901 - Rocket Lands and My Tesla, Theater Invite

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - December 23, 2015.
#901 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,175 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning Innovations LAB - January in Saratoga Springs, NY.

1. Rocket Lands on the X and My Tesla: Innovations in Action!
2. Holiday Learning Exploration!
3. An Invitation to Allegiance in New York City with MASIE Productions.

1. Rocket Lands on the X and My Tesla: Innovations in Action!  This was a really exciting week for me - based on a rocket that landed back on earth perfectly!

Exactly, one year ago, my new Tesla arrived.  Not only was I driving an all-electric car, but over the year the car upgraded itself with loads of new features.  One of the features included Auto-Steering and Automatic Self-Parking.  Quite fun to see the car use its 20+ sensors and cameras to steer or park without the need for hands on the wheel.

This week, Space-X, another Elon Musk company, made history by launching a rocket into space to deliver satellites into orbit - and then return the launch booster rocket to a perfect vertical landing on an X marked on a pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida.  Normally, these expensive boosters end at the bottom of an ocean, adding huge costs to each launch.

There is a key relationship between my driving experience in the upgrading Tesla and the rocket landing perfectly from space: both are the result of deeply integrated and expansive creativity applied to new technology in two diverse fields - space travel and car driving.  Yet, it is the integrated knowledge that Musk’s companies and engineers have harvested that is so exciting.

I love owning a car that is an ongoing science experiment. Sure, with the price of gas down to $2, it is not a pure economic return. But, the regular innovation and pushing of envelopes - both engineering and behavioral - are so exciting.  If you want to share my excitement check out the SpaceX video/photos at http://www.spacex.com/webcast/  And, here is the Tesla Auto-Steer Video: http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/14/watch-this-self-steering-tesla-model-s-drive-itself-and-us-down-the-highway/#.f89dpmu:kb7I

2. Holiday Learning Exploration! Over the holiday vacation, I usually spend some time exploring new learning trends and technologies. Here are a few items that we are exploring:

- IOT and Learning:  What are the implications for “Internet of Things” and learning and performance?
- Aggregated Assessment: Imagine a daily question that rolls up to a certification or performance indicator.
- Multi-Site Webinar Production: How do we weave together content experts from multiple locations into a high energy “experience”?
- Learning Apps: Rapidly creating apps that are laser focused on a learner’s needs and requirements.
- Dynamic Badges: Take the “scout badge” model and make it life-long and dynamically pushed.
- Learning Curation: What’s the role for a curator and/or a curation algorithm in learning organizations?
- Creative Compliance: Moving from massive assessment to targeted compliance sampling for increased results.
- The Empowered Learner: What happens when the learner truly gets power - even for design and delivery choices?

These are some of the innovations that we will be exploring and writing about.  And, if you would like to dive into many of them, be part of our Learning Innovations LAB in Saratoga Springs from January 12 to 14. We have 8 seats still available.  Details and last minute registration at: http://www.masie.com

3. An Invitation to Allegiance in New York City with MASIE Productions: We are excited to be Producers of Allegiance - an exciting, entertaining and moving musical on Broadway. We have scheduled a special gathering of our Learning friends and colleagues to join us in New York City at 2 PM on Saturday afternoon, January 23, 2016. Allegiance stars George Takei, Lea Salonga and Telly Leung. http://wwww.allegiancemusical.com .

I have blocked a set of discounted great seats and we will watch Allegiance together - and then there will be a special “Talk Back” with our group and some of our stars.  I will join the Talk-Back to both moderate and also explore the relationship between theater and learning. And, we will have some eating and exploring options afterwards.  If you want more information, please send me an email to emasie@masie.com and I will send you details.  It will be an AWESOME afternoon.

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Host, Learning 2016
Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
- Learning Innovations LAB - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Gamification, Engagement & Learning - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida.

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

900 - Video Clips and Curated Content Now Online

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - December 17, 2015.
#900 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,154 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning Innovations LAB - January in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Special: Video Clips & Curated Content Now Online from Learning 2015

This is one of my favorite Learning TRENDS of the year.  After a wonderful and dynamic Learning 2015 in Orlando in November, we are now honored to place dozens of video clips and over a hundred resource files in Open Source for free access online.

Most of our keynote sessions have been curated into discreet clips and are now posted. There are several speakers for whom we do not have license to place them online. And, we will add more content in the weeks ahead. We are delighted to use colorful Graphic Illustrations as the canvas backdrop for the keynote video clip selections:

Go to: http://www.learning2015.com/curated

In addition, there is content from most of the seminar sessions as well as other curated elements at the above sight. Enjoy, refer and leverage this content. Thanks for your support.

Registration for Learning 2016:

We have already received quite a few Very Early Registrations for Learning 2016, which will be held from October 23 to 26 in Orlando, Florida. To take advantage of the Very Early Registration Discounts or to start organizing a learning retreat at Learning 2016, go to:

Learning 2016 Info and Registration:
http://www.learning2015.com/index.php/learning-2016-early-info.htm

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Host, Learning 2016
Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
- Learning Innovations LAB - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Gamification, Engagement & Learning - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida.

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

899 - Memorization Specifics; Streamed Theater: "Daddy Long Legs"

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - December 9, 2015.
#899 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,145 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning Innovations LAB - January in Saratoga Springs, NY.

1. Do I Memorize It? Or, Have Navigational Readiness?
2. First Free Broadway/Off-Broadway Streamed Theater!
3. Tech Recycle Tables at Work.

1. Do I Memorize It? Or, Have Navigational Readiness? When you structure a learning activity, from a class to an e-Learning program, what level of recall do you expect of your learner?

- Memorization? They can fully recall the new information without prompts?
- Assisted Memorization? Given a small prompt, they can recall it from memory?
- Overview Recall? The learner understands the overview (concept) but does not memorize details?
- Navigational Readiness? The learner does not “know it” but is ready to access or search for it?

We could add to this list as we look at the various flavors of memorization. Some of these will be personal choices by the learner herself while others will be decided by the Designer/Producer of the learning activity. It would be great if the learning field were more explicit about the differentiation - from a design, expectation and even acceptance point of view. 

2. First Free Broadway/Off-Broadway Streamed Theater! Here is a personal invitation to watch, free of charge, an awesome theater experience - streamed live on Thursday, December 10th. “Daddy Long Legs”, produced by my friend and colleague Ken Davenport, is a delightful musical now featured in New York City. Ken is experimenting with offering a free worldwide viewing of this powerful and funny play.  There are multiple time zones and I would love some of our Learning TRENDS colleagues to check it out.

Details and free signup at for Daddy Long Legs, Thursday - December 10th:
http://www.daddylonglegsmusical.com/livestream/

3. Tech Recycle Tables at Work: Our employees have more and more used but still workable technology at home. As we upgrade our tablets, phones and other digital devices, there are rarely good places to have them continued to be used, rather than sending them to the recycle dump. What about setting up a Tech Recycle Table at work, where folks donate smaller sized tech for use by fellow employees or to be passed along to schools, community centers or neighbors that would deeply value something like a laptop (even if it is 4 years old)?

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Host, Learning 2016
Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
- Learning Innovations LAB - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Gamification, Engagement & Learning - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida.

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

898 - I'm Taking Online Classes from Usher and Dustin Hoffman

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - December 4, 2015.
#898 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,136 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning Innovations LAB - January in Saratoga Springs, NY.

1. I’m Taking 2 Online Classes from Usher and Dustin Hoffman.
2. Analysis of Our Search - An Intriguing Metric.
3. Gamification & Engagement - Cousins for Impact.

1. I’m Taking 2 Online Classes from Usher and Dustin Hoffman: When I woke up this morning, I took an Acting Performance Class from Dustin Hoffman.  And, this afternoon a Singing Performance Class from Usher. 

Now, while I am a Broadway Producer, I don’t aspire to sing or act on a theater stage.  But, I am intrigued by leveraging the celebrity and experience of “hero” level subject matter experts for an online class.

This is a venture called MasterClass and offers courses with a dozen asynchronous classes featuring the teacher, including activities and office hours.  These courses cost about $50.

While it is just the beginning of my experience, I decided to do some research - and have enrolled a few Broadway actors and non-actors in the sessions - that will expand to include Kevin Spacey, Serena Williams and others as the teachers.

Do “hero” teachers add to the learning cycle beyond enrollment interest? Intriguing! I will share more feedback as we experiment.  MasterClass is at http://www.masterclass.com

2. Analysis of Our Search - An Intriguing Metric: I wish for a personal and simple metric that I can look at every week or month, which is an analysis of all of my searches from both Mobile and Desktop devices. It would be a fascinating mind-map of my searches.  And, it gets really interesting if we could roll up the searches of a group of people - for instance, all new employees in a group. It would be cool to have that feedback loop.

3. Gamification & Engagement - Cousins for Impact: A few TRENDS readers have asked me why I combined the topics of Gamification and Engagement in our January LAB.  My experience with experiments and projects in the Gamification field led me to add Engagement into the mix. The sustainability of a gaming element - especially aimed at learning or performance - seems to rotate around the level of Engagement that the employee has and grows. We can build fun or cute games, but what we are looking for is deeper Engagement and mixing in some elements of social or collaborative Engagement.  As we blend Gamification and Engagement, including elements of collaboration that are not explicit game elements, we have a higher chance for Impact and Sustainability.

Gamification, Engagement and Learning LAB - January 26 to 28, 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.  Info and registration: http://www.masie.com

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Host, Learning 2016
Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
- Learning Innovations LAB - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Gamification, Engagement & Learning - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida.

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

897 - Learn-A-Thon Model, Short Video Mentoring, Coin App

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - December 1, 2015.
#897 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,122 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016 - Oct 23 to 26, Orlando, Florida.

1. Learn-A-Thon Model.
2. Short Video Mentoring Explored.
3. COIN - 1 Card for Many Credit Cards.

1. Learn-A-Thon Model: As many TRENDS readers know, I am a fan of and experimenter with the Hackathon model: a creative way to pull together a group of people - many with computer coding skills - to create a working prototype of a new app or program, in a few days of working intensely. I helped create a Broadway Hackathon model last year with the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center that created very cool new apps in 2 days with the only expense being pizza for lunch.

But, as we applied this model to the world of learning, the challenge was that the hackathon was most appreciated and engaging for people who write code. So, we developed a new model called:

Learn-A-Thon.

The difference is that the Learn-A-Thon will imagine a new method, learning process or even a technology system/app, but it is brainstormed by subject matter peers regardless of their coding skill.  They will dream, stretch and even sketch out what a process or an app might look like, but not actually build the app in real time. 

The IT process of creating the actual code can be put down later - or even overnight remotely - but the emphasis is on the User Experience and the Learning Process.

We have experimented with the Learn-A-Thon model in several of our classes and are now rolling it out as a major function at The MASIE Center.

The first public implementation of the Learn-A-Thon will be at the upcoming Learning Innovations LAB to be held in Saratoga Springs from January 12th to 14th. We invite you and your colleagues to take a stimulating, start-of-the-year retreat and participate in this high energy program, which includes the Learn-A-Thon. Details and online registration at http://www.masie.com

2. Short Video Mentoring Explored: Sometimes all one needs as a learner is a few minutes of conversation or feedback from a peer. That is the core of On-The-Job learning. And, as we add video and more distributed workers, we need to stretch the process. We have been tracking increased use of short Video Mentoring sessions - sometimes using Skype or corporate video desktop systems - to connect a learner to a mentoring peer in another location. The fun part is that the duration can be very short. For example, someone who is learning a new sales process might have the option of dialoging for 3 to 5 minutes - a few times each day for a week - with an experienced sales person located in another part of the world. Their mentoring is not meant to be behavioral coaching; rather, it is focused on what the learner is about to do - or what they just did. In the sales example, pre-brief a sales call or do an autopsy after a failed sale. 

This process does not take much infrastructure and can be amazingly engaging for both the learner and the mentor! Try it!

3. COIN - 1 Card for Many Credit Cards: We have been experimenting with a new application called “Coin”. It is a high tech single card onto which I securely load the data from a range of my credit cards. It synchronizes with my mobile phone and is only authorized when I use a code on the card or turn it on by the nearby mobile phone. It allows me to go from many to 1 credit card - and to get ready for a smaller wallet. The synchronizing of data to a digital format is intriguing and may lead to other applications for corporate access and security. Here is the link: http://onlycoin.com

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Host, Learning 2016
Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
- Learning Innovations LAB - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Gamification, Engagement & Learning - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida.

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

897 - Learn-A-Thon Model, Short Video Mentoring, Coin App

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - December 1, 2015.
#897 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,122 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016 - Oct 23 to 26, Orlando, Florida.

1. Learn-A-Thon Model.
2. Short Video Mentoring Explored.
3. COIN - 1 Card for Many Credit Cards.

1. Learn-A-Thon Model: As many TRENDS readers know, I am a fan of and experimenter with the Hackathon model: a creative way to pull together a group of people - many with computer coding skills - to create a working prototype of a new app or program, in a few days of working intensely. I helped create a Broadway Hackathon model last year with the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center that created very cool new apps in 2 days with the only expense being pizza for lunch.

But, as we applied this model to the world of learning, the challenge was that the hackathon was most appreciated and engaging for people who write code. So, we developed a new model called:

Learn-A-Thon.

The difference is that the Learn-A-Thon will imagine a new method, learning process or even a technology system/app, but it is brainstormed by subject matter peers regardless of their coding skill.  They will dream, stretch and even sketch out what a process or an app might look like, but not actually build the app in real time. 

The IT process of creating the actual code can be put down later - or even overnight remotely - but the emphasis is on the User Experience and the Learning Process.

We have experimented with the Learn-A-Thon model in several of our classes and are now rolling it out as a major function at The MASIE Center.

The first public implementation of the Learn-A-Thon will be at the upcoming Learning Innovations LAB to be held in Saratoga Springs from January 12th to 14th. We invite you and your colleagues to take a stimulating, start-of-the-year retreat and participate in this high energy program, which includes the Learn-A-Thon. Details and online registration at http://www.masie.com

2. Short Video Mentoring Explored: Sometimes all one needs as a learner is a few minutes of conversation or feedback from a peer. That is the core of On-The-Job learning. And, as we add video and more distributed workers, we need to stretch the process. We have been tracking increased use of short Video Mentoring sessions - sometimes using Skype or corporate video desktop systems - to connect a learner to a mentoring peer in another location. The fun part is that the duration can be very short. For example, someone who is learning a new sales process might have the option of dialoging for 3 to 5 minutes - a few times each day for a week - with an experienced sales person located in another part of the world. Their mentoring is not meant to be behavioral coaching; rather, it is focused on what the learner is about to do - or what they just did. In the sales example, pre-brief a sales call or do an autopsy after a failed sale. 

This process does not take much infrastructure and can be amazingly engaging for both the learner and the mentor! Try it!

3. COIN - 1 Card for Many Credit Cards: We have been experimenting with a new application called “Coin”. It is a high tech single card onto which I securely load the data from a range of my credit cards. It synchronizes with my mobile phone and is only authorized when I use a code on the card or turn it on by the nearby mobile phone. It allows me to go from many to 1 credit card - and to get ready for a smaller wallet. The synchronizing of data to a digital format is intriguing and may lead to other applications for corporate access and security. Here is the link: http://onlycoin.com

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Host, Learning 2016
Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
- Learning Innovations LAB - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Gamification, Engagement & Learning - January 2016 - Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida.

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com