TechKnowledge 2022 was recently hosted by the Association for Talent Development (ATD); their vision is to “Create a World that Works Better.” ATD’s TechKnowledge event is designed to facilitate the ultimate tech-learning showcase to provide L&D professionals with a multitude of guests speakers and specialty sessions focusing on eLearning, emerging technologies, and new platforms and tools.
This year’s TechKnowledge event emphasized the importance of tech-enabled innovation and engagement, company-wide collaboration methods and tools, and identifying the right tools for meeting training and development goals.
I. Tech-Enabled Innovation and Engagement
Strategic planning for learning and development initiatives is now a top priority for businesses to adopt into their current practices.
TechKnowledge 2022 Speaker, Mike Peacock, delivered a compelling and thought-provoking session about the reasons why business owners should be incorporating new technology in their training, learning, and development programs. He also taught attendees how to best re-design their current content with existing platforms and tools. His session titled “Beyond Paper: Making Your Documents Interactive” highlighted how to elevate content and documentation through interactive experiences.
There are a variety of means to go “beyond paper” including: web links, QR codes, digital buttons, labels, or all of the above, which allow business leaders to develop a more positive, consumer-centered experience. Regardless of industry or profession, there is a now a need within training and development initiatives to provide interactive, immersive, engaging content for employees and customers alike.
A great aspect of digitizing documents is that there is no need to change existing information. There are a multitude of tech-centric companies that specialize in training, learning, and development transitioning that can take existing content, pair it with the appropriate delivery method (AR, VR, etc.) and produce a new and improved learning experience.
II. Reimagine Company Climate & Collaboration Methods
Hybrid work has become a norm for many individuals in the workforce, and it is apparent that business are willing to accommodate flexible working options in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. During TechKnowledge 2022, industry leaders, David Porcaro and Ritu Hudson, led a session titled “Building a Tech-Enabled, Future Ready Workforce.” This session highlighted the shift in employee workforce needs accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how innovative technology can assist business owners in meeting those needs.
David and Ritu offered varied approaches for learning and development professionals to reflect on their current business practices relating to hiring, onboarding, and retaining new and existing employees. The pandemic initiated the need for L&D leaders to rethink how their business strategies would either adapt to the rapidly changing workforce demands with the inclusion of new technological resources, or risk falling behind competitors. Although their session was short, David and Ritu made sure that L&D leaders are aware that they must prepare their internal teams for the current wave of innovative technology tools that are going to be integral to their businesses’ growth and success in the future.
III. Identify the Right Immersive Platform for L&D Initiatives
It is difficult to find a simple and appropriate technology solution that can address an organization’s needs both internally and externally. However, finding the right platform to elevate current learning initiatives and future business ventures has been made easy by ATD TechKnowledge. TechKnowledge serves to promote products and services that specialize in training, learning, and development for all industries including, sales, education, healthcare, and government support.
In her session, “Designing Enterprise Hybrid Learning Solutions for a Global Distributed Workforce,” industry leader, Christina Barrs, dedicated her time to educating training professionals on how to look for resources that best suit their company’s needs, as well as how to develop the confidence to address current learning experience issues within their business.
Christina developed three major learning objectives to help L&D leaders adapt to the demanding digital age of hybrid working models and flexible scheduling. Learning and Development leaders first have to engage in research to find the best resources out there to insure that employees have access to the best tools. They also need to know how to navigate conversations about adjusting to hybrid work cultures, and must always keep in mind the business, professional, and service values of the company. Finally, Christina instructed attendees to engage with multiple e-learning technology platforms or tools; it is the best way to find which tool or platform will best suit the learning capabilities necessary for distribution and information retention at their company.
The 2022 ATD TechKnowledge event fostered an environment where L&D professionals could find the necessary tools and resources to bring innovation to their business. The importance of tech-enabled innovation and engagement, company-wide collaboration methods and tools, and identifying the right tools for meeting training and development goals was explored in several live sessions, and was demonstrated by countless exhibitors.
If you want to unleash learning innovation with AR but aren’t sure how to start, email sales@bundlar.com for a live demo or to request a free trial of our no-code augmented reality authoring and publishing platform!
