Murray People: What I Learned in 2010

James McLuckie

So, we have once again reached that time when we reflect up on the year that has passed and start to consider the twelve months to come.

I regularly take part in the #lrnchat (Learn Chat) Twitter discussions. These always start with the moderator asking "What have you learned today?", which is a question that I get a lot out of asking myself, yet don't do it enough. This simple reflective exercise is usually motivating and inspiring, sometimes a little disheartening, but it's always educational.

Similarly, I also enjoy hearing from others about their own learning experiences, and often take ideas and encouragement from them. And it is in this spirit that I offer some of the things that I have learned in 2010. It's very far from an exhaustive list, but it's an insight into some of things that have shaped my learning in 2010 and have had a lasting impact on me.

It was time to get sociable. Social learning and social media were not new concepts in 2010. But this was the year that I saw a noticeable shift in people's use of, and attitude towards, learning via tools such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs and wikis. A lot of the old arguments seemed to dissipate, and excellent books such as The New Social Learning and Social Media for Trainers put forward extremely persuasive cases for leaders and L&D departments to embrace these applications. As an experiment more than anything else, I committed to building a Personal Learning Network (PLN) using Twitter and LinkedIn, and have been overjoyed at the results. Now, whenever I have a question I would like answered, an idea to share or simply want to feel inspired, I dive into the various groups and networks that I subscribe to or follow. I am seldom left wanting.

Make time for friends old and new. Building this PLN has meant that I have come across some truly inspiring, engaging and motivating characters. I now wouldn't be without my regular exchanges of tweets, emails and messages with them. However, I also discovered a rich stream of learning was waiting for me via former acquaintances. Inspired by a Facebook friend invite from a school mate I had not spoken to for nearly twenty years (I know, I don't look old enough), I actively befriended other school and university friends. I have learned so much from these people - not just professionally (as some of them ended up in similar fields to myself) but through their attitudes to life and the way they have dealt with their own challenges and experiences. I am so pleased that I took the time to reconnect with them, and would urge others to do the same.

Share and share alike. During 2010 I posted a lot of articles that I had written, and shared advice (however meagre) and opinions (however unsolicited) on various blogs, groups and networks. The messages of thanks and feedback that I subsequently received were wonderful. It has been great to know that my input has been appreciated by someone or has made a difference. So, now whenever I read something, or come across someone, that excites me I always take the time to follow up with them. More than ever I appreciate that it is this cycle of sharing and communication that sustains learning.

Go with the flow. In our overly planned and thought out worlds, it can be a startling or scary thought to let go of the lists, schedulers and methodologies, and just make a start on something to see where it ends up. Despite the advice from everyone that I should be completely forensic about it, I had been procrastinating for so long on my Masters dissertation that a few months ago I just got on with it armed with nothing but a vague idea about looking at social media and learning communities. My research question and methodologies have probably morphed about twenty times but now I have arrived at a place where I think I will produce something genuinely interesting and worthwhile. (Check back in April to see how THAT turned out!) It was a great lesson to me that when you get these chances to just go wherever your processes take you, to embrace them.

Over to you now and a question following the statement at the top of this page: what have you learned in 2010?