A guide for L&D professionals in multinational organisations who are producing digital learning content for China.The 1.3 billion people in China represent around 20% of the world’s population. Half of that population, 647 million people, are internet users, and 86% of them use a mobile phone to get online.Learning resources are important to many Chinese internet users and digital learning is rapidly expanding in the corporate sector.China’s digital learning landscapeLearning Light estimates that at any given time, there are over 150 million people using elearning in China. The majority of adult learners are using digital learning to improve their practical skills in the English language or computer programming.Corporate elearning is a growing market too; the same report shows that over 50% of the top 500 Chinese companies have a Learning Management System (LMS) in place. An LMS allows companies to present elearning content to employees and track their progress and results.Compliance, induction and IT are the main topics but many Chinese companies are also looking to expand to cover subjects such as management and marketing training.One of the biggest areas of growth in elearning in China is early childhood learning. The future workforce in China is being brought up with online education.As internet connectivity improves and more leading companies look towards the East for expansion, digital learning has a bright future in China.Localising content for ChinaAs online education is already well established in many parts of China, if you’re going to be deploying a course in an international company the employees are likely to be familiar with the way elearning works.The Chinese government has set out standards in five categories that help elearning providers ensure a consistent approach. The Chinese E-learning Technology Standards (CELTS) are a good place to start when creating digital training for the country.If you have a course which has already been created and you need to roll out in China, you’ll need to have the content translated and localised.When localising for a completely different culture there are many more considerations beyond just making sure the translation is accurate.Consider these examples of quirks that could catch you out. There are many more instances where what might be considered a simple translation process could lead to issues without the help of a localisation expert.Watch out for these quirksThere are 297 individual languages used in ChinaThe official language is Modern Standard Mandarin or Putonghua but around a third of the population aren’t able to communicate using itThe number four is considered unlucky because it sounds almost identical to the word for deathEight is usually lucky because of its sound when pronounced, but the written character has two lines which point in different directions and can be associated with separation and divorce: 八Red is a lucky colour in China; it’s often worn at weddings and is the national colourGifts are often exchanged as a thank you for help, but avoid giving clocks, handkerchiefs or white objects as they are associated with funeralsDesign localisationIf your source material is in a language that uses the Latin alphabet, you’re also likely to run into design issues after translating and localising the text.Whether you use the traditional or simplified Chinese alphabet it’s simply going to take up a different space on the screen to the English equivalent.The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has a good article which compares the size of text for the same words in various languages and highlights English as often having the shortest form.This animation shows how the design of the same page needs to be tweaked for several different languages with different alphabets.You’ll notice that even answers need to be changed or rearranged for the best learning design in each version.It also shows the benefit of using universal icons for things like navigation, allowing the learner to locate the critical elements of user interface quickly.The great firewall of ChinaDespite investing heavily in internal infrastructure, China has a chequered history with global internet connectivity.China has prevented citizens accessing many Western websites and services with a system known as the "great firewall". They took the extra step of banning Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in 2015 to prevent people bypassing the controls.Popular websites that are banned in China:Google.com, and other Google properties including maps.google.com, gmail.com and docs.google.comFacebook.comYouTube.comTwitter.combbc.co.ukYou might need to rethink your embedded video content if you’re releasing an elearning course that needs to be completed in China.As a result of the bans, social media is more fragmented than in the West, there are many Chinese networks filling the void of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and they tend to each specialise in niche areas.Alternative social media sitesAs many websites and online services are banned or severely restricted, Chinese companies have filled the vacuum.Many of the home-grown alternatives have made significant investments in digital learning platforms themselves:RenRen - Facebook-style social network with a big stake in elearningBaidu - Search engine equivalent to Google which has been investing in online learning companies since 2012Sina Weibo - Twitter-like social media platformTongxue - An innovative elearning market place run by TaoBao, which is owned by online retailer Alibaba. Learners can purchase access to courses in an eBay style auctionQZone - China’s largest social network by number of members with over 600 millionOne notable exception is LinkedIn, which is available in China and is often used for building relationships with Western companies and individuals. There’s a lack of Chinese specific content on the LinkedIn platform so internal networking is usually carried out elsewhere.Whether you’re planning on rolling out existing material or creating something new, we’d recommend using a provider with experience in translation and localisation.To find out more about the multinational companies we’ve worked with to produce absorbing elearning that crosses borders, get in touch. Discuss a project Subscribe to our newsletter The post Localising elearning for China appeared first on Sponge UK.

A live webinar will explore the benefits of using interactive video as part of a workplace learning strategy.Award-winning elearning provider, Sponge UK will outline how interactive video can be used to create highly engaging content that puts learners in control.Research suggests that 98% of organisations will be using some form of video as part of their digital learning strategy in 2016 with interactive video emerging as a growing trend.Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director at Sponge UK will be hosting the webinar, which is aimed at L&D professionals new to interactive video and those just beginning to use it.She said: "Interactive video was once the domain of big budget advertising and entertainment but advances in technology have made it an affordable innovation for learning. I’ll be answering all the key questions about interactive video and how to integrate it into workplace learning programmes using popular elearning authoring tools. As always, I’ll be sharing what I have learned about working with large organisations on interactive video projects and showing you a real life example created for Royal Mail."The 30 minute session will cover:The difference between interactive video and regular video contentThe types of interactive video availableThe benefits of interactive video for learningWhen to use interactive videoInteractive video and gamesInteractive video technologiesA real life example about how Royal Mail is using interactive videoThe webinar called How to put your learners in control with interactive video takes place on Thursday, March 17, 2016 between 12:30 - 13:00 (GMT).Registration is free and available via http://bit.ly/interactivevideowebinarSponge UK is the current gold winner of the Elearning Award’s Outstanding Learning Organisation of the Year. The post Webinar on learning benefits of interactive video appeared first on Sponge UK.

Dave Buglass, Head of Capability and Development at Tesco Bank is the guest for this episode of the Sponge UK podcast, recorded at the Learning Technologies 2016 conference. Dave was Learning and Development Professional of the year and Chief Learning Officer of the year in 2014, he’s got more than 20 years experience in L&D and shares his thoughts on what’s changed over that time and what needs to change in order for the L&D function to become more effective in the future. Read excerpts of this interview in our accompanying blog post. 00:40 - What’s changed in L&D over the 20 years you’ve been doing this? 01:33 - What do you think is holding L&D back from the point where the learner is the centre of everything? 02:53 - On a practical level how do you do that? 03:52 - What part should the L&D vendors be playing? 05:02 - You did the foreward for the most recent Towards Maturity report "Embracing Change" Is 2016 going to be the year of change? Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcastThe full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device.Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode002-DaveBuglass.mp3 (06:58, 2.4MB)Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe using the RSS feed Join us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast.The post Dave Buglass - Sponge UK Elearning Podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.

A free elearning programme is being launched to help health and social care workers broaden their knowledge of cancer care in the community.The Royal Marsden School, which has a national and international reputation for excellence in cancer education, commissioned elearning provider Sponge UK to create the new healthcare training. The elearning course is made up of four modules on cancer prevention and screening, diagnosis and staging, treatments and living with and beyond cancer.The training includes personalisation features to help professionals tailor the training to their specific needs and experience.Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director, Sponge UK said:"It has been a privilege to work with one of leading specialist cancer schools to create this open access elearning to support cancer care in the community and help improve the lives of cancer survivors. Using intelligent design, we have been able to create elearning that works for a broad range of professionals, with video and animation to emphasis key areas and ‘deeper dive’ resources for those who want to know more on a particular topic."The elearning is suitable for all qualified and non-qualified community-based health and social care workers, including community matrons, nursing staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dieticians and support workers who meet patients with cancer.The materials have been written by clinical specialists and experts at The Royal Marsden and include real life scenarios and engaging video clips to help bring the subject matter to life.Evidence shows that many cancer patients have unmet needs particularly at the end of treatment, whilst others are struggling with consequences that could be either avoided or managed.The new elearning programme is aimed at helping plug the gap and broaden education and support for community health and social care workers who work with cancer patients.Cancer in the Community is available on the e-Learning for Healthcare website (either by open access or by enrolling), or can be downloaded by NHS organisations only from the NHS eLearning Repository.Sponge UK is one of the UK’s leading providers of custom elearning and the Elearning Award’s current gold winner of Outstanding Learning Organisation of the Year. The post Free elearning to support cancer care in the community appeared first on Sponge UK.

There’s never been more pressure to transform workplace elearning and deliver business results.But having identified the changes you want to make, it can be frustrating when it takes months rather than weeks to get a new project off the ground.Whether you work with external specialists all the time, or are using them because your in-house team is overloaded, we’ve got some tips to help you realise your goals.This five minute guide to rapid elearning is aimed at helping you get the best quality and value in the quickest possible time.So what is rapid elearning?It means different things to different people, but for the purposes of this guide it is all about getting things done swiftly to a high standard.The aim is to use smart design, processes and technology to create effective elearning content quickly.It is about being clever without compromising on the creativity.Key tips to save time (and money)Speak to learners firstStart with the people that matter most and make sure you find out what their challenges are, what is most relevant to their role and what technology suits them best.Changes will slow down the process, but by being crystal clear about the needs of your core audience the project is more likely to proceed smoothly and quickly.Woo your subject matter expertsA rapid project can succeed or fail depending on the buy-in from your subject matter experts (SMEs).To get things done quickly, you may need them to break into their busy schedules, so you need to keep them on your side.Elearning Industry has a whole guide on working with subject matter experts which includes useful ideas if you are encountering difficulties.But your SMEs are more likely to bend over backwards if they can see the value and relevance of the project. Stressing the business benefits, and the particular gains for their particular department, should help ease the process.Go microMicrolearning may suit your needs if you can distil your project down into a few key messages. It may also be more suitable for certain learners, particularly if they prefer to use mobiles, or if they generally don’t have much time to fit training into their day.A typical microlearning module will take around 5 to 10 minutes to complete, with some organisations using even shorter learning content of just a couple of minutes.It does take thought and creativity to produce effective microlearning content, so you may not save time at the design stage. But shorter content should cut down on the development time, compared to standard elearning.Do a pilotYou have a brilliant idea that could be a game-changer for your organisation.But getting a full scale project off the ground will take many months and you want to start making an impact as soon as possible.One possibility is to opt for a pilot project that you can get off the ground quickly before rolling it out more widely.A pilot also allows you to collect hard data before committing to a larger investment and identifying teething problems.Case Study: People Management magazine looks at how Royal Mail went from concept to delivery in just 12 weeks on an interactive video elearning pilot project.Prep your assetsGathering together visual assets and learning resources before launching a project will help you save time and meet deadlines.Think about what images and graphics you have available, any video footage you would like to include and whether you have supporting aids or workbooks.Factor in reviews and testingDon’t let your rapid elearning fall at the final hurdle.A sloppy approach to reviewing and testing can undermine all the progress you’ve made in getting your project ready in record time.Be clear on who will review the elearning and give people deadlines for making changes. Agree in advance how testing will be carried out and for how long. Secret weapon Finally, a good project manager is worth their weight in gold if you are trying to get your get your elearning project delivered quickly.They can help iron out hitches and keep all the various elearning balls in the air (and still have time to train for a half marathon before work!)Don’t be afraid to ask what experience your project manager has in delivering rapid projects.Here are just some of the super-talented project managers at Sponge UK.(Truth: Nyk does train for half marathons before arriving at the office.) The post The 5 minute guide to rapid elearning for busy L&D people appeared first on Sponge UK.

2.6 billion smartphones were sold worldwide in 2014-2015 and sales are still growing.The biggest growth is in emerging markets as prices of Android handsets are becoming affordable for many more people.Do you think mobile first when designing an elearning course?Most learning designers will find out what platforms need to be supported near the start of a project. Whether to prioritise multi-device will depend on the specifics of the case in hand.We’re going to think about why a mobile first, or even mobile only approach could be the best option for your next project.Why consider a mobile only approach?The key is to look at your learners and choose the best option for them.In an interview for Gamification Talk Radio, Professor Karl Kapp, learning games expert, spoke about his trip to the China ATD summit:"In China everything is mobile, and when I say mobile, in China, I mean phones, not tablets or anything else, they’re all using mobile phones."In emerging markets like China, India and Africa the mobile phone is often the primary device used for accessing online content.If your audience is in this category mobile only is a natural option, but there are also examples of mobile only learning courses targeted at a global audience.Google set out to create a learning platform to teach marketing techniques and best practices to as many people as possible:Case study: Google PrimerGoogle Primer is an app for Android and iOS that teaches you about marketing. It currently has over 100,000 downloads from the Google Play store alone.The lessons are short, five minutes on average, and are controlled by swiping cards on and off the screen and completing simple interactions linked to quizzes and assessments.It works offline by downloading the lessons to your phone. There are weekly updates with new lessons and when you connect to the internet it synchronises your progress and downloads any new content."We assembled a small team of our own marketers and challenged them to build a product they would use. The result is Primer." - Teo SoaresYou might be thinking that this process is easy given the virtually unlimited resources of Google, but in a medium post about the launch of the app Soares revealed that they had a budget of just $6,000.How can you create a mobile elearning app yourself?You have a few options for building a mobile learning application.There’s no single option that stands out as clearly the best for everyone, so your choice will depend on what expertise you have available and the unique needs of your learners.1: Native appBuilding a native application for multiple platforms is a big undertaking but it offers unique advantages. You get the best performance and the possibility of using hardware that is unique to the target device.It might seem like there’s a smaller range of devices to cater for when designing a native app. But consider the range of screen sizes and resolutions of android phones, tablets and TV set-top boxes and you’ll understand that might not be the case.If you have many learners using a single type of device, or tight control over the devices being used, then a native app makes good sense.2: Web appYou can create your course using HTML5 and deploy it as a web application. Some elearning authoring tools will also allow you to create a standalone zip file of the content which can be downloaded and run offline.A web app can be created and updated by any developer who is familiar with web standards. Once it is online it can be accessed by anyone with a modern web browser, whether on mobile or desktop.If you need to issue frequent updates to the content of your learning course then a web app will give you the fastest option.3: Hybrid appA web app wrapped inside a native app framework is known as hybrid app. A hybrid app can offer the best of both worlds, but it often takes skill and time to get the balance right.Big names like Netflix use this approach to offer hugely popular apps across a variety of platforms. Creating a really effective hybrid app requires skills in native app and web app development.Some elearning courses require native features and need to be used by a wide variety of employees with different needs. In this case, the flexibility of a web app could offer a big advantage.Do your learners need desktop support?Although mobile is on the rise, the time spent accessing the internet from a desktop has remained stable for the last two years.If your learners spend a lot of time on desktops and laptops without a mobile device handy, you need to support their needs too.Comscore report that of the UK’s 48 million internet users, only 23% access the internet solely via a desktop computer, just 5% use only a mobile or tablet but 72% use a combination of platforms.The situation in the US and other developed markets is similar, so using a responsive approach is still the best option for covering all your potential learners.Responsive designApplying responsive design principles to elearning has been many people’s preferred option for creating multi-device content for some time.But thinking mobile first is still a little way off, with many courses still being designed for desktop initially and multi-device compatibility coming second.Tools like offer a relatively simple workflow to create HTML5 based content that works equally well on mobile and desktop screens.It is a responsive, open source elearning framework which creates courses that will work on any device.Whether you’re using this kind of process already or not, it’s increasingly important to think mobile first whatever your audience is using.Why design mobile first for desktop users?The way people access the internet is changing and experts agree that the trend is going to continue.Cisco predict that global mobile data traffic will grow three times faster than desktop from 2014 to 2019ComScore reports that the number of mobile only internet users exceeds the number of desktop only users in the US.Gartner predict that by 2016 use of mobile apps will "surpass that of Internet domain names, making mobile apps the dominant means of engaging with brands."Towards Maturity says 53% of learners find location or IT is a barrier to online learning, so they are turning to mobile, with 64% finding accessing learning from a mobile device essential or very usefulThese trends all provide an insight into how your learners are going to expect to interact with content in the future.Online training will need to embrace the new ways its audience uses the internet in order to be successful. Any elearning being created today that can’t be access on a mobile device could have a limited shelf life.Next time you’re starting a new elearning project, whatever device the current audience is using, consider thinking mobile first.This post originally appeared on elearningindustry.com.Author: Alan Bourne, Head of Development, Sponge UKDiscuss a project Subscribe to our newsletter The post 2.6 billion reasons for thinking mobile first in elearning appeared first on Sponge UK.

Scenarios are the building blocks of great learning.  They are well established as an engaging and effective way to accelerate learners’ progress.Interactive video is becoming easier to create, but ensuring it’s a good match for your learning objectives can still a challenge.This post will show you how to give your elearning scenarios a more engaging twist by using interactive video to enhance storytelling.Benefits of stories in elearningCreating a narrative isn’t just a way to keep learners interested in completing a course, it’s also a chance to show them how a real life situation will play out before it happens.Effectively simulating a real life experience is a powerful tool for learning designers.Putting an employee into a scene from their work environment, and allowing them to experience it, helps long term retention of skills they use in that situation.Many existing elearning courses employ this technique to get the most out of traditional media like photos and regular video.But interactive video allows a higher level of realism and puts the learner in control of the story.What does interactive video bring to scenario-based elearning?Ruth Clark sets out the main elements that make up scenario-based learning in her popular book, Scenario-Based e-Learning.They can be summarised as:Clear learning objectivesRealismInductive learning environmentGuidance & additional resourcesTo be most effective, interactive video content should offer these elements of scenario-based elearning.Clear learning objectivesSetting out clear learning objectives is critical for any elearning and is part of creating learner- focused training. They should match the overall business objectives and fit into the learning and development strategy.Make sure you have a good idea of the outcomes you want from the training and can identify the ways they can be measured.RealismRealism goes hand in hand with interactive video. By using the exact environment and people who are involved in the real life situations you can effectively put the learner in their work environment.Sometimes, it’s possible to use real employees to make the interactive video training even more authentic. On other occasions, actors can help make an extraordinary situation more believable.By placing the learner at the centre of the story, you involve them in a way that isn’t possible when they’re observing someone else.  First person video is a popular way to achieve this and one of the early trendsetting examples of interactive video Choose a different ending uses this perspective.If you are creating elearning for soft skills, or you have a wide range of employees who have different roles within your organisation, you can create different points of view for each scene.Allowing a learner to see the same action from someone else’s perspective can promote empathy towards other staff, customers, or anyone else in the scene.By offering multiple character points of view you’re also able to personalise the experience by allowing learners to choose the most relevant role to them.Inductive learning environmentInductive learning environments let learners figure out the correct action based on the consequences of their choices.Giving a learner the opportunity to follow a path and find out on their own if it was correct through trial and error is one of the benefits of adding interactivity to a story.Interactive video can present the learner with different feedback based on their actions, then offer a chance to try a different approach.Guidance and additional resourcesIt’s possible to create a standalone interactive video course which contains the resources a learner needs inside the video itself.However, it’s often practical to provide the video as part of a wider solution which includes material that supports the learning objectives in another form.A successful interactive video course will result in accelerated learning, compressing the experiences of many months into one training session.It’s also possible to use sections of the course on their own for learners who want to refresh on a particular subject, creating extra resources without the need for additional content.Benefits of interactionAllowing people to make their own choices through a scenario draws them in to the situation by giving them a stake in the outcome.It’s important to keep the scenario relevant to the learners. In some cases offering an interactive element lets learners steer the situation in a way that keeps it relevant to their role.Planning the different branches of the scenario helps make sure different outcomes are reached through the appropriate routes.Branch mapping is a technique that allows instructional designers to plot the different routes through the scenario. A well designed interactive video will encourage and reward multiple views so each branch should stand alone as a scenario by itself.Example - life-saver.org.ukLifesaver uses various on screen interactions on to keep learners engaged in the story and gamified elements like timed sections and scores for good choices.The interactive video is available on desktop and as an iPad app and rewards progress with unlockable scenarios.TrackingThe example of Choose a different ending is hosted on YouTube but it can’t offer the tracking that a workplace elearning course requires.An elearning solution using appropriate tools could track the actions of a user and report them back to a Learning Management System (LMS). This allows a manager to see how individual employees perform as well as get a picture of how effective the training is in different areas.To make sure you can track learners’ routes through the video and offer appropriate support and feedback it’s possible to incorporate an interactive video into a SCORM tracking elearning authoring tool like Storyline 2.By tracking the results of learners through the branching video, areas of concern can be highlighted as well as areas where additional training might not be necessary.Once created the interactive video elearning can be taken by many staff, many times with little additional costs, representing a big cost saving over traditional training.Example - Royal MailUsing first-hand experience from front line employees, Royal Mail is using an interactive video module to help managers deal with difficult conversations.To request a full case study, email absorb@spongeuk.com.Find out how interactive video training can make a real difference in your organisation with our complimentary handbook, A Rough Guide to Interactive video. Download the guideThe post How to supercharge your elearning scenario with interactive video appeared first on Sponge UK.

Our guest for episode 3 is highly respected instructional designer and author Julie Dirksen. You’ll be hearing her views on helping learners to form good habits, how to avoid some common design mistakes and what we can all learn from video game designers. The second edition of Julie Dirksen’s book Design for how people learn is regarded as one of the best starting points for anyone new to instructional design. Here are the questions asked during the interview with their times for quick reference: 00.39 What’s changed since you wrote the first edition of the book? 05.29 What’s the most common mistake that people make when they’re designing learning experiences? 08.57 What are the neuroscience basics that learning professionals need to know? 13.07 What are the skills or knowledge that games can teach us really well? 19.24 Is there an example of video in elearning that has definitely got it right? 22.50 What are the challenges facing women working in the learning technologies industry? 29.00 What are you most excited about when you think of the future of elearning? Links to the authors and theories discussed in the interview: Daniel Willingham Will Thalheimer Gloria Gery’s Proficiency model which features in her book Electronic performance support systems. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow state Gamergate Trina Rimmer xAPI standards Jane Bozarth, and her book Show your work Kirkpatrick model Brinkerhoff success case model Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcastThe full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device.Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode003-JulieDirksen.mp3 (33:40, 11.5MB)Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe using the RSS feed Join us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast.The post Julie Dirksen - Sponge UK Elearning Podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.

An interview with David Kelly of The Elearning Guild As an L&D professional, staying ahead in a changing world is a major challenge.New technologies may hold promise but evaluating them for use within your own organisation is practically a full time job in itself.Thankfully, there are people in the world like David Kelly. He’s Senior Vice President and Executive Director at The Elearning Guild . It is the oldest community of practice for the elearning industry.In this exclusive interview, he shares his tips on how to judge what will work for you in the changing technology landscape.   Why should L&D teams stay across emerging and new technologies? If you want to see how technology is going to change the way people learn, you need to follow how technology is changing the way we live. Thinking about the last ten years, technology has transformed the way we interact with data, digital information, and more importantly, it’s changed the way we interact with each other. As technology changes our expectations about how we live our daily lives, the way we learn is naturally going to evolve according to that. As the people who support the learning and development of others, we need to be aware of the shifting ways in which technology is enabling us to interact in the world because that’s going to enable us to be better positioned to build learning programs and learning environments through which people can learn for themselves.  How do you judge which new technology has potential and which does not?  It’s an interesting question and like a lot of really good questions the answers is that it depends. The reason that I say it depends is because as an industry one of the mistakes we make is to look for the silver bullet, the one thing that can be applied across the board. But there just isn’t one, and as much as technology advances rapidly, I don’t see one existing in the near future. Why? Because every organisation is different and unique in terms of culture and maturity, and what is right for one may be wrong for another. So it’s important for us to understand these technologies, not so we can use them, but so we can apply them to the context of our organisations to decide whether or not they’re appropriate for us.  What have you seen that you think might have the potential to disrupt the learning landscape? Again, I look at the learning landscape as a trickle down from the consumer landscape. So I’m still incredibly excited about mobile. Even though it’s normal for us to walk around with these smartphones, these mini-computers, in our pockets, I still think we’re in the infancy of tapping into their potential for learning. A lot of us use these devices naturally as tools for our own personal learning, but we don’t think of them as an educational platform in the same way. A lot of what we have seen in the mobile space in the majority of our industry is around, how can we do what we already do on these devices? I think that’s the wrong question. I think a better question is how does this new technology change what we do? What excites me most in the mobile space is what we’re just starting to see organisations tap into, which is the unique aspects of these devices. What are the things these devices are enabling us to do that we’ve never been able to do before?  We’re just starting to see organisations tap into things like GPS and recording on a camera, and use them to build learning programs and learning environments like never before. So mobile is probably the biggest technology change we’re seeing at the moment. There are some other far-reaching technologies that we’re a couple of years away from. I think that the growing focus on performance support is something that is going to be transformative; the ability to get people the support that they need without needing to stop them from working so that they can learn. I think there’s a growing interest in interactive video.  The bar to participating in a video conversation from a learning standpoint has been lowered tremendously, and now we’re starting to see a lot more opportunities to make that video more engaging and more interactive for people. I think that’s going to be a huge thing for us as we go forward.  Other areas that could have applications for learning, but are a little bit further out are wearable tech, virtual reality and augmented reality. I think we’re going to start seeing some early adoptions for organisations but I think we’re still a way out from them becoming a mainstream part of our training. I think it is still something we should follow because what’s going on in the consumer space is going to shape the types of experiences that people expect from learning. Are there any red herrings that people have seized upon but you think might not lead anywhere worthwhile in learning? There are always red herrings and they are much easier to spot in hindsight. One of the things I find interesting is that a red herring is not always the red herring that it appears to be.  Take something exciting like Google Glass. About two years ago, I was at a conference talking about the potential of Google Glass and a year later, it was killed off by Google, or at least the consumer edition of the enterprise program was killed.  A lot of people said it was a failure, but I don’t consider Google Glass to be a failure. I think it was one of the most successful experiments ever done in this space because it gave us an idea of what works, what doesn’t and how wearable technology has cultural implications. The project still exists today, just in a different form, and it is still out there, percolating and finding its niche. For me, the red flag is when I hear something discussed in the context of, this is going to replace what we do, or traditional training is dead and will be replaced by this. All these new technologies give us the opportunity to do things we’ve never been able to do before, which is really exciting, but at the same time they are doing nothing more than adding another tool to our belt. And the more tools we have in our in our toolkit, the more we’ll be able to apply those tools contextually in ways that provide the best possible solution. So I wouldn’t say that there’s any one technology that is a red herring over anything else, it’s just a case of over promising and under delivering. How can L&D professionals stay ahead of the curve when so much is changing? It’s a rapidly evolving landscape and staying ahead is a challenge. There are a couple of things, as learning professionals, we need to be doing. One is that we need to plug in, find where the conversations are taking place. That is not just something as literal as attending a conference, but social media has enabled us to participate in conversations wherever, whenever we want.  So find those conversations because they can give you an idea of what is possible. Then, I would take it a step further and say it’s not only a matter of plugging in and listening, but also joining in. If I’m not participating I’m lacking the most critical component of the conversation which is adding my own context, asking questions and trying to understand what other people are doing and where it may, or may not, fit into my organisation. The other piece that I think is critical is to just play. Look at new technologies with more of a childlike curiosity to see what it can do. Every time a shiny new thing comes out I always will try to spend a couple of hours seeing what it can do. A lot of the time as learning professionals, we start with a new project and we say this something we’ve never encountered before let’s find a solution or a technology. But what’s better is when a new problem comes up you are immediately able to connect it contextually with something that you experienced. Even if it’s not ultimately the solution, the exposure helps build this larger context around not just what we do now, but what we could be doing. To find out more about David Kelly and follow his blog visit www.davidkelly.me The post How L&D can stay ahead of the technology curve appeared first on Sponge UK.

News Release The impact of gamification and games in workplace learning will take centre stage in a social media event this April.Now in its second year, #GameWeek brings together academics, L&D professionals and learning designers to explore the issues around the effective use of game-based learning.The event will feature a Google Hangout discussion with leading gamification expert, Professor Karl M. Kapp, Senior Manager for Learning Solutions at Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) Group, Emma Barrow and Game Developer at Sponge UK, Jason Butler.The panel will be talking about topics including getting gamification right, learner attitudes to gamification, game design and achieving business results with learning games. They will also be answering questions from the audience.The #GameWeek Hangout takes place on Thursday, April 14 from 1230 to 1300 BST on Google+ via https://plus.google.com/events/cl2mhvlmk5468cn41b7tsaip1kg or on YouTube via http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9cGLDDTU28.Award-winning elearning provider, Sponge UK is hosting #GameWeek.The company’s Managing Director, Louise Pasterfield, said: "Games are becoming part of the fabric of modern learning design and increasingly being used at a tool to help improve workplace skills and performance. #GameWeek is an opportunity to ask the big questions about games in learning and share a wide range of resources and examples to help inform thinking about this growing area of learning technology."A range of blogs, resources infographics and interviews will be released during #GameWeek. A live poll will run throughout the event to gauge the current use of gamification and games in learning programmes.#GameWeek takes place from April 11 to 17 via Sponge UK’s social media channels.Anyone who would like to put a question to the #GameWeek Hangout panel should email communications@spongeuk.comThe post #GameWeek returns with Hangout on learning games appeared first on Sponge UK.