Emerging Technologies
There are new technologies which are starting to make their way into the mainstream, some more than others. Depending on your industry and workplace, you may have seen some of these already. These technologies allow us to incorporate different content experiences as part of our overall learning solutions.
I wanted to start with Chatbots . . .
Chatbots
We’ve all encountered Chatbots when we visit websites, but how could we use Chatbots in an L&D and training environment?
There is a podcast and transcript available through Sprout Labs and Robin Petterd (who we’ve met before)
When designing our chatbot experience, think “human” first, and the conversation should flow
Who wants to build a chatbot?
I discovered this chatbot platform that allows for an unlimited free plan, for testing and experimenting.
Here is my chatbot, which isn’t much , but it’s a start
A very basic working chatbot (not finished)
This is the same Chatbot in the corner of each of these windows
Virtual Reality
We are already seeing Virtual Reality (VR) in the mainstream through goggles and game consoles and many organisations are starting to use Virtual Reality in their training programs especially where safety is a priority.
We can also experience VR and 360 experiences without special hardware, as the article about “13 reasons why…” (below) explains, plus the example Captivate file with VR and 360 content integrated. This experience can be viewed without goggles.
VR for Corporate Training: Examples of VR already being used
How could VR be used where you work?
Defence specific idea
13 REASONS WHY VR ENTERPRISE ELEARNING ISN’T WHAT YOU NEED NEXT
“…And Why VR-Ready Is The Real Trend You Need To Be Looking At. Being VR-Ready means being platform agnostic, having an experience work on mobile, tablet, computer or in VR/AR. This allows you to expose everyone in the organization to the potential value of VR and higher engagement. Getting buy-in to the widest audience possible in an organization is important to determining the greater value VR can bring.”
Module Example built with Adobe Captivate with “VR Ready” content
I built this eLearning module using Adobe Captivate and a 3rd party VR javascript framework which allows for the experience to be viewed without the need for glasses.
Virtual VR meeting environments
I recently discovered Frame VR, a VR based live meeting space. You can try it our for free, click on the image below to have a look.
Maybe we could hold one of our classes here?
The Metaverse
You may have heard of the Metaverse through the recent publicity around Facebook changing the name of the parent company to Meta?
Simply put, the Metaverse is an online space experienced through Virtual Reality. As discussed in the article below, no-one “owns” the Metaverse, however Facebook (or Meta) has started to invest in the evolving technology. The Metaverse could also be seen as an evolution of the phenomena called Second Life, which was prominent in the early 2000s.
An article on Hackernoon, a website dedicated to technology. Look out for the audio version of the article at the top of the page.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented Reality (AR) is a big investment for Microsoft through their HoloLens technology. AR is where you superimpose a VR environment on top of the real environment, so the glasses are transparent with the holographic image displayed in the glass lens. Mobile devices can also be used for AR and you may recall the Pokemon Go hysteria from a few years ago.
“The company employs more than 100 HoloLens devices in its Mercedes-Benz Global Training program, where about 450 management, product, branding, and sales employees have access to the devices.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) requires immense resourcing both human and computational so for many organisations this type of investment may be a long way off, however it is still on the horizon and we need to be mindful of it as it starts to pop up in conversations. We may be asked our opinions when those conversations start to happen.
3 Incredible Ways AI Will Transform Learning and Development
For some, these technologies have been floating around for a while and those involved may be fully immersed in one or many of these technologies.
For others, we may be getting introduced to these technologies for the first time and yet to see them making a major impact, however we should be prepared for when these technologies start to seep in to our every day lives.
How do you feel about working with these technologies in the not-to-distant-future?