First I’d like to start by wishing all readers a (belated) very happy new year! The year 2008 was certainly a challenge for many people, in many ways. Of course that could be said about any year, but clearly the global economic turmoil made it particularly true of 2008. So here’s hoping that 2009 is a great year for you, your organization, and those close to you. In particular, I hope you make 2009 a great year of learning!
New Year’s resolutions are a longstanding tradition, as are other “fresh start” practices that take place around this time of year. I’ll admit that I think along these lines every year at this time. And so does much of the learning and development field it seems. So, I thought I’d start this year with some links to interesting articles or blog postings with either an “end of the year” or “beginning of the year” theme to them.
Elliott Masie’s LearningTown asks for members' “New Year's Learning Resolutions”. There have been over thirty responses thus far. Elliott started it off with some resolutions of his own, including the plan to focus our attention on the need for what he calls “reskilling” in light of the economy and many people changing jobs or needing to take on new tasks. Some resolutions are a return to the tried-and-true, such as learning by reading more actual books, not just web pages. Others are learning by trying something new, such as implementing at least one Web 2.0 method or technology in their organization. And some really cut to the core of how we can learn more (such as “listen better”). As for me, I added the following two cents: “In 2009 I will learn the most by forgetting less. That is, great information and 'learnings' bombard me every day. While each year I try to make some improvements to how I keep track of it all, this year I am going to really focus on it: getting organized, and more importantly, staying organized.”
The December ASTD Learning Circuits “Big Question” subject was on “What did you learn about learning in 2008?”. By now, this has generated several dozen postings that provide ample good reading on this question. My colleague Manish Mohan is one such author with his blog posting “What I learned in 2008”.
The January ASTD Learning Circuits “Big Question” subject was on “What are your challenges, plans, predictions for 2009?”. Already there are more than 20 responses, again making for some interesting reading as you think about the opportunities in front of you for the new year.
The December issue of Chief Learning Officer Magazine did a special titled “The Future of Learning,” where the editors “talked to some of the industry’s leading voices to uncover future challenges and solutions”. This included Ken Blanchard, Jay Cross, Allison Rossett, and several others. Their insights cover such topics as the convergence of learning and work, the next generation of learners, showing learning’s value in these tough economic times, and many more.
The January issue of Chief Learning Officer magazine also has some items on this theme. First there is “The Training Industry in 2009: A Look Ahead”, by Cushing Anderson, which provides some interesting data from the magazine's Business Intelligence Board survey. According to this survey, the importance of Sales training is increasing—and this is not surprising given the recession we are in. Also of interest is the increased importance placed on informal learning, a trend that I am seeing from many data sources. And Anderson notes the mixed responses given in this survey regarding the use of Web 2.0 technologies (wikis, blogs, social networking), which to me indicates the difference between these technologies being implemented well and blended appropriately with traditional formal learning as opposed to tried in a haphazard way.
And finally in this same issue columnist and industry analyst Brandon Hall writes of Five Learning Trends in 2009. He provides some great anecdotes from learning leaders from Intel, Sun, and elsewhere, though there are no big surprises in his “top five” as these are all items I’ve described as hot areas and trends in our industry in previous blog postings (here and here, amongst others).
There are many other industry bloggers and writers taking up similar end-of-year and beginning-of-year topics. But now I’ll ask you: What did you learn, and learn about learning in particular, in 2008? What are your learning resolutions, goals, and plans for 2009?
— Thomas Stone (Tom_Stone@elementk.com)
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