Are you a slave to your Blackberry?

Jerry Seinfeld telling some truths about how we behave on our mobiles. The truth stings;-) Now sadly I know myself a bit better. Gotta lay off the blackberry before I end up in rehab.

Backchannels in Classroom

I know I mentioned the use of technology to support backchannels a few months back but I feel its a hot topic worth bringing up again. Lets face it - its an easy and convenient way for providing instant feedback to the presenter and offering participants an opportunity to reinforce what is being taught by sharing their own ideas on a subject. In realtime. To quote Wikipedia the term backchannel was designed to imply that there are two channels of communication operating simultaneously during a conversation. Heres an interesting article that discusses more about how to use backchannels in the classroom. It raises the question are tutors really ready and prepared with dealing with this instant feedback?

Who needs software?

I am currently looking into buying a new laptop. The burning question for me is: do I buy a powerful computer which will set me back a lot of cash or should I get the bare-bones model and save? Why even consider the bare-bones laptop? Well more and more of computing sits in the cloud not on your computer. I edit and host my videos on Animoto. I use free online image editing software. Here's a cool link to check out which reviews some really easy to use and mostly free web-based applications for image editing. My photos have a home on Picaso and Facebook. My presentation slides, excel-like calculation sheets and word-type documents live more and more with Google Docs. Why? Because its easy to access and edit them from anywhere in the world. from my laptop or iPhone or even Internet cafe. Because they are mostly free and easy to use. My email and calendar also live in the Cloud. I last used Microsoft Exchange and Outlook over 5 years ago and really have not missed them at all. Maybe this is when the Apple iPad makes the most sense. A window to the cloud.

Work in the Future

What will our work environment look like in the future? What technology will be available to facilitate communication and collaboration? Will there still be a desk? What about a keyboard and mouse? Hey, will we still have an office? Will it be a virtual me (or is that a Mii?) at work? This blog entry taps into some interesting videos and websites that attempt to see into the future and predict how our 9-5 lives could evolve. One fast-moving field that is sure to shape this vision is Smart Surfaces. This is where Microsoft have been placing their bets lately. Check out the Surface, a table that lets you interact and manipulate documents, videos, and images simply by touch. It also recognizes objects placed on the table and pulls up information about them. Microsoft Office Labs Vision is a great video to get us started on this journey. The year is 2019. I wonder how Apple fit into the equation (Hello iPad)? Microsoft have also created a video about how our Healthcare could be managed in the future. The Virtual Physician and use of smart surfaces (in the office) can't be that far off. Use of augmented reality and tablets are commonplace. I like the clever use of plain wall surfaces to display graphical dashboard-like information and pull up images and photos. Instant video communication coupled with rich data sources seems to be a theme. One word sums up this vision TOUCH. ABC explore how some companies are using Virtual Worlds for their office space and conducting remote meetings and events using webcams and document-sharing tools. Employees can be anywhere in the world and never even see a physical office or building. Not sure Second Life will be around in ten years - but the idea is intriguing. What can we learn from the University of Essex iLabs which are intelligent spaces designed to encourage creative thinking and problem solving. The BBC discuss the Diary Wall and that in the future walls could become screens showing diaries, documents or video conferences. Maybe we could take a few pointers from the likes of CISCO and Google. Link at CNN. You need to travel to NY to get a glimpse of IBM's BlueSpace, their next-generation workspace. Of course, no office user experience could ever be complete without the advice and wisdom of Jakob Nielsen. He is considered a foremost expert on usability. Lets hope this consideration is not forgotten in our epic search for the workspace of the future. At the end of the day, thats what its all about.

Mobile 2020

Yesterday was a cool day. I took my blood pressure and (after the shock) with the push of a button transmitted the results via bluetooth to my mobile phone which updated an Internet website. If I can do this today - what will tomorrow bring? This obviously got me thinking about next generation mobile and whats around the corner.

With this in mind, check out this great video from MOCOM2020 that gets you thinking of how the world of mobile will look like in 2020. Click on the Future Vision Video from their homepage. MOCOM 2020 is a non-profit open think tank for mobile media and communication worldwide. It seems to be an interesting group of leading thinkers, visionaries, entrepreneurs and academics in the field of mobile communication.

If you have the time and you are as curious and eager to learn as myself then hop over to this slideshare - its a terrific collection of mobile trends spanning the next 10 years.

Finally, here are some exciting thoughts from all of this research that stuck in my mind mixed from visions from my side on how mobile could shape up over the next 5-10 years.

• Health Lifelogging
• Telemedicine with a mobile with built in diagnostic technology
• Sensors in the phone measure and record your vital signs, your surrounding environment, and even emotions
• Mobile payment
• ePaper
• Mobile Social Marketing
• Senors in everyday objects communicate with your phone: doors, cash registers, vending machines, the fridge, a bottle of water, advertising, posters, your keys, the car, etc.
• Augmented Reality will allow you to scan co-workers and meeting participants and with face-recognition technology match them to their LinkedIn, Facebook or Other Online Profile

Mobile is definitely the future of personal and professional communications if my usage is anything to go by. Outside of my company BB, I use my iPhone about 20 times a day for reading, blogging, researching, gaming, learning, email, IM, GPS, networking, listening to music, watching videos, tweeting, photographing, video making, sms, ooops yes even phoning. So jump onboard the mobile bandwagon and prepare for an exciting and mind-blowing ride - no strings attached.

Whats Hot in 2010!

JUST ADDED: Predictions 2010 Video. Have fun viewing;-)

January is always a good time to lay some bets on what could be hot in the field of learning technologies for 2010. Here's a few selected thoughts on which devices and solutions that could make the grade this year.

Mobile Multimedia Tablet
The eagerly awaited Apple Tablet will set a new standard for allround on-the-go multimedia devices. By the end of this month a massive media campaign will kick-off that should send most of us rushing for our checkbooks. Netbook sales take a dive.

Home Gaming
Microsoft will announce more details about Project Natal that will change home gaming forever. If you have not seen Milo, check this video out. Prepare to be amazed (and maybe scared). Nintendo struggle to catchup, although the friendly wii may see a facelift. Sony slash the price of their PS3 to ridiculous levels.

Touchscreen Technology
Microsoft brings cool touchscreen technology to the home PC with Windows 7. Applications get a whole new development playground. e-Learning on the PC gets a much needed facelift - at last.

Google wows us with the Wave
Google Wave moves out of the test lab and into everyday use. Social networking is now owned by Google who convince millions that email is dead. Facebook takes note. Foreward thinking Trainers start to seize the opportunity by integrating virtual classes, collaboration spaces for projects, online learning, social sharing and networking into waves.

eBooks
eBooks get a lift from the Apple Tablet. More eBook devices come on the market but a multi-functional Internet-enabled device steals the show in 2010. Do you really want to be tied forever to one large online bookstore for all your titles? Freedom wins the day.

Augmented Reality takes off

The iPhone and Google Android launch many more Augmented Reality apps and finally get joe public to view their surroundings in 3D (okay with wiki-ish augmented pop-up knowledge bubbles).

Mobile learning gets serious
Mobile learning becomes mainstream as iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones open up to a whole host of new breathtaking innovative applications. Learning-on-the-go inspires and motivates users with rich multimedia games and content. Online Learning has never been such fun.

Software as a Service becomes attractive

SaaS (Software as a Service) also known as shifting e.g. content and functionality to a purely Internet-(cloud) based web service gets wider appeal. The Training Department gets back to focussing on developing engaging content and innovative delivery mechanisms while reducing the cost and effort of maintaining inhouse systems.

That's it. Short and sweet. Just like learning should be. Don't forget my birthday in April. Small hint. Apple. Tablet. Happy learning.