Conferences

Stepping Into a New Reality

| Henry
A man with a beard wearing a black virtual reality headset, his mouth open in an expression of awe or surprise. He is in a brightly lit exhibition hall, likely at a conference.

After decades of using cutting-edge technology, you’d think I’d seen it all. But at Learning Technologies 2023, I realised I was wrong. That was the day I put on a VR headset for the very first time, and for a moment, the bustling exhibition hall around me completely melted away.

The experience was, in a word, transformative. As you can see from the picture, I was completely captivated! It’s one thing to discuss the potential of immersive learning environments, but it’s another entirely to feel that sense of presence, to physically look around and interact with a virtual world. This wasn’t just a gimmick; it was a powerful demonstration of how VR can create engaging, hands-on training scenarios that are impossible to replicate otherwise. My first taste of virtual reality has left me convinced that the future of learning is more tangible than I ever imagined.

Learning Technologies 2019

| Henry

This year, I was able to attend Learning Technologies, Europe’s leading annual conference dedicated to learning and development technologies, held in ExCel London.

I listened to presentations and attended workshops on topics from designing effective learning to the neuroscience of learning. We were challenged repeatedly to innovate: successful learning and development is not about dumping a lot of information on people and then testing them to prove they can recall it. We need to shake things up, do things differently, and focus on creating memorable, meaningful experiences that really work.

I had hands-on with emerging technologies that have real potential to revolutionise the learning experience for both learners and instructors. Technologies to keep an eye on and experiment with as they develop in the training sector include augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

As an instructional designer, working as part of a team in a large company, it can be all too easy to lose sight of the wider training landscape. Learning Technologies allowed me to connect anew with the sector and I came away, bursting with new ideas and itching to integrate new technologies and techniques into my projects.