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.

On social networks and information

Social Networks as Information Filters

View more documents from Lee Bryant.

Presentation via @leebryant ... quote from the Headshift Blog: go there to read-learn more!

"The affordances of social web allow us to build a new relationship with each other and with information. New forms of media consumption and architecture of participation hold important implications for information management:" via #RebootBritain event ongoing flows on the web :)

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

Wordled Trends by Leo Burnett Gp

Trend Predictions Report 2009 by Leo Burnett Group via YouTube also provides the text ... not an exact transcript, but it does offer their "piece of mind".

Maybe the tone could be improved, yet the fact that they sort of wordle all of it makes it funny and easy to follow.

Economic conditions have been affecting our cultural context for a long time now, we don't think there is anything "new" in this... it's just about awareness and it depends on the type of business and industry we are talking about.

We cannot but welcome a quest for more value reflection and reassessment: "what is truly meaningful to us", together with more "pragmatism and prudence". Funny that they are now highlighting values that were present at the origin of virtual communities and web environments: "organizations that show they are going the extra mile for people" ... to be developed now somewhat reluctantly by constituents and allies of (former reputed) traditional players in certain markets. Just check which companies are still doing well and are better prepared to surf the dire straits into the future.

From Dis-enabling to Enabling

An International Psychology and Education Congress took place in Oviedo, Spain, this past week. The diversity of frameworks attempting to dialogue and debate was a very interesting experience to observe, according to the reports of some participants. Hopefully the planned integration of these two major areas of inquiry -if it does occur, might evolve into a different type of "learning organization". Think "win-win" you guys!! for a change...

At the same time, the now confirmed c h a n g e of Governance at the University of Oviedo following the electoral process, might bring forth not only new challenges (some change for starters) but also (hopefully) a bit more of an evolutionary learning context in the future.

Now back to check "what's up" in virtual planet following favorite authors, experts in "thinking tools" who actually "walk the talk", and evolutionary learning communities, that do exist and "insist", I came across this:


See: Howard Rheingold's Vlog
Yochai Benkler's web