcome the Kerplunk effect" (click here for article) makes a very insightful observation, "Top-down management, if used correctly can establish a clear vision for future direction. It can however, suffer from a path dependency, making it hard to adapt when neat plans meet messy reality. A hybrid approach of top-down and bottom-up can provide you with a more adaptable range of responses and build greater capacity for resilience." 

What if we could empower our organization to make more rigorous decisions, embrace the power of collective intelligence, and foster continuous learning as a cornerstone for change so that when "neat plans meat messy reality" our teams are equipped and ready to meet the challenge? 

This post and subsequent posts will lay the ground work for a powerful synergy: Integrating Claim-Evidence- Reasoning (CER) framework with Vanessa Dennen's cutting edge research on Networked Knowledge Activities, Jeffery Hiatt's ADKAR bottom-up change model, and the collaborative power of Professional Learning Communities (PLC). These ideas and integrations will be expanded upon in future posts. 

CER: The Cornerstone of Strategic Clarity

CER allows organizations the framework to construct compelling arguments and make robust decisions

• Claim: Your assertion, a proposed solution, a strategic direction, or a new initiative. It answers the crucial question: "What do we believe or propose?"
• Evidence: The objective data, verifiable facts, observations, research findings, or proven examples that unequivocally support your claim. This is where rigor replaces rhetoric.
• Reasoning: The logical explanation that bridges your evidence to your claim. It articulates how and why the evidence leads you to your conclusion, providing the critical link between data and actionable insight.

Amplifying CER with Networked Knowledge Activities

The research by Vanessa Dennen et al. (2020) (click here for article) offers insights originally designed for analysis of social media platforms, but these principles apply directly to fostering knowledge flows in organizations. 

• Seeking & Sharing: Proactively searching for information. 
• Curating: Organizing disparate pieces of information into coherent, actionable understanding.
• Brokering: Rigorously evaluating the quality, relevance, and credibility of information. And disseminating insights across internal and external networks.
• Creating and Negotiating : Engaging in dialogue to challenge assumptions, explore different perspectives, and co-create new knowledge.

Be on the look out for another foundational post when we discuss the addition of ADKAR and PLC's to this bottom-up change approach

Unlock Understanding: How CER Becomes a Powerful Networked Knowledge Activity

 

Photo Credit: Extern.com

Do your students immediately go for what they perceive as the "right answer" on assessments without logically thinking through and articulating the why and how? If so, you are not alone. Students often have to be taught and modeled critical thinking skills that allow them to dive deeper into subject matter.  Of all of the instructional strategies available to educators these days, which strategy can best deliver such a dynamic learning experience? 

CER (Claim Evidence Reasoning) 

At its core, CER is a framework that helps students construct explanations or arguments.

• Claim: This is a statement that answers a question or proposes a solution to a problem. It's what the student believes to be true.
• Evidence: This is the data, observations, or information that supports the claim. It's the "proof" that backs up their statement.
• Reasoning: This is the crucial link that explains how the evidence supports the claim. It often involves scientific principles, theories, or logical connections.

Think of it like building a strong case in court: you make your assertion (claim), present your exhibits (evidence), and then explain to the jury why those exhibits prove your assertion (reasoning).

A recent study by Winona Diola et al (click here for article) looked at the ability of learners to write an argumentative discussion both before and after the CER activity. The study found that,"Overall..CER activities effectively promote reasoning skills...(and) higher-order thinking skills among learners". 

Super Charging CER with NKA (Networking Knowledge Activities)

From Individual Task to Connected Learning: CER as a NKA

Imagine a learning environment where students don't just submit their CER, but actively connect their work with their peers, building a shared web of understanding. That's the essence of a Networked Knowledge Activity.

Vanessa Dennen in her 2019 article (click here for article) sets up a 6 stage map of networking activities that students can follow to deepen and supercharge the CER experience:  

Individually:

    Collect: save a copy of or links for later use

    Curate: Organize the collection into a more purposeful format

    Share:  Make the curated collection available online

Group Level

    Broker:  The act of connecting online and offline groups.  This can be accomplished on the internal                         group level or it can be completed as a "Gallery Walk" activity in which groups can browse                     curated collections. 

 CER Level

    Negotiate: A collaborative process in which learners work together to agree upon the meaning and                         basis of the claim based on both the curated materials and brokered materials. 

    Construct:  Based on the outcome of the knowledge negotiation, the group will create a CER to be                         shared with others; typically in a Gallery Walk fashion.

By taking CER beyond the individual assignment and transforming it into a Networked Knowledge Activity, you empower your students to not only master the content but also to develop invaluable skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. It's about moving from isolated understanding to a shared, dynamic web of knowledge where every student's contribution strengthens the whole.

How might you start transforming your CER assignments into NKAs in your classroom?

Mind Maps: Pixels or Paper? The Great Debate Unfolds!

 

Photo Credit: Raphaela Brandner (meisertask.com)

Ever since the advent of BYOD and eventually district provided WMD's (Wireless Mobile Devices) the debate and research about paper based versus digital based instructional has been a hot topic. Lets take a look at the debate from a context of mind mapping. 

Mind Maps 

What has not been a debate is the effectiveness of Mind Maps. In Paul Farrand's 2002 study on mind maps (click here for article) he found that mind maps have some of the highest efficacy rates of all of the instructional strategies for learners who have emerged into formal operational development. Farrand did note however that, "before mind maps are generally adopted as a study technique, consideration has to be given towards ways of improving motivation among users." With the advent of digital social media (knowledge sharing) and the robust ways in which to motivate learners in the digital age (Click here for Blog about digital badges), what is exactly is the debate for paper based assignments?

The debate: Pixels or Paper

The research data is not as clear cut as one might think in the debate of digital assignments vs paper based. Giuseppe Marano et. al. studied the the neuroscience behind handwriting vs typing assignments.  In the article (click for article)  the researchers found that, "Handwriting involves the complex coordination of fine motor skills... the act of writing stimulates the brain to connect motor activates with cognitive process.  Conversely, Typing relies on finger movements over a keyboard (and) does not demand sensory-motor integration."

However, as Farrand noted, motivation to do paper based mind mapping is low.  For a learner to map out concepts requires a high level of organizing and structuring knowledge as well as high levels of critical thinking and problem solving skills is a daunting task. 

Conclusion

The research for the benefits of Mind Maps for learners is clear: it works.  The neuroscience on handwritten vs digital interactions is also very clear but motivation to do such things is also clearly low.  if you are on a short timeline and need to use a handwritten Mind Map, then by all means, use it.  However, if you have the time to do BOTH handwritten brainstorming and digital, consider the advantages of the digital Mind Maps integrated after the handwritten "rough drafts" have been made.

Advantages of Digital Mind Maps:

• Flexibility and Editability: Digital tools allow for easy editing, rearrangement, expansion, and collapsing of information, which is more challenging with paper. This can save time and effort, especially for students who want to refine their maps.
• Collaboration: Many digital mind mapping tools facilitate collaborative work, which can be beneficial for group projects in the classroom.
• Rich Media Integration: Digital mind maps can easily incorporate images, links, and other multimedia elements, potentially making them more engaging and comprehensive.
• Accessibility: Cloud-based digital mind maps can be accessed from various devices and locations.
• Pre-made Templates: Digital tools often offer templates, which can be helpful for students who struggle with the initial setup or prefer a structured approach