A Canadian computing expert says teenagers, rather than the baby boom generation hold the key to success in the IT industry.
"The sad thing about us baby boomers is we think we're cutting edge," Canadian computing guru Walter Stewart said at the seventh Australian World Wide Web conference this week.
Stewart, the 40-something director of Silicon Graphics, a global marketing, education and research company, suggested companies include teenagers in their strategy committee meetings because the have grown up in a world that was predominantly visual rather than text driven.
"Today's generation are visually rather than text driven and we should not make the mistake of putting text on the Web and calling that an online learning experience," Stewart said.
He also suggests companies conduct "Serious Play" sessions for workers that take place in virtual reality spaces to improve creativity.
Stewart gave examples of how medical schools, car designers and other high-tech industries were using computer generated 3D and 4D walk-through environments to boost product design, surgeons expertise and many other skills.
Trainee doctors using virtual reality programs could operate more accurately and quicker than experienced colleagues trained by traditional methods, according to Stewart.
"These experiences are far more meaningful than anything provided in books," Stewart said. "And they will make an enormous difference to the way people learn in the future."
