920 - Learning Autopsies, Photos are Content, Too.

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - June 28, 2016.
#920 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,286 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning Innovations LAB - July 12-14 in Saratoga Springs, NY.

1. “Learning Autopsies”?
2. Photos Are Content, Too!
3. A Passing Photographer, Small Camera for Big Ideas.

1. “Learning Autopsies”? So many sessions at conferences are about success stories, best practices and emerging trends.  But, where are the failure stories that we want to hear?  Where do we dissect a good idea that didn’t work when put into widespread practice?  That’s been on my mind as our team is designing Learning 2016.  So, we invented:

“Learning Autopsies” - Truthful Stories About Failures & Unexpected Outcomes!

We have been chatting with many colleagues who are planning to open the seal on learning failure stories.  One example is “Gaming for Learning at Desks Didn’t Fly & Too Playful Didn’t Work”. We will hear the hopes and then the realities of challenges in the implementation. Check out our “Learning Autopsies” model and role at Learning 2016. Details: http://www.learning2016.com/item/learning-autopsies

2. Photos Are Content, Too! We live in the age of pics and photos. Every one of your employees has a phone that takes hundreds of photos. And, they include pics of work situations. Yet, most companies don’t have a way for employees to share cool and important photos in the workplace. Imagine if you could leverage their pictures to support the learning and performance projects done by the Learning and Development team.

Consider starting a Workplace-Pics site that encourages employees to share pics. These could be curated and shared for both social meaning and also leveraged for learning and performance content.  Remember, Photos are Content, Too!

3. A Passing Photographer, Small Camera for Big Ideas: Talking about pictures, an amazing and important photographer passed away this week.  Bill Cunningham was the most interesting photographer for the New York Times, covering the fashion, culture and theater worlds. His pictures were essays in contract.  And, he could be seen on the Red Carpet lines of new theater productions or just taking pictures on the street.  He would use a small camera and capture big ideas. A wonderful story online at: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/bill-cunningham-saw-us-all  This is a man who truly made Photos Content That Mattered!

Yours in Learning,

Elliott Masie

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Learning Innovations LAB - July 12-14, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

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

919 - Barracuda Learning Bowl, Overwhelming Content Syndrome

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - June 22, 2016.
#919 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,275 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning Innovations LAB - July 12-14 in Saratoga Springs, NY.

1. Barracuda Bowl for Learning Announced.
2. Content Overwhelmed Learners!
3. SpongeBob Musical Reactions - Wow!
4. Your Ideas and Designs, Please! 

1. Barracuda Bowl for Learning Announced: There are hundreds of interesting ventures, start-ups and technology incubators that are touching on the worlds of Education and Schooling.  But, most of them are targeting the K-12 or Higher Education Marketplace. Every week, I hear from young start-ups about a social learning tool aimed at high school student engagement or a Virtual Reality program for college students in science courses. Yet, few of these innovators and creators understand the HUGE learning marketplace that is the corporate workplace field. So, we are adding an exciting and fun element of Learning 2016: 

Learning Barracuda Bowl! 

Each learning start-up selected will have 5 minutes (live or by video) to present their ideas to a group of learning colleagues at Learning 2016. We will then ask some drill down questions and provide exposure to our field for these learning innovations.  We believe that many EdTech solutions built for high schools can and should be adapted for workplace learning.  It will be our own version of “SharkTank” with the focus on encouraging breakthrough inventions that learning colleagues can leverage in their workplaces.  Details at: http://www.learning2016.com/item/bar 

2. Content Overwhelmed Learners! In conversations with hundreds of learning colleagues over the past 3 months, I have been struck by the perception of the Content Overwhelmed Learner. Leaders of corporate learning are reporting that our learners feel that content choices have expanded by 10, 29 or 100 times. We are likely to publish massively more digital assets to support learners. And, the learner is being exposed to an endless stream of video and other content from outside sources, including TED Talks, YouTube Clips and a cascade of content from social networks and excited marketers.  

Yet, the average learner does not have tools or even behavioral models for sorting and choosing from this expansion of content. Some would say that the learner needs to increase their “Personal Curation” skills.  Others would advocate for “Organizational Curation” tools and systems. And, many learners are showing signs of suffering from “Overwhelming Content Syndrome” :) 

However, those curation tools are not easily available in current Learning Systems (LMS or LCMS). And, few add the much valued “Recommendation” dimension - where the learner can use filtered peer reactions to help sort and choose the most appropriate content segment.  For many learners, too much content means that they consume none of it as the overhead time for selection becomes too great. 

Here is a simple Learning TRENDS homework “assignment”: ask 10 learners about content and how they sort and organize increasing content choices. I would love to hear your summary and will publish an anonymous summary of these reactions in a TRENDS in the coming weeks.  Send me a note to emasie@masie.com 

3. SpongeBob Musical Reactions - Wow! One of the MASIE Productions musicals had its formal Opening in Chicago this week - SpongeBob Musical. This is always a very nervous moment for producers and the creative team, especially in a tryout city with a show that breaks most of your assumptions about a musical format. And, the reviews were Wow.  Can’t help but share the video from a TV Theater Critic: 

SpongeBob Musical Opening (Chicago) Review:

http://wgntv.com/2016/06/20/deans-review-the-spongebob-musical-world-premiere/ 

We plan on bringing this show, with Nickelodeon as the key producer, to Broadway in the coming year. Stay tuned! 

4. Your Ideas and Designs, Please! We already have over 200 ideas and session ideas, but creating a very different Learning Experience takes even more. 

We are actively seeking great and cool ideas for our learning activities and sessions at Learning 2016.  If you would like to facilitate a one-hour session on a key topic related to workplace learning or have an idea for an activity that you would like to attend (rather than lead), please contact us. Go to: http://www.learning2016.com/item/help-design-learning-2016 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Learning Innovations LAB - July 12-14, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

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

918 - LinkedIn to Microsoft; Curation Skills for Newbies; 360 Video

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - June 13, 2016.
#918 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,269 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016 - Oct 23-26 in Orlando - www.learning2016.com 

1. Wow! Microsoft Buys LinkedIn for $26 Billion - Talent/Learning Impacts?
2. Curation Skills for New Employees!
3. Experiments with Ricoh Theta 360 Camera.
4. Learning 2016 Updates! 

1. Wow! Microsoft Buys LinkedIn for $26 Billion - Talent/Learning Impacts? When the news came across my mobile phone about LinkedIn being purchased by Microsoft for $26 Billion, I smiled.

This purchase combines the shifting focus of Microsoft to Cloud and Enterprise Capacity with LinkedIn’s Talent, Connection and Opportunity Capacity. Microsoft has been focused on the threat that Salesforce poses. And, LinkedIn provides a deep link to the “Connection” and “Opportunity” slice of organizational technology. 

In recent years, LinkedIn has expanded into the Learning and Talent spaces, with the purchase of lynda.com and a new version of the Recruiter system. 

It will be intriguing to watch the impact that this purchase has on the Learning and Talent marketplaces.  Check out the video of their 2 CEO’s talking about this news: http://tinyurl.com/zo3b7r9 

2. Curation Skills for New Employees! Let me add a target skill for the on-boarding of new employees: CURATION.  Increasingly, our new employees are coming into enterprises with an avalanche of information resources, social networks, formal learning content and workflow performance resources. But, how do they Curate these resources to make wise and strategic choices about what to access with what impact?

Organizations are starting to include “Curation” skills, tools and tips for new hires, to sort their way through the organizational content. Some are adding Curation elements to their Content Management Systems.  Others are leveraging open source tools to help learners curate.

I would urge new employees to match on-boarding teammates with experienced colleagues as “curation” models or mentors. Give practical examples of how learners handle the flow and which tools, recommendations or ratings can help them prioritize agile access to the content they need at their moments of need.

3. Experiments with Ricoh Theta 360 Camera: We are having a blast in the MASIE Center’s VRLearn Lab experimenting with a new 360 Camera from Ricoh. The Theta 360 camera has 2 cameras for a total surround view.  It weighs just a few ounces and can sync up to either a smartphone or computer. We purchased ours for $349 and are experimenting with the ability to easily create a video that the user can direct with their touch or through a VR goggle.  Here are 2 video samples of this kind of camera capture:

* Demonstration of the Ricoh 360 Camera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsrXPXhGZIg 
* Touch and Shift of 360 Image: https://theta360.com/spheres/samples/5bdbf9f8-3a15-11e4-bf19-52540092ec69-1
* Touch and Shift of Video 360 Image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXfRyx3fJ7s&list=PLUNwoq62t78JymaviIPbL4ZkvK8gpRXcw&index=13 

For more information on this equipment: https://theta360.com/en/about/theta/s.html 

4. Learning 2016 Updates! Registration is building for our Learning 2016 event to be held in Orlando from Oct 23 to 26. Here are a few of the updates: 

- Learn-A-Thon Apps to Be Built. Each participant will have a unique opportunity to sketch out a cool “Learning App” to solve a learning challenge. Several will be “coded” overnight.
- 30 Under 30 Program is Filling.  If you have a learning colleague under the age of 30 this year, ask them to check out our 30 Under 30 Program.
- Learning Systems Forum! Our LMS, LCMS and other Learning Systems are in a state of change and shift. We have added a Forum to benchmark and prep for the future of Learning Systems.
- Retreats and Delegations: There are over 30 companies coming to Learning 2016 as groups, some with several dozen learning professionals for retreats. And, we will have delegations from Europe, South America, Asia and other parts of the globe. 

There are over 576 colleagues registered for Learning 2016.  For Early Discounts and more information, go to: http://www.learning2016.com 

Yours in Learning,

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
- Learning Innovations LAB - July 12-14, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida.
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

30 Under 30 Learning Program; Please Help Design Learning 2016

TO: Learning, HR, Training and Performance Colleagues
FROM: Elliott Masie, Host & Curator
DATE: June 3, 2016 

1. 30 Under 30 Learning Program Opens!
2. Help Design Learning 2016!

We would like to invite our Learning TRENDS readers and colleagues to be engaged in two aspects of Learning 2016, which is my 26th annual global conference (Oct 23 to 26, in Orlando, Florida, USA).  We already have 576 colleagues registered and keynoters including Astronaut Scott Kelly, George Takei on Storytelling, Tiffany Shlain on Science of Character, Karl Kapp on Gamification, Nancy Deviney on Women & Learning, Richard Culatta on Compliance, and many more.  Here are some requests to our learning colleagues from around the world:

1. 30 Under 30 Learning Program Opens: We are proud to bring back this popular program, aimed at developing and spotlighting the next generation of Learning Leadership in our field! This year, we will provide a special scholarship and program for 30 learning professionals under the age of 30 at Learning 2016.

The goal of the 30 Under 30 Learning Program is to provide support, visibility, voice, and development for the next generation of Learning Leaders.

Each member of the 30 Under 30 program at Learning 2016 will receive:

- 30 Under 30 sessions, led by alumni of previous 30 Under 30 programs.
- Unique development and benchmarking activities with peers and learning leaders.
- Interactive time with key speakers, including Elliott Masie.
- Participation in mentoring activities.
- Key roles at Learning 2016 as leaders and facilitators.
- A major discount to Learning 2016.

“The 30 Under 30 program was a great opportunity for me, and I know that those in my alumni class have been able to progress in their careers since being part of the program,” said Sarah Truchard, Rockwater Energy Solutions.

Complete details of our 30 Under 30 Learning Program (for you or your colleagues) is available at http://www.learning2016.com/30-under-thirty

2. Help Design Learning 2016! We are actively seeking great and cool ideas for our 150 learning activities and sessions at Learning 2016.  If you would like to facilitate a one-hour session on a key topic related to workplace learning or have an idea for an activity that you would like to attend (rather than lead), please contact us. Go to: http://www.learning2016.com/item/help-design-learning-2016 

Yours in Learning,

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Learning Directions Briefings: June in Los Angeles and Chicago.
- Learning Innovations LAB - July 12-14, Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. (576 Colleagues Already Registered)

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