Chief Learning Officer - December 2007 - (Page 4) editor’s letter What I Learned From a 3-Year-Old in 2007 Something about approaching year’s end always makes me feel a bit philosophical. In mulling over the events of the preceding months, I’m just as likely to dwell on some seemingly minor incident as I am to focus on the big picture. With 2007 drawing to a close, my thoughts returned to a great “kids say the darndest things” story I heard from a friend a few months ago. It led to an epiphany. My friend’s daughter, Kara, is a young mother of two. One day, she was struggling to juggle the needs of her fussy newborn with increasingly vocal demands for attention from her precocious 3-year-old. “Ruth, just go read a book until I finish feeding the baby,” she told her toddler, “then I’ll play with you.” Frustrated by this lame stall tactic, Ruth replied in disgust, “I can’t read a book. I’m illiterate!” Literacy used to be just that simple — having the ability to read and write well enough to communicate and entertain yourself. But literacy is no longer just about language. We have to be multiliterate to survive and thrive in the world. In an article published in 1996, authors from New London Group presented a theoretical overview of the connections between the changing social environment and a new approach to literacy pedagogy. They argued that the multiplicity of communications channels and increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in the world today calls for a much broader view of literacy than portrayed by traditional language-based approaches. Multiliteracy, they maintained, is central to the pragmatics of our working, civic and private lives. A quick rundown of what’s expected of us in the real world at the end of 2007 seems to bear out their theory. We need computer literacy, social literacy, information literacy, mobile technology literacy, global literacy, even GPS and TiVo literacy! And I, for one, am frustrated by how quickly things change and how often my demands for a slower pace are drowned out by another litter of newly hatched technologies vying for attention. I don’t need to tell you that the problem is even more acute in the modern workplace. Just as change continues to expand the types of personal literacy required, it is breeding a growing December 2007 list of professional literacies needed in the workplace. More important, it is altering the nature of literacy learning on the job. In the world of work, we encounter knowledge in multiple forms — in text, images and graphic organizers; in digital contexts, video and on paper; via wireless and mobile networks; and during informal, face-to-face interactions. At the same time, we expect people to show proficiency in an ever-widening arc of competencies, including lean productivity at one end of the spectrum and “soft” people skills at the other. To prepare employees for this requisite multiliteracy, learning organizations are being asked to deploy new technologies, employ new methodologies, embrace new products and present new knowledge in equally complex and diverse ways — often before they or their employees truly understand what’s expected of them. In this challenging environment, learning professionals might be forgiven for being frustrated and even petulant once in a while. Fortunately, Chief Learning Officer magazine has been there to fill the gap this past year. We’ve delivered an amazing array of articles on critical issues in enterprise education, insights from industry thought leaders, findings from original research and business intelligence in print and online. We’ve also shared an abundance of knowledge in person during our Spring and Fall Symposia, Breakfast Clubs, Think Tanks and Webinars, and facilitated valuable professional interactions within the workforce development community. I like to think that our efforts have helped you become more multiliterate learning leaders ready to face the changes and challenges ahead in 2008. Please accept my heartfelt wishes for a productive, profitable, happy and healthy new year. I look forward to sharing whatever it has in store with all of you. I www.clomedia.com I Chief Learning Officer 4 Norm Kamikow Editor in Chief norm@clomedia.com http://www.clomedia.com
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