860 - Tech After Holidays: 4K Learning, Cardboard VR, Tesla and iBeacons

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - December 28, 2014.
#860 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
56,789 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning Innovations Retreat LAB - Jan 7 to 9, 2015.

Tech After The Holidays - High and Low Tech Aha’s!
1. 4K Learning - High Definition Curved Images.
2. Cardboard VR - Folding Paper, Phone & Virtual Reality.
3. Tesla Electric Disruption - A Driving Science Project.
4. Beacons Discovery - Oh, There You Are, Learner!

Tech After The Holidays - High and Low Tech Aha’s: After Christmas and Chanukah, many people explore the technology from their presents. I am now in our Learning LAB in Saratoga exploring low and high tech that might have implications for learning in the future. Here are some quick notes from Elliott the Learning Geek - with more to follow in January:

1. 4K Learning - High Definition Curved Images: We just opened up a new 65” Curved Screen, 4K Ultra Definition TV in our LAB. It is pretty amazing to see video played in Ultra 4K style, especially on a High Def Curved Screen. I have been experimenting with using the new screen - and a 4K camera - to bring images and experiences to new depths for a learner. For example, I watched a mountain climber show how she scaled the rocks using grips and ropes. The intensity of the images made it very different for me as a learner. Netflix and others are starting to stream 4K movies at a slight up charge. I can’t wait to make some trial video segments for learning. Here is a sample of the screen in our LAB: http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN65HU9000FXZA

2. Cardboard VR - Folding Paper, Phone & Virtual Reality: While we have the new Oculus Virtual Reality prototype now owned by Facebook, I was looking for a much lower cost and accessible option for Learning TRENDS readers. So, we wandered into the CARDBOARD world of Cardboard - a special project from Google. Take a formatted cardboard outline - purchased for just a few dollars or printed from a PDF - and fold it up to make a viewer that holds an Android or iPhone. You can view really powerful Virtual Images! This is an open source project and there are some wild experiments that include a concert by Paul McCartney where you change the view by moving your head. Imagine if this were a simulation for new store employees or technical training modules. Check it out at: https://www.google.com/get/cardboard/

3. Tesla Electric Disruption - A Driving Science Project: I am enjoying my holiday present of a TESLA, the all electrical vehicle from Elon Musk. It is an amazing and disruptive piece of technology. It charges up to give a 260 mile range in a car that is OMG fast and high performance. It goes from 0 to 60 in just a few seconds and is a combo of a sports car and active science experiment. The dashboard includes a 17” screen with Big and Small Data for the driver. Owning this car turns me into a daily learner. For a holiday trip, we picked a hotel with a free high powered charger in the lot to get ready for another 200 miles.  The car’s technology is also quite disruptive as it regularly goes online and gets a complete upgrade that adds new driving features every few weeks. Imagine if our LMSs were that good at upgrading for new learning requirements! A fun “aha” yesterday was to discover that Nick Howe, the Chief Learning Officer for Hitachi, has written the leading book on owning a TESLA. Here is a picture of the battery deck of a TESLA: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Tesla_Motors_Model_S_base.JPG

4. iBeacons Discovery - Oh, There You Are, Learner! On the table are a dozen small devices, each about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch high. They are very cool “iBeacons” that can have an engagement role in learning and development. Each beacon is programmed to be detected by the users in your organization or just customers walking by. Their smartphones, if enabled with Smart Bluetooth and an appropriate app, can detect the beacons’ presence and send a note, picture, video or text message that would alert or remind users of a fact, content element or opportunity. I am setting these beacons up to alert our LAB participants of a piece of technology that is nearby or to link them to a Performance Support page that explains something new. The beacons can be set up for variable proximity and specific types of learners. We are excited to explore how these low cost beacons could assist a learning project. Here is a page on iBeacons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBeacon

So, what is Elliott the tech and learning kid discovering in the LAB with these technologies? 

- Learning Implications: New tech developers rarely start by thinking of the world of learning. We must be experimenters and lab creatures to take something new like 4K or iBeacon and think how it might be evolved for learning.
- Cool Things Can Be Inexpensive: While some tech is pretty expensive, let’s look at some that might be only $1.99 a learner or even open source.
- Technology Isn’t Affordances: In other words, some things that are cool, like Second Life, may not pan out or may never find a route to workplace learning.
- Share Your Tech: Set up an area in the workplace for fellow colleagues to experiment and “play” with new technologies. Great ideas await!

Have a very Happy New Year and I look forward to more Learning TRENDS in 2015.

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
Chair, The Learning CONSORTIUM

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