Smartphones, Batman and Virtual Mentors

Question: What can we do with mobile learning and smartphones?

Terry McGinnis as The Batman

Answer: One application is that smartphones enable the concept of a Virtual Mentor to be employed to assist in a variety of settings. A virtual mentor is a live person who provides assistance to one or more individuals who are “on the ground” at a customer site working on a problem. The mentor remains at a central location so he or she can assist several teams of individuals at once remotely.

Perhaps the most dramatic example of a virtual mentor comes from the animated cartoon series titled “Batman Beyond.” The series takes place in the future when the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, is in his late 80’s. He is too old to fight in hand-to-hand battles with the forces of evil but still has the knowledge, experience and wisdom necessary to keep Gotham streets safe.

Eventually, a young 17 year old teenager named Terry McGinnis becomes the new Batman. Bruce outfits his new apprentice with all the latest gadgets and sends him into Gotham to fight crime. While physically strong, the boy is at a serious disadvantage.

Unlike Bruce Wayne, the new Batman doesn’t have the years of experience or the necessary training to expertly fight crime.

He is full of attitude and believes he is a hero but has a lot to learn. The boy needs coaching and additional training but the criminal elements in the city won’t wait around until a new Batman is fully trained and operational. Terry has to fight as the Batman immediately.

To remedy this situation, Bruce Wayne coaches Terry via a head set from an operational command center in the BatCave. Terry relies on Bruce’s experience and knowledge to guide him in his crime fighting activities. Bruce is in constant contact with Terry providing advice, insight and directions.

In the virtual mentor scenario, the mentor knows what needs to be done but is more valuable coordinating activity from a distance location than actually doing the work at the customer’s site. The mentor provides guidance and direction so the tasks are successfully accomplished by each team he or she coaches.

Older Bruce Wayne, Terry and the new Batman

Today’s smartphones allow the virtual mentor to keep in constant contact with the members of the team. The smartphones send back visual images, videos or even plug into devices at the customer site. The virtual mentor transfers knowledge and information as he or she helps the people in the field develop the skills and competencies they need to be proficient on their own.