The Knowledge Toolbox is designed for quick learning through interactivity and ease of use.
Credit: NASA
NASA shares essential tools for successful knowledge services work.
To wrap up the holiday season and welcome in the New Year, NASA Chief Knowledge Officer Ed Hoffman is happy to announce the addition of the Knowledge Toolbox to the km.nasa.gov site. “We’ve been working on the tools throughout the year,” says Hoffman, “and believe the kit has everything that someone wanting to know more about Knowledge Management and Services would find useful.” The tools, each front and back one-pagers, are designed to be efficient, agile, and streamlined.
The toolbox includes the oldest tools around and the newest. The “tried and true” tool “Storytelling” offers a quick explanation of how to tell a story and why telling stories is effective to persuade and make things memorable. An example of a tool on the cutting edge of innovation is “Gamification,” which occurs when the mechanics of games encourages people to engage in desired behaviors and develop new skills in ‘non-game’ situations, leading practitioners on a path to mastery, autonomy, and problem-solving.
“The Toolbox does more than just explain theory,” says Hoffman. “It also links individuals and organizations to other resources to enhance their knowledge sharing efforts on real life projects and programs.” The Knowledge Toolbox home page is interactive, with a scroll-over for the 15 icons, which quickly allows people new to KM learn more about any topic in the Toolbox.
Some tools are based off of resources that have been developed by others. After Action Review or “AAR” is an example of a tool that has been “retooled” by NASA; it has been adapted from the U.S. Army’s “AAR” to become NASA’s “Pause and Learn” methodology popularized by the Chief Knowledge Officer at Goddard Space Flight Center.
The toolbox, located in the Knowledge Sharing tab, can open up the rest of the NASA CKO website, providing a baseline education to those who would like to delve deeper into the Knowledge Map and the Critical Knowledge Gateway. “While some resources at NASA linking out from knowledge services are not accessible to everyone, this toolbox connects those interested in the wealth of thought behind the knowledge community,” states Hoffman, “and like the Knowledge Map, it is designed to adapt and expand to meet the needs of the NASA Knowledge community.”
NASA’s CKO invites you to explore the Knowledge Toolbox and welcomes your feedback.
