Special: Presidential Learning Perspectives Project

TO: Learning & Training Colleagues

FROM: Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center

RE: Presidential Learning Perspectives Project

• Will the word “Learning” be used by any of the candidates for President?
• Will any of the candidates talk about “Learning” as a force, challenge or opportunity in tackling the serious issues facing the world?
• Can we imagine a speech that advocates a Learning Organization oreven an Learning Culture?
• What can a President do to move the learning field forward - with research, advocacy, policy or personal example?

I would like to invite my learning colleagues in the U.S. and around the world, to join in an effort to add a discussion abaout Learning to the 2008 Campaign.

Over the next ten months, we will be working with both parties and all of the candidates, to engage them on Learning topics.

Learning, Training, Performance and Knowledge are phrases that we should see in the candidate’s white papers and speeches. Learning mustplay a key role in addressing economic, development, domestic policy and global issues.

We have even scheduled a major event at Learning 2008, a few weeks before the election, to focus on the candidates positions on Learning related issues and approaches.

If you would be willing to be part of a non-partisan effort, Presidential Learning Perspectives Project, please send me a personal note to emasie@masie.com  Or, post your thoughts here.

Let’s hope that the next President will be a learner and will be supportive of the role of learning in our organizations and society.

Elliott

499 - Classrooms 2.0; Learning in a Recession?

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - January 17, 2008.
#499 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
54,089 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host, Learning Systems ‘08 - April 10 & 11 - Las Vegas, NV.

1. Classroom 2.0: The Classroom of the Future.
2. Learning in a Recession?
3. One More Edition Until TRENDS 500!

1. Classroom 2.0: The Classroom of the Future: Classrooms easily can feel neglected these days.  With talk of e-Learning, Web 2.0, Fingertip Knowledge and Social Networks, where is the conversation about Classroom 2.0?

Our organizations are still offering a great deal of learning experiences in a face-to-face classroom.  And, the classroom will not go away any time soon.  The methods will evolve, the footprint will change and even the roles of learners and teachers will be rocked, but we still will have a good number of classrooms. 

So, let’s brainstorm about Classroom 2.0.  If your organization asked you to design the Classroom of the Future for deployment today, what would you suggest?  What technologies, layouts, new roles and altered methods would you deploy?  I’d love to hear about your Brainstorm in a short-term blog that we have set up.  Go to the following website and add your comments to this TRENDS Brainstorm:

http://classroom2008.blogspot.com
 

2. Learning in a Recession?  In the last few weeks, we have had a good number of calls from learning colleagues in the United States, asking for perspective on how Learning will do if we are headed toward (or are already in) an economic recession.  This is a serious and actually quite depressing topic for learning executives.  In a recession, organizations often make rapid and sometimes stupid decisions to slice any function that is not seen as directly linked to the Revenue side of the equation.

In addition, investments in learning systems and infrastructure can already be seen as getting tougher.  There are two companies that were ready to sign a contract for a new LMS in January 2008, yet were told to hold off or cancel the contract.  It was seen as a difficult time to be spending when the future of the economy is uncertain.  Another CLO was told to shrink her staff by 40% in the next three months, in order to be seen as “tightening” the budget.  Actually, the company will be spending a huge amount in an outsourcing deal to compensate for the dwindling staff capacity.

Yet, the need to retain great Talent and to have the speed and agility to respond to changing market conditions is often clearly linked to the learning capacity and function within the organization.

The MASIE Center is creating a Learning & Recession Task Force to look at strategies for reacting to tough economic times.  I would love to have volunteers and also your comments and perspectives.  Just send me an email to emasie@masie.com.

3. One More Edition Until TRENDS 500! In just a few days, we will celebrate the 500th edition of Learning TRENDS.  It has been fascinating to see the evolution of learning over the past 10+ years.  We have collected comments from many TRENDS readers for this special edition.  But, if you would like to add your comments, you can send them to me at emasie@masie.com.

Upcoming MASIE Center Events and Services:
- Performance Support LAB & Seminar: Jan. 30 - Feb 1, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Learning Leaders Academy: March 10 - 12, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Learning Systems ‘08 Conference: April 10 and 11, Las Vegas, NV.
- Learning 2008: Oct. 26-29, Orlando, Florida.
Information and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Email to Elliott: emasie@masie.com

498 - Electronics and Learning, Future of Meetings

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Jan 14, 2007.
#498 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
54,085 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host, Learning Systems ‘08 - April 10 & 11 - Las Vegas, NV.

1. Electronics/CES PodCast and MacWorld Preview.
2. The Future of Meetings: Video Segment.
3. Learning at the Moment of Need.

1. Electronics/CES PodCast and MacWorld Preview and Learning: The Consumer Electronics Show has just concluded in Las Vegas. Judy Brown, our MASIE Learning Fellow, was covering the show for Learning TRENDS. We interviewed Judy via a PodCast and you can listen to this (as well as access a number of her reports) at:

http://www.masieweb.com/CES2008-coverage

For a preview of MacWorld, and one reporter’s predictions of what we might hear from there in the coming days, please visit:

http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits.ars/2008/01/06/mwsf-2008-keynote-bingo

2. The Future of Meetings: Video Segment. I had the honor of hosting Bruce McMillan, CEO of Meeting Professionals International, for an intense day here at The MASIE Center. We have started a major collaboration between our two organizations, looking at the future of meetings. How will technology and internet technologies evolve the role and format of future face-to-face meetings? You can view an interview/dialogue that we did on the future of meetings at:

http://www.masieweb.com/mpivideo

We will continue the conversation on the Future of Meetings in an interactive ThinkTank session at MPI’s Professional Education Conference in Houston, February 2 - 5. To learn more about this event go to:

http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/pec2008/peccommon.aspx?id=13798

3. Learning at the Moment of Need! One of the key challenges of organizational learning departments in the coming year is to expand the resources we offer for Performance Support to our workforce. There are still a few seats available in our upcoming Performance Support LAB & Seminar, to be held in Saratoga Springs starting on January 30th. Taught by Conrad Gottfredson and Bob Mosher, this is an intimate look at how to build “Learning at the Moment of Need” for your workforce, from high tech to low tech solutions. Information at http://www.masie.com


Upcoming MASIE Center Events and Services:

- Performance Support LAB & Seminar: Jan. 30 - Feb 1, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Learning Leaders Academy: March 10 - 12, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Learning Systems ‘08 Conference: April 10 and 11, Las Vegas, NV.
- Learning 2008: Oct. 26-29, Orlando, Florida.
Information and Registration: http://www.masie.com

497 - Video Noontime Snacking; Personalized Targeted HR

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Jan 5, 2008.
#497 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
54,071 Readers -http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host, Learning Systems ‘08 - April 10 & 11 - Las Vegas, NV.

1. Noontime Video Snacking Rises … Learning Opportunities?
2. Targeted and Personalized HR Policies
3. TRENDS 500 Approaching

1. Noontime Video Snacking Rises … Learning Opportunities? There is a visible growth in employee viewing of video content during lunch breaks. There is an acute spike in bandwidth usage during the lunch hour as employees watch video from sources like YouTube, CNN, ABC and television networks. A genre of lunchtime video is emerging, with daily targeted, short segments produced for the lunchtime crowd. The phrase “video snacking” refers to this emerging trend, which The New York Times addressed in an interesting article today:

“In some offices, workers coordinate their midday Web-watching
schedules, the better to shout out punch lines to one another across
rows of desks. Some people gravitate to sites where they can reliably
find Webcasts of a certain length — say, a three-minute political
wrap-up — to minimize both their mouse clicks and the sandwich crumbs
that wind up in the keyboard.

“Go take a walk around your office” at lunchtime, said Alan Wurtzel,
head of research for NBC. “Out of 20 people, I’m going to guarantee
that 5 are going to be on some sort of site that is not work-related.”

The midday spike in Web traffic is not a new phenomenon, but media
companies have started responding in a meaningful way over the last
year. They are creating new shows, timing the posts to coincide with
hunger pangs. And they are rejiggering the way they sell advertising
online, recognizing that noontime programs can command a premium.”

So, what if we harnessed the concept of Video Snacking for learning?
Imagine your organization producing a short, 5 to 7 minute show every
day for viewing during lunch. Ideas?

2. Targeted and Personalized HR Policies: As organizations look at
strategies to attract and retain younger workers, there is a
conversation starting about Targeted & Personalized HR Policies. For
years, organizations have focused on the “fairness” of a common HR
policy. Everyone got the same formula for vacation days. But, as we
see a new generation enter the workplace, with very different and
individualized preferences, there is an opportunity to use a
personalized HR model as a retention strategy.

For example, some employees are only planning on staying with the
organization for 6 months to 2 years. And, they are very focused on a
side-line hobby or business. One could imagine a personalized HR
Policy for them that was quite different than a career-focused 40-year-old manager. The hiring process might actually drive a menu model that
blends compensation, time allocation and development opportunities. This
could yield a contract for HR with this person (sort of My-HR Policy),
which would be re-visited each year. And, I could see the information
from an updated LMS system being part of this experiment.

Organizations might even experiment with a range of HR policies and
see the impact on performance, employee retention and even
satisfaction. I know, this is not your father’s HR world. It takes us
beyond the “collective bargaining” model of a unified and “fair” HR
handbook. And, please note: this is way more provocative than giving a
cafeteria model of benefits to workers. This would actually yield a
complex but perhaps highly effective approach to HR.

3. TRENDS 500 Approaching: In just a week, the 500th edition of
Learning TRENDS will be published. Started over 10 years ago, TRENDS
is one of the favorite things that I get to create/distribute. Help me
with the 500th edition. We have heard from hundreds of Learning TRENDS
readers with some words, notes, raves, rants or thoughts about
Learning. We’ll include these in a special 500th Edition. Send me an
email to emasie@masie.com

Upcoming MASIE Center Events and Services:


Performance Support LAB & Seminar: Jan. 30 - Feb 1, Saratoga Springs, NY.
Learning Leaders Academy: March 10 - 12, Saratoga Springs, NY.
Learning Systems ‘08 Conference: April 10 and 11, Las Vegas, NV.
Learning 2008: Oct. 26-29, Orlando, Florida. Information and Registration:

http://www.masie.com

A Personal Favor

TO: Learning & Training Colleagues
FROM: Elliott Masie, Learning TRENDS Newsletter

In just one week, Learning TRENDS will be 500! And, I’d love to get your help and thoughts.

In November 1997, I started TRENDS as an occasional newsletter for our colleagues in the learning field. Over the past decade, we have sent out 496 editions of this small and simple publication. The readership has grown to over 55,000 from over 91 countries around the world.

I would like to ask a favor as we prepare for Edition #500. Would you write a paragraph or more with your thoughts about the field of Learning? These could be short rants, hopes, stories or personal musings.

I’d like to compile your thoughts in a special edition of Learning TRENDS that we will send out as #500. Send me your thoughts to:

emasie@masie.com

It has been fun to send out TRENDS for the last ten years and I look forward to working and learning with you in future.

Yours in learning,

Elliott

Elliott Masie, The MASIE Center



Upcoming MASIE Center Events and Services:
- Performance Support LAB & Seminar: Jan. 30 - Feb 1, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Learning Leaders Academy: March 10 - 12, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Learning Systems ‘08 Conference: April 10 and 11, Las Vegas, NV.
- Learning 2008: Oct. 26-29, Orlando, Florida.
Information and Registration: http://www.masie.com