SolutionsMapping

MIT Enterprise Forum: The Future of Digital Learning, Part 3

The Present Situation

Digital learning is being used widely for corporate training and performance support. Panelists identified the "sweet spot" as the knowledge gap that results in a performance gap that can be filled by technology. Technical training and on-boarding new employees are two places where a spectrum of technology solutions have been adopted by businesses and corporations.

The "three weeks in Dallas for training" scenario that used to be standard fare for new corporate employees has become a much more time and cost-effective practice. New employees engage in self-paced online learning before face-to-face training. This blended learning approach is rapidly gaining favor because it delivers superior learning results-- enabling employees to be more effective on the job--for less money and less time.

New product training increasingly includes a digital learning component. It's cost-effective, convenient and permits the learner to repeat any part of the content that he may not have thoroughly understood on the first pass. This learner-driven flexibility can reduce anxiety, enabling the learner to be more cognitively effective.

The use of digital learning for high-performance training in simulations in the military was not discussed in this presentation, but has been an application for decades.

Trends and Prospects for the Future

Last September, I participated in a web-based seminar, Increasing the Strategic Value of the Learning Organization presented by Bersin & Assoc. I encourage you to explore this presentation. It's a rich information resource that addresses how a learning organization develops bench strength and competencies needed for the future.

The comments of the panelists, together with this presentation, make it clear that digital learning applications for corporations is a growth industry--not only in the U.S. but globally.

I'd be delighted to hear about your experiences as learner, solutions provider or corporate manager.

MIT Enterprise Forum: The Future of Digital Learning, Part 2

The Present & Future of Digital Learning in Education
Panelists (see my previous post for names) provided an interesting range of responses to the questions posed by the moderator:

What's Working in the Present?

• The power of the Internet for learning is being recognized and utilized more.
• Homeschooling is creating demand for mathematics instruction software. Most parents of home-schooled children are not able to teach algebra and calculus.
  
• Kids with health and emotional issues who can't make it to school can be served with online learning and digital instruction.
• Online learning is increasing high school graduation rate. 33% of the students who took courses with the Digital Learning Commons would not have graduated otherwise.
• Online learning provides access and options, in an environment where schools are currently driven by test scores.

What Challenges Do We Face in Realizing More of the Benefit of Digital Learning?

• Technical challenges, including bandwidth and multiple platforms.
  
• Cultural challenges: People in different cultures learn differently. 
  
• Pedagogical challenges. There is a social aspect to learning and the absence of it sometimes turns people away from online learning.
• Student-to-computer ratio (WA avg.=4:1) is still too high to enable delivery of online courses.
• Inadequate teacher training re use technology in classrooms.
• Inadequate funding for development of good content.
• Need for better distribution of content. 
• Need for better content. There's a lot of content, and much of it is not very good.
• Challenge of structuring information so it's easy to learn.
  
  My consulting practice addresses this need through the creation and use of visual knowledge in the form of concept maps and knowledge models. Concept map construction is rooted in David Ausubel's Theory of Meaningful Learning--see my blog post from Sept. 16, 2006.
  
  Prof. Joseph D. Novak has proposed a_new_model_for_education based on the use of "skeleton expert maps" provided to, and progressively improved by, the learner. Sound Knowledge Strategies is using this model in a consulting project with the Center to Strengthen the Teaching Profession (CTSP).
  
  What's The Future of Digital Learning in Education?

• Use what's out there in a simpler and easier way--cleaner interface, better presentation of progress.
  
• Continued social bonding through instant messaging (IM) and social networking.
• Blending of intuitive intelligence and online learning.
• Learning that includes kinesthetic engagement. Ksenia spoke of the compelling engagement she observed as young people used "Wii," the new gaming device from Nintendo.
• Platforms are moving to be more open so that content will not be tied to platform.
• Wikis enable individuals to contribute to content, however, quality control can be an issue.
• Higher-ed will offer more on-line learning.
• Platforms will merge, e.g., cellphone and iPod. In the future you will be able to connect both to a server in your home.

It's interesting that these glimpses of the future of digital learning in education are not that much different from the current situation--so unlike the rapid pace of change in the cyberworld world at large. YouTube, for example, burst upon the scene and was bought by Google a year later for $1.65 billion in stock.

Recent results from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) demonstrate again, as standardized tests always have, a direct correlation between socio-economic status and test scores. This  most pronounced in science and math.

Neither our state or our nation can afford to leave the challenges of effective use of digital learning unmet. If schools are to enter the global wired world, this will mean investing in broadband infrastructure for schools. A good mission, perhaps, for the Bill & Melinda Gates?

 

MIT Enterprise Forum: The Future of Digital Learning, Part 1

The January 17 MIT Enterprise Forum in Bellevue, WA, featured a presentation by Ksenia Oustiougova, Founder & CEO of Lilipip and a panel of five experts in digital learning. Ksenia provided an overview of her company's plans for innovative design and delivery of educational content for pre-schoolers.

Panelists addressed the topic: "Classrooms Today, Clicks Tomorrow: The Future of Digital Learning." 

The panel was moderated by Steven Conrad of Media Pro. Panelists were:

• Dr. Hala Annabi, Institute for Innovation in Information Management, UW;
• Karl Nelson, Digital Learning Commons
• Charlie Gillette, Knowledge Anywhere, a technology-based learning and performance support organization
• and Bill Finkbeiner, Executive Director of Insight Schools - recently acquired by The Apollo Group, the parent company of the University of Phoenix.

The program began with Ksenia's presentation of Lilipip's first product. "Lilipip" comes from her son's pronunciation of "Little people." Ksenia presented her idea and sample prototype for educational downloadable videos. The videos will be playable on any video device, but are especially targeted for use on cell phone to help mothers respond to their 2-5 year-olds "teachable moments".

Ksenia's venture was inspired by her son's delight with snow during the recent Seattle-area storms, and her inability come up with accurate, on-the-spot answers to his questions during the brief moments he was enamored of snowflakes.

The concept: subscription-based content delivery to cell phones for moms of pre-schoolers to help them capture their children's "teachable moments".

The panelists response was generally favorable, though somewhat mixed. They saw some promise, and raised critical questions. Would the subscription model work? Are people already tied into seeking information on the internet? Will wireless providers really go for this? Is the cellphone screen too small?

Ksenia took the panel's tough questions in stride and offered insightful comments during the program-at-large. I think she will pull this off. She knows her target market. She is smart and high-energy. She is establishing a track record of excellence--she won the Best Consumer Product Idea Prize in the UW Business Plan Competition. Ksenia is passionate about this product. In the words of my former corporate colleagues, she has "fire in her belly."

Best case scenario is the content Lilipip delivers not only solves a momentary need for information, but also helps to cultivate a "sense of wonder"--in the toddler and parent.

Watch for news from Lilipip: www.lilipip.com

Stay tuned for my upcoming blog posts:

Part 2: The Present & Future of Digital Learning in the Education Market.
Part 3: The Present & Future of Digital Learning in the Corporate World
Part 4: Where are the investment opportunities?