640 - Virtual Dinner Party and Google's Mobile Learning Tool

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 30, 2010.
#640 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,153 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL, USA.

1. Google Lab’s New Mobile Learning Tool 2. A Virtual Formal Dinner Salon.
3. Learning Spotlight on: CNN, JCPenny, Yum Brands and Peace Corps

1. Google Lab’s New Mobile Learning Tool: Google Labs has released a beta version of a new Mobile Learning Creation tool called Breadcrumb.  This tool will create mobile simulations and branched content.  Spearheaded by one of our 30 Under 30 Learning Leaders Sarah Carr, this is an intriguing innovation that will allow users “to create a variety of mobile learning applications and allows you to make your application work with only three additions to plain text. Infinitely scalable, easy to create, and readable on Internet-enabled smart-phones or computers, Breadcrumb gives you maximum output for the development time.”

At Learning 2010, we will have a Google Breadcrumb Hackathon - which will be a hands-on session with Google Engineers to allow participants to build real time mobile learning apps. More info at: http://tinyurl.com/33ynxcn

2. A Virtual Formal Dinner Salon: Tuesday night, I had my first virtual, Skype-enabled dinner party and salon. My colleague and co-conspirator John Abele invited 6 CEOs, entrepreneurs and innovators to his conference center near Toronto, Canada. I invited Alan Davis, President of Empire State College, to The MASIE Center in Saratoga. We created a very similar 5 course meal (Canadian and New York cheeses), matched wines and a Skype connection with a large plasma screen at the end of each of our tables. For the next 2 hours, the 9 of us had the most interesting, unplanned and rich conversation about the changing nature of business, learning, risk taking and technology. Quickly, the distance evaporated and closeness with new trust rose. The chef would introduce each course and we threw questions and comments back and forth in this unique setting. When we were done with desert, it was fascinating to hear how each person processed this innovative experience. We had really “broken bread” together and are intrigued about other ways in which a virtual meal might be a great template and frame for collaboration and connection. Stay tuned!

3. Learning Spotlight on CNN, JCPenney, Yum Brands! and Peace Corps: We are excited to honor four organizations that are doing really interesting innovations in learning. We will turn the spotlight on CNN, JCPenney, Yum Brands! and Peace Corps/Senegal at Learning 2010 - drilling into ways in which they have leveraged learning to drive their business and develop their talent. We will hear from their senior leaders, including the CEO of JCPenney, as we honor each of these organizations. Participants will then have an opportunity to attend a 1 hour Q&A with each of these organizations, exploring their approaches, hurdles and learnings. We now have almost 1,500 registrations for Learning 2010, which will start on Oct 24th in Orlando. There is still time to save money on Advanced Registration at http://www.learning2010.com

Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

639 - Undercover Boss: Lessons in Learning and Training

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 28, 2010.
#639 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,145 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL, USA.

1. Undercover Boss: TV Lessons in Training.
2. Complete Learning Program Guide Published!

1. Undercover Boss: TV Lessons in Training - I never would have guessed that a “reality show” would be a weekly lesson in Training, Learning and Development. “Undercover Boss”, a show on CBS, takes the CEO of a company and sends them undercover in their own organizations, working a range of jobs to get a new view of the culture and operational experience on the frontline. CEOs of organizations, including Choice Hotels, Waste Management and other organizations, have had some eye openers as they worked manual and entry-level jobs, without their identities being known to their new peers. Cameras follow their experiences, using cover stories to explain the media presence. Each show has ended up focusing on learning and training issues, including:

* Online learning offered by headquarters but not supported by first line managers.
* Procedures and processes being confusing and often contradictory on the front line.
* Acceptance of inappropriate manager behaviors and poor role modeling.
* Inadequate training skills around the organizations.
* Poor identification of rising talent potential from entry-level employees.

A number of the episodes are viewable online at http://www.cbs.com/primetime/undercover_boss/  Check it out and I would be interested in your comments about how we might create similar experiences for our senior leaders. Send me a note to emasie@masie.com

2. Complete Learning Program Guide Published! I am very proud to present the complete Program Guide for Learning 2010 - including session and learning activity descriptions of 203 sessions, presented by 254 faculty from global companies. Download this at http://www.learning2010.com/guide  
Note: Hotel rooms are going quickly and we have over 1,416 participants registered already!

Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

638 - Learning Gives Back - Support OneSight

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 27, 2010.
#638 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,132 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL, USA.

OneSight is the 2010 Recipient of our Learning Gives Back Grant.  OneSight, a family of charitable vision care programs dedicated to providing primary vision care and eyewear to millions in need around the world, has been selected as the featured non-profit at Learning 2010. OneSight is the charitable foundation of Luxottica, a global leader in eyewear manufacturing, distribution and retail. Through OneSight, employees worldwide are invited to share their business expertise with those in need through Regional and Global Clinics and other Community programs.

What is most provocative about the OneSight program is the way in which employees of Luxottica, including LensCrafters, Pearle Vision and Sunglass Hut, participate in “missions”, with pay and as a stretch opportunity to gain, practice and demonstrate new skills in this service setting - as part of their development process.

Elliott Masie and Brooke Thomas-Record spent a day at a OneSight clinic for the Fresh Air Fund in Fishkill, NY. It was a day we they will never forget. Seeing a young boy get eyeglasses for the first time and his excitement about now being able to see. Watch this short video to see their experience and hear from both OneSight volunteers and recipients of glasses about what OneSight means to them.
 
Here is a link to the Video: http://www.learning2010.com/onesight 
 
At Learning 2010, we will feature OneSight and make a significant commitment - as part of Learning Gives Back.  Participants will be bringing eyeglasses donated by their colleagues and families.  A 40 foot bus - that serves as a mobile clinic, manufacturing and dispensary will be on site.  And, participants will be able to learn how to use the machinery that prepares the glasses for recycling and donation.  In addition, a pair of glasses that we donated at the LensCrafters store will be tracked from Saratoga to Ghana, where they will be dispenses the week before Learning 2010.

In previous years, Learning Gives Back has made significant contributions and support to Malaria No More, Operation Respect (Anti-Bullying), ONE Campaign, FIRST Robotics, Starbright (videoconferencing for children in cancer hospitals), Freedom from Hunger, eLearning for Kids, LINGOs and other learning related charities.

We hope that you will check out the OneSight story at http://www.learning2010.com/onesight

Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

637 - Flip Happens, Text Driving Blocker, 203 Sessions at Learning 2010

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 22, 2010.
#637 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,132 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL, USA.

1. Flip Happens - Reversing Process for Teaching?
2. Driving? Off Goes Your Texting - iZUP App for Safety.
3. 203 Sessions Now Finalized for Learning 2010.

1. Flip Happens - Reversing Process for Teaching? My colleague, Dan Pink has written about the concept of “Flip Thinking”. In a recent article,  Dan talks about experiments in reversing the “natural” sequence of things.  For example, what if a teacher was to give the lectures as homework and the activities shift to the classroom?  The author of the now viral “Shift Happens” slideshow has been doing that for high school algebra. He provides videos of the lectures for the students to view before class and uses in-class time for questions, discussions and practice.  There is great promise for flipping processes in learning and education. Check out Dan’s article at http://tinyurl.com/3ybwox7

2. Driving? Off Goes Your Texting - iZUP App for Safety. This morning, as I was heading to the Dulles airport in a taxi at 4:50 am, I was shocked to see my driver reading and sending texts at 65 MPH.  I asked him to stop or pull over - and he did, for a few minutes, only to get another text from his brother and he resumed the risky behavior.  I ordered him to close the phone and exited the taxi 5 minutes later. Ironically, at the airport, a fellow passenger told me about a new smartphone app called iZUP, which enforces the no texting while driving rule. Using the GPS in your smartphone, it turns off text and email reading/sending capabilities above 5 miles per hour. Interesting idea: an Enforcement Performance Support System.  Check it out at http://www.getizup.com

3. 203 Sessions Now Finalized for Learning 2010: We have just posted a listing of 203 sessions for the upcoming Learning 2010 (Oct 24 to 27 - Orlando, FL).  It is a highly diverse collection of learning stories, discussions, panels and other learning activities.  In 7 more days, we will have the complete guide online for you to download and read - including descriptions of each of these sessions.  Take a look at this list at http://tinyurl.com/203sessions

Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

636 - Learning Questions for Apolo Ohno; New Book on Social Learning

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 13, 2010.
#636 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,122 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL, USA.

1. Ask Apolo Ohno About Training.
2. A New Book on Social Learning.
3. Is Online Education Effective?

1. Ask Apolo Ohno About Training: I will have the privilege of interviewing Apolo Ohno, Olympic Champion, about how he trained for his sport and also the role of training in “Dancing With The Stars” victory. He is the keynoter at Learning 2010 and we will explore how Extreme Training yields Extreme Results. Apolo is quite focused on the process of training and learning, and I would enjoy adding your questions to the mix. Send me your questions for Apolo to emasie@masie.com and I will include some in my keynote interview. Send them to me at emasie@masie.com 

We have almost 1,200 of your colleagues registered for Learning 2010 (Oct 24-27 - Orlando). To use your Advanced Registration Discount, go to http://www.learning2010.com

2. A New Book on Social Learning: Two colleagues of mine, Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner, have written a new and very practical book about Social Learning. They explore how employees (and even organizations) are using social learning tools and round-the-clock collaboration to extend skills, knowledge and performance. Tony and Marcia each have decades of experience as Learning Leaders and have created a great resource in this book. My colleague Dan Pink wrote the introduction. Get a copy for your team: “The New Social Learning: A Guide to Transforming Organizations Through Social Media”, available at http://www.thenewsociallearning.com/

3. Is Online Education Effective? Today, I received a request from the Chronicle for Higher Education for a short comment on the effectiveness of online education. I thought I would share my answer with TRENDS readers:

“Online education in higher education has grown in deployment and acceptance – primarily on the value proposition that it can provide scale and flexibility. In fact, in the early stages of online education, we are seeing too much modeling after the physical classroom. We have tried to replicate the key elements of a traditional classroom – lecture, discussion, office hours and assignments. This is predictable – as most new technologies build on the existing and familiar (early TV was Radio with Pictures).

But, the next stage of innovation and development will come as faculty and designers ask online education to accomplish things which could never happen in the classroom:

• Hyper-scaling: Imagine if 100,000 students were using the same curriculum in classes around the world. How might we ask them to massively collaborate, conduct hyper surveys and leverage the impact of 100,000 learners working on the same goals.
• e-Collaboration: Imagine models of collaborative learning that leverage the ability of learners to work with live and asynchronous peers and experts in whole new ways – including inserting disruptive and challenging avatars into the discussion at key points.
• Class of One: Imagine using more detailed assessment and learning style technology to provide each learner with a “Class of One”, where every week they get a unique set of activities – targeted to their performance gaps and accomplishments. Their roadmap would push contact, collaboration and assessment objects based on their individual and collective needs.
• Simulation Intensity: Imagine how we might build large scale simulation environments so that learners would have the ability to “Fail Forward” with greater frequency. If I am taking Economics 102, the simulator would give me and my peers intense practice moments – loaded with many failures – to deepen our comprehension and knowledge accomplishment.

We have an opportunity to now really design what online learning might be to serve the needs of our learners. Let’s be brave!”

Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

635 - Sounds, New Year, Glee and Learning

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 8, 2010.
#635 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,119 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL, USA.

Sounds, New Year, Glee & Learning!

1. How To Blow a Shofar - Jewish New Year Sounds.
2. Glee on the iPad: Harmony, Correction & Feedback.
3. Sounds and Music at Learning 2010.

1. How To Blow a Shofar - Jewish New Year Sounds: Tonight, at sundown, the Jewish New Year begins. I am heading to an evening service that has a very cool moment when the Shofar, a ram’s horn, is blown into to make a historic sound. Here is how technology is assisting the learning process for Shofar Music Making - a short HowCast Video Lesson: http://tinyurl.com/2axsm2e

As my family and friends celebrate the Jewish New Year, it is a moment in which I am re-sensitized to religious tolerance. Decades ago, my ancestors were seen as practicing a very different and perhaps threatening religion. And, my father escaped Nazi Germany to come to America, where religious freedom and tolerance were at the core. Our family, growing up in New York City, would go on the Staten Island Ferry before each Rosh Hashanah (New Year) to see the Statue of Liberty and remind us of how the freedom to practice and worship was at the core of a creative multi-cultural society. I pray that we not forget this and will look forward to hearing the sound of the Shofar tonight as a reminder.

2. Glee on the iPad - Harmony, Correction & Feedback: Here is an incredible musical application. The other night, I had dinner with the co-founder of a company called Smule. His company has come up with a very different musical application for the iPad/iPhone. It provides the ability for you to sing along with the singers of the show Glee and in real time (less than a 50 millisecond delay) correct your pitch and harmony - along with the ability to compile a group signing event from points around the world. Musical publishers are working with Smule to provide an interactive next chapter for content usage. Here is video of the app in use: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4G3BZIOudA

3. Sounds and Music at Learning 2010: Continuing with the themes of Sounds - we have built in music and sounds into Learning 2010 (Oct 24 to 27 in Orlando):

* The Music Paradigm: On Monday afternoon, Roger Nierenberg, creator of The Music Paradigm, will use a live symphony orchestra as a metaphor for any dynamic organization, particularly one dealing with a period of exceptional challenge or change: a merger, a restructuring, new leadership, change initiatives, stretch performance goals, and many more. You will be seated among members of a professional orchestra. From the first moments, it is clear that something has changed—that the meeting paradigm has shifted in an important and interesting way. The conductor leads the musicians through a series of carefully crafted exercises that help illustrate key qualities, reactions, and practices of high performing business teams—strategically designed to be in line with the needs and challenges of the executives and their organizations.

* Party at Learning 2010: We will have a very special concert that reunites four stars from the Original Cast of Broadway’s Jersey Boys. Tony-Award winner Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and Tony-Award nominee J. Robert Spencer star in this incredible concert experience! Music Oldies Abound.

We now have over 1,065 participants registered for Learning 2010. Info and registration at http://www.learning2010.com

Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

634 - Back to School Vibes, Google Visit, Tags for Learning

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 7, 2010.
#634 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,118 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL, USA.

Back to School Edition!

1. Sept 7th - Back to School Vibe Abounds.
2. Visit to GooglePlex Learnings.
3. Tags for Learning.

1. Sept 7th - Back to School Vibe Abounds: Personal Confession - I loved going back to school! When Labor Day roles around, I find myself in total “Back to School” mode. I get new school supplies (going tonight to get a new notebook and some funky pens), buy a few books to read and even consider a new shirt or two. More importantly, my mind kicks into “Back to School” mode. My year seems to start in September.  I bring a whole lot of new energy and plans to the table. So, this morning, I gathered The MASIE Center team in our studio and we had my annual Back to School meeting. 

The emails and calls that have come in today tend to reflect that sentiment from the field. People are building their 2011 Learning Strategies, projecting the budget for next year and working with a sense of the beginning of new work “semester”. Anyone else have that sense? Send me an email to emasie@masie.com

2. Visit to GooglePlex Learnings: Last week, I had the honor of spending a day at GooglePlex with the engEdu team - folks working on learning and development for Engineers at Google. As always, it was exciting to see how Google is approaching learning - including their exploration of content in the cloud and the ability of anyone on the team being able to author courses or content bundles.  We had a robust set of conversations about the evolving roles that video is playing in learning, germane to their ownership of YouTube, as well as the wide range of learning formats that learners want to use to gain knowledge.  Google will be at Learning 2010 as participants and presenters, sharing some of their Open Source tools and approaches.

3. Tags for Learning: We are extending our experiments with the use of smartphone/cell phone cameras for acquiring content by deploying a wide set of “Tags” at Learning 2010. Using Microsoft Tag, our event will be peppered with colorful tags that can be read by any type of smartphone (iPhone, Droid, Blackberry). The tags will be displayed on screens and also key locations throughout the event. When you point your mobile camera at the tag, it automatically takes you to a URL, launches a video or captures a set of text. We will conduct an experiment with embedding tags throughout Learning 2010 for both discovery and even competitive knowledge finding at the event. Info on Microsoft Tag at: http://tag.microsoft.com

We now have over 1,065 participants registered for Learning 2010. Info and registration at http://www.learning2010.com

Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

633 - Learn.com Bought by Taleo; Clay Shirky Keynotes Learning 2010

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Sept 1, 2010.
#633 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,114 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL, USA.

1. Talent Company Buys Learn.com.
2. Clay Shirky, “Cognitive Surplus”, to Keynote

1. Talent Company Buys Learn.com: Today, Taleo, a major Talent Systems company, announced that it is acquiring Learn.com, a learning content and systems group. Learn.com was one of the first groups in the e-Learning field.  And, it is not surprising that we are seeing a merger of Talent and Learning capacities at this moment in history. Taleo will pay $125 million in cash for Learn.Com and will integrate their content and systems into their Suite. Watch for 1 or 2 IPOs in the near future, along with another Talent/Learning company merger. Details of the Learn.Com deal are available at http://www.learn.com

2. Clay Shirky, “Cognitive Surplus”, to Keynote Learning 2010! After reading “Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age” by Clay Shirky, I was intrigued. Here is a short summary:

“Since we Americans were suburbanized and educated by the postwar boom, we’ve had a surfeit of intellect, energy, and time-what Shirky calls a cognitive surplus. But this abundance had little impact on the common good because television consumed the lion’s share of it-and we consume TV passively, in isolation from one another. Now, for the first time, people are embracing new media that allow us to pool our efforts at vanishingly low cost. The results of this aggregated effort range from mind expanding-reference tools like Wikipedia-to lifesaving-such as Ushahidi.com, which has allowed Kenyans to sidestep government censorship and report on acts of violence in real time.

Shirky argues persuasively that this cognitive surplus - rather than being some strange new departure from normal behavior - actually returns our society to forms of collaboration that were natural to us up through the early twentieth century. He also charts the vast effects that our cognitive surplus - aided by new technologies - will have on twenty-first-century society, and how we can best exploit those effects. Shirky envisions an era of lower creative quality on average but greater innovation, an increase in transparency in all areas of society, and a dramatic rise in productivity that will transform our civilization.”

Then, I watched his recent TED presentation (http://tinyurl.com/2exugvf) and was convinced that I wanted to have Clay Shirky at Learning 2010. The problem was that he is a Visiting Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and will be teaching. But, why should that stop us? So, we have arranged to interview him via Live High Def Telepresence to explore the impact of Cognitive Surplus on the world of Learning.

Details at: http://www.learning2010.com/shirky 

We are about to pass the 1,000 registration mark for Learning 2010.  Register soon and take advantage of our Advanced Discount!

Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27 - Orlando, Florida.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com