This will be 2013 (probably)

It is that time of year again to look back on the past and reflect on the future. A short scroll through my reading list reveals that Dan Pontefract declares "autotelic" (To be absorbed in meaningful work is the quest for 2013.) as the word of 2013. I had to look up the word, but it is for sure something I wish for all of us to have! Clive Shepherd declares 2013 as the "year of the blend" with a nice trailer video. May 2013 indeed be a year where we blend, but not just learning activities but also blend work and learning and blend the man and the machine. The Internet Time Alliance posted their predictions. A free interpretation reads: a year where some more will 'get it', and many still won't. Nick Shackleton-Jones posted 10 themes for online learning 2013.  I'll just quote nr 8 here : "5 minute learning: if I remember three things after two days in a classroom, and three things after watching a short video, which is best?" Video will surpass text as the language of the Internet. In the year 201x it will become the major traffic on the Internet (80% and up). Luis Suarez wishes us all the necessary reflection time to achieve more with less. It might be old news, but the financial and economic crisis is still there and its implications for business have not changed with the turn of the year. In the elearningcoach's tradition the New Year starts with 13 ways to learn in 2013. My top pick to do this year is probably number 8: visualize data.

I've started my year by revamping my personal web site bertdecoutere.name. I played a few days with a template from a fellow citizen of Leuven and I made a donation to use it. It's not fully done, but gives a good idea of what I've been up to and what I have planned. My new tag line is 'serial learner.'

What's my big plan for the year ahead?

• I want to make an app.
• 'Upcycling' is one of the trends of 2013 I've read. So I'm thinking of upcycling some of my old stuff like my book or my old quiz site.
• I'm going to co-organise a MOOC this year on leadership. End of last year we got approval to pilot a LeaderMOOC at the Center for Creative Leadership later this year under a Marrow grant. I know - by the time it starts the hype cycle will have moved to 'disillusionment'. That might actually be good thing in my mind. It means we can go passed the hype and with fresh eyes pilot a MOOC on what we know matters for leadership. The first step will be to talk to experts in the field to get their input. Leadership development is about behavior change after all, and that is hard to achieve by watching a video and taking a quiz a few weeks in a row. I'm very exited about this project!
• As a 'serial learner' I'll
• revisit tracking and quantified self later this year and see what happened so far
• set my teeth in personal network analysis
• have a look at persuasive technologies and behavior change frameworks (eg BJ Fogg's tiny habits)

And what are you up to?