984 - Amazon Book Store? Conversational Support for Learning, EdTech Week in NY

Elliott Masie’s Learning TRENDS - November 29, 2017.
#984 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology Since 1997.
57,874  Readers - www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Curation & Learning LAB - Saratoga Springs, NY Jan 30 to Feb 1. 

1. Amazon Has a Book Store - Curation in Retail.
2. Typed and Talked Curiosities - Conversations with ChatBots & Devices.
3. NY EdTech Week: Exploring the Surge in Learning Ventures.
4. Curation & Learning LAB in Saratoga. 

1. Amazon Has a Book Store - Curation in Retail: This weekend, I had quite a surprise while walking around New York City.  In Columbus Circle there was a small and very different bookstore - from Amazon. 

I ventured in to see why and how Amazon was entering the store market for selling books.  The next half hour was intriguing.  The store was designed as a Curation Experience.  The shelf content was largely determined by interest and sales in the online space.  The books were organized to trigger an association model for me, the buyer.  For example, several key business books were on a shelf - next to 5 other books that a reader of the popular one might want to explore. 

I bought more books than I expected and came away with a list of 4 others to order online.  My checkout was instant, linking my credit card to my Amazon Prime account - and giving the same discount I would have online. 

The space was smaller than one of the big bookstores but the intimacy and stimulation was driven by a unique leveraging of personal and community curation.  It will be interesting to watch what Amazon and others do with this approach in other retail areas. 

2. Typed and Talked Curiosities - Conversations with ChatBots & Devices: One of the growing interests in the Learning field is the deployment of “Conversational Technologies” to enable the workforce to either type in a chatbot format or talk to a device - with immediate questions or curiosities.  

The MASIE Center will be experimenting with a range of ChatBots and implementations of Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home and Apple’s Siri - to explore how chatbots and verbal search could impact workplace learning readiness. 

I would love to hear from colleagues that are experimenting with these conversational technologies and would be interested in discussing their experiences and projects.   Reach out to me at emasie@masie.com 

3. NY EdTech Week -  Exploring the Surge in Learning Ventures.  We are honored to be a part of a very unique event that will happen in New York City from December 18 to 20th.   Our SecondAccent Project is one of the featured learning ventures at this dialogue about the surge in start-ups and new businesses in learning and education.  For the past few months, SecondAccent from the MASIE Center has been hosted at NYU in an Accelerator program for new ventures.   Here is the announcement about NY EdTech Week: 

NY EDTECH WEEK attracts 1500+ technology innovators, early-stage investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, media representatives, researchers, and educators to foster new partnerships and exchange best practices in education technology. The festival will offer the best of New York City — connections, customers, capital, and culture — centered at NYU’s Greenwich Village campus with activities taking place around the city.  Info at: www.nyedtechweek.com 

4. Curation & Learning LAB in Saratoga:  We are pleased to announce the January 2018 dates for our popular lab that focuses on the process, technologies and direction of curation at the workplace: 

Curation & Learning LAB at The MASIE Center.
Hosted by: Elliott Masie with Remote Faculty and Resources.
Dates: January 30 to Feb 1, 2018.
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY, USA. 

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: @emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services: 

- Curation & Learning LAB - Jan 31 to Feb 1 - Saratoga Springs, NY
- Learning 2018 - Nov 4 to 7 - Orlando (Very Early Registration Now Open)
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM 

Details and Online Registration: http://www.masie.com 

Learning TRENDS is produced by The MASIE Center.  95 Washington Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

983 - Learning Videos, Curation LAB Announced & Facial ID Implications

Elliott Masie’s Learning TRENDS - November 21, 2017.
#983 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology Since 1997.
57,861  Readers - www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Curation & Learning LAB - Saratoga Springs, NY Jan 30 to Feb 1. 

1. Video from Learning 2017 - Curated & Online in Open Source.
2. Announcing: Curation & Learning LAB in Saratoga.
3. iPhoneX - First Impressions of Visual Recognition & Cameras.
4. Thanksgiving Day Greetings to TRENDS Colleagues. 

1. Video from Learning 2017 - Curated & Online in Open Source:  We are pleased to announce the publishing of our first wave of Curated Video Content from Learning 2017.  We have selected video clips from many of the speakers and they are online at: 

Learning 2017 Curated Content:
https://www.learning2017.com/index.php/2017Curation 

We will add additional content from the event in the weeks to come.  Thanks to our faculty and the production team here at The MASIE Center for reviewing, editing and formatting the video content. This is our ongoing commitment to Curate content from our events for both attendees and the wider field. 

2. Announcing - Curation & Learning LAB in Saratoga:  We are pleased to announce the January 2018 dates for our popular lab that focuses on the process, technologies and direction of curation at the workplace: 

Curation & Learning LAB at The MASIE Center.
Hosted by: Elliott Masie with Remote Faculty and Resources.
Dates: January 30 to Feb 1, 2018.
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY, USA. 

I am honored to host this dynamic and interactive lab.  We host several of these a year and they always fill up.  For 3 days, we will dive deep into how to Optimize the ever expanding selection of content (internal, licensed, community-based and open source) for both the organization and the learner. 

Details and registration at: https://www.masie.com/curation/curation-invite.html 

3. iPhoneX - First Impressions of Visual Recognition & Cameras: After one day of using and testing the new Apple iPhoneX - here are a few impressions and potential implications for workplace performance: 

* FaceID: The facial recognition features are both fascinating and also a bit “freaky”.  As you set up the iPhoneX, a deep facial photo is captured with 180 Degree rotation.  This then forms the basis of an instant recognition of you, the user, even in the dark, rather than use the traditional password or touch ID.  The first few hours of use were new and then it seemed natural that the phone could instantly sense the identity of me, the user. 

If this technology is widely accepted and grows to other phone and device platforms, it can be a shift in how much time is spent on password recognition, password recall and cyber security.  Remember that this is a new feature for Apple and in early use on other technology networks - it will evolve and grow.  

I am intrigued how a device, other than a phone, would instantly know which worker is operating it, and shift the format of use, language of instructions or level of performance support.  Stay tuned. 

* Higher and Higher Def & Augmented Cameras:  There are higher definition cameras in the iPhoneX and also the first round of augmented reality features that allow the user to both shoot a video and add content/context embedded in the capture.  We are expecting to see a rise in the ease and scope of Augmented Reality video knowledge clips.  Imagine a worker shooting a 3 minute clip of a work process and then added animated or interactive elements on top - that represent knowledge elements.  Stay tuned! 

4. Thanksgiving Day Greetings to TRENDS Colleagues:  May our colleagues that are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend have a warm, healthy holiday.  Best wishes to you and your family/friends. 

Yours in learning, 

Elliott Masie
Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: @emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services: 

- Curation & Learning LAB - Jan 31 to Feb 1 - Saratoga Springs, Ny
- Learning 2018 - Nov 4 to 7 - Orlando (Very Early Registration Now Open)
- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM 

Details and Online Registration: http://www.masie.com 

Learning TRENDS is produced by The MASIE Center.  95 Washington Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

982 - Hello from India, 20th Anniversary of TRENDS and Learning 2017 Curation

Elliott Masie’s Learning TRENDS - November 13, 2017.
#982 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology Since 1997.
57,859  Readers - www.masie.com - The MASIE Center. 

1. 20th Anniversary for Learning TRENDS!
2. Hello from India - Learning Conversations
3. Curating Learning 2017! 

First of all, Hello from India! I received a number of notes from Learning TRENDS readers asking where our occasional notes were in the last few weeks. Between an amazing Learning 2017 and then a two-week trip to India for some Learning Projects and Reflection, my fingers have been off the TRENDS keyboard. But, it is also our Learning TRENDS Anniversary - so here is a quick note from Goa, India! 

1. 20th Anniversary for Learning TRENDS! In 1997, I started a simple irregular email blast, which became Learning TRENDS, to share some observations with learning and business colleagues around the world. 

Over the past 20 years, we have had tens of thousands of readers and collaborators receive and react to my Learning TRENDS emails. I’ve always tried to follow the rule of sending it when I had something to share or comment on - rather than a regular schedule. 

Over the 20 years, I have experimented with rich text, graphic-intensive, and other formats and keep coming back to simple plain text, usually 3 items, and sending it by email as well as posting it at http://trends.masie.com. We have posted all TRENDS at that site. 

We have turned down over 500 offers from companies to advertise on the page or “buy” an article. My code of conduct is to never endorse a product or to take any revenue from the Learning TRENDS project. It is a great way to keep in touch with our colleagues and certainly helps us let the world know about our Learning events and projects.

Much has evolved over the 20 years. “Learning” is the descriptor rather than “training”. Tech is assumed to be a part of the learning mix. And, people have joined, left, retired, been promoted and evolved.  

I am excited for future Learning TRENDS notes and postings. I hope that you will come along for the ride. If you have any comments to share, send me a note to emasie@masie.com.  

2. Hello from India - Learning Conversations: Spending two weeks in India focusing on Learning and also taking time for personal and professional reflection.

Colleagues from our host Accenture and other companies in the Bangalore area were wonderful in sharing the role and growth of learning in India. There were wonderful conversations about a range of topics including: 

* Learning Sourcing Shifting: Many groups “outsourced” elearning coding to India for years. Now, there is a strong sense of learning innovation and development happening in this country - and organizations are shifting to a more global approach.

* Learning Tech Expanding to Virtual, Collaborative, ChatBots and More. We visited awesome labs where the next generation of learning - for colleagues around the world - is being developed.

* Strong Focus on Brain Science and Holistic Approaches to Learning/Performance. Wonderful conversations about the growth of brain science as it applies to learning assumptions. And, rich integration of emotional, societal and cognitive dimensions in learning strategies.

Stay tuned for a detailed report that I will compile after coming back to the United States next week. 

3. Curating Learning 2017! Learning 2017 was amazing! There were 1,814 global colleagues engaging in over 190 sessions and experiences. Keynoters included Michelle Obama, John Lithgow and a host of Chief Learning Officers and other innovators. We had our own Learning song called “Right Now” and 7 participants were part of a dance to it.

My team is pulling together an Open Source Curation of Learning 2017. Over the next few weeks we will post videos, content curation segments, and even an illustrated booklet focusing on the learning content and conversations. 

And, I will be sharing a video summary of the key Learning Points that came out of the 3 1/2 days of Learning 2017. These will be posted on our http://www.learning2017.com site and I will highlight them in a future Learning TRENDS. 

Thanks to all who attended and we are honored to curate the content for a wider audience of colleagues around the globe. 

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: @emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services: 

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
- Learning 2018 - Nov 4 to 7 - Orlando (Very Early Registration Now Open) 

Details and Online Registration: http://www.masie.com 

Learning TRENDS is produced by The MASIE Center.  95 Washington Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866