We were lucky to catch up with James Emley recently and have shared our conversation below.
James, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
The technology industry is of course iterating at lightning speed, and you could almost say the industry is starting to follow an exponential curve, punctuated by moments of temporary stagnation. However, there are so many innovators of all ages working on creative solutions, these setbacks do not stay stagnant for very long. Technology greatly impacts most all industries, and if I could employ a word that greatly signifies the current business approach to all projects in the private and public sectors, it would be “efficiency”.
The impact of technology on Education is as old as the concept of learning itself. For each great paradigm shift caused by the introduction of a new invention in the learning process, this shift is met with a mix of excitement, relief, trepidation, and outright rejection. People fear change, and there is also a well-crafted level of artistry that develops in most all dedicated teachers that strive for inspiration. However, it doesn’t come easy.
In my experience within very large public, private, university academia, and corporate organizations, my role as a purveyor of learning is steeped in one philosophy: I will never stop learning how to communication information in multiple modalities while crafting the hero’s journey through each assignment. There is a truism that I learned as a teacher. Most students never really remember the equations, projects, or most of the content in their academic experience, but rather the emotions that were connected with certain teachers, discoveries, or overcoming challenges in and out of the classroom. These are the moments that students remember, and we are hardwired in our DNA to hear, tell, and experience stories around these triumphs.
Starting in 2016, I shifted from teaching Physics and Chemistry over to 3D Design, Coding, and Digital Production. I was given many opportunities from administrators at my old employer, the LAUSD, to inform educators of digital tools that were coming down the pipeline, like the advent of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Again, these technologies have been around for awhile, but like any exponential curve, the beginning growth of these nascent technologies are immeasurable. Then, at one point, these technologies have a giant “pop” moment. My big pop moment occurred when the Oculus Rift HMD first came on the scene, when Palmer Lucky was featured in a Wired magazine (my favorite publication for a long time). I immediately saw how the technology contributed to the multiple intelligence learning theories, first developed by Howard Gardner. For the first time, we were able to break the “4th Wall” of experience, and cater to at least four different sensory inputs: audio, visual, tactile, and olfactory. As a young child, I was enamored by the technologies showcased onboard the starship Enterprise on the show Star Trek: The Next Generation. Specifically, I loved the scenes surrounding the holodeck technology, and I personally felt that the Oculus Rift was a giant leap towards the real-world manifestation of the holodeck. The future was happening, and it was happening in the form of the Oculus Rift.
It is no secret that the customary use of lectures, slide decks, and summative assessments have been a tired and antiquated method of information delivery, however, a majority of high school and university classes are still based in this format: Lecture, take notes, memorize, regurgitate, and repeat. This is where the integration of spatially based learning programs within a virtual reality environment can revolutionize the learning process. I have employed the use of role playing, simulations, gamification, and escape room models within the classroom, and students need a mental or literal escape from the confines of the physical classroom. Multi-sensory virtual reality experiences can provide that. 360-Video field trips may provide an interesting, immersive experience, but the name of the game is emotional, interactive engagement. It is critical that students are engaged emotionally, and they need to have a personalized steak in the game to even care about learning something in the first place.
Over the past 8 years, I have developed therapeutic, immersive experiences that utilize music, visual stimulation, and haptic feedback to increase the emotional engagement of the user. Additionally, there is a giant wave of interest in training adult learners around spatial skills within a low-stakes immersive training environment. This need to develop complex life-saving skills is even more critical in emergency situations. There are many companies emerging that provide these types of environments. However, what I am seeing is a hesitancy in many corporations and academic institutions to buy into these new types of training programs. This is due to the following three issues: 1) Technology is iterating so rapidly that devices soon become obsolete, 2) Up front costs of large sets of VR devices are too expensive on paper, and 3) Users don’t really have the time or desire to learn a completely new technology. This is where a human-based instructional system is critical. The most efficient use of VR Training occurs when a human trainer can walk users (both younger and older) through the integration of a new technology. Additionally, learning how to communicate, articulate, and assess information learned in an immersive environment is something that I have specialized during my experience as an Instructional Designer. Finally, In my opinion, AI will never truly replace the source of raw, creative human creativity, and every learning situation requires problem-solving skills of a seasoned Instructional Designer to forge each pathway towards intellectual growth and mastery. This is my passion and my continued career pathway.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Throughout my entire life, science and performance have been the two disciplines that have pretty much dictated every career decision I have made. Throughout the self-discovering decade of my roaring 20’s, I have spent time in the cruise line industry, airline industry, public educational industry, and the entertainment industry. The through-line in all my various careers is the ability to use media in creative ways while providing informational services in a multitude of settings.
In 2004, I moved to Los Angeles to be a part of the music and entertainment industry. Like a lot of fresh-faced creatives in the city, I didn’t really want to move back home after failing to “make it”, so I supplemented my income by accepting a fulltime science position at a middle school within the LAUSD. By integrating my science background with my creative penchant for performance and production, I became quite well known within the district as the “Rocker Scientist”.
I have had experience producing creative science performance programs (Rocker Science) for various middle and high schools within the LAUSD, fundraiser campaigns for the Teachers in Space organization, and I also have some film score credits in various independence short and feature length films, such as the movie “Hollywood Girl: The Peg Entwistle Story” and the upcoming feature release, “FLUXX”. I have more recently contributed to virtual-led training (VLT) programs with established organizations like Google, Mars, and USAID, as well as start-up companies like Cruise and Hollocraft. Within these organizations, I have utilized digital tools like virtual reality production, 3D CAD Design, sound design, music production, animation, graphic design, and interactive learning programs.
With each client, it’s important to understand that each challenge requires a unique and creative solution. Furthermore, there are great management programs like Monday, Smart Sheets, Buganizer, and Slack, which streamline communication channels in a remote working environment. However, I am completely sympathetic to the old school idea that a hybrid work environment is ideal, because the most creative ideas are usually occurring ad-hoc, spontaneously, and in physical interactions around the proverbial water cooler. Moreover, I am an extroverted people-person, and I truly feel energized after very effective production sessions and meetings. In my opinion, there is no online substitute that comes close to being a perfect alternative to face-to-face interaction…yet.
Throughout each Instructional Design Experience product I create, the human condition of storytelling will always be the driver at the wheel. I try to stay away from abstract, core concepts, yet I also work to inject plenty of illustrative anecdotes when walking a learner through any process. I never assume the learner has a lot of background knowledge, yet I do incorporate contextual understanding when making relevant references in many scenarios or simulations. The goal in my approach of Instructional Design is to illicit some type of emotional hook or connection at the very beginning, and this increases the intrinsic, sustained desire to learn more and to maximize ownership of each learner’s journey. In other words, the learning experience should be as enjoyable as possible, because learning is difficult and sometimes painful.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Throughout my entire life, I have had a very proactive approach to my personal learning journey. Albeit, learning came a bit easy to me, and I was fortunate to become valedictorian of my high school graduation class. At the same, I was also a bit of a space cadet and tended to daydream in class quite often, because I was more or less bored in my reality. However, science fiction novels and music performance gave me an escape to a much more exciting world than the one I was living in, and I feel this is a similar feeling running through the minds of most young learners.
The customary approach to learning is undoubtedly broken and outdated. A major revitalization of immersive learning environments and assessment of multiple learning intelligences is more needed now more than ever. My mission is to create immersive and emotionally engaging learning experiences similar to worlds like “Ready Player One”, “Ender’s Game”, and even “The Matrix”, where unforgettable hyper-learning experiences utilize dynamic and realistic environments, while weaving an engaging storyline that keeps the learner engaged. The multi-sensory aspects of the VR system will make it difficult for the mind to discern between what is real and what is a simulation, and repeated exposure to these simulations can solve a multitude of challenges facing many learners. Altogether, the combination of this immersion contributes to the differentiated learning needs within an ideal Universal Learning Program.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Throughout this wonderful technological learning journey, I am happy to say that my business and creative partner every step of the way has been my wife, Fiona Emley. As an actor and musician herself, she has shared my creative aspirations while witnessing the power of creativity, musical mantra, and emotional connection in her own therapeutic practice. She has also seen the struggles that I have undergone while working in very hierarchical public education and corporate entities. Our combined goal is to create immersive learning and therapeutic programs that empower users to live more informed, healthier, and well-balanced lifestyles. Our first large scale project we created together, titled “KameaVR”, is an immersive and therapeutic virtual reality experience designed to calm and educate the user with immersion into the various mantras associated with the body’s chakra meridian system. It has been an incredible learning journey for us both as we have married technology with spirituality in a beautiful synergy. As a result of this project, we have grown closer over the past 8 years in our vulnerability to produce a more aligned business vision and healthier choices as a couple. The goal of our creative lifestyle is to move away from chemical dependency within nutrition and medicine towards the use of more alternative, virtual therapies that prioritize human connection as the core source of wellness and sharing of information.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jamesemley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starseednova/?igsh=MXBudjJpZXd1czBleg%3D%3D
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kameavr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-emley/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamesEmleyITF
- Youtube: https://music.youtube.com/@starseednova
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rocker-scientist/for-wynnie
- Other: Vimeo Animation Reel:
Youtube Music Handle:
https://music.youtube.com/@starseednovaSteam Market (KameaVR):
KameaVR (Steam):
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1023710/KameaVR/
Image Credits
James Emley
Fiona Emley