IiL08 – Keynote, Peter Orton

The Innovations in Learning Conference (IiL08) is underway! Gary Woodill introduced the traditional handshake at the beginning of the conference (we can say it’s a tradition now that we’re in our second year) and Dr. Brandon Hall introduced longtime friend Peter Orton from IBM. Peter proceeds to blow everyone’s socks off with the announcement of MindStorm. That’s all I can say about it until later…I didn’t want the security guard to confiscate my computer this early in the  conference : ) All I can say is that it might involve Christopher Walken. Probably not though.

After that…Peter sells the need to stay informed. He talks about the profession. The craft. Pedagogy, cognitive overload, the work of Richard Mayer, etc. The stuff that really matters. On learning research, he says:

Learning designers must be informed by evidence-based finding.

He points to the primary use of the VHR – to watch home movies. Implications. (It wasn’t a ‘recorder’ but a ‘player.’)

He points to the most ubiquitous and uninformed use of technology for learning – PowerPoint – and shows a cartoon “I need someone well versed in the art of torture – do you know any PowerPoint?” Implications. (it’s not a text document)

So he wonders what PowerPoint would look like if it was developed by an educator. He’s really talking about thinking, applying, knowing your craft. This makes me feel good.  Implications. Evidence-based finding!

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