They are a combination of concepts and methods that build knowledge and bring learning into day to day activities and workflow. Both can improve informal learning without pulling people way from the job for formal (classroom or e-learning) training. Build a community of Practice. Use social media to facilitate informal learning. Build a Community of Practice. I’m a fan of Communities of Practice (CoP).  “Designing&# Communities of Practice. Understand the job. MORE >>

Never before has gaining access to information been so easy. The imminent arrival of widespread 4G broadband and LTE ( Long Term Evolution ) will usher in wider availability to information and push even more data to our mobile devices over the same amount of radio spectrum. But in adopting these communication advances, are we also opening the door for a deluge of content? Are we not already swamped by a tsunami of content? When people talked about ‘smart phones’ they were referring to the design and appearance of the device, not its capability. MORE >>

Keeping the Wheels Turning: The Dynamics of Managing Networks of Practice. Journal of Management Studies, 47(1), 85-108 The authors make a distinction between NoPs and CoPs; networks of practice and communities of practice. would not make that distinction, because the closeness between members does not depend on distance, people can really feel part of and identify with a community of practitioners who are based in different location all over the globe. Van den Hooff, B., Huysman, M., & Soekijad, M. 2010). MORE >>

The start-up stiffed me but the paper morphed into the Informal Learning book. I’ll be leading a series of master classes on informal learning and working smarter in Europe. Informal Learning – the other 80%. It’s all a matter of learning, but it’s not the sort of learning that is the province of training departments, workshops, and classrooms. Most people in training programs learn only a little of the right stuff, are fuzzy about how to apply what they’ve learned, and never address who are the right people to know. It’s real. MORE >>

Just about every day I find myself embroiled in a discussions about fundamentals of learning, the nature of knowledge and the processes of education. It comes with the territory of working as an academic in a university, and I expect to do it much of the time. In the post I made the remark that today's learning needs to be personal, social and global, all of which can be mediated through technology. This of course is a profound question, and one which demands some good theory and reflection. Keith asked me 'Does learning always need to be social?' MORE >>