edt08 june08 004
DESCRIPTION
The Future of Elearning TechnologiesTRANSCRIPT
Kevin Corti, Founder & CEO PIXELearning
European Training & Development Summit 18th June 2008, Prague.
Navigating through the cloud - THE FUTURE OF E-LEARNING & TECHNOLOGIES
“A tag cloud is a set of related tags with corresponding weights. Typical tag clouds have between 30 and 150 tags. The weights are represented using font sizes or other visual clues”. - www.wikipedia.org
Why ‘cloud’?
Objectives:
What new technologies offer benefits?
How do we start to use them?
What is in the ‘cloud’?
- Many names & terms - Masses of technologies- Confusion about how to apply it - Numerous opportunities- Achievable organisational benefits
Learn from other industries who have done the hard work already!
Personal introduction
• Founder & CEO, PIXELearning• Board member of IDM & ANGILS• Steering committee - WM Serious about game, Digital Central • Elearning Guild, Elearning Network, NASAGA etc etc• Frequent speaker/writer on ‘serious games’ in UK, EU and US• Based at The Serious Games Institute, UK• Sold, designed & delivered over 40 game/sim [email protected] // [email protected]
Web: www.pixelearning.com // www.kevincorti.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kevincorti
Blog: http://theevilnumber27.wordpress.com
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
The E-Learning Guild 360 Research report, March 2008, “Immersive Learning Simulations”.
Personal introduction
2002 (aged 32)• Found & bought a house• Banked online • Bought FMCG’s to financial products• Keep in touch with 100’s friends• Managed remote teams• Collaborate with overseas clients• Bought a motorbike (and learned how to fix it)• Fought virtual battles with hundreds of people• Informally learned technology & business skills• Research Masters thesis• Conducted auctions …….and the list goes on
….but I never ONCE chose to use an
eLearning course
1977 (aged 7)• Dad bought Atari
….spent time & money playing entertainment
software
The internet is my primary source of information…The internet is my primary source of information…
Self-guided, informal learning, peer support, mentoring, coaching, expertise, sharing, - the web is already doing it…the training industry needs to enter the 21st century!
“The kids are doing it”
“It’s the in thing”
“It’s the way that they communicate”
“We need to make it fun”
“We need to make it like a game”
“The competition have done it”
The workforce is changing
Generation Y refers to a specific cohort of individuals born from 1977 to 2001.
"Generation Y" alludes to a succession from Generation X, a term which was made popular by the Canadian fiction writer Douglas Coupland in 1991.
www.wikipedia.org
97% own a computer 94% own a cell phone 76% use Instant Messaging. 15% logged onto IM 24 hours a day34% websites are their primary news source28% author a blog and 44% read blogs 49% download music using P2P file sharing 75% of college students have a Facebook a/c60% own an iPod/MP3 player
Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa (2007)
Generation Y 38% of (US) population
Grow up with technology - most technically aware generation in history
The first generation to know more about critically important technology than our parents...or any of our managers
We adapt well to changes...we were born into a world that is constantly changing. Older people fear change...we say "bring it on!"
You call it 'multi tasking'...we call it 'normal'
THOUGHT: The oldest will soon by your middle managers, the youngest will enter the workforce within 8 years
Productivity tools or wasteful distractions?• Email• Web browsing• Web conferencing / collaborative workspaces• Podcasting• RSS• Instant Messaging (e.g. MSN, Yahoo IM)• Wikis• Blogs • Peer to peer / file sharing applications• Social networks• 3D virtual worlds• Simulations• Serious games
Web 1.0• 1 to many• Receive / read• Publications• Content• Information• User• Keyword search• Push• Static• Tell• Disseminate
Web 2.0• Many to many• Create / use• Services• Applications• Knowledge• Author• Semantic search• Pull• Dynamic• Do• Participate
“There is an upgrade available for the WWW”
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
Why should we be interested?
If you are a progressive ID/trainer…
• Engage• Immerse• Make learning fun• Encourage creativity• Reach out to the ‘hard to reach’• Target the ‘PlayStation generation’• Because the kids are doing it• Because it is cool
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
Why should we be interested?
If you are a CxO….
• Increase revenues• Improve margins• Enhance balance sheet• Increase share price
Facts:
1. Applying new technologies CAN achieve this
2. You WILL make mistakes along the way
Categorising this ‘New Technology”
[1] Web 2.0 tools for eLearning 2.0
[2] Virtual 3D Worlds
[3] Serious games / immersive learning simulations
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
Distilling it down
[1] Web 2.0 tools for eLearning 2.0Search, remix, create, publish, share, connect, collaborate, network, review,recommend…
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
‘Key takeaways’ - Web 2.0 for EL2.0
1. Start with Blogs & Wikis - user generated content & social networking
2. Usually cheap/free3. Align to your business4. Learn from other industries5. Small steps + big vision (roadmap)6. Involve & trust users, take some risks & learn
from mistakes
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
[2] Virtual (3D) Worldsexplore, meet, chat, follow, discuss, observe, find, build, design, collaborate,serendipity…
• Immersive, virtual collaboration spaces• Visual representation of persistent, rich environment
– Fully-realized 3D, intuitive world– Permits experiences impractical or impossible in real world– Observe or do, as many times as needed, in low-risk “sandbox” environment
• Avatars– User-customizable– Emotional and “tactile”
• Real-time interaction with others– Co-creation– Informal learning– Social networking
The next phase of Internet revolution?? (Suggested by IBM CEO Sam Palmisano, Fortune, 2/23/2007)
Characteristics of 3D Virtual Worlds
“Businesses looking to put down stakes in virtual worlds should note that a new generation is growing up with virtual worlds as a natural extension of their real-life existence, not as a mere novelty.”
- Virtual Worlds: A Business Case, O’Reilly Radar Report.A virtual world is an online arena that looks and behaves very much like the real world….in which….avatars (are) controlled by real people, and in which a gamut of typical human social interactions occur.
Qwaq Forums
3D virtual environments for realtime collaboration and conferencing.
includes built-in voice communication and text chat, as well as the ability for users to share existing applications.
designed for business computers
“WebEx on steroids”
Forterra Olive
Focus on:
1. Military/Government2. Healthcare3. Corporate training
ProtoSphere
Targeted for corporate learning (e.g., inappropriate avatars not allowed, has language control)
Combines elements of simulations, gaming, authoring tools and online meetings in an immersive, 3-D environment.
Security features most likely meets corporate standards (TBD)
Content created through tools
Challenges…Challenges…
• Impropriety - workplace sensitivity and harassment issuesImpropriety - workplace sensitivity and harassment issues• Terminology/concepts are alien to senior execsTerminology/concepts are alien to senior execs• Insufficient security - deployment of sensitive informationInsufficient security - deployment of sensitive information• Compliance to corporate standardsCompliance to corporate standards• Marketing bias rather than learningMarketing bias rather than learning• Tech issues – downtime due to exponential growthTech issues – downtime due to exponential growth• VOIP availabilityVOIP availability• Hard to navigateHard to navigate• Hard to find contentHard to find content
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
‘Key takeaways’ – Virtual 3D Worlds
1. Start with general platform then experiment with business focussed alternatives
2. Start with easiest areas (recruitment, induction, orientation, team building?)
3. Align to your business4. Learn from early adopters5. Small steps + big vision (roadmap)
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
[3] Serious games / immersive simspractice, learn by doing, experience, challenge, problem spaces, compete, apply, perform,assess,game the skill…
• Provide opportunities for meaningful (and repeat) practice – “game the skill”
• Focus on high order cognitive activity / skills rather than ‘information dissemination’
• Provide realistic, transferrable ‘virtual experience’
• Experiential, problem/task-based (adult learning theory)
• Engage and actively involve learners rather than ‘passive reception’
• Strong ROI – proven performance, productivity and quality improvement
Why use games & simulations?
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
Serious Games and sims
Games as ‘problem spaces’
Intrinsic reward from solving the problem.
Objectives, assess, strategise, tactics, enact, lead, manage resources, feedback, review, modify….
Sound familiar? Sound useful?
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
Basically…..
Is there a process, environment or system that can be conceptually and/or visually modelled and from which relevant and meaningful scenarios created?
When is a Serious Games appropriate?
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
An opportunity to experience something from another person’s perspective.
Serious Games and sims
Unemployed
Teacher Retired
Security Guard
Detailed design {characters}
User responses indicated common perceptions (e.g. tendency to judge based on how a person looks) and were thus used to assign in-game roles
$0
$2,000,000
$4,000,000
$6,000,000
$8,000,000
$10,000,000
$12,000,000
$14,000,000
Employees
Cos
ts
Game Solution Classroom
Costs for Classroom Training vs. Serious Game Solution
• Assumes average costs/employee for classroom training at $200 (does not include lost time and productivity)
• Assumes initial Sim solution investment of $750K and internal variable costs of $2/employee. Inclusion of lost time and productivity would increase the savings as less time is spent using the serious game than in classroom training.
Business Needs Identification {Cost/ROI}Business Needs Identification {Cost/ROI}
That Word ‘Game’…
“A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, but would a game by some other name sell to the executive suite?”
- Jeff Johannigman
A Four Letter Word?
Quick, Easy, Good?
Why use a ‘platform’?
Serious games require, training, instructional, game, simulation, 2D & 3D graphic, multimedia and software application and database design AND subject matter expertise….
Expensive, time-consuming and high risk
The bottom line #2
When a platform is used as the foundations for a solution then focus moves from generic needs to specific addressable organizational needs.
If organizations approach game/simulations with a platform:
• Costs are more affordable (license + custom works)• Project time is reduced (2 to 4 months)• Easy opportunities for future adaption• Solutions lifespan is elongated (good ROCE)• Client and vendor stress levels are reduced• Risks of failure minimized• Solutions portfolio based on consistency/standards
Why use a ‘platform’?
www.pixelearning.com || [email protected]
‘Key takeaways’ – Serious Games / simulations
1. Don’t get hung up on semantics2. Start with small discreet ‘nuggets’3. Focus on easy wins (less complex, generic
topics)4. Measure, measure, measure5. Outline a strategic roadmap
Categorising this ‘New Technology”
[1] Web 2.0 tools for eLearning 2.0 >> user generated knowledge / social networks
[2] Virtual 3D Worlds>> Rich communities, collaboration
[3] Serious games / immersive simulations>> Game the skill, deep learning, realistic
Kevin Corti,
CEO founder & Chief Learning [email protected]
Company web: www.pixelearning.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kevincorti
Blog: http://theevilnumber27.wordpress.com
+44 (0) 24 7623 6971