(Continuing a series I have not updated in too long… The “Why’s” of Social Learning.)
WHY #8: Roam & Learn
Another characteristic is that we can choose when to learn – it is not time bound. There are three aspects to time. Before now – now / this moment – later.
Email is timeless on two fronts – it satisfies the need of now and later, but not before now. Before email, there isn’t a discussion. You start at now.
Books are on two fronts as well – before now and now, but not later. There is not a discussion afterward. For example, the book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell was just republished. Why did he republish it? Because he wanted to update it, something that an author cannot do easily. Once you write it, it is written and done.
An instructor-led training class is usually just a now. There isn’t a lot of before, nor is there a lot of later except for the notes you took.
Social learning has a history, as we have pointed out, a now and a future all combined into one. You learn from what others in the past have made for you and you discuss it further to further expand on it.
What I have casually observed is that because the information is available whenever we want it, employees are more willing to learn on their own time, which is a great PRO when you are talking to executives. They choose to listen to podcasts when they are going home. They choose to log in at home and learn something really quickly because they have a question now.
I don’t have to sign up for this learning. There isn’t a schedule or registration. It just happens.
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