The traditional model of education is episodic: learning takes place in a particular setting (such as a classroom), at a particular life stage (usually childhood and young adulthood), and with specialized teachers (teaching disconnected curriculum). But this kind of episodic education simply doesn’t prepare us for a global economy built on innovation. It can’t keep pace with the rapid production of new knowledge and the need to continuously turn that knowledge into new skills, new career paths, and new lifestyles.

Over the next decade, with advances in mobile and wearable technologies, learning will spill into all our daily activities. Digital flows will be designed to help us learn as we go through our days, whether we’re mastering the bacterial science we need to set up a food truck or discovering the management and marketing skills that will help us convert a spare bedroom into a successful Airbnb rental. These learning flows will turn every exchange with friends, family, customers, or co-workers into a potential moment of new mastery.

INNOVATION ZONES are new zones within which working learners will innovate and shape their own futures over the coming decade, with forecasts of how they will change the way we work, learn, and live.

Learn.PGH is a directory of nontraditional learning opportunities in Pittsburgh, including curated paths of local and digital connected learning experiences that allow learners to build towards mastery while connecting with community.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Lrn is an app that uses downloadable, interactive mini quizzes to teach people how to code in small bites while on the go, making it easy to integrate as learning they go about their days.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Degreed considers every moment a learning moment, including the time you spend online. It creates profiles of employee knowledge and skills based on their browsing history.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

In 2010, Bill Gates correctly predicted that:

“... five years from now on the web for free you’ll be able to find the best lectures in the world ... It will be better than any single university.”

Today, the rapid growth of online knowledge resources, whether for fee or for free, is creating an abundance of learning resources in a variety of formats. These range from massively open online courses (MOOCs) to live-streaming experiences via platforms like Periscope and the treasure trove of video instructions and augmented realities that offer both structured and informal learning opportunities. Such resources can jumpstart workplace advancement and earnings growth.

But as working learners in this world of unbounded resources, we will need roadmaps that connect the dots between learning assets and the career opportunities they open. At the same time, as families, we will turn to these assets to support our family rituals and our extended communities. Learners in all contexts will build new skills for discovering, categorizing, and even creating learning resources.

INNOVATION ZONES are new zones within which working learners will innovate and shape their own futures over the coming decade, with forecasts of how they will change the way we work, learn, and live.

General Assembly, a boot camp-style school for working learners, has chosen to remain unaccredited because the skills and tools they teach change faster than accreditation cycles.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

YouTube has become a primary resource for problem solving, with millions of user tutorials that cover everything under the sun—including how to create a YouTube tutorial.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Udacity offers busy working learners short industry courses that are certified and accepted by companies looking to hire directly for those specific skills.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Mobile devices, sensors, and geo-location tools are rewriting the scripts for how we use physical spaces and objects to learn and work. Combined with the abundance of online content, these tools are building learning exchanges into every space, creating sensory-rich experiences that can’t compare with traditional classroom learning or traditional workplace environments. From tech shops and co-working spaces to cars and construction sites, our workspaces are increasingly embedded with context-aware information and instruction that we can convert into learning, productivity, and innovation.

Even our recreational activities will blend the physical and digital worlds to instantly deliver information where it makes the most sense to receive it, whether it’s a walking path through a part of town where artists are reinventing how we interact with public space or a farmers market where we can use our phones to identify unfamiliar vegetables and get instant recipes for them. In this world of embedded intelligence, we all become sensors and sense-makers.

INNOVATION ZONES are new zones within which working learners will innovate and shape their own futures over the coming decade, with forecasts of how they will change the way we work, learn, and live.

Clio brings a city’s rich history to life, using mobile technology to surface user- curated historical facts, cultural records, images, and personal stories of a location for interested passersby.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Immersive journalism combines virtual reality with real audio recordings to create riveting simulations of catalyzing events, such as the Trayvon Martin shooting, building empathy in those who experience it.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Detour is a platform for location-aware audio walks, where the stories of a place “pop up” as the listener approaches.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

One size does not fit all. Every working learner has a unique profile, and a combination of computer analytics and new human attitudes will help us adapt learning and working to our individual needs and circumstances, even as we ourselves adapt. Just as a personal trainer creates workout regimens based on our unique needs and preferences, data analytics and mentors alike will analyze our goals, strengths, weaknesses, approaches to learning, and timeframe and then present us with personalized work-and-learn pathways that maximize our life satisfaction.

Already, new platforms are beginning to offer tailored learning paths based not on a standard curriculum for a fixed job objective but on a dynamic analysis of where we, as individuals, easily succeed and where we may need extra help. Over the next decade, these “fitness guides” will join us in the workplace and at home, helping us turn challenges into personal growth opportunities by adapting abundant online and offline resources. They will help us continually reinvent ourselves as the world around us becomes ever more unpredictable.

INNOVATION ZONES are new zones within which working learners will innovate and shape their own futures over the coming decade, with forecasts of how they will change the way we work, learn, and live.

Thync is a wearable device that transmits low-wave signals to the brain, helping working learners to de-stress or re-energize within minutes and getting them in the right mindset for the task at hand.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Cognitoys is toy crowdfunded through Kickstarter that connects to IBM’s Watson to interact, learn from, and age with a child as they mature and their needs change.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

College Unbound pairs nontraditional students with a mentor who crafts a unique educational plan for them and helps them create an online portfolio.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

In a world of big data, advanced analytics, and growing reputation markets, feedback is getting ever more nuanced. In learning, in work, and in life, we no longer have to depend on blunt instruments like institutional performance reviews and even 10-step selfhelp checklists. More and more, we will get detailed, personalized feedback that we can act on right now.

Many of the leading-edge performance tools will borrow from the realm of gaming, where players can fail many times but are motivated to improve in order to achieve a higher level in the game. Similarly, real-life performance tools will replace grades with compelling learning incentives and high-resolution metrics for the complex set of skills that today’s work and life challenges present.

These tools will be used to construct the customized learning paths described above. They will identify entire constellations of strengths and weaknesses to guide us in our learning investments. In short, feedback will be an invaluable currency that we can use to improve our lives.

INNOVATION ZONES are new zones within which working learners will innovate and shape their own futures over the coming decade, with forecasts of how they will change the way we work, learn, and live.

Duolingo offers bite-sized, gamified language learning with instant feedback, rewards for streaks of correct answers, and opportunities to “level up.”

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

us+ uses facial recognition and speech analysis to provide real-time feedback on conversational skills and interaction.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Minerva assesses students on competencies and awards individual grades for every comment they make in class—producing a responsive map of their skills over four years.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

An algorithm is a computer program, often one that solves a problem and discovers a hidden pattern. Today, algorithms frequently take on the role of matchmaker—they find us taxis, recommend movies and books based on our previous viewing patterns, and even connect us to potential love interests. They do this by sorting through our digital data trails to discover individuals, institutions, and opportunities that match our unique profiles.

Over the next decade, these kinds of algorithms will change how we learn, work, perform our daily activities, and get what we want. Companies will match us with institutions, courses, tutors, internships, and employers, all with a simple swipe of a finger. The tasks we perform for pay may be assigned by matching algorithms that track our past task performance, our reputations, our social networks, and even our learning styles. Perhaps most important, these matching algorithms and the digital trails they mine are the currency that will connect us across institutional silos if we use them well.

INNOVATION ZONES are new zones within which working learners will innovate and shape their own futures over the coming decade, with forecasts of how they will change the way we work, learn, and live.

CoffeeStrap pairs language learners with peers who have similar interests on demand, and then it tracks proficiency based on those conversations.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Gigwalk Enterprise’s algorithm assesses employee performance and strengths based on variables like the time it takes to open an email, and uses that information to route tasks to people based on their capabilities.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Knack.it uses games to help individuals discover their own “knacks”— their skills, traits, and talents—and then uses that information to match them to job opportunities.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

The way we solve problems, whether they are complex scientific questions or just the challenges of everyday life, is shifting from individual work or even teamwork to work involving large networks of people, often around the world. With platforms like Quora, we are using these networks to find the best solutions for everything from complex math problems to answers to personal life questions, such as “should I date this person?”

Growing up in a world of constant connectivity, today’s young people will take for granted that they can turn to their networks for guidance, knowledge, and smart solutions to problems they would never tackle alone. Mobile devices will make it possible to carry these network—always on and always available—in our pockets. In this environment, individual performance and IQ will take second place to network performance and network IQ, and the most successful people will be those who learn how to learn together.

INNOVATION ZONES are new zones within which working learners will innovate and shape their own futures over the coming decade, with forecasts of how they will change the way we work, learn, and live.

Reddit's "Ask Me Anything" open messaging platform allows anyone to post a question and receive multiple responses from the crowd.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Zooniverse conducts people-powered research—tapping into a vast network of “citizen scientists” to analyze research data at scales even an algorithm cannot match.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Hylo is a platform that maps the skills, resources, and intentions of community members—allowing for new discoveries and connections with the people around you.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Success in the learning economy is all about building our brands as workers, learners, and citizens of the communities that matter most to us. Reputation and digital performance trails will begin to carry more weight than college degrees and one-page resumes of employment as we begin to track learning that happens anywhere, as we work in global networks where our performance on one task determines how likely we are to get hired for another task, and as we contribute our own knowledge and resources to online communities.

Indeed, digital freelancing platforms have found that past performance on similar tasks, not formal education, is what employers look at when hiring. Innovations in credentialing will lay a new groundwork to better represent our personalities and capabilities with new kinds of reputation markers such as nanodegrees and digital badges as well as digital trails that document perhaps the most essential skill in the new learning economy—our social intelligence.

INNOVATION ZONES are new zones within which working learners will innovate and shape their own futures over the coming decade, with forecasts of how they will change the way we work, learn, and live.

Upwork, a microwork and digital freelancing platform, has users receive reviews for each job they complete and asks them to constantly prove their skills with hyper-specialized skills tests.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Mozilla Open Badges helps users to track skills learned informally by issuing verifiable digital badges that are stored and displayed in a “digital backpack.”

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

GitHub, an open-source social programming platform, has become the new resume in coding circles. A developer’s profile and contributions become his or her work portfolio.

SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE are examples of how the future is already unfolding around us today in innovations across the country—and indeed across the globe. 

Digital resources are not subject to the “tragedy of the commons”—the more they’re used, the more valuable they become. New commons, especially commons of learning resources, lay the groundwork for all kinds of new exchanges.

FUTURE FORCES are the underlying technological and social shifts that are destabilizing the learning landscape of today and driving the formation of the new learning economy.

A do-it-yourself ethos is creating an entrepreneurial approach to working, learning, and living. This maker mindset becomes a do-it-ourselves ethos as digital and physical spaces bring us together in new ways.

FUTURE FORCES are the underlying technological and social shifts that are destabilizing the learning landscape of today and driving the formation of the new learning economy.

Those born after 1990 are growing into adulthood as natives of a digital world, with smart devices and a World Wide Web at their fingertips. From media literacy to computational thinking, they are pioneering a new economy of digital skills.

FUTURE FORCES are the underlying technological and social shifts that are destabilizing the learning landscape of today and driving the formation of the new learning economy.

Platforms designed to match people with tasks and resources, for money or simply for engagement, are forging new ways to work and learn. These platforms will rapidly increase the marketplace choices for working learners.

FUTURE FORCES are the underlying technological and social shifts that are destabilizing the learning landscape of today and driving the formation of the new learning economy.

From scientific research to global work teams to online music groups, digital media have boosted our ability to collaborate. The result is rapid growth of knowledge resources and responses to solving problems.

FUTURE FORCES are the underlying technological and social shifts that are destabilizing the learning landscape of today and driving the formation of the new learning economy.

Smart machines are replacing some kinds of human labor while augmenting others. Machines are rewriting the rules for how we work, learn, and even manage our households.

FUTURE FORCES are the underlying technological and social shifts that are destabilizing the learning landscape of today and driving the formation of the new learning economy.

Advances in neuroscience and behavioral science are generating new techniques and tools for optimizing learning and organizing work tasks. These tools, in turn, are changing the way we think about the entire enterprise of working, learning, and living.

FUTURE FORCES are the underlying technological and social shifts that are destabilizing the learning landscape of today and driving the formation of the new learning economy.

Coming home to roost:
From retail clerk to community change agent

With only a high-school education, Carol Forester was having trouble making ends meet as a store clerk in the booming Des Moines suburb of Ankeny where she grew up. That is, until she found Roost. It’s a co-working space and incubator, not for tech startups but for social inventors. Tapping an ever-richer stream of Roost resources, from free digital courses and peer-learning exchanges to movie nights and community experiments, Carol became a regular at Roost events, volunteering in exchange for microcredits for learning.

After six months of volunteering at all kinds of community events, she found herself co-teaching some Roost classes herself and struggling to find enough hours in the day for her paying job. But with microcredits adding up and her volunteer activities expanding her network of contacts throughout the community, the volunteer gigs started to turn into part-time job offers: floor manager for the new food bank, development staffer for the local branch of a national aid organization. “I was feeling so lost just a few months ago,” she confesses, “but Roost has become my life GPS.”

PROFILES OF WORKING LEARNERS bring the future of the learning economy to life. This map introduces us to four working learners who—while fictional—represent the aspirations and possible pathways of the young working learners who will shape the next decade.

Second chances:
From correctional facility to upskilled microwork

Having spent three months in the Monroe Correctional Complex for minor drug charges, Michael worried that he had already blown his life and wouldn’t be able to rise above the random series of Uber rides he chased to support himself and his three-year-old daughter. Enter UpBurger, a new fast food chain that doesn’t discriminate against workers’ backgrounds and even promises upskilling as part of its mission.

UpBurger doesn’t pay particularly well, but Michael immediately noticed how closely his supervisor tracked him. He learned that computer algorithms were monitoring him—not to punish minor offenses but to identify his strengths.

UpBurger began training him for tasks that matched his aptitudes and also increased his takehome pay—all through their internal online placement platform. His most common gigs involve repair of industrial kitchen equipment, something he never would have thought to pursue. He is still hoping to find more time to spend with his daughter but is sure the time they do have together has improved as his confidence has grown. He is often amazed how this innovative fast food restaurant turned his life around.

PROFILES OF WORKING LEARNERS bring the future of the learning economy to life. This map introduces us to four working learners who—while fictional—represent the aspirations and possible pathways of the young working learners who will shape the next decade.

Migrating platforms:
From C student to venture-backed bio-hacker

Alejandra’s parents worried about their daughter’s future as a second-generation Mexican immigrant. In spite of teachers’ praise for her cleverness in pattern recognition and problem-solving, Alejandra’s grades rarely rose above a C, while she spent most of her time on her tablet playing elaborate puzzle games.

Then, one day, a DNA-shaped trophy arrived in the mail, addressed to her. She’d won an online protein-folding competition on the online BioReddit community forum. BioReddit hosts an eclectic mix of science researchers, PhD students, and amateurs like Alejandra who build their reputations by solving challenges posed by large universities and medical labs.

A few months after the trophy arrived, Alejandra surprised her parents again with an invitation to participate in a bio-hackathon at Sequence, a sciencethemed makerspace in nearby Tucson. Her parents were skeptical until Alejandra revealed the real-word identities of the participants, including several senior researchers from the University of Arizona. Alejandra’s reputation skyrocketed at Sequence, and before long, she’s spending most of her afternoons and weekends on paid initiatives from the makerspace, funded by venture investors.

PROFILES OF WORKING LEARNERS bring the future of the learning economy to life. This map introduces us to four working learners who—while fictional—represent the aspirations and possible pathways of the young working learners who will shape the next decade.

The game of life:
From undervalued accountant to standout specialist

When Simon lost his job in a big NYC accounting firm, he had to move to Newark and downsize his apartment, his job expectations, and his monthly support payments to his family back in Nairobi. Even with a formal education in corporate accounting, he found himself stuck in a low-level job for a local firm.

Better jobs seemed to require new specialized skills, but he didn’t have the resources for a night school upgrade. Then he discovered micro-skilling apps on his smartphone, which dole out 15-minute bursts of learning he can do in his spare time. Obsessed with finding all the small opportunities to learn, he focused on skills that would distinguish him from the pack, eventually realizing he’d need an understanding of advanced mathematical formulas to get to the next level.

The textbooks seemed impenetrable, but he heard about a new immersive gaming system that makes this kind of learning more intuitive, so he borrowed virtual reality hardware from his local library and now spends his evenings in advanced mathematical visualizations. As these efforts pay off, Simon is finding himself working to improve the learning games that are simultaneously helping his own career.

PROFILES OF WORKING LEARNERS bring the future of the learning economy to life. This map introduces us to four working learners who—while fictional—represent the aspirations and possible pathways of the young working learners who will shape the next decade.