604 - Google - Why Not a Beta Phone? Twitter in the Classroom.
January 11, 2010 Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - January 11, 2010.
#604 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
54,864 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 - Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL
1. Google - Make Me a Beta Phone!
2. Twitter in the Classroom - Software and Process for Back Channel.
3. Social Learning LAB & Seminar in February.
1. Google - Make Me a Beta Phone! On Thursday, the new Google Phone arrived in my hands. And, I have one major suggestion for Google - Embrace Your Own Beta Model!
While there are many interesting aspects to the Google Phone - from “haptic” sensory touch, to a flash for the camera, to user configurable screens and one-click publishing - I was slightly underwhelmed. There was an absence of multi-touch and the size of the fonts were difficult on my soon-to-be-60-year-old eyeballs. The one question that I have and am raising directly to Google is, “Why didn’t you create the Google Beta Phone?”
Google has brilliantly used the beta approach on Gmail, Google Documents and more. Essentially, label the innovation as a beta and everyone then becomes your partner in feedback and improvement.
Imagine if Google had sold me a Google Beta Phone. In fact, etch the word Beta right above the name Google on the back. The deal could be for 100,000 to 1/2 millon Beta users: we pay full price and agree to send comments, suggestions and improvement paths to Google each month. We get downloaded versions of new software and six months later, for just $179 (their cost of hardware), we get the Version 1.1 handset. Google has been an expert in using the “wisdom of the crowds” to advise and direct their design and improvement of much of their product line. Yet, the Google phone was shippped as a “DONE” product.
Bottom line: I am interested in the Google platform and open apps, as well as coming innovations in the mobile arena that we will see from Apple, Microsoft and others. But, Google (and others), please remember the Beta process. We would be willing to pay real dollars to use and improve new products. It can be both profitable and your path to true game changers.
2. Twitter in the Classroom - Software and Process for Back Channel: At Learning 2009, we experimented with a visible “Twitter Back Channel” at our General Sessions. A number of colleagues have asked about the process and learnings from this approach. Here are the details:
* Pick a # Tag for the event. For example, we used #L2009.
* Ask your participants who have Twitter access in the classroom or conference to use that in all of their messages.
* We used a web based application called SPY to display a real time display of these Tweets behind the speakers on a large screen and on a plasma display in front of the podium. SPY is at http://spy.appspot.com
* You just add a search term (eg. #L2009) and SPY will display, in full screen mode, a real time monitoring of the related messages.
* The impact is pretty different. For the speakers, they kept one eye on the display in front of us. I would use this to steer specific questions or comments that were posed by the participants.
* For the audience, they had a cable news-like feed to watch in back of the speakers. Some loved it; some hated it. But, it was interesting.
* As a facilitator, I liked the experiment and it really pushed me to drive the conversation in new directions.
* For some speakers, I kept the monitor in front of us on and turned off the back display.
* And, we had one instance of someone who was flooding the screen with very commercial messages from another location. (I chose to turn off the feed for a while, until I could “coach” them.)
* One variation is to just have a laptop near the instructor/speaker with a switch to display messages from time to time.
We will see lots of experiments about the best use of a Back Channel in live events. I have seen parallel uses during webinars that often provide a rich flow of context to folks watching a seminar around the globe, even “translating” regional jargon or technical terms.
3. Social Learning LAB & Seminar in February: We are pleased to offer our third offering of the popular Social Learning LAB & Seminar, to be held in Saratoga Springs from Feb. 22nd to 24th. For three days, you will be exploring how organizations are (and will be) evolving Learning Designs to leverage Social Learning and Collaboration. This can range from “adding” a social dimension to an e-Learning module to fully redesigning a program to be collaborative and project based. Information and registration at http://www.masie.com
Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
Contact: emasie@masie.com
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