When I first started as a Management Development Trainer, a colleague and I had an ongoing debate about the need to be a performer when facilitating.  We agreed that proper facilitation requires charisma and the best facilitators we knew had a personality that lent to their presentation.  However, we disagreed about who was the star of the show.  He held that to some extent the session was about the facilitator, while I argued that the session was about the content and the learner’s connection with it.  He wanted the presentation to be memorable.  I wanted to ensure learning for everyone in the room.

Ten years later as an Instructional Designer, I strive to create memorable characters that will balance these two opinions.  I’ve learned to use characters as facilitators in eLearning modules, simulations and videos.  My biggest challenge is quickly developing a character the audience will relate to and remember, without detracting from the content. The goal is that each learning event that I create grabs the learner’s attention while communicating the content and ultimately transferring the knowledge to the learner.

Using characters to convey your learning message can be very powerful.  Characters can help the learner relate to the content by using humor, realistic examples, and demonstrating the behaviors.  Incorporating characters into learning events is also a great way to brand your learning.

There are a few different practices you can use to develop characters before writing begins.  After thoroughly reviewing the content, think about the target audience.  What type of person or thing will reach this target audience?  Who do they relate to?  How do they interact with the content?  Consider the role the character will play in the course.  Look for inspiration in a variety of places like conversations with subject matter experts, things you see or read (commercials, TV shows, popular characters in books and movies).  Then brainstorm and write a character profile that includes a description of the character, their background, and even some things this character might be seen doing or heard saying. 

Once you know who the character is, think of the journey they will take or how they will accompany the learner.  This storyline should connect to your outline.  You can start writing, but PROCEED with CAUTION.  If you’re not careful your characters can take over your course.  If you’re writing dialog or incorporating humor, ask yourself, “Will this lend to or take away from the content”? 

Remember, a good character is one that engages that learner, so that the learner trusts the character and builds a relationship with him or her and successfully transfers the knowledge to the learner. As Tony O’Driscoll said, “Content is king, but context is the kingdom.”

Watch Jane McGonigal’s video.  She’s a game designer, games researcher, and, in her own words, a “future forecaster”. She is the Director of Games Research and Development at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California. Jane researchers how the games people play today shape the real-world future. Her mission is to design games that will solve real-world problems and ultimately change human behavior to save the world and ensure a better future! A difficult task by any means, but after listening to her 2010 TED presentation, her seemingly impossible ideas become not only possible, but absolutely practical as well.

Watch her 2010 TED presentation: “Gaming can change the world” on Jane’s blog. Find undoubtable inspiration in the power of serious games to change the real world and attend LEEF 2010 to learn more about the technology, resources and research associated with serious games.

This is an excellent example of how serious games may be used to increase public involvement in and their understanding of government tactics dealing with national problems. It is easy to point fingers and blame the government for their inability to solve problems like health care reform, jobs loss, and education when totally unaware of the complexities and obstacles of the task. By creating serious games, the federal government is not only encouraging individuals to help “solve” the problems, but to also support public involvement in and knowledge of the challenges the government is tasked with overcoming. Serious games may also create a greater level of support, sympathy and interest in the government’s efforts to solve these problems, decreasing the gap between the people and their government.   

Read the article on mashable.com.

The LEEF 2010 conference will discuss the current uses and possibilities of serious games in education and training, as well as the future of serious games. LEEF will also offer the opportunity to learn about emerging technologies in the gaming industry and demo some of these technologies. Register for LEEF 2010 now!

The learning field is often influenced by entertainment and communication technologies that can be repurposed from their original intent to impact learning solutions (e.g. video, the web, games, virtual worlds).  The adoption of entertainment and communication technologies for learning is such a prevalent activity that Harrisburg University has created the Center for Advanced Entertainment and Learning Technologies (CAELT) to focus on such opportunities.

In fact, one element of the upcoming Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum (LEEF) at Harrisburg University on June 17 & 18 is the High Tech Demo area.  The area at LEEF will allow attendees to view and interact with emerging technologies that may have an impact on games, simulations and virtual worlds for learning.

While it’s extremely difficult to predict what technology will be made available to education and training organizations that may impact learning, there are three (3) types of technologies that are gaining traction in the entertainment and communication spaces that I think the learning industry should keep an eye on.

Augmented Reality

In general, augmented reality technology allows virtual information to be “overlayed” or experienced in conjunction with the physical world.  Augmented reality technology has already had an impact on learning solutions for automotive and vehicle repair, especially in the military (http://tiny.cc/cbma3).  But, most of the applications have been in entertainment, retail and advanced mapping (http://tiny.cc/7tsf8).  While more advanced and immersive applications require a “heads-up display” (http://www.vuzix.com/iwear/index.html), augmented reality can also be smart phone- or kiosk-based.  There will be two examples of augmented reality in the High Tech Demo area at LEEF.  Criterion Systems will demonstrate its augmented reality applications for training, including the opportunity to use the Vuzix heads-up display eyewear.  And, Microsoft will be demonstrating Surface technology that allows the tabletop computing device to interact with “tagged” physical items for enhanced shopping, entertainment and asset management experiences.

Immersive Computing

While augmented reality is certainly an immersive computing experience, it is embedded in activity centered in the physical world.  There are applications and devices that suspend a sense of reality and transport the user to a truly immersive and virtual environment.  Two “mainstream” technologies that are having an impact are virtual worlds and 3D viewing (computers and television).  Virtual worlds are a focus of LEEF, including case studies about virtual world training solutions.  The High Tech Demo area at LEEF last year featured 3D monitors that increased the immersion of game play.  And, you currently can’t go through a commercial set today without seeing an ad for 3D TV.  Now that these technologies have gained acceptance as a way to increase the immersion in entertainment, communication and learning what’s on the horizon?

With current technologies, there are boundaries (the monitor) and a lack of feedback other than visual and auditory (and some haptic feedback with peripheral devices).  Future technologies will expand the boundaries of the experience beyond the monitor and include other sensory feedback.  One such technology will be part of the High Tech Demo area at LEEF 2010 on June 17 & 18.  Virtusphere is an interactive, immersive environment that allows the user free-form movement without being tethered to the desktop or monitor (http://science.discovery.com/videos/popscis-future-of-virtusphere.html).  It was developed to enhance the gaming experience, but clearly has application in education, travel and architecture.

Neurofeedback Computing

Congratulations to Mattel for winning 2009 toy of the year for MindFlex !  You play MindFlex by guiding a floating ball through an obstacle course using your brain.  Yes, that’s right!  Awesome – isn’t it!?!  The MindFlex neural headset reads the intensity of your brain waves, based on your level of concentration.  The headset transmits a signal to the game console that controls a fan that moves the ball.  Your level of concentration controls the strength of the fan.  This is a fairly simple application of neurofeedback computing.  More advanced applications for gaming, entertainment, research and (eventually) learning are under development by companies like Emotiv and NeuroSky, who developed the technology behind MindFlex.  I believe there are learning implications for neurofeedback computing in individualized instruction and assessment that could truly change the game for learning in all environments.

Stay tuned to see what impact these technologies have on learning in schools, universities and the workforce.  And, attend LEEF 2010 at Harrisburg University for a sneak peek at augmented reality and immersive computing.

This reflects just one of the topics to be explored at LEEF, the Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum on June 17-18. LEEF is an interactive professional development event showcasing the convergence of learning and entertainment technologies and exploring the organizational, design and technical challenges for adopting games and simulations for learning.  Join Andy and presenters such as Jerry Heneghan of Applied Research Associates, Mike Cuffe, VP at Farmer’s Insurance, Phaedra Boinodiris of IBM, Koreen Olbrish of Tandem Learning, and more at LEEF this summer! The event will take place in Central Pennsylvania at Harrisburg University.  Go to www.LEEF2010.net to learn more about the program! 

2010 Horizon Report

Executive Summary

The annual work of the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Project, a qualitative research project established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, or creative inquiry on college and university campuses within the next five years. The 2010 Horizon Report is the seventh in the series and is produced as part of an ongoing collaboration between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), an EDUCAUSE program.

In each edition of the Horizon Report, six emerging technologies or practices are described that are likely to enter mainstream use on campuses within three adoption horizons spread over the next one to five years. Each report also presents critical trends and challenges that will affect teaching and learning over the same time frame.

Key Trends

The technologies featured in each edition of the Horizon Report are embedded within a contemporary context that reflects the realities of the time, both in the sphere of academia and in the world at large.

- The abundance of resources and relationships made easily accessible via the Internet is increasingly challenging us to revisit our roles as educators in sense-making, coaching, and credentialing.

-  People expect to be able to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever they want to.

-  The technologies we use are increasingly cloud-based, and our notions of IT support are decentralized.

- The work of students is increasingly seen as collaborative by nature, and there is more crosscampus collaboration between departments.

 Critical Challenges

Along with current trends, the Advisory Board notes critical challenges that face learning organizations, especially those that are likely to continue to affect education over the five-year time period covered by this report.

- The role of the academy — and the way we prepare students for their future lives — is changing.

-  New scholarly forms of authoring, publishing, and researching continue to emerge but appropriate metrics for evaluating them increasingly and far too often lag behind.

- Digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession.

- Institutions increasingly focus more narrowly on key goals, as a result of shrinking budgets in the present economic climate.

Read the full report at: http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2010-Horizon-Report.pdf which includes a comprehensive list of technologies to watch in the near and distant future.

Read Gameration 1
Read Gameration 2
Read Gameration 3

In this series, we’re taking a look at how the generation (Boomers, Generation X or Generation Y) might impact the way an individual thinks about and engages in games and ways in which learning professionals can adjust the game and simulation to address the expectations of each generation.  As we explore the generations keep in mind the characteristics are generalizations of the generation and not necessarily accurate for any one individual. 

This blog post summarizes the previous three gameration posts by listing game design approaches for each generation and indicating common approaches to game design that can address the preferences of all generations.

Address preferences throughout the generations:

• Give learners a chance to select their character from a pool of “realistic” and fictional characters that represent a variety of organizational/professional statuses.
• Indicate the learning benefit of the game or simulation to the individual at the beginning of game play.
• Indicate the consequences of the game action or inaction and indicate success for the individual character, the character’s “team” and the organization within the context of playing the game to defeat an “evil doer.”
• Indicate how professional success in the game play potentially impacts personal and societal success and vice versa.  
• Create dialogue and feedback in a professional, but casual tone.  Present main titles in formal text with less formal subtext.
• Let learners get started right away!  Don’t provide paragraph’s/screens of introduction before game play begins, but provide an option for learners to get more detail about game play and storyline if they want it.
• Allow variable timeframes within the game that allow dynamic game play as well as realistic series of events.
• Use an appropriate amount of media within the game play, but concentrate on interaction and immersion within the game (including the option for synchronous or asynchronous connections to real people as part of play) versus media-centric production.
• Present enough information in the game play to make progress in the game, and provide detailed information as an optional component of game play that will allow the player to excel.  Consider providing additional detail that may be contrary to game success as well so that the learner must evaluate the value and quality of the information.  Also consider additional access to information outside the game play that will support success in the game.
• Provide feedback throughout game play through status indicators and feedback from supporting “characters” in the game.  Also provide summary feedback that provides an opportunity for the learner to evaluate their own play, including showing their score/results relative to other players’ performance.  Indicate feedback based on the individual character’s, the “team’s” and/or the organization’s success. 
• Emphasize overall success or failure at the conclusion of game play, but provide an option for specific review of the experience including how/what the learner could have done differently at key points to improve the final outcome.
• Overall, consider an “out of game” debrief that reviews game play and connects it to the real-world activities that learners participate in each day.  Also provide opportunities to access advanced materials and additional learning opportunities that will continue to enhance performance as part of the debrief.
• Don’t focus on the technology or the fact that the learning solution is a “game” as part of implementation.  Rather, focus on the solution as the best way for learners to gain experience and practice critical skills and the individual and organizational impact the experience will have.
• Launch the game or simulation through multiple channels including the LMS, email, face-to-face meetings/discussions and synchronous online sessions that emphasize the storyline, the goals, feedback from play testers and the potential impact of the game play on individual and organization success.

It’s been fun to think about how different generational characteristics might impact game play,  game design and implementation throughout these posts.  In the end, any way that can help the learner have an “individualized” experience through various levels of user control is a positive approach in any learning solution.  Generational preferences are one way to consider those control points and variables.

This reflects just one of the topics to be explored at LEEF, the Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum on June 17-18. LEEF is an interactive professional development event showcasing the convergence of learning and entertainment technologies and exploring the organizational, design and technical challenges for adopting games and simulations for learning.  Join Andy and presenters such as Jerry Heneghan of Applied Research Associates, Mike Cuffe, VP at Farmer’s Insurance, Phaedra Boinodiris of IBM, Koreen Olbrish of Tandem Learning, and more at LEEF this summer! The event will take place in Central Pennsylvania at Harrisburg University.  Go to www.LEEF2010.net to learn more about the program!

Lieutenant Rocco’s recently returned from deployment in Iraq and he’s having trouble acclimating. He sits near the edge of a sofa in his social worker’s office, still dressed in fatigues, and sporting a buzz cut. Even though he says he’s okay, he admits to getting flack from his boss about his lack of productivity and that he’s arguing with his wife. “There are things I don’t want to talk about with her. Things I can’t get out of my head,” he says.

The more you listen in on Lieutenant Rocco’s session, the easier it becomes to forget the slightly odd cadences of his speech and the blocky outlines of his clothing which point out that the Lieutenant isn’t a real person. He’s a digital avatar designed to be a training tool as part of University of Southern California School of Social Work’s curriculum for the Master of Social Work degree with a Sub-concentration in Military Social Work. A virtual patient like Lieutenant Rocco teaches prospective counselors how to deal with soldiers returning from duty where they may have witnessed life-altering atrocities.

Read the full article at: http://www.fastcompany.com/1648674/learning-to-heal-wounded-warriors-with-digital-avatars and learn about create new ways to use avatars and serious games at LEEF 2010.

Go to http://leefblog.com/ to register now!

Derek Morrison discusses his views on the possibilities of technology in 2015. He uses the historic evolution of technology and its role in education to project where technology will go and what it will be used for in the future. But Morrison pauses to argue what technology in education should offer the learner. That is to say that while there may be endless possibilities, not all are effective in providing excellent learning solutions.  

Go to http://www.auricle.org/auriclewp/?p=4152 to read the full article.

How do you see technology transforming the future of education? Does technology truly provide innovative learning solutions? If not, how can technology be used to be effective?

Armonk, NY – 03 May 2010 – IBM today announced CityOne, a new “serious game” that can help customers, business partners and students discover how to make cities and their industries smarter by solving real-world business, environmental and logistical problems. Based on decades of experience in solving business challenges in creative ways, IBM “serious” games are designed to train the workforce of tomorrow. Details on the latest serious game from IBM will be unveiled on May 4, during the IMPACT 2010 conference in Las Vegas.

Historically, simulation gaming has been used extensively in the military, by athletes and by scientists to discover effective new strategies and techniques and develop the skills needed to implement them. These simulations have migrated into the entertainment space and spawned a new generation of what are known as massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). In these online games, players from all over the globe log into realistic and real-time virtual worlds via the Internet; they learn different roles and skill sets, and come together in self-selecting teams to collaborate and carry out missions in pursuit of common goals. Businesses have realized the value of this and are deploying their own games to create life-like simulations of real markets, customers and business situations that they deal with every day. 

“Enterprises are increasingly adopting Web 2.0 collaboration tools to appeal to a new generation entering the workforce that grew up immersed in social media technologies,” said Lisa Rowan, director HR, Learning, and Talent Strategies research IDC. “Training will need to follow suit by incorporating interactivity and gaming to be relevant to this new workforce.” 

To read the full article go to http://www.salt.org/salt.asp?pn=industry&ss=l

What are the implications of this “game”? Could this be repurposed for other situations or real challenges in society, politics, or the environment?