I’m just back from the Learning 2007 conference in Orlando, and I must admit I’m feeling overwhelmed by all of the change coming our way. The next generation is using technology to learn, work, play, socialize and be entertained all at the same time.

My mind has been reeling with questions about how this next generation, with a very blended lifestyle, is going to impact the world of work as we know it. How will companies change? How will people be managed and rewarded for the work that they do? How I am going to fit in with these people who approach work and life so differently?

At the conference, many people asked me where I was from and then if I was impacted by the I-35 bridge collapse in my hometown. I explained that I used to drive under the bridge daily, taking the same route and arriving at work at the same time. Now I have unexpected delays and detours because of other bridge inspections and traffic jams on the “back roads”.

As a result, I’ve found that I’m not just commuting anymore. If I’m stuck on a bridge for 40 minutes, I give my Dad a quick call to see how he’s doing. If I drive down a new road, I watch for stores and restaurants that I might want to try. I’ve been listening to new radio stations, smiling and waving ahead other drivers who look frustrated by the traffic, and finally learning how to look at my emails on my phone (don’t worry – only when traffic is completely stopped).

These are all things that I would have never done if the bridge hadn’t collapsed. The bridge collapse forced me to shake up my commute and think about it differently rather than be frustrated by the change.

I’m going to jot down ideas on how I might shake up my work as a result of the changes coming from technology and the next gen. I’d say “stay tuned”, but word on the web is that TV’s passé.

As I’ve been working with several customers over the past couple of weeks, the question keeps coming up: what are some good ways to sustain the impact of training after the initial classroom sessions are done?

I did a little online research and talked with an eLearning expert, Patty Stillwell, who I’m working with on several training projects. Here are some great ways to use technology to keep the initial excitement of in-person training alive while sharing business wins:

1. Give business managers exercises and surveys that they can push to learners using a survey tool. Learners complete and submit the survey, and results are shared with managers. This is a great way to measure classroom retention, ongoing change and provide recognition to those learners who find great business applications.

2. Create a wiki or blog for learners to share thoughts, ideas, new ways to use the training, etc. Encourage learning leaders who have successfully applied the training concepts to initiate the “dialogue” and support participation by others.

3. Implement a private channel for downloadable video or audio of lectures, recorded conference calls, presentations, etc. Utilize format-neutral options that work with a wide range of devices.
Develop short podcasts to share scheduled information updates or high priority notices (trends, competition, etc.)

4. Use your website to offer new tools and training updates with downloadable documents
Conduct Webex meetings and online discussions to foster collaboration between groups that may not otherwise interact.

5. Use Second-Life environments to expand learners’ understanding of changes throughout the company, supply chain and customer base.

Technology adoption on the web is starting to sound like an Einstein thought experiment. Remember how he said that if you exceed the speed of light, time slows down and even goes backward? A baffling paradox, but Einstein convinced us it’s true.

Well, I have discovered a similar, albeit converse, relationship between me and Web 2.0:

If I stop trying to stay ahead of “the curve” (and even resist it), I will eventually find myself ahead of it.

Witness this Primer-like timeline:

May: I read something about Facebook for the first time.
June: I read a LOT about Facebook, because everybody’s raving about it.
July: Figure I’d better create a Facebook profile, since LinkedIn is starting to sound downright retro by comparison (see gapingvoid.com headline if there’s any question).
July: Lo and behold, I discover that my slow Facebook-trigger-finger has actually put me ahead of the curve, since Kottke tells me Facebook is cool, but its limitations mean that it is clearly the “next AOL.”

Suddenly, I can strut around confidently again. “Facebook? Who needs it?,” I say. “It’s the next AOL. Too closed, and all that. Kottke said so.”

Isn’t technology great? Well, gotta run - better put up a Facebook profile - just in case.