About the Book
It is almost impossible to underestimate the knowledge gap that will be caused by the retirement of the baby boomer generation. Scientists, CEOs, senior faculty members, nuclear technicians, doctors, lawyers, sales managers, seasoned trainers and other highly skilled individuals are not walking out the door… they are running.
Simultaneously, a new generation of employees…dubbed “gamers” are entering the workforce with a different focus, mentality and learning style than any previous generation. A mentality forged by playing video games, communicating with handheld gadgets and internet surfing.
The knowledge of the departing boomers must be successfully transferred to the incoming gamers. The consequences of inaction or failure are high. But how, what methods work? Why is knowledge transfer needed? What technology is already in place for this transfer? What organizational commitment is required? Are there examples to follow?
Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning answers those questions and more. It serves as a resource providing learning and development professionals, executives, academics and organizational leaders with the information they need to address this growing issue in a practical and sustainable way.
Reading this book will provide you with practical and innovative solutions to the impending boomer/gamer knowledge transfer problem. It describes how gamer values such as the use of cheat codes, the love of gadgets, the need to play games and the desire to be constantly connected can be leveraged as methods for moving knowledge from the heads of the boomers to the minds of the gamers. Or, in some cases, to their gadgets and gizmos. As a result you will not just be helping your organization survive this transitional time period—you will help it profit and thrive.
The first chapter of the book introduces several concepts critical to the remainder of the work. These concepts include the impending boomer retirement wave, boomer traits and their current control over the workplace. The chapter also defines gamers and describers their traits and the influence technology and video games has had on them. Finally, it describes the need for innovative methods of transferring knowledge from boomers to gamers.
Each subsequent chapter in the book describes a trait, value, belief, or habit of gamers and how that trait can be used to effectively transfer knowledge from the boomers to the gamers.
The last three chapters discuss 1) how to integrate the knowledge transfer process into an organization, 2) how to sell the concept of gadgets and games to business skeptics and 3) personal action items a reader can take to understand the “other side
Read an Excerpt from Chapter One
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