Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Blog Assignment: Evaluating and Identifying Online Resources

A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of. ~ Ogden Nash

The site I chose to use for evaluating and identifying online resources is the site Big Dog& Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/index.html This is a web resource for locating great links, information and the finest knowledge on performance training and leadership. This site has been on the Internet for over 15 years. This website has been around for a long time, there is far more valuable information located in here including an area on knowledge which we discussed this week.  Donald Clark is the author and has received many accolades for his site, which determine that it is a great resource for information.

Like we are studying this week and in the previous week, Clark covers knowledge extensively, http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/knowledge/knowledge.html. Knowledge is the perception of the agreement or disagreement of two ideas — John Locke.
Let’s look further into this arena; Clark has given us the theories and ideas behind learning, including the citations for his sources, which are located on the bottom. I am sure glad he found these sources they assist in giving his site some level of credibility.

Now let us shift toward his Learning area. There is more information in here than is covered for this week’s class. It is helpful that the resource includes an outline for learning. Briefly, I can say that he covers areas of learning dealing from Delivery, Design Approach, Inquisitory, Expository, and Design Architecture to eLearning and Flow. Happily, there was mention of learning for coaching, Coaching - Decrease direction (so that learner can learn - trial & error) and increase support (needs emotional support due to some failure)

Let’s talk about the design on the site. It does look old, and that could confuse the reader with it being out of touch with the information. This is not the case because the information presented is very much relevant to today. Clark may not be an expert in design or might not care, but he demonstrates a wealth of knowledge in learning, training, leadership and all things related to improving human performance.

To summarize this site, I will say that there is a great deal of information here. It’s very choc full of information for learning. Try to look for something you are after, and you will get a little more.

Reference

Clark, D. R. (2004).The Art and Science of Leadership. Retrieved July 1, 2012 from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.html

2 comments:

  1. After visiting this website I found your review to be very accurate in the amount of information laid out and the quality of it. I went to the leadership section because of the review you had given it. while looking through some of the abundance of content I found myself thinking of the best definition of leadership I have ever read. It was an address given by "Major C.A. Bach Giving Farewell Instructions
    to the Graduating Student Officers of the Second Training Camp at Fort Sheridan, Wyoming, in 1917." (Below is a link to a pdf. with the entire speech)
    http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-24/bach.pdf.

    I was wondering if you have read or heard this and what were your thoughts on it?

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    Replies
    1. Mark, I had an opportunity to look over that speech, and it struck me that it really hits the nail on some key points of leadership in the Army. I know that I can relate to some of the talking points that I have myself firsthand witnessed being in the Army. Those values and ideas that were true in 1917 are still in place today.

      “In a short time each of you men will control the lives of a certain number of other men.”

      This is not only true of commissioned officers, but Non-commissioned, and privates as well.
      The Army is constantly evolving, and as the Army song goes “The Army goes rolling along” This is the constant growth and change that the Army does. That lowly private that you berate and make to do push-ups will be the Sergeant Major who will learn to be better than the leadership he encountered. You’d best to mind those you speak to in the Army. They are the same ones who will supersede you and soon outrank you.

      “The officer should know more about paper work than his first sergeant and company clerk put together; he should know more about messing than his mess sergeant; more about diseases of the horse than his troop farrier. He should be at least as good a shot as any man in his company.”

      Id challenged this. These are the reason officers have non-commissioned officers is for them to do the work. I think the Army has changed to fit the details of the officer and enlisted.

      “Self-sacrifice is essential to leadership. You will give, give all the time. You will give yourself physically, for the longest hours, the hardest work and the greatest responsibility is the lot of the captain.”

      Another point which I believe is important in the officer realm, also for great leaders. Unfortunately, I have seen so much juggling with the jobs that sometimes I see the greatest back tracking and side stepping as far as self-sacrifice is concerned.

      There are way too many great points I could touch on in this speech as it relates to my experience in the Army. However, in conclusion, I would argue to say that it is a considerable framework for which all great leaders should look up to. In fact, I think it could be an argument that you could carry all these great leadership values into your personal life. This is perhaps what any good man father or son should be in their relationships with their family and in their daily lives.

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