While big players like Lynda.com and Pluralsight are able to offer numerous online courses for the price of a subscription, many of us don’t actually need a whole course to meet most of our learning goals.
The free availability of numerous online resources, searchable through Google or YouTube, has brought a new dimension to self-directed learning. Many skills and answers are now just a quick search or two away. This type of just-in-time learning for personal development is becoming ubiquitous in our lives – whether we want to figure out how to add a poll to a website, or tie a bow-tie, or prepare the perfect turkey, these skills are often just 5-15min away (each of the linked videos is less than 10min long and has had more than 3 million views). More complex skills, like programming microcontrollers or sketchnoting, can also be acquired in a similar manner – they just require a longer time commitment.
Similarly, professional development has also become easier to do in a completely self-directed manner. This is an important development for many of us, especially for the younger generations who expect to change jobs fairly frequently in their lifetimes. Constant acquisition, updating and upgrading of our skills is likely to be more of a necessity in the future.
“Just as childhood learning is no longer enough adequate preparation for life, initial training or learning is not an adequate preparation for maintaining competence on the job or in a profession. Therefore, in the present era of constant change and new information being added every day it is realistically not possible to have tutors that are constantly guiding us through our learning. SDL, therefore, becomes absolutely necessary as an instrument of development for individuals in the 21st century.”
– Gerardo E. Guiter, MD
Please take moment to answer the survey questions below:
When was the last time you did any SDL?
Total Voters: 15  Loading ... |
Loading ... |
Please use the comments section to answer the following:
- What were the last two things you learned through SDL?
- How did you identify your learning resources?
- Keeping in mind the 5 main steps of SDL (below), which of these do you find the most challenging and why?
- identify a gap in knowledge
- define learning goals
- identify resources
- utilize resources
- assess learning
My SDL path started with the need to build shelving units in our basement to put all our boxes in our new home. That spiraled into an interest in woodworking and ever since I have been learning about tools, what they do, how to use them etc via primarily Youtube. The last two things I learned were how to make picture frames, and safety precautions when using a circular saws. I realized YouTube is the best resource for this. I don’t think I followed the 5 steps exactly, just that I know barely anything about woodworking and anything new is exciting and interesting! I think defining goals would probably be the toughest! This is because if you have just picked up a hobby or an interest, you don’t really know a lot about the topic to start making a list of goals you want to attain. For woodworking for example, I simply look at YouTube videos listed under wood working and pick and choose what I want to learn from there, I don’t necessarily know enough about wood working to set out exactly what I want to learn over the next week, or month.
Hi Vibhu,
I don’t think you need to follow the two steps exactly for it to be called SDL – SDL is a fairly organic process.
I like your use of the word “spiral” because it seems like a very apt description of how SDL actually works – as you learn more, you find how much more you want to find out. It’s what makes this type of approach to learning so powerful.
One thing I recently learned about was how to remove background noise from audio recordings (I’m recording some youtube videos for my students using a low quality microphone). I identified resources by doing a google search. I eventually settled on a youtube video by a volunteer for LibriVox because the quality of their recordings is generally quite good, so I felt it would be good advice.
The second thing I learned about recently was adding polls to wordpress postings. Again, it was a simple google search away – a couple of web pages allowed me to narrow down which plugins I might want to install and convinced me of how simple and painless the whole process would be.
In terms of the steps of SDL, the one that gives me some problems from time to time is identifying resources. This is because not all sources are credible or helpful – I’ve come across numerous cases where I search for a solution to a computer problem and see that others have asked a similar question, but the answers are either things I’ve already tried or they show that the poster didn’t fully understand the question/problem before posting an answer. So, sifting through all the unhelpful and irrelevant “hits” is the most time-consuming and at times frustrating part of SDL for me.
I agree with you Stefan regarding sifting through the unhelpful items to get to what would actually help me. That is a big frustration point for me too.
Regarding my recent self-directed learning I use it primarily to find new recipes. I love to cook and I have found some helpful hints and shortcuts in the kitchen through Pinterest, Facebook and Google. I found an amazing cauliflower and cheese soup recipe that is now as staple in our house.
Another thing I learned about recently was how to get the skunk smell out of a dog’s fur. Our neighbourhood had a real problem with them this summer and my sweet chocolate lab just couldn’t resist. It took a few tries but we finally got the smell out.
On a professional front I recently used Google and the Help function in Outlook to help me out with quick tips on setting up my e-mail so that I can autofilter messages coming in.
For my self-directed learning, I’ve been experimenting with Bootstrap in HTML. I wanted to make some new and interesting elements of my courses for work and time how information was displayed. I Googled “Bootstrap for Moodle,” because Moodle tends to be picky about code sometimes. In bootstrap, the collapse function in particular was important for me. So I decided that I wanted to start with that it. After that, I found a website with sample code and some instructions on setting the parameters. (It did however take a little time to find the right site with code that was simple enough and not too messy. ) After that I tested it and tried it out. Naturally, there were hiccups and problems, but I figured it out by going back to the original website. In the end, I got it to work the way I wanted.
The second thing I learned was how to generate letters from spreadsheets with a template. I wanted to simplify a task for work and this helped to generate the letters I needed. I initially searched Word for options but couldn’t find it. Then I went searching online. I used Microsoft’s instructions on the topic and followed along. It worked well but I’m still getting the hang of it for what I want to do.
Overall, I usually use self-directed learning for very practical and immediate purposes.
The use of SDL for “immediate purposes” seems fairly common – it seems to lend itself well to unplanned and unstructured, purpose-driven learning.
I last used SDL at work. We recently had a system upgrade at work and all of our custom view setting for Outlook we reset. I watched a quick tutorial on how to change them all back. In terms of identifying my learning resources, I did a quick Google search and looked through the top few results. Some of my questions were answered in writing but the more complicated setting were harder to follow so I watched a quick video.
The other SDL I did recently was really to assess a source. The LSUC has a video on how to enter CPD credits into the portal and I wanted to see if the video was valuable (and if it was something I should share with firm members). I found the video to be helpful, but am not sure that it really teaches employees anything new.
I would say the hardest part is often finding resources. Google yields most popular results vs. most relevant so sometime the information is a dud. I find this a lot of YouTube especially – you often get some really weird suggestions. Other times the resources are fine, but just not exactly what I’m looking for (i.e. too detailed, not detailed enough, too long etc.)
I totally agree with you about the search results being problematic at times. The idea of search tools using algorithms and filters to try and guess what we like and focusing on popularity has been covered in a few places including TED:
As a side note, I’m finding that many people (myself included) now look to video for more accessible educational content. Are we getting spoiled by youtube and becoming too lazy to read?
Thanks for sharing Colleen. I encounter the same problem when trying to find an appropriate resource. Sometimes the search results offer up information that is not useful and then it becomes a challenge to ask the right question to get the resources needed.
The last two things I learned through SDL was how to make the perfect scrambled eggs and what the term superior canal dehiscence meant along with the implications it had on the patient I assessed. For the scrambled eggs I went straight to YouTube since visual learning was most important for this task. For the second thing I mentioned above I mainly did a Google search and skimmed through to see which site came from a credible source. After reading a few sites I got the general sense of the term and its implications for patient care. In the case of the scrambled eggs I think the step of ‘identifying resources’ was a challenge since there we so many sites/video that showed how to complete the tasks. I settled with the source with a noteworthy authority in the kitchen’s video (Gordon Ramsey). For the clinical term, the most challenging aspect was ‘assess learning’ since it will really depend how that term affect directly what I do from a clinical perspective. It may not actually affect what I do with the patient in therapy. How I see the learning being assessed is if I need to explain to them what the ears nose and throat (ENT) specialist has suspected is the cause of their noise sensitivity and imbalance. If I can explain it in terms that they can understand I would be able to assess my own learning.
In response to Stefan’s question about getting spoiled by YouTube and becoming too lazy to read. I believe we are and that can be attributed to the speed that society imposes on us to learn things on demand to complete the task at hand. The videos provide digestible micro learning segments and it seems reading is becoming more of a separate activity for leisure and not the first modality of choice for learning something quickly.
I’m currently in the process of building a house, so I’m doing a lot of SDL. Last night, I needed to learn about a newer system of foundation called Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) before speaking to the contractor who will build the foundation for me. I wanted to make sure I had some prior knowledge of the system and the advantages/disadvantages of using it. I did a quick google search. Reviewed companies who sell the product and then looked at unbiased sites that reviewed their experience with the product.
The biggest challenge in this search is finding reliable sources. There is so much information about everything nowadays that it is hard to know who to trust. Everyone can create a blog and start giving their personal opinion, but that opinion might not be accurate. I usually look at popular sites such as HGTV and This Old House, then searched for less well-known sites that had homebuilder reviews.
When I spoke to my foundation guy, I felt more confident asking questions and he also confirmed some of my findings. In the end, my trust in his experience increased because he gave very similar information to what I found.
Wow Sarah – good luck with the house building. That’s a huge task. My husband and I recently renovated our main floor and that was enough of a challenge for us.
Finding trustworthy information is a problem and it’s nice to see that your expert confirmed some of you findings. Having a credentialed expert confirm what you learned is an extra bonus.
The last 2 things I learnt through SDL was 1) how to make a pasta salad and 2) how to use an online magazine creation platform. For the first, the process was slightly reversed. I wanted to find some new recipes in general to add to my repertoire and to just get me to think creatively about cooking, so I went on Pinterest and typed in various searches for foods that I liked. I found an interesting pin on a pasta salad recipe which I then went to the site to review. I went to the grocery store and picked up the ingredients (haven’t made the recipe yet, but am confident I learnt what I needed to succeed). The online magazine platform forced me to use SDL when I signed up and couldn’t find where to start a new creation or how to use the site features. The site provided video tutorials (which just popped up in a window) so I watched the video and was able to apply the skills to start a new creation.
In these cases my search was easy, but I agree that searching for the information is often the hardest part. Last weekend, I searched for questions I had about editing on Moodle and was unable to find a satisfactory answer.
Last two things I learned through SDL: How to make homemade pickles (Google Search) and Visible Thinking Strategies (Book from Library). The most challenging step for me is utilising resources, specifically not being able to ask for help if I get stumped.
When I worked in IT, I was constantly learning new skills and troubleshooting technology issues. The most frustrating part of this type of self-learning was not being able to find the answer. It can be very frustrating scanning forums and blogs looking for answers. On the other hand, I have been reading textbooks recently for my PD and find it much more enjoyable than searching the web. I spend less time searching around for information and more time concentrating on the ideas being presented.
The last thing I learned about was Pompeii. I have recently returned from Italy and on that trip I was able to go to the ruins of Pompeii for a day. I wanted to know more about the history of the place and about the science of volcanoes. I watched a number of documentaries on the eruption of 79 C.E. to learn more. As a history teacher this will be useful when I return to teaching.
I spent some time browsing the web but I also looked for what was available. There are many documentaries but quite a few of them are not particularly good or they do not teach me anything new.
The most challenging for me is utilizing the resources I have found. There are so many topics out there today where good resources seem limitless. One can become overwhelmed with the amount of material that is available. Utilizing the best resource that is available can be challenging simply because of the time it takes.
I got sidetracked in my development of a lesson and engaged in a bit of fun SDL just this week. I was touching up my lesson on astrophysics – formation of the inner planets when I came across some videos on YouTube talking about the latest exoplanets and the discoveries of the Kepler telescope. I had not planned on adding that to the curriculum, but it was interesting and I wanted to know more about it.
I found the resources on Youtube and Wikipedia. As this was a bit of fun SDL, I had no particular goals in mind, so there were no real challenges to face or overcome. I could find the material I wanted to learn easily on the Internet, and I didn’t really need to identify a gap in my knowledge, I just stumbled across it. The tools showed me where my gap was. I didn’t set any learning goals as this was learning purely for the sake of learning. I would get out of it what I wanted one way or another. As I had no real learning goals, I had no need to assess my learning.
I use this example because I wanted to ask a question… is this still SDL? I had not learning objectives, but I did learn. I didn’t feel the need for assessment, as it was not something I had planned on doing. I wonder … are there different kinds of SDL? Maybe goal-centered SDL, or learning for fun only SDL?
Hi, Sorry for the lateness of the reply.
The “5 steps” exist because humans like to organize things and discover rules – we apply labels to things that occur in nature because it makes it easier to talk about them and study them. That doesn’t mean that they’re always all distinct from each other.
I think you may be overthinking the “assessment” aspect. Assessment of your “learning for fun” may simply be: ‘do I feel like I’ve learned enough to stop now?’
Also, your learning objectives don’t have to be formalized in any way. You probably had something in mind that helped you decide that you’re ‘done now’ – thus your learning objectives were met.
The last two things I learned through SDL were two very different topics. The first thing was really part of my Halloween costume. I really wanted to perfect and understand how to create a skeleton face with makeup, with the second topic being related to work and setting up an additional component on Blackboard for a class that I teach.
My learning resources differed greatly between the two. The first (Halloween) was mainly through various Pinterest links and eventually YouTube, viewing videos that have a high watch volume as well as a large subscription base. This type of SDL learning was simple, and did not require too much thought or frustration. Comparatively, when looking for Blackboard learning resources I utilized a few different sources; the Blackboard company website, the college I work at technology assistance, as well as Cornell university and their Blackboard guidelines. This was a different, more complex SDL learning activity because while this was not required for work, my interest (and hope to make my class run a little more smoother!) depended on me understanding this particular Blackboard feature. I identified the resources in this case as which ones are the most straightforward and which ones are helping me to accomplish my end goal.
I think the most challenging aspect of SDL learning is utilizing resources. There is simply too much information that at times it can become overwhelming. Which ones are “better”? If I use one, am I missing out by not focusing on any of the other?
I feel that the MET program offers MANY opportunities to learn through SDL and it is constant when enrolled in a course. This week, I have learned how to use Google Sites for course development, integrate different apps into the platform and did some troubleshooting from web pages and youtube videos. This, as others have mentioned, is fairly common, in day to day life now.
More formally, I have taken an independent study through the MET program recently and as it was guided by a knowledgeable professor, it was more formal but the process followed the steps of SDL. It was often me on my own, overcoming challenges with my critical question and direction of the course and working towards learning content knowledge to become better at applying my skills in a practical and meaningful way towards my specific context.
I like both examples. Learning on the fly is a skill we need to teach our children…help them find resources and develop the skills to quickly analyze if the source is worthy of their time for the task at hand as this process will only become more and more integrated into everyday life.
The last two things I learned through SDL is how to navigate Barcelona subway system and how to make a new braided hairstyle for my daughter.
For navigating Barcelona, I used the google map, a map distributed by the tourist office and GPS Location Tracker for iPhone. However, I learned that the fastest way to get where you need is to ask locals. That way you will enjoy looking around instead of constantly looking at the map/GPS. The most challenging was to utilize resources to get to the tiny street, where we had our apartment located. It was not on the map.
As for a new braided hairstyle for my daughter, Youtube video shared on Facebook was really helpful.