Insight on Technology

3 Insight on Technology Februar y 2020 M A R Y B E T H M AT Z E K , ED I T O R M M AT Z E K @ I N S I G H T O N B U S I N E S S .C O M T ec h nolog y is i nter woven i nto ou r l ives. From t he t i me we get up i n t he mor n i ng a nd g rab ou r phone to check emai ls to the end of the day when we glance at the phone to check tomorrow's schedu le, most of us are tied to our devices look i ng for i n formation, communicati ng with others or just ta king a brea k by looking at the latest memes or si l ly videos. But that daily interaction with our electronic devices is just the beginning of the expanding role technolog y plays in our lives. T h i n k ab out he a lt h c a re. Most he a lt h s y s t e m s h a v e a p p s o r o n l i n e p o r t a l s where patient s ca n con nect d i rect ly w it h t hei r prov iders a nd st a ff to get questions a n swered or sc hedu le appoi ntment s. But it goes deeper t h a n t h at. Tec h nolog y a l so improves the care we receive. Case in point: the EyeBOX, the first FDA-approved neuro- diagnostic device that uses proprietar y and i n novative tec h nolog y to trac k eye move- ment to determine if a person has a concus- s ion . T he T it le t o w nTe c h ve nt u re f u n d recent ly led a n $8 m i l l ion fu nd i ng rou nd for EyeBOX creator Ocu logica, a compa ny run by two sisters from Beaver Dam. EyeBOX is just one example of how tech- nolog y improves hea lt h. More hea lt h ca re system s a re i nvest i ng i n te lemed ic i ne so patient s i n r u ra l a rea s ca n be "seen" by a prov ider ma ny m i les or even st ates away. T h at i nve s t me nt i n tec h nolog y i s v it a l , hea lth care providers say, since it ma kes care more accessible. To learn more about the role technolog y plays in the medica l field, turn to page 6 and read Jessica T hiel's cover stor y on the topic. When most of us hear the words "virtua l rea l it y," ou r m i nd s u sua l ly sh i ft to v ideo Tech is here, there, everywhere FOREWORD ga mes. W h i le t h at i s one u se of t he tec h- nolog y, businesses a re finding the va lue in using VR in other ways, including employee training. For decades, J. J. Keller & Associates Inc. produced publications and then videos to help with training, whether for a specific ski l l or a more nuanced topic, such as how to dea l with conf lict. Now the Neena h company is venturing into the world of Video 360 and VR to produce a tra ining session on sexua l harassment. Employees either wear specia l goggles or down load an app on their phone a nd pl ace it i n a dev ice l i ke G oog le C a rd- boa rd. From t here, t he employee i s tra ns- ported to the role of bystander as a co-worker is sexua l ly ha ra ssed. T he app prov ides t he trainee with severa l options he or she cou ld ta ke and then responds to the answer. Turn to page 11 and read my article on the role VR can play in workforce training. Five years may not seem li ke a long time, but for Kim Iversen, the director of the NE W I T Al liance, it has been transformative. On page 14, Iversen compares what the region's I T initiatives looked li ke in 2015 to what's h appe n i ng tod ay. It 's a st u n n i ng look at accomplishments, including the increase in the number of computer science c la sses in high schools and the creation of the NE W I T Al lia nce. Seeing how much has cha nged in five years, I can on ly imagine what the next five years wi l l bring.

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