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There are several strategies that can be employed to educate users or clients. In some settings, traditional methods might not work. This is often the case when teaching unwilling participants. Ideally, a training medium should be:

• engaging in itself, regardless of the material or “lessons” being taught, and
• non-intrusive – the material or “lessons” should not try to guilt users into better behaviour; users should not even realise that they are learning!

A game, as a training medium, satisfies these requirements very well. Games are very engaging, and indeed appeal to a children and adults alike. With careful design, the learning material can be made part of the game in such a way that the users internalises knowledge without realising it. By focusing on a younger audience, the game can also educate parents indirectly through their children.

Games have been used successfully to educate children and adults in various fields:

• Games such as Monopoly and the Tycoon series (includes Zoo Tycoon, Lemonade Tycoon, and Transport Tycoon) have been used to teach kids about business and its principles. (See http://www.sparkplugging.com/sparkplug-ceo/14-educational-games-to-teach-your-kids-about-business/).
• The American military developed America’s Army specifically to aid in training soldiers. The game was very successful outside the military as well – some 3.4 million players registered to play it. Since then the Pentagon has opened its own game development studio, where new games are designed and built. (See http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/news/2004/06/63911).
• The Entertainment Technology Center worked with the Fire Department of New York City to develop Hazmat: Hotzone, a game used in training firemen. The game is especially helpful in training situations that are hard to emulate in real-life, and is aimed at their younger firemen. (See http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0606/p11s01-legn.html)

Currently we are engaged in the development of computer games to assist users and decision makers to provide energy efficient solutions at home and in communities. Here, choices are made about energy efficient end-user equipment and generation technologies, and the benefits of changing human behaviour regarding energy usage are highlighted in a fun way through gaming.

The deadline of the SA Software Development Capability Survey has expired. More than 180 people registered for the survey, offering a wide variety of inputs from various sectors (see above). These inputs, together with interviews conducted with local and European software developers will inform the Meraka roadmapping workshop, that will take place February 2009. The winner of the iPod touch will be announced before the end of the year.

We have extended the deadline for the Questionnaire for South African Software Development Capability to give respondents more time to complete it. The new deadline is 15 October 2008.

So far more than 170 people have registered for the survey, and as can be seen from the chart above, they represent a wide variety of industries. If you want to know what other developers are doing, complete the survey before the expiration date. More information about the survey is available on the survey web site.

In anticipation of the expected bandwidth boom in Africa,  Cisco has announced a R215-million investment in the Cisco Innovation Hub Technology Centre (CIHTC). This is the first move in a series of programmes that are expected to drive R1-billion in GDP (gross domestic product) over five years.

InnovationLab, one of the five initiatives that make up this program, is developing solutions for education and crime prevention using hi-tech virtual environments. These solutions could result in local sales revenue of approximately R30 million and potential sales export opportunities of the same amount for entrepreneurs and their partners.

Using a virtual classroom, for example, InnovationLab will look at creating comprehensive ICT solutions for schools, including networking solutions and surveillance products.

The virtual classroom will be launched in a year from now, and policy makers and investors will be able to visit it and see how they can invest in developing educational solutions for rural areas.

For more information, see Cisco’s press release.

A virtual demonstrator is a room that takes the user into a simulated world, where he or she can use and experience new technologies in close-to-real circumstances.

The virtual demonstrator features the following:

• 360 degree display of 3D environments that surrounds the users;
• theatre surround sound;
• interconnectivity with real devices (for example, cell phones, GPS devices, and computers);
• interconnectivity with an innovation show case;
• software that simulates environments, artificial characters and specific scenarios; and a
• industrial acting stage.

Supporting this immersive area is an observation station, where the reactions and behaviour of users in a test situation can be monitored.

The demonstrator as a tool that supports innovation has many uses; it can serve as

• a test bed;
• a usability lab;
• a training facility; and
• a technology showcase and playground.

The virtual demonstrator will make many of the tenuous ideas of new technology explicit, and so help reduce the number of unknowns that characterises innovation before it is taken to market.

This survey is part of the Meraka Institute’s efforts to build South Africa’s software development capability, with which they aim to strengthen software development competence, increase software innovation, and provide R&D support in government policy.

The survey asks developers questions about the kind of software they develop, their processes, the technologies they use, and so on. Users of specialised software are asked about their needs, the platforms they use, and what opportunities and problems mould the software market in South Africa.

If you are a developer or user of custom-built software, please help shape the future of software development by filling in the survey. You will get feedback on the trends in South African software development, and stand the chance to win an iPod Touch. It might also be a good opportunity to self-audit your systems and processes.

Who are we? InnovationLab is a company that help you to innovate — from contracting research, and conducting innovation workshops, to building simulations and physical demonstrators in which you can test and show off your innovations to prospective clients. See What we do and How we do it.

So what will we blog about? Mostly about our projects (often with sneak previews of the visualisation and simulation software we are building), but sometimes also about the process of innovation, especially those issues we experience down here at the tip of Africa. Stay tuned!