Day 2 at eLearning Guild Annual Gathering – Morning Keynote

We had a great Breakfast Bytes session this morning with Mark Chrisman talking about Social Learning.  It is amazing how many people want to learn about it, but don’t have a lot of information or know where to start.  It can be scary!

And now, the keynote speaker, John Patrick on the Future of the Internet and what it means for learning….

He estimates that we are only 5% into what the Internet has in store for us – it is in it’s infancy.  The Internet is about PEOPLE, not business, students, etc.  It empowers us.  Expectations rise every day.  Billions of people, trillions of devices.

THE POWER OF THE CLICK: End-to-end solutions; click here to call; the Opportunity is huge.

He points out a lot of discrepancies.   We are where we were about 100 years ago.  RE: Health, we don’t demand the information our health.  We can do it with email, but if we get a blood test with one Dr. the other Dr. does not know about it and can rarely use it.

He is giving us some great regular information, but is not relating it to learning.  He has good humor, but the learning aspect, so far, is lacking.

(Here we go…) Government has been supportive of the internet, but don’t know much about it and have feared to regulate it, which is to our advantage.  IRS/taxes are a great example.  They have supported learning – it came from learning.

The internet helps people learn how to learn.  Schools and libraries will change.  Home schooling is taking off (we home school our bunch as well).

The choice that has to be made is are we going to accomodate (and tolerate) the internet, or are we going to embrace it as the primary communication mechanism and give them choices and make it easy for them to get access to data, whenever they need it, wherever they need it, with whatever device they need: On demand.

In 2001-2002 there was a Bubble, but it was not an Internet Bubble.  People believed that revenue meant getting $$$$ from investors.  They were solving problem that were not really problems.  What is different today?  We realize the Internet is the tool.  We are back to the real world and investors are much more savvy.

Most important:

• Fast: Outside the US is better – the lobbyists have slowed things down.  Outside the US the governments are realizing that the Internet is a good thing. (Personally, I think we are tripping over ourselves be regulating it too much, even though it doesn’t seem like it.)  Look at Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand.
• Always on: WiFi and WiMax: reality exceeds the hype.  He is talking about EVERYTHING at home (every device: the front door, air conditioning, toaster, laundry) is connected.
• Everywhere: When people say, “I’ll go look on the Internet.”  But where is it?  Usually it is on your computer.  It should be where we are – It is wherever I am.  The mobile Internet is, according to John, the ‘next big thing.’  Opera makes browsers for devices.  Move it from the desktop to your belt.  “Long Distance” is what?  In miles or milliseconds?  Try 1-800-Free-411.  Texting is huge in Europe and Asia – business execs are using it.  The real power is in business.  (How to bring instant updates to health care – There is a lot there…)
• Natural: Between people,
• Easy
• Intelligent
• Trusted

How to Survive:

• Think Outside in – Listen to the people
• Think Big, Act Bold, Start Simple, Iterate Fast
• Anticipate the evolution of the Internet
• Build a framework for Choice and Services
• Partner to the hilt
• Get a taste of the Net Attitude: talk to the kids