Jay Cross

APRIL 28, 2012

When the book on informal learning came out, nay-sayers attacked me as some kind of loony. Some still do. I’ve got a thick skin. QUESTION: How do you know that informal learning works? ANSWER: How did you learn to walk and talk? How did you learn to kiss? QUESTION: How can you measure what people learn? ANSWER: By judging what they do. Has their performance improved?

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Informal Learning Informal Trust ROI 66

Jay Cross

APRIL 28, 2012

Six years ago I wrote Informal Learning, Rediscovering the Natural Pathways that Inspire Innovation and Performance. The book came out before iPhones and iPads. Facebook was only available to students. Twitter had not been born. eLearning was still haled as a panacea. Andy McAfee had just coined the term Enterprise 2.0, and nobody was talking about Social Business.

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Informal Learning Informal Enterprise 2.0 iPhone 48

Jay Cross

APRIL 28, 2012

This is the second in a series of posts about how business can profit from informal learning. We’re recapping the book before getting into the current scene. What makes informal learning effective. Informal learning is effective because it’s personal. The individual calls the shots. The learner is responsible. It’s real. We learn in context, with others, as we live and work.

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Informal Learning Informal Metrics Social Networks 43