Breadcrumb – Where Hansel and Gretel meet Google

This past week I was taking a quick look around at what cool new things Google has brewing in the Labs (http://www.googlelabs.com/).  While I was there I stumbled across this cool new project called Breadcrumb.

According to Google:

“Breadcrumb is a platform to develop branching mobile learning scenarios for smartphones… The Google Breadcrumb stories might be decision trees or troubleshooting guides. Google Breadcrumb works best to reinforce concepts from another learning experience, provide the opportunity to apply knowledge in real-world scenarios, or simulate decision-making tasks.”

Google Breadcrumb uses a simple to learn pseudo-code consisting of  ( )  to identify page numbers (e.g., (#)) and [ ] to identify choices (e.g., [choice]).  so what might this look like for an actual scenario?  Lets look!

Action

Code

Start Point (1) You receive an email stating that you just won $1,000.  All you have to do to claim your prize is click on the link below.  Do you:

[Click on the link and enter your personal information](2)? <br />
[Not click on the link and instead, forward the email to helpdesk@wpi.edu and report the spam](3)?

Text for Page 2 (2) CAREFUL!  entering your personal information can expose you to potential identity theft!  If you do not know the source of the email, consider [forwarding the email to helpdesk@wpi.edu and report the spam](3)
Text for Page 3 (3) This is the safest route possible! Divulging your personal information opens you up for identity theft so you want to be very careful.  Forwarding the email to the Helpdesk aids WPI IT in tracking possible threats to the WPI community.

Once you have your basic story idea you can head over to breadcrumb.googlelabs.com to generate your QR code!  The QR Code will be your method of dissemination.  Users can scan the QR code using a Smart Device to access your story! Here is the QR code for our story above:

SPAM-Breadcrumb

Not a Smart Phone user?  Just click on the image of the QR code above for a preview of the story.

Have an idea?  Head on over to breadcrumb.googlelabs.com to get started!