2019 Predictions for eLearning
The following post was shared in the eLearning Guild's 2019 Predictions for eLearning eBook, a collection of thoughts, opinions, and hopes from industry thought leaders for what's to come. The complete publication can be accessed here.
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Predictions are tricky. They can come across as hand-wavy. They can come across as snake oil. They can come across as a sales pitch. Predictions about technology—and about learning technology—are especially tricky, and especially vulnerable to the hand-waviness. Countless years of articles about predictions for the next year demonstrate this. And in a real sense, it is not the predictable but rather the unpredictable that generally moves the world in new directions (for better or worse). Instead of a prediction, I’m going to offer up a hope. Note: I’m not offering up hope. I’m offering up a hope.
This hope is that 2019 is the year when we all realize that lifelong learning is a matter of national and global inspiration, competitiveness, and survival. You want a more creative and entrepreneurial society? Lifelong learning. You want a richer and more industrious society? Lifelong learning. You want national security? You want to take on the big issues like climate change, water availability, and sustainable education in all corners of the Earth? Lifelong learning. You want to tackle problems rather than endlessly talk about them? Lifelong learning.
So long as learning is seen as something that happens in school, or in training, or in PD sessions—as opposed to being recognized as one of the only things we’re able to do anytime, anywhere, for any purpose—we’ll be stymied in how to “make it better,” and we’ll suffer for its neglect. The sooner we get away from grades, the sooner we’ll get to lifelong learning. The sooner we get away from the idea that there is “a best way to do something,” the sooner we’ll get to lifelong learning. The sooner we get away from the idea that professional development is somehow auxiliary to the everyday work of being a professional, the sooner we’ll get to lifelong learning.
Until someone can say the word “learning” and the first thing to come to mind is not a school, desk, PowerPoint, or quiz, we’re not yet there. 2019—with all-the-time availability (at least in some places and hopefully coming increasingly to others) of resources, and content, and ways to measure and think about the experiences afforded by this moment—could turn out to be a milestone year in the journey toward something better and more meaningful.
This is what I hope. It’s not what I predict.