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News & Events
The News & Events
area is designed to keep you informed of the latest ThoughtLink news,
media coverage, and speaking engagements.
What's New
Work Projects
Blue Atlas and ThoughtLink have joined forces to provide complete
life-cycle support in the form of technical and training services for a
variety of collaboration software solutions. In many instances,
companies have access to team collaboration software but it is not
being used effectively – or at all.
In conjunction with the release of Microsoft Office 2007, a number of
these services and solutions focus on Microsoft’s Groove software
and its integration with SharePoint. Microsoft’s SharePoint
works in conjunction with Groove for teams to share collaboratively
developed work products. These services include both the
technical aspects as well as best practices for using collaboration
software for enhancing team performance.
Click here for an Introduction to Groove that provides a voice-over-PowerPoint presentation to answer your questions about what Groove can do for you.
Collaborative Solutions include the following:
-Consulting services: Requirements gathering and business process improvements
-Recommended uses of SharePoint and Groove customized for your team
-Groove and SharePoint Training in a variety of formats (on-line or face-to-face)
-Integration and deployment support, including adoption planning
-Technical support.
For more information about how the Blue Atlas/ThoughtLink team can help
you with your use of collaboration software, call 703-281-5694 or send
e-mail to info@thoughtlink.com. You may also learn more about it in our case studies section.
ThoughtLink is once again supporting the National Defense University to further develop curriculum for the Interagency, Transformation, Education, and Analysis
(ITEA) program. ThoughtLink’s research will focus on moving
the current curriculum for this program to the next level, adding depth
to topics and drawing on lessons learned from communities that face
similar coordination challenges to those of the US government
interagency community. The results will help improve the
understanding of and increase the efficiencies of the US government
interagency community. This is extremely important in light of
current government involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and in
understanding how to best coordinate for reconstruction and
stabilization operations. ThoughtLink’s report will be
available in early 2007.
ThoughtLink conducts a review of the Simulation Capability Roadmap for The Australian Defence Simulation Office (ADSO).
ThoughtLink
reviewed Project Outcomes Roadmap document and provided feedback on the
general direction and feasibility, as well as providing comments with
particular emphasis on the human dimensions elements. Read the case
study here.
ThoughtLink supports U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Exercise Program.
ThoughtLink is one
of the contractors on the newly awarded team working under the L-3
Titan Group. This $350 million, five-year, multiple award, contract,
involves provision of terrorism, technological and natural disaster
exercises for federal, state and local jurisdictions. ThoughtLink will
be taking a lead role in the preparedness data analysis &
evaluation, as well as recommending tools such as computer simulations
to enhance the current exercise program.
Decision Support System & Online Tutorial
ThoughtLink
developed online tools for the emergency response community to learn
about appropriate use of models, games, and simulations for Homeland
Security Training/Exercising. These tools are: a Decision Support
System and an Online Tutorial. A trial period of both tools is
available by registering here.
The International Rescue Commitee
ThoughtLink
customized an open source solution to create an affordable and
measurable online community of practice (COP). This effort includes
devising measures of effectiveness for a multi-cultural, national
collaboration portal. Read more about this project.
Job Openings
We are looking for talented, motivated, and fun individuals to fill the following position(s):
Instructional Systems Designer
Qualified applicants should submit a resume and cover letter to: jobs@thoughtlink.com or fax to 703.319.8196. Attention: Carol Powell.
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ThoughtLink in the News
Games More Than Contest is a the Jan 06 cover article on SIGNAL Magazine. The article features ThougLink's game, SCUDHunt,
presented as a providing analysts with "a means of determining how
effectively players team to improve their chances of success".
Games Are Gaining Ground, But How Far Can They Go?
is an article in the National Defense Magazine where ThoughtLink treats
the topic of the needed cultural change in the US Military for the
adoption of low cost, smaller scale technologies, such as games, to
take place.
Serious games in the services: Army vs. Navy is an article about the use of games for US Military training. ThoughtLink's game SCUDHunt is mentioned in the article.
ThoughtLink co-founders Julia Loughran and Marcy Stahl recently appeared on Tomorrow's Business Radio to discuss' Applying Today's Technology to Improve Team Productivty'.
Julia Loughran was quoted in a COMPUTERWORLD Article entitled
Simulating Fallujah
about the use of technology to replicate training environments:
"Technology will ... make simulation something that will be available
to us anywhere, anytime...This means simulations will be part of our
everyday life -- on PDAs, cell phones, the Internet and at kiosks. The
lines of entertainment versus education and training for the military
and also every other career path will begin to blur."
Julia's paper 'Nurturing Global Virtual Teams' was recently published in Virtual Teams - Contemporary Insights , edited by Sumati Reddy.
'Simulation Technologies Lag in Homeland Security' is an article featuring ThoughtLink's work for Homeland Security that appeared in the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference (IITSEC) 2004 News Digest, p.4.
Washington Post
-Interview about ThoughtLink's review of technology products for the
Department of Homeland Security to find less-expensive alternatives to
achieve the same training goals.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22963-2004Oct10.html?sub=AR
Computer World
- Article about creating training environments that replicates the
stress and uncertainty of military operations. Julia mentions the
opportunity that simulations provide for this purpose-as they can be
accessed via a variety of portable and non-portable media.
http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/
appdev/story/0,10801,99292,00.html
Congressional Quarterly - Article about the role of computer games for homeland defense and security training.
http://www.cq.com/corp/show.do?page=crawford/20041015_homelandgame
Government Computer News - Article discusses features of computer games and how they can serve as a new alternative for defense training.
http://www.gcn.com/23_27/dodcomputing/27233-1.html
Government Executive -
"The virtual world offers a low-cost, no-impact learning environment
for soldiers, first responders and, increasingly, other employees..."
http://www.governmentexecutive.com/features/0105-01/0105-01s1.htm
National Defense Magazine
-" U.S. homeland security officials are encouraging first responders
across the country to consider games and simulations to fulfill their
training needs."
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2004/Dec/GamesGrabAttention.htm
Washington Technology - List of gaming initiatives for defense training, including ThoughtLink's research.
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/19_11/emerging-tech/24361-2.html
Water Cooler Games
- Coverage of the 2004 Serious Games Summit (conference about the use
of games for training) including ThoughtLink's presentation about the
applicability of games for homeland Security.
http://www.watercoolergames.org/archives/000263.shtml#homeland
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Events
Julia Loughran presented at the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR) conference in Washington D.C. on November 10, 2005. Click here to download the presentation titled
Games and Culture: How Games are Being Used to Shape Cultural Awareness.
ThoughtLink presented at the Serious Games Summit in Washington D.C. on October 31-November 1, 2005.
The Psychology Games Association was
formed in August 2005 by ThoughtLink's Andrew English and Mark McGill
(McGill University) to provide a venue for the discussion and
dissemination of innovations in the intersecting fields of psychology
and games. Goals of the association include:
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Promoting the role of psychological science in games
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Promoting research on games, designed around scientifically established principles of psychology
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Providing a community of practice to support inter-cultural and multi-disciplinary collaboration
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Supporting the ethical and responsible use of innovative games that apply psychological principles
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The website
is under development and will include a listserv, discussion boards,
and serve as a community for members to share and discuss their
research. Interested parties should email info@psychgames.org for information on membership.
Some of ThoughtLink's Previous Speaking Engagements:
Julia Loughran's
presentation given at Serious Games Summit in October 2004. Click here to view.
Serious Games Summit DC , October 18, 2004
Julia Loughran spoke on the topic of Opportunities for Simulations and Games in Homeland Security .
Loughran discussed the potential use of simulation and game
technologies to meet the Department of Homeland Security's training and
exercise requirements.
Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology Conference, April 2-4, 2004
Dr. Andrew English published two papers at the 19th Annual Society for
Industrial Organizational Psychology conference. In Trait Consistency and The "Big Five," English examined
the rated consistency of behaviors comprising the Big Five personality
traits and concluded that that personality traits are not as stable as
we may like to think and the environment shapes individual behavior.
In Individual Differences and Applicant Faking Behavior: One of These Applicants is Not Like the Others ,
English looked at the ramifications of a job applicant faking selection
tests. We all agree that when applying for a job, applicants are
motivated to make a good impression to potential employers. Personality
scales, with highly transparent items, make it easy for applicants to
make a favorable impression by endorsing the favorable items or
characteristics. Based on his results, English concluded that to
measure an employees' trait at work, employers should test with items
that are in a work context. For example, it may not be that all
applicants intentionally fake their scores, rather are not sure why the
"cleanliness of their bedroom" matters on a job application (ask them
how clean their desk was on previous job).
Community Leadership Breakfast, January 30, 2004
Julia Loughran and Marcy Stahl delivered a presentation entitled Leading Virtually: The Care & Feeding of Distributed Teams . Based
on ThoughtLink's extensive research on the topic and first hand
experience, the presentation helped educate the audience on the
management of virtual teams and improving collaboration between team
members.
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Online Media Kit
The Online Media Kit provides background information on ThoughtLink. Please download the
materials as needed and contact us to set up a briefing, or request additional information.
Media Requests
To request additional documents, logos or images please email: mediarequest@thoughtlink.com.
Documents
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