852 - Questions for Bobby Flay, Ken Robinson and Robin Roberts; Google Adds Tech for Virtual Medical Visits

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 13, 2014.
#852 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
56,721 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2014 - Oct 26-29 - Orlando. 1,618 Registered Already.

1. Questions for Robin Roberts, Bobby Flay & Sir Ken Robinson, Please!
2. Google Adds Medical Virtual Visits to Hangouts and Helpouts.
3. Lindsay Mendez, Broadway Star to Perform at Learning 2014.

1. Questions for Robin Roberts, Bobby Flay & Sir Ken Robinson Please! Over the next 12 days, I have the fun and challenging task of building a list of questions to ask the keynoters for Learning 2014. So, please help! I would love to have wonderful “stretch” questions for these and other keynoters. Send me a note if you have a cool question for these folks and topics:

* Chef Bobby Flay: Cooking, Learning, Throwdowns or other questions, please.
* Robin Roberts, Good Morning America: Storytelling, interviewing, personal, medical or other questions, please.
* Sir Ken Robinson: Learning Revolution, creativity, personalization or other questions, please.
* TED Videos: Questions about why TED Videos are so popular and highly used.
* Elliott Masie: What are some questions for me - about learning trends and futures?

Please send me your questions, whether you are attending Learning 2014 or not, to emasie@masie.com   I won’t be able to use all of them, but it will help enormously and I will publish summaries of these queries on TRENDS after the event, which starts on October 26.  http://www.learning2014.com

2. Google Adds Medical Virtual Visits to Hangouts and Helpouts: Medical visits with doctors and other health care professionals are going more and more virtual. Google has just announced they will be adding Virtual Medical Visit capacity to their Helpouts, which is an extension of their video-based Hangouts. Information at: http://tinyurl.com/lfp4vrv

3. Lindsay Mendez, Broadway Star to Perform at Learning 2014: I am honored to bring one of the most popular Broadway stars to sing in our general sessions at Learning 2014. 

Lindsay Mendez has appeared in Wicked as Elphaba, Godspell, Grease as Jan, and Everyday Rapture. For her role as Rose Fenny in Off-Broadway’s Dogfight, she was nominated for the 2013 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, the 2013 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.

Lindsay will add musical magic to the general session that will open Learning 2014 and help welcome Robin Roberts and Chef Bobby Flay with some very theme-appropriate tunes.

A picture of Lindsay and a link to a video she made describing the back stage makeup process as she starred in Wicked is on my website at: http://www.learning2014.com/index.php/item/lindsay.html

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Chair, The Learning CONSORTIUM
Curator & Host, Learning 2014

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2014 - October 2014 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

851 - Colbert, Carol Burnett and Appointment TV; Personalizing a Learning App

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 10, 2014.
#851 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
56,719 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2014 - Oct 26-29 - Orlando. 1,594 Registered Already.

1. Stephen Colbert - “Appointment TV” - Carol Burnett Perspective.
2. Engage the App: 1,600 Users Start to Collaborate.

1. Stephen Colbert - “Appointment TV” - Carol Burnett Perspective: Last night, a fun convergence happened between the Stephen Colbert TV Show, Learning, Carol Burnett and Appointment TV.

As you may know, MASIE Productions is co-producing Love Letters, starring Carol Burnett, starting tomorrow on Broadway. She was interviewed on the Colbert TV Show and asked about the change in how people watch and consume media and content.

Stephen Colbert noted that when her Carol Burnett Show was on decades ago, she had 50 million viewers each week. Carol noted:

* Every Saturday night there were these shows on in row: Archie Bunker, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett.
* She joked that, back then in 1967, “There was only 1 channel on TV” - though there were only a few :)
* But, she said that the difference was that it was “APPOINTMENT TELEVISION”. People made a plan to sit together with family and friends and watch a show together - as others did at the same time around the country.

I loved her phrase “APPOINTMENT TELEVISION”. It relates directly to Learning. Much of what we did for decades was “APPOINTMENT TRAINING”, a parallel to the same trend in the workplace. But, now the shift is towards many, many more options and viewer/learner freedom to choose when, what, how long and how often.

You can watch the interview with Carol Burnett by Steven Colbert at: http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/hzou6l/carol-burnett

And, if you get to New York City, catch her on Broadway at our show Love Letters, starting tomorrow afternoon: http://lovelettersbroadway.com/

2. Engage the App - 1,600 Users Start to Collaborate: Yesterday, our team at The MASIE Center took a deep breath as we sent out authorization codes for access to the Learning 2014 Mobile App, Engage, to 1,600 colleagues coming to the event starting on Oct 26th.

We took a deep breath because the world of mobile apps for events and learning is changing. We had to make it multi-platform: Apple, Android and web-based. We had to alter the app to fit our code of conduct about participant privacy. I did not want to share emails for fellow participants without their express permission on a case-by-case basis. We wanted to add “Notes” so learners could take notes during each session, keep them private, and download them as a file at the end of the event. We wanted to add iBeacons, which are just coming to the market, that would be triggered by a person’s proximity to a small Smart Bluetooth Beacon to share situational new information. And, we wanted folks to build their own schedule and allow for real-time “Meet-Ups” throughout Learning 2014.

We tested and modified the App, and finally set up the access codes to be sent out to each learner! At the same time, we wanted to give people who are not registered yet a limited view of the app and event. You can take a peek (but not gain access to participant information) at http://www.learning2014.com/engage 

The world of modifying and customizing a learning app is a combination of content, context and collaboration. Many thanks to Steve Rosenblum, the manager of Learning 2014, for months of work and personalization of this project. We look forward to experimenting how an event-specific, multi-platform, user-defined privacy app can optimize the learning experience for all. Details about Learning 2014 at http://www.learning2014.com

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Chair, The Learning CONSORTIUM
Curator & Host, Learning 2014

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2014 - October 2014 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

850 - No Laptops on in Class; Shooting Basketballs; Supporting Faculty Design

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 7, 2014.
#850 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
56,703 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2014 - Oct 26-29 - Orlando. 1,524 Registered Already.

1. Turn Off Laptops & Phones in Class? A Controversy!
2. Shooting Basketballs - Muscle Memory & Focus.
3. Faculty & Learning: A Briefing for Collaborators.

1. Turn Off Laptops & Phones in Class? A Controversy! A colleague of mine, Clay Shirky, a leading media journalist and professor, has triggered a great conversation about the use of laptops and cellphones by students while in a classroom. Understand that Clay is one of the strongest analysts about the transformational nature of technology on society and education; yet, he just wrote an article about why he has banned the use of laptops and smartphones in his classes.  Here is a small sample of Clay Shirky’s blog on this topic:

“I came late and reluctantly to this decision — I have been teaching classes about the Internet since 1998, and I’ve generally had a laissez-faire attitude toward technology use in the classroom. This was partly because the subject of my classes made technology use feel organic, and when device use went well, it was great. Then there was the competitive aspect — it’s my job to be more interesting than the possible distractions, so a ban felt like cheating. And finally, there’s not wanting to infantilize my students, who are adults, even if young ones — time management is their job, not mine.”

“Despite these rationales, the practical effects of my decision to allow technology use in class grew worse over time. The level of distraction in my classes seemed to grow, even though it was the same professor and largely the same set of topics, taught to a group of students selected using roughly the same criteria every year. The change seemed to correlate more with the rising ubiquity and utility of the devices themselves, rather than any change in me, the students or the rest of the classroom encounter.”

“Over the years, I’ve noticed that when I do have a specific reason to ask everyone to set aside their devices (“lids down,” in the parlance of my department), it’s as if someone has let fresh air into the room. The conversation brightens, and more recently, there is a sense of relief from many of the students. Multi-tasking is cognitively exhausting — when we do it by choice, being asked to stop can come as a welcome change.”

“So this year, I moved from recommending setting aside laptops and phones to requiring it, adding this to the class rules: “Stay focused. (No devices in class, unless the assignment requires it).” Here’s why I finally switched from “allowed unless by request” to “banned unless required.”

From Elliott: I find myself in strange agreement. While I love to be connected, for the small amount of time that I am in a classroom, I want to be engaged. And, as a teacher, I really want learners to be engaged. One of my friends asked if a massage - while reading email - would be the same. We must address the Ups and Downs of multi-tasking and learning.

Read Clay’s article in full at: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2014/09/why-clay-shirky-banned-laptops-tablets-and-phones-from-his-classroom/

So, I would love to hear your comments. Send me a note to emasie@masie.com  At Learning 2014, I will ask 1,600 people in our opening session to discuss this topic. Stay tuned.

2. Shooting Basketballs - Muscle Memory & Focus: How does a basketball shot relate to our world of learning? Practice, practice, focus and muscle memory! We are bringing Dave Hopla, the leading basketball shooting coach in the world, to Learning 2014 for hands-on practice.

Dave Hopla will teach non-basketball players how to shoot a ball and get it in the net almost all the time. It is an amazing process with implications for how we all approach learning design.

Read more about Dave Hopla at http://www.learning2014.com/index.php/item/foul-shots-for-learning.html

3. Faculty and Learning - A Briefing for Collaborators: I enjoy taking Learning TRENDS readers behind the scenes of our Learning 2014 design and structure experience. So, how do you help nurture great facilitation of 175 sessions at a large event? I made an 11 minute video briefing that articulates our design and “facilitation” hopes/expectations for our almost 200 session leaders. If you want to see our approach, it is online at: http://www.learning2014.com/index.php/faculty-welcome-video.html

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Chair, The Learning CONSORTIUM
Curator & Host, Learning 2014

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2014 - October 2014 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

849 - Complete Program Guide Online: Learning 2014

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 3, 2014.
#849 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
56,700 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2014 - Oct 26-29 - Orlando. 1,407 Registered Already.

Special Note: Learning 2014 Complete Program Guide Now Online!

Dear Colleagues,

We have just sent the Learning 2014 Complete Program Guide - with detailed descriptions of over 175 sessions and 6 keynotes - to the publisher and posted it online.

Go to: http://www.learning2014.com/guide

There are over 1,400 global colleagues registered to come to Orlando from October 26th – 29th to ENGAGE and LEARN together about the future of workplace learning.

In addition to Sir Ken Robinson, Robin Roberts from Good Morning America and Chef Bobby Flay, we have added more unique learning experiences, including Dave Hopla (the leading basketball shooting coach) addressing Muscle Memory, Ann Herrmann-Nehdi on Brain Science, and Larry Israelite on “Lies About Learning”.

Take a look at the cool learning choices in the Learning 2014 Program Guide:

http://www.learning2014.com/guide

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Chair, The Learning CONSORTIUM
Curator & Host, Learning 2014

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2014 - October 2014 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie