Is (an) Apple the forbidden fruit?

The definition of the apple being a forbidden fruit is probably one of the oldest recorded metaphors and linked to any indulgence or pleasure deemed to be immoral or illegal. That Learning Dude reads with interest and notes that in this instance it wasn't Adam and Eve that pinched and snacked on fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil but Samsung who have been hit with a fine of just over..........

Now I am not too concerned about the judgement, if Samsung infringed copyright then of course it is right they are punished, but it is more than just the money that is at stake. It is about the battle for space in the gadget pockets of you and I.  Apple demanded $2.75billion in damages but the jury felt this was extraordinarily high, citing that they wanted to give Samsung more than a slap on the wrist and make the fine painful but not unreasonable, but are Apple really that interested in the fine and how handy was it having a foreman of the jury having knowledge of patents in the US given he has one himself......Oooooops cheeky me.

Recent sales figures published in the US, indicate that 64% of mobile devices sold ran on Android versus about 19% on Apple and despite the fact that Apple make far more money on hardware and app sales than anyone else, a ratio of 3 to 1 units must still concern them.

The battle isn't about good versus evil and isn't about Apple versus Samsung, this is about killing off Android   of which Steve Jobs himself said he wanted to destroy and I don't think that's healthy, you see, if you truly want to beat your rivals then innovate by picking up their challenge and going one better. I am not meaning by adding 1, 2 and 3 to your product or indeed 1, 2, 3, 4 and soon rumoured to be 5 as eventually your customer will eventually look beyond the hype and say "this ain't new" 

Now this is going to be a long drawn out affair as it is estimated that there may be as many as 6000 plus different types of Android powered handsets and shutting it all down is probably far from possible but it ever did happen would people instantly switch to IOS? Probably not.

So if you were ever faced with a similar challenge what would you do? Stand and fight as a matter of principal or get on with being as innovative and creative as possible to leave your rivals further behind.

I'd grab a pen and draw every time, and I ain't talking battle lines

@ThatLearningXDude

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It's no use, I can't shake it and yet it's not really there

"Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people rely sole on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling: from observing one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action." 

-Albert Bandura, Social Learning Theory, 1977

So an interesting debate sparked up in the office around 70:20:10. The mix of understanding and relevance of everyone's point of view merely strengthens my resolve that as a theory, guideline or framework in principle, it places too much emphasis on it's existence as a solid model. 

Now I am not disputing anything here but interpreting my own interpretation of an interpretation that has been interpreted by someone else based on their interpretation of what someone observed........and perhaps said or done. Ergo today's blog is of course open to interpretation.

If you look at what Albert Bandura proposed in 1977 he spoke about the danger of learning in isolation and being left alone to come to your own conclusion, he highlights the importance of modelling through observation and how you form your own version of how a behaviour is performed and then goes on to speak of how that information you have taken on board has been coded by your brain and will then at a later date be put in to practice. 

So his Social Learning theory is very much steeped in the 70:20.......so what about the 10, well perhaps it's just 100....yep that's what I will call it the 100 or will I?.......You see he didn't need to add numbers, and yet surely as a Professor at Stanford there should have been numbers.?

My point is it doesn't have to have a number to mean something but we are a quantifying bunch, feeling the need to add numbers and create a sense of value, but the value is not for us to add as part of Banduras theory points out just because someone learns something does not mean that it will result in a change of behaviour. Okay so what else happened? Well, his observational model had three parts (See I knew he would have numbers somewhere) 

ANYWAY !!! Where was I going with this? Ah yes, the existence / non existence of 70:20:10. So the reason the debate was set off is that the business is on a journey of learning that requires a change in approach and one of the ways it has been communicated is by telling them about our 70:20:10 learning philosophy however seek first to understand then be understood is the order of the day and perhaps the sticking block is that each of us has our own view of what it actually is but it relies heavily on everyone having a structured approach to learning, a regiment that has the time to create new ideas and innovate thinking. After that of course we all settle down for some reflective moments and then strike a balance between experimentation and the day job.

That's a lot of assumptions........so let's think of what is true.....human nature is inquisitive and wants us to learn but it has to have the freedom and fluidity to learn how it wants and when it wants. Our job as learning professionals is not to give them models, theories, behaviours, coffee and cake........(okay maybe cake)....but our job is provide tools to help them choose their own journey. Classic lead the horse to water scenario but you, them and me alone can choose to drink. Another classic assumption is that learning happens in silo's or separate parts i.e the split between formal and informal but to me it's one in the same. Formal may be the setting but the informal is the environment for learning you create be it offline, online, mobile or classroom etc etc etc.

So there you go, that's my view, it doesn't exist and does at the same time but we don't have to make a song and dance about it we just have to do it.

P.S.........You're doing it now

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Magic Olympic moments.....oh if only we could learn

That Learning Dude just spent two great weeks at one of his favourite parts of Scotland and I confess a little too long in front of the TV watching the 2012 London Olympics. Quite easily my favourite games since 1984 when That Jet Pack Dude flew into the Los Angeles Coliseum to help light the flame. 

As iconic as that was I think even that may have been pipped by James Bond escorting the Queen into the Olympic stadium by parachute. 14,000 athletes from 204 countries (and others under the flag of the IOC) competed in 26 events at 34 venues. To be selected to represent your country in your chosen sport is the ultimate accolade for any athlete and for many proved that dreams can come true with hard work and dedication. 

Now as I wandered and pondered each night at sunset on the beach in this sleepy little hollow it struck me the amazing..........okay mildly amazing similarities that the games have brought when reflecting through all my learning years and so with that in mind I thought That Learning Dude should break those post holiday blues with a chortle and a guffaw through those memorable Olympic moments.

So sit back and have some fun at some true and not so true facts about the Olympics and L&D

Some four billion people around the world are reported to have seen at least a moment of the games on Television. This is an amazing number of people but is still far short of the number of people who request to go on a presentation skills course each year. 

Around three thousand technical officials we involved in administering the games. That's a staggering 115.384615384615384615384615384612 officials per event. Blimey! I can't even get one administrator to help book a venue and print materials for me. 

It took almost 8 years for the Olympic park to turn from plans into the completed venue that hosted the games.

8 years is also the number of years of your life you will waste (and never get back) watching mundane and incredibly boring Powerpoint presentations. To this day nobody has been convicted of death by powerpoint.

The temperature of the Olympic swimming pool was a terribly accurate 26 degrees centigrade. Most training rooms do not come with a thermometer as standard and make up 38% of CO2 pollution due to overheating

The hottest ticket in town was for the 100 metres Mens final with over one million requests for tickets.

One million is the average number of requests received on an annual basis for people to go straight to the test on an eLearning course

The keys to Wembley stadium which was hosting Olympic football were lost during the games forcing security chiefs to change the locks. The person responsible for losing the keys has made and average of 8.4 requests for a new password to his companies online learning account in the last six months

The closing ceremony for the Olympics featured a number of musical artists past and present with even the Spice Girls returning to the stage.

Sometimes it isn't a good idea to roll out old material but if you do, make sure you have a taxi for a quick getaway.

That Learning Dude is back !

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