New tools

I recently read a blog about how technology has made us lazier. I hear this all the time from people who think that the generations that came before us were more hard-working and innovative. But, today when I was giving a lecture to some kids about the rapid development tools used in elearning, I realized that technology does not make us lazy. Far from making us dull, having tools and appliances that take care of cumbersome mundane tasks, actually makes us more innovative. These tools give us the freedom to focus on our core competencies. To excel and innovate in the areas that excite us the most.

As an ID, I now have tools that allow me to create rich and engaging elearning courses with audio and multimedia in a matter of hours. This lets me focus my energies on ensuring that my instructional approach is sound and my content is robust. A lazy ID would never have worried about these things too much. In fact, a lazy person would not work too hard no matter what the conditions.

It isn’t the tools that make us lazy, I suppose they just magnify our natural temperament. The new version of Flash allows my graphics team to quickly create almost anything that their imagination can come up with, including detailed 3D models. New technology allows doctors to keep people alive, even those who would've died years ago without that technology. And we can now think about creating lifelike simulations for medical training courses that we had never thought possible.

It’s time we stopped being afraid of technology and how it’ll change our lives. For the most part, it has made things better. For the most part it’s let us stretch our imaginations in terms of things we could do. Some years ago, Captivate was such a painful and cumbersome tool to use that I wouldn’t ever have the time to worry too much about whether the training simulations I’m making will really be immersive and engaging. But, with the new and improved Captivate, I can actually focus on the scenarios that I’m using for the simulations and how I can improve them. I can be more of an ID and less of a developer.