Learning Solutions

Some think of digital signage as just eye candy, little more than glorified billboards with some video and sound.  Scala, Troades, and House of Media Experience has taken this to the next level with their immersive experience that combines audio, video, AROMA, and interactive technologies.

“We wanted the visitor to have a 360-degree experience. Digital signage is not only about sound and vision, but is enhanced by adding other human sense triggers. Their recollection of their experience and of Miele will be individual to them and as long as the experience was meaningful, helpful, timely and relevant. I’m convinced that this will build brand loyalty and that over time, that recollection and loyalty will be evidenced through referrals and purchases,” said Luc Heijnen of concept design, Multisensory Experience at Troades.

The customer experience is designed to be as personalised as possible. Customers are requested to register prior to or on arrival to provide Miele with basic visitor/shopper information including gender, demographics, lifestyle, historic Miele purchase information, etc.

Visitors are provided with an Apple iPod Touch which contains the visitor’s name, preferences and profile. The iPod Touch can be used to retrieve information on the store (such as a floor plan), provide detailed information on Miele products and services, and enable customers to request advice and recommendations from the iPod Touch system.

The response of the system is based on the user’s unique preferences and profile. Additional information can be printed out in-store or emailed to a customer’s email address direct from the iPod Touch.

The store is equipped with indoor GPS technology which links to each iPod Touch each of which is equipped with its own GPS transmitter. This means Miele know which iPod Touch (and therefore which customer) is in which area of the store to the precision of 50 centiments the size of each square floor tile, each of which also has its own unique GPS address. This technology enables Miele to plot customer progress through the store and map shopping routes, hotspots and dwell times to help develop the digital experience.

Implications for educational institutions are endless…

Read more about it…

Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC), has posted the following for their upcoming online conference:

FETC Fall ’09 Virtual Conference & Expo is coming to you live on Thursday, October 22, 2009. This FREE 100% online educational event gives you the opportunity to participate in highly informative virtual sessions from the convenience of your office, visit the Virtual Expo Hall and chat with real live exhibitors, and preview and evaluate the latest hardware and software available today.

This extraordinary online educational event delivers valuable presentations and unlimited networking opportunities straight to your desktop — all at NO CHARGE!

Attend this 100% online event to enjoy:

• A dynamic exchange of best practices and tips for success
• Expert speakers sharing their views in an effective, interactive way
• A virtual networking lounge to reconnect with colleagues and make new contacts
• Real-time access to other participants through instant messaging
• Technology product and service demonstrations in our virtual exhibit hall
• Free content downloads and presentations to go
• And much more!

Attend as many sessions as you like, visit the virtual exhibit hall at any time and network when it’s convenient for you.

More information and registration

As reported in eSchool News:

A free online learning program from Microsoft is helping middle and high school students think about careers they might like to pursue and the skills necessary to attain those careers. Called CareerForward, the course has students examine their skills and interests as they investigate potential career paths and other aspects to independent living, such as financial management skills. Its four components address specific aspects of 21st-century careers. Throughout the course, students are asked frequently to reflect on what they¹re learning, to write their thoughts down as a continual refinement of their thinking, and to discuss their thoughts with other students, either in person or online.

Access this learning solution at:

http://nroc.careerforward.org/careerforward/

Campus Technology reports on a free learning solution for university lecture classrooms:

LectureTools is an open source software tool that builds on the idea of classroom response devices but goes far beyond them, allowing students to use their laptop computers, rather than clickers, to answer a wide range and type of poll questions. The software also allows students to ask questions and share responses with the class, take interactive quizzes, and mark up PowerPoint slides.

I was watching “Jim Rome is Burning” the other day, and he was talking about the NFL player who was fined for using Twitter during practice, complaining about the cafeteria food. While feeling little empathy for the multi-millionaire athlete, since I was eating a ham sandwich at the time, I could not figure out why people still use Twitter as it first was intended. Who really wants to get updates about a particular person’s minute-by-minute account of their lives? The “Truman Show” goes digital.

Anyway, Rome mentioned that Twitter may have “Jumped the Shark”, a TV term signifying something has lost its luster, and is hanging on by any means possible. The term was coined based on a “Happy Days” episode in which the whole gang goes to the beach, and Fonzie jumps a shark on water skis. People saw this as the beginning of the end for the series, though it went on for a few more years. As an aside, Rome has a twitter account…

I don’t think Twitter is going away, just the way it is being used now. I have been using Twitter to post from my school headlines blog, on average is two per day. That should be the minimum expectation, with five tweets being the maximum. Instructors can use Twitter as a learning solution to send out class updates, interesting articles to read, etc. Twitter is entering that “trough of disillusionment” on the Gartner hype cycle, and will need an additional push to get the momentum. Count me in to provide that push.