This month's big question comes out of a discussion that I've been having in various forms over the past few years. In a Learning 2.0 world, where learning and performance solutions take on a wider variety of forms and where churn happens at a much more rapid pace, what new skills and knowledge are required for learning professionals?New Skills and Knowledge for Learning Professionals?I know that there's already quite a bit out there on this topic, so please point us to existing information on the topic.How to Respond:Option 1 - Put your thoughts in a comment below. Likely there can be some pretty good thoughts left via a comment.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyResponses So Far:Mohamed Amine Chatti - New Skills for Learning ProfessionalsHarold Jarche - 2008 article on Skills 2.0Clive ShepherdJay Cross - Informal Learning blog.E-Learning Curve Blog: Learning Professionals’ Skills 2.0 Natalie - What Should Learning Professionals Know Today? Gina - Adventures in Corporate EducationJane Bozarth - New Skills for Learning ProfessionalsBlogger in Middle-earth: New Strategies, New Skills? A Big QuestionNancy White - 4 Meta Skills for Learning ProfessionalsNancy White - Skills for Learning Professionals Part 2Nancy White -Skills for Learning Professionals Part 3Michael Chalk -Psst.. knowledge-worker? You have mad skills?Harold Jarche -Skills for learning professionalsClark Quinn: Web 2.0 Learning SkillsJD - eLearning DudeTom Gram: New Skills for the Learning Pro?Karyn Romeis - Do your job!Victoria Macarthur: A Propositional Structure: New Skills and Knowledge for Learning Professionals? (Adaptation, Personalization, and Community) Peter's Blog: New Skills for Learning ProfessionalsNancy White: Deeper Skills for Learning Professionals…Part 4Michele Martin - Information Literacy and Habits of MindLearning Practice Blog by Vasan: Skills for Learning Professional David Mallon: The Disciplines of Modern Enterprise LearningTony Karrer - eLearning Technology: Network SkillsID ReflectionsGabi Witthaus, Beyond Distance at Leicester: New skills for learning professionals - highlights from the discussion so farLeonardo Coelho - Conhecimento XXI/ Learning in the 21st CenturyAnthony Montalvo: Nuevas competencias y conocimientosJenise Cook - My Thoughts on New Skills for Learning ProfessionalsRay Jimenez - Collaborative Learning Anthropologist and Specialist (CLA): Enterprise 2.0, Web 2.0 and Learning Career or Job OpportunitiesLarry Irons -- eLearning 2.0, Social Media, and Co-Creation of Learning ContentVidyut Kale - New Skills and Knowledge for Learning Professionals

We are coming up on three years since the first Big Question - Should all Learning Professionals Blog? That's still a great topic and the content you can find there is pretty interesting. I still personally believe that blogging is a great self-directed learning tool. Ah, but I digress.I normally don't do a Big Question in August. This year, I'm just going to do something a little bit different.The goals of the Big Question are:Get different perspectives on topics that are of interest to workplace learning professionalsProvide input to Learning Circuits, T&D and other parts of ASTD on topical issuesProvide a way for bloggers and others to find relevant blogsSupport the network of bloggersI'd like to get feedback on the Big Question:What works?What do you think should change?Are there other models that you've seen that might be interesting to consider?What aspects of online community management might apply hereAnd here is a list of past topics that might be worth looking through for thoughts and ideas:New Skills for Learning ProfessionalsTime SpentSocial Grid ValueApril 2009 - Getting UnstuckWorkplace Learning in 10 YearsEconomic ImpactChallenges Plans and Predictions for 2009Learn about Learning - 2008Network FeedbackFirst eLearningTo-Learn ListsLead the Charge?Learning Design Differences for Digital Natives?Do BetterScope of Learning ResponsibilityInstructional Design - If - When - How MuchPredictions for Learning in 2008December Big Question - What did you learn about learn about learning?Choosing Tools - Big Question for JulyBig Question for June - Where are the ExamplesBig Question - PowerPointApril Big Question - ILT and Off-the-Shelf VendorsMarch Big Question: Supporting New Managers?Quality vs. SpeedPast Experiences. Present Challenges. Future PredictionsNovember's The Big QuestionAre our models outdated?September Big Question - Where to Work?Should all Learning Professionals Blog?How to Respond:Option 1 - Put your thoughts in a comment below. Likely there can be some pretty good thoughts left via a comment.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyResponses So Far:Jeff - August Big Question - Feedback

I want to thank Jeff Goldman - Minute Bio for his great response last month. He suggested that we focus the Big Question on specific issues and then suggested four questions.So, let's start with his first suggestion:Working effectively with subject matter expertsThere's a lot to this topic, and certainly it's an on-going challenge. Some specific questions that are raised in this area:What should all IDs know about working with a SME?What can you and can't you expect a SME to do?Does it work to have SMEs create rapid eLearning?How does social and informal learning impact how you engage with SMEs?What's your favorite instructive story of working with a SME?I've seen a few good posts in the recent past on this topic. Feel free to include prior posts or resources you know about in your response.How to Respond:Option 1 - Put your thoughts in a comment below. Likely there can be some pretty good thoughts left via a comment.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyResponses So Far: Tips on Handling Subject Matter Experts (SME)MinuteBio's Response to September's Big QuestionThe Role of IDs Vs SMEsChallenges and solutions to technical software product training: Gathering InformationHow Important is the SME?Guy W. Wallace - Pursuing Performance Stepping onto the eLearning PathFrom Adventures in Corporate EducationVirginia Yonkers - different perspectiveBen Hamilton LDPI - September Big Questionhttp://usablelearning.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/id-webcomic-1-working-with-smes-on-content/Taruna - Catch the post here.Vic Uzumeri - Macro SMEconomics 101Claudia Escribano: Working with SMEsTony Karrer - Presentation Backchannel Multitasking

In response to my recent post Narrowing Gap between Face-to-Face and Online Presentations, the comments were really fantastic, but got the discussion going in a different direction - and it is clear that a comment box is way too small for this discussion.Both your face-to-face and your online audience is likely multitasking. They might be participating in chat / backchannel. They might be blogging. They might be taking notes. They might be checking and responding to email. They might be figuring out where to go to dinner.Clive Shepherd captured the problem as Multitasking is now every presenter’s problem.The comments suggest that there are things that presenters and learners should do to to address this. Hence, this month's big question is:New Presenter and Learner Methods & Skills?Related questions:What should we do as presenters in this multitasking world?Should presenters coach (or ban) people away from multitasking?As a presenter, how do you deal with the backchannel effectively? (I personally can't present and work with the backchannel at the same time.)How does the backchannel fit with effective note taking?What could a presenter do in 2 minutes at the start of a presentation to get this all to work out well?What should we do as learners?What if the presenter is not making effective use of our time?What have you seen that worked really well?What didn't work well? What would you do to change it?Any tools that make this better?I'm hoping to learn a lot out of this discussion which is certainly far bigger than my original post.How to Respond:Option 1 - Put your thoughts in a comment below.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyResponses So Far (also see Comments):Kristine Howard October Big QuestionTony Karrer - MultitaskingMultitasking learners? Opportunity, not threatMax Bezzina: What presenters could do when the audience multi-tasksRani Gill: Social norms, expectations, attention, a game?Ken Allan - Binge ThinkingClaudia Escribano: Presentations Re-ImaginedClive Shepherd - How should presenters address multitasking?Clark Quinn's Learnlets: Presenting in a networked age

I've received various forms of the same question from different people over the past few years. The basic question is:How do I communicate the value of social media as a learning tool to my organization?Which provides us this month's big question:Presenting the Value of Social Media for Learning?Let me provide some flavor for this question straight from someone who asked me about this:My coworkers are Baby Boomers and Traditionals. When I mention blogs or any social networking they "poo-poo" me and say our workers should not use those tools because it will make them inefficient and not do their jobs. When I have presented the idea of how we can use discussion threads on our environment to discuss topics and make comments outside the classroom, many of my co-workers said it can't be done. They either haven't opened their mind to the idea or really care. In essence, if it is not classroom, they are really not interested in it.My question is how do I get my coworkers to even consider the capabilities of these tools when it really does not interest them. So some of the questions this raises in my mind:How do you communicate about the potential here to other learning professionals? to knowledge workers? to management?How do you communicate the value to an audience who doesn't have experience with social media?How to Respond:Option 1 - Put your thoughts in a comment below.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyResponses So Far (also see Comments):GoodPractice Blog: Making the case for social mediaJeff Goldman - My Response to the Big QuestionUK Centre for Legal Education: Digital DirectionsPaul Angileri - How To Make The Case For Social Media?Kapp Notes: Selling Social Media for Learning: ASTD Big QuestionHow to show value? Show value.Geetha Krishnan: The Value of Social Media for LearningInternet Time BlogJane Hart - here's a list of 100+ ways to use social media for learning - http://c4lpt.co.uk/handbook/examples.htmlRK Prasad - Custom Training and eLearning BlogArunima Majumdar - Learning Through Social NetworksClive ShepherdKen Allan - Lead By Examplewander@will blog: Social Media AcceptanceClark Quinn's Learnlets - Promoting Social MediaGina Minks: Adventures in Corporate EducationKaryn Romeis - What has been the impact of the use of social media on my professional practice as a corporate learning professional?Claudia Escribano: You Never Know Until You TryTony Karrer - Selling Learning Communities

We are going to continue a tradition in the Big Question ...The Big Question for December is:What did you learn about learning in 2009?If you are a blogger, I would highly recommend taking this as an opportunity to go back through your blog posts over the year and looking for any "aha moments" or highlight the posts that you think were the best/most interesting.If you happen to be a blogger who is part of eLearning Learning, there are some tricks you can use to help you find your best stuff for the year - see Using Special Parameters to Create Year End Post for details on producing a post like 2009 Top Posts and Topics.You might want to look back at some discussions going on during the last two yearly recaps: 2008 - Learn about Learning?2007 - What Did You Learn about Learning?2006 - Past experiences. Present Challenge. Future Predictions.January's Topic:Predictions for learning in 2010How to Respond:Option 1 - Simply put your thoughts in a comment below.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyPosts so far (and read comments as well):MinuteBio - My Response to December's Big QuestionKapp Notes: 2009 Top Posts and Topics: Kapp NotesMel Aclaro - BusinessCasualBlog.com "Top 5 aha moments about Learning in 2009."Jenise Cook - Jenise: RidgeViewMedia.com The Big Question | December 2009RK Prasad - Custom Training and eLearning BlogRupa Rajagopalan -2009 Top Posts - The Writers Gateway Geetha Krishnan: My Learning 2009What I Learnt About Learning 2009Tony Karrer - Learned about Learning in 2009E-Learning Curve Blog: Top 20 E-Learning Blogs 2009 + Reflections on the YearLearning in 2009: My StoryApril Hayman: 2009 in Review.You have build my learning in 2009, so thank you - Ignatia/Inge de WaardAbhijit Kadle - What I Learned About Learning in 2009 Taruna Goel - What I learned about learning in 2009Gina Minks - Here's mine, sneaking it in at the last minute!

Happy New Year!We had great response to last month's question - Learning 2009. It was a great opportunity to look back at 2008. This month we are going to look forward.Thus, for January the question is:What are yourPredictions and Plans for 2010?The goal here is to here what people see happening for them this year. What are your biggest challenges for this upcoming year?What are your major plans for the year?What predictions do you have for the year? You might want to take a look back at last month's posts and as well what people talked about in:Challenges Plans and Predictions for 2009Predictions for Learning in 2008?How to Respond:Option 1 - Simply put your thoughts in a comment below. This may be hard given the complexity of the topic.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyPosts so far (and read comments as well):Jay Cross - 2010Clark Quinn's Learnlets: Plans for 2010 and Predictions for 2010Ignatia looks in her crystal ball: 8 learning predictions for 2010. eLearn Magazine - Predictions for 2010Dan Pontefract hopes for Learnerprise in 2010Jana's Plans for 2010 Tech Crunch Ten Technologies That Will Rock 2010the eLearning coach - 2009 Technology Trends That Impact Online LearningForrester Insight and research - Key Learning Trends for 2010: Are You Onboard?Jeanne Meister New Learning Playbook - Five Words To Describe Corporate Learning in 2010Learning Solutions Magazine by Bill Brandon - 2010 PredictionsE-Learning Queen - 12 PredictionsmLearning Trends - My mLearning Predictions for 2010.Predictions for 2009 reviewed and then revised for 2010Learning Predictions - 2010Jeff Goldman - Predictions for 2010Rani Gill - 2010 - Design thinking, Analytics, new metaphors + moreTony Karrer - Top 10 eLearning Predictions for 2010Ken Allan - posted on 31 December 2009.Manish Gupta - Predictions for 2010Claudia Escribano: My 2010 Challenges, Plans, and Predictions

There's a trend that seems to be ongoing, but I'm noticing it even more recently. People seem to be spending less time going through information in depth and less willing to spend time on information. We seem to be snacking on information, not consuming it in big chunks.And it's been something I've been really wondering about on all kinds of levels. I've mentioned before Stop Reading - Skim Dive Skim and that seems to be how people consume blog posts much more these days. I've also noticed a trend towards more twitter mentions of blog posts, but less deep commenting behavior much less thoughtful blog responses.Inside corporations, there certainly seems to be a continual theme of spending less time on learning activities. In some cases, there's almost an anger about providing additional information to employees.Thus, for February the question is:Instruction in an Information Snacking Culture?There are a lot of aspects to this question:Has there really been a shift? Are people changing their information consumption? Are they really snacking more?Do we need to think about instruction differently? Is it a matter of better design so that people are engaged beyond a snack?Is this a problem? I feel like it's harder to get a deep conversation going, especially in a twitter world. But maybe that's me. How can we effectively work and learn in an information snacking world?I'm hoping this will actually be a case where we will get beyond snacks to a good exchange because this is something that I'm really wondering about and would like to discuss.How to Respond:Option 1 - Simply put your thoughts in a comment below. This may be hard given the complexity of the topic.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyPosts so far (and read comments as well):The Big Question - Snacking CultureHolly MacDonald: My First Foray Into the Big QuestionMy take on the big questionTerry Eberhart - Digin4ed: "On Instruction in an Information Snacking Culture"Janet - Just enough? Or not enough?RK Prasad - Information Snacking CultureSuzanne posted at her blogClaudia Escribano - Learning a Little at a Time

One of my Top 10 eLearning Predictions for 2010 was around Open Content for Workplace Learning:I’m not sure why this already hasn’t had a bigger impact, but workplace learning is going to start to catch up on the value of OCW and OER. Just visit the OER Commons and Open Courseware Consortium. Do a search on something like "instructional design". Drill down a bit and there are some incredible resources.To me it's a bit surprising that there isn't more going on around this.Thus, the March question is:How do we leverage Open Content in Workplace Learning?There are quite a few different aspects to this question and I would love to get some different perspectives to weigh in around these different aspects:There were earlier attempts at consortia aimed at creating common content, but these have had different results. Can someone weigh in with what's happened around that? Particularly, what are some of the challenges there?Where does existing open content fit into workplace learning needs?What are some of the bigger challenges?What are the issues around rights with the materials and using it in different situations?Basically, is there opportunity here. If so, where and how.How to Respond:Option 1 - Simply put your thoughts in a comment below. This may be hard given the complexity of the topic.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyPosts so far (and read comments as well):Jeff - My Response to March's Big QuestionOpen Content and the WorkplaceH0w Can Open Education Resources Deliver ValueOpen Content in Workplace LearningKapp Notes: Why Open Content is Not Yet Adopted in the WorkplaceClive on Learning: how can we leverage open content in workplace learning?Tony Karrer - Creative Commons Use in For-Profit Company eLearning

Because of my fairly continuous speaking and writing about new tools and technologies, I received a great suggestion for this month's big question:Isn't this an ever-expanding universe of tech goodies? Will we be forced to chase hot tools and social platforms to stay competitive? How the heck are we supposed to stay up to speed on all the latest stuff and be successful using it personally and professionally?Thus, the March question is:How do we keep up?How to Respond:Option 1 - Simply put your thoughts in a comment below.Option 2 -Step 1 - Post in your blog (please link to this post).Step 2 - Put a comment in this blog with an HTML ready link that I can simply copy and paste (an HTML anchor tag). I will only copy and past, thus, I would also recommend you include your NAME immediately before your link. So, it should look like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0or you could also include your blog name with something like:Tony Karrer - e-Learning 2.0 : eLearningTechnologyPosts so far (and read comments as well):Jeff Goldman - My answer to April's Big QuestionHolly Macdonald - How to Keep Up - Follow What Sparks Your InterestKapp Notes: Answering the Question: How Do We Keep UpAmit Garg (Upside Learning) - How Are We Keeping Up?Ignatia/Inge de Waard her 5 strategies to keep up with innovationThoughts on keeping up from Clive Shepherd.Keep up with TechnologyPKM in a Nutshell