People often seem overwhelmed with information (I know at times I am). An individual can easily access a ton of information in just a few seconds on almost any subject. The great thing about this plethora of data is the ability for the individual to tailor information to their specific needs, and in some ways design their own learning experiences.
As the rise of social networking continues and the design of media development software makes it easier and more affordable for novices to design their own learning, more and more people are beginning to participate in creating learning content to share with others.
I think this moves us more towards what I call "ubiquitous learning." Most corporations provide on average about 40 hours a year of formal training for their employees. There are over 2,000 hours in an average work year. I can guarantee you that most workers don't reserve their learning to just those 40 provided by the company. Most people constantly learn, and most learning occurs through peers.
Since most of what we learn is informal, one has to question the efficiency of providing 40 hours of formal learning over the year. Does it really work? Why is it when people hear, "You must take this training course" they usually cringe?
I predict that corporations will find ways to involve their employees in ubiquitous learning: offer them collaborative learning environments, quick and easy ways to participate in learning events in different forms, provide informal and formal forums for information sharing, construct communities of practice, etc., and allow workers to integrate learning into the day-to-day work they do.
I predict "measuring" learning will become less important as the knowledge-based society matures, and learning will evolve into becoming a natural part of the average worker's tasks.
As the rise of social networking continues and the design of media development software makes it easier and more affordable for novices to design their own learning, more and more people are beginning to participate in creating learning content to share with others.
I think this moves us more towards what I call "ubiquitous learning." Most corporations provide on average about 40 hours a year of formal training for their employees. There are over 2,000 hours in an average work year. I can guarantee you that most workers don't reserve their learning to just those 40 provided by the company. Most people constantly learn, and most learning occurs through peers.
Since most of what we learn is informal, one has to question the efficiency of providing 40 hours of formal learning over the year. Does it really work? Why is it when people hear, "You must take this training course" they usually cringe?
I predict that corporations will find ways to involve their employees in ubiquitous learning: offer them collaborative learning environments, quick and easy ways to participate in learning events in different forms, provide informal and formal forums for information sharing, construct communities of practice, etc., and allow workers to integrate learning into the day-to-day work they do.
I predict "measuring" learning will become less important as the knowledge-based society matures, and learning will evolve into becoming a natural part of the average worker's tasks.
