Thoughts on mLearnCon 2012

I wanted to capture a few of the key highlights and notables from this week’s past mLearnCon 2012. As many of you know, I was in a car accident a week ago Thursday and am now headed to surgery to repair a broken ankle. It was a pretty harrowing day, and I am thankful for being able to return home to my family that night. Things can get put into perspective pretty quickly when things like that happen.

Despite a bit of physical pain and lots of awkwardness in movement, I did make it to mLearnCon 2012. It takes more than a car accident to keep me from an mLearnCon shindig! So without further ado, the notables to me.

One, what great attendance. Float was at the first mLearnCon three years ago, and we have seen the interest just skyrocket. From about 300 people at the first event, there was close to 800 people there this year. It truly was bigger and better. That number also demonstrates just how important mobile learning is and how much it will continue to grow. Many pundits believe that the industry will double in the next three years and all evidence points that way. The eLearning Guild continues to recognize this and is building a great event for those new to mLearning and those that have case studies to share.

Two, the topics are ever more relevant and ever more challenging. People who are learning experts and people who are responsible for learning within their companies are coming together to understand just how best to leverage the power of mobile learning for their audience. The industry is not just growing – it’s evolving. We’re seeing real-world examples and success stories and cautionary tales of things to avoid. It’s truly amazing.

Three, Tin Can was formally announced and presented. It’s an exciting evolution (see comment above) of how learning should be thought about and how it should be developed. Tin Can is still being rolled out and the marketplace will ultimately decide what it means and how best to incorporate it within their learning environments. Everyone should be excited about the potential and watch closely and then decide how best to move their organizations to Tin Can.

Four, on a personal note, it’s just terrific to be around so many smart, motivated and indeed caring people. Everyone I met for the first time and everyone I reconnected with is just flat-out smart and wants to do the right thing for learning and for their organizations. And although I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, I so appreciate the outpouring of well-wishes, people helping me get around and even the little bell that was put on my scooter.  ;-)

So thanks to all for another great year at mLearnCon. Although I may be off the grid for a bit after surgery, you can bet I will be eagerly waiting to get back into the game. Oh, who am I kidding, I’ll probably be back at it later next week.

For another recap on the conference, check out edCetra’s blog post.