314 BYOD: Building an Alexa Skill for Learning
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 26
Emerging Tech
Salon 2
Alexa is one of the most widely used smart devices in the US today. It’s a disruptive gamechanger in the learning and development space, but its integration into the learning ecosystem is drastically low. The number-one barrier today for learning professionals in using Alexa for learning and performance support is fear of the technology. The second barrier, and the one that’s easier to solve, is understanding how to even start developing learning content in this new platform. You cannot leverage what you do not understand, but it may be easier than you assume to learn to create experiences for Alexa.
In this session, you will hack your way through developing an Alexa skill with no coding skills required. You will discover the core concepts of voice user interface (VUI) development, learn basic VUI terminology, and brainstorm learning experiences you can create using Alexa. You’ll then get hands-on and develop your own Alexa skill prototype, so you will have a custom Alexa experience you can take back to your workplace to demonstrate and expand on.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to write a simple script for an Alexa skill
- How to build a working prototype
- How to test your skill
- About best practices
- How to identify potential use cases
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Amazon Alexa
Technology required:
Amazon Blueprint, Get Storyline, and Sayspring

Myra Roldan
Technical Curriculum Developer, Program Manager
Amazon
Myra Roldan is a program manager and learning professional with over 20 years of industry experience. She works with her clients to help them change the way they think about learning, to create and deliver learning solutions that drive performance change to prepare the organization for the next generation of learners. She advocates for the creation of learner-centric learning ecosystems that integrate new and emerging technologies along with a blend of learning methodologies. Myra has earned a BS in computer science, an MSEd, and an MBA, works for Amazon, and is a digital nomad.