Tuesday
Oct112005
355 - 10 Wishes for Learning; Report from Czech Republic on Learning
October 11, 2005
Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 11, 2005.
#355 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
51,312 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Learning 2005: Oct 30 - Nov 2 - Orlando, Florida.
a. Learning in the Czech Republic: An Interview with Vladka Knehova.
b. A Learning and Training Wish List (10 Elliott Wishes)
a. Learning in the Czech Republic - An Interview with Vladka Knehova: We are launching a series of Text, Audio and PodCast interviews with learning colleagues from around the world. Our first visit is a short interview with Vladka Knehova, a learning specialist in the Czech Republic. Here are her perspectives of how e-Learning and learning innovations are evolving in that part of Eastern Europe:
http://www.learning2005.com/university/
b. A Learning and Training Wish List (10 Elliott Wishes): As I prepare for my keynote sessions at Learning 2005, I've been revisiting a dynamic "wish list" that I keep with hopes for our field. Here are the first ten from that list (practical and far-fetched):
1. Learning "Applets": I wish that there were thousands of small learning applets that could be purchased and deployed simply. Imagine an applet, built in Flash, that I could paste into my webpage and would have a cool explanation of Lean Manufacturing or a quick quiz on the principles of People Delegation. One could license these for a reasonable fee or even get them in public domains. Universities could create them. Authors and designers could integrate them. I bet there would be a robust business model for these Learning Applets.
2. Patent Law Changes for the Learning Field: There are a few patents that were granted to companies that are causing grief and huge expense for the learning field. For example, IPLearn is suing SumTotal over "infringement"
of their patents that cover most of e-Learning systems. These companies usually don't have any real products and sue with the hope of getting a settlement rather than bearing the costs of litigation. I wish the patent office had a saner process for awarding these patents and we were able to invalidate these nonsense patents. They are a threat to innovation. (I recently served as an unpaid expert witness in one of these cases.)
3. Learning Research: We need a lot more research on what works and does not work in the learning field. I would love to see more funding for work related learning research. In addition, I wish that we could direct doctorate students towards the key learning research topics that are desperately needed by our field. For example, what is the ideal duration for a learning session? What are the best ways to introduce coaches into a blended learning setting? (To help with my wish, at Learning 2005 we will be building a Learning Research Wish List).
4. A Classroom Thermostat that Actually Worked: I have spent about 2,000 hours of my career dealing with temperature issues in classrooms. I wish for a thermostat that actually worked or that the students could vote by their remote devices to make warmer or cooler. Ah, what a relief.
5. (A Past Wish that Came True: No Smoking in Classes): Does anyone remember when the issue of smokers and non-smokers in classes was a hot issue? I remember having one section for smokers. And, it turned into an In and Out group, like the back steps of high school. Whew!
6. The President on West Wing Taking an e-Learning Class: President Bartlett, as you are in your last term and looking towards a future life, why not enroll for an e-Learning class. It would be cool. We'd love to see your enjoyment and frustration with this emerging media format. We need role models.
7. Transportable Certifications: I have taken some of the same classes, in different organizations 2 or 3 times. In this age of compliance, can I "test out" of certain requirements across organizations? Why not let me get an easy-to-validate digital certificate that I have attended and passed a class on "Board Ethics"? As careers evolve to jobs, we need to have transportable certification results.
8. Spell Checking Magic Markers: Well, it is a wish list. I will swap out great smelling magic markers for one that would buzz when I made a spelling mistake. The white board and flip chart are my downfall when it comes to instant spelling. Boy, do I miss that spellchecker.
9. Alumni Learners: I have a strong wish that we find ways to leverage the energy, knowledge and experience of our retired and alumni workers. In recent emergencies, such as Katrina, creative organizations reached out to former employees for key leadership and coaching roles. Let's find better ways to continue to engage our former employees in the learning dimensions of our organization. They are a strong base of knowledge and can be part of the context-rich fiber of our organization.
10. Shared Learning Metrics: We have to start to insist on Shared Metrics when starting learning projects. Shared Metrics are measures that are harvested by both the learning and the business units. Shared Metrics are agreed upon at the start of the project and usually require active data gathering at the business unit level. A Shared Metric is more of a business measure than a training measure. Examples: Increase in Sales, Time to Hire or Degree of Customer Satisfaction. Shared Metrics are the key to real vs. false ROI. Shared Metrics are one of my strongest wishes and also high on the list of the "C" suite of officers of your company.
Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2005: October 30 to November 2 - Orlando, Florida.
Registration: Early Fee Still Available - http://www.learning2005.com
#355 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
51,312 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Learning 2005: Oct 30 - Nov 2 - Orlando, Florida.
a. Learning in the Czech Republic: An Interview with Vladka Knehova.
b. A Learning and Training Wish List (10 Elliott Wishes)
a. Learning in the Czech Republic - An Interview with Vladka Knehova: We are launching a series of Text, Audio and PodCast interviews with learning colleagues from around the world. Our first visit is a short interview with Vladka Knehova, a learning specialist in the Czech Republic. Here are her perspectives of how e-Learning and learning innovations are evolving in that part of Eastern Europe:
http://www.learning2005.com/university/
b. A Learning and Training Wish List (10 Elliott Wishes): As I prepare for my keynote sessions at Learning 2005, I've been revisiting a dynamic "wish list" that I keep with hopes for our field. Here are the first ten from that list (practical and far-fetched):
1. Learning "Applets": I wish that there were thousands of small learning applets that could be purchased and deployed simply. Imagine an applet, built in Flash, that I could paste into my webpage and would have a cool explanation of Lean Manufacturing or a quick quiz on the principles of People Delegation. One could license these for a reasonable fee or even get them in public domains. Universities could create them. Authors and designers could integrate them. I bet there would be a robust business model for these Learning Applets.
2. Patent Law Changes for the Learning Field: There are a few patents that were granted to companies that are causing grief and huge expense for the learning field. For example, IPLearn is suing SumTotal over "infringement"
of their patents that cover most of e-Learning systems. These companies usually don't have any real products and sue with the hope of getting a settlement rather than bearing the costs of litigation. I wish the patent office had a saner process for awarding these patents and we were able to invalidate these nonsense patents. They are a threat to innovation. (I recently served as an unpaid expert witness in one of these cases.)
3. Learning Research: We need a lot more research on what works and does not work in the learning field. I would love to see more funding for work related learning research. In addition, I wish that we could direct doctorate students towards the key learning research topics that are desperately needed by our field. For example, what is the ideal duration for a learning session? What are the best ways to introduce coaches into a blended learning setting? (To help with my wish, at Learning 2005 we will be building a Learning Research Wish List).
4. A Classroom Thermostat that Actually Worked: I have spent about 2,000 hours of my career dealing with temperature issues in classrooms. I wish for a thermostat that actually worked or that the students could vote by their remote devices to make warmer or cooler. Ah, what a relief.
5. (A Past Wish that Came True: No Smoking in Classes): Does anyone remember when the issue of smokers and non-smokers in classes was a hot issue? I remember having one section for smokers. And, it turned into an In and Out group, like the back steps of high school. Whew!
6. The President on West Wing Taking an e-Learning Class: President Bartlett, as you are in your last term and looking towards a future life, why not enroll for an e-Learning class. It would be cool. We'd love to see your enjoyment and frustration with this emerging media format. We need role models.
7. Transportable Certifications: I have taken some of the same classes, in different organizations 2 or 3 times. In this age of compliance, can I "test out" of certain requirements across organizations? Why not let me get an easy-to-validate digital certificate that I have attended and passed a class on "Board Ethics"? As careers evolve to jobs, we need to have transportable certification results.
8. Spell Checking Magic Markers: Well, it is a wish list. I will swap out great smelling magic markers for one that would buzz when I made a spelling mistake. The white board and flip chart are my downfall when it comes to instant spelling. Boy, do I miss that spellchecker.
9. Alumni Learners: I have a strong wish that we find ways to leverage the energy, knowledge and experience of our retired and alumni workers. In recent emergencies, such as Katrina, creative organizations reached out to former employees for key leadership and coaching roles. Let's find better ways to continue to engage our former employees in the learning dimensions of our organization. They are a strong base of knowledge and can be part of the context-rich fiber of our organization.
10. Shared Learning Metrics: We have to start to insist on Shared Metrics when starting learning projects. Shared Metrics are measures that are harvested by both the learning and the business units. Shared Metrics are agreed upon at the start of the project and usually require active data gathering at the business unit level. A Shared Metric is more of a business measure than a training measure. Examples: Increase in Sales, Time to Hire or Degree of Customer Satisfaction. Shared Metrics are the key to real vs. false ROI. Shared Metrics are one of my strongest wishes and also high on the list of the "C" suite of officers of your company.
Upcoming MASIE Center Events:
* Learning 2005: October 30 to November 2 - Orlando, Florida.
Registration: Early Fee Still Available - http://www.learning2005.com
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