mLearnCon, the most intensive and informative annual conference on mobile learning in North America, is fast approaching.
With well over 100 sessions available, how does one choose which events to attend and which ones to give a pass? Float Mobile Learning staff have attended every mLearnCon conference since they started four years ago, both as presenters and exhibitors. We are in a good position to make recommendations as to which sessions you might like to attend, depending on your interests.
Of course, we hope that you stop by our booth (#416) to see what we offer and to chat. But, we know attending this conference means that you want to maximize the amount of knowledge that you receive at this outstanding event.
To help you, we have divided sessions by experience levels and common job roles. We hope that you will find this useful in navigating the many choices you have at this conference. The nine categories that we’ve created are:
Select any of the above categories to be taken to that section of this post.
mLearnCon for Newbies
Is this your first time at mLearnCon? Is mobile learning something that you just started to look at?
mLearnCon has something for everyone. From complete novices to advanced presentations, no one will be left behind.
If you’re new to mobile learning, you need to start with a big-picture overview of the topic, which is usually given in sessions designed for those with little knowledge or experience with the topic. Robert Gadd’s workshop on enterprise mLearning is a good place to start if you want to take a pre-conference workshop. Otherwise, Scott McCormick from Float gives the first concurrent session of the conference on “10 essentials for successful mobile learning implementation.”
The other sessions that we have chosen for you are all presented by experts in the mobile learning field and are still at the introductory level. Also, don’t forget to look at all the exhibits, as there is a lot to be learned from vendors at this conference. Here are our recommendations for which sessions you should attend as a newcomer to the field:
mLearnCon for Managers and Executives
Are you a manager or executive with decision-making power in the learning and development function in your company?
There are lots of workshops and sessions that are specifically designed for your interests. Many of the sessions that are targeted toward you will focus on “mobile learning strategy” rather than the details of how mobile learning materials are developed.
If you have the time and money, Brenda Enders’ workshop on “crafting your mobile learning strategy to ensure success” on June 17 would be a good place to start.
Sessions on developing the business case for mobile learning, case studies of successful implementations, discussions of return on investment (ROI), and decisions like whether or not to allow employees to bring their own devices to work will all be of interest to managers and executives.
Decision-makers also need to develop plans and roadmaps to plot the direction of any mobile learning initiative.
Stop by the Float Mobile Learning booth (#416) to see our mobile learning roadmap and to sign up for our newsletter, which features the latest industry news and trends.
Here are our recommendations on sessions that will specifically be of interest to managers and executives:
mLearnCon for Content Developers/Instructional Designers
mLearnCon is especially rich in sessions for content developers and instructional designers.
There are seven pre-conference workshops that you can sign up for that relate to content development in mobile learning, ranging from agile design to the uses of the new Tin Can API to track informal learning.
The focus of concurrent sessions is on designing materials for mobile learning, storyboarding and prototyping of apps, and learning about different authoring systems that can be useful in developing mLearning content.
Because there’s nothing like seeing a real-life program to show what is possible, content developers and instructional designers should not miss the two-hour DemoFest on Wednesday night. It will be one of the highlights of the conference.
Here are our recommendations if content development and instructional design are your principal interest:
mLearnCon for Media Designers
While instructional designers work with content developers to produce mobile learning materials, media designers plan and create a graphic, audio, video, and animation productions that support learning on mobile devices.
One of the newest trends is the use of “tiny video,” which is sometimes only a few seconds long. A variety of sessions on the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) for designers will help those in charge of media productions do a better job. Several of these sessions are offered at the “mobile design strategies stage.” This is where practical demos of different techniques will be of interest to those who have to build rich media.
Here are our recommendations:
mLearnCon for Techies
Most of the sessions at mLearnCon do not require heavy technical knowledge in order to enjoy and benefit from them. But, because this conference is co-located with mLearningDevCon, a number of sessions have been developed specifically for those with a programming or technical interest.
Please note the B.Y.O.L. sessions where you are asked to “bring your own laptop.” A number of the sessions we have picked for techies take place in the hallway at the “Mobile Tech and Tools Stage.”
The Wednesday night DemoFest will be of interest because of all the examples that will be shown.
There are lots to learn here, especially from these sessions:
mLearnCon for Evaluators
Assessment and evaluation is always a hot topic at any learning conference, and mLearnCon is no exception. While the number of sessions for evaluators is considerably lower than for content developers, the sessions we have picked should be of interest. I will be presenting two leading-edge sessions, one on mobile learning analytics and the other on the impact “big data” has on the field of mobile learning. Other sessions emphasize assessment tools and case studies. Here are our recommendations:
mLearnCon for Sales and Marketing
The sales and marketing department is often the first group in a company to implement mobile learning, especially when sales staff are traveling in their jobs.
Four sessions were identified as being of interest to this group.
Also, several of the exhibitors will be focusing on the use of mobile learning for sales enablement, which Chad Udell has written about recently.
Here is what we think will be of interest to sales and marketing staff attending mLearnCon:
Session No. | Session | Speaker | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Tuesday, June 18 | |||
Session 204 | Mobile On-the-Go! Formal, Informal, and Social Learning for Sales Mobility | Cory Colton, Steven Poyner | 1:00 p.m. |
Session 305 | Mobile Sales Training … Google Style | Tatiana Chapira | 2:30 p.m. |
Wednesday, June 19 | |||
Session 703 | Utilizing Mobile Touch Devices to Increase Sales-team Performance | Ericca Williams, Stephen Haskin | 4:00 p.m. |
Thursday, June 20 | |||
Session 805 | Using Mobile Performance Support to Improve Sales Rep Performance | Phillip Neal | 8:30 a.m. |
mLearnCon for Performance Support
Increasingly experts are noting that mobile learning is hugely useful as a method of performance support rather than as a platform for presenting courses online. If this is your interest, we have identified nine sessions that you can attend. These sessions will focus on performance support as an approach to mobile training.
Here’s what we found:
Session No. | Session | Speaker | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Tuesday, June 18 | |||
Session 106 | Learning and Performance Support @ the Point of Work |
Gary Wise | 10:45 a.m. |
Session 205 | Pay for mLearning with mSupport |
Conrad Gottfredson | 1:00 p.m. |
Session 306 | Square Peg, Square Hole: Using mLearning for Performance Support | Ron Price | 2:30 p.m. |
Wednesday, June 19 | |||
Session 505 | Quickly Build Location-specific Performance Support and Mobile Training | Michael Enders | 1:00 p.m. |
Mobile Design Stage | The Dirty Secret of Mobile Training | Mike Yonker | 2:00 p.m. |
Session 606 | Lights, Camera, Action! Scenario-based Learning for Performance Support | Ron Price | 2:30 p.m. |
Session 703 | Utilizing Mobile Touch Devices to Increase Sales-team Performance | Ericca Williams, Stephen Haskin | 4:00 p.m. |
Thursday, June 20 | |||
Session 805 | Using Mobile Performance Support to Improve Sales Rep Performance |
Phillip Neal | 8:30 a.m. |
Session 803 | Implementing Mobile Performance Support with Limited Resources |
Erin Gibbens | 9:45 a.m. |
mLearnCon for Educators and Trainers
What if you are an educator in higher education or K-12? Or, a classroom-based trainer? Your interest might be to set up a new mobile learning program that uses off-the-shelf apps in a training curriculum.
Although it is not a strong area of focus at mLearnCon, we identified these four sessions and the Wednesday night DemoFest as likely events that educators and trainers would be interested in:
Session No. | Session | Speaker | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Tuesday, June 18 | |||
Session 107 | Choosing the Right Apps to Support a Tablet-based Training Curriculum | Mike Brock, Paul Kern | 10:45 a.m. |
Session 307 | Identifying Mobile Apps for Pre-K to Ph.D. Workforce Development | Robbie Melton | 2:30 p.m. |
Wednesday, June 19 | |||
Session 405 | Bonjour, ??????, Nín h? o! A Speaking Engagement You Don’t Want to Miss | Jennifer Quinlan, Steven Park | 10:45 a.m. |
mLearning DemoFest | A collective showcase of mLearning examples where conference participants show off their latest projects | Move from table to table | 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. |
Thursday, June 20 | |||
Session 904 | You Aren’t in Kansas Anymore: Educating Digital Natives and Immigrants Through mLearning | Erika Larson, Ralph Turner | 9:45 a.m. |
As you can see, no matter what your title consists of, there are tons of things to do at mLearnCon. We look forward to meeting you there.
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