First-ever framework for evaluating emerging technologies will improve how companies invest in L&D.

(Alexandria, VA), May 7, 2019 – The future of work will require companies to innovate if they want to remain competitive, and learning will play a critical part in that equation. Talent development professionals must understand and master the intersection of learning and technology to help their organizations succeed. ATD Press’s Shock of the New (April 2019) provides a new framework to guide decisions about which emerging technologies to embrace and which to ignore.

“Learning professionals need to understand the workings and implications of new technologies, recognizing that workplace learning is critically different than classroom-based learning and is just as important as any other function in the business,” according to authors Chad Udell and Gary Woodill.

Based on the most current research about emerging technologies, Shock of the New provides useful insight and practical help for talent development professionals who are overwhelmed with keeping up with the latest technology trends and exhausted by the relentless pace of change.

Udell and Woodill bring more than 60 years of combined experience in the education technology field and offer readers a valuable framework “for making judgments about the importance of emerging technologies that can affect you and your organization.” The framework, called BUILDS, has an evaluation rubric and approaches decision-making about emerging technology from six perspectives:

1. Business

2. User Experiences

3. Impact

4. Learning

5. Dependencies

6. Signals

The authors show readers how to apply the BUILDS framework by applying it to six specific technologies: blockchain, adaptive learning and personalization, 3-D printing, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and augmented and virtual reality.

Shock of the New is a must-read for today’s talent development professionals and all who care about empowering employees with the right skills for the future of work.

About the Authors

With 20 years of experience working with industry-leading Fortune 500 companies and government agencies to design and develop experiences, CHAD UDELL is the managing partner of strategy and new product development at Float. An expert in mobile design and development, Udell speaks regularly at national and international events and conferences on related topics and is also the author of Learning Everywhere: How Mobile Content Strategies Are Transforming Training.

GARY WOODILL is a senior analyst with Float as well as CEO of i5 Research. Woodill conducts research and market analyses as well as assessments and forecasting for emerging technologies. He is the co-editor of Mastering Mobile Learning and author of The Mobile Learning Edge as well as a co-author of Training and Collaboration with Virtual Worlds. He also presents at conferences and is the author of numerous articles and research reports on emerging learning technologies.

About ATD

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world’s largest association dedicated to those who develop talent in organizations. ATD’s members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD Press publications are written by industry thought leaders and offer anyone who works with adult learners the best practices, academic theory, and guidance necessary to move the profession forward. For more information, visit https://www.td.org/books.

Shock of the New: The Challenge and Promise of Emerging Technology

ISBN: 978-1-947308-80-0

April 2019

Paperback • 200 Pages

www.td.org/theshock

To order, call 1.800.628.2783