Learning Technology Consulting

Today I attended a pre-conference session entitled, "Web 2.0 Innovations for Learning: Podcasting, Social Networking, Wikis, Virtual Worlds, Blogs, and More" presented by Anders Gronstedt of The Gronstedt Group, Inc. Anders shared several examples of web 2.0 tools used for learning and facilitated discussion from the attendees to share examples also. During the last part of the presentation, he led us through a tour of Second Life while in world, for those of us who had accounts. It was a very interesting and engaging presentation.

Many of the examples he shared with us were either standalone or proprietary so unfortunately I can't link you to them, but I will describe some of the information here and provide links when possible.

First he started with some interesting information about how learning and learners are changing. The new generation of workers only have two sources of credibility; Peers and Parents. No longer a captive of the classroom, they create consume, mash-up and share material with each other. These Digital Natives (people exposed to new collaborative technology since birth) want to be engaged, in control, part of the story line with no tolerance for traditional training.

The best that can be said about most eLearning is that it "gives you the sensation of a coma without the worry and inconvenience." But some companies are making a fundamental change...

IBM

• 3,400 active blogs
• 70,000 employees use wikis
• 5,000 podcast episodes, two million downloads
• 25 islands in and 6,000 employees in Second Life

SUN has 4,000 employee blogs open to the public at blogs.sun.com and is one of the only fortune 500 companies whose CEO blogs.

National Semiconductor spent $2.5 million on video iPods for all its 8,500 employees

Intel hosts a wiki, "Intelpedia" with 5,000 pages, 13.5 million page views in the first nine months.

Nike's SKU - Nike course curriculum is presented as a subway underground.

EMC's podcasts

• 5-10 new audio casts and 2-3 "vods" a week
• Downloaded by the thousands every week
• 15 minute ideal time

Victoria's Secret - Podcasts featuring its models, available in stores in wireless docking station.

Jamb Juice plays podcasts in the store during opening and closing when no customers are there.

Car Dealerships use a sales simulation called "Hire The Winner" as part of the recruiting and interview process.

Volvo has a business acumen simulation in which you run a dealership for three years and make decisions on product marketing, employee hiring, training, etc. and watch your business grow, or fail.

Pearson offers an overview of their businesses at Pearsonville

There are also numerous learning experiments in Second Life. Some Anders toured with us include:

• "Train for Success" - a meeting place for the Groenstedt Group
• "NOAA" - an immersive weather center where you can view live weather maps and walk into an underwater tsunami
• "Cisco Hospital of the Future" - A hospital where you can tour new technology.
• "Greenies Home" - Where you can explore a house scaled up such that you have the perspective of a toy. For example, this can be applied to electronic equipment repair trainng in which the learner is actually inside the equipment looking at the parts and solving repair scenarios.

In summary, training organizations should release the illusion of control and accountability and adopt adna dapt new modes of facilitating a learning experience.

• from watching reading and listening to doing, simulating, and engaging
• from telling and testing to conversation and application
• from sage-on-the-stage to ubiquitous learning
• from people going to training to training going to people
• from effeciencey, cost and "rapid development" to effectiveness, growth and performance improvement