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

Jonathan Kayes, CLO of the CIA and some colleagues paid a visit to Duke today. He was giving me a hard time about not updating my blog. He mentioned that he was really liking his i-phone and he had even created a link to my blog, but funnily enough he has not seen an update there in quite some time.

Touche Jonathan, this one’s for you ; )

In case you think I have been doing nothing, I want you all to know that I am just back from London where we launched the redesign of Fuqua’s Cross Continent MBA program. 119 students from 28 different countries, 50 of whom have non-US passports converged on the Tower Hotel in London for a jam-packed residency. By all accounts it seems to have been very well received.

You can see the blog that I built for the Culture, Civilization and Leadership course, with Bill Boulding, by clicking here. A visit to this blog will, hopefully, attest to the fact that all my blogging energies were sucked up by this effort!

Anyway, you may recall that I had the great pleasure of Keynoting at an Irish Learning Alliance conference in New York back in March where I got to meet with Ireland’s Taoiseach. More on that meeting in this post.

The good folks at the ILA took a few snippits of my talk and I link to them here for your review and comment.

On the WEBVOLUTION:

On DIGITAL NATIVES:

PHEW, Nice to be back. Finally getting around to an update. Things have been incredibly busy of late. Plus have been setting up another blog for a course I am doing at Fuqua so my blogging attention/allocation was pretty much spent. All good stuff though ; ).

Rob Bloomfield was kind enough to have be back on Metanomics again at the beginning of the month. We delved into the core chapter of the book that Karl Kapp and I wrote on Learning in 3D (out in January) and we talked about how 3DTLC is shaping up for September.

You can check out the video by clicking HERE:

For the main event Margaret Regan who is President and CEO of the FutureWork Institute. Margaret was kind enough to let us write a case on her comany’s work with 3D applied to Diversity and Inclusion.

This video of FutureWork island is a GREAT example of how the thoughtful application of 3D technology can create a powerful 3D Learning Experience.

OK back to figuring out the 3DTLC show lineup. It is shaping up to be a very cool couple of days in San Jose BTW so sign up NOW!

Well it is official. Chris and Tonda have asked me to MC 3DTLC 2.0 in San Jose in September. Those of you who managed to make it to the first show know first-hand the energy that we managed to create. Please tell ALL your friends.

Submission deadline has been extended through end of week so please consider sharing your wisdom with the community.

Call for speakers link is here

I sincerely hope to see you all again in San Jose.

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.

I’m BAAAAAAAAACCCCCK, But Barely ; )

Sorry for being a bad blogger of late. I have good reason. Many, many sleepless nights writing a book with Karl Kapp about the Immersive Internet and how it is transforming society, economy and education. More on that in another post.

For now here is a picture of your’s truly (or at least his avatar) waxing on the scientific research in MMO’s and VSWs for the enterprise.

This week Rob interviewed my good friend Mitzi Montoya from NCSU and we also got to hear a snapshot of Erica Driver’s hot-off-the press study on the Immersive Internet’s Business Value. All in all a very good show that talks about folks who are SERIOUS about getting evidence to substantiate that which we all inherently believe: That the Immersive Internet is a disruptive technology that will have profound effects on how we live, work and play ; )

You can view the talk here.

The good folks at UT Austin were kind enough to post a video of my Keynote from the Virtual Worlds Conference they hosted a few weeks back.

For those of you who were at other Keynotes or Presentations I have done recently (Enterprise Ireland, LSU Virtual Worlds, Training Conference, Federal Virtual Worlds Consortium and Training Leadership Summit) much of what I cover here should be familiar.

For those of you who would like to see slides separately here is the slideshare:

“What are you thinking about?”

This is a question we all hear a lot, and certainly for me, having ADD it is a very difficult one to answer. That is because if I pause to consider the carbon-based twitter stream between my ears at any given time, it looks a whole lot like this:

If I want to have a bit more of longitudinal view, say over the past few months, I can (and I often do) run a blog stream analysis. That, today, looks like this:

These Wordle generated tag clouds probably do a better job of telling me what is on my mind that I can myself.

Taking this static view to the next level, imagine that I could do this in real time. Imagine (thanks to Blue Man Group for the idea) that I could walk around with a real-time tag cloud above my head that was visible to everyone.

It would look something like what I have mashed up in the video below, and – as in real-life – it takes a few seconds for the virtual brain to really kick in ; )

I have written about how competency based modeling is collapsing of its own weight as a talent management mechanism within the enterprise. You can read my spew-draft on that here.

In a fully digitally mediated world where information is the currency, individuals are the transport mechanism, interaction is the transfer mechanism and insight is the outcome, the need for real time tag clouds that render explicit what people know and do will be essential.

Once virtual worlds mainstream and avatar mediated work environments become the norm, transparency of capability and reputation will be afforded within the environment (as it is today in games) and we will have a far more effective and efficient way to coalesce capability around endeavor.

Back to my book now…..yes I was procrastinating….it is what writers do….after all I have a whole 13 days before d-day ; )