CPAs & the virtual world of Second Life

Virtual Worlds and CPE - Are you Ready for the Future of Training?

Tom Hood, CPA.CITPMaryland Association of CPAs

Key Questions to Think About1) What if our we could connect to this new generation of

CPAs and young professionals early on in their careers? 2) What if we could teach our older CPAs how to use this

technology to reach this new generation of CPAs and enable them to share and engage better?

 3) What if we (State CPA Societies) could add these tools to

our arsenal and use these  tools in to engage our members in new ways and help with collaboration, connection and community?

“If you think about the media environment an average American

teenager lives in, to walk into a classroom (or one of our Associations)

that doesn’t have any of that media must be like walking into a desert.”

– Steve Maher, High School teacher PBS Special “Growing Up On-line”

Some 93% of teens use the internet, and more of them than ever are treating it as a

venue for social interaction – a place where they can share creations, tell stories, and

interact with others.

Source: Pew Internet & American Life project report

64% of online teens have created content on the web – photo sharing, videos, blogs, web

pages, mash-ups, and remixes

Teens & Web 2.0

Meet the Gaming Generation

1. competition with other kids (48%)

2. finding ways to be successful at the game for middle and high school students (46%)

3. the high level of interactivity (44%)

Source: Project Tomorrow – Speak Up 2007 report

Meet the Gaming Generation• Games make it easier to understand difficult concepts – 51%• I would be more engaged in the subject – 50%• I would learn more about the subject – 46% (56% of students in K-2 chose this as their #1 reason)• It would be more interesting to practice problems – 44%

Source: Project Tomorrow – Speak Up 2007 report

WoW!15,000,000 users

One of the top MMORPGs

How has Continuing Professional Education changed?

1.Mobile Learning2.DIY - Do-it-Yourself

Learning3.Flexible Learning

Environments4.Virtual Worlds5.Games & Simulation

Five Learning Trends for 2009

Chief Learning Officer Magazine – January 2009

But wait there’s more…“When associations and other organizations try new meeting formats, it's not just for novelty-it's a step toward better content delivery. What's more, the association brave enough to try a new take on classic offerings gives its members more than information; it gives them an experience and exposure to a new way of doing things.”

-Jeff Waddle ASAE Meetings Remix – Time to Rethink the Usual Format – Association Now Magazine, Oct 2008

When should you start to pay attention?

Moving beyond Second Life marketing, many companies are infiltrating virtual worlds for employee meetings, mixers, and recruiting – Business Week

Second Life produces real training results – CLO magazine ASTD

Virtual Worlds make Harvard Business Review’s breakthrough ideas for 2008

When should you start to pay attention?

This is not a game: Virtual Worlds coming to your business Forrester predicts – CIO Magazine

Virtual worlds will be widely adopted venues for reaching customers and experimenting with new product ideas and business models – Intuit’s Future of Small Business Report

Second Life / Virtual worlds

We were first CPA group to have a presence in Second Life

Accounting for Second LifeJournal of AccountancyJune, 2008

Professors Richard Johnson & Joyce Middleton of Frostburg University,

Maryland

The study found that 93% of college instructors using Second Life in classes were satisfied enough to do it again and felt it enhanced the learning experience.

"Post-secondary school instructors who conduct classes fully in Second Life are significantly more satisfied than those who use Second Life as only a small supplement to a real-world classes.”

University of Florida Report - Winter 2008

Accounting Educators in Second LifeDr. Mike Kraten, CPASuffolk UniversityDr. Robert BloomfieldCornell UniversityDr. Steve HornikUniversity of Central Florida

CPA Australia is there

FASB is there!

"I look at it as just another office, another extension of our firm. It’s another touch point where we can

potentially meet with clients and expand our geographic of where we can deliver services.”

- Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP KAWG&F First CPA Firm in Second Life

CFO Rising in Second Life"Second Life is more compelling than a conference call, less intimidating than a video conference, and a hell of a lot better than business travel.“

-- John Zdanowski, CFO, Linden Lab

Real Business in Second Life• Building communities• Product development• Customer service• Education & training• Employee on-boarding• Marketing & public relations• Selling goods & services (B2B, B2C, C2C)

If there is real money here – shouldn’t CPAs be here?

How we are using Second Life

• Accounting education• New/Young Professionals• Community• Meetings• CPE• Exhibits

Accounting Education Pavilion

Our pavilion features a place for Colleges & Universities to showcase their accounting education and a place for accounting educators to connect, share, and learn from each other. It is also

a place for prospective students to see the many options available in an exciting career as a Certified Public Accountant.

New Young Professionals NetworkClub NYPN on CPA Island

Life’s a beach at the Club NYPN on CPA island. This special area devoted to New & Young Professionals

has all of the features for networking, casual meetups, and fun. Complete with a dance floor, tiki

bars, beach, and a real treehouse – it is the place for students and young professionals to chill.

BLI Conference Center

A center facilitating the development and sharing of competencies and strategic knowledge required for leadership in the rapidly changing

business environment. BLI will deliver competency-based curriculum, courses, content, and community to enhance learning and grow intellectual capital for organizational and executive leadership.

CFO of the Future CenterChief Financial Officers are one of the exciting career options many CPAs

choose. This building and exhibit is a place to network, collaborate, and co-create resources to help today’s CFO deal with the challenges of today’s

rapidly changing business landscape. Join the group SLACPA and look for upcoming events. Visit us at CPA Island

http://www.cpaisland.com

CPA Firm of the Future Center

CPA Firms are dealing with increased business complexity, the proliferation of standards and responsibilities, globalization, and a

historic workforce shortage. This center is a place to collaborate and co-create the resources and best practices needed to prosper and thrive in today’s rapidly

changing business. Come join the community…

BLI Center for Strategic Planning

Strategy & leadership are the prerequisites for success in the Next Economy — The Network Economy, the Internet Economy, the Next

Economy; all are terms that speak to the new body of knowledge, new strategies, and fundamentally new dynamics which shape not only our economy but our society. This center is a place to share best practices

and form a community dedicated to strategic leadership.

MACPA Headquarters

http://www.macpa.org

Our office features a video room, our Board room, offices and additional meeting rooms.

"Second Life is more compelling than a conference call, less intimidating than a video conference, and a hell of a lot better than business travel.“

-- John Zdanowski, CFO, Linden Lab

“It (SL) saves time & money”

“If the web is reshaping the world as we know it, and will be the water in which

the new generation of digital natives will swim,

then it behooves all of us to understanding it’s

implications.”

– David Sibbet – The Grove Consultants Int’l

Concentrate on the relationships, not the

technologiesRemember – It’s not about the technology

1. Start Gaming and take a session in Second Life

2. Do our 33 things in 15 minutes a day www.cpalearning2.com

3. Get an iPod and listen to our cool podcasts – CPA Spotlight

4. Check out our blogs and post a comment or subscribe in a reaader

4 tips to cross the digital divide

You can…Ignore itFight it or

Harness it’s power

Maryland Association of CPAs – founded 1901 to promote and protect CPAs and help them thrive in the rapidly changing environment – 10,000 members

Business Learning Institute – founded in 2000 with a mission to help organizations deliver competency-based curriculum, courses, content and community to enhance learning and grow intellectual capital for organizational and executive leadership

Second Life Association of CPAs – founded in 2006 With 238 members and two islands (CPA Island & CPA Island 2) with a mission of building a community of people interested in exploring the possibilities of CPAs in Second Life

For more information

www.cpaisland.comwww.slacpa.org