Interview with Bryce Bertola, Park City Independent; Innovative Education Providers Series

Welcome to an interview with Bryce Bertola, of Park City Independent, an accredited online high school which provides online courses to students who wish to take courses not offered by their local high school. It also offers middle school courses and courses for adults who would like to complete their high school diploma rather than obtaining a GED. One of the benefits of having a bona fide high school diploma is that it enables individuals to go on for a bachelors and then graduate programs.

1. What is your name and your relation to e-learning?

My name is Bryce Bertola and I'm the webmaster for Park City Independent, an accredited online high school. I'm completing my bachelors degree in Information Systems at the University of Utah with a mix of online and traditional classes. I've used a variety of high school and college level e-learning solutions, and have done very well within the virtual classroom setting.

2. What are the new directions in elearning that interest you most?

What interests me most is the increasing access to specialized topics through e-learning, as well as the convenience of a self-paced course schedule. You don't have to have a topic expert within your school district in order to learn about something, instead you can turn to an online provider and it can then be reflected on your transcripts.

Bryce Bertola, Park City Independent

During high school, I desperately wanted to learn about web publishing and design, but there wasn't a teacher on staff that was qualified to teach such a program. Instead I had to learn things the hard way, by myself, through a variety of web based instructional sites. I'm excited at the prospect of a wide array of specialized courses that high school students could earn credit for taking.

3. What are some of the problems in today's world that e-learning can address?

One of the major problems today is the rising cost of higher education. As tuition rates continue to rise, students are getting priced out of the market: Many of them opting to discontinue their education entirely. In addition to an increasingly expensive education, limited access to advanced courses also creates significant barriers. e-Learning is a much more cost-effective method of delivering course content, and there is no limit to the course material an instructor might choose to provide.

4. How has e-learning changed in the last 5 years? How has it improved and where?

People are waking up to the idea that e-learning is a legitimate source of knowledge. 5 years ago, what I saw as the perception of e-learning really downplayed its effectiveness in favor of a hands-on instruction. Since then the vehicles for delivering quality content have improved, and as people gain more exposure to online learning, and more web based educational services come about, that perception has faded away.

5. How are e-learners changing? What are their emerging needs?

It's a tough economy, and many people have a lot on their plate. Todays e-learners are seeking flexibility above and beyond what the traditional classroom can offer, otherwise they wouldn't be able to fit everything into a normal week. With a years-long recovery ahead of us, I think that funding for public education will remain low, and schools are going to be forced to explore more affordable options.

6. What do you think e-learning will look like in 5 years?

I think that in 5 years, e-learning will be a necessary part of a standard high school curriculum, and that colleges will rely on e-learning tools for much of their standardized courses. Not only that, but individual topic experts will start providing their own specialized courses, either through public or private outlets.

Interview with Marianne Cherney, Gogogh.com: Innovators in E-Learning Series

On-demand online technical courses are often fairly static and do not involve interaction with fellow learners. GoGogh incorporates social networks in an innovative way to bring in interaction, engagement, and to enhance conditions of learning.

1. What is your name, affiliation, and your connection with e-learning?
My name is Marianne Cherney and I own Dashcourses and www.gogogh.com. I have been in technical training for 19 years and have delivered instructor-led live and onsite, and self-paced e-learning courses for the last two years.



2. How would you characterize your philosophy of learning?
I believe that learning needs to be delivered to meet the needs of the client. The provider must be open to understanding the needs of the client and willing to embrace new ideas and ways of delivering training that work for the student. Too many companies are tied to the way that they do things, which forces the customer into a plan that really doesn’t fit them (and eventually will put the training provider out of business).

3. What are some of the emerging gaps in e-learning technologies and access?
E-learning needs to take advantage of bridging the best of all worlds and link the instructors to the students. It is not an all-or-nothing world out there and students need access to the experts. There are many creative ways to do this, such as online communities like www.gogogh.com that provide a platform for the learner to connect to the experts. A program like this enables mentored learning coupled with e-learning.



4. How might some of the old ways of approaching e-learning become obsolete?
This is a continuation of the last question. Learning must be interactive. I think a really interesting approach is to couple e-learning with a mentored learning session so that the students can ask live questions.



5. What is GoGogh and why was it developed ?
The world has changed and we operate at speeds that were never dreamed possible. People and information need to connect in new ways. We have social networks that have brought people together in a brand new way.


At the same time companies are global in new ways and that requires providers to offer new solutions. Some of the technologies that my other company, Dashcourses, teaches are not taught outside of the US and the global market requires these technologies to be taught globally at prices that local markets can afford.

With GoGogh we are able to do that. GoGogh offers high quality e-learning courses built on an interactive platform that allows providers and users (20 million+ IT professionals) to interact, learn , create and keep themselves and their companies learning the way. Companies allocate between $1,000 and $1,400/year/technical employee to keep them up to speed. Traditional training could use this budget in one or two courses. With GoGogh for only $250/person, individuals can get unlimited training. For the enterprise, companies can license GoGogh and save significant amounts of money. For example, a company with 2,500 employees can save over $2 million/year on training costs by using GoGogh.

6. What is your vision for GoGogh?
We want each and every member of the IT, Hardware and Software community to be an active GoGogh member. We integrate new and creative solutions each and every day and we welcome every company, every service provider and every professional to become a part of our community.

7. Describe a few examples of it in action. Who does it benefit and how?
GoGogh benefits the individual by providing on-demand technical trainings – the individual can schedule them for a time that works best for their own hectic lives. For the company, the cost benefit is tremendous – their IT staffs can get outstanding, expert led trainings for a fraction of the cost. Like I said in an earlier question, GoGogh’s $250 annual cost/employee can save a company with 2,500 employees upwards of $2 million every year.

On top of this, GoGogh’s experts are available during the course, but also after. This means that small technical departments have access to a team of global experts outside of their course. And, many of our members find added value in GoGogh because we will build the content that our members ask for .

8. What are two things you'd like to see for the future?
I would like to see people open up and work together in a way that benefits the world community. We need to open the lines of communication and work together for the greater good.

9. Finally -- please recommend a book .... :)
The Go-Giver


Do you have a case study to share? Send a tweet at @beyondutopia.
or, email susan at susan@beyondutopia.com

E-Learner Survival Guide: Free download.

Interview with Martin Bodley, Revolabs: Innovators in E-Learning Series

Welcome to an interview with Martin Bodley, founder of Revolabs, a provider of innovative wireless products for collaboration, many of which can be used in assistive technology for special-needs users. Prior to Revolabs, Martin was CEO and founder of Maestro Inc., a successful OEM development and supplier to major brands such as Motorola and Body Glove. At GNNetcom, Mr. Martin Bodley was responsible for instituting and growing a $70 million wireless product line. Martin is widely recognized as an innovator and expert in wireless technologies, having authored papers and been been issued many patents throughout his career. Assistive technology has been central to Martin's life. As an engineer, Martin has been developing various products such as wireless assistive technology for 15 years.

We were most impressed with Martin Bodley and Revolabs for its pro-active, effective, and compassionate stance toward special-needs users and assistive technology. Social responsibility should be a cornerstone of all e-learning technologies and philosophies. Developing assistive technologies and providing them in an affordable way is, in this blogger's mind, heroic and worthy of emulation. It is encouraging to see leadership in assistive technologies, and a commitment to pushing forward and providing innovative solutions, despite uncertainty.

1. What is Revolabs? What does it do? How does it work? Why do you believe in it?
Revolabs is a developer of innovative wireless products for collaboration. Revolabs products are designed to improve the way that professionals and educators communicate by improving the audio by putting microphones where people need them so that you can hear every word. I believe in the company because good communication is critical to all facets of life, especially as technology enables us to expand our reach globally.

2. What is the philosophy of Revolabs?
The philosophy of Revolabs is to solve communication problems with innovative technology. The product philosophy is to utilize wireless technology and bring the microphone system to where people are speaking, instead of having people adapt to speak near the microphone.



3. Who benefits from Revolabs? How? Why?
Anyone collaborating with another person and having trouble hearing the other person, or being heard by the other person, could benefit from a Revolabs Wireless Microphone System. In the case of Telemate, he has trouble hearing people who are in the room and our microphones have helped him. However, this is not our typical application. Typically, our Wireless Microphones are used on conference calls or video conferences in a business setting, or in a classroom for Distance Education. The anticipated economy and efficiency of conference calls/distance education is erased when the participants can’t understand what’s being said, especially as one walks to the board to present.

4. What differentiates Revolabs's products from other products for networks or labs? What are some innovative uses?

Revolabs Wireless Microphone Systems have many differentiators.

1. Wireless: The entire family of Revolabs Wireless Microphones are designed to provide natural mobility and meeting dynamics.

2. Environmentally-friendly: The batteries in the Revolabs Microphones are rechargeable, so they do not need to be replaced after each use.

3. Easy-to-Use: The Revolabs Microphones all have Mute buttons and do not require specific software to operate.

4. Secure: Privacy is a major consideration today and the Revolabs Microphones use a 128-bit encryption scheme to eliminate the risk of eavesdropping.
Telemate’s use of the Revolabs Wireless Microphone System is a very innovative one. Revolabs has several medical simulation laboratories who record teaching sessions in the labs. Teachers use the Revolabs USB Wireless Microphone for podcasting and distance learning. Additionally, medical personnel use the same microphone for dictation into speech recognition software programs. Revolabs Wireless Microphones are used from the corporate board room to the home PC with someone using a Skype phone.

5. How does Revolabs encourage students and instructors to interact? Does Revolab help facilitate inclusion and learning for multiple learning preferences, variations of cognitive ability, and physical abilities?
By allowing students and teachers to hear each other more clearly, Revolabs assists students and teachers in local and long-distance discussions. Students with hearing disabilities, like Telemate, can participate fully in the classroom and the non-classroom learning situations. The Revolabs Wireless Microphones remove the artificial “speak into the microphone embedded in the table” meeting dynamic and allows the students and teachers to interact more naturally.



6. Where and how does your vision encourage creativity, innovation, and leadership?
The vision of Revolabs is to remove technological obstacles to clear and direct communication, even if all of the participants are not in the same room. Allowing a natural mobility and providing great audio enables meeting participants to be more creative and collaborate more effectively.

7. Here's an extension of the previous question -- How can Revolabs help rebuild our world economies and communities?
Revolabs helps people communicate more clearly. This is a huge benefit in a global economy. The future also depends on becoming more environmentally concerned. Revolabs Microphones work well with teleconferencing and video-conferencing, both of which reduce the need for people to travel, ultimately reducing transportation emissions. This will help build a stronger world.