Some of the most exciting conversations I had at Learning Solutions were ones I was lucky enough to have on camera. Read more »
Project Tin Can – The Next Generation of SCORM
Recently, at the Learning Solutions 2012 conference, I had an opportunity to sit down with a couple of people who are working on the next generation of SCORM, also known as Project Tin Can. This very important update addresses the new technologies and ways we learn today. These individuals and others will be discussing Tin Can, April 5, during a kickoff meeting via the web. ADL is encouraging stakeholders and potential adopters to attend a webinar to learn more about this effort. Before the meeting, I wanted to share conversations I had with two people pivotal in the evolution of this project.
(Update: ADL provided the slides to yesterday’s webinar. Please take a look in case you missed the session.) Read more »
Free Webinar: Things People Don’t Get About Mobile Learning
Esteemed author Clark Quinn joins Float mobile strategist and evangelist Jeff Tillett and Float senior analyst Gary Woodill for our next free webinar in the Mobile Learning Conversations series Wednesday, April 11.
The session will look at what people don’t understand about mobile learning. The most important thing to both Clark and Gary is what mobile learning isn’t.
“MLearning’s not courses on a phone,” Clark said via email (his emphasis).
“Mobile learning is not eLearning. I see a fundamental difference between the two,” Gary agreed (again, his emphasis). “Porting eLearning content for a smaller screen requires a different content strategy.”
Both Gary and Clark provided a laundry list of things people don’t get about mobile learning. Gary said that “mobile learning is not primarily about ‘consuming’ content from a mobile device, but is about acting in the world, with mobile information available when needed to augment and enrich real world experiences, or mobile devices used to collect data or to interact with others.” He added that “location is an important variable in learning.”
Clark said that some people don’t yet understand when they should connect to a person and not content. He pointed to the power of interactivity, another point Gary agreed with. “Your friends, family and peers have a huge influence on what you learn, and are a major information resource,” Gary said.
Clark suggested that people need to overcome habits, folk psychology and myths, and a lack of awareness in order to start to understand these things. Gary suggested something even more powerful. “We are reluctant to change our worldviews and frameworks for understanding the world,” he said. “(Doing so) requires a shakeup or ‘a-ha!’ experience, something like a religious conversion experience to make the shift.”
Clark hopes people take away “more ways to think about mobile than they imagined” after listening to this dialog.
“It is likely that in this online conversation, we will not agree on everything, which is great,” Gary said. “The field of learning and development needs some heretics and people who challenge conventional thinking and each other. Should be a blast!”
Dr. Clark Quinn is the executive director of Quinnovation, an independent learning technology consultancy company. He has been published numerous time, including his three books, Engaging Learning, Designing mLearning (featured in the Float Mobile Learning Primer), and The Mobile Academy,
The Mobile Learning Conversations free webinar series comes to you every month via Float Learning. This month’s session begins at 12 p.m. CT (-6 GMT) on Wednesday, April 11. If you register but cannot attend, we will send out a recording of the event later in the week. Register now for Mobile Learning Conversations>>
Erik Wahl: Put Energy and Creativity Back Into Learning
I just had the privilege of attending and presenting at Learning Solutions 2012 in Orlando, another great conference hosted by the eLearning Guild. Since this was my first time attending Learning Solutions, I discovered it had a great energy about it because people are there to learn.
In my opinion, a good conference offers something for everyone. This year’s Learning Solutions was no exception. There was a wide variety of sessions to choose from. As always, the eLearning Guild and Learning Solutions Magazine stitched together a finely crafted and relevant conference, starting with the keynote presentations. The Guild always brings great people to share amazing ideas with us. This year was no exception. All three keynotes were great; however, one stood out.
I’m not sure I’ve ever been inspired so much by one keynote speaker. Erik Wahl spoke and – better yet – demonstrated of the art of vision. From the moment I walked in, I knew this was going to be different. On the stage sat three easels and some tables. Erik took stage and there was an immediate energy boost. The premise of Erik’s presentation centered around creativity and the importance of it in any organization. After a brief introduction, the song “Beautiful Day” by the band U2 began to play. Erik placed the first canvas on the center easel and began to paint. Instant engagement. The audience was transformed. In the span of one pop song, Erik created an amazing painting of of U2′s Bono. In the words of my 12-year-old, it was epic. Read more »
Reading Made Social with ReadSocial API Integration by Float Mobile Learning
Morton, Ill. – March 21, 2012 – Float Mobile Learning announced today that the company has developed ReadSocial’s iOS library, allowing any iOS app to instantly become a social reading application.
The ReadSocial API creates a backchannel through HTML documents, PDF files and EPUB formats to make reading a social experience. With the iOS library built by Float Mobile Learning, the ReadSocial API is now available on iOS 5 iPad.
Among the API’s features:
- Social groups to facilitate conversations
- Comments in text, image or hyperlink format
- Additional comments imported from other systems
- OAuth integration allows users to log in with accounts such as Facebook or Twitter
- Flexible design that allows publishers to use ReadSocial layout or a custom layout
“With ReadSocial API’s new open-source library, any iOS app now has the potential to easily become a social reading application,” said Chad Udell, managing director of Float Mobile Learning. “The functionality of the ReadSocial API presents immense opportunities for eBook publishers. Providing content that people want to read is no longer enough. Now that content needs to be delivered in a way that is easy for the consumer to digest and share.”
The ReadSocial API incorporates virtual reading groups and social sharing features automatically. Readers can add a comment, image or link to specific paragraphs within the text of the book, magazine or other publication. Other readers see the comment show up and have the option to reply, creating instant conversations on any paragraph.
“ReadSocial API for iOS transforms readers into users who truly engage and interact with not only the content, but with other users as well,” said Travis Alber, co-founder and president of ReadSocial. “It allows the user to experience the content at a granular level but also see the big picture.”
For more information on the ReadSocial API, visit https://www.ReadSocial.net.
About Float Mobile Learning
Float’s team of experts combines strategy, mobile app development, and eLearning to guide organizations by harnessing the unique power of mobile technology. Founded in 2010, Float works with industry leaders such as Caterpillar Inc., Pioneer Hi-Bred, GROWMARK, and Wiley Publishing Inc. to strategize and develop mobile learning initiatives. To learn more, please visit http://floatlearning.com.
About ReadSocial
ReadSocial is a New York City startup focused on building the next generation of online discussion. The team has done a number of app and Web-based publishing projects; it focuses on providing solutions that facilitate conversation, built from a user-friendly standpoint on a sturdy technical foundation. The flagship product, ReadSocial API, allows content owners to overlay social features (groups, paragraph-level comments) on top of Web content and inside iPad apps. Learn more at http://ReadSocial.net.
Mobile Learning 911: How to Use Your Mobile Device in an Emergency
It’s no secret how mobile devices have been used to document emergencies. A ferryboat passenger gave the world its first glimpse of the remarkable “miracle on the Hudson” in January 2009 when he uploaded a picture of the floating plane to Twitpic using his iPhone after a US Airways plane made an emergency landing in the Hudson River. Some of the first images of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan nearly a year ago were distributed through mobile devices.
Though useful in those respects, Float senior analyst Dr. Gary Woodill, Ed.D., and Float managing director Chad Udell write in a new environmental scan that smartphones and tablets can be used for so much more than photographic documentation of these emergencies. As recently as just a decade ago, mobile medicine referred to the use of vehicles to transport medical personnel. That definition has changed over the last few years, though, to include apps that are useful for treating patients or having them care for themselves. Within the next five years, using mobile devices in emergencies or training in emergencies will be a work in progress that will change greatly. Read more »
Do-It-Yourself Healthcare and Medicine: Mobile Learning On the Rise
The world’s population is aging. Domestically, the first of the baby boomers (born in 1946) began turning 65 in 2011, and that population will continue to do so over the next two decades. In developing countries worldwide, there are only 11 million hospital beds, but more than 2 billion mobile phones. That means for about every one hospital bed, 200 mobile phones exist.
It should be no surprise, then, that Float senior analyst Dr. Gary Woodill, Ed.D., and Float managing director Chad Udell show evidence of a trend developing via medical and healthcare apps: “do-it-yourself” (DIY) mobile health. Float Mobile Learning’s experts have broken down these apps into four categories. Read more »
Video: Rapid Development Tools for Mobile Learning
Float welcomed two experts in the mobile industry to speak during our latest webinar yesterday.
We’d like to offer a sincere thank you to special guests RJ Jacquez and Robert Gadd. They had a terrific discussion with Chad Udell and Jeff Tillett, and they offered some great insights into how companies are building mobile learning, the goals they should have in mind for the learners, and the path companies should follow as they go forward.
Thank you, as well, to all of those who attended live. As you’ll see, the chat was very active throughout the duration of the webinar. Registered attendees will be receiving the full transcript of the chat soon.
Please note: The video recording of the webinar was only publicly available through Sunday, March 18.
Research: New Uses for Mobile Devices in Healthcare
Yesterday, we announced the release of the final series of our healthcare research. Throughout the rest of this week, we’ll preview what these documents contain.
The wonderful thing about tablets such as the iPad is that they are so consumer-friendly. In environmental scans released in late 2011, our research showed that 80 percent of medical professionals used smartphones or tablets in the workplace.
“Healthcare is a fundamentally mobile process,” according to Maryland neurologist Andy Barbash. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals move among and between rooms and buildings. Having a mobile device would be great so that medical personnel wouldn’t be tethered to a laptop or desktop computer in the room sometimes facing completely away from the patient. Read more »
Float Mobile Learning Research Report Suggests mHealth is Poised to Explode in Next Decade
Morton, Ill. – March 13, 2012 – Float Mobile Learning, a consulting firm that develops mobile strategies and apps for major healthcare organizations and Fortune 500 companies, released the final three research reports from its comprehensive study of mobile usage in the healthcare industry.
Focus areas for the last three scans include wellness and home care, emergencies and training for emergencies, as well as medical practice and hospital management.
Key findings in the report show a movement toward patient-centered healthcare, with mobile devices placing medical knowledge in the hands of patients to enable self-care or home care of others. Read more »
