It was easier said than done, here are some lessons we picked up along the way.

1. Focus On A Few – We all want our sites to work perfectly across the whole range of browsers and the multitude of devices that may access it and seek information. While idealistic, discard this thought right away, its just not practical for designer and developers to create a universally portable site like that. One goal of the design would be identifying target devices that potential users will have. If the users predominantly use iPhones, then focus on developing for that platform. If you have loads of users in Continental Europe and Asia, you’ll find that Symbian is the preferred platform. A vast number of phones out there today use WebKit to render content, but that doesn’t really guarantee the content will render identically across devices.

2. Use Emulators – It’s not feasible to have each and every device available on a particular platform to test on. It’s more sensible to use emulators for the target devices during the initial stages of design and development. Almost all major platforms have emulators. Here is a post about some tools that are used for mobile learning development from one of our stellar developers. You can also quickly switch the user agent in your browser to see what the site might look like. Safari builds this in, while Firefox can support it using a plug-in.

3. Use Device Specific Style Sheets – This is perhaps the most elegant solution to rendering content across a variety of browsers/platforms. Add a mobile device specific style-sheet that will render content based on the capabilities of the device accessing, the web server can then determine which content to serve up.

A couple of interesting places to find more information about this:
• http://css-tricks.com/resolution-specific-stylesheets/

When I was considering the design of such sites, I found that usability pundits advocate making mobile-only sites because mobile users are in a hurry; they’re on the go and want to perform one specific task and then finish. Isn’t that true of every site? They often give the example of a restaurant – users of a mobile site would just want to know the location, hours of operation and perhaps the menu/prices. Come to think of it, if I used a desktop-based web-browser I’d be looking for similar information. I firmly believe all browsing activity is driven by an information/task-based need, regardless of device and location.

Take a quick glance through this simple but interesting presentation about the media design of such sites.

The post Optimizing Web Media for Mobile Learning first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

While going through the session list, I noticed one session on SCORM Implementation Strategies for Mobile. Being a hard-core techie and a follower of mobile SCORM, it caught my interest.

Covering some interesting use cases, common technical challenges and the best practices, it is a great resource for anyone who wants to implement SCORM for mobile devices.

• Notable Use Cases where SCORM has been implemented for mobile devices
  You will find information on –
  1. Number of devices supported. You can get more information about how to implement SCORM for blackberry here.
  2. Some technical details regarding development
  3. Support available for SCORM 1.2 and/or SCORM 2004
  4. Current active clients
  5. Features available in each implementation
• Common Technical Challenges
  It provides information on technical challenges like small screen, multiple OS support etc.
• General Best Practices
  You will learn about the best practices like creating prototype, identifying target devices support, deciding native or web app, SCORM considerations etc. For additional information, you may also like to read IPhone human interface guidelines and things to consider before implementing SCORM.

The presentation sure is a great help and I would highly recommend you run through this before attempting SCORM implementation for mobile devices.

The post SCORM Implementation Strategies For Mobile: mLearnCon first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

Planning Framework
After viewing some examples of m-learning, we got into the planning phase discussing Accenture’s award winning mobile learning initiative as a case study.  After the workshop I did some more research about this project and some of what I present below is from a couple of .pdfs about the same project found at Brandon Hall and Masie Learning sites.

Dana Alan Koch, learning strategist at Accenture, suggests doing a self evaluation if m-learning is right for you. Ask yourself the following:

– Business need – Do you need to increase the speed of uptake and/or ease of access of training by your target audience?
– Receptive audience – Is your target audience highly mobile and crunched for time?
– Enabling technology – Do you have sufficient number of target audience members with supported devices?
– “Knowledge” content – Is the content you need to provide primarily knowledge-based content and can it be put in small chunks?

In true consulting style they present a blueprint for defining setting your goals and how to reach them.

I found this a useful tool for organizations starting with m-learning and recommend using this for your next m-learning initiative. Answering the key question listed in this framework can help you plan for a successful m-learning project.

When to use mobile learning?

Source: From the presentation shared at the workshop available here – mLearnopedia

This diagram shows how the various types training learning formats sit around the moment of need. The upper funnel is focused on ‘teaching’ while the lower inverted funnel is focused on ‘doing’. As discussed on one of our earlier posts mobile learning is most suitable for the lower funnel. The three moments of learning need where mobile learning would work best are:

– when trying to remember
– when things change
– when something goes wrong

ADL Mobile Learning – a useful reference guide

ADL has is working on a great mobile learning reference guide.

The post How To Create Successful M-Learning Strategy: mLearnCon – Part II first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

1. Expectations From eLearning Authoring Tools
Lists some features and functions that eLearning professionals normally expect from authoring tools.

2. How To Create Successful M-Learning Strategy: mLearnCon – Part I
A short summary of an mLearning strategy workshop (from mLearnCon) listing elements that one should consider when creating mLearning strategy.

3. Rapid Authoring Tools For Creating mLearning
Discusses some rapid authoring tools that let authors develop content targeted at mobile devices.

4. LMS: A Quick SWOT Analysis
What does the future hold for the LMS as we know it? This post provides a quick analysis.

5. Three Reasons To Focus On Media Design In Learning
Instructional design is the first step in making a learning solution instructionally sound. However, it is equally important to ensure that the learning is interesting, engaging and interactive. Know the three reasons why eLearning should focus more on the media design besides instructional design.

6. Ten Must-Have Features In A Mobile-LMS
The future of eLearning is mobile. As mobile learning gains ground there will be (and already is) a growing need to look beyond notifications for users and quick-follow-up assessments through mobile devices. This post lists 10 useful (need to have) features in a mobile version of an LMS (segregated into Learner and Administrator functions).

7. Top 7 Things To Consider Before Implementing SCORM For Mobile Devices
Lists the 7 key points to be kept in mind before considering SCROM implementation for mobile devices.

8. Smokescreen – The Future Of Flash Player?
Debates if Smokescreen, an open source project implemented in HTML5 and JavaScript, would effectively allow complex animations and interactions developed in Flash to work on Flash disabled mobile platforms.

9. SCORM Cloud- Will It Really Change The Game?
Debates if SCORM Cloud has the potential to change the scene on the Learning Management domain. Get a mini-quick-review of the SCORM Cloud here.

10. Dan Pink Talks About Motivation
An insightful video about what motivates and what doesn’t, visualized in a great cartoon animation style.

The post June 2010 Monthly Roundup: 10 Most Popular Posts first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

Judy had this quote on a slide which I think summarizes how important mobiles are for our future:

“Mobile phones are misnamed.They should be called ‘gateways to all human knowledge.”
–Ray Kurzweil, Futurist (at Handheld Learning ’09)

I believe this to be true and all organizations will realize this sooner or later. The pace of change is phenomenal and m-learning has truly come of age now. Now is the right time to get your m-learning strategy in place.

I’ve presented a short summary of the first session (Judy’s) which mainly covered planning part:

1. 1. The mobile is a unique device with following devices rolled into one:
      1. phone
      2. PC
      3. networked device
      4. audio/video capable of recording and playback
      5. GPS enabled
      6. live TV
      7. games device
      8. accelerometer

      When thinking m-learning think how you can use one or more of these capabilities.

   2. Inputs to mobile could be through many interfaces including:
      1. keypad
      2. touch screen
      3. camera (photo & video)
      4. barcode scanners
      5. microphone voice
      6. motion sensor
      7. network input to GPS

These present real possibilities to embed m-learning right into the workflow of your learner, making just-in-time learning or performance support possible

1. Conrad Gottfredson defined five moments of learning need.
   1. Learning for the first time
   2. Wanting to learning more
   3. Trying to remember
   4. When things change
   5. When something goes wrong

   Mobile is better suited for the latter three and not so much for first couple. This is probably the most important point for you to consider when creating m-learning strategy for your workplace. We have discussed this on your blog here.

2. There’s a whole lot more you can do with you mobile than view courses (see image below). You really need to think what you could use the mobile for. The key is to keep the learner in mind and create learning or support elements as the learner would need/use them.
   

   Source: Judy Brown

3. The advances in mobile technology have been rapid to say the least. It would help to be aware of what’s coming and how it will change the learning landscape and learner habits. Ambient Insight predicts the 2^nd generation of mobile learning will largely be about mobile collaboration.
   

   Source: Ambient Insight

4. Given that there’s so much you can do with mobile technology you probably need to look at some examples of what’s been created so far. It’s probably the best way to get inspired and get started with your own plans and strategy.

I have broken this post up into 3 parts. The other two parts should be available later this week.

The post How To Create Successful M-Learning Strategy: mLearnCon – Part I first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.