Grow your personal learning network with free IRISS course

Martha-Lane Fox quoted Aaron Swartz in her Dimbleby 2015 lecture:

‘It’s not ok NOT to understand the internet anymore’.

It’s true. And why? Because the web offers tools to help you find information, learn new skills and build new connections. If you want to build on your continual professional development, understanding the web (including social media) is really important. Growing your personal learning network is all about making the most of the web to grow who you know, what you know and recognising how it can make a difference to the way you work.

Growing personal learning networks means adopting a new way of working – taking responsibility for your own learning and building up confidence as you go. Learning, sharing and connecting are even more important in new world of health and social care integration. We’ve got to be savvy about how we work – and the web can help!

Are you and/or your team keen to take that first step to growing your personal learning network?

What you will grow

By end of this 6-week workshop you will: 

• Better understand what a personal learning network is all about
• Gain practical skills and experience using social media to keep up to date
• Build confidence using social media 
• Better manage and share your information
• Grow a network of people to share with and learn from

You’ll enjoy this workshop if you are:

• Open to exploring how social media can benefit you
• Interested in making new connections
• Keen to engage in interesting conversations
• Want to have fun doing it!

Continuing professional development

On sign-up and completion of this workshop you can apply for an open badge which will be issued by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). An open badge is a digital record of achievements and skills that are tied to assessment and evidence. Note that attendees will need to provide adequate evidence of participation and learning at the workshop to apply for an open badge.  

A slightly different approach

Please note this is not a traditional workshop or course. Each week a set of activities will be released, together with tips and tools and links to videos and external readings and resources. You are invited to work through these activities at a pace that best suits you and fits in with your workload. Nothing is compulsory, but you will find that the more you do and share with the other participants, the more you will get out of the workshop. You will probably want to commit a couple of hours a week to this, but once again it is up to you how much time you devote to it. A workshop leader will be available to answer questions.

Do you have restricted access to the web? 

If your employer blocks access to certain kinds of website this course may be difficult to complete. Please speak to your line manager and explain that access to these sites is an important part of digital participation and the acquisition of digital literacy skills which are fundamental objectives of Scotland’s Digital Participation Strategy.

Here’s support for your business case. If you want to discuss this, contact: [email protected].