A “Pixar” Model for the Creation of Educational Materials in a Digital World

Thomas D. LairsonGelbman Professor of International Business

Professor of Political ScienceRollins College

Prepared for presentation at the NITLE Symposium: Inventing the FutureArlington, Virginia – April 16-17, 2012

Online/blended education requires compelling digital educational media

Great digital media will revolutionize pedagogy and education by delivering the highest aspirations of liberal arts education in a flexible and highly individualized setting at a much lower cost

New educational system can and should be based on liberal arts college faculty.

For this to happen, faculty will need to be different, work with different kinds of technologists, and the organization for both will need to change dramatically.

Liberal arts colleges probably cannot make the strategic commitment to digital media creation and the disruptive innovation needed to make this happen.

New organizational forms will emerge outside of liberal arts colleges to create new digital media and new pedagogy.

The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed.William Gibson

Analysis based on Pixar model – Apple and Steve Jobs

Consider best practices in digital educational media to show us directions

Describe digital media for US-China relations course

What do liberal arts colleges need to do? Pixar model for liberal arts colleges

Examine business models from digital business in order to develop liberal arts colleges for the near future.

Overview

Break existing product and business model molds –

Computer-generated animated movies, Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple Store, App Store, iTunes

Integrate hardware and software

Intersection of content – art - and technology

Obsession with quality

Leveraging distributed knowledge creation capabilities

Exploit low marginal cost of a digital content

The Pixar Model of Disruptive Innovation

The “gold standard” for business models in a digital world

Close connection between the device and the content

Creators of digital media need to be users Creators-users will redefine pedagogy and the

“classroom”New kinds of faculty - sophisticated content

knowledge and technical understandingNew organizational formsInkling, Apple, Facebook, Phoenix, Knewton,

NHN, Moonbot

The Pixar Model and The Emerging Digital Value Chain

Natural competitive advantage: gold standard for content and pedagogyengaged, interactive, analytical, perspective, values

clarifying, decision-making, information-evaluation learning

Strong resistance to online education and technology

Anti-entrepreneurial and anti-innovationMost faculty have no idea the threat posed by the

digital world

Liberal Arts Colleges and Faculty as Players?

Alliance of strong and very innovative administrative leadership with faculty leaders having a clear vision to leverage the values and skills of a liberal arts environment?

Liberal arts colleges and faculty will need to disrupt themselves

IBM, Xerox, Kodak

Will liberal arts faculty react like the scribes of the 15th century facing the new printing press or more like five year olds in the 21st century who pick up

iPads and instantly know how to use them?

How will liberal arts colleges respond?

Individualized configurations of content provided on demand or even through adaptive responses (Knewton)

Interactive text, hypertext, semantic web, pictures, video, music, animations, simulations and immersive environments

Encourage and enhance face-to-face interaction between teacher and student

Enhance the ability to absorb and process information, analyze, compute, evaluate, innovate and decide

What Can Compelling Digital Media Do?

Scalar - a software environment integrating text and multiple sources of video and images.

Processing - software environment for creating images, animations and interactions.

Unfolding - Software environment for creating interactive maps and data visualization.

Tile Mill - Software for creating GIS-based maps

Gelph – interactive platform for the visualization and analysis of data.

Twine - Software for creating interactive stories.  Celtx - software environment for managing and developing digital media.  JUNG - software environment for modeling, analysis and visualization of data.  Vue - a “visual environment for structuring, presenting, and sharing digital information.”

Popcorn - Software for linking web and video.

Sophie - Sophie is software for reading and writing interactive books and other forms of text and multimedia.

Current Best Practices for Digital Media Creation

Ubuweb – Archive of films and audio works

USC School of Cinematic Arts: Walden, A Game – A virtual simulation of the Walden experiment by Thoreau.

Hypercities – geospatial humanities permits a deep and detailed examination of cities through time with layered

GIS maps.

OmnesViae – Interactive map with embedded information about travel in the 4th century

Roman World

Mastering Biology – Integrated system of interactive content, learning modules, testing and real

time feedback, and data stream to faculty

Best Practices – Digital Content

GIS-3D animation program at Washington College run by Stewart Bruce Courses for learning and creating advanced immersive digital

content Based on outside grants Students as creators with practical job experience

Computer simulation program by Dr. Forrest Stonedahl at Centre College Computer simulations to examine social, environmental and

natural sciences To understand a social system you need to build it and analyze

it experimentally Powerful forms of experiential and interactive learning

Best Practices – Liberal Arts Colleges

What standards for these new digital learning media? Engagement and interactivity Factual and analytical information Expand the ability to locate, evaluate and apply information in

realistic scenarios Students formulate alternatives and analyze potential

outcomes in policy environments Social media for engaging in team-playing and sharing ideas “Testing” settings linked to adaptive responses to support

learning Learning analytics using data from individual students, with

data aggregation across professor-defined groups of students.

Studying U.S.-China Relations in a Digital World

Model is mashup of video game, GIS-based and touch screen interactive map, and computer simulation

AI-based interactive 3D virtual environment and incorporating SIRI-like input and response capabilities that asks and answers questions.

Dynamically layered maps with embedded complex links to text and multimedia information

Embedded tests to enhance learning Two important issues in U.S.-China relations

U.S.-China conflict over currency and trade U.S.-China-Vietnam conflict over South China Sea

This new kind of map will serve as a reference point for developing simulation environments of various forms of economic, political and military interaction

Digital Media for U.S. – China Relations

Network map with the “touch” experience of an iPad http://max-planck-research-networks.net/

A Good Traditional Map

Add dynamic layers and embedded links to data and text: about: various boundaries and claims for all nations in the area pictures of the various atolls and islands estimates of oil recovery and locations of oil fields potential points of military engagement actual points of military engagement between China and Vietnam locations of U.S. military bases with data on troops and capabilities Chinese military forces and bases, especially in Fujian province across

the Taiwan Strait trade and money flows between the US and China data on the structure of production networks for US firms such as Apple,

including an interactive layered map with the locations, trade values and % of value chains for a Macbook Air, and iPad and iPhone and

similar maps for manufacturing a Buick and a Volkswagen in Shanghai; systems of global production, animated so the actual movement of

components can be traced through the value chain.

How to Make a Good Map Great

Trade war prompted by declaring China a currency manipulator Layered maps with embedded text and data Exchange rate data Analysis of exchange rate effects on trade Case studies of trade wars Students choose and explain responses – simulation provides AI

based responses – students respond and explain Knowledge of economic relations and decision-making, evaluating

information, analysis of alternatives and outcomes Crisis in the South China Sea from China – Vietnam conflict

Military conflict over oilfields Students play in teams Knowledge of positions, capabilities and responses of nations

involved Explanation of choices Dynamically AI based interactions engage decision-making,

evaluating information, analysis of alternatives and outcomes

Video Game Simulations of Case Studies in U.S. – China Relations

Wolf-Sheep-Grass in Netlogo

Student Modified Simulations

Create new Pixar unit and support entrepreneurialismStrategic value of the Pixar unit for success/survivalNew kind of education creates its own demandFaculty-technologist collaboration - new

rules/incentivesExpand skills of technologists and facultyStudents as content creators – interns and content

creations “courses”Accept trial and error process of change and

developmentPixar unit partners with Apple in digital value chainThe competitive advantage of liberal arts colleges is an

approach to ideas, learning, thinking and education; leverage this into the digital age

A Pixar Model for Liberal Arts Colleges

Why will good digital educational materials change the way education takes place? Provides the “killer app” by demonstrating online educational

value is as strong as cost is low Materials and educational process will co-evolve Course and curriculum are transformed Demonstrable educational competencies and capabilities Dynamically individualized process for critical thinking Superior educational outcomes

High engagement and interactivity; Clarify values; Obtain, recombine and apply information; Solve problems - analyze alternatives, outcomes and consequences;

work in teams; develop perspective

Strategic Consequences of New Digital Media - I

Why will the organization that creates educational materials have a competitive advantage in providing the education

itself?

Disruption will proceed when blended wins on cost and quality – when digital media are really good

Digital media will enhance flexibility in course and curriculum Linking creators and users in new organizations provides a

competitive advantage over separating creators and users – co-evolving content and application

The creation and application of digital media will drive multiple disruptions in organization

Strategic Consequences of New Digital Media - II

Liberal arts colleges could and should be leaders in the new digital age

Conservative forces in liberal arts colleges will win until it is too late

New organizational forms built around creation and delivery of new digital media and new pedagogy will emerge outside of existing liberal arts colleges

Liberal arts values will survive even if colleges don’t

Conclusions

First, adopt the Deng Xiaoping approach to creating change. This involves a form of distributed, incremental experimentation: “crossing the river by feeling for stones.”

Second, adopt the Picasso approach to ideas: “Good artists borrow; great artists steal.”

Third, adopt the recombinant approach to innovation: Mash-ups and more mash-ups.

 Fourth, create a semi-autonomous unit based on

these three principles.

Postscript: Prove Me Wrong