Free Virtual Event: “3D Virtual Learning: Cheaper, Easier & More Robust”

A Second Glance at 3D Virtual Learning: Cheaper, Easier, and More Robust

Wednesday, September 28 from 2 – 3 pm Eastern in VenueGen.

Caroline Avey of ACS Learning Services, a Xerox company

Join training expert Caroline Avey, Director of Innovative Solutions at ACS Learning Services, a Xerox company, for this limited-seat, interactive virtual presentation. Learn from her first-hand experience helping clients evaluate, select and implement various immersive training environments.

• Discover what’s new in the next generation of immersive virtual training environments
• Compare the functionality and cost models of today’s platforms
• Learn the major factors that every organization should consider when evaluating virtual worldsvirtual

Only a few short years ago, the learning industry was enamored with the idea of immersive, or 3D, virtual worlds. They held promise of training more learners more efficiently than ever–without sacrificing the engagement and interactivity of the physical classroom. But for most of us, the love affair was quickly cut short by early problems with security, usability, bandwidth requirements, and cost.

3D worlds for business use may have faded from the spotlight in recent years, but behind the scenes, the latest virtual training environments have matured to fulfill their early promise: a viable online solution that’s as easy, natural, and effective as face-to-face instructor-led training.

Don’t have a VenueGen account yet? It’s fast, easy and free to sign up. Just click the Register button below to get started.

Virtual seats are limited to the first 40 people to arrive on the day of event, so register now to get a headstart!

Special Presentation – Virtual Training Environments: Solving the Engagement Problem

Presented by

April 25, 2011. 2 pm ET / 11am PT. Visit TrainingIndustry.com to watch the recording.

A special, limited-seat encore presentation will take place Wednesday, May 25 at 2pm Eastern in VenueGen. Contact us for an invitation.

In an effort to drive efficiency, many of us are exploring virtual environments for instructor-led training. But virtual ILT platforms, particularly those originally designed for web conferencing, can feel more like a barrier to learning than a solution. To improve learning outcomes online, the e-classroom must be just as engaging as the physical classroom.

Join us for this informative and challenging TrainingIndustry.com webinar, sponsored by VenueGen, as we tackle the problem of moving ILT online without sacrificing the engagement and outcomes of face-to-face learning.

In this free, one-hour webinar, we’ll draw from real-world solutions and learning psychology to:

• Quantify what engagement is and why it is so critical to learning outcomes;
• Identify the four subtle but crucial components that foster engagement in learning environments;
• Rank various modalities as to their engagement effectiveness

Join us Online for Virtual Worlds – Best Practices in Education (VWBPE)

VWBPE 2011 Presents:

The Four Factors that Create Engagement in Virtual Learning Environments

Join VenueGen CEO David Gardner for this special virtual presentation

Friday, March 18 2011 at 9am EDT in Second Life.

Abstract: Virtual educators know how difficult it is to maintain control over learners’ attention. Without the interpersonal cues and interactions we share when communicating face-to-face, the learning experience can feel unnatural and disengaging, extracting a heavy toll on knowledge transfer.

But why do virtual programs often seem less conducive to learning than ILT? The missing element is engagement. This session will examine:

1. The crucial nature of engagement to successful learning environments;
2. The four factors for creating engagement;
3. The ability of various online modalities to engage
4. How the immersive web can help simply and cost-effectively replicate the in-person experience.

Speaker Bio: David Gardner is a serial entrepreneur, technology investor and futurist with a proven track record of early identification of paradigm-shifting technologies. He is a trusted advisor concerning new technology trends who believes Web-3D is on the verge of dramatically transforming many web-based business models as we know them today.

Experienced in taking IT products and Internet-service model companies to market, Gardner has founded seven technology companies—including PeopleClick, the first hosted software-as-a-service enterprise application; and healthcare communications technology exchange ProviderLink, now owned by Compuware—without a single failure or loss of investor funds. He has served on several boards, spoken at multiple industry conferences, and published over twenty forward-thinking papers and articles on technical, business and managerial topics.

In 2007, Gardner founded VenueGen (www.VenueGen.com), a company dedicated to creating a new standard of in-browser web-conference platform for more engaging, productive and efficient online training, meetings and events. He currently serves as CEO.

For  more information about how to catch the presentation, visit the VWBPE Conference website or contact Kate Hendrick, director of marketing at VenueGen.

Press Release: eTraining Experts O’Driscoll and Kapp To Host a Talk in VenueGen on Online Learning

Co-authors of the new book “Learning in 3D” will virtually join 40 attendees to explore the impact of the immersive Internet on the future of enterprise learning

(Research Triangle Park, NC: March 9, 2011) Two of the training industry’s most prominent figures, Dr. Tony O’Driscoll of Duke University and Karl Kapp of Bloomsburg University, are teaming up to share their immersive e-learning expertise in a free, limited-seat virtual event March 30 at 11 a.m. EDT in VenueGen. Online registration will open next week, and the 40 virtual seats will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those who would like to receive an email alert when registration opens can sign up here.

Dr. Tony O'Driscoll

According to O’Driscoll and Kapp—both of whom specialize in the intersection of learning, business and technology—the reason behind the event’s exclusivity is simple. “We want the audience to fully experience how engagement and learning can thrive in an immersive Internet environment,” said O’Driscoll. “By limiting the event to 40 people, every attendee will be able to actively interact, communicate, learn, and share ideas nearly as effectively as if we were in a physical room together, instead of in 40 different locations.”

Karl Kapp, Ed.D.

“Most business-specific Web3D environments are much more simple and natural-feeling to use than many people realize,” added Kapp. “We want to demonstrate that the immersive Internet has a very real value to enterprise training. By boosting user engagement, these environments make it possible to improve learning outcomes online and, ultimately, to increase ROI.”

The panel will be moderated by VenueGen CEO David Gardner.”We are extremely excited about partnering with Tony and Karl for this event,” said Gardner. “Anyone who is interested in training and learning in business environments will benefit immensely from their research.”

O’Driscoll and Kapp are co-authors of a new book titled Learning in 3D: Adding a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration, published by Pfeiffer, an imprint of Wiley. In support of the book, Pfeiffer will hold a drawing for three free copies. Those who sign up for the registration e-mail alert will be automatically entered to win, so the giveaway is not limited only to those who are able to attend.

For information about Learning in 3D, or to purchase a copy, visit the Pfeiffer website.

For more information about the event, please contact Kate Hendrick, director of marketing at VenueGen by phone at 919-228-4995, by email at khendrick@venuegen.com, or via Twitter at @VenueGen.

Training Tech Talk: Tips for Creating Engaging Web Conferencing

Read the full article on Training Tech Talk

Creating engagement via Web conference is challenging even with small groups, and large groups can be almost prohibitively difficult to monitor. The ideal solution would recreate the natural engagement and interactivity of face-to-face instructor-led training (ILT) in a way that’s as easy, convenient, and accessible as Web conferencing. A handful of up-and-coming companies are introducing Web 3-D apps as a potential solution. They look similar to Second Life in certain basic ways, but are super-intuitive to use and are designed specifically for business use in terms of scalability, participant control, usability, and multi-screen, low-bandwidth content-sharing (a useful feature that ’2-D Web conferencing platforms don’t provide).

The best of these platforms have gone to great effort to recreate the essence of face-to-face communication, without a user learning curve, for better online learning. For example, they feature directional, actual-distance (but adjustable) sound, which studies indicate is crucial to the brain’s ability to quickly absorb information.

They also allow both learners and instructors to be in control of all the non-verbal communicators we semi-consciously use in-person that contribute to an engaging sense of presence. Instructors can tell by sight when learners are focused and engaged from anywhere inside the 3-D training room (and learners know it, so they’re naturally more engaged).

Collaboration flows more freely with more people participating and fewer people talking over one another or ‘checking out.’ Because they’re virtually sitting among their easily identifiable peers instead of alone in front of a 2-D Web conference, learners are more accountable for their presence, so they become more engaged in the course objectives. In essence, being in one of these Web 3-D environments ‘feels’ natural, so both training and learning become almost as naturally engaging as they are with in-person ILT.

- Kate Hendrick, director of marketing for VenueGen

What Businesses Need to Learn from Gaming When Moving Online

By Cece Salomon-Lee
Read the full post on the Virtual Edge Summit Blog

In 2009, the Cisco Global Sales Experience demonstrated the power of games to engage audiences and impart learning. In this guest post by David Gardner, CEO of VenueGen, David highlights why gaming and business are a perfect match. David is also speaking on “3D Immersive Worlds for Business Engagement” on January 12, 2011 from 11:00 – 11:45 am.

David Gardner is a serial entrepreneur, technology investor and futurist. With a proven track record for early identification of paradigm-shifting technologies, Gardner has successfully built seven companies. He is a trusted advisor concerning new technology trends who believes the 3D web is on the verge of dramatically transforming many web-based business models as we know them today

David Gardner, CEO of VenueGen

To the average business person, the word “gaming” probably seems irrelevant, especially when used in the same sentence as “a more productive, innovative, strategically unified workforce.” But it makes perfect sense for business objectives and gaming to go hand-in-hand. Why? Because while most every company is looking to cut costs by moving training, meetings and events online, today’s 2D web conference solutions just can’t match the engagement we experience when we’re physically face-to-face. And without engagement, ideas don’t connect and information just doesn’t sink in.

Virtual games, on the other hand, have been engaging people from afar for years. So why not embrace their use for business? What business needs to understand is that it’s not just the high-speed car chases or alien massacres that engage people in virtual games. Rather, a game’s storyline is akin to a corporate meeting agenda, or content for a training course. Obviously, the material must be relevant and maybe even a little exciting to be engaging. But even the most popular courses and topics become lackluster when presented as flat slides accompanied by faceless voices. To further the metaphor, expecting engagement from a web conference is kind of like expecting it from a video of a stranger playing Halo.

So what else drives engagement beyond the ‘storyline’? The missing link is individual control. With gaming, each player has a sense of shaping his or her own virtual experience while (especially in team-player games) contributing to a common goal. Similarly, when we communicate face-to-face, we’re in control not only of what we say and when we speak, but also of our facial expressions, our body language, where we direct our attention, our perception of others and their perception of us, and countless other subtle, semi-conscious gestures whose maintenance keeps us alert, interested, and above all, engaged. Isn’t this exactly what’s missing from our virtual classrooms, events and meetings?

To find out, creators of a new breed of in-browser 3D environments are enabling high levels of personal control for online business communications. These applications feature simple, intuitive usability, and are meant to “disappear” once a user becomes accustomed to them, so that he or she can become fully immersed in a virtual world of natural-esque business collaboration and learning. So far, there’s evidence that gaming and business are a great match. Happy users report improved collaboration, communication, retention and long-term transfer of learning.

VenueGen Asks: How Would You Design Your Ideal Venue?

The makers of VenueGen are seeking your input to design the next ideal venue. What kind of room, elements, functions, or settings would you integrate to enhance your VenueGen virtual meetings?

VenueGen is the on-demand web conferencing platform that enables users to host public and private virtual events in businesslike venues. Creating a meeting is simple: Customize your avatar, choose a virtual room, and step inside where you can see and hear your colleagues around the room.

When placed in a familiar environment, participants feel naturally inclined to open up conversation and interact with one another. Versus the average phone conference call, the true-to-life experience impacts group productivity in a significant way. User report improved communication, faster learning, and better decision-making. This is totally immersive 3D web conferencing.

At present, VenueGen offers over 30 different businesslike venues for users seeking formal or casual meeting places. Some of our users’ favorite rooms are the board rooms, lecture halls and theaters. Among the most unique spaces are the outdoor stone amphitheater, a late night talk show studio, and even the deck of a luxurious yacht. Check out some screen shots of the rooms here.

Our customer feedback is important to us, and your comments will help make the virtual experience even more productive and meaningful for everyone. Thanks!

Save Time and Money with Virtual Meetings

Many businesses are looking for ways to save time and money. One area that tends to get a lot of attention is travel expenses. For businesses that require frequent collaboration between workers, VenueGen’s virtual meetings can provide cost-effective solutions without losing the benefits of face-to-face communication.

VenueGen makes expensive transportation costs and travel time a thing of the past. The virtual 3D web conferencing platform provides an effective means of communication as effective as a 500,000 telepresence room—it’s that sense of actually being “there” with your colleagues. Featuring photo-created avatars, realistic meeting rooms, VoIP technology, surround sound, and content sharing, it’s the all in one program that’s easy to use and simple to install. No telepresence equipment or cameras required.

The effective communication produces better results for both business and customer relationships. Meeting attendees are able to see people’s facial expressions and read their body language which can greatly facilitate communications. Sharing documents and presentation slides enables worker collaboration over the internet.

The browser-based software loads in just seconds, allowing remote workers to come together in real-time over the internet. VenueGen makes it possible to hold meetings, lead training sessions, and service clients right from your desktop.

Businesses Learn to Host Better Virtual Meetings and Training Sessions with VenueGen

Learning to use a new web conferencing tool can be overwhelming for some users, especially as technology becomes more advanced. For those migrating from ordinary web conferencing services to the VenueGen 3D virtual meeting software, VenueGen is making the switch easier with video tutorials and practice rooms.

VenueGen tutorials are designed specifically for users who are interested in learning how to use the virtual meeting services. The video lessons are only 30 to 90 seconds in length. Once finished watching the videos, users can even apply what they have learned in virtual practice rooms. There are lessons for both hosts and guests — most guests simply watch the 30 second flash tutorial when they log on to a meeting, while hosts can learn more advanced features around content management and presentation.

In addition to tutorials for individual users, VenueGen also offers free demos for businesses and organizations. Together, company employees can learn to host meetings, integrate content, and communicate with one another through their virtual avatars. Many new users learn to manage the virtual environment in as little as five minutes!

VenueGen Presenter Scores Higher Than In Person Speakers at TIP-NEP Conference

David Gardner‘s virtual presentation was rated as one of the best presentations at this years TIP-NEP Conference. In fact, Gardner’s 3D virtual presentation on VenueGen was given the highest presentation scores from 22 of 23 evaluators. His presentation was so engaging that he outperformed all other speakers there, even the in-person speakers.