ELIG Workshop: Innovation and Change Powered by Learning Solutions

The European Learning Industry Group (ELIG) brings the debate on the role of knowledge and learning solutions in ensuring sustainable economic recovery to ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN in the form of a pre-conference workshop: “Moving beyond the Crisis Powered by Knowledge and Learning Solutions – What Is the NEXT Practice?”. This will be held on December 2nd, 2009 between 14:00 and 18:00.

by Richard Straub

The writing was already on the wall before the current crisis, but the changes are now accentuated – in the society of tomorrow, individuals will have to take charge of their own learning and development–of the development of their own intellectual and social capital. Institutions will have to enable this process by providing a seamless learning infrastructure, as opposed to the fragmented education silos we see today. A wave of innovation will be required within our education systems and in the way we tackle lifelong learning. Innovation in learning will be a key component of supporting a step change of innovation in our economy and our society. Individuals must be better equipped to understand and manage their own lifelong learning process. Capacity building for learning takes priority over transmitting knowledge.

A crisis creates a strong sense of urgency and opens up new solutions – provided we are looking for them and are ready to move beyond the current paradigm. Instead of being caught in the despondency of the crisis, we must look ahead, establishing the vision for the future and defining the landmarks that will enable us to move forward.

ICT and Multimedia Technology have reached the tipping point in providing an infrastructure and processes for continuous lifelong learning. However, technology on its own is never the solution, and ELIG’s mission, therefore, implies tapping into the potential of technology by applying it to learning in a creative and innovative way.

This workshop is a call for a group of thought leaders and key stakeholders to come together; the purpose is not only to discuss the future vision but to establish signposts for the “NEXT PRACTICE”.

The ELIG Online Educa Berlin Pre-Conference Workshop , “Moving beyond the Crisis Powered by Knowledge and Learning Solutions – What Is the NEXT Practice?”, will be kicked off with thought leadership presentations from Roland Deiser (Founder and Executive Chairman at European Corporate Learning Forum [ECLF]) , Mick Slivecko (IBM Global Education Industry) and Mike Morris (Cisco). Each will be addressing a distinct perspective in order to provide participants with a holistic overview.

Delegates will then be invited to join one of three roundtables, each chaired by senior experts, including Charles Jennings, former Chief Learning Officer Thomson Reuters. The sessions will explore the areas of public policy, corporate training and schools and universities by addressing key questions including:

How can we change the current mindset of fixed–term learning and liberate knowledge working capability through organisational endorsement of the social learning tools already widely adopted for personal use? What is likely to emerge?
What is the new pragmatic vision?
What policy issues impact on the next practice, and how can we set the agenda?
What will the new knowledge be, and what will the learning platforms and ecosystems be like that will power improved innovation performance across all of our institutions, enabling us to move beyond the current crisis and towards a very different learning future?
How can we ensure a balanced blend between continuity and change?
A closing panel of top commentators, including David Warlock, Chief Research Fellow at Outsell Inc, will then discuss the outcomes of the roundtables in more depth and, together with the workshop delegates, shape the critical propositions that ELIG will then take forward as an action agenda into 2010.

This workshop builds on ELIG’s recent annual general meeting. At this gathering, the membership endorsed the view that cost cutting by itself was not a sustainable way out of the current crisis, contending that innovation was required more than ever.

Richard Straub

Web 2.0 advancements, currently dominating the personal-use arena, have the potential to provide accelerated experiential learning across organizations, but only if they can be channelled to systematic institutional use. Mobile technologies further enhance the capabilities for interaction and access to knowledge by making innovative tools available to knowledge workers.

In a message to policy makers, ELIG highlights the underrated role of education and lifelong learning in the European stimulus packages. Even new post-crisis-oriented policy initiatives like the massive European research investments in a “Future Internet” fail to treat knowledge creation and learning as a primary focus; they currently neglect the potentials of technological innovations in these domains.

The ELIG ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN Pre-Conference Workshop is the place where this debate will continue. To quote Peter Drucker, “If you want to predict the future, you must create it”. Here is an opportunity to take part in shaping the future of learning.

The workshop “Moving beyond the Crisis Powered by Knowledge and Learning Solutions – What is the NEXT Practice?” will take place on December 2nd, 2009 from 14:00 – 18:00.