A Game of Phones = A Serious Learning Game at mLearnCon

As I write this I'm flying to mLearnCon on the same flight as Alicia Sanchez (@gamesczar) and Kris Rockwell (@hybridkris and Hybrid Learning). The pair teamed up this year to create a card game for mLearnCon. While this may seem an odd genre of gaming for an mlearning conference, I trust in their creative collective genius and can't wait to play.

As a conference programmer I love introducing new experiences for attendees. So when members of my personal learning network (PLN) approach me with creative ideas I do what I can to support their efforts. After all, eLearning Guild events are about the community. We all share, collaborate, and have fun. It's one of the many reasons DevLearn, Learning Solutions, and mLearnCon are so successful.

A Game of Phones starts with a deck of cards. The deck includes real business issues/problems related to mobile learning. There are also technology cards, and speaker cards handed out by speakers at their concurrent sessions. The object of the game is to challenge your opponent with a problem and you both discuss/debate a technology and solution. I admittedly, have not yet played the game and quite possibly could have just gotten it all wrong. But I have been assured by beta testers that the game is excellent way to brainstorm and poke the box of mobile learning.

One of the best parts of the game is that the deck you receive is an outstanding resource for you to take back to the office and apply to your own learning solutions. It beats writing a trip report, right?

If you are at mLearnCon you must give it a try. Even if you are not a gamer you must step outside your comfort zone. That's what conferences are for and you only cheat yourself if you don't engage.

eLearning and Subject Matter Experts - Alex Lifeson of RUSH teaches me Tom Sawyer

What does this have to do with Corporate eLearning you might ask? Well, its all about capturing subject matter expert (SME) knowledge. No, seriously! Bare with me on this...

I grew up listening to RUSH. When I was 16 I made enough money at my summer job to buy my first electric guitar. Nothing fancy... just a cheap Ibanez Roadstar II. Well, that was cool. But then I had to learn how to play the darn thing. Lessons were $20/half hour at the local guitar store. After a couple years of playing I gave up on learning RUSH songs. But over the years I developed enough skill to have fun jamming with friends.


Fast forward 25 years. Today, I can pay $5 for a guitar lesson from the guitarist of RUSH, Alex Lifeson.

I totally eliminated the middle man and was able to get right to the source. The creator. The guitar genius himself. Not some middle man instructor who is basically guessing at the chords/notes as he listens to the recording.

Okay, NOW do you see the connection to Corporate eLearning? Its about connecting people and having access to knowledge. This could very easily be an engineer describing a solution to a difficult problem. And yes, this does require a self-motivated learner. But rock guitar has always been the realm of the self motivated. When was the last time you heard a parent yell at their kid, "turn up the RUSH so you can master that solo line...I won't take no for an answer!".

I wish I knew who it was at Apple that created this outstanding lesser-known feature of Garageband. Everything you need to self direct your learning is integrated into the lesson. The musician/instructor explains everything about the song by breaking it down into sections.

From the image above you can see everything that is needed for a learner to master the song EXACTLY the way the original artist (SME) created it. You get video to watch Alex's exact technique. Underneath the video is the tableture. Reading real music notation is not required as tableture is much easier to understand. Under the tableture is an animated guitar neck. As the SME plays (below) there will be blue dots displaying exactly where on the neck to place each finger on each fret and exactly which strings to strum. At the bottom of the app is the timeline of the lesson broken down into sections and all the control buttons to manage your lesson.

And yes, I do understand that this app breaks some rules of "media and instruction". But does it really? Perhaps its time to rethink "the rules". Or perhaps make an exception for learning to play an instrument?

Can anyone tell me what rules I'm referring too? What about this lesson would be deemed instructionally "wrong"? Tell me what you think.

Upside Learning and Others Showcasing Mobile Learning Products at mLearnCon

I did my usual search for press releases today and noticed one from Upside Learning.  They are one of the exhibitors participating at mLearnCon in San Jose, CA June 21-23.  That's only a week away and I'm excited by all the new mobile learning products.  Upside Learning will be showcasing Upside2Go and it sounds interesting.

While this is off topic I feel the need to say how impressed I was with Upside's integration of mLearnCon's design.

I had just been reviewing the mLearnCon site prior to clicking through the press release to their site.  And it struck me how the visual elements immediately made the connection for me.  And of course this made me think about how powerful good design and imagery can be in learning when applied correctly.  It's that consistent visual theme, and branding, that helps the brain form the connections it craves.

But anyways, back to the original idea.  It's also apparent from the web site that the expo has grown significantly over last year.  The mLearning marketplace is real, and it continues to grow.  Everyone is scrambling to make sure their tools produce content ready for mobile delivery.  It's exciting to see.

Mobile Learning is definitely on everyone's radar now.  Managers, Developers, and Designers of mLearning have no choice but to face the reality of delivering content to smaller screens, breaking content into smaller chunks, understanding SMS, designing for touch screens, and SO much more.

Many of the long time readers of this blog will be at mLearnCon speaking, sharing, connecting, and helping move our industry forward.  If you're not registered for the event you can still stop by the Fairmont for an expo pass and check out all the GREAT products/services as well as benefit from mini-stages delivering hallway sessions on all sorts of topics.  

If you see me (@bschlenker) there, please stop me and say hi!

Over 12,000 Subscribers to eLearndev.blogspot.com - Thank You!

On August 23rd 2005 I launched the Corporate eLearning Strategies and Development blog.  In my very first post I made this statement...

I don't believe that many eLearning professionals, especially those under a corporate blanket, understand that the field as we now it is undergoing a drastic change we are not prepared for. I am constantly amazed at the number of seminars, conferences, and EdTech curriculums still preaching old school ISD and how to create all of the "elements of effective eLearning"...forget about it. I would urge you to consider updating your skills in graphics design, color theory, image manipulation, Interaction design, cartooning, comics, audio/video production, and story telling.

We are getting close to August 23rd 2011 and well over 12,000 subscribers.  I'm curious to know if any of you were there on that first day?  Or was that post the proverbial tree falling in the woods?

The reason I ask is that I didn't even realize that I had people reading until 12+ months later when @moehlert awakened me to the growing number of readers.

I'm always humbled by Google analytics and truly appreciate everybody who reads eLearndev.blogspot.com, and contributes to the conversation.  Because, for me, its always been about people, and relationships.  Its been about finding others who enjoy learning, and eLearning, as much as I do.  And as much as I love the tech that connects us, it's always been about the person(s) on the other end of that connection.  I've been blessed to meet eLearning professionals from ALL over the world and continue to meet more every day.  And while its never been about the numbers, I've become addicted to the fresh ideas and new perspectives that come with each new person in my network.

I hope I can continue to offer y'all something of value in this brave new world.  Its a been a fun ride so far, but I'm certain its gets better as time goes on.  Thank you for being a part of the journey.

Corporate eLearning Strat & Dev is now +1

This blog is now gamified!  Yea, that's right.  We've got the Google +1 button loaded and ready for action. Its going to be awesome!  Why?  Well...because... um ...because... its awesome! And because being Gamified is where its at! Its shiny and fun ... and gamified... and all that.

Wait...

What the heck is this +1 thing?  I'm guessing its sort of like the ... um... LIKE button in Facebook, right?  But seriously, I'm not even sure why I "like" stuff other than sometimes its easier to click that than to think of something clever to actually SAY... or WRITE!

But hey, whatever it is, we're all +1 and playin' wit the cool kids now!
[UPDATE 6/3: My +1 button does not seem to be displaying now.  Looking into it]
[UPDATE 6/4: It seems to be working now.]

mLearnCon Speaker Prep: Insights on Presenting from Nancy Duarte

You might be getting yourself ready for mLearnCon this week.  For some of you that means getting presentations ready.  For others, preparation means picking out sessions to attend.  I would argue that BOTH of you should take a look at this interview on presenting.  Chris Brogan and Nancy Duarte talked about a few of the main points from  slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations and Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences.

Just because you aren't presenting THIS year doesn't mean you won't be presenting at some point in your career.  Watch the video, read the books, and evaluate the presentations you see.  This will help you understand WHY Nancy says what she says, and WHY its important.

And for you speakers, the bar has been set! Tell a great story! Engage your audience! Present a session that even you would be willing to sit through ;-)

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you at mLearnCon!