Project Based Learning

This group of teachers was able to take ownership and allow students to take ownership over their learning process.

Highlights:

"... the students would have a hard time telling you what subject they are learning, and not because they are not paying attention, but because they don't learn in segmented subjects. Three teachers have worked together to combine history, english and information processing, and embedded the principles of project based learning (PBL), to create a truly unique learning experience for students..."

"... we love this class and teaching this way ..."

"... beyond the curriculum... "

"... the student learning outcomes are all there... "

The video illustrates engaged pull motions and group collaboration, working together towards the integration of areas and skills, in order to achieve certain goals. Notice they mention that they had to approach their administration, cause they were running into all sorts of structural roadblocks.

A Brief History of Data Storage

The video below shows a progression of data storage (capacity) in terms of traditional formats such as texts and documents that can be organized into newspaper print editions, magazines, books and documents and libraries that can contain printed text and image files.

It not only illustrates changes in the design and dimensions of the information storage medium, it also gives good hints of the evolution we've seen (and will continue to see) in data portability aspects. By data portability we mean different things: "open standards" and/or "the possibility for people to reuse their data across interoperable applications." You can find many interesting projects on the internet, involving different market players and organizations, regarding data formats, policies and such.

We hope they may extend the clip in ulterior versions and mashups might show up later. We tend to say that the internet has changed many things and yes it has, but it's not the only thing changing our approach to and activities with information and knowledge.

Watch it on YouTube and read the credits and info generously provided by ihsabawagode.

Customer Creative Complaint

Via YouTube: link to the video

It seems they finally got the company's attention... See: Link to Dave Carroll's "statement" thanking the supporters and United ...

Of course you need the talent and the creativity, not to mention the production resources of these guys... read Dave Carroll sharing the whole story. Way to go to respond to customer service lousy service and lack of attention.

A mere discount offer not made effective, can't even begin to compare with the above story... still, the lousy service frames are similar: can someone please think of a creative way to educate Vodafone that it's NOT cool to have to spend 1 hour & circa 8 calls throughout the day -their service went down as informed by their call center- talking to different people (did I say talking? think tough negotiation...) to "make them aware" that they did offer a 6 months 30% discount effective "immediately". It's now July, and my invoice has reflected the discount only one month after many calls. Yesterday once more they "confirmed" they'll do something about it... subject "to approval by the finance department! Achievement: finally got a claim ref. number.

Students report most teleco's locally play this game and other tricks "normally". It's easy to verify that it takes at least 3 calls resulting in a catch 22 situation if you want to report this to the authorities:

The Telecommunications Customer Service Office, www.usuariosteleco.es (or call 901 336 699 which is a paid call via Teleco's) won't speak to you unless you give them a written proof by the teleco (which they know you won't get because it's all done via call centers...) They inform you should go to the Oficina Municipal de Consumo, or call @ 012 and pay the teleco's again to learn that Consumer's Official Rep. for the County wont speak to you if it's about teleco's..., they say you "can go" to the Dirección General de Telecomunicación... in person, 9.00 - 12.00 hrs. This a Gila joke?(*) You need an electronic signature to do any on-line... for which you need to get in touch with the local council... here we go again: no good if you're not using windows...etc.

From a customer's perspective, the so called protocol via numberless call center transfers keeps you "entertained" by operators who will ask for same data again and again during the same call, ID, address in full and you name it... me guesses: betting you'll eventually give up the discount. What have they gained? You stay hooked maybe for another 3-4 months... eventually confirming your desire to cancel the contract. That smart? Not for Telefonica de España (is it's true they want to improve customer loyalty?), lost me as a customer after numberless "calls" to report lousy service regarding my associated domain name and related mail ops., which was hosted via one of their companies. I did achieve several claim ref. nbrs. ... to no avail.

(*) Link to video clip of the artist.

Note: Observing Gila in the social & historical context it belongs... many years have gone past and still, we find some of those cultural trait's alive and kicking today, many years later. (social semiosis informing). If you want to learn more, there's an entry in Wikipedia but in Spanish only. What's even better it the debate on given information reflected here.

(!) edited to include updates: July 14, seems the story now has landed in CNN, Huffingtonpost, boingboing, nbcchicago, wikipedia.org, Fox News, amongst others... and last but not least for they published first on July 8th, (clip went up on the 6th) CBCnews.ca

(!) the count on YouTube today July 14th: 2,716,092 views and some nice replies via Twitter.com/UnitedAirlines

Letting it Shine Behind the Scene...

Honda Insight - Let It Shine from Honda on Vimeo.

*Edited on April 30 to add link to transcript*

Really nice work... watch the making of it. Awesome, amazingly inspiring...

"The Insight is sort of Honda's latest hybrid, it's really good looking, it's fun to drive..."
"it's going to be the most affordable hybrid on the market"
"they invest in the belief that people are fundamentally good"

Furthermore... I love the way Vimeo has facilitated embedding options, and .. well... it just rocks!

Honda Insight - The Making of "Let it Shine”

Mind Blowing Thinking Tools

Another example of what is going on across borders ... superseding traditional media filters, traditional education restrictions and limitations, and a lot more... learning with new tools... in action: the E-Learning Journeys, by Julie Lindsay.

Changes in educational tools (a.k.a to some of us as "thinking tools" ) can get messy: we know how to institutionalize things all right building gigantic structures involving many rules, but we seldom have a smooth process to assess needed changes nor do we have the means, to implement them smoothly. Cultural changes whatever they may be... tend to disturb on-going routines that make us feel safe (even when an announced tsunami is bound to happen...).

Interesting notes from the 5th Episode of the ISTE Eduverse Talks.... go watch!). Listen to the story of the kids in the rural school (US but we could extend this to any other place), informing their teacher that according to their very real conversations with kids from other places they didn't know (and will probably never visit but now they have the means to get to know via interactive social media platforms...), some of the information provided by the traditional media and printed matter they were studying... wasn't .. how can we put this... accurate? ... to-date ... properly informed?

Components to think about: the infrastructure to enable this, acting leaders like Julie to show & educate the way letting others go do..., respect for dissent and learning from others across conversation (usual filters), the will, the space and time but also the tools to allow creativity in the classroom, the patience to learn from growing the learning experience by seeding the rules and coaching the learning process throughout the many mistakes that will inform the learning...

Furthermore we need to learn how to "grow" the freedom of mind to allow learners to explore and develop their own paths and ways to achieve given milestones... above all: listen... like Julie does... meaning: really pay attention to whatever the findings may be. If you don't listen and pay attention to your students... don't expect them to pay attention to you. If you play the game of heteronomy, don't expect responsibility and autonomy ... which game do you really want to play?

Heinz von Foerster informed meme with a slight variation: if you want to learn and know more... learn how to act... learn how to learn and which tools you need to explore ...and adjust. He defined cognitive homeostasis as stable realit(ies) recursively informed by certain "thinking paths". Put in simpler terms, heteronomous re-enforcing structures demand that we generate a great Spanish tortilla ... without allowing anyone... to break any eggs.

Are any of the current Bologna informed (and misinformed) rumblings in the Spanish educational system, even aware of any of this?... do they even know what is at stake? ...are we paying attention to the digitally informed generations that will have to live throughout whichever cathedral of given rules we decide to change or NOT change locally speaking? I don't think so.

Evolving Administration

The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing, on the nomination of Steven Chu to be Secretary of Energy with the new team driven by the now President Obama. This was a Full Committee Hearing, on Tuesday January 13, 2009.

If you choose to link to the original version, these are the key moments:

Minute Action

• 15:51 Introductions
  
• 32:09 Dr. Chu swears and gives testimony
  
• 41:16 Questions and Answers
  

Many questions by Senate representatives insist on traditional energy sources and defense issues, traditional nuclear energy issues, and nuclear arms clean up still pending. Scroll to minute 92:00 (min 95:27 he responds commenting on-going plans and his will to get going, at the same time, referring to the changing mood in the country with respect to this topic, and the new discoveries that science can bring.

"... as a scientist I am ever optimistic about our ability to expand the boundaries of what is possible". "training, development, employment (...) improving management and program implementation, simply put, if the Department is to meet the challenges ahead, we'll have to run more efficiently and effectively. One of my first priorities will be to put together a strong leadership and management team, one that shares not only my vision for the Department, but also my commitment to improving the way that the Dept. does business. I do not underestimate the difficulty of meeting these challenges...but I remain optimistic, that we can meet them".

This Senate Committee offers a very useful link of FAQ describing many content options and tools.