The 21st century learners are coming

Are we ready for them? These learners are creators, self-taught, gamers and are used to having a sense of control over what and how they learn. I am watching three of these learners develop before my eyes on a daily basis in my home and find it fascinating. All of my children have used a computer from the age of three, can text message, use an ipod, play online games and are increasingly comfortable with creating content and using new forms of technology.

The new century learners' poor grammar, lack of political correctness and inability to pay attention to what does not capture their interest may be cause for concern. On the flip side, we also see individuals who have a strong desire to contribute, participate and be engaged. How will this affect workplace learning? What will we do about it?

Workplace training and development will need to center on finding ways to capture interest in order to foster the best environment for learning. This won't be easy and making this happen might be the most important goal and challenge we will face. The immersive nature of virtual worlds for learning and just-in-time information resources delivered on video and audio will help teach people what they need to know in the future. And, for those who are really interested in a subject, an old-fashioned, well-written book will always be a winner.