The Learning Circuits Blog for December is titled, “What did you Learn about Learning in 2008? There’s about 10 days left and I’m still learning!

I learn something new everyday, however looking back at 2008, I broke my year down into 5 BIG things I learned this year:
1. Implementing an LMS
2. SCORM and eLearning Development
3. This blog
4. Getting connected!
5. Stretching beyond what I think I can achieve

1. This year was for the most part dedicated and focused on a Learning Management System. Our company implemented its first ever LMS! There is a plethora of decisions to make when deploying an enterprise-wide system such as this and I had no idea how much I had to learn in a very short time. I learned the administration of data is paramount to a successful system – hierarchy, legacy data, metrics, reports, etc. An LMS is as only good as the people who use it, and measuring activity and results play a key role in its success.

2. An LMS is just a fancy-schmancy piece of software if there is no content. I learned that just because I had some nifty web-based eLearning doesn’t mean it will work on the LMS. I had to take a crash course in SCORM and understand things like ‘LMS_initialize’ and ‘AICC_Lesson_Status’ and a whole new world of syntax. eLearning courses that actually communicate with an LMS was the real learning for me.

3. I attended two conferences this year. Both times I heard several times from general conference goers like myself to keynote speakers was to start a blog. Starting a blog will give you an outlet to get your thoughts, theories, concepts, etc. out of your head…and who knows, you may even get a reader or two. I learned that writing a blog is a huge commitment for it to thrive, although I’ve not been as consistent as I had initially hoped, I have at least one post per month. My re-commiment for ’09 is one per week.

4. Getting connected = Web 2.0, period. Social networks, forums, blogs, twitting, tweeting, and whatever else I could explore. I’ve made so many new friends and relationships by simply joining on-line groups and organizations that it has opened my mind not only to the tremendous resource network, but how conversations with people all over the world can help formulate new ideas and concepts in your own projects.

5. Although I’ve been in the world of training for 25+ years in some capacity, my exposure to eLearning only goes back 5 years. For awhile I was so caught up in my own silo, that I couldn’t ‘see’ beyond my own computer screen. Earlier this year I decided that stretching myself beyond what I think I can achieve is a new learning focus. Whether it be write a book, start a consulting business, freelance development work, or simply use the power of influencing skills to get Legal, HR, and IT open to the idea of new technologies in workforce learning. I learned if you properly present your ideas you may get more alignment and support than you originally had thought.

In summary, learning to learn is perishable. Every year about this time the I begin to think about New Year’s Resolutions. I never liked that phrase…a “resolution.” Something I must “resolve?” Why stop doing something and instead start something new? So every year I make three New Year’s “Revolutions.” What can I do new, what can I start, or what can I learn this next year?

I think my next post will be on New Year’s Revolutions…