With the first month of 2018 behind us, I find I am truly looking forward to the coming year. I have long considered the quote below a pearl of wisdom, but it seems especially relevant today.

“It’s high time you were shown that you really don’t know all there is to be known.”

No matter how much I think I know, there is always more to learn. Back in January 2017 I thought we, learning professionals, had the year all mapped out: exciting “just-in-time” learning, technology changes supporting the shift to microlearning, storytelling. While these trends stayed true, and Obsidian became more efficient, more flexible, and more strategic than ever before in 2017, new challenges are upon our industry. Hence, the excitement and dawning understanding that learning is like life – a constantly moving target.

We achieved success in 2017, and I am grateful to our clients and partners for their trust and support, and to our amazing team for its dedication and unwavering enthusiasm.

This year, we will focus on continuing to create value and solve problems, but also on researching and discovering new ways of supporting the “new learner”. We believe that in a world that sometimes seems to change at lightning speed, learning authentically, continuously, and easily is the key to success.

What should you expect to see from Obsidian in 2018?

• Connected learning – We’re constantly surrounded by automation and technology. We rely on it to do our work and yes, to learn, but we’re hungry for authentic, personal, human interaction. Terms such as “distance learning” lie at the foundation of walls of loneliness. We will strive to refocus the learning on human connections, independent of delivery method.
• Learning IRIS – A concept and application we started developing in 2017. It continues to evolve and might be spotlight-ready in 2018, because we’re convinced that it viably encompasses life, learning, technology, and efficiency.
• The science of learning – More than ever, a deep understanding of the human brain informs the development of the “right” learning. We study and apply these concepts, and we’ll be sharing our discoveries, failures, and successes with you.
• Creative learning – There is so much to learn from our children and our elders. The continuous transformation of human beings informs today, but it’s equally important to realize that looking back can prevent future missteps.

Here’s to an amazing year! I will leave you with this.