Gadgets Gizmos & Bridging the Learning Gap

Awww, look. A cute little image of a tablet propped up on a teddy.........cute to the point that the teddy is purpose built to hold the tablet of a child. The question that once was at what age do you let your child have a mobile phone has progressed to what age should a kid have their first tablet?

An iPad in a toaster yesterday

That Learning Dude got to thinking about it tonight  while reading an article on www.tecca.com about this very subject and knowing that this conversation could be approaching me with a letter to Santa at any point in the very near future. The answer of course is varied, there are many who may wish to ask what is wrong with a Scalextric or train set? (an excellent way to learn all about physics I might add) or those who might plump straight for the iPad and worry about finding it in the toaster at a later stage.  


This isn't what it got me thinking about, it was more around how do we bridge the learning gap between the gadgets, gizmos and tablet's that are flooding the market on a daily basis with the way we are still learning in the business classroom. The report card of That Learning Dude Jnr will be landing on the dining table this week and within there will be the scores on the doors for IT Skills. The benefit of these skills at an early will be essential in his future as the pace of education begins to keep up with advancements in technology. There is no doubt that in the next ten to fifteen years if not sooner our future leaders are going to be some of the most tech savvy employees on the market place and they will pick and choose a business that meets their needs as much as we need their skills and therefore we need to be ready. 

Now I know that the video above is really an advert for SMART tech but if you look at how we have advanced through the ages it seems ironic that when we contrast this with the business world, by the time our future employees leave education and walk into their new role they step back in time.  They will encounter training that not only fails to meet their needs in a way they now receive information but at times in a way that is completely based on learning practise's of years gone by. I fear the day that poor unfortunate delegate comes into the room and is mocked for trying to turn on the flip chart. Now the business has to change but there are others that need to be involved, take Flip Chart Guy for example. He needs to be the champion in the class room in a way that engages the learner but allows him to continue to be confident enough to wear that snazzy dollar bill suit. Flip Chart Guy may be resistant at first so lets give him a little nudge.

1. Check your pocket..........okay not too often as that is bound to be reflected in feedback scores but what type of mobile device do you have, how do you use this? Emails, you tube, social media or perhaps you even take phone calls on them. The chances are you already have a quick win mobile learning tool in your pocket and looking around the room most people will have similar devices. Consider breaking that cardinal rule and ask people to turn phones on !! Tweet during the session or breaks, suggest videos that can be viewed on TED or You Tube pre and post course. Some of this content can allow you to make sessions more interactive and focus on something more practical
2. Save the trees,  save the planet and help the business be a bit greener. Now this one is something that always amazes me, we design materials on various office products and then spend hours at photocopiers printing off several trillion copies whilst enduring the wrath of that person who has one thing to print and faces many a demoralising trip to the printer only to see you standing there rhyming of the now well trodden line of "I only have a couple more to do". This content is and can be integral to a programme and does not have to be lost, send what you can pre course and ask people to review. For a real radical thought get them to bring their laptops into the room and access the material live for reference. Don't panic about them accessing outlook, people will do this on Blackberry's etc regardless what you say as in today's fast paced environment it gets difficult to stop them, I find it offers up more respect with the learner and if you contract or provide enough information up front around some do's and don'ts then in most cases it won't be an issue......plus you can email them during the session :-)
3. Finally allow people nay encourage people to take pictures or videos on phones etc  of what they have learned, posters, laughter moments or exercises. Make the room engaging, interactive and fun, learning is so much better this way. I was recently delivering out in South Korea and fascinated with how many photographs were taken during a session on iPads, iPhones and cameras. This was in no way distracting in fact the sessions were going viral within a few hours and shared with friends and family across the Asian region. Social Learning in a workshop without trying, merely by allowing the cameras in the room.

  Now we know a lot is about more for less just now so we have to think of a way we engage with business leaders to make these things happen, the key point is there is a lot we can do that works in conjunction with the restricted budgets. The fact that we can take advantage and cut costs relating to printing, or expensive corporate videos through the use of free resources means that the money we save is actually freeing up elements in the budget to invest in other tools.

1. Show them what it provides not what it costs - An investment in rapid learning tools takes the experience and skills of Flip Chart Guy and gets him to create relative material that cuts time to competency thus giving time back to the business to put the newly learned skills into practice to make or sell more widget's. 
2. Be brave and bold with the current social media trends and online content. We engage more through social media to promote our businesses and recruit staff but a strong social media policy is actually a deal breaker for some of the top graduates who will not join a business without one. Another way to engage is to offer online toolkits such as www.goodpractice.com which give on the go content to suit managers needs.
3. Lastly give them devices on the go, the benefits of this builds a mobile and flexible workforce. My recent trip to Asia saw a 200 strong induction group provided with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. They used this as a learning tool and will use it on return to the business. Providing tools which present opportunities in and out of the classroom is not only seen as an investment in people but builds trust in the workforce by potentially offering more flexible patterns of work.

So there you have it, my musings on Gadgets, gizmo's and bridging the learning gap, now if you'll excuse me I have a very important art lesson on Lets Draw

That Learning Dude