Assignment #3

Incorporating Technologies

Example 1: Collaborative Training Environment

A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.

Challenges

Two distinct challenges present with this scenario.  First, there is a separation of time and space between learners (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009) and secondly, there is a need to collaboratively share screen captures and documents.

Technology

Two user friendly technologies have been selected to solve the challenges in this scenario:  Webex and Google Docs

Webex

Many technology tools are available that can address these two challenges.  Webex was chosen to address the first challenge.  Training can be delivered in real-time to desktop, as well as mobile users and recorded for later playback.  The recorded sessions offer an opportunity for participation to those who cannot participate at the scheduled training time or who need to review the training again (Cisco Webex).  As indicated, there are many offices that cannot meet at the same time or in the same location.  Choosing a product that can allow learners an opportunity for real time participation, while still being recorded , will provide recorded users with a feeling of being in the live training.  Webex is a fully featured product designed for online training, product demonstrations, collaboration and much more (Cisco Webex).

               Lilly Tomlin - Webex Commercial

Google Docs

Google Docs was chosen to meet the needs of the second challenge; the need to collaborate.  As indicated, not all users can collaborate at the same time.  Therefore, a secondary product was necessary to allow for 24/7 collaboration.  With Google Docs, users can collaborate simultaneously and at different times.  Users can upload screen captures and create and modify documents in a shared environment.  Google Docs is a free resource that requires the user to sign up for a free account.  Users can upload files that they already have right into Google Docs from any Internet connected device (Google)

References

Cisco Webex. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2011, from Cisco Webex Web Conferencing, Online Meetings, Desktop Sharing, Video Conferencing: http://www.webex.com

Google. (n.d.). Google Docs - Online Documents, spreadsheets, presenations, surveys, file storage and more. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=writely&passive=1209600&continue=http://docs.google.com/?hl%3Den&followup=http://docs.google.com/?hl%3Den&ltmpl=homepage&hl=en

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance. Allyn & Bacon.