mLearning Myths & Misconceptions with @robgadd4 #mLearnCon
Session 601 at mLearnCon was called ‘mLearning Myths and Misconceptions’ and hosted by Robert Gadd (@robgadd4), Co Founder and President of OnPoint Digital. Here’s a little intro from the mLearnCon website:
“Every enterprise Training & Development team currently considering its options for the design and distribution of mLearning efforts for their organization needs to make sure they avoid the most common mistakes that can delay, impair, or irreparably damage project success.[..]By recognizing the mistakes of others and the solutions that resolved these problems, you’ll be able to avoid the time-consuming and expensive detours others have taken.”
Once again from my somewhat scribbled notes comes this list of myths and misconceptions, some of which I have patched together as I must have become so engrossed in the discussion I actually missed which number we were up to! Here goes:
10 mLearning Myths & Misconceptions
- Rich media files are compelling but hard to prepare and distribute
- Truth – rich media files are some of the most compelling types of content that you can put on a mobile device. But Trainers / Course admins will need to know how to transcode the technology i.e. turn video and PowerPoint in to mobile friendly formats (Gadd mentioned Cellcast an OnPoint Learning product.).
- Learners are excited about mobile learning. They love their gadgets, so learning is natural right?
- Truth: This is not always the case
- All phones are built equal
- Truth
- Mobile learning is not as effective as ILT or online
- Truth: Although mobile may not be the ideal method of delivery, many case studies coming out show measurable proof that a well designed and implemented mobile learning program can be just as effective as its ILT or online learning equivalent.
- It works on the web – why not mobile? Especially with flash-based content.
- Truth: Until authoring tools accommodate for how things turn out on mobile we are going to have trouble. Flash-based content will not work on all devices.
- Mobile devices can all handle SCORM SCOs
- Truth – are your mobile users connected or disconnected?
- Is your content Flash-based?
- Mobile learning lacks enterprise security
- Truth – It’s true that mobile security is a bigger concern because your mobile goes everywhere with you. However, there are ways to lock-down access by timecard plus, content can be encrypted.
- Integrating Results is difficult
- Truth: There are many ways to get the results from mobile content back in to an LMS. Some options include importing templates to more sophisticated platform-to-platform interactions, including Web services/REST, API tool kits and even single sign-on connection. (As a side note, the new mobile version of the Litmos Learning Management System has these reporting capabilities via a RESTful API.)
- Mainstream LMS platforms are mobile ready
- Truth – Only Blackboard, GeoLearning, Meridian, OutStart, OnPoint and SumTotal have all distribution and security features
- All mLearning tools are created equal
* I just noticed that Robert Gadd has written an article in the Learning Solutions Magazine which expands on / adds to these myths, available for your reading pleasure here:
