Focus on Learning Technologies at ASTD 2014

This will be my eighth year attending our International Conference & Exposition, and I always forget how big the event is until I am there. With nearly 9,000 attendees, it is a bustle of excitement and activity. For first-time attendees, and even the initiated, it can be an overwhelming experience. The learning technologies track has nearly 40 sessions and covers topics from e-learning design and the virtual classroom, to mobile learning and using social media for learning, and much more. To help give you some guidance, here are a few Learning Technologies sessions that I’m interested in.

“User Experience Design for Learning” with Julie Dirksen

UX design is a popular topic when it comes to software and technology products, but it’s not discussed as much in relation to learning. Why? Our job as learning professionals is to create learning products and experiences. Shouldn’t they be designed with the end-user in mind? As Julie Dirksen says in her session description, “Good usability can decrease a learner's extraneous cognitive load, thereby increasing the available attention for the actual learning content.”

“Telling Your Story With Infographics” with Bianca Woods

Infographics are a hot trend, and when done well, they can quickly tell a story that is visually interesting and memorable. When done poorly, they’ll just confuse your learners. Understanding how to display complex information is always interesting to me. From Bianca Woods’ session description, “\[This session\] will walk through the basics of what makes an infographic work, what situations they're particularly suited for (or not suited for at all), and how to display data in a way that tells a compelling story to learners. It will also explore tools and resources that any learning professional can use to design and publish polished infographics.”

“Content Strategy for Conversion and Multiscreen Delivery” with Chad Udell

Similar to UX design (discussed above), content strategy is a topic that isn’t often discussed in relation to learning. With our learners needing to access content on multiple devices from laptops to tablets to phones, it’s more important than ever to have a content strategy. As Chad Udell says in his description, “The bottom line is that we need to stop building things from scratch and employ content strategy to reduce costs and maximize productivity.”

You can find all of our Learning Technologies sessions online. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me via twitter (@astdLearnTech) or via email at [email protected]. I hope to see you in DC!

Join more than 9,000 of your learning colleagues from around the globe in Washington, D.C., May 4-7, 2014, to share best practices and insights at the ASTD 2014 International Conference & EXPO.