Corporate Mobile Learning – 5 Things to Know

Corporate mobile learning is becoming a very interesting movement to watch. With the advent of the mobile revolution, the internet has officially become part of our lives in completion. Form the moment we awaken, we’re wired to the internet via our computers, our set top boxes, and through our mobile devices as well. We no longer have an excuse for being lost, or for not knowing something much longer than to realize we don’t know it. As a result, corporate mobile learning is becoming a big thing in some circles. So, what does it entail? All sorts of things from tutorial videos, e-books, video conferencing, phone conferencing, twitter, wikis, the whole nine yards in fact. The thing is, mobile learning is just internet learning. Mobile is so powerful now that internet – real internet – is entirely available through these devices. This means that on the go work and learning is no longer an outlandish concept, just a highly scrutinized one. So, here are a few things to know about mobile learning that you may not. First, as said before, it’s no longer the limited method it once was, as phones and tablets have become full fledged computers with rich internet access capabilities. So, to treat them otherwise is to undervalue them. Second, there are still some bandwidth constraints with mobile, due to the 4G network not being that fast, and many still being stuck on 3G. Most have to hope for Wi-Fi hot spots in order to hop on faster signals to get work done. Another issue is that training is still limited time-wise, because not all environments in which mobile is used are conducive to learning, nor considerate to bystanders. However, in these cases, the wikis and other text materials work well, and can serve as additional aids during downtime to improve training, so you should absolutely incentivize the pursuit of using these in your trainees. Finally, never forget that just because people have their mobile does not mean they consider themselves permanently available any time of the day or night. The day of beepers is over except for doctors. So, use this wisely, and don’t abuse ubiquitous assets like this, you’ll regret it if you do. Ultimately, this is still about people, the technology really only buys more time to train, and allows for working around environmental problems in the process. It comes down to how you handle your people that truly matters, no matter what method you use. While mobile learning is powerful, if the training carried over it isn’t worth a darn, then it isn’t worth a darn either. Just remember, garbage in, garbage out, so never rely too heavily on technology or out-there learning models as crutches to overcome your own insecurities about training skill. If you’re a competent leader, and you know your people, then you can harness corporate mobile learning to your advantage. If used right, it really does add a lot of power in those simple things it affords. It’s just important to remember, this is only a tool, and we can never overlook the humanity involved in an environment such as this, right?