I divided up my research into two main categories:  1) the innovative space and 2) new and emerging technologies.  Since I feel pretty confident in my knowledge about the technologies, I started with the innovative space.  

The innovative space/design:
There is a lot of information online about the setup and design of an innovative space.  For my purposes, the innovative space needed to be just that – a bright open space conducive to learning.  When working in groups or trying to process something in your head it is desireable to have an open space where you are able to think and process information while in movement and not feel like you are disturbing your neighbor.  
The innovative space that I created is a very large space, but it is not cluttered with a lot of furniture and computers.  I wanted there to be places for people to be able to pull a few moveable walls together and be able to have a small group discussion without distractions of other activities going on in the space.  Also, most of the tables and chairs used in the innovative space are moveable, so if someone needs to pull themselves aside and work on something away from the group, they are able to.  

There is one large computer lab at the far end of the building.  Although most of the building is open and has movable furniture.  I kept one "old school" computer lab for face-to-face training because even though there are all kinds of new types of training, sometimes a good old fashioned face-to-face meeting is the best option. Of course if that is not possible, the room can also be used for Skype or teleconference meetings and will hold the sound to the rest of the building to a minimum.

I chose to add a coffee bar/small kitchen to the innovative space because I wanted the employees to feel like they were welcome and would want to stay for an extended period of time if necessary.  By adding a kitchen to the space, it also gives employees an area to socialize and meet new people between training classes.  The kitchen area will come in handy for events like the Open House to the new HUB space as well.

All in all, the new innovative space is the first of its kind at Ameren and may cause some longtime employees a bit of anxiety.  An Open House will be held on different dates to welcome everyone to the dedicated space for training and let them try out the new technologies for themselves.  The computers will be available for employees to view and enroll in the training sessions.  For the employees that are unable to attend the open house, an announcement will be listed in the weekly Ameren news emails for three weeks in a row and the communication monitors located in key places of the GOB will have advertisements about the new training facility and how to contact an employee at the HUB for any questions.

The new and emerging technologies:
There are so many awesome technologies to use in the innovative space for training it was hard to narrow down the list for what I included at the HUB.

The first technology I wanted to include at the HUB is fairly basic but definetly needed.   I chose to incorporate electronic displays.  These displays will be used to scroll through what training sessions are being offered that day and where at the HUB they will be held.  Electronic displays are also great for sharing updates and announcements and keeping everyone on the same page.

The next item I added to the innovative space are whiteboards.  I know whiteboards are not a new technology, but these are interactive whiteboards!  Interactive whiteboards promote group discussion and participation. They are an effective tool for brainstorming since notes made on the screen can be turned into text, and saved to be shared and distributed later.  Whiteboards are also being used for learning in a new way that wasn’t around when I was in school.  By adding painter's tape and post it notes to a whiteboard it becomes a perfect place for many projects such as storyboarding, project management and continuous improvement.  The post it notes lend well to this concept because they can be moved, changed or discarded.

Another new technology I want the employees to have access to at the HUB are virtual reality visors.  The visors are able to take a person to another place and time which is something no other learning technology can do.  New Ameren office workers will benefit from a VR viewer that takes the employee on a virtual field trip to Ameren's power plants and key locations so they can learn about what Ameren does in other locations outside of the GOB. There is no substitute for going to a plant and feeling the heat and difficult working environment the plant worker's deal with on a daily basis, but a VR viewer is a great backup plan.

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The last technology that will be used at the new innovative space is web-based training and social media applications.  A face-to face training where the instructor reads the slides to the class from a PowerPoint presentation of 50 slides in not training.  People used to consider it to be training, but now there are so many web-based trainings and social media applications available, that there is no reason to be bored to tears!  I particularly enjoy trainings that are created from Storyline and Rise.  They both can provide trainings that are interactive and can test the learner's knowledge of the subject matter.  Social media applications have come a long way in training and learning too!  For example, LinkedIn is a great tool for anyone looking for information on most anything.  If an employee needed to learn more about nuclear power plants, all it takes is a search on LinkedIn to find a group or two to join and watch the information poor into your feed. Another example, employees working on learning the same concept are able to locate information and share it with others who need the information through ScoopIt.   

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I believe the space I designed is forward thinking, collaborative and flexible and will create an environment of learning and innovation.