Since I'm on staff with the eLearning Guild instead of a regular attendee, I'm not able to attend full sessions the way I used to. That said, here's where I'll be for the next few days if you're here and want to say hi or following from afar and want to know what I'll be sharing. Don't forget, this conference is in Vegas, so all these times are in Pacific.
TUESDAY
5:30-6:15pm
Session: Orientation
If you're at DevLearn for the first time or have been here before but still want more pointers on how to get the most from the experience, come to Orientation. I'll be sharing some handy tips for enjoying the event and also help you get to know your best conference tool: the DevLearn app. Plus, you'll also get to meet some of the people who are running this year's Docent Program.
WEDNESDAY
8:30-10:00am
Live Tweeting a Keynote: Sci-Fi Meets Reality: The Future, Today
Speaker: Amy Webb
As usual, I'll be live tweeting the keynotes at the conference. The first one of DevLearn this year is all about examining where technology may take us in the future. Webb is a data and analytics expert and if you haven't had a chance to watch her hilarious and informative TED Talk about how she "gamed" data to help with online dating, take the 20 minutes now to check it out.
10:00am-6:30pm
The rise of (comparatively) inexpensive VR hardware and software have made it much more accessible as a learning solution than it was in the past, but it's hard to come up with ideas for using it until you've gotten your hands on it first. The eLearning Guild is setting up stations so you can do just that: experiment hands on with some of the most popular VR technology available today and get a better sense of how you might be able to use VR on your own work. We'll have a Playstation VR (this is where I'll be for most of the time), HTC Vive, and two Oculus Rifts available as well as a fun selection of VR experiences for you to try. Check out the schedule here and consider coming back multiple times to try different games and simulations.
4:15-5:15pm
If you were at Learning Solutions this year (or watched the recording on the eLearning Guild website) you know how great a speaker Keane is. Most well known as a Disney animator, he talked a bit at Learning Solutions about the creative challenge of moving from hand drawn animation to digital. In this new talk from him, he'll discuss that experience in more detail and help us all better understand how to keep innovating when the tech and techniques we use to do our jobs drastically changes.
This keynote is a doubly special to me because I grew up watching both Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: TNG. Burton is someone I've been dying to see speak because he's such an amazing advocate for reading, and more recently for embracing new technology to do so. He'll be discussing his work and influences over the years as well as sharing stories about his newest project, the Reading Rainbow-style app Skybrary. Can't wait? To tide you over, check out this video of Burton reading former DevLearn keynote Neil deGrasse Tyson the book "Goodnight Moon".
10:00am-3:00pm
4:15-5:15pm
Live Tweeting a Keynote: Embracing Technology-Based Creativity
Speakers: Glen Keane
If you were at Learning Solutions this year (or watched the recording on the eLearning Guild website) you know how great a speaker Keane is. Most well known as a Disney animator, he talked a bit at Learning Solutions about the creative challenge of moving from hand drawn animation to digital. In this new talk from him, he'll discuss that experience in more detail and help us all better understand how to keep innovating when the tech and techniques we use to do our jobs drastically changes.
THURSDAY
8:30-10:00am
Live Tweeting a Keynote: Technology and Storytelling: Making a Difference in the Digital Age
Speaker: LeVar Burton
This keynote is a doubly special to me because I grew up watching both Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: TNG. Burton is someone I've been dying to see speak because he's such an amazing advocate for reading, and more recently for embracing new technology to do so. He'll be discussing his work and influences over the years as well as sharing stories about his newest project, the Reading Rainbow-style app Skybrary. Can't wait? To tide you over, check out this video of Burton reading former DevLearn keynote Neil deGrasse Tyson the book "Goodnight Moon".
10:00am-3:00pm
I'll be back here on Thursday too, so be sure to pop by the Playstation VR session and say hi!
4:00-6:00pm
Mark Britz and I will be hosting DemoFest again this year. Be sure to grab a drink and some snacks, check out the projects, and vote for your favorites.
Now that you've been at the conference for awhile are you thinking about proposing your own session for future events? The Guild Programming team (me, David Kelly, and Mark Britz) are running this Morning Buzz to help answer your questions about how to write a conference proposal that gets noticed, what we're looking for in proposals, and what issues do we commonly see that you'll want to avoid.
Games and gamification can be powerful tools for learning, but they aren't always the easiest to implement. From questions about development tools, challenges with getting stakeholders and partners to buy in to the concept, or dealing with the fallout of past games or gamification projects that didn't quite deliver, there are some real challenges in your way if you want to start using these approaches or deepen how you're using them. I'll be hosting this expert panel to explore practical advice for how to overcome these barriers and make games and gamification work for your situation.
We're closing out the conference with another view on how to think about the future. McGonigal is most well known as the writer of Reality is Broken and SuperBetter (as well as creator the app of the same name). In this closing session she'll help us all figure out how to prime ourselves for being future thinking (and get us ready to take everything we learning at DevLearn and apply it back at work).
For DevLearn this year the Programming Team (me, David Kelly, and Mark Britz) are all sharing our behind the scenes photos from the event on the Guild Instagram account. If you're not at the conference it's a way you can still experience some of the event, and if you are here it's a fun way to see a side of the conference you otherwise might not see. Be sure to follow the account either way.
FRIDAY
7:30-8:15am
Leading a Morning Buzz: How to Write a Winning Conference Speaking Proposal
Now that you've been at the conference for awhile are you thinking about proposing your own session for future events? The Guild Programming team (me, David Kelly, and Mark Britz) are running this Morning Buzz to help answer your questions about how to write a conference proposal that gets noticed, what we're looking for in proposals, and what issues do we commonly see that you'll want to avoid.
10:00-11:00am
Leading a Session: Overcoming Barriers to Games and Gamification for Learning
Games and gamification can be powerful tools for learning, but they aren't always the easiest to implement. From questions about development tools, challenges with getting stakeholders and partners to buy in to the concept, or dealing with the fallout of past games or gamification projects that didn't quite deliver, there are some real challenges in your way if you want to start using these approaches or deepen how you're using them. I'll be hosting this expert panel to explore practical advice for how to overcome these barriers and make games and gamification work for your situation.
11:15am-12:30pm
Live Tweeting a Keynote: How to Think Like a Futurist
Speaker: Jane McGonigal
We're closing out the conference with another view on how to think about the future. McGonigal is most well known as the writer of Reality is Broken and SuperBetter (as well as creator the app of the same name). In this closing session she'll help us all figure out how to prime ourselves for being future thinking (and get us ready to take everything we learning at DevLearn and apply it back at work).
BONUS
Guest Posting to the eLearning Guild Instagram Account
For DevLearn this year the Programming Team (me, David Kelly, and Mark Britz) are all sharing our behind the scenes photos from the event on the Guild Instagram account. If you're not at the conference it's a way you can still experience some of the event, and if you are here it's a fun way to see a side of the conference you otherwise might not see. Be sure to follow the account either way.
