Three Perspectives on the Future of Mobile Learning

Mobile Learning is changing.

What started as a focus on getting content accessible on mobile devices has gradually expanded over the last few years. Mobile learning isn’t just about taking our content and making it available, even responsively, on mobile devices. Our use of mobile devices to support learning and performance continues to evolve, and in the future it will be something much, much more.

Today’s mobile devices have completely changed the ways we interact with the world around us. We use apps that take advantage of all the unique affordances of these devices, and taking advantage of the context they provide that enhances and personalizes our experiences with them. Our approaches in using these devices for learning and performance are just starting to tap into this potential, putting us on a trajectory that will fundamentally change how we look at mobile devices for learning and performance.

At the 2015 mLearnCon Conference and Expo, we’ll be exploring the changing face of mLearning over the course of our three days in Austin, with our three General Sessions forming the tent poles around which this important discussion takes place.

keynote-ken-jenningsThe conference opens with a keynote from Ken Jennings, who became an international celebrity for his record-breaking win streak on the television game show Jeopardy. His ability to memorize information and recall it quickly under stress better than most people was the unique.  While Jennings parlayed that skill in a television game show, his skill set of being the person that knows everything has traditionally held great value in organizations.

It’s also a value that is rapidly declining due to advancements in technology. Jennings learned this lesson first hand when he was invited back to Jeopardy to compete against IBM’s Watson computer system. In that moment, Jennings learned that the days of “the know-it-all” were over.

Jennings story directly relates to changes we’re seeing in organizational learning. In an age when many workers are carrying a portal to limitless knowledge in their pockets, the need to “know” in the traditional sense is greatly reduced. In a world where anyone can find out just about anything with just a few taps, the very idea of what it means to “learn” something may be changing, with our focus increasingly shifting from content to context.

keynote-allison-cerraOn Thursday Allison Cerra will examine the way mobile technologies are changing the ways we work, live, and play. She will explore the trends that are changing the behaviors and purchasing habits of not only individuals, but of also of workplaces, including mobility, the cloud, big data, and collaboration. She will explore the opportunities and challenges these trends pose for organizations and their employees, as well as the impact of living in an age where personal technology rivals that found in the workplace.

The conference closes with a panel discussion that brings reflects on all the learning that has been shared at the conference, and explores the question “What’s next?”. We’ve invited four experts in the field of mobile learning and performance support: Megan McKee, Frank Nguyen, Allison Rossett, and Geoff Stead.

keynote-panel

This interactive discussion will explore the true potential of mobile in the workplace and how this technology enables us to provide powerful contextual learning opportunities and supply performance support to workers in ways we have not been able to in the past. It’s a discussion that will not only provide clarity on what mobile learning is today, but it will paint a picture on what mobile learning needs to be in the future.

Mobile continues to one of the fastest evolving technologies on the planet. The use of these technologies has only just started exploring the unique possibilities these devices add to the learning and performance. mLearnCon continues to be the premier event to find out how to harness to potential of mobile, and to explore what opportunities exist in this space. It’s also the place to explore the unique turning point mLearning is approaching, and to be a part of the conversation that helps shape what the future will hold.

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