Google has been an integral part of many people’s lives for well over a decade now. It was a noun, it became a verb, and soon after it became second nature if you ever had a question about anything. Google may have diversified into other markets (and pretty successfully too), but it’ll always be synonymous with Search.
I thought I’d play with the freaky algorithms of its AutoCorrect service to see what it can tell us about learning. So what are most people searching for? I asked the Google search bar a few half-questions and got some interesting answers.
I started with something basic - 'what can I learn'. Results show people are keen to learn and they want to do it NOW. People want to learn quickly and for free, if possible. This is surely a good indicator that MOOCs or a similar successor won't be dying out any time soon. Also, given that the top results are '...in 5 minutes' and '...in six weeks', we can be either very impatient or somewhat dedicated. Which one are you?
Two slight variations here. 'How can I learn...' and 'how do I learn...' mean essentially the same thing; perhaps 'how can I learn..' adds an air of futility, whereas 'how do I learn...' assumes some degree of competence in the subject will be achieved at some point. English is still pretty popular, so we'll be resting on our laurels on this small island for some time to come. Arabic and Spanish are on the rise though it seems. It's depressing that boyfriends appear fourth on one list. Some men, it seems, are still bastards. Trust is a big issue for many.
Next, let's take things down the existential route. 'What is learning...' shows there is still plenty of work to be done around learning analytics and learning theory. And also taking learning outside of the context of the classroom.
'What learning and development...' is more of the same - strategy, theory and assessment/support are all at the front of people's minds.
'What should I learn to...' looks at learning from an outcome-focused perspective, and once again it shows we're knowledge hungry, and increasingly IT-focused. Course tutors of the world, listen to the people - lay on some more computer language courses.
'Why should I learn...' tells us that maybe there are already enough courses - there's certainly enough people reacting against it. Languages, in particular European and Latin American languages, come in for a bit of a kicking here. Why should people learn other languages? Social networks have shrunk the relative distances between people of different nationalities and it shows. My mum was a languages teacher for 35 years and by the time she retired the only language course left was Mandarin, which interestingly enough also appears on this list.
A few notes on the above: There is very little scientific rigour applied to these results. Some of it was played for humour, some of it was serious - I think it's easy to work it which applies to which. There's definitely enough mileage to turn this into a mini-series which I am duly doing. And finally, I must thank Tamsin Rutter and her Guardian article for the inspiration.
