Recap of 10 key learning technology and e-learning trends.

A review of key trends from the 2012 Learning Insights Report report by E-Learning Age and Kineo. 

1. mLearning

Remember our series on mLearning from last year? Well, with the widespread application of tablets and an ever-growing workforce on mobile phones, it’s only going to get more and more prevalent. 

Key to mLearning: Know your audience. What devices are they on? What is there connection like? How much time do they have to take the training? What information do they truly need? 

2. HTML5

HTML5 goes hand in hand with mLearning. iPads support only HTML5, not Flash. So start to think about how you can incorporate it and be on the lookout for more tools and software that will help. 

Key to HTML5: Interactivity. Check out a few simple graphic examples: HTML5 Examples

3. Personal Preferences 

We are now well into Web 2.0, which - in part - has given people the power to control their online environment. They want the same control in their online work environment, including training and learning management systems. Luckily, more and more training tools are allowing these options. Be greeted with your own homepage, hide a widget, turn off a notification, choose a different language.

Key to Personal Preferences: Give up control. Allow people to make their own decisions about when and how they view your training. 

4. Tin Can

You can’t really talk about 2013 trends without mentioning the new Tin Can API, promising cutting edge shareable and trackable games, social interaction, virtual worlds, mobile and more. In other words, a lot of cool stuff.

Key to Tin Can: Be patient. It won’t be widely available until the spring. 

5. Big Data

Big data seems to be a hot topic for many industries this year. It usually refers to a huge collection of data sets that, in the past, have been difficult to analyze due to their size and complexity. Think about all the data you get from an LMS or HRIS system. Tools are coming that will help you mine this data, analyze it and steer the course as needed.

Key to Big Data: Really analyze. It’s nice to have a ton of data, but if you’re not looking at what it means and how to use it, then it’s sort of a waste of time. 

As we talked about last week, digital curation can be a great way for training professionals to create a learning story with what you - as an experts - deem the most relevant information on the Web.

Curation adds the human element. It’s not aggregation based on algorithms and keywords. It’s hand-plucked information from the Internet black hole, and it can not only teach learners, but also make a highly engaging and fun experience for them.

Here are some best practices to think about as you begin curating content:

Make a strategy

Be sure you know who is going to be the curator and empower him/her to make good decisions. The curator should have a wide array of tools and be highly connected via social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Think about the objective of the content and make sure you can gauge its success.

Know your audience

Knowing your audience is always vital to any training plan. Curating is no different. Understanding your audience’s needs and interests will help you further collect the best content.

Be a collector 

During the course of a workday, you can run into a steady stream of amazing information. Bookmark it and revisit it when curating begins. Encourage others to do the same and share it with you.

Remember to share

Speaking of sharing, this concept is pivotal to the success of digital curation. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of content that you’ve created, but it’s important to keep a very lose grip. Making it easy to share, creates that conversation and engagement among your learners that you should really be expecting from curation.

Also, don’t be offended if you miss something and someone suggests content to you. This is part of sharing as well, and it only makes the final product that much better.

Presentation is key

Now that you have content to curate, you need to think about the best way to present it.

Do you want a blog-style format? Storify can help you with that. Do you want to send out a newsletter? SmartBrief might be your answer. Thinking about having a microsite? Tumblr or Paper.li have a number of options. There are many other tools out there to take advantage of; you just have to consider the best way for your learners to consume the content. 

Keep up with trends

The concept and practice of digital curation is in its infancy, which means new ideas, tools and metrics are being created all the time. Keep connected on these trends and adjust your strategy as need.

In the meantime, have some fun with it!