Vanguard Magazine

T TeCHnology WATch 44 JUNe/JULY 2016 www.vanguardcanada.com with real-like spatial sound engaging the senses like never before." D-BOX specializes in adding motion to virtual reality systems to enhance the train- ing experience. When I asked Sébastien Lozé, Senior Marketing Director of Simu- lation and Training, about learning tech- nologies, he responded, "Virtual reality is becoming a reality. Immersion of learners in virtual training experience was science fiction 10 years ago, today it became a way to accelerate training, make it more effi- cient and accessible. D-BOX motion cue- ing systems have a role to play in this evo- lution by bringing motion and vibrations to all simulators, thus allowing people who need to feel in the virtual world all the cues they sense in the real world." Scott Dewis, CEO of RaceRocks, also shared his thoughts with me on new learning technologies, "RaceRocks be- lieves learning should be entertaining, and aligned with the way people think, work and play. To accomplish this goal, we look at our target demographic and use technol- ogies and delivery methods that blend into their daily lives. Our users are learning the critical skills and knowledge components of high consequence tasks through stories. Instead of learning the steps involved in launching a lifeboat by PowerPoint or an operator's manual, our learners must try and survive a ship fire and complete the launch procedures just before the explo- sion engulfs them, or maybe they don't complete it – an even more powerful learn- ing experience. This type of learning leads to better retention and recall. It's learning within the context of the real situations." RaceRocks provides simulation technolo- gies to operational teams who do high risk tasks. The company has been prolific in the Technology Enabled Learning delivery to the RCN over the last year and a half and is providing mission specialist training for the Motor Vessel Asterix under Project Resolve. As the first clean slate vessel to be introduced to the navy in the digital learn- ing age, MV Asterix has become a testing ground for Technology Enabled Learning such as Virtual and Augmented reality. At CANSEC this year, the OMX team and I were able to try out some of these technol- ogies, which were developed in partner- ship with Modest Tree, an Atlantic based simulation SME. Lastly, Stevens & Solutions, which is also an Atlantic-based Aboriginal owned SME, who I covered in the last issue on Cana- dian Aboriginal businesses, has just recent- ly completed a set of e-learning modules for Aboriginal employees and mainstream employers for the Indigenous Peoples As- sembly of Canada –IPAC (formerly the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples). It is clear that Technology Enabled Learning's reach will extend to provide opportunities across many areas. Now, take a much larger Canadian train- ing company that comes immediately to mind if you work in the defence sector, CAE. The company employs 8,000 people in more than 160 sites in 35 countries, and trains more than 120,000 civil and military crewmembers annually. CAE Vice President/General Manager, Mike Greenley, weighed in on the conver- sation, saying that his company's approach is to "assess the operational requirements and then design a wide variety of blend- ed solutions integrating a full spectrum of methodologies and simulation-based training devices, from classroom training and computer aided instruction (CAI) (or instructor-led computer-based training) to a range of training devices, including desk- top simulators, part-task trainers, recon- figurable simulation and learning systems, and globally recognized full-mission/full motion simulators." They can then net- work all of the devices for collective train- ing and also provide live platform training. It is the combination of the "Live, Virtual, and Constructive simulation based train- ing" across the full spectrum of classroom, computer based, virtual simulator based, and live platform media, and then CAEs ability to integrate through its Training Information Management Systems (TIMS) that makes their offering comprehensive. A university study conducted in Puerto Rico in 2006 referenced advances in neu- roscience that allowed its program to better understand how the brain works. Essentially, our brains reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences. This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity, referring to the changes that occur in the organization of the brain, and in particular, changes that occur to the location of specific information-pro- cessing functions as a result of learning and experience. Environment shapes people's experiences, thus impacting how people think and process information. The theory is that since new generations are growing up with iPhones instead of Barbies, their think- ing patterns have changed immensely over intense and consistent exposure to techno- logical stimulus. It is no secret that I support creative de- struction. That I believe disruption is an important part of moving forward as an economy and a society. At the core of all good societies, past and future, is learning. The root of almost everything, not just our naval training, is learning. Our future de- pends on it. And it depends on our abil- ity to accept, embrace and drive disruptive technologies to maximize our abilities and opportunities.

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