Last week I was at the Learning Solutions Conference in Orlando and got to spend a few minutes with my mentor, Dr. Werner Oppelbaumer. I asked him for a quick interview to share what’s happening in his world of elearning and business in general.
The last time we talked, you were working on some new technologies at Werner Labs. Is there anything that you can share with us today?
As you know, we’re a research lab and many of our projects are confidential. However, there are a few that are close to completion that I can share with you and your readers.
With the current economic conditions, every business is trying to cut expenses and maximize the money they make. This is especially true for the airline industry. If you’ve done any recent travel then you’ll know how tight the seats are getting. It’s so bad that you can hardly breathe, let alone do any work. There needs to be an easy way to capture more personal space.
We’ve developed a solution that we’ll be marketing as the Toot-N-Scoot™. Whenever someone sits too close to you, all you do is press a button and it emits a flatulent sound. The immediate response is for the close-sitter to scoot away from you—giving you plenty of room to work or eat.
We’re currently working with a few companies like Scentsy to make a fragrance to go with the Toot-N-Scoot™. We believe that this could be a winner. We also feel that it can be used for more than just travel issues. So we’re exploring other industries and have already gotten it into the hands of some movers and shakers.
That sounds interesting. I sure could have used it on a recent flight. But, I have to ask, “How does that relate to elearning?”
Good question. We believe that the device has many potential uses. For example, the current rage in the training industry is informal learning. This means that many organizations will abdicate the responsibility to train you. In turn, they will be unleashing a horde of ignorant and pesky co-workers who will be seeking you out for information.
You’ll need a device like the Toot-N-Scoot™ to maintain your privacy and personal space so that you can remain productive.
Interesting concept. You mentioned informal learning as something that’s currently hot in our industry. Do you have any advice for those who want to implement informal learning programs in their own organizations?
I’m glad you asked. While there is a lot of conversation about informal learning, there are few who are offering practical tips on implementation. With today’s technology, the successful implementation of informal learning programs is critical to most organizations.
Here’s a recent presentation I gave on how to bring informal learning into your organization.
Click here to watch Dr. Werner’s presentation.
With the increased use of social media tools, it’s inevitable that the burden to be trained falls into your lap. Make sure that you stay on top of the emerging technologies and how to manage your organization’s informal learning.
If you want to learn more about Dr. Werner, check out these previous interviews:
If you want to learn even more about informal learning (although from a less pragmatic perspective) check out Informal Learning by Jay Cross.
What tips do you have for starting informal learning networks? Share them by clicking on the comments link.
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