Mobile Learning Apps: Statistics and Trends

With the explosive growth in mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets, mobile learning, or "mLearning" is a natural application for this new technology. With the portability that these devices now give us, we can access the right information, right when and where we need it. How many times have you turned to your cell phone, when you needed directions or wanted to find out how to fix a leaky sink? It's the perfect "learning" tool. Yet, many in the training and development industry are holding back on a mobile learning strategy, and I think that's a huge mistake.

Making the case for Mobile Learning

It's simple to make the business case for mLearning. Just look at the numbers. The growth is occurring so fast, that it's no longer feasible to expect our learners NOT to be mobile. How fast is it growing? Here are some statistics from "Mobile by the Numbers" posted by Mashable's Sarah Kessler:

* Of the 4 billion mobile phones globally, 1.08 billion are smart phones
* By 2014, access to the internet through mobile devices will overtake access from the desktop
* 50% of all searches are performed on mobile devices
* Americans spend an average 2.7 hours a day socializing on their mobile devices, which includes 1/3 of all Facebook posts and 50% of all tweets

What does this mean for learning? It's already happening out there, so don't expect your employees to go back to the desktop when it's "time to learn."

Where does mLearning fit?

Whether you offer mobile learning options through your corporate portal or not, your learners are already "mLearning". It's just that the process comes so naturally, we don't think to call it learning.

According to a 2008 eLearning Guild 360 degree Report on mLearning, here are the numbers on how it's being used today, according to a survey of eLearning Guild members:

1. On-demand access to information (64.1%)
2. Job aids and/or checklists (55.9%)
3. Procedures (51.4%)

While "training" did make this list as well, it was farther down, as it should be. Mobile devices and the explosion of wireless access everywhere opens up incredible possibilities for learning. Just because it doesn't reside on a corporate intranet or has been assigned to someone's learning plan, doesn't mean it isn't valid. As educators, shouldn't this be our goal? Continual learning?

I've heard from quite a few training and HR executives on mLearning. Many are saying something like: "We're not looking at mobile learning, right now. That's further downstream for us." My only response is to look out. The water is rising... and fast. You might not be ready, but believe me, your learners are.

Labels: elearning, mLearning, mobile learning

How times change. Last post, Game-based learning > mobile apps, I recalled how our earliest application for mobile learning (mLearning) was dismissed by eLearning thought leaders in 2003. Back then, despite the growth of WEP-enabled cell phones and the Palm OS personal digital assistants (PDA), there just weren't enough handsets out there to justify mLearning delivery or support, and so, it failed.

The recent release of the iPad is a sign that things are changing... fast. A CNBC report cited the iPad as the most quickly adopted non-phone electronic device ever! And despite the fact that growth has slowed, somewhat, mobile adoption of the Droid and iPhone 4 continue to build. The bottom line is that these consumers will expect to be able to take their learning on these devices.

There is no doubt, now, that mLearning is here. The key now is to make sure that the learning will be ready to support the variety of mobile devices, including the Droid, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and all the rest and will be easily supported.

Instead of the Digitec "skunk works" here dreaming up another content management system (CMS) approach to creating mLearning, our mLearning solution was to adapt our existing tools to accommodate the new technology, to provide simple cross-platform delivery and support.

Knowledge Direct is now mLearning compatible. Our Direct-to-WEB rapid eLearning content creation tool not only allows you to create game-based learning using PowerPoint, but it ports directly out to iPhone, iPad, Droid, Blackberry, as well as PodCast versions of the eLearning.

Now, learners can log into Knowledge Direct, take their modules and complete their assessments, all from their mobile device.

It's really interesting how times change. When I look back at the "failure," of our initial mLearning app, I have to remind myself that Apple's first mobile device was actually the Newton. Anybody remember that?

Labels: elearning, elearning platform, learning management system, mLearning, mobile learning

When it comes to Mobile Learning, or mLearning as it's become known, it's amazing how quickly attitudes change. Today, with the staggering growth of iPad and iPhone apps, the learning community is scrambling to apply the new technology. But that hasn't always been the case.

Back in 2002, my company released a product called "Knowledge Direct PDA." One of my genius coders, Michael Roberts, engineered a web app that enabled administrators to log in, create modules of content, and assign tests and interactive checklists.

Learners could login from any WEP-enabled cell phone (preferably a PDA), access the modules and complete the assigned tests and checklists. It seemed to us as though the benefits of the application were obvious. For the employee, they had instant access to content wherever they were. For administrators, test scores and task completion reporting could be wirelessly transmitted back to the server or updated during the next synch. To us, this product was the next logical step in combining "learning on demand" with mobile performance support.

In 2003, we presented the product to the eLearning Consortium - a group of about a 100 or so thought leaders from mostly Fortune 500 companies led by Elliott Masie. No one was interested. Despite being members of the leading-edge learning technology consortium, not a single attendee had any plans for mobile learning.

A recent article by Fast Company magazine describes how receptive kids are to mLearning. Whether teaching themselves the alphabet with First Words or playing KidsCalc Math Fun, they get it. Granted, our first-gen mobile app didn't compare with Clifford's Be Big with Words app, but I sometimes wonder how different things might have been if I had been pitching to a roomful of seven-year-olds. "The Child is the Father of Man."

Let's hope that the latest onslaught of technology has made us all a little more receptive to recognizing what might appear to be a crazy idea.

What's your favorite mLearning app? I'm pretty addicted to the PromeToys' Spanish Conjugations for the iPhone.

Labels: elearning, game-based learning, mLearning, mobile learning