My low-tech weekend

This past weekend I traveled to my home town to visit my parents. While there, my access to modern technology was severely decreased; I had low to non-existent internet access and it was very hard to get information. We had to print out maps instead of using GPS and there wasn't a smart phone in sight. It was time-consuming calling all of my friends one by one to plan out the evening. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be because I spent most of my time studying for my intro to HR midterm. I realized that if I had access to internet it would just have been a distraction.

Is Facebook Copying Twitter?

Ha, Facebook's status updates are becoming more and more like Twitter every day. The article "Facebook vs Twitter Its On!" (link in title) says Facebook is beta testing a way to let you make your status updates available to everyone, not just your friends. This sounds like it could be a good and bad thing depending on how people use it. I use Facebook to share with my friends and tell them what I did over the weekend or review the last movie, anime, tv show I watched or the last book, manga, comic I read. I also use it to get "friendly" information such as what is a good, cheap, Indian restaurant in Berkeley. I use Twitter (and my blog) on a more professional basis to tell the world what I'm doing at work, learning in class, etc. The information I ask my followers relates to my field and I click on news links I am interested in to stay informed.

It also sounds redundant, that is what Twitter is for. If you want everyone to be able to see your updates then just join Twitter.

On another note, I just started Waltz class today and it was fun. I learned the basic box step, hesitation, half-hesitation and a turn. I met a lot of great people, saw some old friends and was able to work out.

Technology in the classroom

(Title is link to AOL news article Schwarzenegger seeks online revolution)

As far as I know, most schools try to teach children how to use technology in the classroom but a lot of resources are still published on paper. Digitizing resources are cheaper, easier to access, greener and they have more interconnectivity to related resources (links to related content). I believe that a greater emphasis on online or digital content will improve learning in the long run. Although there are still many logistical problems in terms of implementing a shift from textbooks to digital content, it is the direction that we should be moving towards if we want to maximize educational effectiveness.

My week and the future of HR

At work this week I helped digitize employment records, worked with a payroll system for the first time and got my first sourcing assignment. For my HRM essentials class I am learning about the various discrimination laws and compliance issues HR professionals face. I made a Google profile and I am learning how to use Outlook. I watched Did You Know 3.0 on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8) and felt it was accurate, mind-boggling and like the US is really behind. The world is changing so fast and technology is a big part of that change. Also read "Memo to CFOs: Don't Trust HR" and it reinforced what I am already learning in my essentials class; that HR has to be more strategic and focus on using human capital to help the organization fulfill it's goals instead of just doing transactional/operational activities which will most likely be outsourced. I'm learning more than I ever imagined and it feels great!!!

Also, learned plenty of new salsa steps and saw Terminator: Salvation which was awesome. I highly recommend if you like action movies.

A little bit about me.

Hi readers,

My name is Asha and this blog is about my Human Resources career from start to finish. My interest in HR began last year when I was a junior in college trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my psychology degree while working as an assistant in a Diversity Office. I researched the profession online and talked about it with HR professionals and decided that it was something I wanted to pursue. Then I focused on graduating from college and accomplished that goal. Now I am taking HR Management courses in a certificate program and gaining HR experience in a volunteer role. I'm also taking salsa, waltz and cantonese classes.

This is going to be a fun summer.