Classic

January 16, 2008

I’ve been working on pulling stuff together for an instructional design workshop. It’s not e-learning 2.0 at all. And, it’s not 1.0 (which says “old, out-of-date” to me). It’s not “101″ or “boot camp” either – not introductory. I’ve decided it’s classic. Interesting word classic is.

When something is really funny or stupid and memorable, we call it classic.

That was classic!

If it’s particularly funny (or even disturbing), we might intensify it and emphasize the classic:

That was freakin CLASSIC! or That was CLASSIC, dude.

When someone is a classic we’re generally poking fun at him or her:

That Nancy, she’s a classic.

Or poking fun and laughing:

Did you see that? That was classic Ron!

When something is truly classic, we hold it up in admiration.

That dress is a classic.
The architecture is classic.
This is classic jazz.

We like to reminisce about classic moments:

Remember that…it was a classic. (usually includes an audible sigh)

Sometimes classic is used to berate:

This is yet again another classic example of you not getting things done on time!

What about the instant classic? You know it when you see it.

That movie is an instant classic.

In technology, classic points to simpler times:

That toaster is a classic… (because it still has mechanical knobs)

What’s classic in our industry? What do you reminisce about, what do you laugh about, what do you want to remember, and what/whom do you admire? What’s the last instant classic you remember? What do you berate?

I think sometimes we dismiss the classic. Our conversations focus on what is emerging, what is new. If I were to hyperlink to something as ‘ancient’ as 1999 what would you think? I think it’s as important to study where our industry has been as it is to understand what’s emerging. Do we understand why structuring or scaffolding is important in creating social networks?

My classic “learning” moments…

Funny & memorable…

Self-paced e-learning done in a group, in a room, at the same time. (Let’s all read together!)

Particularly funny & memorable…

Synchronous training bloopers…mute means you’re muted not me.

Classic someone…

When the training room was prepared more than 24-hours ahead of time I knew who the trainer was…and, the binders were a giveaway too.

Classics I hold up in admiration…

Vygotsky and his zone of proximal development

Classics I reminisce about …

Cigarettes & ashtrays in the training room

That time I tripped down the stairs leaving a hotel when my flipchart easel caught some wind. (No, really I’m ok. That’s not blood I’m wiping off my knee, it’s pride.) Or, that time we…

Classics I berate…

Bad, boring e-learning created today

.

Instant classic…

iPod

What is classic instructional design?

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  • http://blog.cathy-moore.com Cathy Moore

    One classic idea that seems to be coming back is performance support. In the 1980s we called it “help screens” and “cheat sheets.” Later for some reason every bit of knowledge had to be crammed into a click-next-to-continue online course and locked away in an LMS. Now the pendulum seems to be heading toward the middle, or at least I hope so.

  • http://blog.cathy-moore.com Cathy Moore

    One classic idea that seems to be coming back is performance support. In the 1980s we called it “help screens” and “cheat sheets.” Later for some reason every bit of knowledge had to be crammed into a click-next-to-continue online course and locked away in an LMS. Now the pendulum seems to be heading toward the middle, or at least I hope so.

  • http://learningvisions.blogspot.com Cammy Bean

    This is a classic Janet Clarey post.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    …and a classic Cammy Bean response. : )

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    …and a classic Cammy Bean response. : )

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    Cathy-
    Yes, true. I’m seeing more performance support stuff. Another straw on the back of the training camel.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    Cathy-
    Yes, true. I’m seeing more performance support stuff. Another straw on the back of the training camel.

  • http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/ Dave Ferguson

    Bob Mager is a classic. I read Preparing Instructional Objectives in grad school, and it permanently changed my views about teaching and learning.

    Anyone in a corporate or organization setting who hasn’t read his What Every Manager Should Know about Training should invest $25 in this crash course on training and performance improvement… and consider giving a copy to interested clients.

    At the (substantial) risk of repeating myself, the most classic ISD statement I can think of is Joe Harless’s.

    He said, often, that the worst question to ask a client is “What do you want people to know?” — because he’ll tell you. (“Appreciation of widgets, great moments in widget-making, theory of widgets…”)

    The best question? “What do you want people to do?”

    The rest is commentary.

  • http://www.daveswhiteboard.com Dave Ferguson

    Bob Mager is a classic. I read Preparing Instructional Objectives in grad school, and it permanently changed my views about teaching and learning.

    Anyone in a corporate or organization setting who hasn’t read his What Every Manager Should Know about Training should invest $25 in this crash course on training and performance improvement… and consider giving a copy to interested clients.

    At the (substantial) risk of repeating myself, the most classic ISD statement I can think of is Joe Harless’s.

    He said, often, that the worst question to ask a client is “What do you want people to know?” — because he’ll tell you. (“Appreciation of widgets, great moments in widget-making, theory of widgets…”)

    The best question? “What do you want people to do?”

    The rest is commentary.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    Excellent Dave. The two books I had by Mager I didn’t resell to the college bookstore…totally classic. I’m haven’t read the second and have an extra $25 bucks (barely) since I’ve returned to grad school.

    “what do you want people to do” is forever etched in my mind by Micheal Allen’s crew from Allen Interactions…he’s a classic.

    This also works for the implementation …we’ll use this to do this (actually say it!) vs. we should use this to collaborate.

    Also, the “you’ll be doing this” vs. “it’s a WebEx.” Always freaked me out because you’d never say “I’m doing a Holiday Inn.” (although I can think of other ways to use that…lounge lizard, etc.)

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    Excellent Dave. The two books I had by Mager I didn’t resell to the college bookstore…totally classic. I’m haven’t read the second and have an extra $25 bucks (barely) since I’ve returned to grad school.

    “what do you want people to do” is forever etched in my mind by Micheal Allen’s crew from Allen Interactions…he’s a classic.

    This also works for the implementation …we’ll use this to do this (actually say it!) vs. we should use this to collaborate.

    Also, the “you’ll be doing this” vs. “it’s a WebEx.” Always freaked me out because you’d never say “I’m doing a Holiday Inn.” (although I can think of other ways to use that…lounge lizard, etc.)

  • http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/ Dave Ferguson

    As the Reverend Joe would say, amen!

    Especially because ISD folks often work with the developers or implementers of complex systems, the training often gets framed as “here’s how to use MoolahTech” rather than “here’s how you analyze accounts and plan sales strategy.”

    To me, much more important than learning style or even richness of media is a clear and valuable link between what I’m going to learn and what I want or need to produce on the job.

  • http://www.daveswhiteboard.com Dave Ferguson

    As the Reverend Joe would say, amen!

    Especially because ISD folks often work with the developers or implementers of complex systems, the training often gets framed as “here’s how to use MoolahTech” rather than “here’s how you analyze accounts and plan sales strategy.”

    To me, much more important than learning style or even richness of media is a clear and valuable link between what I’m going to learn and what I want or need to produce on the job.

  • http://learningvisions.blogspot.com/ Cammy Bean

    This is a classic Janet Clarey post.

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