Despite the fact that I could not make it down to Orlando, Elliott Masie was kind enough to beam me in to have our traditional yearly chat about disruptive technologies and their impact on learning.
In this short interaction we get into a fun discussion about my upcoming book (with Karl Kapp) called Learning in 3D: Bringing a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration.
If you want a sneak preview of the book you can get a taste for it by clicking on the google preview here.
My good pal Jay Cross asked me to do a provocative session on the Future of Learning and the pending Immernet Singularity.
As with most cognitive excursions that involve Jay, we had a BLAST!. I mean where else could you come up with the concept of an “Empathic Electronic Exoskeleton” that swaddles our planet in less than an hour 
A good number of you have asked for charts….here you go.
If you like the charts, you will no doubt enjoy the presentation and discussion. You can view the hour long back and forth here. Enjoy!
I was unable to physically attend OEB this year, but was still able to conduct my workshop there thanks to the help of Robin Tiegland and Second Life.
Here I am making a guest appearance in SL covering the outline of my upcoming book, Learning in 3D written with Karl Kapp.
We then took a virtual field trip to the US Memorial Holocaust Museum where we bumped into Steve Mahaley from Duke CE who was kind enough to share with the participants his learnings in having worked with 3D learning for quite some time
No travel, no resulting tiredness or illness and lots of immersive interaction coupled with the ability to interact with other experts from around the world such as Steve and Robin…yet another proof point that virtual world technologies will become as ubiquitous as is one-dimensional predecessor within the next 5000 days.
I was interviewed by the OEB folks earlier this month…here is the copy from that interview with Angelika Eckert:
Here Comes the Immernet
“The immersive Internet is the logical extension of the web“, believes the virtual worlds expert Tony O´Driscoll. According to information-technology researcher Gartner, by the year 2011, eighty percent of users will be using avatars to engage in the next generation of the Internet – the 3D Immersive Internet.
Thanks to Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, social networking sites, and options for tagging, people today are able to connect with each other easily through the web. This, in turn, leads to immense cross-linking: If Facebook and MySpace were thought of as digital nations, they would already be the fifth and sixth largest countries in the world.
Does a similar potential lie in avatars? Tens of millions of people are already connecting via an alter ego on a regular basis and play games like World of Warcraft or simulate an existence in Second Life. The power of immersion plus interactivity offered by the immersive internet (or “immernet” Tony O’Driscoll likes to call it) brings enriched engagement and increases the ability to co-create at a distance.
New Opportunities for Corporate Learning
Due to its inability to adapt and change as rapidly as the environment in which it operates, a modern-day organisation faces a lot of problems. As most technology has been applied to automate the classroom paradigm to date, there is a growing disconnect between the learning needs of the modern-day enterprise and the ability of the traditional learning function to address them. Stated simply, Virtual Worlds have too much potential for learning professionals to ignore.
Compared to this traditional learning scenario, the new technology allows learners to create contexts where they encounter teachable moments within the environment. So instead of learning before doing, they now have the ability to learn while doing. This represents a significant opportunity for learning.
Tony O’Driscoll is convinced: “Finally we have a set of technological affordances at our disposal that allow us to create meaningful experiential learning contexts that can significantly accelerate learning.” His book Learning in 3D: Bringing a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration cites ten specific business cases. They range from carefully crafted virtual experiences designed to have participants viscerally understand the consequences of diversity and inclusion issues to the staging of very large virtual conferences.
In each case, the business objective and the solution varies. Still, at the core of every case is the truism that there are certain “affordances” that virtual worlds offer that existing technologies could not. For the diversity and inclusion intervention, learners actually have to “walk in another person’s virtual shoes” to feel what it is like to be someone other than themselves. In the case of a virtual conference, the power of presence and the death of distance are two “affordances” that have come together, and this has allowed people from all around the world to convene in a third place – in cyberspace – to learn from and with each other.
From his experience, Tony O´Driscoll knows about the key reasons usually cited for applying immersive internet technology to learning: besides a better learning experience and adherence to the green agenda of the firm, it is also a matter of cost avoidance for travel and lodging. Therefore, most of the cases outlined in his book provide a cost profile. Tony observes: “The expense is usually cast in terms of how long it would take to recoup the investment. In most cases, that return is achieved within twelve months.“
Learning to Change
As enterprises and learning professionals become more familiar with the technology, applications will mature and develop new forms of learning and collaboration, says O´Driscoll. During his half-day workshop at ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN, he will show the audience what a 3D learning architecture that outlines decent 3D learning experience has to be like. He is certain that: “Afterwards, people will know more about the macrostructures, principles, archetypes and affordances that need to be aligned in order to have a 3D learning architecture that is optimised to address the business issue at hand.“
As many of you know, I have the privilege of teaching in Fuqua’s Cross Continent MBA Program. In designing the program we wanted to embed the students in the regions that were shaping the global business landscape for the 21st Century.
Just a few weeks ago our CCMBA students students were in Dubai where they got to hear, first hand, about Dubai’s 2015 Strategy and how it needed to be adjusted due to the recent financial crisis and the role that Dubai World plays in the region.
For those of you thinking that what is happening “over there” in Dubai will not impact us here in the US, I urge you to take another look at Fuqua’s “While You Were Sleeping Video.”
I think it is fair to say that, given their recent experience in Dubai, our CCMBA students are really getting a first hand look at how business is being redefined in the 21st Century.
Fresh off the plane from TED India at Mysore, Elliott Masie was kind enough to connect me virtually to discuss Disruptive Technologies at Learning 2009.
We had fun riffing on the things right around the corner for learning…..Location based learning that takes advantage of GPS devices, Identity based learning where you can be someone other than who you are and experience how it feels via immersive media, the proliferation of game based learning on platforms such as i-phone, and envisioning a world 10 years from now where learning and doing become inseparable and instructions in context trump instruction outside of it.
The next wave of technologies is ushering in the possibility of performance support on steroids where knowledge is instantaneously injected into the workflow at the moment of need. The network will know what you know, know where you are, know what you need and be able to deliver it in context in real time.
Sounds like the “Just in Time, Just Enough, Just for Me” mantra of Knowledge Management a decade ago. The difference here is that both the social and technological architectures are different this time around: It is about flows of dynamic interactions between people not stocks of static information accessed by an individual.
In the new netWORK learning era Information is the Currency, Individuals are the Transport Mechanism, Interaction is the Transfer Mechanism and Insight and Wisdom are the Outcome. The quicker you can tune your network to the issue or task at hand the more productive you are at accomplishing the task and, oh yeah, you learn a whole bunch while you are not looking to boot!
Sitting in Bangalore hotel after the most fantastic four days at TED India.
Still processing a lot after these intense four days…..will no doubt blog more about this as I put the pieces of wisdom together in a more coherent way. TED is such an assault on all the senses, and this was even more true given that it was held in India.
I had the honor of presenting a TED University session and, although, I did not get my last slide in, I think I got my message across. I was talking about the Virginia Tech tragedy and how Web 2.0/3D Technologies figured into the back and forth between Mainstream Media Frenzy and Social Media Compassion. I will get a version up on YouTube by the end of next week.
The tagline for TED India was “The Future Beckons” and let me tell you it most certainly does for this wonderful Pluralistic Democracy. Yes there are a number of issues to be addressed: Getting growth and its economic windfall to flow to the bottom of the pyramid, getting better infrastructure in place and taking care of the natural resources in this beautiful land while experiencing huge growth, but after TED my impression is that India has all its bases covered.
Thanks to the TED team for pulling off an awesome conference.
To check out the experience you can see cool pictures here.
Great day yesterday!
Erica and Sam Driver gave us a readout on how the barriers associated with getting the industry across the chasm. You can get the report here
Next Ron Burns from Proton Media gave a great demo/presentation and lots of buzz created when he demoed SharePoint integration!
Next, I provided an overview of my book (written with Karl Kapp) – Learning in 3D: Bringing a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration. It is coming out in February and can be ordered here.
A lot of you asked about charts. Here they are:
Next, Chuck Hamilton from IBM gave us a deeper look at the how to leverage affordances of virtual worlds to create immersive learning and collaboration environments. He has been asked to write a book on this….so watch this space.
Next, Randy Hinrichs of 2B3D led a GREAT panel covering cases of a Virtual Chocolate Factory, A Virtual Gym, and a Trading Floor. The panelists mapped their cases to the Design Model. It was wonderful to see such a broad array of virtual world applications!
Last but not least, Koreen Olbrish of Tandem led a great panel talking about real ROI of virtual worlds. Again the panelists ranged from MBA Onboarding to Border Patrol Training, to Automotive, to a wide array of applications from ACS.
If you want to learn the detailed scoop. Go to Twitter and search on #3DTLC!
Karl Kapp and I got the galleys for the book yesterday. It looks GREAT!
Here is a look at the cover:
On Wednesday at 3DTLC I will be doing a Chapter by Chapter Highlight and cover 4 or five cases to demonstrate how early adopters are leveraging 3D to improve their competitive position in the market.
Here is a short rundown of the Chapters:
Part I: Exploring the Possibilities
The first part of this book revolves around three words: Progress, Problems, and Possibilities.
Chapter 1, Here Comes the Immersive Internet, answers the following questions: What is the Immersive Internet, and how is it impacting the businesses that the learning function serves? It describes how Immersive Internet technology has progressed to a point at which it is beginning to redefine both society and industry. This chapter also examines how business-as-usual is becoming “business unusual” as a result of the convergence of four technology vectors that are driving the business environment towards the creation of new economic platforms based on social production.
Chapter 2, Learning to Change, answers the following questions: What is wrong with the learning function’s current approach to addressing business unusual, and why must it change? It describes the problems that a modern-day organization faces due to its inability to adapt and change as rapidly as the environment within which it operates. This chapter also highlights the growing disconnect between the learning needs of the modern-day enterprise and the ability of the traditional learning function to address them.
Chapter 3, Escaping Flatland, answers the following questions: What is 3D learning, and why is it better suited to meet the needs of business unusual? It explores the possibilities of a new learning paradigm that is enabled by the same Immersive Internet technologies that are revolutionizing business. This chapter also introduces two vignettes that compare a “Flatland” 2D learning experience to an immersive and engaging 3D learning experience.
As was the case in building a house, once the possibility space has been explored, the next step focuses on architecture.
Part II: Building a Blueprint
The second part of this book revolves around three words: Principles, Archetypes, and Examples.
Chapter 4, Architecting Learning Experiences, answers the following questions: What are the 3D learning design principles, and how are they applied to create a 3D learning experience blueprint? It describes the key design principles required to build engaging 3D learning experiences. This chapter also presents a comprehensive 3D learning architecture that can be applied to create a blueprint that ensures alignment and balance in the design of compelling 3D learning experiences.
Chapter 5, Designing by Archetype, answers the following question: How can learning archetypes be applied as building blocks in the design of engaging 3D learning experiences? It describes eleven learning archetypes that form the basic building blocks for creating 3D learning experiences. This chapter also presents comprehensive definitions of each archetype and provides examples of how the building blocks can be applied to create compelling 3D learning experiences.
Chapter 6, Learning from Experience, answers the following questions: Who has successfully designed 3D learning experiences, and what can be learned from their experience? It describes nine case studies of successful 3D learning experience designs and maps these designs back to the archetypes that were used to create them.
As was the case in building a house, once the blueprint has been created, the next step focuses on execution.
Part III: Breaking New Ground
The third part of this book revolves around three words: Process, Adoption, and Rules
Chapter 7, Overcoming Being Addled by ADDIE, answers the following question: How does the traditional ADDIE process change when it is applied to create 3D learning experiences? It describes how the existing ADDIE process must be augmented to address the nuances associated with analyzing, designing, developing, implementing and evaluating 3D learning experiences.
Chapter 8, Steps to Successful Enterprise Adoption, answers the following question: What key steps are required to drive adoption of 3D learning experiences within the enterprise? It describes the steps required to drive adoption of 3D learning experiences by mapping them to the diffusion of innovation attractiveness criteria: Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Complexity, Trialability, and Observability.
Chapter 9, Rules from Revolutionaries, answers the following questions: Who else has successfully driven 3D learning adoption, and what can be learned from their experience? It presents four essays from front-line revolutionaries who share their insights on how they changed the rules and convinced their organizations to adopt 3D learning.
Part IV: Just Beyond the Horizon
The final part of this book revolves around one word: Future.
Chapter 10, Back to the Future, answers the following questions: What’s next for 3D learning, and what will things look like in 2020? It describes a maturity model that argues that immersive technologies will evolve from learning to eventually encompassing all work activity and how you can move your organization toward that eventuality. It also presents two essays that envision the future of 3D learning from two of the industry’s leading visionaries.
In short, the ten chapters in this book can be summarized in ten simple words: Progress, Problems, Possibilities, Principles, Archetypes, Examples, Processes, Adoption, Rules, and Future.
Look forward to sharing my insights with you at the conference!
See y’all in San Jose
I have the distinct honor of being a Jam Host at IBM’s Smart Work Global Jam starting TODAY at 3PM.
Check out this video to give you a sense of what the Jam will be all about.
IBM has been using Jams for quite a while now. If you have not been part of one, this one would be the one to participate in.
GO ON…..GIVE IT A TRY…..IT WON’T HURT I PROMISE ; )
See you online.
BTW there is also a Webcast at 2PM with John Iwata and James Surowiecki…you may want to check that out toom
June 1 was my one year anniversary at Fuqua. How quickly a year passes. It was also the day that Karl Kapp and I turned in our 3D Learning Manuscript to Jossey Bass.
When we started out we said we would hold each other accountable to keeping the book under 200 pages. Oh well, here it is….all 403 pages.
It is due out in January 2010 and we will have a website and 3D Community space to go along with it.
We are not final on title yet but it will be something along the lines of:
Learning in 3D: Adding a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration
Here is an overview of the chapters from the Preface.
Part I: Exploring the Possibilities
The first part of this book revolves around three words: Progress, Problems and Possibilities.
Chapter 1, Here Comes the Immersive Internet, answers the following question: What is the Immersive Internet and how is it impacting the businesses that the learning function serves? It describes how immersive Internet technology has progressed to a point where it is beginning to redefine both society and industry. This chapter also examines how Business-as-Usual is becoming Business Unusual as a result of the convergence of four technology vectors that are driving the business environment towards the creation of new economic platforms based on Social Production.
Chapter 2, Learning to Change, answers the following question: What is wrong with the Learning Function’s current approach to addressing Business Unusual and why must it change? It describes the problems that the modern day enterprise faces due to its inability to adapt and change as rapidly as the environment within which it operates. This chapter also highlights the growing disconnect between the learning needs of the modern-day enterprise and the ability of the traditional learning function to address them.
Chapter 3, Escaping Flatland, answers the following question: What is 3D Learning and why is it better suited to meet the needs of Business Unusual? It explores the possibilities of a new learning paradigm that is enabled by the same immersive Internet technologies that are revolutionizing business. This chapter also introduces two vignettes that compare a “Flatland” 2D Learning Experience to an immersive and engaging 3D Learning Experience.
As was the case in building a house, once the possibility space has been explored, the next step focuses on architecture.
Part II: Building a Blueprint
The second part of this book revolves around three words: Principles, Archetypes and Examples
Chapter 4, Principled Design, answers the following question: What are the 3D Learning Design Principles and how are they applied to create a 3D Learning Experience Blueprint? It describes the key Design Principles required to build engaging 3D Learning Experiences. This chapter also presents an a comprehensive 3D Learning Architecture that can be applied to create a blueprint that ensures alignment and balance in the design of compelling 3D Learning Experiences.
Chapter 5, Designing by Archetype, answers the following question: How can learning archetypes be applied as building-blocks in the design of engaging 3D Learning Experiences? It describes eleven Learning Archetypes that form the basic building blocks for creating 3D Learning Experiences. This chapter also presents comprehensive definitions of each archetype and provides examples of how the building-blocks can be applied to create compelling 3D Learning Experiences.
Chapter 6, Learning from Experience, answers the following question: Who else has successfully designed 3D Learning Experiences and what can be learned from their experience? It describes nine case-studies of successful 3D Learning Experience designs and maps these designs back to the Archetypes that were used to create them.
As was the case in building a house, once the blueprint has been created the next step focuses on execution.
Part III: Breaking New Ground.
The third part of this book revolves around three words: Process, Adoption, and Rules
Chapter 7, ADDIE in 3D, answers the following question: How does the traditional ADDIE process change when it is applied to create 3D Learning Experiences? It describes how the existing ADDIE process must be augmented to address the nuances associated with analyzing, designing, developing, implementing and evaluating 3D Learning Experiences.
Chapter 8, Accelerating Adoption, answers the following question: What key steps are required to drive adoption of 3D Learning Experiences within the Enterprise? It describes the steps required to drive adoption of 3D Learning experiences by mapping them to the Diffusion of Innovation Attractiveness Criteria: Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Complexity, Trialability and Observability.
Chapter 9, Rules from Revolutionaries, answers the following question: Who else has successfully driven 3D Learning adoption and what can be learned from their Experience? It presents four essays from front-line revolutionaries who share their insights on how they convinced their organizations to adopt 3D Learning.
The final part of this book explores what lies ahead for 3D Learning.
Part IV: Just Beyond the Horizon
The final part of this book revolves around one word: Future.
Chapter 10, Back to the Future, answers the following question: What’s next for 3D Learning and what will things look like in 2020? It describes a maturity model that argues that immersive technologies will evolve from learning to pervade the enterprise and encompass all work activity. It also and presents two essays that envision the future of 3D learning from two of the industry’s leading visionaries.
In short, the then chapters in this book can be summarized in ten simple words: Progress, Problems, Possibilities, Principles, Archetypes, Examples, Processes, Adoption, Rules and Future.
This book could not have been possible without all the help from the pioneers in this field who shared their insights and time selflessly to help us make this tomb the best it can be.
Karl and I really hope that it contributes to the field by helping organizations cross the chasm more quickly so that we can get on with committing to the obvious: The Immersive Internet will have a profound impact on how we live, work and play over the next 5000 days.
Learning Matters