8 Sessions To Check Out At DevLearn 2016

8 Sessions To Check Out At DevLearn 2016
Summary: With more than 250 sessions taking place across 10 different tracks at this year’s DevLearn, it can be difficult to decide where you should be. Everyone will have their own interests as regards what they are hoping to get from this year's conference. Here are 8 sessions which caught my eye in DevLearn 2016.

What To Check Out At DevLearn 2016

The eLearning Guild’s largest annual event, DevLearn 2016 Conference & Expo, will be held from November 16-18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. LearnUpon LMS will be exhibiting at Booth #213; come meet us. Here are 8 sessions which caught my eye - please note that unfortunately some of these sessions clash, so it will not be possible to attend them all.

1. The Magic Of Storytelling And Learning

When:         8:30AM – 10:00AM Wednesday, November 16

Speaker: Penn Jillette

As someone who has always been a fan of magicians and how they can captivate an audience and have them talking about their tricks for days and weeks after the show, this keynote by Penn Jillette is one not to be missed.

2.  Why New Realities Require New Narratives - Oculus Story Studio

When:         4:15PM – 5:15PM Wednesday, November 16

Speaker: Maxwell Planck

The role Virtual Reality (VR) can play in eLearning has started to gain momentum over the last 12 months and is set to play a major role in how people learn in the future. I expect this session from Maxwell Planck to provide some interesting insights into the role VR will play in content going forward.

3. Designing And Implementing High-Impact Badge Programs

When:         8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Friday, November 18

Track:         Data and Measurement

Speakers:     Pete Janzow (Pearson) and Jim Daniels (IBM)

Badges and gamification are all the rage now, I’m expecting some interesting insights in this session as to what types of badge programs work best when it comes to driving learner engagement.

4. Dairy Queen’s Strategy For Creating A Rapid Design And Development Framework

When:         3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Wednesday, November 16

Track:         Management and Strategy

Speaker:    Kimberly Brastad and Cindy Sharon (American Dairy Queen)

Real life case studies are always one of my favorite sessions to attend, generally less of a sales pitch by a vendor and more focus on practical advice and real life anecdotes. In this session, we’ll get to hear from Kimberly and Cindy from American Dairy Queen and their approach to rapid eLearning development projects.

5. Fifty Tips For Better Video

When:         8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Friday, November 18

Track:         Video & Media

Speaker:     Matthew Pierce (TechSmith Corporation)

With video now one of the most popular forms of eLearning this session from Matthew Pierce looks like it will be fast paced, packed with useful tips and fun!

6. Next-Gen Blended Learning: Creating The Perfect Mix

When:         1:15 PM - 2:15 PM Thursday, November 17

Track:         Instructional Design

Speaker:     Brenda Enders (Enders Consulting)

We are big fans of blended learning at LearnUpon and the role a blended approach to your courses can have in learner engagement and retention. In this session Brenda Enders plans to cover what next generation blended learning solutions look like.

7. Captivate And Storyline: A Comprehensive, Objective Review

When:         3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Wednesday, November 16

Track:         Tools

Speaker:     Mark Steiner

Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline are two of the most popular authoring tools on the market and Instructional Designers often find it difficult to decide which one to choose. In this session Mark Steiner will look at the strengths and weaknesses of each tool.

8. Can Be Counted Counts: Learning Analytics That Matter

When:         8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Friday, November 18

Track:         Data and Measurement

Speaker:     Jessica Knox (Metrix Group)

In today’s eLearning world so much data can be tracked and measured, but are we tracking the right metrics. This session delivered by Jessica Knox looks at learning analytics, effective metrics and the tools that can help measure these metrics.

Conclusion

As CEO of LearnUpon, a modern cloud-based Learning Management System, I find these conferences a great way to step back and look at how the eLearning industry is evolving. These are just some of the session that I’ve earmarked to check out. What others am I missing from the list?