In an earlier blog post, Abhijit Kadle had written about a gradual but complete shift to mobile based devices for a whole host of activities, learning being just one of them. Today I came across a news article which strengthened that belief even further.

It is a well-known fact that Mobile learning hasn’t yet picked up steam within India. The primary reason for this being the low rates of mobile internet penetration in our country. However that might change very soon if we are to believe research conducted by McKinsey & Company.

I came across a report on the McKinsey Quarterly website titled – Can India lead the mobile-Internet revolution? Here are a few key points from the report, which I found really interesting.

The Centre for Performance Development has released the results of their Learning & Skills 2011 survey – which was held both at the event and online. Read more about it on the survey page on their website. The survey asked people to put blue or orange m&ms in various jars representing the L&D activities they expected to do more or less in 2011. Blue for more and Orange for less. Scientific isn’t it!

When you are getting started with mobile learning one of the decision you’ll have to make is which device(s) to target. In a SWOT Analysis of Mobile Learning we posted earlier this week, we listed this as one of the weaknesses of mobile learning as it stands today. Fragmented market and no real common development platform make this a serious hindrance to mobile learning adoption.

For over two years now, we have not only just been hearing about mobile learning but also actively understanding and working on it. From trying to explain five myths of mobile learning to assisting customer  new to mobile learning, getting started with mobile learning has been an exciting journey through which we have seen mobile learning seeing increasing adoption. This has been possible due to a variety of factors – better, faster, cheaper smartphones, the advent of tablet computers, and an increasing awareness of the benefits and applicability of mobile learning.

Mobile learning is in the air. It’s the buzz word in training these days and you can’t escape all the noise surrounding it. At Upside Learning, we have been doing a fair bit of mobile learning for more than two years now. During this period we’ve tried several things; experimented a lot; and in the process have built a good understanding and capability in the mobile learning space. Recently we released an innovative mobile learning platform – Upside2Go.  Along the way we’ve shared quite a few blog posts , a few SlideShare presentations, and a whitepaper about mobile learning.

Is mobile learning becoming a reality rather than a prediction? And has this led to new generation of players emerging in the learning market place?

Over the last three years there have been various predictions, ranging from pessimistic to optimistic about the role that mobile learning will play in the world of learning. The range and use of devices from the ipad, tablet, smartphones and android devices has exploded over this period. These devices have quickly become tools for business providing users with instant access to information at the point of need, be it in the office, on the move or at home.

I recently came across a report on the Deloitte website, which estimates that global Smartphone market sales will touch 375 million by the end of 2011. This means that there are going to be millions of Smartphone users out there, who can access mobile learning anywhere, at any time. That’s a huge market whose needs we can hardly afford to ignore.

Mobile hardware has its own limitations and hence we need to adhere to some critical design conventions in order to make our mobile applications a success.

Globalization has changed the paradigms of business dramatically. The organizations of today need to be more agile than ever to maintain their competitive edge in the marketplace. That involves adapting to situations and regularly updating strategies, structures and processes. The global workforce today is confronted with a demanding environment in which to perform. In such a situation, it is vital for employees to be connected to information constantly.

In an earlier blog post, I had written about how Microlearning is changing the face of learning at the workplace. This post specifically talks about how a Mobile Learning Platform can be used as an effective Performance Support System.

What is a ‘Performance Support System’?

A ‘Performance Support System’ or PSS refers to any system that improves worker productivity by providing on-the-job access to integrated information, advice and learning experiences.

“There is only one thing stronger than all the armies of the world: and that is an idea whose time has come.” – Victor Hugo

At Upside Learning, we believe that this is the right time to leverage mobile learning at the workplace. We worked hard, came up with ideas, criticized them, went back to the drawing board, and came back with better ideas. Upside2Go – our mobile learning solution, is the culmination of our innovation process.

Upside2Go is a novel platform for mobile learning. It is a solution that will not only help your training department reach out to your mobile workforce easily, but would also enable a mobile-based approach to real-time sharing and collaborating, within and outside a team.

I spent a day at the Learning Technologies show exhibition in London this week. There is a lot of talk of mobile, social, and informal learning at the vendor stalls this year. Good sign I’d say. Unfortunately everyone has their own definition of each of these terms. The most confused, if not misused, term seems to be mobile learning.