ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- ProtonMedia, an innovative provider of e-learning solutions based in suburban Philadelphia, today announced the release of ProtoSphere(TM), its breakthrough solution for e-learning, e-meetings and e-selling. Designed according to next generation learning models to work the way people absorb and retain information best, ProtoSphere(TM) combines elements of simulations, gaming, authoring tools and online meetings in an immersive, 3-D environment. The announcement was made at the Learning 2005 Conference, which brings together more than 1,600 corporate learning professionals, academicians and thought leaders to explore best and new practices in the field.

"Today's employees and customers have grown up with video and computer games. They're playing role-based, multiplayer games and poker online, absorbing lessons and culture within these immersive environments. They're instant messaging colleagues and friends and surfing the web both at home and at work," said Ron Burns, president of ProtonMedia. "ProtoSphere embraces all of this in its capabilities. Businesses need solutions that meet 'consumer- level' expectations but are designed specifically for business use."

For corporate e-learning, companies can use ProtoSphere to train their people and partners on new products, orient new hires and conduct customer training. As a communication tool, ProtoSphere can serve as an innovative tool for enterprise-wide presentations and on-the-fly brainstorming sessions. In addition, the solution can enable communities of practice that strengthen knowledge sharing or be used for remote sales calls, detailing complex simulations to prospects.

ProtoSphere evolved from ProtonMedia's experience in providing SCORM- compliant, custom e-learning solutions for Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies in pharmaceuticals and technology. "We saw that first-generation e-learning worked only to a point. Rolling slide shows simply can't immerse participants nor allow them to fail, discover and internalize new information," Burns said. "This is critical for effective next-generation e-learning."

ProtoSphere provides the following capabilities: -- An experiential context. Participants are launched into ProtoSphere's virtual campus, where they assume an avatar (a virtual person) and are able to walk around, communicate with others and engage in interactive experiences. Research has shown that the use of avatars allows for repeated reinforcement, and has a face that people remember, making it easier to retain the knowledge the avatar imparts. ProtonMedia's staff can also create customized environments and personalized avatars so that companies have their own, unique identity. -- Next generation e-learning concepts. The movement towards "serious games" creates new opportunities for instructional design and more effective e-learning and communication. Gaming approaches allow individuals to become immersed in experiences, challenging them to fail, succeed and then internalize new concepts. This makes workers more productive faster. -- Collaboration and e-meeting features. ProtoSphere includes efficient, stable and secure Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for Internet communication. Like traditional online meeting sites, it includes live text and voice chat, sharable white boards and polling features. Session leaders can retain or share control of presentations, virtual break-out rooms and other capabilities; participants can visit other websites in real time. -- Detailed simulations. ProtoSphere provides an engaging and efficient forum in which to demonstrate complex products, often providing a better-than-real-life presentation of products in action. Simulations can take a variety of forms - from soft-skills training involving live participants and/or artificially intelligent "bots" to asynchronous, step-by-step procedural demonstrations. Participants can work with shared-state learning objects in a live environment for efficient learning. -- Easy authoring tools. The solution also includes ProtonMedia's Content Infusion Tool (CIT), an easy-to-use presentation tool designed for web efficiency. CIT includes standard templates and themes, provides drag and drop capabilities and revision tracking, and allows web pages to be edited in real time. -- Efficient design. ProtoSphere can be deployed globally and quickly with live and on-demand, 24/7 availability. It is efficiently designed to load graphics dynamically in real time, and then caches them for instant response times. The solution serves as "top-ware" for existing Content and Learning Management Systems, pulling in other content like a portal. About ProtonMedia

ProtonMedia provides custom courseware and e-learning consulting, as well as ProtoSphere(TM), a breakthrough, experiential 3-D platform for e-learning, e-selling and e-meetings. Solutions are designed for complex corporate sales training and sales support, product rollouts, compliance programs and customer education and support. Companies who use ProtonMedia's solutions can lower training costs, improve sales performance, strengthen customer relationships, and collaborate more effectively. Established in 1998, ProtonMedia is based in suburban Philadelphia and has more than two dozen clients in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, financial services and technology. For more information, please visit http://www.protonmedia.com/.

Media Contact: Bonnie Ravina Full Circle Communications bravina@fullcirclecomm.com phone: +1-610-279-6488 mobile: +1-215-694-1302

Editors' note: Please see additional release from ProtonMedia: "ProtonMedia Announces Support of E-Learning for Kids."

CONTACT: Bonnie Ravina of Full Circle Communications, +1-610-279-6488,
mobile: +1-215-694-1302, bravina@fullcirclecomm.com, for ProtonMedia

Web site: http://www.protonmedia.com/