MWL Newsletter No 73

Here are posts, articles and news about Modern Workplace Learning (MWL) selected by Jane Hart for the week 8-14 July 2018


From around the Web

Don’t just lecture robots, make them learn  Matt Simon, Wired, 9 July 2018

“It’s a robot being less robotic and more human. When you learned to brush your teeth, you didn’t mirror every single move your parent made, brushing the top molars first before moving to the bottom molars and then the front teeth. You inferred, taking the general goal of scrubbing each tooth and then taking your own path. That meant first of all that it was a simpler task to learn, and second of all it gave you context for taking some of the principles of toothbrushing and applying them to flossing. It’s about flexibility, not hard-coding behavior.”


When Does EdTech Become Snake Oil?  Peter Greene, Forbes, July 2018

“If you can’t sell your genius tech idea and make money, then your business will be shortlived no matter how great your product. But if your plan is centered on making money without regard for whether you’re selling something useful or not– well, teachers have met your kind before, and you are exactly the reason that they roll their eyes every time a new edupreneur shows up with an idea “that will revolutionize education.”


self-determination ensures democracy  Harold Jarche, 6 May 2018

“Without Autonomy we are disengaged.
Without Competence we are ineffective.
Without Relatedness we are aimless.”


The Truth About Teaching to Learning Styles, and What to Do Instead  Jane Bozarth, E-Learning Guild Research Report, 11 July 2018

“Adjusting instruction to individual learning styles seems appealing, but in reality, no two learners are the same and both may not benefit from a singular learning style. Evidence suggests using learning styles actually harms learning, essentially wasting time and energy that could be used to improve learning outcomes.”


A new-age pill for continuous learning  LiveMint, 11 July 2018

“A 52-week project by a couple in its 40s is helping them learn more in a structured manner


L&D’s New BFFs  JD Dillon, Learn Geek, 11 July 2018

“L&D can’t do it alone.  I’m not just being metaphorical or generically espousing the benefits of collaboration. An L&D team literally cannot operate autonomously within a typical organization. We need help from other teams to get our jobs done to the best of our ability. This isn’t unique to L&D by any means. But, given the people-first nature of our work, we are in a clear position to model the benefits of cross-functional partnership.”


Lifelong learning for everyone: What we’ve learned from our European social innovation partners  Grow with Google, 11 July 2018

“What we’ve learned from our Google.org and Grow with Google collaboration with European partners and social entrepreneurs is that making lifelong learning a success requires four tactics: working with organizations who are on the frontline of serving the most disadvantaged, developing clearer signals about the pay-off of engaging in learning new skills, using technology to drive incentives to persevere throughout the learning experience, and developing better ways to signal skills to employers.”


4 Ways to Create a Learning Culture on Your Team  Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Josh Bersin, Harvard Business Review, 12 July 2018 

“As a result, there is now a premium on intellectual curiosity and learnability, the desire and ability to quickly grow and adapt one’s skill set to remain employable. What you know is less relevant than what you may learn, and knowing the answer to questions is less critical than having the ability to ask the right questions in the first place. Unsurprisingly, employers such as Google, American Express, and Bridgewater Associates make learning an integral part of their talent management systems. “


We’ve had to prepare for jobs that don’t exist yet before  Gwen Moran, Fast Company, 12 July 2018

““In the old days when you came to college you were trained in a functional area for a job, or a functional job, that you would stay in most of your career. It was a corporate swim lane, and we knew what knowledge to give you,” says Philip Powell, associate dean of academic programs at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis. “The paradigm shift is away from functional knowledge to the ability to be fluid in your skill set and in your knowledge. It’s imperative that universities teach students how to teach themselves.”


Work in an Age of Automation  Susan Lund and Eric Hazan, Project Syndicate, 12 July 2018

“As the machines working alongside humans continue to evolve, workers will need to adapt. That means that, instead of studying for two decades and working for the next four, workers will need to engage in continuous learning and adaptation, acquiring new skills and upgrading existing ones throughout their working lives.”


Why You Need To Give Your Workers Slightly More Freedom Than You’re Comfortable With  Susan Galer, Forbes, 12 July 2018

“According to best-selling author Laszlo Bock, if you want to increase workplace productivity, go back to your office and give your team slightly more freedom than you’re comfortable with. “Assume people are good. Let workers self-organize. Have team-oriented environments. Give people opportunities to learn and grow. It you think people are good…you let them figure it out,” said Bock.”


Your Company Doesn’t Need a Digital Strategy  George Westerman, MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring 2018 issue

“But while more people are talking more about digital transformation, it’s pretty clear that most are missing the point. As sexy as it is to speculate about new technologies such as AI, robots, and the internet of things (IoT), the focus on technology can steer the conversation in a dangerous direction. Because when it comes to digital transformation, digital is not the answer. Transformation is.”


Learn, unlearn and relearn: Future-proofing your workforce  Human Resources, 13 July 2018

“In view of the continuous rapid changes as the norm, we have specifically called the upskilling programme ‘FutureReady’ because our staff will need to be prepared continuously learn new skills on their own,” she said. “Our vision is to have proactive learners who are continuously keeping themselves equipped and updated to be innovative and competitive.”


Vote for your Top Tools for Learning 2018

The Top 200 Tools for Learning 2018, the 12th Annual Digital Learning Tools survey is now open. Jane Hart will once again be compiling the list from the votes of contributors worldwide as well as  3 sub-lists:

  1. Top 100 Tools for Personal & Professional Learning 2018
  2. Top 100 Tools for Workplace Learning 2018
  3. Top 100 Tools for Education  2018

Voting closes: mid-day GMT, Friday 14 September 2018
Results released: 8 am GMT, Monday 24 September 2018

VOTE HERE


Next MWL Workshop

Performance Improvement Consulting

Workshop runs 16 July – 12 August 2018

Individuals and teams often face performance problems. Instead of reaching for a training solution, you need to (work with a manager to) carry out a Performance Analysis to diagnose the (actual) problem, identify the best solution(s) – which may or may not be training. You will  then need to help to implement the solution and measure the performance change (rather than any learning).


How to become a Modern Professional Learner

In the modern workplace there is no longer such a thing as a job for a life – only a life of jobs – so it’s up to everyone to continuously update their knowledge, skills and productivity and become an independent modern professional life-long learne

This online resource contains 60 Tasks to help you get the most out of your work life and take control of your career.

Find out more here


Jane Hart
Centre for Modern Workplace Learning
w: ModernWorkplaceLearning.com
t: twitter.com/C4LPT 
l: linkedin.com/in/C4LPT

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