iFest 2011 Unveils Its New Name

Plus ADLnet.gov has a new look

ADL’s iFest 2011, formerly called ImplementationFest, debuted its new name to reflect the expanded scope of ADL’s program. The tag line reiterated three important, descriptive words beginning with “i” that capture the range of the ADL mission: innovation, instruction and implementation. The event, held at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida from August 2 through 4, drew more than 260 attendees from government, military, industry and academic sectors.

ADL also launched its new web site at iFest. Please check out our new look and new features, and provide feedback. Click the iFest Presentations button on the home page to see the full list of iFest 2011 topics and presenters.

Throughout iFest, presenters asked attendees to respond to multiple choice questions using small, interactive keypads provided by Turning Technologies. Responses were tabulated and displayed in real time so that speakers could know who their audience was, see audience opinions on various issues, and address specific issues on the spot.

Day 1, Tuesday, August 2

Mr. Frank DiGiovanni shares his vision with iFest attendees

Frank C. DiGiovanni, Director, Training Readiness and Strategy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, spoke of the need to continue looking ahead for the next emerging technology and not become stagnant. He also shared his thoughts regarding a future Personal Learning Assistant that would be human centric and customizable to each user’s needs, learning style and personal preferences.

ADL Director Dr. Kristy Murray followed by sharing her insights on ADL and the Learning Future. While the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) has been the focus of ADL’s activities in the past, the future for ADL will involve maximizing the potential for learners via technical innovation. Dr. Murray introduced the themes of ADL’s newest areas of research: the Next Generation Learning Environment and the Next Generation Learner. She also recapped examples of ongoing projects in Mobile Learning, Games and Virtual Worlds, and prototypes demonstrating Search & Retrieval capabilities with various repository and registry projects.

ADL Director Dr. Kristy Murray welcomes Dr. Woolf to the stage

Dr. Beverly Park Woolf, Director of The Center for Knowledge Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, spoke of the need to move learning outside of the schoolhouse where information would be always available and shared the results of her research on the potential of intelligent tutoring systems. Dr. Will Thalheimer, president of Work-Learning Research, shared myth-busting results of his research-based methods on audience response technology.

Reporting on ADL in the Joint community, Joe Camacho, Director of Joint Knowledge Online, described how training has grown from web-based to small group scenario training, and the plan for the next steps that will utilize mobile learning technologies. Major General Thomas Jones reported on the Outdoor Odyssey program. The aim of Outdoor Odyssey is to help those who have served recover and transition back to civilian life with the help of virtual world simulation strategies.

Paul Jesukiewicz talks about the Learning Registry project during a Discovery and Access panel discussion

Breakout sessions covered a range of topics with round table and panel discussions, including updates on the Federal Learning Registry Project, the 3D Repository and other ongoing discovery-and-access activities. Presenters also gave updates on SCORM, Project Tin Can, Apps on a Global Object Repository Architecture (AGORA), and Games for Learning.

Day 2, Wednesday, August 3

James (Jim) Shelton from the US Dept. of Education addresses iFest

Highlights included a report from James (Jim) Shelton III, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, on Reclaiming American Educational Leadership and the need to incorporate new technology faster into our nation’s schools.

Dr. Robert Sottilare from the U.S. Army Research Lab and Dr. Scott Douglass from the Air Force Research Lab talked about their efforts toward making computer-based tutoring adaptive and personalized.

Jonathan Poltrack, ADL Technical Team Lead and Dr. Shane Gallagher, ADL Instructional Design Team Lead, presented a live demo illustrating how a Next Generation Learning Environment permits next generation learners to use multiple learning environments while tracking a wide range of the learner’s activities. They provided more details in separate breakout sessions.

Jonathan Poltrack and his team present a live demonstration of a Next Generation Learning Environment

Wayne Gafford, ADL Government Integrator and his team reported on the Bridge API Project and open source tools for instructional developers and life cycle managers. Other sessions focused on the latest training uses for Mobile Learning and Virtual Worlds.

Day 3, Thursday, August 4
Special recognition was given to Dr. Marjorie Zielke, from the University of Texas, the first-place winner of the Innovations in DoD GamingAward at the 2011 Defense GameTech Users’ Conference, who showcased the award-winning First Person Cultural Trainer.

Dr. Marjorie Zielke describes the award-winning First Person Cultural Trainer

Naval Postgraduate School Professor Rudolph Darken talked about Hybrid Education Models and Erik Sand from 360Ed, Inc. described A Learning Environment for the 21st Century Learner.  Other topics included a report on an iPad pilot study at the Naval War College, Transmedia Storytelling, and the importance of integrating good design with the latest learning technologies.

Thank you
Thanks to all who attended, presented and exhibited at iFest 2011. Thank you also to Brent Smith, Mike Hruska, Jonathan Poltrack, Nik Hurska and all of the performers who provided musical entertainment with the Jamming Metadata Band, featuring talented musicians from the ADL community. You made the opening night reception fun and memorable.

Attendees gather in exhibit area during the iFest 2011 reception

We’ll see you next year in Orlando for iFest 2012, July 31 – August 2.