For some, the cloud provides flexibility for learning and teaching while on the move but for many large companies they see this as unsafe and systems are locked down so tight you feel your hands are tied.

For example, this weeks episode of CSI (Season 14 – Episode 21: Kitty) has a severe case of identity fraud leading to murder which makes you wonder how much of us is out there for everyone to see and access?  The more we do online the more information there is for the unscrupulous to possess, you can see why some are cautious.

For many who may be in the middle of expansion and are recruiting heavily this can bring many challenges.  A continuous flow of new recruits who require training in their first weeks means that often courses are ‘thrown’ together.  A steady stream of training requirements with limited resources often means that there is little time to develop new content so it becomes a necessity to establish alternative learning solutions as quickly as possible.

In many areas of learning and development, technology has been embraced and is already well established as acceptable learning aids but when there are secrets at stake what is appropriate?

In some situations the classroom scenario has become either obsolete or reduced to a minimum so alternatives need to be found, this could mean combining the classroom with other modes of study.

Meanwhile, the learning environment is changing and technology is rapidly evolving.  One minute you’re ‘keeping up with the Jones’s‘ the next, it’s old news and you feel you’re being left behind, what you know is no longer relevant.

So what should you do?  Be objective and ask yourself the following:

1. How do you develop new content with limited resources?
2. How do you develop yourself to deliver this training?
3. How do you maintain your experience?
4. How do you keep abreast of what’s happening in your chosen field?

Sharing ideas with ‘the outside world’ is one of the best methods of discovering what’s new and what’s happening today.  The learning community are excellent listeners and make great sounding boards, bouncing ideas around and testing principles.

Developing possible solutions to tricky learning situations is what it’s all about, we learn from others experiences and can take that into our own situations to produce very effective and appropriate learning solutions.

While smartphones make it easier to keep in contact and network, not everything in the World Wide Web is worth spending lots of time on so accessing bits of information quickly and easily while on the move is essential, you never know where the next great idea will come from.  Use whatever resources you can, network with the learning community, pilot learning solutions and just see what happens.

For example, some of the worst training I have seen delivered proved the old adage of ‘death by powerpoint’ as the presenter had well over 120 slides!  Some of the best and most engaging have been delivered using http://www.pechakucha.org/ and Prezi.

Finally, it doesn’t hurt to try something out, what’s the worst that can happen – it doesn’t work, so what, try something else – you never know your solution may be the one that everyone else adopts.