READ MY VIRTUAL LIPS: STEVE JOBS WAS RIGHT. WE REALLY DO LIVE IN A POST-PC WORLD.

In a recent blog I talked about how Apple's iBook could change corporate learning. And there was a cool graph in it, which has been updated to look like the one below. If the other one was cool, this one is proof that we really DO live in a post-PC world. I mean, just look at what iPad sales are doing to the market, for crying out loud!

(by the way, you can click on the graph above for the full story from CNN Money.)

In our group of instructional designers we call living in a post-PC world a "what" statement...one that's not very interesting. The interesting statement is the "So What?" And the so what is that our learners are clearly telling us where they like to receive content. By the way, according to Gartner, 2011 marked the first year that more smartphones were purchased than PCs. What devices do you use most regularly? Which one would you hate giving up the most?

Even though it may be inevitable, if you're thinking that we can't throw out our desktop PCs yet, you're right. However, if you haven't begun to wrap your arms around adaptive content development for elearning, then these stats should at least send you Googling or Binging for more information.

You may remember another post from this blog: What's with HTML5 vs. Flash for elearning? I was pointing in the same direction there.

More So What

Three important reasons for adaptive content come to mind here--whether you're an internal or external supplier of learning.

• The first is, more and more employees, especially those who travel as part of the job, are not just opting for iPads, the company is issuing them iPads. And as we know, iPads and iPhones (and now Android devices) don't play Flash. 
• Also, training centers are now looking at iPads to replace clumsy, expensive, paper-based notebooks for ILT. They're easier to update, and blend much better with blended learning, and they can be cheaper--even in the short run.

eLearning is at a crossroad because of emerging technologies.

And it starts with the hardware, oddly enough. The push has come from both smartphones and tablets--led, of course, by the iPhone and iPad. Underneath these various mobile devices is one would-be constant: the WebKit browser standards. Theoretically, all of these touch devices should respond identically to a developer's programming.

Tablets

That all sounds good, right? And it does work that way with Apple devices, because Apple controls both the hardware and the software (which has been a large part of their success in the past 5 to 10 years). And since something like 97% of web traffic from tablets comes from the iPad, design for tablets is still pretty simple.

Smartphones

Phones are different. As Android phones began to hit the market, Apple's share of smartphone web traffic fell to just 50% last year. Now, it's back up to 69%--a healthy jump! Just theorizing here, but one of the factors involved in this increase could be that there are now many flavors of WebKit "standards" in the Android market. Some devices can be upgraded to the latest operating platforms, and some can't. Some play one kind of video, while others demand a different version. That makes what's supposed to be easy for developers, very difficult. It can make the user experience frustrating, too.

Back To eLearning

The whole Flash vs. HTML5 thing wouldn't be an issue for elearning if we just stayed on the desktop. But mobile device sales are exploding and there's a huge benefit in liberating elearning from the desktop and taking it to where our learners are. Since mobile devices are going to have to survive without Flash, one of the main role of HTML5 is to re-create some of what Flash does, but using an open standard. That should be a good thing for everyone. But as I noted above, the standard has been fractured within the Android market.

So the uptake is this: if you want to get your elearning to your learners--when and where it has the most impact--you're going to have to begin to ignore Flash and embrace HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. OR--you're going to have to use tools that translate your PowerPoints into HTML5. That's a surefire fix for some, but like most rapid elearning tools, the results are far from what can be accomplished with a custom development approach.

It's funny. Having recently returned from exhibiting at Training 2012, I have to say I'm very surprised at how many times I had to explain what "custom" elearning was. "So what tool do you use?" was the persistent question. Just Flash, HTML5, CSS and JavaScript was always the answer. More than one person left with a confused look...

You've heard me call the iPad a game changer for elearning. And I've talked about the post PC era that the iPad has created.

Now Apple has released the new iBook app, aimed at K-12 and post secondary education. How does that effect the future of corporate learning? And notice that I've dropped the "e" from e-learning. The "e"could be considered fairly redundant by now.

The Apple video above is well worth watching. If you haven't seen it yet, it will set your mind spinning with future possibilities.

To be sure, iBooks isn't yet poised to take over corporate learning. Results have to be acquired through iTunes and have to be played on an iPad. Not such bad things, but by far more corporate content is private than not. Unless Apple comes up with conditional download from iTunes, we won't be rushing to doing our courses there in the near future.

But will the iPad become a standard. From an analysts view, it seems likely. Let me show you why in this graph below, which I found in a CNN Money story on the web.

You can see that, for longer or shorter periods of time, all PC sales except for Apple's have been declining. But through the steepest declines, look what happens (the circled area) when you add iPads into the mix. This is very graphic proof that we are entering the post PC era. (click on the graph and you'll open a window with the article)

I'm on the plane, just leaving Las Vegas and the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

From an elearning perspective I can sum up the show in one word: MOBILE! Now, of course, by mobile I'm talking both tablets and smartphones, which both offer their own special advantages (tablets offer enough real estate to do full-blown courses--while smartphone screen sizes lend themselves more to rapid reference tools and quick drill-downs of full courses).

This is in stark contrast to CES last year, where most of the Android tablets didn't even work. This year, you can play console quality multi-player games that look just like my son's X-Box games. And here, I can let you in on a small secret. The huge change isn't just Android, but the new Snapdragon integrated-processor from Qualcomm. They're the first chip manufacturer to put the CPU, GPU, 3G/4G, camera and about 8 other things on a single, low-power chip. As manufacturers like Intel and NVIDIA begin to catch up, you'll likely see a kind of processor wars taking place. 

But let's get back to mobile devices for elearning! wslash recently did a survey of nearly 1,200 learners, asking them about mobile devices.

You can see from the image above that 78% of participants agree or strongly agree that they would use an iPad or other tablet as a sales tool in the retail environment. Likewise, 67% of them would use a smartphone to brush up on selling features. The age goes from 20 something to 60 something in this survey, with the median age being from 36 to 45--so, running against common wisdom, it's not just the younger generations who get excited about technology. I can also tell you that, in a telephone pre-survey 82% said they had smartphones or would buy one the next time around. Also, 25% currently have an iPad or other tablet. These numbers are huge, folks!

This past year wslash did a bunch of smartphone courses--put the QR code right in the desktop course! And we did a number of tablet courses, too. We also developed a device sniffer, that tells the LMS what kind of device is asking for a course, so everyone gets the right experience--desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

mLearning? For the past several years, mlearning has meant phones. It's time to adjust that thinking. A few years ago, tablets didn't even exist--now they're about to dominate. And if you think you can ignore tablets, think again. In the near future tablets are predicted to be outselling desktop computers. And for most users, you can see why. Light, portable, powerful--and where elearning is concerned, perhaps the most important aspect is that content comes to the learner, no matter where they are!

Want a little more proof that moblie learning is coming like a tsunami? We're just starting on a course that being produced in desktop, tablet, and smartphone formats--in 16 different languages. With our usual 3D avatars and simulations, it's a good thing the media designers are handling that one, and not me!

I know, I know. You just started to implement mlearning (or maybe you haven't). So why do you have to bother with m-selling and m-marketing? Do you even need to know what they are?

The answer is a resounding yes, because smartphones and tablets have revolutionized more than just learning! Keep reading to learn why you need to do more--and more--than you may be doing now.

You can see from this video how we've helped Sony dive into mobile learning. And maybe you haven't thought about it much, but here's the next steps--and why you should take them.

First, mobile learning has lots of applications, but here I'm assuming you're doing elearning and/or mlearning as part of sales training. If that's the case, the next thing you have to do is stop and think about the business case. Within this context of elearning/mlearning, the business case is to build brand and increase sales.

So why only concentrate on half of the job you could be doing?

Salespeople report developing a brand preference from our courses. They become brand advocates who prefer to sell the products we train them on, over other products. That's impact with both top- and bottom-line results.

• But it happens before the sale...why not use some of the same, powerful tools during the sale?
   
• And if elearning both informs and creates brand preference...why not use the same, powerful tools to educate customers?

I find that you can make anything simple, if you analyze and organize it right. Simple...but not always easy. Still, once you get something boiled down to simple, it is easier to achieve.

So why not make world-class elearning simple to achieve? It's the "what and why" that helps us get to simple. In later posts, I'll spend time on the more difficult "how," topics.

Simply put, world-class elearning has four, key elements:

elearning: the journey, not the destination

We have to get out of our T&D silos! As we develop elearning courses, we need to stop along the way and integrate with other initiatives. Be aware of the needs of sales channels, marketing, branding--even customer education. The more we integrate, the more strategic value our courses will have. And that's a critical goal for world-class elearning.

elearning: not as usuual, but naturally

For reading a book, I get the linear, page-by-page format. But it's boring our learners to death! We have to free learners from back/next elearning, or risk losing them. World-class elearning means helping learners do what they would do naturally, on their own. This includes...

• Present interesting examples and models to learn from
• Allow learners to take the path and pace they choose
• Provide safe practice, in simulated realities

elearning: go ahead & immerse yourself

Most people I talk to wish they were doing immersive simulations, but see that as a distant goal. Still, simulations aren't as hard as most people perceive them to be. Use these guidelines...

• Start with business objectives. With these as a foundation, you'll aways be pointed in the right direction.
• Focus on areas where confusion is likely. Help learners differentiate between good, better and great choices.
• Simulate real situations where learners can apply new knowledge to practice making decisions--and fail--where there's no real penalty.

mlearning: it's not just another app

According to Morgan Stanley, more smartphones than PCs will be sold next year. Now is the time to begin your mlearning program, making information work for you--wherever your learners are. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Keep it simple. mLearning happens on the go, just a few minutes or seconds at a time.
• The interface matters! mLearning has to look and act the way other mobile applications look and act.
• Remember that, while most of you elearning may be in Flash, most mobile devices don't play well with Flash.
• mLearning isn't just another app--it's one of the best ways to ensure knowledge transfer and improve your ROI!

Think of anything else that should be on this list for world-class elearning? If you do, leave a comment here!

Just the other day, I had a national sales director tell me that his company's e-learning is so boring, all he does is just get through courses as fast as possible. You and I both know he's not alone.

At trade shows and in discussion groups, I hear lots of interest in immersive e-learning, but also a lot of trepidation and confusion about how to get there.

Of course, games and simulations are the first topics to come up, but that's also where people start talking about all the time and budget they don't have. And most confess to a lack of knowledge and experience as their largest obstacle to immersive learning. So let's se if we can simplify things a bit.

What's the difference between a game and a simulation?

If your e-learning efforts don't show up as either the top- or bottom-line results, then you're just wasting your time. Shame on your e-learning strategy!

Sure it's great to have learners love your courses, It's great to have clients rave about your work, too. And there's nothing wrong with winning awards. But you have to use surveys and any empirical data that are available to prove that you're on track, and to measure and shape the future of your program. And I'd swap any other benefit or accolade for hard-line, black and white, financial results. Not that the rest aren't valuable, but without tangible results, what's the point?

In the sales e-learning we do at w/, we design-in three specific outcomes:

• Increased sales
• Greater customer satisfaction, and
• Increased brand preference within the sales channels (which is bound to transfer to the end customer)

You can expect that great sales e-learning would result in improved sales and customer satisfaction. But what does w/ do to create brand preference? It's really not so complicated.

It's simply an investment in learners. The natural learning design of our courses helps learners gain confidence and be more successful with our clients' courses. The ROI on this investment is greater comfort selling our customer's products, which, in turn, creates a natural preference for selling our customers' brands. That translates into more and better consumer experiences and should even lead to an increase in word-of-mouth advertising.

Now that's great e-learning strategy! 

And if you're interested in how this could work for your organization, just contact us. We can help. You can also join us at the Training 2011 conference in February. Here's a QR and text link that describes the w/ session: http://bit.ly/f1punG 

Semantics is an academic's pastime. I'm usually more interested in action than talk. So let's boil it down. As learning professionals, what are we really trying to get at? The most effective learning possible, right? That should make it pretty simple, then.

While some read for entertainment, most learning content isn't entertaining enough to keep you awake. So that leaves out reading as the most effective method for learning. But let's face it: even if it's called e-learning, if I'm not actively engaged, it's just e-reading.

The best learning, all things considered, has always been learning by doing. Put another way, we're talking about practice. And practice makes perfect, so why not give learners a perfect place to practice? If two plus two is four, we're talking about a simulation as a safe place to practice.

Practicing on your own isn't always optimum. On the other hand, not being in front of others, and working at your own pace, can be the perfect combination for learning by doing. So, online simulations, or immersive learning simulations as some like to say, can provide a real advantage.

In our experience at w/, two things make learning simulations more immersive: valued outcomes that can be used right away, and avatars the learner interacts with and learns from.

There's nothing like the "ah-ha" of learning something new and using it to get ahead. That's what I mean by a valued outcome. And avatars...well, they make a simulation human. I mean, I'd rather have a relationship with an avatar than text on a screen. And unequivocally, we humans are wired at the factory, to work and play and learn most naturally from within relationships.