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May 2001Future Technologies & eLearning Seventy people attended our May meeting, sixty of them in person and ten remotely, via CentraNow. Seven companies gave brief demonstrations of new learning technologies:
The information in this colum under each vendor's name was provided by the vendor. White papers and demos appear in the column to the right. Sherry Hsi was so kind as to share her notes and those appear in the column to the right as well.
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Sherry's Notes & photos |
MuralsInteractive Learning's Sherrin Bennett created wonderful maps of our discussions. My photos are a bit fuzzy; I'll replace them with Sherrin's once I receive them.
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Xerox & Fuji XeroxWe believe there are two sides to learning: (1) the framed learning experience;
(2) the work environment experience. Content is a critical component,
and video provides a necessary extension of content traditionally delivered
through text. We shall demonstrate an application for framed learning
called MediaDEPO, a tool that provides browsing and summarization
of video content. In the second arena we shall discuss LinkLite, a powerful
system for the delivery of learning objects that has also been used to
provide content to a mobile workforce. Field learning experience can then
be reused through several learning loops, including engineering, manufacturing,
and documentation. With ROI a critical metric for the justification of
eLearning, it is useful to understand that Eureka, built on the
LinkLite infrastructure, is saving $25 million/year for Xerox.
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Vis-a-vis - Visual storytellers from pencil-to-pixel Vis-a-vis is a custom content development house. At Vis-a-vis, we believe learning is dynamic. We are focused on enhancing the learner experience by bringing engaging, interactive design elements to eLearning. Long before there was the written word, people learned through stories. And those lessons not only stayed with them for a lifetime, they were passed on for generations. We believe that by utilizing storytelling, combined with compelling visual elements and interactivity that eLearning can create a new standard for absorption and retention rates. In the presentation, we are going to talk about the future of Learning and Training - one where the student is entertained and educated all at the same time:
Alex Cole |
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The Ontopix Web Direct Training System allows rapid authoring of multimedia
guidance systems for the Internet. In six minutes, the demo will conclusively
show how quickly and easily a content expert (a non-programmer) can create
training directly on and for a web site. The training system is being
prepared for testing as: Christopher Frost, Acting Venture COO, Ontopix Web Direct Training Systems, a spinoff from Siemens TTB. |
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Extempo's Adaptive Learning Guides Adaptive Learning Guides are smart, interactive characters that guide users through online learning activities. Ranging from subject-matter tutors to motivational coaches, Guides can provide comprehensive assistance through an entire course or just-in-time assistance to support job performance or other needs. In addition to their basic functions, Guides can bring personality, humor, stories, and warmth to the learning experience. Like human tutors, Guides can substantially enhance learning outcomes and learner satisfaction. Moreover, they can provide this unique advantage to every individual learner at a small fraction of the cost of human tutors. Guide Development Tools are designed for use by non-technical authors, including course designers, educators, content experts, marketing professionals, customer service experts, and advertising designers. The tools come in two forms. Authors can customize standardized Guides with their own content. Within 30 minutes a guide can be created and deployed on the author's site, guiding individual learners and generating daily reports on learner progress and course effectiveness. Alternatively, authors can create their own unique Guides, incrementally developing and enhancing their Guide's function and manner, based on observed effectiveness and learner responses. Visit www.learning-guides.com to learn more about Extempo's open source service for authors, partners, researchers, and users of Adaptive Learning Guides.
Barbara Hayes-Roth |
White papers
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Qarbon's Viewlet Technology Viewlet technology provides companies with powerful audio-visual training
solutions that heighten the effectiveness of online marketing, employee
training and customer support. Viewlet technology removes all barriers
to creating and enjoying rich media demos. ViewletBuilder, Qarbon's authoring
tool, creates animated software demonstrations that are perfect for showing
how software works. Due to the compelling output and the ease of use,
Keith Borman |
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TheBrain Technologies Corp. has developed the Knowledge Collaboration Platform (KCP) - a workspace that uniquely integrates the processes, people, and information involved in knowledge intensive business processes. TheBrain's KCP is for knowledge workers and communities of practice who
regularly collaborate within and across the enterprise, and who are dissatisfied
with their ability to access and share the collective knowledge and expertise
that exists within their organization. The KCP provides a
Bruce Steel |
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Implications |
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The Brain is the navigation scheme for Ray Kurzweil's incredible AI website. Ray says the future will be here sooner that most of us think. We humans forecast linearly. Factor in the exponential growth of Moore's Law, bandwidth, networking, and biotech; we can hardly imagine what's right around the corner. |  |
Task Forces
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The Games & Simulations Task Force decided to play outside. |
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The Community-Building Task Force communes on the patio.
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Kate makes a point. |
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Let's make a deal.
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Jay
Cross noted that many companies are over-reacting to the crash of the
dot-coms by calling for a return to Industrial Age fundamentals. Pulling
a SONY AIBO out of a bag, he noted the incredible technological progress
all around. The Internet may not have changed everything but neither has
Moore's Law been repealed. How will we employ tools like those we'll see
today to advance learning?
