- Voice Recognition
- Mobile messaging packages
Voice Recognition
If you have ever used the product Dragon Dictation you would have come to realize that while it has some coolness to it, having to say the words followed by “period. Space, Space” or “new paragraph” as you are saying it (to make it appear as it is on the screen) is cumbersome and irritating.
Plus if words are similar in pronunciation, you may get the wrong word written down.
However, as technology advances so will voice recognition. With e-learning, I would love to say “add widget” or “add video to course and move it to center of the course” and then the product does it.
How many times do you look at a course or a LMS or an e-learning tool and say to yourself what are going to do/plan to do and then have to do it – via the keypad or mouse?
Wouldn’t it be easier just to say it? I know from a learner side it opens up some really cool interaction.
Mobile messaging apps
Text messaging for event management is extremely rare in the LMS world. Text messaging for notifications on taking a course, follow up, etc. – is also extremely rare.
Also with many data plans SMS is not free. But with the mobile messaging apps, all the capabilities within the product are free, including phone calls.
How popular are mobile messaging apps today?
- The biggest market in the MM space is Asia. Line which is a mobile messaging app just passed 200 million users (worldwide)(CNet)
- Message Me which launched in March 2013, has over 1 million active users
- WhatsApp which is the most popular in the U.S., processed 27 billion messages in one 24 hour period
- Kakao Talk users send 5.2 billion messages a day
Line from Japan is an interesting mobile messaging app because it offers digital sticker packs. If you are thinking “what’s the big deal about that”, well the company made 18 million dollars of those digital sticker packs in just one quarter.
The one downer on mobile messaging apps is that it typically requires the other person to have the same app. That said, at least one “Just.me” doesn’t have that requirement.
Features seen in most of the mobile messaging apps
- Create groups (Line enables you to have up to 100 people at the same time)
- Send text, video, photos, images
- Make phone calls (most of them have this capability, but not all – example WhatsApp)
- Free not only to download, but use – i.e. unlimited voice, video, photos, phone calls, etc.
- Send voice messages
- Requires internet connection
- Message Me – End users can also send a doodle, video (inc. sending it from YouTube without leaving the app), location update or music (including sending it from iTunes, without leaving the app)
- Just.me – If the other person doesn’t have the Just.me app they can still see your stuff via their own e-mail or if they have SMS capability – via their own SMS
- Line – Games (from Line), digital stickers
- Kakao Talk – Share calendar, goes through your contacts to find other KT folks who are also online (Viber, also does this as well)
Benefit for E-Learning
Simply put, learning management systems and the way information is disbursed to learners. Seems like a no-brainer to me, with the exception I can see with phone calls – but then again, some vendors offer the ability to add Skype to their system.
Bottom Line
These four types of emerging technology are immediately applicable to e-learning. While some are in the potential stage (but still can be utilized), others are screaming “pick me, pick me”.
Granted a few are really ideal for e-learning vendors. But a couple can be used by consumers in the space.
What is stopping someone to say, “let’s try it out?”
Well, I have some thoughts on this – but at least from the vendor perspective it always seems to come down to demand (although some will say cost).
But if the demand is there, the cost will become less of a factor.
So, let’s get the demand rolling.
You can guarantee I’ll be the one cheering you on – with my kinect technology, leap motion device and mobile messaging app.