The Rapid Adoption of Synchronous Video Platforms

Late last year I presented a session at the Learning & Training Conference titled “What’s Next for Learning Platforms?” The focus of the talk was understanding the key driver(s) that will shape future academic learning platforms, which I argue is more about adoption by humans and less about hard core feature development. Initially the topic was requested to be more about the Learning Management System (LMS), which I broadened to Learning Platforms to capture other categories, such as Video Conferencing and Digital Courseware. You can access the presentation along with a rolling transcript here.

I think it is worth looking deeper at the shift in perception of what a learning platform is based on the pandemic-driven shift to remote teaching. Put simply, I don’t believe that we in the EdTech world have come to terms with the profound impact of the adoption of synchronous video platforms – primarily Zoom, followed by Microsoft Teams and others – across nearly all teachers and students.