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Mod03:The Global Learning Technologies Marketplace

Applying the cube to Lynda.com

http://www.lynda.com/
Lynda.com is a major provider of online training. They offer prepackaged video and interactive tutorials for nearly all of the popular software applications that are used in the design and development environments. This ranges from basic lessons in writing a Word document, to complex and intricate lessons on texture and lighting in 3-D modeling applications.

Face 1: Market Focus
Because Lynda.com has so many resources that cover so many applications, they have a very broad market focus. They mainly differentiate the markets based on pricing and access to their resources. For instance, public schools would most likely invest in a few lessons for the applications that they use, but at a multi-user price point. Higher education and corporations may look at larger site licenses, or they may opt to have the end users purchase only what they need.

Face 2: Types of Offerings
Lynda’s offerings are mainly pre-packaged content, either available online subscription or by purchasing hard copies of the software or videos.

Face 3: Who is the Buyer?
Again, because of the large market focus, there are many types of buyers. Single package licenses are available for individual learners, right up to large corporate site licenses, where all employees have access to all of the available resources on company computers.

Face 4 – Global Markets
As they are produced in English, the main users of Lynda’s resources would be wired Anglophone countries, European countries with language skills, and possibly, thanks to the closed captioning, European countries requiring translation.

Face 5 – Development of the Market
Lynda would fall under the category of “Market Supports Export Oriented Learning Technologies and Substitution of Imports.”  It is assumed with this sort of resource that the market is always ready to accept the newest technologies, and that end-users will need training to run them effectively, or more importantly, competitively.

Face 6 – Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning
Because of its prepackaged nature, the resources that Lynda provides would be a substitute for other forms of learning. These tutorials and videos could be used in addition to other forms of instruction, but there would likely be a lot of redundancy. That being said, these resources may not meet the learning needs of everyone using them, so having a proficient instructor would be important for success, especially in that K-12 environment.

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Mod03:The Global Learning Technologies Marketplace

Timez Attack Cubed

Times Attack Screen Capture
Times Attack Screen Capture

CUBE Analysis for Timez Attack

 

Timez Attack (http://www.bigbrainz.com/index.php) is an educational or “meaningful” game designed to help children learn their times tables. It has an engaging and intuitive interface and players learn without realizing they are doing so.

Face 1 – Market Focus

            This product is really aimed at the K-12 sector and more specifically the K-7 portion of that sector. Having said that, it could easily be used in a remedial program in a high school setting.

Face 2 – Type of Offering

            This is definitely a content type of offering. It is a pre-packaged “meaningful game” that can be used as either a stand alone or a school district wide application.

Face 3 – The Buyer

            This product really has several different types of buyers. An individual could buy a stand-alone copy for home use (as I did when my son was having a hard time learning his times table!). A district could purchase the software for installation on all its computers or a school could purchase it for the same application. It also might be possible for a clearing house such as EBSCO to buy this software and then be able to offer volume discounts to educational buyers that are members of its consortium.

Face 4 – Global Market

            While there are a variety of buyers for this product I feel there are numerous markets for it, also. The first potential market is “wired Anglophone countries”. The product is American and all the language is American English. However, because there is a limited amount of actual language and the game is quite intuitive (even my 5 year old daughter was able to figure out what to do) I can see European and Asian countries as being other potential markets. Because it is a game with a need for a fairly good monitor and game card, it is somewhat limited to developed countries. Having said that, the home page advertises that their product is used in 200 countries. The product is available in English and Spanish at this point and I would imagine that, given a large enough demand, it could be translated to other languages fairly easily.

Face 5 – Development of the Market

            Educational or meaningful gaming is on the rise and students who have high quality graphic games at home are not easily impressed with poorly designed games. I would think that the market supports a game like this only in relatively developed and wealthy countries and communities. While the game itself is not too expensive, you need a good computer to play it. This particular game was developed by an educator, giving him some “cred” in the market. His product is fun to play and unique and as such is, in my opinion, well positioned in the North American market place at the very least.

Face 6 – Educational Integration

            Timez Attack is a game that would works well in a school setting, as extra reinforcement and practice for students who are learning the concepts taught. It would also work well in a home school setting. I do not think you would want to use it to replace the teacher, nor do I think the designer would desire such an outcome.

Although we were not asked if we would invest in this company, I am certainly a satisfied customer and would invest if I had the opportunity!

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Mod03:The Global Learning Technologies Marketplace

Using the CUBE: Froguts

froguts

Froguts is an interactive simulation program offering 3D virtual dissections and biology lessons.

See the demo.

Market Focus

This program would be beneficial for middle schools, high schools and higher education. It could be used in schools, for home schooled students, or any student wanting an additional, alternative method of learning.

Types of Offerings

The main offering of this program is content. Lessons are system based and integrate anatomy, physiology and ecology through interactive simulations. The online dissections can eliminate the need for actual animal dissections.

Who is the buyer?

The buyer could include School Districts, Principals, Technology Coordinators, Curriculum Coordinators, teachers, students, and/or parents. In CUBE terms: “learning bought centrally”, “learning bought for learner”, or “learner buys personally”.

Global Markets

The software requires a computer (PC or Mac) and requires the internet for the inital activation. As far as I could see it is only offered in English so the market for this product are wired anglophone countries such as Canada, USA, Australia, UK, Ireland, and NZ.

Devlopment of the Market

The market imports content and infrastructure and supports export oriented learning technologies and substitution of imports.

Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning

This program works with a well-developed learning system but also can be viewed as a substitute to dissections for reasons of costs, animal rights, and the environment.

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Mod03:The Global Learning Technologies Marketplace Module Discussions

Cube Analysis: Skillsoft

Skillsoft (NASDAQ: SKIL) provides e-learning content and software to global enterprises, government, education and small-to-medium sized businesses.

Face 1: Market Focus
Skillsoft’s market focus is on providing e-learning solutions for businesses; although, some universities and government organizations have used Skillsoft products to provide support and training to their employees..

Face 2: Types of Offerings
Skillsoft offers services, content and infrastructure.

Services
Some of the services include consulting services, technical services, solution services, custom development services, and customer support. These services intend to help organizations meet their e-learning objectives. Another service the company offers includes IT certification solutions.

Content
Skillsoft provides companies with the tools and services to author and develop custom content. They have a custom solutions group that creates courseware and they also have tools such as Dialogue, for web collaboration, and SkillStudio, to customize and create courses. Other content offered by the company include book collections or resources, like Books 24×7, and course collections.

Infrastructure
Open Learning Services is another service offered by Skillsoft to address Learning Management System (LMS) and Portal Integration.

Face 3: The Buyer
Buyers will be typical of training since the products and services are targeted mostly towards corporations and small-to-medium businesses where learning is bought for the learner with the option of the learner buying for one’s self – say a learner paying fees for one of the Skillsoft certification courses for example. Other buyers may include the government, where learning is bought nationally.

Face 4: Global Markets
Skillsoft’s presence is global and its services appear to be available mainly for countries and clients with excellent internet Infrastructure.

Face 5: Development of the Market
The market supports the import of content and infrastructure and supports export oriented learning technologies and substitution of imports.

Face 6: Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning
Skillsoft offers a variety of products and services which enable them to compete with existing learning systems. Some of their products handle upgrading credentials of employees as well as help support more effective training and development. A blended learning approach to courses helps Skillsoft provide more effective, customized learning and training solutions that respond to the needs of the client.

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Mod03:The Global Learning Technologies Marketplace

Elluminate Cubed

Elluminate As a BC offshore school in China, our institution needs to obtain information from the Ministry of Education regarding important updates and information. Currently, the month of September is a very busy time for our secondary school. There are new dates and processes to acquire and document for the upcoming school year. In order for BC offshore schools to obtain information, Elluminate is used to bring together different schools across the globe.

Face 1: Market Focus Elluminate targets a market that is both academic and business inclined.

It is not restricted to simply a high school or a post-secondary institution because the service and product itself is a very open-ended tool. The ability to get support regarding audio, chat and video is simply too hard to resist for any company who have different communication needs. Regardless of the situation, if there is an opportunity for communication Elluminate provides a method that is appropriate for the situation. It does not restrict the target group by context but it keeps the product flexible. As long as communication over distances are required, Elluminate offers a well-equipped online space to do so.

Face 2: Types of Offerings

Elluminate’s flexibility arises from the types of offers it gives to its consumers. Not only does it focus on a service but it also provides the infrastructure to deliver content. Rather than limiting the product to one type of offering, Elluminate is capable of others as well. Users can use the different abilities embedded in Elluminate and shape it according to their needs. Within my current context, the function of Elluminate is to deliver vital information from the Ministry to train local administration regarding the important elements of being an offshore school. All the strengths of Elluminate can provide a very powerful piece of infrastructure to transmit and present information. Not only can Elluminate be used for students but it can also be used to train fellow educators and provide for that communication need.

Face 3: Who is the Buyer?

Elluminate within my current situation would probably fall under the “Learning Bought for Learner”. The use of Elluminate was decided by the ministry representatives rather than the educators or the learners. The buyer is the Ministry of Education who decides if this is what we need to improve the educational quality of our program. Therefore, when it comes time to pitch Elluminate, the buyer is not as simple as it may look. The explanation of Elluminates’ needs to be customized in order to reach the people who would pay the money for this venture. The multipurpose function of this tool really generates genuine interest for investment especially in this field of education.

Face 4 – Global Markets

Asian markets with a quality internet connection

The Elluminate meetings are scheduled in advance with a direct link via email to access the site. As a backup to different quality internet connections across China, the Ministry has offered a powerpoint presentation to go along with the meeting. A version of the meeting with only the audio is also available to accommodate the varying connectivity options. As the Cube describes, the quality of internet connectivity varies from the interior of China to the exterior. This makes it very important for the ministry to provide its users with a range of delivery methods. With the growing number of offshore school appearing around the globe, the Asian market is just one of the many global markets interested in a different educational philosophy and system.

Face 5 – Development of the Market

Market Supports Import of Content and Infrastructure Category

There are no similar local options and the development of the market will truly influence Elluminate to thrive. As the need for more communication to happen for our offshore program, Elluminate has made it possible to faciliate and create a space for everyone to get together even across time zones and distance.

Face 6 – Learning Technology Works With a Well-Developed Learning System

Ellluminate is working well with a well-developed learning system. It is used not only with the learners but also with the training of administrators for offshore schools. The tool is flexible enough to be used to educate content but also to educate key players in the system. From Elluminate’s own website, there are many examples where Elluminate does not intrude on the current technologies being used but it works with different platforms. The tool itself is used to create new methods of distribution but it also enhances the existing systems and curriculum.

Recombo and Ingenia

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Module Discussions

Pitch Analysis for RRU and Recombo

Okay, so here is my evaluation of Royal Roads University (RRU) open courseware and Recombo.  Having been my first time as an EVA I found this to be challanging task.  More research time on both topics is what I would need to go forth with an investment.  Teachers love these little organizational charts!! 

Criteria Recombo RRU
CEO Credibility -Seems to have a solid understanding a vision for what recombo is trying to achieve- Mentions walking away from business in 2005 if he doesn’t achieve results he wants, although it shows that he is focused on results as an investor I would never want to hear that type of negativity during a pitch

-Also it seems that is not the CEO of recombo, which leads me to wonder why he is making the pitch

 – We are not formally introduced to a CEO therefore we don’t know who is behind all the ideas of opencourseware- I feel unsure of who will be ultimately accountable for the progress of the corporation/initiative
Management Team – Little is mentioned about the management team besides the former VP of Terra Lycos- Understanding the management team is important because without the right team the company has a critical flaw – No mentioned of a management team, however given that it is RRU is a university its name does provide some credibility
Business Model – I believe Recombo has a viable understanding of where they want to go and I would be interested in hearing more details about Recombo’s plan to improve elearning as they obviously see it as a niche market for their products – RRU seems to not deliver a tangible plan for how they will implement opencourseware.-Will it be all at once or will it increase gradually, how much will it cost and what revenue will it generate, I think RRU is looking to create revenue indirectly through enrolment

– opencourseware appears to be an altruistic venture and therefore is free to the user
Competitive Products Considering the eagerness of publishers to get into the corporate training market I believe there is a huge market to be captures in the near future – RRU does not explain the target market they will be pursuing for example what age demographic
Market readiness – Considering that computing is headed towards more integration everyday, the need need to translate information between programs is and will become more important and the market for Recombo’s products is ready for solutions – Since RRU does not mention what it would consider to be a success we don’t know what RRU’s exact goal is we need to see exactly where they want to go and how they are going to measure their success
Technical  innovation – Recombo makes no points about whether any of their technology is available only from them, however they may be leaders in their ideas – I see RRU as getting “on board” with this idea rather than having a technology which is unique to their institution
Exit Strategy – Recombo seems unclear about an exit however an IPO is mentioned and acquisition by IBM, however according to Brad it would need to have the right price – Destination is unclear, I am not sure how I see how I will get a return on my investment
Overall investment status – Although Recombos seems to have a sound plan and idea for an emerging market I would need to do more research into the IT industry to understand more about other perhaps similar opportunities before investing in Recombo.  Also I would prefer to hear about more about the sales in the company and its operating costs. – Granted that RRU and opencourseware sound like a wonderful altruistic idea for improving learning opportunities for everyone I would not directly invest capital in this venture as it is very unclear how I will generate a direct monetary return in the future.
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Mod03:The Global Learning Technologies Marketplace

Second Life Cubed

Second Life (SL),  owned by Linden Lab, is an online 3D world created and maintained by its users (residents).  Click here for a short video. Although not originally intended to be, the Second Life platform is emerging as a learning technology.

Face 1 – Market Focus

The SL platform offers opportunities to all three market sectors on the cube. Higher education institutes like colleges and universities have raced to establish themselves on the SL grid to offer distance/blended course offerings and to create virtual learning spaces. The corporate world serves as another market because companies, both private and government, can establish a presence in SL and use the platform for training and development. To a lesser extent, the K-12 sector represents another market focus. Although the potential is there for profit from the K-12 markets, growth has been slower due to several restrictions and barriers.

Face 2 – Types of Offerings

As a learning technology, SL offers infrastructure as a mechanism for providing online learning opportunities. Although general membership and participation in SL is free, those wanting to create learning opportunities must purchase land and pay other service fees.  Content and subject matter is the responsibility of the users/clients. Varying levels of technical support only is offered by SL to its paying customers.

Face 3 – Who is the Buyer?

Typically, SL as a learning technology is purchased by corporations, school districts, and higher education institutes. According to the cube, I suppose it is either “learning bought for learner” or “learning bought centrally” depending on how the purchaser intends the technology will be used and whether the use of SL is imposed on learners and institutions. Interestingly, there is an opportunity for revenue from individual learners once immersed in the learning technology because SL has its own currency system and market that entices users to make purchases, sometimes costing real world funds.

Face 4 – Global Markets

The SL platform is best suited for regions with excellent Internet infrastructure. Regions where Internet and bandwidth is limited or restricted will experience far too many problems using SL as learning technology. In fact, broadband Internet and above average computer hardware are minimum recommendations for using SL. Regarding the issue of language, the SL platform is available in English, French, German, and Chinese. This could be viewed as a restriction, however, because SL is created and maintained by its users creative ways to translate the interface have been used including an in-world translator.

Face 5 – Development of the Market

I’m hoping this face of the cube allows for some blurring of the boundaries because I’m not exactly sure where SL as a learning technology fits in regarding development of the market. As previously stated, poor Internet infrastructure, potential language barriers and poverty creates unfavourable market conditions for selling SL as a learning technology in some regions. It simply is not a good fit in some countries. However, generally speaking, the global market freely imports  and exports learning technologies. Potential buyers are free to consider using SL. While SL does face a small number of competitors in the virtual world market, its popularity gives it a slight edge.

Face 6 – Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning

SL is a learning technology that “works with a well developed learning system”. SL is likely going to be used to enhance teaching and learning by those who have chosen to explore the benefits of the engaging environment of 3D virtual worlds. In some cases, however, I could see that the use of SL as a learning technology could be imposed on a system as a cost and time saving means of delivering instruction and training. Corporations, for example, might make it mandatory for employees to enroll in professional development delivered in SL as opposed to the more traditional means of expensive face to face training sessions and conferences. In this case, drawing from the cube, the technology is “imposed and competes with existing learning systems”.

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Mod03:The Global Learning Technologies Marketplace

A Small Step Out Into The World

Welcome to Module 3 – which takes up weeks 3 & 4 of the course.

We’ve given this module more time than the others because it begins a shift in thinking to the perspective of the entrepreneur – which is more daunting than that of the analyst.   It’s so much easier being a critic than an innovator!   What entrepreneurs need most is focus, and identifying a customer is obviously a critical part of that.  Identifying a market is also critical, and the CUBE is one good tool for creating an understanding of the global marketplace.

I really appreciate all the great global resources that have already been offered forward by 522 students, and I’m looking forward to more!

DavidV

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Mod03:The Global Learning Technologies Marketplace

Amazon Kindle and Sony eBook: introducing the Cube

Amazon Kindle or Sony eBook

The product I have chosen to discuss is the e-book reader—such as the Amazon Kindle and the Sony eBook ( an interesting link: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix)  The market potential for this type of product, especially if it were to expand available content and provide a user-friendly interface and better office software for note-taking and word-processing, seems strong.

Market focus: K-12, higher education, and corporate training needs.

Type of offering:  content and infrastructure.

Whose the buyer: learner buys personally and bought for learner.

Where: best suited to markets with internet services.

The technology works well with a well-developed e-learning system.

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