The recent emergence of social media technologies such as Web 2.0 is spawning a new era in corporate learning. But how valuable do learners find social media tools for learning on the job? Respondents to the ASTD/i4cp research report, The Rise of Social Media: Enhancing Collaboration and Productivity Across Generations, indicated that shared workspaces, wikis, and podcasts are seen as the most valuable tools for the learning function. Nearly two-thirds of respondents found shared workspaces to be valuable for learning, while podcasts and wiki's were found to be valuable or indispensible by 43% and 41% of learners, respectively. On the other hand, more nascent technologies such as virtual worlds and augmented realities are not yet seen as very valuable or indispensible.

To find out more about the findings from ASTD's Rise of Social Media report and the use of social media technologies for learning on the job, attend the Social Media: Who is using it for Workplace Learning? session, at ASTD's 2010 International Conference & EXPO (May 16th-19th, Chicago, Il). The session takes place on Wednesday, May 19th @ 8:00am, and will involve a panel discussion with representatives from CSC, American Express, and ASTD exploring this area in depth by analyzing who is using social media for workplace learning and more importantly, how organizations are harnessing the opportunities that these technologies present.