When it comes to Mobile Learning, or mLearning as it's become known, it's amazing how quickly attitudes change. Today, with the staggering growth of iPad and iPhone apps, the learning community is scrambling to apply the new technology. But that hasn't always been the case.

Back in 2002, my company released a product called "Knowledge Direct PDA." One of my genius coders, Michael Roberts, engineered a web app that enabled administrators to log in, create modules of content, and assign tests and interactive checklists.

Learners could login from any WEP-enabled cell phone (preferably a PDA), access the modules and complete the assigned tests and checklists. It seemed to us as though the benefits of the application were obvious. For the employee, they had instant access to content wherever they were. For administrators, test scores and task completion reporting could be wirelessly transmitted back to the server or updated during the next synch. To us, this product was the next logical step in combining "learning on demand" with mobile performance support.

In 2003, we presented the product to the eLearning Consortium - a group of about a 100 or so thought leaders from mostly Fortune 500 companies led by Elliott Masie. No one was interested. Despite being members of the leading-edge learning technology consortium, not a single attendee had any plans for mobile learning.

A recent article by Fast Company magazine describes how receptive kids are to mLearning. Whether teaching themselves the alphabet with First Words or playing KidsCalc Math Fun, they get it. Granted, our first-gen mobile app didn't compare with Clifford's Be Big with Words app, but I sometimes wonder how different things might have been if I had been pitching to a roomful of seven-year-olds. "The Child is the Father of Man."

Let's hope that the latest onslaught of technology has made us all a little more receptive to recognizing what might appear to be a crazy idea.

What's your favorite mLearning app? I'm pretty addicted to the PromeToys' Spanish Conjugations for the iPhone.

Clive Sheperd's blog posting on "A solution looking for a problem?" really hit home.

Never before can I remember the release of so many disruptive technologies that directly affect learning. With new tools emerging such as mobile delivery, rapid development, Second Life-style immersive experience, and augmented reality… how do we know which are going to be the best fit for learning?

I often see learning professionals put off making a decision, waiting for more certainty. The point I think Sheperd is making is that we so often address these technologies by looking for the problems they solve, and so each new technology is seen as a new "solution looking for a problem." But I agree that's the wrong direction. Our only real problems are those that affect us: What hinders our learning community? What inspires our learners? How can we give them what they need, when they need it? How can we integrate technology, whatever it may be, so transparently that it doesn't "disrupt" their lives? We need to remember these problems when choosing technologies.

Still this requires analyzing so many new technologies. As an eLearning solution provider, walking an exhibition floor at Learning conferences can be disorienting. It reminds me of that scene in "Nauseau" by Jean-Paul Sartre, where the main character suddenly realizes how many choices there truly are in life. The character becomes literally ill when recognizing the sheer number of possibilities in life. Should I invest in a technology? Which one? What if it's the wrong choice? Will it survive?

These are the same concerns we had in the early days of interactive learning --with interactive videodisc, LAN servers, TenCore, Icon Author... and then Macromedia Authorware, and Director. But back then, technology felt more exciting. This was when the term "multimedia maven" became popular, and there was such anticipation with each new product or version release, because each represented some new possibility that it might solve our problems.

I think we need to view this new world with an old eye toward potentiality. As educators living amid so much disruptive technology, it is our responsibility to be aware of the latest technology, embrace those we really believe in, and then start applying the technology to create solutions to our real problems.

Social learning is nothing new.

In fact, an estimated 70% of what we learn, we learn NOT in the class, but from one another.

Social networking isn't new, either. Twitter actually began in 2006, but since then, its growth has been exponential. According to Kevin Weil of the Twitter Analytics team, there are roughly 50 million tweets per day. In fact, between 2008 and 2009, Twitter increased 1,400%.

What is new

... is that Digitec has taken these two established ideas and created a social learning component for the new version of Knowledge Direct, Digitec's highly innovated learning platform. But instead of learners needing to create new profiles and "feed" yet another social networking site, Knowledge Direct® integrates directly with Twitter. Now, learners can follow others within their organization or student profiles, using an embedded live Twitter feed.
This social learning feature even gives users the ability to pose questions and receive "near" real-time answers from selected peer groups; directly from the Knowledge Direct desktop.

Now that's something worth tweeting about!

I'm interested in hearing how others are using social learning to solve real problems or how you feel about social learning, in general. Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear from you!

In its July issue, CLO Magazine will be featuring a story on the eLearning trend towards microlearning. As part of that issue, I was interviewed on my perspective on microlearning and what the buzz is all about. Here are a few Q&As for a preview on the topic and my philosophy on microlearning.

What is microlearning?

Microlearning is an instructional design methodology that promotes just-in-time or on-demand learning. Influenced by the Google generation, it is designed to be very short, providing quick bursts of learning on a very focused topic.

How did microlearning come to be?

Microlearning has evolved from a more traditional "expert-based" model, where a subject-matter-expert (SME) dictates the content, as well as the context, and scope & sequence. In contrast, microlearning is more like "self-serve" education. It was definitely influenced by the internet and search engine approaches, where users can search, retrieve and use the content.

What broad trends facilitated the increasing adoption of microlearning?

Three things: smarter search engines, the rise of "user-generated" content, and mobile technology. It used to be that learning resided in mysterious repositories, whose secrets were only unlocked by highly trained academics or subject matter experts. As the internet and smarter search engines have opened and "deregulated" these repositories, it has made content more accessible to everyone. Also, digital media and tools have made it easier for anyone to post and disseminate content. The "democratization" of content, through user-generated repositories, like blogs, wikis, file sharing sites, etc has made information more accessible to everyone, with instant access. And with the 3G revolution, now many people use their cell phones and portable appliances more readily than a computer, and microlearning provides shorter and more accessible delivery to these devices.
Once these walls starting falling down, many progressive organizations are saying "why not embrace it".

What purpose does microlearning serve?

When it comes right down to it, the goal of education is problem solving. If a learner can react to a situation, respond by searching and retrieving a piece of content, just-in-time, and then apply that learning to solve the problem. Isn't that the goal of education?

How can microlearning be used in organizations?

For the learner, ad-hoc microlearning can be very effective. When it's designed right, it's short, sweet, tailored to just what the learner wants, when they want it. But for the organization, it's important to create learning that adapts to this style while also tracking access and consumption, for planning, resource management, compliance, a hundred reasons.

So microlearning needs to be embraced by the organization. We need to relinquish some control over the content, and start creating learning that meets this need and encourages its use.

It would also be helpful to take a page from Web 2.0 technologies, employing search strategies like those used by Amazon, recommending other relevant resources, based on the search criteria. To do this, we need reporting to track access and patterns, so we can predict and suggest other related modules to serve the learner more completely. This way, learners can "create their own learning" but do it within pre-determined but adaptable parameters or profiles.

Is there value in microlearning?

Right now, when I talk to trainers, who continue to teach in a traditional corporate learning environment or in a classroom, the passive, one-way delivery of content is becoming more and more ineffective. The next generation is now, and learners are demanding more relevance and application.

Learning needs to happen when a subject comes into contact with just the right content at just the right time. Microlearning can do this extremely well. While not always the right answer to a training need, microlearning can be extremely valuable for teaching specific, stand-alone topics - a "Frequently Asked Questions" approach to learning.

What are some of the challenges or things learning leaders should watch out for when implementing enterprise microlearning?

It's important to insist of quality, accuracy and good instructional design. Micro-learning development needs to be looked at in context to larger organizational needs. Developers need to avoid arbitrarily create resources. The same discipline and planning needs to be conducted in choosing and creating the resources, but instead of developing larger courses, we need to assess specific needs, based on usage and organizational needs, then design shorter, more focuses topics, that can stand alone, apart from a broader context.

Also, it's still important to create the resources within a learning repository to more easily track and maintain them. Also, it's important to focus on the "skill". Include the enabling objectives within the content delivery, but keep microlearning task-focused, so that learners are still hands-on in learning.

Many organizations adopted microlearning tools during the recession because it's relatively cost-effective. Do you think enterprise micro-learning is just a fad or does it have staying power?

Microlearning needs to have staying power. Now that the "genie is out of the bottle," learners will continue to demand learning that's relevant, focused and just-in-time. Since the goal of education is problem solving, we as educators need to adapt to this learning styles, providing the best possible tools to serve the learner.


What's your take on microlearning? I'd be interested in your comments and viewpoints.

Last week, Digitec moderated a lively session at the Learning Solutions 10 Conference in Orlando, sponsored by the eLearning Guild.

The session was an open forum to discuss the features that a "Learning Management System of the Future" might have. As the scribe for this session, I organized the session feedback and brainstorming into these main areas.

1. Talent Management - the group recognized the fact that there is a large group of "Baby Boomers" about to hit retirement age. How will the next generation workforce be developed, when mentors and coaches are dwindling? Talent Management was seen as a way for workers to be assigned to profiles, which document their learning needs, then track their progress and development, tailoring new learning as they progress in the organization and in their role assignments. These features should enable administrators to use the LMS for succession planning and resource management, as well.

2. Social Networking - since an estimated 70% of what we learn occurs "on the job" from our peers, eLearning is the perfect candidate for social networking. The features could include SMS texting to pose questions and get answers, instantly, as well as integration with Twitter to broadcast and receive real-time answers, globally. While there are corporate network security issues to be resolved, social networking was a "must have" on the list for the future.

3. Content Management - with information constantly changing, rapid eLearning "content" creation was high on the list, but this content still needs to be managed. This function really transforms the LMS into a Learning Content Management System (LCMS). The LCMS will need to centralize and track this content, so that as changes occur and eLearning is updated, those changes can be filtered across versioned content delivered through mobile devices, within performance support systems, wikis, etc. In addition, the "LMS" of the Future will need to address change management, so that as content changes, these downstream instances can be found and updated as well. This approach was thought to help address the problem of "silos of content" that become difficult to manage within an enterprise.

4. Workflow Management - there was much discussion on the process of creating eLearning and how a future LMS might be able to facilitate that process. The discussion led to features that would enable reviewers and subject matter experts (SMEs) to be assigned courses, while in development. This role would have the ability to review course content, then insert comments on a screen as well as potentially make the content changes, themselves, following a "wiki" style of editorial control. The LMS could also support more real-time collaboration, where comments are viewed by all reviewers, tracked and approved more quickly and easily.

5. eLearning and Performance Support - the LMS of the future might also reflect a new model for learning that incorporates both eLearning instruction and performance support, so that eLearning modules might allow you to perform a job or create a product during the instruction. This would be the ultimate constructivist learning approach.

6. Mobile Learning - even today, more and more LMSs are supporting smart phones, providing alternative versions of online eLearning that can be taken on a mobile device. Again, this implies a Learning "Content" Management System (LCMS) approach, where eLearning content is available in a variety of portable formats and platforms.

While there were many more features discussed, there appeared to be general consensus within these six categories -- now comes the fun part for us developers - making this future vision a reality.

If you have feedback on any of these or some suggestions for the list, please leave a comment.

Are your learners ready to enter the world of "Avatar"?

A recent article in Learning Solutions magazine - "Learners' Love/Hate Relationship with 3-D Virtual Worlds" suggests maybe not.

The article describes a research study that included 300 students in a college-level Financial Accounting course that used the virtual world - Second Life to teach accounting.

While the participants were considered "Next Gen" students - 18-22 years old, many found the experience disorienting and were frustrated by performance and technical glitches. And Second Life has a steep learning curve, so the reports suggests that it may be better for longer course experiences - like full term college courses.

Ironically, what participants found most useful in the experience was the interactive accounting model and the instructional videos, both of which really have little to do with the 3-D immersive world but simply good instructional design features. These components could be delivered through traditional learning platforms, just as effectively.

Are there successful Second Life style, avatar-based learning experiences?

Digitec is launching our new Knowledge Direct MEDICAL learning management system next week at the Association for Continuing Medical Education conference in New Orleans.

If you're attending the conference, please stop by our booth and say hello!

I am also pleased to share with you an interview with Jeff Cobb of Tagoras. They are the firm that conducts the annual Association Learning Management Systems report. Jeff interviewed me a few weeks ago about Digitec, what is driving the industry today and where the industry is heading.

Have a listen and let me know what you think...

http://www.tagoras.com/2010/01/06/association-lms-digitec-interactive/

Digitec developed and just recently launched an innovative course for Florida Virtual School. The Virtual Globe Theatre features the Bard himself, William Shakespeare as the guide for this English IV online course. The interactive games are used as part of the course for junior and senior level high school students.

In each level of the game, the player tries to secure a position within the Globe's resident company of performers, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (and later, the King's Men). During the game, the player explores the areas of the theatre, attempting to solve riddles posed by the Bard. Players interact with actors, patrons and even Shakespeare during the three levels of the game.

The game is rendered in Flash. The script is a mix of Shakespearean iambic pentameter and Elizabethan-era prose to pull players right back into the era of the Globe. Supporting information for the training is in modern English, providing clues and in-depth information about the society and time, including supplemental details about the Globe. Players immerse themselves in the complete Globe experience.

We had a great time developing this course as many of us are great fans of the Bard. In this instance, it was exciting to combine proven learning theory with technology and history to engage today's youth in learning opportunities.

Let me know what you are doing with learning theory and technology. Are you developing new and exciting courses? How are you incorporating them into your learning management systems? Facing roadblocks?

Just recently ran across an article in one of the latest issues of FastCompany magazine, called: "How web-savvy edupunks are transforming American higher education."

This is definitely a must-read for those of us passionate about reinventing education and the idea of continuing education. There's finally beginning to be a groundswell, and it's very exciting to see this happening. Let your edupunk flag fly!

Check it out and let me know what you think.

I co-presented a session at the eLearning Gathering in Orlando in March and at the eLearning Guild Online Forum last month on "How to Create Effective AND Engaging Learning Games.

My co-presenter was Ron Weaver, who teaches at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), a graduate videogame design school at the University of Central Florida. FIEA is an accredited Master's degree in interactive entertainment. It was really interesting collaborating with Ron on this session, since his perspective on game play and game design comes from a commercial game development world.

Even though I come from an educational game background, it was really interesting how similar our philosophies on engagement are.

So, how do you create effective and engaging learning games? The strategies include:

- Focusing on gameplay first, then the course content
- Embedding lessons into the gameplay
- Using simulation to focus only on what needs to be taught

Focusing on gameplay first, then course content

This is probably contrary to everything we've learned as instructional designers. But the issue with focusing on the specific content first is that we instinctively begin creating a "scope and sequence" or a flow to the content. This usually results in linear (and boring) game. Instead, this first rule of engaging gameplay is to find the verb. What do you need the player to be able to know or (preferably) do at the end of the level or game? This outcomes-based approach focuses on the ends instead of the means. The idea is that if the player needs to be able to design and launch a new product, then the game play needs to allow the player do this. Once you think about it from a performance objectives perspective, then this starts to make sense. The argument will be: "But they don't know how to do that!" Which leads into the next strategy.

Embedding lessons into the gameplay

With the performance objectives identified, now you create the game design to "teach" through play. To do this, you may need to break your performance objectives down into more discrete tasks: "Be able to identify a product need", "Determine your target demographic" etc. This will allow you to "embed" the enabling objectives into the level. This sounds easier than it is, of course. I recommend several brainstorming sessions, where you walk through potential use-cases or "game plays" so you can create meaningful interactions - interactions that enable the player to fail (in a fun way) and to get immediate feedback on what works and why. Now, some learners will get very frustrated with this "fail forward" approach to learning, so I suggest creating "embedded" linear tutorials that present the information in a more conventional way. This will accommodate those who just don't like to learn through immersive play, but may like more casual style games.

Using simulation to focus only on what needs to be taught

This is the toughest strategy to follow. When you are developing an instructional game, there will be reviewers or people on your team who will want to simulate everything. This not only takes countless development hours, but can also squeeze the life out of your game. As a game, it doesn't need to be realistic. The learning just needs to be accurate. So does it matter that that the player can choose the 20 or so strategic factors for a new product? Or can you have them select three and achieve the learning just as well? That's the question you need to keep in mind as you design.

If anyone has any examples of how they've achieved effective AND engaging learning games, please drop me a note. If it's okay, I'd like to share those best practices on this blog.