Who Needs to Be on Your 3D Development Team?

To successfully accomplish the task of creating a virtual learning world for the organizations must have specilized teams(or work with a vendor team). A typical team required for building a virtual learning environment consists of the following individuals.

Project Manager. The project manger is responsible for coordinating the activities of the other members of the group. This is a critical role in the development of a virtual learning space. The reason is because of all the interconnected and dependant activities. The project manager must ensure that the different individuals on the team are speaking the same language and working toward the same instructional goals.

Instructional Designer. This team member is responsible for developing the instructional framework and the pedagogy to make the learning effective within the 3D space. The Instructional Designer chooses the correct 3D learning archetype and determines the methods in which learners will interact both formally and informally within the space. This is the person who is responsible for thinking through the entire learning experience of the participant and determining how the space and environment will foster learning. The Instructional designer often creates the storyboards and design document that will be used as the foundation for the others to build the 3D spaces required for the learning.

Subject Matter Expert. This is the person who knows the subject matter to be learned within the 3D world. Sometimes the environment is carefully developed and scripted like the creation of a burning building that is being used to provide first responders with an opportunity for repeatedly practicing how to coordinate activities or it can be an environment that is less formal allowing for interaction like a series of diagrams placed on virtual billboards that avatars can review and discuss as they meet together in-world.

Context Developer/Builder. This is the person responsible for building the 3D environment in which the instruction will take place. This often requires knowledge of third party 3D development software such as Autodesk’s Maya or 3ds Max or knowledge of to use in-world modeling tools. A Context Developer/Builder needs to have the knowledge and skill necessary to align surfaces and Primitive elements (cubes, pyramids, cones, spheres, and torus) to create an object that looks realistic in the 3D world. Additionally, this person needs to understand how to use textures, light, scale and spacing to create the appropriate environment in which the learning is to occur.

Scripter/Programmer. This person is responsible for writing code that makes the 3D world function as desired. Often within the 3D world certain actions will be desired such as the opening of a door or the specific operation of a gage on an instrument panel. For the elements within an 3D world to function, they need to be scripted to perform as desired. This is the job of the scripter/programmer who writes scripts so objects and avatars interact as required.

Information Technology Representative. When implementing a 3D world, a representative from the Information Technology department must be a team member. This is because of the technical requirements necessary to run a robust and effective 3D world. If the world is being hosted internally, there are server and bandwidth requirements not to mention requirements related to video and sound cards. If the worlds is hosted externally, there are requirements related to opening portals and firewall issues. Regardless of the actual physical location of the server housing the virtual world, a representative of the Information Technology department is required to minimize the technical issues that will be encountered.

Representative of Learner Population. One often overlooked team member is someone who represents the typical learner. This is someone from the target population who can help to inform the team of the mindset of the learners. This person can help make suggestions and contribute ideas that will help to shape the virtual learning experience and hopefully make it more comfortable for the learners who will be entering the 3D learning space.

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Learning Solutions at Johns Hopkins

Louis talks about creating good training and creating interest with images and audio...even if interactivity is minimal.

Louis Biggie, a veteran of CAC, presented on a couple of topics. One was about a program developed around the topic of cultural diversity and sensitivity. He discussed how to creatively develop instruction that appeals to learners and provides them with insight into diversity. Another topic was around how he guided the creation of SAP training on the campus. His group re-wrote and created a new curriculum to teach people about the SAP implementation so they could do their job with the software.

He discussed how they used Adobe Connect and other tools to provide a one stop shop for information about the software. They had 20 minute presentations with 40 minutes of questions so people can get the information they need. He also described how they used technologies they already had in place to help with the learning process.
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Change Management

Shawn reviewing the objectives of change management.

In these busy times, Shawn Milheim provided some ideas about change management. He discussed how learning professionals help other to adopt behaviors and provide tools to help others adapt to change.

he talked about hte strategic importance of change management and how managing change processes actually lead to an increase in ROI. He showed a slide that contrasted companies that have actively managed change vs. companies that have not.

He also pointed out that 70% of change initiatives fall short of expectations because of the people issues including the inability to laed, ineffecdtive leadership teams and management's inabilit y execute strategy.
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Web 2.0

This presentation discussed how Sharepoint is used to provide Web 2.0 tools for large organizatons.

Rachel and Nick discuss using Sharepoint as a Web 2.0 product within their organizations.

The team of Troychock and Troychock (Nick and Rachel) presented on the topic of using Web 2.0 technologies for online learning. Each representing a different company who adopted the technology.

Rachel explains the benefits of Web 2.0 to deliver instruction.

Some highlights:

Using a wiki to house class materials for a class of 30 students saved between 10,000-12,000 sheets of paper.

Participants loved having the wiki.

Development time was shortened

They had the ability to provided the most current content in a highly regulated environment.
Nick discussed how they over a million dollars in paper and printing costs.
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Server-Based Instructional Design Tool

Todd Osborn and Gabe Baumann from Landmark ASP Solutions presented a great tool for collaboratively developing a course using a server-based development platform. The tool allows subject matter experts scatter around the globe to comment on the course and provides great tracking of information as a course is being developed.

Gabe Baumann discussed how the tool allows for easy drag and drop of content right into the tool.
Some clients have cut development time by 1/3 because of the ease of commenting and corrections. Issue management gives a detailed history of what happened and when. You can track changes and produce a high quality course in less time.

Adding digital assets to a course is quick.

The tool is developed to be an authoring tool that can be used by a geographically dispirsed development team. Tool allows you to export course modules or slides to other formats if needed.
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Creating, Growing and Selling Your E-Learning Company

Bill discusses various funding options for an e-learning company.


Bill Jacobs presented to the group his experience of growing and eventually selling an e-learning company. He gave advise on how to consider the value of your company, making employees a part of the company and navigating through the tricky process of negotiating with the buyer.
Bill discusses how he purchased an e-learning company. He was a customer and liked it so much, he bought the company.
Bill also gave insights into his future plans which primarily include finishing his degree which he is taking here at Bloomsburg University's Instructional Technology program.

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Combining ID and Marketing

Cliff showing how to convert a text-heavy slide into an engaging piece.
Cliff Sobel of The Phoenix Group discussed how his team took rather boring and technical slides and converted the content into exciting, engaging and interactive presentation.

Cliff explained how instructional technology and marketing are very similar in needs and design considerations. Including knowing the audience, providing the benefit of the knowledge and providing the content in the best possible light. All of these attributes can be applied to instruction and market pieces. This is especially true as the two fields converge more and more through the shared us of technology.

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Instructional Design for Sports

Looking at how to teach sports with online learning elements.

Brian discusses the research behind the product he is developing.

How do we mix instructional design and sports education? Brian Seely is working on that answer. He is teaming with a group to provide an interesting and exciting method of teaching high school students about the right methods of playing certain sports.

He spoke about how he developed the idea, how he created content and how he is blending online instruction with hands on sports instruction.

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CAC Presentations

Once again it is time for our bi-annual Corporate Advisory Council. This semester we have 32 professionals from over 20 different companies here to see our students present and provide information about what is happening in the field of e-learning.

The three day event starts with a representatives from different organizations discussing what they are doing. From sports related instructional design to creating interactive marketing pieces using an instructional design approach and running and selling and e-learning company to new technologies for designing instruction to Web 2.0 to the role Bloomsburg's grads play in instructional design at a large university.
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Inexpensive Game Shells: Add Your Own Content

One of the available game engines.
The folks at Wisc-Online (Wisconsin Online Resource Center) whom I've written about before in Library of Learning Objects have created a number of game shells that are inexpensive and available for use with students.

They have:

• Baseball
  
• Hangman
  
• Jeopardy
  
• Match
  
• Build Your Fortune
  
• Bingo
  
• Tic Tac Toe
  
• LearningLand
  
• Case Study
  
• Quiz
  
• Game Show

The games range from $1 to $3 each and provide unlimited usage for up to one full year. (A price even Jane Bozarth would love:)

Check them out and let me know how they work.
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Old Media Tries to Sue to Keep Old Paradigm (again)

With newspapers failing right and left, the Associated Press decided the best way to fight the web is to sue it. Sounds like the record industry and we all know how well that turned out...

The Associated Press board voted recently to "pursue legal and legislative actions" against aggregators who use content without permission, a new shot across the bow of internet news sites in the war over how little use is "fair use."

According to the article AP to Aggregators: We Will Sue You they want companies like Google who only show a headline or two to pay.

According to an article called A.P. to Take On Web Aggregators

One goal of The A.P. and its members, she said, is to make sure that the top search engine results for news are “the original source or the most authoritative source,” not a site that copied or paraphrased the work of news organization.

Neither Mr. Singleton nor a statement released by the A.P. mentioned Google or any other company by name. But many news executives, including some at The A.P., have spoken about their concern that their work has become a source of revenue for Google and, to a lesser extent, other aggregators, which can sell ads on search pages and news sites that turn up articles. At a time when newspaper revenue is collapsing and some papers are closing, the prospect of getting a share of revenue from Yahoo or Google is more tempting than ever.

So, we'll see if this works better for the print industry than the record industry or publishing industry or... come on, suing people who guide traffic to your site?

I promise here not to sue anyone who links to any of my blog posts...really I won't sue you.
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Top Ten Annoying Tech Phrases

This post is inspired by Oxford Researchers List Top 10 Most Annoying Phrases and Wayne and Garth.

I thought and thought but still came up two short...please...help me out with the last two annoying tech phrases, please add.

10. No, no move your mouse to the left (or right or anywhere "Back-seat computer driving")

9. Are you a Mac or a PC Person

8. I thought I sent you an email about that!

7. No, I didn't get that email, can you resend?

6. Didn't you read my Tweet?

5. Sent from my Blackberry (or iPhone)

4. That's so old, I blogged about it last week.

3. Are you on Facebook?

2.

1.
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Virtual Hospitals Protocol

Teaching young doctors to work with others is yet another skill that can be taught in a virtual world.

In an article titled Can Second Life help teach doctors to treat patients?

According to the article:

After the avatars enter the computer-generated hospital, they check in at a reception desk, put on an access badge, and then stop by professor Martyn Partridge's office to get their assignment. Partridge's online likeness bears an eerie resemblance to his real-life appearance.

If students forget to wash their hands before visiting a patient, their investigation is halted.

Then students enter a patient's room and their work begins. Because their assignment takes place in a respiratory ward, they can access recordings of real-life patients' breathing to help with their diagnoses. And if students decide that X-rays are needed, they can stroll down to the radiology department and order them.

All these steps are designed to reinforce lessons about responsibility and hospital protocol.

This shouldn't replace traditional medical education but it can certainly enhance and reinforce the skills they need to apply with patient. Virtual worlds are a good way to help reinforce people skills and conduct role-plays in realistic environments.
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ASTD Central Iowa Presentation Resources

Here are links and resources mentioned during the presentation:

Find out what level of "Gamer" you are with Gamer Rater.

Avoiding Death by PowerPoint.

Tell a story with your slides.

meet Jessica

View more presentations from bengardner135.

Wiki resources:

Wikispaces

PB Wiki

Social Networking Links

Ning

Facebook

LinkedIn

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Don't Play Video Games: Make Them

Screen capture from Scratch an MIT project that involves a simple to great game design software.
Here is an interesting article that discusses how the creation of video games can be an excellend tool for teaching students. The article Computer games as liberal arts? provides some interesting insights into how creating games can teach a number of subjects.

[Making video games]...turns out to be perhaps the ultimate form of liberal arts. In order to create a computer game you have to think about the content. You have to write a script. The programming involves logic, math and science. And to understand how you distribute a game you have to get into issues of marketing, sociology, and Internet culture. Panelist Rafael Fajardo, a professor at the University of Denver, says that his program, which teaches teachers how to teach kids to make games, is working to "change the culture of education." The National Science Foundation has contributed funding.

What a wonderful "constructivistic" concept.
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Future of Digital Music--The Future of LMS Content

Recently, I spoke with a reporter from The Vancouver Sun about the future of the music industry and digital music. I have written before on the topic in my post New Music Distribution Model: Video Games.

The music industry is still struggling with creating a new revenue model and how to handle the disaggregation of content. I told the reporter:

"I think they (CDs) will go the way of 8-tracks,” he said. “Basically, what the music business is having is a disaggregation of content.

“Rather than a CD or album, you have to find multiple distribution channels for [today’s] music. Before, there were limited distribution channels and purchasing channels.

“There are bands that are bypassing labels and going straight to their fans,” Kapp said. “You can do it all with software, you don’t need a huge recording studio, and it is also now easy to sell your music and distribute it.

“You are always going to have the Britney Spears and Christina Aguileras, the huge stars that need the machine behind them. But there are far more artists that can make a decent living [who] are never going to be superstars.

Plus I said that new channels...like any web enabled appliance can become a channel for musical content and that micropayments might be the future of the music industry.

Check out the entire article: Digital downloads kill music on discs

The music industry is a model of how I think training content is headed. The idea is that the content within the LMS can no longer live in the LMS trap. Like music used to live in the trap of albums or CDs. You liked one song but you had to pay for the entire album or CD. The same way in learning, you want one piece of content but you have to go through the entire course to find what you need. Instead, information needs to be free and people need to find it more easily than loggin into an LMS, finding the right course, navigating to the right spot and then learning what you wanted to learn ten minutes ago.

Disaggregation is the future of the music industry and of training content.
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Irish Learning Alliance Visit

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate it enough to travel to see the Prime Minister of Ireland and hear about the Irish Learning Alliance.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to Ireland, instead I traveled with some friends up to New York to visit with the Irish Learning Alliance.
Tom, Michelle & Dave take a break from at the ILA learning session.(taken with my iPhone)

In addition to hanging out on the train and in New York with a great group of folks who are really doing some forward thinking about online learning, virtual worlds and knowledge media, I also was able to hear the the Prime Minister of Ireland, Brian Cowen speak.
The An Taoiseach of Ireland, Brian Cowen (taken with my iPhone).

The event was attended by learning leaders from KPMG, Diageo, UBS, Citi, CitiCards, RiskTrain, Deloitte, Astra Zeneca, Morgan Stanley, Tiffany and Sun Micro Systems. And the keynote was my co-author for Learning in 3D, Tony O'Driscoll (who was born in Ireland...the perfect keynote event and he did a great job!).

You can see Tony's keynote slides and all the information from the meeting at the blog for the Irish Learning Alliance. You can access information from these speakers and subjects.

NetWORKed Learning - Redefining Learning in a World Gone Web
Dr. Tony O'Driscoll, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University

Informal Learning Becoming Formal
Al Johnson, Senior Advisor, Bersin & Associates

ILA ELITE 2009 - Tools for our Times
Jonny Parkes, Chairman, Irish Learning Alliance

The visit was on March 16th, one day before Saint Patricks Day. One of my most authentic St. Patrick's days ever!! eLearning and St. Patrick's day, a great combination!!
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Why Today's Learners are Attracted to Virtual Learning World

While technology is enabling the creation and usage of 3D virtual worlds, the appeal of these worlds is being driven by a new generation of learners. A generation of learners who have grown up immersed in technologies like text messaging, social networking and video games. This generation is entering educational and business institutions with a different focus, mentality and learning style than any previous generation.

A mentality and learning style forged by playing video games and interacting in 3D worlds with names such as Nicktropolis, Whyville, Club Penguin, Runescape, Mokitown,ToonTown and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Each of these worlds is inhabited by kids, some as young as six, who are spending time interacting, making friends and navigating 3D virtual worlds. And these virtual worlds are inhabited by millions of kids, tweens and teenagers. Nicktropolis, a virtual work created by Nickelodeon, a division of Viacom, has over 8 million citizens which is bigger than the population of London.

The incoming generation of learners and workers blurs the line between the virtual and the physical world. It is not that they can’t see the difference between the two. No, it is just that the new generation of learner is equally comfortable in either world—real or virtual. They bring a technology comfort level unachievable by generations who have not grown up with video games, gadgets or the internet.

These learners and workers have grown up in an age of the Internet where they are able to create their own content, become an avatar and create their own realities electronically. They interact in 3D worlds comfortably and expect business and learning applications to have 3D aspects as well.

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Iowa ASTD and Some Definitions

In a few short weeks I will be doing a workshop at the Central Iowa ASTD chapter. The topic will be "Gadgets, Games, and Gizmos for Learning” and I will be presenting on Friday, April 3rd from 8:00am-Noon at the DeWaay Capital Managment complex.

In honor of the presentation, I have posted a list of definitions of some common game, gadget and gizmo terms. You can check them out on the ASTD Central Iowa Program blog in my entry titled Games, Gamers and the Workplace.
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Description of 3DTLC Conference Program

In April I will be facilitating a panel at the 3D Training, Learning and Collaboration Conference.

You can check out a quick overview of the conference in this video created by the host of the conference (and the co-author of the Learning in 3D book) Tony O'Driscoll.



For text-based learners, here is a description from the conference web-site.

3D Training, Learning and Collaboration (3D TLC) taking place April 20-21, 2009 in Washington, DC, is the leading event for businesses seeking to understand and maximize business strategies using virtual worlds. 3D virtual worlds have broad implications for business not the least of which is cost savings and energy conservation. Companies who are using 3D environments can also strengthen their communication internally with employees and externally with customers and business partners. 3D TLC takes place at the Kellogg Conference Hotel located on the historic, gated campus of Gallaudet University.

The 3D Training, Learning and Collaboration conference focuses on best practices for large-scale enterprises adopting 3D virtual worlds for such efforts.

Topics range from the general use of virtual worlds in the workplace to specific examples of applications for e-Learning, onboarding, sales training, collaboration, meetings, and more. Attendees will hear valuable insight, information, and best practices about what innovators and early adopter organizations are doing right now, including what works and why.

Hope to see you there!
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More Advantages of 3D Learning Worlds

Here are some more advantages of 3D worlds for learning:

The first is that these worlds allow the learner to explore places he or she could not visit in the physical world. Traveling around a giant drill would not be possible or would be prohibitively expensive in a physical space. With virtual worlds, learners can explore outer space, stand on a beach during a tsunami, walk through the veins of a heart patient or witness a building explode and spring into action. Virtual worlds make the inaccessible assessable.

The second advantage of learning in 3D, and an almost opposite benefit, is 3D virtual worlds allow learners to be immersed in a learning environment as close to the actual performance environment as the learner can get without actually being there. These worlds can be highly realistic as the building of the product displays for the Model Z drill. Three-dimensional learning environments are more realistic than page turning e-learning and even more realistic than a classroom environment which is typically nothing like the actual environment in which a desired behavior must occur.

The third advantage is when immersed in a 3D environment, a person is cognitively encoding the sounds, sights and spatial relationships of the environment and is behaviorally engaged. The person becomes emotionally involved and behaves and acts as they would in the actual situation. When this happens, it allows the learner to more effectively encode the learning for future recall and provides the cues needed to apply the experience from the 3D world to actual on-the-job performance. It is learning by doing.

Fourth is that virtual worlds provide the opportunities for learners to be online in the same place at the same time looking and interacting with one another. This is far different then simply being logged into the same screen looking at the same slide. The 3D world provides a sense of “being there” which, again, ties to visual and mental cues which makes the recall and application of the learning that occurs in a 3D world more effective.

A visual version of the advantages:

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Deja Vue All Over Again. More Lawsuits

Remember a few years ago when Blackboard claimed to have invented e-learning. (Who invented e-learning? A patent dispute shakes up academic computing) and when Al Gore claimed to have invented the Internet (although this seems to be up for some debate.)

In that spirt of "hey I invented..." another crazy is claiming to have invented virtual worlds and is suing everyone to prove they are right (you know it's the principle not the money.)

Worlds.com is suing because they "invented" virtual worlds. (no they weren't born out of MOOs or MUDs, they weren't the next obvious step in the evolutionary process of online interfaces...it was totally invented by World.com...oh thank you Worlds.com for your wisdom and for initially sharing virtual worlds for free...can I now send you a check).

Here is a quote from the article: Worlds.com CEO: We're 'Absolutely' Going To Sue Second Life And World Of Warcraft

Worlds.com CEO Thom Kidrin is putting the entire virtual worlds industry on notice: His company claims the idea of a scalable virtual world with thousands of users is its patented intellectual property, and Thom told us he intends to sue anyone who refuses to enter into licensing negotiations -- including giants such as Second Life and World of Warcraft, a property of Activision Blizzard (ATVI).

So the interesting thing is this kind of hubris upsets many people and some with deep pockets. In fact, if you can show that virtual worlds existed before World.com, you can get a cool $50,000. All you need to do is offer proof in the way of "prior art" substantiating the idea that the virtual worlds idea existed prior to 1995. Not a bad return for a little research project.

For more details see...$50,000 Reward Offered For Proof Worlds.Com Patent Lawsuit Is Bogus

Finally, and I hate to do this, but...since I invented Learning...yes no one learned anything before I was born...I am suing everyone who ever learned anything. As proof, e-learning, problem-based learning, and hand held mobile devices designed for learning all appeared after I was born...A coincidence, I don't think so. Therefore, please send me money to avoid a costly law suit...you'll be hearing from my lawyer as soon as he catches that ambulance.
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Tentative 3D Book Outline--Based on Your Input

A few weeks ago, I posted a request for feedback on a book I am working on with Tony O'Driscoll tentatively called Learning in 3D asking what was needed in such a book.

The post called Book on 3D Learning Environments: What Do You Want From It? got some awesome responses from Guy W. Wallace, Carol, Catherine Lombardozzi, Jacob Everist, Geeta Bose, Rachel, and Dave Ferguson.

I'd like to thank them all for their valuable and thoughtful comments. So, here is the rough outline for the new book. Let me know what I am missing and if the sequence and order make sense? Tony and I look forward to more great feedback!

Chapter One provides definition of terms, the context in which 3D learning is coming to the field and the basic knowledge required to understand 3D worlds for learning. The remainder of the book builds upon this framework demonstrating how learning professionals can utilize the lessons learned from virtual world pioneers to inform their own design, development and delivery of education in 3D.

In Chapter Two, discusses the need for 3D learning environments and the advantages and value of learning in an immersive environment. The chapter discusses how 3D environments encourage certain types of interactions and engagements not possible with traditional synchronous 2D learning events. It also features information on overcoming typical objections to virtual learning worlds.

In Chapter Three, the discussion turns toward effective methods of fostering learning within 3D spaces. This is accomplished by designing virtual world learning around certain learning archetypes. The archetypes inform the design, development and instructional interactions that occur within 3D worlds.

Chapter Four outlines the best method for designing a virtual learning experience. The chapter discusses how to determine if a 3D environment is right for the desired learning outcome and highlights the design, development and evaluation processes involved with 3D learning worlds. It provides a step-by-step road map for developing the instruction.

Implementation is the topic covered in Chapter Five where the concepts of enterprisewide adoption are discussed and methods for choosing a pilot group and gaining organizational buy-in are discussed. It also provides basic steps that are essential for successful implementations of virtual worlds.

In Chapters Six through Ten, case studies are provided. These case studies each outline how a virtual world implementation has impacted learning within an organization. Additionally, sample lesson plans for virtual world learning will be included.

Chapter Eleven discussed the Return-On-Investment that can be achieved through virtual learning world implementations.

The book concludes in Chapter Twelve with a discussion of the future of 3D learning worlds and outlines methods of preparing for that future. The book also contains a comprehensive glossary to provide a quick look up of terms and concepts discussed within the chapters.

In each chapter academic and corporate implementations are highlighted. This section describes how the concepts discussed in the chapter can be applied in both academic and corporate settings to be successful and what ideas introduced in the chapter mean when they are applied in a 3D world.

In addition, we are going to create a web site with Machinima examples of 3D learning events and excercises and, in deference to Jacob Everist, we'll try really hard not to have the book suck.

Feedback, as always, is welcome.
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Survey Says...

One article that I wrote seems to get more attention than any other, it is called How Long Does it Take? Estimation Methods for Developing E-Learning and while the formulas and ideas in the article are up-to-date (written in 2003), one section really needs to be updated. That is the section on Industry Standards.

I have a feeling some of those numbers may have changed but I'd like to seek confirmation. So, if you are a designer or developer of e-learning, please take a moment to complete a survey that will help update those numbers.

Your participation will help the field and provide some much needed update to the original article.

I am teaming with Robyn A. Defelice, MSIT of DishingDesign and we have put together a survey to obtain input on the topic of development time for learning materials for a planned publication for a major industry e-zine. We are seeking to determine industry averages based on complexity of the delivery method.

Here is a link to the survey.

We appreciate your assistance and look forward to your responses. When the article is published we will be certain to provide the link here and at other places!

PS. I know there is rich debate about whether or not we can really measure "one hour" of instruction and if this is a viable measuring stick. And those are good arguments but lacking other objective standards this is just one way of comparison that is helpful for determining level of effort.
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Michael Allen's E-Learning Annual

The other day I received my copy of Michael Allen's E-Learning Annual for 2009. It is a great collection of very interesting articles/essays about the future of e-learning.

I have just started to read it and have found the "dueling articles" by Mark Prensky and Ruth Colvin Clark especially interesting. Good old fashion academic disagreement carried out in the page of the annual. Good reading. And for me, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle of the two arguments.

Additionally, the article by Clark Quinn does a great job of bringing together different concepts related to organizational learning, performance and community under a concept he calls performance ecosystem (I like the term.)

Jay Cross reminds us that e-learning is not a kid any more but is also not an adult. He claims it is in its adolescence and we need to focus on performance and teaching people to deal with complexities instead of breaking them into small pieces called courses. He quotes Verna Allee as saying "Cut a cow in half and you don't have two cows. You have a mess." Great image and message.

Saul Carliner and Margaret Driscoll write an interesting piece titled Who's Creating the E-Learning: Paradigms for content creation that exclude the instructional designer. They describe how more learning is designed, developed and made available without the instructional designer and how instructional designers should effectively market what we do best and promote our unique value proposition within organizations.

The other authors rounding out this group are of impressive authors are Dennis Brown, Ed Cohen, Lance Dublin, Larry Israelite, Jef Moonen, Betty Collis, Bob Mosher and Chris Frederick Willis. Plus I was able to sneak in with an essay about virtual worlds.

My piece is titled Real-World Instructional Design for Virtual World Learning . The article discusses methods for creating instruction within virtual worlds and techniques for encouraging collaboration and transfer of learning gained from my experience teaching graduate programs in virtual worlds.

All in all a really great collection of articles and insights and I recommend it as good reading for anyone interested in what is happening in e-learning. Here is a link to the publisher's description of the 2009 Annual.

Also, if you missed last year's annual, you still might want to pick up last year's annual. Here is the publisher's description of the 2008 Annual with a PDF excerpt from the Annual.


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Putting Technology Into Perspective

Just in time for Monday Morning.

Here is a link to a funny video that puts some of our modern gadgets and gizmos into perspective and, as someone who travels a bit, I think the airplane story is very funny.

The video is by Louis CK on the Conan O' Brien.
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Trip to Axiom

Visiting with alumni Carl and Jen at AXIOM.

It is always good to get out and about and visit old friends and meet new ones. Yesterday I presented on the topic of "Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning" at AXIOM Professional Health Learning. There I caught up with a couple of alumni and got to see some interesting and fascinating projects they are developing.

Here is a copy of the slides I presented at the event.

Learning Technology

View more presentations from kkapp. (tags: elearning)

They also mentioned that taking an online class at Bloomsburg is less expensive and more targeted than traveling to a conference. So if you are interested in targeted learning for less than the price of a learning conference, consider taking a course with us. Check us out at our Department of Instructional Technology web site.

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What are the Technology Goals of Higher Education?

Within the last few years many higher education institutions and systems have invested heavily in technology and have raised the bar in student expectations for online student services and online learning opportunities.

Why?

Because systems and schools that fail to offer state-of-the-art online learning opportunities and accompanying services over the next decade will lose students who routinely use commercial applications such as Amazon.com, PayPal and Facebook to browse catalogs, pay bills and network with one another. Digitally savvy students demand these same conveniences from their educational institutions and now have the choice of taking online classes from public and private institutions anywhere in the world.

So what is being done through technology. Well, the goals of many technology investments include the following:

• Creation of online course offerings, collaborative environments and even online clubs and activities.
  
• Providing life-long learning resources and experiences for students, staff, faculty, administration, college leadership and alumni;
  
• Support and enhance information collaboration and knowledge sharing;
  
• Provide a standards-based technology architecture across colleges or systems;
  
• Provide wireless access to students across the campus environment;
  
• Consistent and convenient data integration for back office system such as finance, billing and purchasing;
  
• Increase educational capacity and effectiveness through shared IT resources
  
• Provide 24/7 online student services;
  
• Develop an academic culture of rapid, constant change and continuous improvement;
  
• Shift to modern technology infrastructures (hardware and software) which are scalable and interoperable with existing and foreseeable technological innovations;
  
• Increase recruiting yield with more effective targeting of recruiting dollars;
  
• Increase admissions productivity with more inquiries and applications processed by fewer staff;
  
• Increase financial aid productivity with more financial aid applications processed with fewer staff;
  
• Optimize course scheduling to allow more classes and events to be scheduled with a smaller inventory of classrooms;
  
• Shift to web-based financial aid systems to allow students to submit applications, view and accept or decline awards, and view transaction balances online;
  
• Shift to web-based course registration to allow course enrollments to be transacted and course grades to be posted online;
  
• Shift to self-service human resources systems that allow employees to self-manage their paychecks, benefits, vacation, and sick leave accruals.

Does this cover everything? Did I miss something? Does this "feel" accurate? Are higher education systems really there?


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E-Learning Seen as Bright Spot in Training Industry

As recently announced by Bersin & Associates, in the United States, corporate learning and development (L&D) expenditures dropped by more than 11 % in 2008. It seems likely that the cuts are will continue in 2009. The organization continues to report that the spending has fallen from $1,202 per learner in 2007 to $1,075 per learner in 2008. Training staff resources are also dropping: Companies overall averaged 3.4 training staffers per 1,000 learners, down from 5.1 per 1,000 in 2007.

However, there may be an e-learning bright spot. I have heard from alumni, colleagues and others in the field that expenditures for e-learning actually seem to be on the rise or are holding steady. I've heard of a couple of organizations that have "outlawed" travel but are now focused on e-learning to meet learning needs of employees.

E-learning is being seen as a way of providing training to employees even though it is cost prohibitive for the large gatherings of employees to get together for training because of travel related costs.

One colleague told me she is hearing that synchronous learning is picking up because organizations were "headed in that direction anyway" but the current economic situation has accelerated the movement.

So, one bright spot in the economy may be an increase in e-learning.
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12 Year Olds Running Self-Directed Teams

Catching a shark in RuneScape.
Discussion with my son a few years ago.

“Dad, I want you to know the second clan meeting went better than the first,” my son unexpectedly announced one day.

“What, a clan meeting?” was my response, “clan, what do you mean clan?” I was nervous.

“I formed an online team in Runescape, we call it a clan.”

“Oh, of course.”

“We have six members but need someone who can cook shark.” He stated matter-of-factly.


“Cook shark?”

“We have someone who can catch shark; we need someone who can cook it. In our first meeting, we didn’t have any goals or tasks. Nobody knew what to do. It was a waste time.”

“Cook shark?”

“The second meeting was better; we assigned tasks and appointed someone to be third in charge. We picked someone who didn’t speak much to bring her into the group. We also assigned some one to create a logo.”

Here was my 12 year old son in charge of six people who he never met, setting goals, delegating tasks and assigning roles as well as posting help wanted ads for “shark cookers.” He was running a self-directed work team, virtually.

These are the skills he needs in a world were he will be a member of several virtual teams working with some people he will never meet face-to-face.
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Impact of Tough Times

This month's ASTD big question is What is the impact of the economy on you and your organization? What are you doing as a result? I wish I could say my bonus this year is only going to be $11 million instead of the usual $22 million but I don't work on Wall Street...I do not receive bonuses in good or bad times.

So, here at Bloomsburg University, where I am a professor, it is a state run university. Bloomsburg is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), with 14 universities and more than 112,500 students. It is the largest higher education provider in Pennsylvania and cuts are being made. (Penn State is not one of the 14 state universities. It is state affiliated, not state owned.)

First, our Chancellor, John C. Cavanaugh, announced 128 positions at the 14 PASSHE universities and in the Office of the Chancellor will not be filled during the current fiscal year. Additionally, salaries of all non-union employees also will be frozen for at least six months.The salary freeze will affect approximately 1,500 managers, administrators and other non-union employees across the State System.

Second, PASSHE’s Board of Governors in October agreed to a request by Governor Edward G. Rendell to return $22 million of the state funding the State System expected to receive this year. Those returned funds will help the Commonwealth address an expected $2.3 billion budget shortfall in the current fiscal year. The $22 million is equal to 4.25 percent of the nearly $520 million PASSHE expected to receive as part of the 2008-09 state budget.

So, the impact is large on the organization and I feel that more budget cuts, hiring freezes and program reductions might be in the future as we are entirely state funded.

One thing that we are doing as a departmetn is increasing our recruitment efforts. We want potential students to know that a career in instructional technology is still a lucrative and viable career option and that companies are moving to e-learning in tough times.

We have a number of initiatives to use social media to further our outreach which are low cost and, we hope, high impact.

We also are stepping up our work to let potential students know that we still have Graduate Assistantships which help cover most of all the tuition for our year long program to take some of the sting out of returning to school to further career choices.


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Creating an Online Game for Middle School Kids

As part of a National Science Foundation grant with a team consisting of members from Hofstra University, Santa Barbara City College (working with Jim Kiggens and his team), Bloomsburg University, SUNY Buffalo and a independent company called Whitebox Learning I am involved with creating a game to teach middle school student math and engineering concepts and ideas.

We have spent some time struggling with creating the right concept for the game. We initially had it be a wilderness survival type of game but it was too hard and artificial to inject formulas and problems into that environment. We want the game to be multi player but had to deal with issues of what to do if a student is absent and how would he or she make up work without holding back the team. It seemed that we were at a dead end.

Finally, the team worked and came up with a solution of having the students be contestants trying out for a survival game. The one small change allowed us to make some interesting modifications that now makes the concept of the game much more fun and exciting to middle school students. Now they are competing in groups of 4 to see who will be the "host" of the survival show. As a host, they need to know a lot of information so they go through "training" which will introduce a series of mini-games and educational nuggets that they must learn and/or master to earn points toward being the host. We are still in the design phase but I feel like our re-conceptualization of the game was a big step forward.

Here is a video created by some of the team members based on our old concept but you can get an idea of the environment in which the game will take place from the video.



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Random Thoughts on 3D Learning Environments

Think about it, the internet is just over 5500 days old.

When we pause to consider this fact it is almost impossible to imagine how much change this technology has brought to Society, Business and Learning and how much more it will bring.

Similarly, as we enter the age of the immersive internet, or 3D internet, it is equally impossible to underestimate the impact the 3D web will have on learning, business and society. The transformation of the Internet from a static, one-way conduit of information into a three-dimensional world in which people, as avatars, interact, work and collaborate together will profoundly change business and learning. As we enter the age of the immersive internet, it is important that we pause to consider the significant transformational impact it will have.

The three-dimensional web is being driven by a new generation of learners who are entering the workforce with a different focus, mentality and learning style than any previous generation. A mentality forged by playing video games and interacting in 3D worlds such as Second Life, Active Worlds and There.com.

According to Steve Prentice of the Gartner group, By the end of 2011, 80 percent of active Internet users (and Fortune 500 enterprises) will have a “second life”, but not necessarily in Second Life (what he is saying is that they'll all have 3D worlds).

One great example is Wells Fargo's Stagecoach Island.

Another is the world mokitown sponsored by Dailmer.

Do you know of any others?
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Advantages of 3D for Learning

Some thoughts on the advantages of 3D environments (virtual worlds) for learning.

Advantages of 3D Immersive Learning

• Learner cues on visual, auditory and spatial elements of 3D environment which leads to better recall and application of learning.
  
• Learner rehearses on-the-job behavior in an environment as close to job environment as possible. (Realistic learning environment)
  
• Allows learners at a distance to be in the same place to practice behaviors (not just online at the same time).
  
• Learners become emotionally involved in the learning due to realism.
  
• Experienced learners can explore more possibilities of dialogue than in a scripted simulation.
  
• Sense of “being there” for the learner.

Advantage of 3D Worlds Over Virtual Classroom

• Learners stay more focused (not as likely to check email).
  
• Learners are immersed in learning environment.
  
• Learners must act and behave as if in actual environment.
  
• Integrates learning into environment similar to which it must be applied.
  
• Learners are vested in avatar and in situation.
  
• Learners are placed in the appropriate context to apply the learning.

Am I on the right track? Is anything missing? What do you think?


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Two Wisemen

What does it take to be wise? It has to be more than knowledge, it has to be more than just experience, it is more than just training, but all those things are required as a foundation for wisdom. Then you need to add insight, creativity, looking at things through the right lense and a certain type of focus. It also requires a quiet conviction that you can prevail and you are right.

I think all of these traits define two recent heros. One is Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III who managed to land a US Airways Airbus A320 safely on the Hudson saving every single passenger.

Few people thought this was even possible. An article in Wikipedia states:

In December 2002, The Economist had quoted an expert as claiming that "No large airliner has ever made an emergency landing on water" in an article that goes on to charge, "So the life jackets ... have little purpose other than to make passengers feel better." This idea was repeated in The Economist in September 2006 in an article which reported that "in the history of aviation the number of wide-bodied aircraft that have made successful landings on water is zero."

For the full article click here.
Of course we all know that a wise and skillful pilot did what so called experts thought was impossible. Experts are not necessarily wise.

The transcripts have been released and I admire the calm and curt manner with which he spoke with the tower who hadn't fully grasped the situation and were trying to get him to some runway. Finally Sully simply said, "Unable." He brought to bare his flying wisdom and acumen and safely landed the plane safely in the river...seemingly impossible and not even part of the discussion from the tower. They never though of the water as an option...only runways. Sully is a wise man.

The second person is Henry Markopolos who was repeatedly rebuffed by the Securities and Exchange Commission in his efforts to blow the whistle on Bernard Madoff. In fact, Mr. Markopolos is still giving SEC tips they are are not able to determine for themselves.

Yet, Henry never gave up. He kept pressing the point and during the process even feared for his life because of the type of people and the amount of money he was dealing with. When asked how long it took him to figure out Madoff's fund was a fraud, he responded "about five minutes." He looked at the literature from Madoff's firm, noticed an impossible straight line trajectory of returns (no peaks or valleys) and concluded that the type of behavior indicated on the chart was not possible and was fraduelent. Did others not see it? They looked but didn't see.

He then investigated for about 4 hours to confirm his instant assessment and he concluded that mathematically the returns were impossible. Then he meticoulsy gathered the evidence and delivered to the Securities Exchange Commission who then refused for whatever reason (the cynic in me says corruption, the optomist says incompetence) refused to investigate it seriously.

Learning and development professionals cannot create wise individuals but we can work to provide a platform and a basis for the wisdom to grow.

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Book on 3D Learning Environments: What Do You Want From It?

Standing in a virtual book store requesting input on "Learning in 3D" book.

Tony O'Driscoll and I have teamed up with Pfeiffer and are writing a book tentatively titled Learning in 3D which will discuss how to create and deliver effective learning through virtual worlds including implementation, design and evaluation.

My questions to you are:

• "What would you like to see in this book?"
• "What questions do you want answered?"
• "What types of case studies would be of interest?"
• "What should be the focus of the book?"
• "What do you want to tell us about a book like this?"
  

We certainly have ideas but would love any and all input, advice and/or direction you'd be willing to give.

Please leave a comment below.

Three lucky people who comment will be given a free copy of the book and will be mentioned in the preface.
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What Learning Professionals Can Learn From the Steelers

Having grown up in the Pittsburgh area during the Steelers first run at four Super Bowls, I am a born and breed Steeler's fan. Loved seeing the team get number six!

So why are the Steelers so successful and what can Learning and Development professionals learn from the Steelers.

First, one of the things that Ben Roethlisberger said to his team in the final minutes of the game when he walked on the field and got into the huddle hoping to to march down the field was "...it’s now or never, I told the guys all the film study you put in doesn’t matter unless you do it now.

The lesson is that all the training and practice and studying doesn't really matter unless you can deliver. We Learning and Development professionals need to put much more emphasis on job performance than on having exciting e-learning or fun activities in the classroom. In the final analysis, it is performance that matters, nothing else. Instruction means nothing if the learners can't perform.

Second, when asked “What was the call on the last play of the game?” Roethlisberger responded half-jokingly. “Drop back. Scramble right. Scramble left. Find someone open.”

The lesson is that Learning and Development Professionals have limits in what we can do. We can design the material as effectively as possible, we can cross all the t's and dot the i's but in the end, it comes down to the learner's willingness to apply the learning to their situation. Their willingness to perform and, at time, their ability to improvisationally apply the lessons learned to the situation.

At some point, the learner is responsible for his or her own learning. We can't train every possible contingency, we can't train for everything, in the end the learners need to want to learn and apply their knowledge to their situation. We can only take so much credit...or blame. The rest has to go the learner who needs to figure out how to apply what we provide to them to their unique situations. Just like Ben.

Third, the Steeler Franchise is successful and consistent. The team has been around for thirty years and only had three head coaches. But have won six Super Bowl. When other, less successful franchises are switching coaches every two or three years.

The lesson, consistent focus provides success. Often learning professionals jump on the latest fad without keeping the underlying fundamentals of good instructional strategies and effective instructional design. Focusing on a consistent application of instructional design methods provides success. The technology may change but the strategies for providing learning opportunities have not changed. We must always apply the right instructional strategies no matter the available technology. If you do instructional design correctly, the learning will be consistent and successful.

So, there is a quick look at what the Steelers can teach instructional designers from a fan of both. What other lessons do you think the Steelers can teach instructional designers?
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