Learning efficiency - time lage between posting content and when content is viewed,  amount of time spent producing content for others to view, amount of redundant or significantly overlapping content, the degree to which “informal” content is reused in “formal” content (and perhaps reducing formal content development costs and effort). I am often asked by business leaders to describe what we intend to measure in order to understand, manage, and improve the networked (or social) learning eco-system.  There is interest in knowing how we will prove networked learning,

Workers using social networking sites instead of doing their jobs has long been the bane of human resources departments across every industry.   However, a recent survey questioning oil and gas professionals has revealed that 40% of them believe that companies who encourage the use of social media tools, including social networking sites such as Facebook, to share knowledge and information would boost productivity. The survey, released today at the Microsoft Middle East & Africa Global Energy Forum 2009 in Dubai and carried out by computer software giant Microsoft Corp and management

When we consume information, we can trace back to the people who made the contributions and capture them for our network.  When we contribute information, others will trace back to us and we will get captured into their network. Anyone in our network produces (or contributes) and promotes information (or content) Below is a simple model for explaining how social learning will help us grow networks.  We are in control of our learning

Better decisions can be made (people will have better information with which to make them), decisions and tasks can be completed more quickly (they will spend less time finding relevant information), and the organization will be less brittle (knowledge will be stored centrally, rather than solely in people’s heads). Historically, organizations were based on “command and control”, with jobs and tasks specified from the top down; and information was shared “on a need to know basis.” I came across a blog post by “Bill” and found an interesting summary about the premise of Web 2.0

Information technologies are having a significant impact on how people work, play, gain information, and collaborate . I was reading a report (Horizon 2009) and found three trends affecting the practice of learning and collaboration that I thought was worth sharing. Increasing globalization continues to affect the way we work, collaborate, and communicate . Increasingly, those who use technology in ways that expand their global connections a re more likely to advance , while those who do not will find themselves on the sidelines.

This question “what IS informal learning?” Today’s post will attempt to define informal, and in another post I’ll tackle some technologies that can be used to enhance informal learning. If I think about how I learn, I use a mix of formal and informal learning methods. 8221; came up in a meeting the other day. The answer that was given was interesting - but it focused on educational technology.

In spite of dramatic changes in information creation, sharing, dissemination, and validation, tools don’t yet exist to help provide images and patterns of what information means. Fragmented information means that the act of coherence making now rests with individuals, not with linear (or centralized) structures like newspapers, books, and courses. Innovation has been limited Visual browsers such as KartOO help a bit with information. FriendFeed helps with tracking people.

We constantly go through a process of looking at bits of information and trying to make sense of them by adding to our existing knowledge or testing out new patterns in our sense-making efforts. The Web has given us more ways to connect with others in our learning but many people only see the information overload aspect of our digital society. As years of sorting, categorizing and Note: This is a revised HTML version of previous PDF’s posted on the site , which should make it easier for sharing. PKM

You need information radar that continuously scans for new, quality information that you should be aware of. And certainly, you have to be able to quickly commit it to your metamemory. Information Addiction Let me start this topic with a word of caution. When you find new nuggets of information, you get a chemical reaction in your brain much like an opium hit. For many of the roles and projects you will be involved in, part of what you need to be able to do is to put yourself in a continuous learning mode. Most of you reading this are infovores .

Chunking refers to the strategy of breaking down information into bite-sized pieces (Oh, that’s the visual!) so the brain can more easily digest new information. The reason the brain needs this assistance is because working memory, which is the equivalent of being mentally online, holds a limited amount of information at one time. If we ran a contest for the favorite esoteric word of Instructional Designers, the term “chunking” might win. It’s one of those terms you never hear until you enter the world of online learning or writing for the Internet.