Learning Live Recap
Posted on 15 September 2011 by James McLuckie and tagged as
learning live
I've just returned from
Birmingham after a great two days at the Learning Live conference.
Congratulations to all the organising team for what was definitely
one of the best events of this type that I have been
to.
It was a big occasion for the host organisation, The Institute
of IT Training, as they announced their rebrand into the Learning and
Performance Institute. The change was made to better
reflect the evolving and expanding role of today's L&D
professional, and was a move that was universally welcomed.
Chatting to some of the reps from the institute, it's clear that
they are committed not only to serving their members, but to waving
the flag for the L&D profession. I wish them every success in
this new chapter of their history.
Learning Points from Sessions
Obviously, being only one person (although one who is rather
taller and, rather pleasingly, younger than some were expecting
from my Twitter pic) I only managed to get around a few of the
sessions. But here are my key learning points from each one I
attended:
- Outlining the leadership development programme she heads up,
Kathy Morris of Royal Sun
Alliance discussed how she and her team put together a
truly blended approach to a complex learning challenge. It was good
to hear Kathy stress that the reason they put together different
learning methods and technologies was not because they had a box of
tricks available to them, or because they wanted to mix things up
for the sake of it. They were looking to create a truly rich
learning experience for their delegates, and considered how best to
set them up for success. She also highlighted that, by pushing
ourselves as L&D bods, we are less likely to deliver boring
blended learning, but something that has more chance in resulting
in a positive business impact.
- Probably my highlight of the day was the hugely entertaining
session delivered by Julie Wedgwood. Julie ran
through some of her favourite online learning tools, and revealed
some features I had no idea existed in software that I thought I
knew well. For instance, I was clueless that Acrobat had a 'Read
Out Loud' function - great for accessibility or for eyes that can't
bear to read through yet another PDF. The main thing I took from
Julie's session (apart from the master class in engaging
face-to-face delivery, even when stuck behind a PC) was a reminder
of just how many great free tools there are out there. If you have
an idea but don't have the software to implement it, it really is
worth doing a web search to see if there is a free piece of digital
kit available. Chances are there will be, or something very close
to it. (Julie lists a range of useful tools on her fantastic site.)
- The keynote speaker was Lord Robert Winston. I must
say how inspiring it is when someone you have admired from afar
turns out to be as engrossing as you'd hoped in real life. Lord
Winston discussed the mechanics of the brain, and why we in L&D
need to know about it if we are to create truly effective learning.
Highlights are too numerous to mention, but as he stressed the
importance of play, practice, encouraging exploration and humour in
learning, I couldn't help but reflect that, as I nodded sagely, how
often do I really encourage this, either in myself or those I look
to support? A truly thought-provoking session.
- Finally, Genny Dixon discussed Towards Maturity's latest
learning survey. They're only just starting to pick through the
findings, but there were some interesting headline figures
revealed. For example, although there has been a 10% increase in
organisations using technology for learning, this is a slower
uptake than expected. What's causing the hold up? It's all too easy
to point to the usual suspects of IT and nervous senior management
teams, but is there more to it than this? Also, rather
depressingly, the survey revealed that 40% of organisations are
still banning third party social media sites. Even more depressing
is that some were surprised that this figure was so 'low'. It's
worth keeping an eye on the Towards Maturity site
for more information.
A Good Time Had By All
Of course, what makes the difference at these events are the
people who attend them with you. And I can honestly say that I
haven't attended one that felt so open, fun, spirited and
comfortable. As well as learning a lot, I had a great time meeting
friends old and new.
One of the truly marvellous things about social media is the
extra dimension of inclusiveness it brings to learning events. I
used to dread going to a conference or similar occasions on my own
because I was never sure if I would know anyone. Now, I already
feel like I am pals with half the room, and have so much to talk to
them about. It has, literally, transformed my experience of
face-to-face events ... which is rather ironic.