The Future of Elearning Technologies

1. Kevin Corti, Founder & CEO PIXELearning European Training & Development Summit 18 th June 2008, Prague. Navigating through the cloud - THE FUTURE OF E-LEARNING & TECHNOLOGIES

2. “ 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’?

3. Objectives: What new technologies offer benefits? How do we start to use them?

6. The E-Learning Guild 360 Research report, March 2008, “Immersive Learning Simulations”. www.pixelearning.com || info@pixelearning.com

8. 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 21 st century!

9. “ 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”

10. 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 day 34% websites are their primary news source 28% author a blog and 44% read blogs 49% download music using P2P file sharing 75% of college students have a Facebook a/c 60% own an iPod/MP3 player Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa (2007)

11. 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

16. Categorising this ‘New Technology” [1] Web 2.0 tools for eLearning 2.0 [2] Virtual 3D Worlds [3] Serious games / immersive learning simulations

17. www.pixelearning.com || info@pixelearning.com Distilling it down [1] Web 2.0 tools for eLearning 2.0 Search, remix, create, publish, share, connect, collaborate, network, review, recommend…

18. www.pixelearning.com || info@pixelearning.com What is hiding in the cloud?

27. www.pixelearning.com || info@pixelearning.com [2] Virtual (3D) Worlds explore, meet, chat, follow, discuss, observe, find, build, design, collaborate, serendipity…

34. “ 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.

35. 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”

37. 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

40. www.pixelearning.com || info@pixelearning.com [3] Serious games / immersive sims practice, learn by doing, experience, challenge, problem spaces, compete, apply, perform, assess, game the skill…

42. 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 || info@pixelearning.com

43. 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 || info@pixelearning.com

46. An opportunity to experience something from another person’s perspective. Serious Games and sims www.pixelearning.com || info@pixelearning.com

48. 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

50. 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

51. A Four Letter Word?

52. Quick, Easy, Good?

53. 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

56. 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

57. Kevin Corti, CEO founder & Chief Learning Architect [email_address] Company web: www.pixelearning.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kevincorti Blog: http://theevilnumber27.wordpress.com +44 (0) 24 7623 6971