Marketing efforts tend to treat this old school/new school dichotomy as a stark choice between being a cutting-edge leader or an irrelevant dinosaur.

But a brief look at the learning technology landscape teaches us that we are not faced with an either-or choice. Despite the promises of new technology, the learning community is adopting them slowly. The percentage of learning leaders using traditional LMS technology is increasing, while new tools like curation and LRSs are either growing at a snail’s pace or even losing market penetration. Learners tell us that they like the idea of self-directed learning, but they like it better when it’s paired with guidance from someone they trust. They want to work at their own pace, but they still want their manager’s input on how to improve and what learning activities to spend time on.

At best, the old school/new school dichotomy is misleading. At worst, it can do great damage to our training efforts. As learning professionals, our actions should be not be driven by the desire to appear to be forward-thinking or the lure of new technology, but by the strategic goals of the organization and the needs of the learner.

In fact, it’s very likely that both old and new school tactics will be necessary for your organization. If a large number of learners need to quickly master a new process or procedure, an ordered curriculum supported by an LMS might be the solution. If raising the skill level of a diverse workforce across a wide range of skills and capabilities is the goal, then carefully curated worker-generated content, supported by an AI-powered LXP might do the trick. Luckily, technology providers realize this, with LMS providers adding LXP-type functionality and vice-versa, and most providers seeking to be good citizens in a learning ecosystem consisting of multiple platforms.

While learning professionals struggle with the changing technology landscape, the learners themselves seem to have much less trouble. They seldom talk about great new technology. Instead, they talk about how their skills have increased, how their job is easier, and how they can better contribute to strategic goals. Learners intuitively understand that technology is merely a tool serving a bigger purpose. Learning professionals could benefit from their insight.

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