Speaking at mLearnCon June 21-23

We're only 3 weeks out from mLearnCon.  Are you getting ready?
I'm honored to be part of the final general session panel surrounded by mobile learning luminaries.  Check out the lineup here.

You can download the mLearnCon mobile app and start planning your event NOW.  Its well worth watching the video to discover all of the fabulous features within the app.  For example, many people miss the fact that presentation slides are included in the app.  That alone is pretty cool, but this will blow your mind.  Let's say you're following along in a session and find a particularly important slide that resonates and you feel the need to share.  No problem just TWEET it!  The slide image and your comments will be sent out in a tweet without ever leaving the app.  This makes sharing your key learnings with your network SO brilliantly easy.

If you are going to mLearnCon please be sure to find me and say hi!

The eLearning Guild releases Mobile Learning Report in time for mLearnCon

The eLearning Guild announced the release of this years research report on mobile learning titled, Mobile Learning: Landscape and Trends.

Paid Guild members can download the report HERE.

Dr. Clark Quinn has done an excellent job of distilling the most important information about mobile learning into a readable research report. The Guild's survey of its members regarding mobile device usage has some great data points to consider.

For example: The number one stated barrier to implementing mLearning is that its "Hard to integrate with our enterprise tools". Security issues and a Lack of Standards also topped the list of barriers.

Its also interesting to see that the percentage of organizations planning to "Do More mLearning" has increased from 38.5% in 2007 to 51% in 2011. That may not seem like much, but I expect the number to grow significantly over the next 4+ years.

So, get the report and read it for yourself. Then you'll be more than prepared to engage the thought leadership represented at mLearnCon this June. Plan your mobile learning strategy at the event and chat with Dr. Quinn to get his advice on your plans. You can also follow him on twitter @quinnovator

mLearnCon - Save $$$ with Group Rate at Fairmont

If you have employees/learners that have cell phones, you NEED to be thinking about how this impacts your learning solutions. All of the info you need to make smart decisions about mobile learning is at mLearnCon. Don't wait until management approaches you and your team. Be proactive and make sure you're ready with a smart answer.

SAVE $$$ at the Fairmont San Jose by booking your hotel stay this week. The block of discounted rooms is selling fast. Don't wait too long.

You might be thinking mobile learning is still a few years away before your organization will support you. That's okay. But did you know there are learning solutions you can deploy TODAY even if you're locked behind a firewall? There are companies supporting learning in ways you've never dreamed of, and they're all at mLearnCon.

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I'm really looking forward to this year's keynotes. Jeremiah Owyang, and Amber MacArthur are new media icons that have been researching and embracing technology before the internet became Web 2.0. They have the stats and know the trends that will impact the future of your organization like no others. And I can tell you they are 2 of the nicest technology speakers I've had the pleasure to work with.   

I love elearning. What mobile devices mean to eLearning is VERY different than what you might think. mLearning is NOT transferring your eLearning onto a mobile device. mLearning does NOT mean exporting your existing courses in a different format and calling it good. Many rganizations have tried that and failed. Learning from those who have gone before you is the smartest decision you can make. Its priceless.

Many mLearnCon 2010 attendees are making mLearning happen today. I can't wait to hear what they've done and where we all will go next. I'm looking forward to the hallway conversations and seeing all my twitter peeps as well. Ping me now if you are planning on attending so I can be sure to find you and say hi.

Lectora Launches Snap! Will $99 Price Start Price War?

Wow! Today's big news at the Lectora Users Conference is their launch of Snap!  But the REAL news is the price.  At $99 its worth having in your eLearning toolkit before even knowing what it does.

From the Digital Journal:

 With the simple click of a button, Snap! by Lectora enables you to: 

•     Make your presentations come to life: Turn a simple PowerPoint presentation into an engaging Flash masterpiece in minutes. Add sizzle with audio, video and images.

•     Create truly rapid eLearning: This easy-to-use and intuitive eLearning software comes equipped with courses full of interactive quizzes and engaging surveys.

•     Share content with anyone, anywhere: Want your colleagues across the globe to review your eLearning course? Want to share your PowerPoint presentation with your friend who works remote? No problem, just upload it to SnapChannel.com.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/305252#ixzz1M3HC0WAU

 I only want to know 2 things: 1) will it ever work on my Mac? 2) How will their competitors respond?

This is certainly a fun time to be in eLearning.  More news coming...

Google Prediction API Opens door for Apps to Learn

Over at the Google Blog is a post:  Google Prediction API helps all apps to adapt and learn

Okay, so I don't know much about what the Google Prediction API actually does, but it sounds pretty awesome!

I mean if Ford can work at making cars smarter about predicting your driving patterns, then this is pretty big.

"Because the API is a cloud-hosted RESTful service, Ford has been able to access its computationally-intensive machine learning algorithms to find patterns that rank potential destinations based on previous driving paths."

I can only begin to imagine how we will use this type of technology.  I know predictive analytics is important for many types of applications, but I have yet to hear of one specifically for learning/training/teaching...of people.  The possibilities seem endless.  I would encourage you to read the post and additional links if you are interested in this space.  eLearning apps may be a lagging indicator in the high tech world, but learning is becoming more and more important in this new economy.

Are you using predictive analytics in your eLearning? If so, I want to hear from you...SOON!

Search Amazon.com for Predictive Analytics

Microsoft Buys Skype: Will it Impact Your eLearning Strategy?

The big news this week is Microsoft buying Skype for $8.5billion.  I suppose I could end this post right there an let that sink in.  There are many places to read all of the business and tech news about the deal. I liked the GigaOm post.  Just Google it if you want the story from many different angles.

However, I'm not sure anyone has thought about what this deal might mean for corporate eLearning strategies.  I don't have any answers but it sure does open the realm of possibilities quite a bit.

Since Microsoft has some ownership in Facebook this might open up FB as a more viable corporate solution.  Don't flame me just yet.  I'm just thinking out loud here.  Maybe smaller companies would find Facebook an acceptable communication tool with a Skype feature incorporated into the mega-network.  Or for larger companies that already have an Sharepoint and other Microsoft offerings, perhaps Skype becomes a better more private internal communications tool.  Basically having Skype behind your firewall is a pretty cool thought wouldn't you say?  But maybe that's not possible.

This could also be good for secure corporate mobile communications.  I'm sure Microsoft:Skype will be integrated into some sort of MS Mobile OS.  Could Universities take advantage of this?

How do you think Microsoft buying Skype will impact you?  Let me know in the comments.

mLearnCon - San Jose, CA - Nov. 21-23 2011