Learning to forge connections through eye contact helped her get audiences more engaged during presentations, says Ms. Kruse, vice president of learning at FortuneBuilders, San Diego.

WSJ: The Decline of Eye Contact

Stillwell says companies are already using these kinds of machine-learning models to make connections, though the companies may not know that they're measuring IQ or extroversion.

CNN: Heather Kelly,

He later became a neuroscientist, now at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spending most of his career doing basic research on how the brain's cells form connections during learning.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Making social connections around learning is not a new idea, though social networks mean it takes less time and, given the potential for reaching around the globe for these networks, the difference in background of those involved can be refreshingly wide.

ECONOMIST: The Economist Debate Series: Education

It reorients the learning experience to a network of connections, which is a fundamentally different approach to the pursuit of knowledge.

FORBES: My Favorite Feature Of The New

It's not that the chatter need change or misrepresent the facts, but that the conversation and connections help ground new learning in our minds.

ECONOMIST: The Economist Debate Series: Education: The Proposition's closing statement | The

Schools need to have partnerships with local businesses, alums and especially angel groups which can provide an environment for learning, and also real-world connections for student ventures.

FORBES: Turkey - An Emerging Entrepreneurship Ecosystem

We can't outsource the human connections at the heart of the learning experience.

CNN: Computers can't replace real teachers

My biggest learning from this past year is to lean heavily on your personal connections, your friends and of course, your family.

FORBES: 5 Lessons From A First-Time Entrepreneur