ASTD Study Examines Tremendous Learning Potential of Web 3.0

Web 3.0, the next evolution of Internet-based tools, technologies, and concepts, is upon us and represents a shift in how people interact with the Internet. New research from the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) examines the ways these new technologies affect and influence learning today and the impact they may have in the future.

Conducted with the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), the ASTD research report, Better, Smarter, Faster: How Web 3.0 Will Transform Learning in High-Performance Organizations, is an analysis of responses from 1,357 business and learning professionals with special emphasis on how high-performing organizations have adopted Web 3.0 into their learning practices.

"Today, we actively pursue content based on search terms and our preferences," says Tony Bingham, president and CEO of ASTD. "In Web 3.0, content will find you - rather than actively seeking it, your activities and interests will determine what finds you, be delivered how you want it, and to your preferred channel. This provides tremendous potential for learning."

Issues addressed in the study include:

• The factors that distinguish high performers from low performers in terms of approaches to use of technology for learning.
• Current and future approaches to immersive technologies.
• Current and future approaches to mobile learning.
• Effectiveness in sharing knowledge and learning content.
• The primary barriers to adopting Web 3.0 technologies.

Social learning and the impact of Web 3.0 was addressed by Bingham at ASTD's 2011 TechKnowledge Conference & Exposition on February 2, in San Jose, California.

An executive summary of Better, Smarter, Faster: How Web 3.0 Will Transform Learning in High-Performance Organizations is available at www.astd.org/content/research. To obtain the full report, visit the ASTD Store.