Last week we were at Learning Technologies 2012 in London braving the winter chill here in London. Just as we expected this is probably the best show for the sort of products and services we offer. I met many prospects (which is always a real need), some existing clients/partners (always good to catch up), and some casual visitors; and a couple of walk-ins at the show to get the ‘flavor’ of the show. All the interactions were interesting and we learnt something from each one of them. We left the show more educated and very tired – after being constantly on our feet for two days.

On the 15th of December 2011, the Android Developer Relations team at Google launched the beta version of Android Training — a collection of classes to help developers build better Android apps using best practices in a variety of framework topics.

This is a move in the right direction by Google, especially since many Smartphone users perceive Android apps to be inferior to Apple’s iOS. This initiative targeted at developers will help to raise the quality of Android apps developed in the public realm.

When Apple launched the iPhone 4S, one of the key differentiators to previous models was the inclusion of Siri. For those who haven’t been bombarded yet by the marketing campaigns, Siri is an intelligent software assistant and a knowledge navigator that essentially functions like a digital personal assistant. You can find out more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siri_(software).

The latest report from Ambient Insight about mobile learning is out, and it comes up with some pretty surprising figures. It indicates that the worldwide market for mobile learning will probably grow from USD 3.2 billion (2010) to about USD 9.1 billion by 2015. That means a healthy CAGR of approximately 22.7%. The report analyzes trends and current expenditure across varied markets.

This time around we focus on the basics – learning and its right mix. We talk about the changes in the key drivers for blended learning, some fundamental characteristics of training to be followed, and the pros and cons of eLearning. And while we are on this, how can social learning and game-based learning be left behind? Read an exciting case study in social learning and learn about some games and game-related projects that are already making a difference.

1. Find a problem with learning or performance first, think about learning next, and mobile learning last. This is somewhat analogous to “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Look for a learning/performance problem and analyze carefully if mobile learning is a possible solution and not the other way round. Ask if there will be a real benefit for the user. Ask if the user job profile involves individuals being substantially ‘mobile’ and not tied to a centralized location. Also factor in their use of and comfort with mobile devices.

This takes on a post I wrote several weeks ago, that spoke about four themes that will (and not five) predominate learning in the future. As we prepare to iterate development of Upside2Go, we will need to start figuring out what sort of features our users (learners, managers, administrators) would really like from a mobile LMS. While our current system offers some cool features, we must look further into the future. This is where the rubber meets the road, by dreaming up features we invent the mLearning systems future right here. Taking the trends I’ve mentioned before, and the huge increase in persistent internet connection personal computing devices, I feel there need likely be three key themes around which the features would coalesce. (this discounts our current feature set)

Made it back from mLearnCon 2011 in San Jose in one piece, after a cooped-up 24 hours on a sardine can of a plane.

It was interesting to be at the event as an exhibitor, interacting with visitors to our stall and observing other products and technology at work with the other exhibitors.

Some trends seemed clear, while the direction in which mobile instructional technology is heading isn’t quite certain yet. The diversity in solutions and the ways organizations are leveraging them make for many forks in the road.

Mobile Learning has been on our minds and for all the right reasons. Today, mLearnCon 2011 opens it doors to hundreds of visitors from in and around the US. And we are one of the 30 exhibitors showcasing our entire range of innovative Mobile Learning Solutions at booth number 316.

Also on display would be our newly launched revolutionary platform for Mobile Learning – Upside2Go. We would be delivering a Master Class session based on this new platform titled ‘Mobile Learning and Performance Support with Upside2Go’, scheduled at 12.45 PM on 21st June. If you still haven’t gotten your free expo pass, we urge you to do it right now. See you there.

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.

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.