2015 trends and learning

As predicted by the calendar, 2014 went and 2015 came.It is the time of the year to reflect on past times, make predictions for the new year, and make a few resolutions. The past reflections will be biased because our memory isn't anything near accurate storage. The predictions for 2015 will not take into account that trends and innovations take much longer than we initially think/hope/fear. And the resolutions are just for fun - we are both not going to loose weight or give up smoking :-) (especially since I don't smoke.) But it is all a great tradition, so let's have some thoughts on trends and how that might relate to our beloved field of Learning & Development.

The Maker Movement - Make that learning!

We have rediscovered over the past years the joy of making stuff ourselves... The Maker Movement is still going strong. The Maker Fairs attract tons of folks that 'make something to make something better'. We are all cooking again - cooking books are the most sold books over here, and chefs have become celebrities (especially when they have a potty mouth - yes, that means you Gordon) or when they claim to be naked (yes, Jamie - so when will you?). We can buy a basic computer-on-a-chip like the Rasberry Pi and turn it into ... (add something here). If we can't program (yet) we can use all kind of sites like codecademy to learn to code because coding is hot! And I could also write a sentence here about the popular game Minecraft here to illustrate the same point: we are into crafting things.

So what does 'Make your Own Learning' look like? There are a few sites out there or startups that do matchmaking between mentors and mentees. There are a few sites where people can upload their lessons for others to enjoy (and/or pay for). There is a growing interest for DIY Learning or Peeragogy or Self-Directed Learning or however you want to call it.
What could be next? I can imagine something like 'making your own handbook' where people create their own learning manual while learning - and maybe passing that onto the class after them. How about making our own class environment? How about assessing yourself or peers, how would that look like? (Create your own exam or master proof...)

Wearable Learning - Wear that learning!

Yes, yes, Apple is going to make a watch... Actually the wearables have been on the rise for a few years and particularly fitness and health tracking devices have helped us to gather insights on our (un)healthy habits. (Now we only need a device to make us act on it :-) ).
The most obvious and immediate function you can expect from a wearable or 'smart' piece of technology is that it will give you notifications - for example when you have a new message, or when your next appointment is up. That's rather a basic function. Wearables will also by-pass having to digg up our cellphone or heaven forbid our laptop and directly speak some commands into the wearable. (Mostly a wearable search engine like Siri, Google Now or similar initiatives.) That's also pretty basic. Where it gets more cool is wearables that become aware of your context and adjust to it, and sensors that help you to achieve your goals (such as healthier living).

What could wearable learning look like? Well, at first we'll wear stuff that gives us notifications. I don't think it is hard to make a memory 'flash card'-like system that reminds people of what they need to get into their long term memory. If Google Glass or lookalikes are finally going to see mainstream release in 2015 I can see uses of projecting step by step instructions to your glasses to 'augment' reality. I can also imaging a shirt with a led strip on the sleeves that turn red or green depending if your golf swing is good or bad.  We are seeing the first devices to capture brain waves. Maybe in a few years time we'll have a wearable that analyses the past meeting and tells us we spoke too much (again), that we annoyed person X (through speech analysis), that Y was lying, ... Meetings will never be the same :-) .

Excess Capacity - Share the learning!

One of the major trends, and one that really became big and a central focus last year is about monetizing excess capacity. I'm talking about AirBnB that became the top player in the hospitality (hotel) industry in no time (people have that spare room anyway). I'm talking about the contested taxi service Uber where private persons use their car to drive you around (they have the car anyway). There were earlier examples for car sharing like Zipcar, or services to rent storage space in people's houses. All these examples are ways to monetize excess capacity we have.
So what does selling excess capacity in learning look like? Again, I don't have a full picture in my head. I guess selling the second hand textbooks you don't use anymore is an example. Private tutoring is a very old practice. There are a few examples around of services that match the people who have a desire and time to learn with those who a desire and time to teach.

Commenting - Talk about that learning!

One of the strangest trends I've recently come across is the 'commenting' one. Young people are posting videos now where they comment on playing a game (PewDieDie is a good example). Those videos are extremely popular. (I turned 40, I'm old. I'd say - why don't you play the game instead of watching someone comment on playing it? But what do I know. Some years ago I would have said 'why not learn to play the guitar instead of pretending to be a guitar hero? What do I know. I'm old.)

So what does commenting on learning look like? I have no idea, but I intuitively like it :-). Maybe it gets close to 'working out loud' and 'learning out loud' but with someone else being the loud one...

I'd cover a few more trends, but what do I know... I'm old.
Happy New Year!