Get Smart

Organizations seeking to pursue a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) training strategy that would allow employees to learn on their personal mobile devices face multiple challenges, but it is doable.

My husband and I both have what he not so affectionately calls “dumb phones.” Granted, if we forked over $30 a month for a data plan, we would have Internet access on these mobile phones. But we can’t scan QR codes in the grocery store; we can’t send photos from our phones to our iPad and Kindle; we can’t share content simply by touching our phones together. You get the picture.

Clearly, another of those “can’ts” is we can’t receive training on our mobile phones. And that makes us a prime example of one of the many challenges faced by organizations seeking to pursue a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) training strategy that would allow employees to learn on their personal mobile devices. See “To BYOD or Not to BYOD” for responses to those challenges, plus tips and BYOD opportunities. Also, check out “The Tech Factor”to learn how mobile, virtual, and video technology, among others, can help bridge the many skill gaps organizations face today.

For all those horrified Millennials out there reading my editorial (and not getting what I thought was a clever reference to the classic Get Smart TV show in the headline—shoe phone, anyone?), I promise that my husband and I currently are shopping around for smart phones. I’ve already vowed I won’t be one of those folks who checks my phone 150 times a day (the average number for most smart phone users, according to The Meeker Report). I’m sure it will be tempting, though, particularly with all the available social media functions. One function organizations should look into is reaching out to viable job candidates via online talent communities. Find out “Do You Have a TalentCommunity.com?” how Training Top 125ers Sprint and EMC Corporation are utilizing such talent communities to build their workforce, plus some best practices from experts in the field.

Our technology theme continues with a special section on Games & Simulations. Just a few years ago, the training world was abuzz with the tantalizing possibilities of 3-D/virtual worlds. But today, the buzz seems to have died down to a soft murmur. Has 3-D taken a backseat to other training methods? Discover the answer in “Is 3-D/Virtual Dead” plus case studies from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, IBM, and the U.S. Army.

On a non-technology note, Training 2014 Conference & Expo registration is now open, and it’s going to be a “wild” event February 3-5, 2014, in San Diego with a special Training magazine 50th anniversary reception at the Australian Outback Exhibit at the San Diego Zoo and four of the foremost authorities on R&D for L&D as keynoters: neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor, behaviorist B.J. Fogg, trust guru Ken Blanchard, and positive psychologist Shawn Achor. During his keynote, Achor will reveal results from a survey on happiness he conducted with Training magazine. To register for the conference, visit:

http://www.TrainingConference.com. I look forward to seeing you there!

Lorri Freifeld
Lorri Freifeld is the editor/publisher of Training magazine. She writes on a number of topics, including talent management, training technology, and leadership development. She spearheads two awards programs: the Training APEX Awards and Emerging Training Leaders. A writer/editor for the last 30 years, she has held editing positions at a variety of publications and holds a Master’s degree in journalism from New York University.