PDAs & TECHNOLOGY LEARNING

March 25, 2015

Five years ago, in an issue of “Training Industry Quarterly,” an article, “2010’s Top Training Technology Trends” by David Mallon, presented the trends in e-Learning the author believed we would see:

“The lengthy page-turner is out. In its place is a next generation of e-learning, including: short video vignettes or audio podcasts followed by interactive assessments; pre-recorded virtual classroom sessions; scenario-based learning, 3-D simulations and serious games; e-books, articles and abstracts; and content delivered to mobile devices.”

Let’s focus on the “content delivered to mobile devices” prediction.

When it comes to mobile devices, taking training to the plant floor has so many financial benefits that it can blow your mind. The “just-in-time” crowd could not ask for a better application. The worker doesn’t have to leave the floor to either research by reading or return to a desktop in order to remind herself of the steps-to-be-performed.

No! As long as we can get full audio and video to the PDA, “just-in-time” will mean more than an academic phrase. It will become reality for everyone — including the 40% of our workforce who have difficulty assimilating anything written beyond a 4th grade reading level.

To underscore the growing relationship between mobile devices and training, the Capterra Training Technology Blog, “Top 5 Training Trends for 2015” reported:

“Despite all the hype (including a mention in our trends piece last year), only 10% of companies are heavy users of mobile learning functionality. Expect that to change over the next 12 months as, not only are companies signaling an increased focus on mobile learning apps, mobile web performance support, and mobile performance support apps, but wider structural changes are happening as well. Almost 2 billion mobile phones are expected to ship in 2015 (compared to just 270 million PCs) and with such market penetration, and with people using smartphones more than PCs to access the internet, this can only mean a bigger importance for mobile.”

Simulations and Gaming are also gaining momentum in the learning world and, it is more than possible, that very soon we will see technology-delivered Performance Support rival the importance of technology-delivered formal classroom training.

All of this underscores that technology learning will continue to lead the advances being made in training. And that will prove to be a good thing for the learners.