The Problem with Web 2.0…

Discuss.

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iPhone makes data look sexy

Learning professionals need to interrogate and understand data. Whether you're interpreting the LMS access logs of your courseware, checking out your blog and wiki usage, quantifying Kirkpatrick's Four Levels, or devising statistical instruments and analyzing data for your latest white paper, you need to look at and manipulate long columns and rows of information. (What do you mean you don't do any of that stuff? Are you in the right job?)

iPhone users now have another way to access and view their spreadsheets and charts: software development house MeLLmo have released RoamBi, an app that lets you view the static data from spreadsheets and tables as interactive charts that are published via an teh iPhone or iPod Touch. The free-to-use RoamBi Visualizer app is available for download from the iTunes App Store.

The RoamBi app displays data on your iPhone, giving you access to your stats and figures from your free-to-use online RoamBi account. The app works well with CVS- and Microsoft Excel-formatted data, and can manage Salesforce.com account reports, business process outsourcing (BPO) key performance indicators. Users of the enterprise version of RoamBi can also import SAP Crystal Reports and SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence data into the app.

According to MeLLmo’s Santiago Becerra,

It’s the first real enterprise-grade app that allows users to transfer all the info they use on a day-to-day basis onto the iPhone.

Your spreadsheet, BPO and KPI data is stored on the app’s accompanying Web site. Developed in Adobe Flex (the open source Flash-based framework for building and maintaining expressive web applications), you upload your content to RoamBi Designer, where you can customize views for delivery to the iPhone. The finished views are published from the Web tool to your phone through an Amazon-hosted server. MeLLmo state that the resultant outputs are

like a mini-app that allows you to navigate through a particular set of data in a way that feels very natural to you.

RoamBi has a number of views including

• CataList - organizes data into different hierarchical levels, interpreting those levels based on the metadata from the spreadsheet.
• Cardex - a 3-D rolodex-style view of records
• Pie View - presents data a spinnable pie chart
• SuperList - displays data in a tabular format with fixed column and row titles.

I recently commented on the growing acceptance of the iPhone as an enterprise-level communications solution. I would assert that we are now beginning to see the emergence of a virtuous circle: now that the popular demand is there, software houses will invest in developing productivity apps like RoamBi, which will in turn drive more business users to the device, which will result in more business functionality being ported to the device. I hope this will lead to an upswing in the number and range of knowledge-sharing, informational, and educational applications for this and other personal mobile devices.

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Discovering Instructional Design 9: Implementation and Improvement

Over the last few weeks we have been discovering Instructional Design (ID) - the practice of maximizing the effectiveness, efficiency and accessibility of instruction and other learning experiences. The ID process can be said to have a number of steps:

1. Determine the current state and needs of the learner
2. Define the end goal of instruction
3. Develop a learning intervention to assist in the acquisition of new skills, knowledge or expertise.

Once these stages have been undertaken, the learning materials need to implemented and improved, or evaluated, and that’s what we’re going to investigate today.

IMPLEMENTATION

The implementation phase of the instructional design process is when the instruction as designed is actually delivered. Materials are collected, the environment is arranged, and the course is prepared for delivery.

For some courses, (particularly in e-learning environments) a pre-test is made available. This can determine whether the learner can already perform some of the objectives (or larger units of instruction). If that is the case, certain modules or part of the curriculum can be skipped. A pre-test can also determine whether a learner is undertakes an individualized learning path - a basic form of adaptive learning design.

When designing a new course or learning program, the design and materials should be tested during a pilot course. The pilot enables the instructional designer and trainers to have an opportunity to review and revise the course before it is fully implemented. The instructor who actually delivers the training must be knowledgeable and skilled in the competency-based training approach used by the instructional designer when designing the course.

IMPROVEMENT PHASE

A common useful way and comprehensive way of looking at improvement is in terms of the Kirkpatrick model:

Donald L Kirkpatrick first published his ideas on evaluating learning in 1959 in a series of articles in the US Training and Development Journal. The articles were subsequently included in his book Evaluating Training Programs (originally published in 1975; I have the 2006 edition).

In this text he outlined and further developed his theories on evaluating culminating in the Four-Level Model, arguably the most widely used and popular approach for the evaluation of training and learning. Kirkpatrick's Four-level model is now considered an industry standard across the HR and training communities (see Table 1).

Table 1 Kirkpatrick's Four-level Model

Kirkpatrick’s Model	Learning Effect
Level 1: Reactions.	Evaluate participants' satisfaction with the learning intervention.
Level 2: Learning and Level 3: Behavior.	What do participants know they didn't know before? How are they using knowledge in their jobs? What is the learning and performance effect of the intervention?
Level 4: Organization-level benefits.	Has the development of higher levels of domain knowledge improved organizational productivity?

According to the model, evaluation should always begin with Level One, and as time and budget allows, should move sequentially through Levels Two, Three, and Four. Information from each prior level serves as a base for the next level's evaluation. Each successive level represents a more precise measure of the effectiveness of the training program, however, each level also requires a more rigorous and time-consuming analysis.

Kirkpatrick's model aside, the course materials, objectives, delivery, test items, audience profile – all of the instructional components in fact – need to be evaluated. Assessing these elements regularly is especially important for repeating courses or asynchronous courseware. As an example, if substantial majority (70% or 80% of the learners) fail a criterion test item, it would be reasonable to look again at the design of the related piece of instruction.

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References:

Kirkpatrick, D. & Kirkpatrick, P. (2006) Evaluating Training Programs. 3rd ed. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

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Launching from the Flash Platform

Adobe Flash has evolved considerably since Macromedia Flash was used to create animations and develop and run interactive Web-based content. According to the current developers, the Adobe Flash Platform is

an integrated set of technologies surrounded by an established ecosystem of support programs, business partners, and enthusiastic user communities. Together, they provide everything you need to create and deliver the most compelling applications, content, and video to the widest possible audience.

The Flash Platform combines tools, an open source framework, ubiquitous clients, and scalable servers (see Table 1).

Table 1 Components of the Flash Platform

Application Type	Technology
Runtime Environment	Flash Player
	Flash Professional
Authoring Tools	Flex
	Flash Catalyst
	Flash Media Server
Flash Server	BlazeDS
	LiveCycle DS

The environment enables content developers create applications and content from prototype to deployment in an integrated framework (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 The Flash Platform

In the context of Flash-based authoring tools like Adobe Captivate, the platform enables e-learning content authors to rapidly and efficiently design, develop and implement Web-based learning applications including:

• Screen recording and demos
• Software simulations
• Scenario-based training
• Presentations
• Quizzes
• Podcasts
• Screencasts

I have written about the pros and cons of Captivate in previous blog articles so I don’t intend to go over the same old ground again, but you can find out more by clicking here.

________________
References:

Adobe Website: http://www.adobe.com

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Cooliris goes from strength to strength

Back in August I reviewed an application called Cooliris (formerly PicLens). In concluding my review, I said that

...this tool is exciting, [and] exhibits great potential, but needs a little work to get it past the finish line. Having said that, I can easily see it being a common part of the web experience in time to come, particularly if the developers can sustain the "fun factor" supplied by navigating through content in this environment.

I'm pleased to say that since then Cooliris has moved forward. While updating my Foxmarks today, what should I see on their (Foxmarks') homepage but the self-same Cooliris, under their 'Other add-ons we like' category. If you'd like to try the application for yourself, click here to go to their website.

In my view it's great that there are fun educational applications available; when confronted with the task of providing learning and development services for the organizations and institutions that we're involved with, it's sometimes easy to forget that above all else, learning should be a rewarding experience for everyone.

So well done to PicLens and maintain the development effort guys!

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Another look at e-learning presentation tools

I was contacted last week by a software development house to take a look at and review Cooliris, their Web photo viewer and (potential) business/learning presentation tool. As long as there's a valid e-learning or learning and development application or usage I'm happy to oblige.

Now read on...

Cooliris is a browser-based three-dimensional graphical user interface (GUI) featuring a full-screen interactive '3D Wall' that uses an Apple Cover Flow-style approach to viewing visual media assets such as images from the web, and to enable users to interact with PowerPoint-style presentations. The real-world kinetic motion of Cooliris simplifies the process of searching for and navigating through slide decks and image libraries. Table 1 shows the range of features that the application supports:

Table 1 Cooliris features

Feature	Location	Function
3D Wall	The rows of images on the black background	Allows an immersive view of thousands of images and videos in seconds.
Discover	The icon is on the top left	Press the Discover icon and 11 channels that feature the latest news feeds from across the web. These channels range from news to fashion. We're currently featuring an Olympics channel that has all the visual highlights from Beijing.
Sharing Login	Top left "Login" icon	Click and a drop down box will appear asking for username and password. New? Register!
Share	Top right envelope and pencil in the metadata box	Click to send an email to a friend that encloses any images or videos you've found interesting in the PicLens interface. To add more than one image or video, drag the images and videos you want next to the image or video you already have in the message.
Slideshow Full Screen Mode	Bottom left box with four arrows in the corners	Takes viewer into full screen slideshow mode. This mode is also accessible by double clicking any image. Double click image to escape or press the Cooliris grid icon in bottom left.
Shopping	Search bar in the top right	Click the search bar and select Amazon from the drop down box to start the next generation online shopping experience.
Cooliris Developer	http://developer.piclens.com	Not within the PicLens interface, but by following the instructions detailed on the site, webmasters can easily enable their own websites with PicLens. All their visitors with PicLens can then view images and videos from the website within PicLens.
YouTube	Search bar in the top right	Click the search bar and select YouTube from the drop down box. Viewers can search and view YouTube videos within PicLens.

Once you have installed the Cooliris plug-in images are displayed on a virtual "wall" as you can see from Figure 1. If you are practised in the art of "skimming" text in articles or blogs, you will be familiar with the technique used to search for image resources in this type of environment; my initial impression after using the tool is that very quickly you can scan a range of images and let the one you're looking for "emerge" from the wall.

Figure 1 Cooliris UI

Once you click on an image you're interested in, it centers on the screen and scales up so that you can view it in more detail. From a learning professional's perspective, this has certain advantages. if like me, you have amassed a large library of resources that you regularly use when developing courseware this enables you to search quickly through a range of visual media assets to find appropriate images, charts, diagrams and video to insert into presentations and / or e-learning content.

At this point though, the fact that this is an early version of an application becomes apparent: there is no easy way to save an image to a location as it does not support contextual menus (i.e. via right-clicking on a PC mouse or CTRL-clicking on the Mac) and therefore no "Save image as.." function. You can e-mail the image to yourself, but if you're used to undertaking this activity in two or three gestures, in my view this will impede your workflow. I'm sure this limitation will be addressed in future releases but for the moment it reduces the effectiveness of the tool as a pre-production application.

Figure 2 Cooliris Plug-in for PowerPoint

However, the developers have positioned this application as a presentation tool, and to facilitate this functionality they have provided a PowerPoint add-in which enables you to generate a Cooliris version of a PowerPoint presentation for delivery online or in the classroom. Clicking on the Create Piclens Gallery button (see Figure 2) generates an HTML-based viewer for your presentation. You can click here to view a full-screen version of a sample presentation, or enjoy the YouTube version below.




In summary, I like Cooliris and in assessment would award it a 'C+' - more potential to be realized.

I think that it's a utility that has a future as a presentation tool, makes very good use of technology and seems to coexist very comfortably in the dynamic presentation domain. As a learning tool, it would certainly inspire learners to maintain interest in content being displayed using the technology.

So far, so good.

On the negative side, there are a number of functionality deficiencies to be resolved (I have already mentioned the lack of an easy 'Save as'...' feature) such as PowerPoint animations are lost in the Cooliris conversion process, which would require partial re-authoring of content to enable the same progress through a presentation. Other points to be mentioned include that while it supports Firefox (Windows XP/Vista and Mac), Internet Explorer, and Safari 3.0 (Mac), it doesn't support Opera or Safari 3.1. Similarly there is currently no Linux version of the plug-in, though the developers say that this is on the way.

Finally, I've found that it's a bit of a trial to enable Cooliris on a website. If you want your site to be interpreted via Cooliris, there's a process to be undertaken to activate the functionality:

• Enter in the name of a website that has images. The website should have a gallery of pictures that all have consistent name paths (ex. thumbs/image.jpg-->fulls/image.jpg, image1_thumb.jpg-->image2_full.jpg, etc.)
• Next, select the thumbnail of a picture you want to show up in Cooliris. After you click it, select the full size image of the thumbnail.
• Select a different thumbnail, and then the corresponding full size image, just as you did in the last step. We use the couple examples you give us to infer the other images you'll want in Cooliris.
• You should see a green rectangle with a "test site" button. Click it. If you don't see the green rectangle, try adding examples until it pops up.
• Click the test page to see a preview of your page. If you don't see all the pictures you wanted on the wall, give us more examples and we'll try to get it right.
• After you've tested your site, click the download button. This will start a download of cooliris-quick.xml. We use this file to understand your site.

Figure 3 Activating Cooliris on a website

• Upload the file to any directory on your site. Click here for more information on uploading.
• After you've up uploaded, give us the absolute address of cooliris-quick.xml on your webspace.
  
• Then (!) copy and paste the link into the head tag of each web page you've Cooliris enabled.

I'm afraid at the moment that the costs outweigh the benefits of undertaking this task if you have a site containing more that about ten pages of content, especially considering that the application is not yet well-embedded in the average web user's web-surfing toolkit. This really must be simplified if the application is to be used by the kind of web-behavior influencers (including social networking sites) that would motivate average users to go to the trouble of installing this utility.

In conclusion, my view is that this tool is exciting, exhibits great potential, but needs a little work to get it past the finish line. Having said that, I can easily see it being a common part of the web experience in time to come, particularly if the developers can sustain the "fun factor" supplied by navigating through content in this environment.

________________________

Links:

Cooliris (formerly PicLens) website: http://www.cooliris.com/

Cooliris Overview Demo: http://www.cooliris.com/demo/

Sample Cooliris PowerPoint Presentation (Duration: About 1 minute 43 seconds): http://michaelhanley.ie/demos/cisample/ci_sample.html

Hi-res Cooliris Features Demo (Duration: About 1 minute 43 seconds):
http://michaelhanley.ie/demos/cooliris_demo/cooliris.html

iPhone m-learning content authoring

If you're a regular reader, you'll know that I recently posted on The Mobile Segment of the Learning Marketspace - new report. In that post, I discussed the outcomes of the Elearning Guild Report on the topic.

Well, since then, I have becomes the happy owner of an Apple 3G iPhone (a screenshot of my wallpaper is displayed below) and so I've been searching for an authoring tool to create some content for delivery via iPhone.

My iPhone wallpaper - Ovation six-string acoustic guitar, and 1985 Fender Precision & 1995 Musicman Stingray basses

Now you may know that the Flash Player is not yet available for the iPhone, which leaves content developers like me in a quandary; how to deploy courseware on the device:

• for immediate implementation
• that can be refactored as SWF / FLV formatted files when Adobe and Apple agree to release a version of the Flash Player for iPhone

After quite a bit of research, I've found two authoring tools that that may enable learning professionals to create e-learning content for distribution on the iPhone, yet won't require content authors to develop the content as an extra product stream on top of their ongoing deliverables.

The two tools I am going to investigate are Techsmith Camtasia Studio, and SumTotal ToolBook Instructor 9.5 Beta. I will evaluate each product (and their associate production processes) over the next few days. In the meantime, here (courtesy of SumTotal) are a few handy hints to consider when you're at the pre-production phase of developing learning content for mobile devices:

1. Limit Graphical Content
   With the tight mobile device screen being roughly a twelfth (or smaller) of a desktop screen, large-screen graphics not only increase load times, but also take up valuable space that is needed to display text, hyperlinks, and other important information.
2. Text Considerations
   Text should be limited – brevity is the soul of wit. Layout should be structured to avoid the need for scrolling. This involves breaking up text into smaller pieces/sections and linking to those smaller pieces, instead of putting a lot of text on one screen. Smaller fonts are also recommended. For example, Microsoft Windows Mobile standard is Tahoma with a point size of eight, which is an appropriate size for text viewed in the Apple iPhone’s Safari Web Browser.
3. Limit the use of Data Entry
   Since the keyboard is a limited size, input fields should be kept to a minimum to reduce the amount of typing. Where possible, provide possible text or phrases to avoid needing the user having to type. These text items should have a hyper-link associated with them to serve as an easy way for users to select them, rather than their having to type them on the keyboard.
4. Utilize Screen Space
   Avoid excessive horizontal and vertical spacing between screen elements. Unlike designing a print ad or brochure, you don’t need a lot of “white space” on the mobile device’s screen.
5. Place Non-Essential Links at the Bottom of the Screen
   Hypertext links that are not relevant to the information being displayed should be placed at the bottom of the page to preserve space. This places critical information in the user's view upon entry to the screen or page. For example, a navigation menu that would normally be on the left or top of the screen of a desktop computer should be placed at the bottom of the screen for a mobile device.
6. Media Consideration
   Another matter of importance is the types of media – audio and video – delivered. Generally, this is specific to the mobile device. For example, Windows Mobile devices typically support MPEG and MP3 files, whereas the iPhone currently supports QuickTime and MPEG MP4.

In general, developers should consider the goal of delivery of information via a mobile device. Not all types of information, media, and training materials lend themselves to this channel. With careful planning, content developers should be able to craft and deploy a wide variety of content to help those learners who are on the go.

More...

________________

References:

Wexler, S. Brown, J. Metcalf, D. Rogers, D. and Wagner, E. (2008) MOBILE LEARNING What it is, why it matters, and how to incorporate it into your learning strategy. [Internet] Available from: http://www.elearningguild.com (Subscription required) [Accessed 21 July 2008]

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Mobile E-Learning Channels - More on the ELG report

In my last post on this topic I outlined some of the key findings from the E-Learning Guild 360 Report on Mobile Learning. Today I'm going to discuss the context for mobile learning (m-learning) in a little more detail.

Now read on...

Dr. Conrad Gottfredson, head of the Performance Support Lab & Seminar at the Masie Center, has described the requirement

for an orchestrated set of performance support tools to meet each learner’s moment of need

(2008, p.1)

He defines these as the Five Moments of Learning Need as:

1. When learning for the first time
2. When learning more
3. When remembering and/or applying what’s been learned
4. When things go wrong
5. When things change

He considers the requirement for a multi-channel publishing platform to ensure the currency of training information, as well as its relevancy to learners to be a central component of learning and development, particularly in the organizational context.

Similarly, with the emergence of the read/write web, the ability to contribute information and learning to the totality of an organization's knowledge is quickly gaining value; as we move to a learning 2.0 paradigm, people are not just consuming, but also creating learning, and mobile technology is a being seen as a means to facilitate this learning modality.

According to the report,

...we see that, as Guild members become more experienced in e-Learning, they embrace new approaches to e-Learning more often than people with fewer years of experience. Survey results consistently show that experience in e-Learning encourages growth and experimentation, and does not foster complacency.

[However] a large number of eLearning Guild members seem stuck with the notion that “Mobile Learning” means taking existing training courses and delivering them on a small screen with little or no interactivity. ... But some Guild members need to get out of the trench of thinking “m-Training” and think “m-Performance.”

(pp.6-7)

To support this assertion, Wexler et alia outline the growth in asynchronous learning modalities over the last decade, and note in particular the growth of podcasting and m-learning as content- and knowledge delivery channels (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. A comparison of selected training modalities

Based upon the evidence of the data collected in their survey, we can say that learning and development professionals are implementing e-learning-based training interventions almost as frequently as they rely on traditional classroom-based instructor-led training to deliver courses to learners.

The report also suggests that a competency in developing and delivering e-learning grows over time (and in experience), learning professionals implement non-traditional learning initiatives more frequently than heretofore (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Use of m-learning delivery channels distributed by professional experience

More...

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References:

Wexler, S. Brown, J. Metcalf, D. Rogers, D. and Wagner, E. (2008) MOBILE LEARNING What it is, why it matters, and how to incorporate it into your learning strategy. [Internet] Available from: http://www.elearningguild.com (Subscription required) [Accessed 21 July 2008]

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The Mobile Segment of the Learning Marketspace - new report

A few months ago, I received an e-mail from a correspondent about my view on opinion might be on

mobile learning (m-learning) and mobile device adoption as an e-learning delivery mechanism in the future (video lectures, e-book reading, short message texting).

With the emergence of so-called 'smart' mobile devices including the BlackBerry and the iPhone, the potential to deliver learning content via this channel provides some tantalizing opportunities for learning professionals to enable learners access information on-demand - and for the first time - On-the-Go.

Now read on...

I've been reviewing some of the literature on this topic over the last number of weeks, but before I elaborate on my conclusions, The E-Learning Guild in their usual timely fashion have released their latest 360 Report on the topic. In the report, Steven Wexler et al (in a potentially contentious move) define Mobile Learning as:

Any activity that allows individuals to be more productive when consuming, interacting with, or creating information, mediated through a compact digital portable device that the individual carries on a regular basis, has reliable connectivity, and fits in a pocket or purse.

(p.13)

My initial reaction to this definition is that it omits any reference to the acquisition of new skills, knowledge, or expertise via this learning channel. In my view this is a key aspect of any definition of e-learning; I elaborated on the topic in a series of blog posts at the beginning of 2008 (you can find out more by clicking here) when I endorsed Don Morrison's definition of e-learning (including its subset m-learning) as:

The continuous assimilation of knowledge and skills by adults stimulated by synchronous and asynchronous learning events – and sometimes Knowledge management outputs – which are authored, delivered engaged with, supported and administered using internet technologies.

(2004, p.4)

As I said at the time, I'm open to debate on this definition, but I've still to find a more comprehensive definition of the discipline than the description as elucidated by Mr. Morrison.

But I digress.

The key findings of the E-Learning Guild research include:

• About 20% of E-Learning Guild members use podcasts "sometimes or often"
• 17% use m-Learning "sometimes or often" in their organizations.
• Members with seven or more year’s experience in e-Learning use Podcasts one third more frequently and m-Learning 26% more often than members with six or fewer year’s experience.
• Asia Pacific leads all geographic regions in m-Learning adoption, with 21% of members using Mobile Learning sometimes or often. Canada lags with nearly 11%.
• 37.5% of Guild members completing the Mobile Learning survey indicate they plan to do more m-Learning in the next year.
• Blackberry is the most popular development platform with about 47% of Guild members that plan to implement m-Learning targeting Blackberry devices. Windows Mobile is next with 27%, followed by the iPhone with 15%.
• Over 80% of Guild members that have implemented m-Learning have seen improvement in learner/user access and availability.
• Nearly 60% of Guild members that have implemented m-Learning have seen improved user performance.

More...

________________

References:

Morrison, D. (2004) E-Learning Strategies: how to get implementation and delivery right first time, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Wexler, S. Brown, J. Metcalf, D. Rogers, D. and Wagner, E. (2008) MOBILE LEARNING What it is, why it matters, and how to incorporate it into your learning strategy. [Internet] Available from: http://www.elearningguild.com (Subscription required) [Accessed 21 July 2008]

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Online Media Delivery Channels to benefit E-learning

In my last blog post I wrote about the optimism learning professionals are currently expressing about the short- to medium-term growth of the industry, despite the current economic climate, and the traditional impact that recessionary times have on learning and development in organizations. I've been thinking hard about the factors that may be influencing attitudes, but I'm not ready to put my thoughts to (electronic) paper just yet.

So today, I'm going to look at some developments that have the potential to positively affect e-learning content delivery.

Now read on...

I have talked on other occasions about using what Douglas Adams called PETs (Personal Electronic Things) to deliver e-learning content. On May 20th, British e-learning company Atlantic Link announced that they had developed an e-learning authoring solution for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). According to their press release:

Atlantic Link's ...rapid e-learning authoring tools ... now allow courses to be designed specifically for the Sony PSP Slim & Lite. The courses can be deployed locally (from the Memory Stick Duo) or from the Internet, giving users a true mobile learning experience ... all the functionality of Atlantic Link’s rapid e-learning authoring tools can be applied to small screen format.

[Click image to view demo]

Atlantic Link MD Mike Alcock states:

The potential applications for this technology are huge ... [t]ourist guides, language training, product training and updates, maintenance guides and training, medical training, interactive museum guides, schools training, the list is almost endless.

Based on the information available from Atlantic Link's website, I can't tell whether the organization have developed a new set of templates for their current Rapid e-Learning authoring tools, or have created a new authoring platform specifically for PSP /Lite content development.

Given the range of potential applications for their content development system, Atlantic Link may have opened up a niche market for themselves by repurposing e-learning content authoring tools to deliver informational material in predominantly non-networked environments (see Mr. Alcock's quote above).

Is this innovative or new?

No.

Flash Lite has been around since 2004; what Atlantic Link seem to have done is created a point solution by simplifying the authoring environment (much like Captivate and Articulate do) to enable output on the PSP device. Similarly, I can't discern from the press release or website whether this content supports learning tracking, SCORM / AICC specifications and learners' formative and summative test results can be sent to and stored on an LMS.

It also may be the case that this type of approach has just been overtaken by events.

As well as announcing the latest version of their enterprise collaboration solution Adobe Connect Pro 7 (I'll review it once we get our sticky hands on it here in the office), Adobe have also announced the Open Screen Project, which they say is

dedicated to driving consistent rich Internet experiences across televisions, personal computers, mobile devices, and consumer electronics.

[by] taking advantage of Adobe Flash Player and, in the future, Adobe AIR -- that will remove barriers for developers and designers as they publish content and applications across desktops and consumer devices, including phones, mobile internet devices (MIDs), and set top boxes. The Open Screen Project will address potential technology fragmentation by allowing the runtime technology to be updated seamlessly over the air on mobile devices. The consistent runtime environment will provide optimal performance across a variety of operating systems and devices, and ultimately provide the best experience to consumers.

To support the Open Screen Project along, Adobe is:

• Opening up the runtime to Flash Player so that anybody can develop a customized player. Specifically, it is going to open up the SWF and FLV/F4V specifications. In the past, developers had to sign agreements not to create derivative Flash players because Adobe wanted to avoid the fragmentation that Java experienced during its early years.
• Removing licensing fees for Flash on mobile devices. While Flash is free on PCs, cell phone makers and other device manufacturers must pay a royalty fee. Instances of Flash are on 500 million mobile devices already (expected to grow to one billion over the next 12 months). As of the next major release of Flash (and AIR) for devices in 2009, it will be free to device manufacturers.
• Publishing the APIs for porting Flash to other devices. This currently also incurs a royalty fee. Now, every device should come with a pre-installed Flash API.
• Publishing Adobe protocols for pushing content to devices like Flash Cast and AMF. Adobe will also work with wireless carriers on protocols for over-the-air software updating.

I would suggest that the primary implication for learning professionals is that this could be the basis for a common (if not open) platform to enable learning materials to be delivered via multiple channels. With the support of a range of hardware manufacturers, there seems to be little threat of vendor lock-in; maybe manufacturers have finally understood that wider customer access has the potential to generate higher revenues than forcing people to use proprietary communications solutions?

in any case, being able to create content for a ubiquitous, device-independent platform will make my life less complicated and I suspect the same goes for a lot of other people too.

FOGRA: I was meant to be presenting at this year's ILTA EDTech 2008 Conference on 'non-formal workplace learning', but had to cancel due travel commitments: best of luck to all attending and presenting - I'll be keeping up with activities on the ILTA website.

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