Learning is Earning

in the national learning economy

40 continuouslearning flows 40 unboundedresources 40 digital-physicalblends 40 personalizedexperiences 40 actionablefeedback 40 algorithmicmatching 40 solutionsnetworks 40 dynamicreputations learningcommons makermindset digitalnatives coordinationplatforms collaborativetools human-machinesymbiosis decodedbrain

Learning is Earning

in the national learning economy
Until recently we thought of working, learning, and living as separate experiences. We spent most of our childhood in school, our adult years working or looking for work, and then we squeezed our personal lives into whatever brief windows of time were left.

Today, an emerging learning economy is changing all that as learning becomes a currency for everything we do.

From unbounded learning resources to adaptive digital platforms, from new hiring practices to algorithmic matchmaking, these flows and resources, these platforms and programs are the essentials for innovation and life satisfaction in the future. To the extent that we secure them, invest in them, and build them out, we are building our individual futures. To the extent we do so together, we will build a vibrant economy founded on continuous learning and earning.

INNOVATION ZONE: continuous learning flows

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.

SIGNAL: Learn.PGH

City as campus
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. 

Source

SIGNAL: Lrn

Learn to code at your convenience
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. 

Source

SIGNAL: Degreed

Discover, track, and measure your learnng
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. 

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INNOVATION ZONE: unbounded resources

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.

SIGNAL: General Assembly

alternatives to accreditation
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. 

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SIGNAL: YouTube

Discover, learn, share
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. 

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SIGNAL: Udacity

Nanodegrees
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. 

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INNOVATION ZONE: digital-physical blends

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.

SIGNAL: Clio

History in place
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. 

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SIGNAL: Immersive Journalism

Building empathy
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. 

Source

SIGNAL: Detour

If a city could talk ...
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. 

Source

INNOVATION ZONE: personalized experiences

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.

SIGNAL: Thync

Digital brain influence
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. 

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SIGNAL: Cognitoys

Personalized, adaptive, interactive toy
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. 

Source

SIGNAL: College Unbound

Integrative learning
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. 

Source

INNOVATION ZONE: actionable feedback

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.

SIGNAL: Duolingo

Gamified learning
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. 

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SIGNAL: us+

Real-time skill building
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. 

Source

SIGNAL: Minerva

Responsive learning
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. 

Source

INNOVATION ZONE: algorithmic matching

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.

SIGNAL: CoffeeStrap

Learning by conversing
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. 

Source

SIGNAL: Gigwalk Enterprise

Automated task routing
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. 

Source

SIGNAL: Knack.it

Algorithmic discovery
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. 

Source

INNOVATION ZONE: solutions networks

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.

SIGNAL: Reddit’s “Ask Me Anything”

Crowdsourcing answers
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. 

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SIGNAL: Zooniverse

Croudsourcing research
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. 

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SIGNAL: Hylo

Community social network
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. 

Source

INNOVATION ZONE: dynamic reputations

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.

SIGNAL: Upwork

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. 

Source

SIGNAL: Mozilla Open Badges

A "digital backback" of skills
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. 

Source

SIGNAL: GitHub

Programmers' version of a digital portfolio
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. 

Source

FUTURE FORCE: learning commons

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.

FUTURE FORCE: maker mindset

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.

FUTURE FORCE: digital natives

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.

FUTURE FORCE: coordination platforms

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.

FUTURE FORCE: collaborative tools

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.

FUTURE FORCE: human-machine symbiosis

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.

FUTURE FORCE: decoded brain

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.

LEARNER: Carol Forester
20, Ankeny, Iowa

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

Working Learner Profile: Carol ForesterWith 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.

LEARNER: Michael Harris
24, Seattle, Washington

Second chances:
From correctional facility to upskilled microwork

Working Learner Profile: Michael HarrisHaving 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.

LEARNER: Alejandra Gomez
15, Green Valley, Arizona

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

Working Learner Profile: Alejandra GomezAlejandra’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.

LEARNER: Simon Birech
28, Newark, New Jersey

The game of life:
From undervalued accountant to standout specialist

Working Learner Profile: Simon BirechWhen 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.

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How to use the Learning is Earning map

Welcome to the Learning is Earning ecosystem. This interactive tool helps you navigate the future of working, learning, and living.

You can explore FUTURE FORCES that are shifting today’s learning landscape for tomorrow.

Example of an Innovation ZoneTravel the eight INNOVATION ZONES that are giving working learners new possibilities every day.

Example Profile of a Working Learner
Imagine life for four different people who are working, learning, and living in the PROFILES OF WORKING LEARNERS.

Example of a Signal of the FutureSample some of the innovations that are already here through the SIGNALS OF THE FUTURE connected to the FUTURE FORCES.

Come in—explore! Ignite the future, today!

WHAT TO DO WITH THE MAP

Once you’ve had a chance to get familiar with the map and the emerging learning economy, you can put it to work for you as a strategic tool:

1. EXPLORE THE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE LEARNING ECONOMY
Scan across the essentials for innovation to see which ones offer the best opportunities to make your life or the lives of those in your community more meaningful. Make a list of opportunities for each and then check your readiness to take advantage of those opportunities.

2. BUILD A STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS
Whether you’re a working learner, a policymaker, or a service provider, you can choose three essentials for innovation to build a path to your own future. Pick the three that best fit your goals and constraints and make a plan that puts them to work for you.

3. TRY OUT THE FUTURE
You can use the signals on the map to immerse yourself in the future today. Choose a few signals that seem immediately useful for your strategies for success and try them out. Then choose a few that stretch your imagination about how you might work, learn, and live in the future—and try those to see how the future might challenge you to think in new ways.

Learning is Earning

in the national learning economy
INNOVATION ZONE: continuous learning flows - Every exchange is a moment for discovery, skill building, financial reward—and fun!
SIGNAL: Learn.PGH
SIGNAL: Lrn
SIGNAL: Degreed
INNOVATION ZONE: unbounded resources - Access to abundant information and learning resources jumpstarts advancement
SIGNAL: General Assembly
SIGNAL: YouTube
SIGNAL: Udacity
INNOVATION ZONE: digital-physical blends - Embedded intelligence turns every space and activity into a learning exchange
SIGNAL: Clio
SIGNAL: Immersive Journalism
SIGNAL: Detour
INNOVATION ZONE: personalized experiences - Adaptive learning experiences increase fit and fitness for success and satisfaction in life
SIGNAL: Thync
SIGNAL: Cognitoys
SIGNAL: College Unbound
INNOVATION ZONE: actionable feedback - Data analytics maximize return on learning investments
SIGNAL: Duolingo
SIGNAL: us+
SIGNAL: Minerva
INNOVATION ZONE: algorithmic matching - Digital profiles match people, tasks, and resources in the work-learn-live marketplace
SIGNAL: CoffeeStrap
SIGNAL: Gigwalk Enterprise
SIGNAL: Knack.it
INNOVATION ZONE: solutions networks - Collaborative learning builds marketplace solutions to problems in work and in life
SIGNAL: Reddit’s “Ask Me Anything”
SIGNAL: Zooniverse
SIGNAL: Hylo
INNOVATION ZONE: dynamic reputations - Digital trails build our brands as workers, learners, and citizens
SIGNAL: Upwork
SIGNAL: Mozilla Open Badges
SIGNAL: GitHub
FUTURE FORCE: learning commons
FUTURE FORCE: maker mindset
FUTURE FORCE: digital natives
FUTURE FORCE: coordination platforms
FUTURE FORCE: collaborative tools
FUTURE FORCE: human-machine symbiosis
FUTURE FORCE: decoded brain
LEARNER: Carol Forester
20, Ankeny, Iowa
LEARNER: Michael Harris
24, Seattle, Washington
LEARNER: Alejandra Gomez
15, Green Valley, Arizona
LEARNER: Simon Birech
28, Newark, New Jersey