A few weeks ago I attended Training magazine's Training 2009 conference, held—as it was last year—in Atlanta, Georgia. Attendance might have been down a bit due to the economy and travel budget restrictions, but there were actually more people there than I was anticipating. The expo hall, including our own booth and that of our parent company NIIT, had ebbs and flows of activity as all conferences do. Every conference session I went to was well-attended and had vibrant discussion, and the main hall was full for each keynote presentation. Indeed, even my primary presentation—in the very last time slot on the last day—drew a crowd of 40 (more on that in a minute). I also participated as part of a lunch-time panel on Web 2.0 in learning contexts, and this probably had a crowd of 50 or so.
Training 2009's program is a bit broader in the range of topics covered than some of the other conferences I've participated in, with some emphasis on the cutting-edge technology topics, but also coverage of traditional and business-level aspects of learning and training.
As I've done for most major L&D conferences in the US for the past 18 months, I tracked the topic coverage for Training 2009's program. Comparing Training 2009 with Training 2008 (an apples to apples comparison), I noticed a bit of a decrease in traditional ILT and classroom learning topics, though there were still some sessions in this area to be sure. There was an increase in the number of sessions on Web 2.0/collaboration/social learning, and also an increase in sessions on mobile learning. Other "hot areas," such as gaming and simulations, 3D virtual worlds, and rapid e-learning, seemed stable according to my analysis. Not surprisingly, there were a few more sessions this year on the use of rich media in learning programs, such as audio and video (sometimes in the form of podcasts and vodcasts). And I also noted the continued emphasis on leadership development programs.
One area that definitely seemed to be talked about more this year than last year, and seems to be getting increased attention at each conference I attend, is a renewed interest in "blended learning" (see also my comments in Part 2 of my blog posting on the Learning 2008 conference). This term has been used for a decade or more, but what had become a cliché for some is seeing a re-birth for several reasons. Organizations have invested a lot into various learning modalities, and given the current economic situation, they must get as much value from each approach as possible. Cost reduction is a key factor, so many will shift away from classroom ILT towards various forms of e-Learning, but often they'll do so in a way that retains some strategic face-to-face learning experiences in the blend.
And most of all, the explosion of new technologies has meant the very notion of blended learning has been altered. I'll resist using the term "Blended Learning 2.0" (just as I resist "Learning 2.0" or "e-Learning 2.0"), but there really is a sea-change in how people are using the term "blended." My primary presentation at Training 2009 spoke to this directly: "Blending Emerging Technologies with Traditional Formal Learning." This was the first time I gave this particular presentation, but overall I thought it went well. I was a bit rushed in spots, and didn't have as much time for discussion and Q&A as I'd like. That said, the consensus from my speaker evaluations was that the session was quite valuable, and several even indicated it was their favorite session of the entire conference. I'm glad I could end their conference on a high note!
I also handed out my new whitepaper, "Blending Web 2.0 Technologies with Traditional Formal Learning" at this show. In fact, between our booth and my two presentations, I ran out of copies (why do I never bring enough?). If you missed the handout at the conference and are reading this blog post, the whitepaper is now available online so you can get it here.
I enjoyed other aspects of this conference, such as the three keynote speakers. Chester Elton, author of The Carrot Principle, gave one of the more lively keynotes I've ever seen, while Jeffrey Zaslow gave one of the more emotional (no surprise, since he is co-author with the late Randy Pausch of The Last Lecture). And Dan Pink is always fascinating, this time speaking on the explosion of manga's popularity in the United States (following other areas of the world) and how this comic format might one day be used in creating learning content.
Overall, even with all of the current economic difficulties and uncertainty, most attendees seemed relatively upbeat and happy to be talking about their learning and training challenges, and the innovative solutions that are possible today.
In early December, in the third of my DevLearn 2008 conference follow-ups, I wrote about my joining the world of Twitter, the popular "micro-blogging" service. Since then I must confess, I am completely hooked.
Twitter is both fun and valuable to me. Fun, in part perhaps, because it is new. But by following several dozen industry analysts and experts in various areas, I feel like I am learning at an accelerated rate. Some Twitter messages themselves—though necessarily short—are themselves insightful quotes or anecdotes. But more often, the "tweet" provides a link to what someone else has read and found valuable—whether a blog posting, a magazine article, or whatever. There is of course a lot that I just scan past, but I am actually finding the "noise-to-knowledge" ratio to be quite favorable for me.
Then sign up at Twitter.com and start looking for interesting people to "follow" and learn from. Once you find a few, you can easily find other interesting people by seeing who they are each following. Doing this, while effective, can take a little time. So, to save you some time, here is a list of some interesting people in the Learning and Development industry that you might consider adding to your Twitter feed:
ThomasStone (that's me! Thomas Stone of Element K)
billbrandon / Bill Brandon
bschlenker / Brent Schlenker
c4lpt / Jane Hart
cliveshepherd / Clive Shepherd
dmetcalf / David Metcalf
dwilkinsnh / David Wilkins
gwoodill / Gary Woodill
JaneBozarth / Jane Bozarth
jaycross / Jay Cross
jclarey / Janet Clarey
jcmeister / Jeanne Meister
Josh_Bersin / Josh Bersin
judyb / Judy Brown
KevinDJones / Kevin D. Jones
kkapp / Karl Kapp
masie / Elliott Masie
mobilemind / Tom King
moehlert / Mark Oehlert
Quinnovator / Clark Quinn
tonykarrer / Tony Karrer
WillWorkLearn / Will Thalheimer
writetechnology / Michelle Lentz
No doubt there are many other learning leaders on Twitter, but these ones are some of the ones I've found so far (many of whom are also bloggers, see this recent post for an easy way to quickly start following their blogs via RSS). If you know of others, feel free to leave a comment and share.
Obviously, if you are a heavy smartphone user you might want to look into accessing Twitter from your mobile device. But even for your laptop or desktop computer, I recommend getting one of the applications available as an improvement over the default website interface. Two leading ones are twhirl and TweetDeck. For now I'm using TweetDeck and really like it. See this article comparing the two.
Also, if you are attending a conference this year, be sure to find out if the conference has a Twitter feed set up, so you can follow the group tweets and get more out of the event. Many conferences started doing this in 2008, and I expect this to be commonplace in 2009.
And finally, here are some additional links to blog posts and other interesting items on Twitter:
An increasing number of companies are twittering, for many reasons including brand marketing. See this post "Brands that Tweet" , which provides additional links to articles about corporate use of Twitter, and a lengthy of list of companies who are doing so. See also a list of C-level executives who are on Twitter.
A few weeks ago I wrote a post titled "Happy New Year from Element K" where I commented on the past year and also provided links to various people's predictions for the learning industry in 2009. Since then, I've read a few more similar articles and blog postings.
eLearn Magazine provided "Predictions for 2009", an interesting collection of thoughts from nearly 30 leaders in the Learning field, including Allison Rossett, Jay Cross, Jane Hart, Bryan Chapman, Janet Clarey, and many other experts you might recognize. The predictions are somewhat wide ranging, but common themes are trends forced by the current economic reality, such as increasing shifts from classroom to e-learning, and increased attention to social and collaborative learning (the use of Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis and social networking in learning and training contexts).
Doug Harward at TrainingIndustry.com has provided an article titled "Top 10 Market Predictions for 2009: Are YOU ready for the New Training Industry?". Included are expected predictions of things that will "decrease" in light of the economy, but some areas of predicted increase are informal learning, SME- and user-generated learning content, and development of compliance training.
And finally, Tony Karrer, industry expert and author of eLearning Technology blog, has given us his "12 Predictions for 2009". I definitely agree with his predictions of an increase in the use of wikis for learning content presentation, that virtual classroom is at a (positive) tipping point, and that the restriction on travel at many organizations will lead to an increase in "virtual conferences" in our industry.
David Mallon, an analyst at Bersin & Associates, blogged in late January on Enterprise Learning in 2009 New Plans and New Beginnings. He noted a recent survey they did of their membership, and in particular he reports on the results of the question: "Please indicate which of the following major projects or initiatives you plan to undertake in 2009?" (174 responded). Of the numbers he shares, I found it fascinating that the highest response, at 74%, indicated "either will be or are considering implementing a more effective model for blended learning". And 56% indicated they "either will be or are considering adopting a new strategy for social & collaborative learning".
Both of those numbers are good news for Element K, as we develop content using a single-source model that efficiently produces both self-paced e-Learning and robust print courseware for use in instructor-led training. This is perfect if your learning needs require both modalities, or if you want to provide your e-Learning users with a high-quality courseware book as a value-add to the online training. And importantly, for us "blended learning" goes far beyond combining traditional ILT and e-Learning: the "blend" can also include virtual labs, MP3 Audio or MP4 Video content, e-Reference libraries, quick reference cards, great partner content such as management videos or book summaries, and even collaborative Web 2.0 spaces such as wikis, blogs, and forums.
So let me ask you... if you are looking for an evolved, new style of blended learning solution, what components are you most interested in?
The web technology “RSS” is about to turn 10 years old. It is definitely one of the more confusing technology names around, since it has had several meanings over the years (now most commonly read as “Really Simple Syndication”), and is often used more generically to refer to a family of “web feed” formats (including ones that are technically not RSS, such as Atom).
Leaving such confusion aside, RSS has been hugely successful in making regularly updated web content more efficiently accessible. But I know many web users who still aren't using it regularly. If you read more than more than a couple blogs or other regularly updated news sources, then you likely should be making use of RSS to make your reading of those sources more efficient.
Therefore, this posting is partially intended as a primer for those who are still new to RSS (if you are already using it, skip to the next paragraph). First, for a general introduction to RSS, see the first paragraph at the RSS Wikipedia entry, and watch the excellent four-minute Common Craft video "RSS in Plain English" at YouTube. Then included below is information on Google Reader—one of the more popular "feed reader" applications—and step-by-step instructions on how to get set up using it (it is free and easy!).
But I've also got something really helpful for the readers of this blog who already use RSS. If you are in the Learning and Development industry (and you likely are, in one capacity or another, if you are reading Element K Blog), there are many superb blogs that you might want to keep up with. Most RSS-reader applications allow you to import feeds from a standard OPML file (a type of XML file). I have created just such a file that provides the following RSS feeds for you, all at once:
Five blogs from top industry organizations and magazines.
All six Bersin analyst's blogs.
All five Brandon Hall analyst's blogs.
Nineteen other L&D industry book authors, conference speakers, and other experts.
...And, of course, Element K Blog, too.
That's right...within a matter of minutes you could have three-dozen top L&D industry blogs set up in your Google Reader so you can more easily keep up with the latest trends and insights from the learning field. Right-click this link and download and save the file:
Then use the file in your favorite RSS reader application (see its import function), or follow the instructions I'll provide below to get started with Google Reader and import it there. Enjoy!
Using Google Reader For those who are new to Google Reader, I recommend first watching the video "Google Reader for Beginners".
Once you are logged in to your new Google account, click My Account in the upper right.
Check the My Products section to see if Reader is already included. If it is, then click Reader to access the Google Reader application. If it isn't, then under Try Something New, click More. Under Communicate, Show & Share, click Reader.
To add an RSS feed one at a time, click the Add a Subscription button at the top left. So, for example, to add the RSS feed for Element K Blog, you would copy and paste the RSS feed URL (see the link in our right-nav), which is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ElementKBlog When a feed is added, it will appear along the left, typically with a number in parentheses indicating how many new postings there are for you to read. You can access older postings for that feed by simply scrolling down the page on the right. As you view postings for a particular feed, they will be marked as "read", and the number in parentheses will decrease until you have no further unread postings remaining.
To import a set of feeds provided in an OPML file (such as the one I provided for you to download above): a. Click Manage Subscriptions at the far bottom left of the page. b. Click the Import/Export link, which is at the far right in the row of links under the Settings heading. c. Click Browse and locate the desired OPML file, such as the one I've provided to you in this blog posting (see above). d. The feeds will all be imported and the subscriptions section of the Manage Subscriptions area will be displayed. You will see all of the feeds that were imported, and on the far right, under the Change Folders button for each, you will see the folder each is included under. e. To start reading the blog postings from these feeds, click the link near the top-left, <<Back to Google Reader. You will now see all of the feeds included, sorted into folders, along the left.
There are various other preferences and aspects to Google Reader, so I encourage you to spend a little time exploring the application. But the above should be plenty to get you started at least!
