The increasing ubiquity of the mobile phone begs for it to be used as a learning tool. It’s no surprise then that organisation across the globe are beginning to incorporate mLearning in their L&D initiatives. Amit Garg, Director of Custom Learning Solutions at Upside Learning, recently shared all these insights in a Q&A session with a leading Indian daily called Sakal Times.

Amit, an avid learner of mobile technology and a mLearning evangelist, spoke of the growing penetration of mobile devices, the various learning opportunities offered by mobile technology, possible ways of leveraging mLearning in the workplace and how mobiles will gradually become the platform of choice for workplace learning delivery (or learning/knowledge management system access).

Below are some excerpts from the Q&A:

Mobiles will become the platform of choice for workplace learning delivery (or learning/knowledge management system access). Learners would be able to access content nuggets (videos, documents, or mini courses) from corporate information systems just when they need them. They will collaborate with colleagues and even contribute their own content using mobiles devices. Performance Support will increase many–fold and we will see a lot of training take the shape of performance support. Mobile devices will again be the driver for this change as learners start accessing learning content just when they need it.

Mobile learning as such can be used for activating knowledge before a classroom (or virtual classroom or even an eLearning session), summarizing (after one of those sessions – delivered soon after the session), recall and just–in–time search support by letting employees search in company’s knowledge databases (wikis, blogs, forums) using their mobiles. Mobile learning platforms, like Upside2Go, can help L&D departments to deliver priority communication, just–in–time and performance support solutions to their learners anywhere, anytime.

The Q&A was published on December 10 in Sakal Times.

In today’s day and age where mobile devices and mobile technologies have become ubiquitous in nearly every aspect of our daily lives, it’s no surprise that Mobile Learning is emerging as the future of learning. And one company that has made robust investments in this new learning media is Upside Learning. At the upcoming CIPD HRD 2012 expo, to be held on 25^th and 26^th April at Olympia, London, the company’s focus on mobile learning will be evident as it exhibits its wide range of mobile learning solutions.

Visitors at Upside Learning’s booth (#671) can get a taste of some of the company’s wide range of custom mobile learning offerings that include micro courses, quizzes and games, mbooks, mobile videos, augmented reality apps and custom mobile apps for different smartphones and tablets. Upside2Go, Upside Learning’s revolutionary platform for Mobile Learning available on iOS, BlackBerry and Android, will also be on display.

Visitors can also check out Upside Learning’s Custom eLearning Solutions and the recently released version (version 5.0) of its two-time Brandon Hall award-winning Learning Management System – UpsideLMS.

Attendees at the expo can also attend a session on mobile learning to be delivered by Amit Garg, Director of Custom eLearning Solutions at Upside Learning. Titled ‘Implementing Mobile Learning In Workplace – Benefits, Strategy & Success Factors’, this session will be held on the concluding day of the conference and exhibition i.e. 26^th April at 10.15 a.m. BST.

The company’s representatives will be present at booth (#671) throughout the event. To pre-arrange a meeting with a member of the Upside Learning team, send an email specifying your preferred time and date to sales@upsidelearning.com

The second edition of MobiMOOC has started on 8^th September, and will run until 30^th September. Of the many impressive weekly sessions lined up for these 3 weeks is the Corporate mLearning week starting from 24^th September. And facilitating this is Amit Garg, Co–founder and Director of Custom Learning Solutions at Upside Learning.

The entire week will see Amit sharing his expertise on mobile learning, and its role and necessity in the corporate world today. Some of the MOOC topics that will be covered by Amit include:

• The potential of mLearning
  • Why is Mobile unique?
  • What is Mobile Learning?
  • What can mLearning help a corporate in?
  • Why escaping mobile learning is impossible?
• Busting the myths of mLearning
• Getting started – Key elements in implementing mLearning in workplace

Below is the schedule for Amit‚s webinars during the Corporate mLearning week:

Webinar Topic : Understanding Mobile Learning

Date/Time : Monday, 24 September 2012 | 10.30 AM, Brussels time

Webinar Topic : How to implement mLearning in workplace

Date/Time : Tuesday, 25 September 2012 | 3.00 PM, Brussels time

Webinar Topic : Future of mLearning in workplace

Date/Time : Friday, 28 September 2012 | 3.00 PM, Brussels time

Through these webinars, participants will be able to understand and appreciate the potential of mLearning in the workplace, understand the key elements of mLearning implementation strategy, identify the myths related to mobile learning and learn how mLearning can actually be implemented in the workplace through examples.

Talking about his selection as a course coordinator for MobiMOOC, Amit Garg commented, “MobiMOOC 2012 has a very impressive faculty to conduct the weekly sessions on mobile learning and related topics. I feel absolutely honored to be included amongst them and I look forward to interacting and learning from the participants of these sessions.”

Organised by Inge Ignatia de Waard, and already running in its second week, MobiMOOC 2012 is divided into three weeks with each week covering different course topics related to mLearning. A unique initiative exclusively on mobile learning, it invites industry experts to share their knowledge on mobile learning and embark discussion and open dialogue between the audiences. All the courses conducted on this open platform are freely available to everyone.

Interested individuals can register for MobiMOOC 2012 by becoming a member of the Google group.

Learning is not just a part of Upside Learning’s brand name; it’s what forms its foundation. True to this, the company will be offering a learning platform to the attendees of ASTD International Conference & Exposition (ASTD ICE) 2012. This also reflects ASTD’s theme for this year – ‘Learn something new, perform something extraordinary’.

True learning will be enabled as visitors interact with Upside Learning’s team ,discuss their learning problems and requirements and gain practical insights on the role that eLearning can play in building a strong training function in their organisation.

Further, as learners continue to seek knowledge beyond formal modes and turn to newer technologies, the Upside Learning team will also demonstrate the value of these new technologies and suggest solutions on how they can be leveraged to make learning more effective.

Visitors at Upside Learning’s booth (#1729) can also get a taste of some of the company’s wide range of solutions and services. These include award-winning Custom eLearning and Mobile Learning Solutions. Upside2Go, Upside Learning’s revolutionary Mobile Learning platform for iOS, BlackBerry and Android, will also be on display along with UpsideLMS, the company’s 3-time Brandon Hall award-winning Learning Management System.

The company’s representatives will be present at booth (#1729) throughout the event. To pre-arrange a meeting with a member of the Upside Learning team, visitors can send an email specifying the preferred time and date to sales@upsidelearning.com

ASTD ICE 2012 will be held from 6^th to 9^th May 2012 at Denver, CO, USA. The expo will be open from 7^th May (9.30 a.m.) until 9^th May (1.15 p.m.).

Consistently surpassing its past achievements, Upside Learning has won a Bronze for Best Extended Enterprise Learning Program under the 2012 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards in Learning.

The company’s winning entry, a range of custom learning solutions, has been developed for VoCollect, the number one developer and manufacturer of voice solutions. Called the VoCollect University, the courses offered include VCT, WBT and ILT; and ranges from technical to sales training. The primary goal of the VoCollect University was to provide all individuals using Vocollect products and services (namely the employees, partners and end–users) the required training to use the products safely and efficiently. The delivery of this training was carried out in various forms, and its programs can be best described as holistic blended training programs carefully designed and delivered for maximum learning impact.

The judging panel for the awards consisted of several veteran, independent senior industry experts along with Brandon Hall Group’s Sr. Analysts and Executive Leadership. The winning entries were selected based upon different criteria’s, which included: fit to the need, design of the program, functionality, Innovation, and overall measurable benefits.

“This years’ winner should be very proud of their achievements especially based on the rigorous judging process all submissions underwent,” said Mike Cooke, Chief Executive Officer of Brandon Hall Group, Inc. “We are honored to recognize the award winners who exemplify a high standard of performance in their organization and demonstrate clear, measurable business results through these innovative programs.”

In its 18^th year now, the prestigious Brandon Hall Excellence Awards in Learning are held annually to acknowledge best technologies, innovations, strategies that deliver astounding results in the learning domain.

About Brandon Hall Group

Having worked with more than 10,000 clients globally and after 20 years of delivering world–class solutions, Brandon Hall Group is the preeminent research and analyst organization focused on developing research–driven solutions to drive organizational performance for emerging and large organization. Brandon Hall Group has an extensive repository of thought leadership, research, data and expertise In Learning and Development, Talent Management, Sales Effectiveness, Marketing Impact, and Executive Management.

To learn more, visit www.brandonhall.com

A leader in business improvement consultancy and training, Process Management International (PMI) has been publishing books and other resources on various topics. Keeping in line with the increasing global trend of eBooks and eReaders, it has recently released its first eBook for Kindle. This eBook has been designed and developed by Upside Learning.

Called ‘The Project Leader’s Handbook’, this eBook is an online version of PMI’s handbook on work management and improvement. An invaluable reference for anyone involved in improving and managing their work, the book helps senior managers to understand the approach being taken by their people, whilst participants in teams like to refer to it for the details of what is going on.

While Upside Learning has been developing a range of mobile learning solutions for some years now, it was PMI’s first tryst with mobile learning. And the advantages that PMI derived from this are apparent. Converting the handbook in Kindle compatible format ensured that PMI could target not just the hard-bound book reading segment but also the growing segment of eBook readers. Also, having an eBook meant that any update in content could be easily and quickly sent to the readers. For the readers, this eliminated the need to buy a revised version.

Speaking about PMI’s decision to enter the eBook market, Amit Garg, Director of Custom eLearning Solutions at Upside Learning, said, “In today’s day and age where on the move has become a norm and new technologies have brought in a wide variety of devices, it is imperative for an organization to cater to its audiences through a format and a delivery mode that is the most acceptable. PMI has been leading the way in business process improvement for almost 3 decades now and as such understands the need to continually evolve.” Further, he added, “Our developers are well experienced in developing mobile apps and other new-age solutions in the mobile learning domain. By developing an eBook compatible with Kindle 2, we are happy that we could help PMI open new business avenues.”

Dennis Crommentuijn-Marsh, Consultant & Product Development Manager at PMI, commented, “This has been our first development of an eBook, but definitely not our last! The team at Upside Learning did a fantastic job, given the complexities in the material they had to convert into an easy to use eBook. It is now on Amazon and selling well!”.

Continuing with it endeavour to help organisation understand and implement mLearning better, Upside Learning will be conducting a webinar on mobile learning later this month. Titled, ‘Busting Mobile Learning Myths’, the webinar will identify and bust the common myths surrounding mLearning that hold back its adoption at the workplace.

Earlier, the company has presented a webinar on mLearning, titled ‘No Escaping Mobile Learning’. Exploring various reasons that make escaping mobile learning impossible for organisation, the webinar had identified the key drivers accelerating mobile learning adoption. ‘Busting Mobile Learning Myths’ is a logical extension to this webinar. It will uncover the most common mobile learning myths related to content delivery, security issues, SCORM compliancy, device specification and much more. This is a must–attend session for organisation thinking of leveraging mobile learning in their workplace as it will help them in understanding the realities behind these myths and making better decisions when adopting it.

The webinar will be presented by Amit Garg, Founder & Director of Upside Learning, along with Abhijit Kadle, Sr. Manager – Instructional Design at Upside Learning.

‘Busting Mobile Learning Myths’ will be held on 22^nd October, 2012 at 11 AM EDT. The free 45 minute webinar will be followed by a 15 minute Q&A session with the webinar hosts.

One year back in May 2011, Upside Learning launched Upside Learning Buzz – its corporate newsletter targeted at learning professionals and other stakeholders. A year later, this newsletter has grown by leaps and bounds and is read by over 3000 readers from around the world.

Seeped in news and findings from the learning industry, Upside Learning Buzz includes major activities and events in the learning industry and those within the organisation. Over the past 11 months, Upside Learning has tried to share its understanding and knowledge in the learning domain, specifically Custom eLearning Development, Mobile Learning and Learning Management System with its readers via UL Buzz.

The 1^st anniversary issue of UL Buzz is a compilation of the best articles, the biggest developments at Upside Learning that created news and some of the finest free resources the company had dished out over the past 11 issues. It is available for public viewing at https://upsidelearning.com/elearning-newsletter/May-2012.html

The previous 11 issues of the newsletter are available in newsletters archive section on the website and can be viewed at the path below.

2011 – https://upsidelearning.com/elearning-newsletters-2011.asp

2012 – https://upsidelearning.com/elearning-newsletters-2012.asp

Amit Garg, Director of Custom Learning Solutions at Upside Learning, commented, “A year back we launched UL Buzz with a promise to keep you updated with the latest in the learning industry. And today, one year on, we can proudly say that we have delivered on our promise. On behalf of the Upside Learning family, I’d like to thank all our readers for their continued support.”

To subscribe to Upside Learning Buzz, please log on to – https://upsidelearning.com/elearning-newsletters