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!
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:
The crucial nature of engagement to successful learning environments;
The four factors for creating engagement;
The ability of various online modalities to engage
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.
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.
EXCERPT: Chris Lineberry is the principal of the Florence Virtual Academy in Florence, Arizona.
Chris Lineberry
“One of the problems with online schooling is building a sense of community,” he said. So the school decided to use the VenueGen Web-based meeting platform because it offered the ease of use and security his school needed at an affordable price. “This gives us a real ability to reach students,” he said.
Immersion.VenueGen users get a sense of immersion – of “actually being there” – when they attend virtual events on the platform. As a result, it helps bring students together who are located around the school district, or, in fact, anywhere in the state. The school also holds all its staff meetings in VenueGen, as well as meetings between teachers and students.
Staff meeting in VenueGen. (Image courtesy Chris Lineberry.)
“What I really like about it is the sense of immersion that the kids and the staff are able to get from it,” he said. The schools serves a wide variety of students…But they know the value of a high school diploma and a quality education,” he said.
VenueGen, a leading 3-D Virtual Meeting and Training platform provider, has been named one of the Cool Vendors in Social Software and Collaboration in the April 6, 2010 research report published by Carol Rozwell of Gartner, Inc.
As stated in the Gartner report, “the five vendors profiled in this Cool Vendors research demonstrate the breadth of social-software tools. On one hand, they can use the social network to solve problems. In addition, they can provide a platform for engagement in virtual environments that’s superior to more traditional settings.”
Gartner, Inc. names VenueGen a "Cool Vendor" of 2010 for it's e-training app
VenueGen’s 3-D meeting and training platform is delivered as a browser-based software as a service. Users sign up just like a simple Web conferencing tool, and they instantly get a photorealistic avatar based on a picture of themselves. Unlike passive audio and Web conferencing, users are engaged, vocal, and actively participating, thanks to the virtual environment replication of a real conference environment. VenueGen starts at $90 per month, and free 30 day trials are available.
“Billions of dollars are spent each year on business meeting travel, training, and distance learning. The 3-D meeting, collaboration and corporate training markets are accelerating. 3D meeting platforms are becoming mainstream applications,” said David Gardner, CEO VenueGen. “We believe Gartner has identified this trend and we are proud to have been included in the Gartner Cool Vendor report. At $90 per month, VenueGen becomes attractive to every company using audio, video and web conferencing. Our video shows how VenueGen is remarkably different.”
VenueGen features:
Automated setup - Sign-up is as fast as a Web conferencing tool. Users set their avatar profile and their avatar moves and acts like they would in the real world.
Photo realistic avatar – Users can upload a photo, it maps to the avatars face, and people can see you and identify you instantly in a meeting. Avatars look just like their owners. No cartoons, no game characters — you look businesslike, and you get business done.
Positional sound – Drag your mouse left, drag your mouse right, and you scan the room and will see and hear people exactly as they are positioned in the room. This dramatically reduces audio fatigue experienced in typical audio and Web conferences.
Integrated content – Share documents, PowerPoint, or browse the web while you are in the 3D room.
Ease-of-use – No menus, no keystrokes. Users simply right click their mouse, and options such as “sit in this chair,” “walk over here,” “point at this person” appear. Users are productive in minutes.
Replicate the real world – You can be in Paris, London, New York in the same afternoon. Without any video equipment, you can conduct lifelike 3-D meetings with colleagues and partners around the world. All you need is a laptop, and either voice over IP, or any telephone line (standard dial-in like Web conferencing)
Used for Corporate Training & Collaborative Meetings
Corporate training - Put dozens or hundreds of people in a virtual room, sharing content and ideas, and running productive virtual training classes that are truly engaging. Attendees learn more, retain more, and are more vested in the outcome. They leave training classes connected to their colleagues and revitalized, with high recall of information and ready for action.
Meetings – Every business line manager has staff meetings, project meetings, informational meetings and more. Team members are all over the country or the world. VenueGen is used for these applications in small to large companies from millions to billions in revenue.
ONE+ ‘s Jason Hensel talks with VenueGen CEO David Gardner about the usability and user-engagement advantages of immersive web technologies. “You recognize people on-site. You can see who’s talking. When everyone turns and looks at you, your energy level spikes. It feels just like being in a real meeting.”
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
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!
Advances in 3D technology continue to redefine the online meeting and e-learning landscape, previously dominated by 2D. While webinars were effective for the past 10 years, virtual meetings such as those offered by VenueGen now offer better results to their traditional counterparts with additional benefits to spare.
1. “Face to Face” Factor – One immediate advantage of an online virtual meeting vs. a webinar is the ability of participants to determine exactly who is speaking. Not only can you see the 3-D representation of everybody in the meeting, VenueGen provides name tags for each individual. Additionally, each individual is repositioned to focus on the speaker or the content that is being presented so that there is always a visual focus. The ability to determine immediately who is talking eliminates the guesswork and the lag time associated with recognizing a specific voice. Simply put, the old-fashioned audio or Web conferencing presentation should fall the way of the black-and-white television set.
2. Integrated Content Control – Another advantage is the ability to integrate content control within the presentation setting, i.e. allowing users to pull up individual windows alongside the main screen to take notes, perform research and web searches in real time, etc. without sacrificing attention to the presentation at hand or attempting to recall important points for later transcription. These features make meetings more productive as attendees are able to do everything on their screen.
3. 3D Engagement – There is a reason why companies are spending $2 billion per year on expensive Telepresence systems that cost $500,000 and up. It’s because there is nothing like the feeling that you are physically in a meeting with your colleagues. This added dimension allows one to view him or herself as a participant rather than observer, actor rather than audience, and as such instills a greater commitment to engage with the material and business colleagues engaged in the room with them. However, many don’t have access the high expenses associated with these systems. Luckily, technology can now allow any sized company to attend 3-D virtual meetings using a PC with internet connection.
4. Interactivity – Perhaps the most important difference between regular webinars and virtual meetings is that of overall interactivity. While the previous points hint at it, this simple idea’s value cannot be understated. Interactivity allows a presentation to transform from mere speech to active conversation amongst those involved within it. Simply put, unlike webinars, a 3-D Web conferencing platform encourages everyone to actively participate. If an individual just wants information without giving input, a webinar is ideal. If any individual actually wants to engage her colleagues to learn more from them and inevitably participate, think about a 3-D virtual being platform. 3-D allows participants to question presenters or each other directly, contribute other ideas or constructive criticisms, etc. This opportunity to engage engenders everyone with a stake in the overall conversation and responsibility to pay full attention to the information presented rather than consciously or unconsciously tune out if interest is lost.
Overall, online virtual meetings allow individuals to enjoy the benefits of real-time, face to face, meetings despite being in separate locations. While webinars initially bridged the gap and showed that effective interaction over great distances was possible, its limitations in interactivity grew more apparent over time. Virtual meetings now solve that problem effectively and efficiently. Head over to VenueGen’s website and see the advantages first-hand with our 30-day free trial.
According to a recent Gallup study, disengaged workers cost US companies over $325 billion each year in lost productivity. Fully engaged workers and learners demonstrate an energy, creativity and level of interaction that is critical to meeting the goals of any gathering, but it is particularly difficult to create truly engaging online meetings. If you utilize online audio, video or web conferencing then this free seminar could dramatically improve your virtual meeting outcomes.
Register to hear business leader and technology pragmatist, David Gardner, as he distills the findings of over 30 studies into an easy-to-follow and practical guide to getting the most out of your online meetings. See a recent TMVnet interview with some of David’s insights here. Additionally, all attendees will receive Gardner’s whitepaper which distills the top tips for running virtual meetings, including 3D online meetings.
This live event will cover:
1. Top 10 tips for running online meetings
2. Why creating highly engaged audiences makes meetings three times more productive
3. Using online meetings to make faster business decisions and increase post-meeting learning and retention
Live Event Details:
Duration: 90 minutes, including Q&A
Date: Wednesday August 18, 2010 at 10:30 AM PST / 1:30 PM EST
Where: VenueGen
Technical Requirements: Windows based computer and optional headset. If no headset, a dial in number will be provided.
Advances in 
According to a recent Gallup study, disengaged workers cost US companies over $325 billion each year in lost productivity. Fully engaged workers and learners demonstrate an energy, creativity and level of interaction that is critical to meeting the goals of any gathering, but it is particularly difficult to create truly engaging online meetings. If you utilize online audio, video or web conferencing then this free seminar could dramatically improve your virtual meeting outcomes.