July 15, 2011
Ten Ways to Diversify an Inbred Network
Herminia Ibarra,
Harvard Business Review, July 15, 2011.
I think that the 'ten ways' (listen below) are a bit hokey (and don't promote nearly enough diversity - but are at least a start). What's important though is the recognition that it's important to diversify your network. And make it real diversity, not the bland fake sort of diversity. Anyhow, here's their list:
- Spend time at a start-up within your business sector.
- Attend a conference you have never before attended.
- Start a LinkedIn or Facebook group. Be the connector for this group of people.
- Spend a day with a millennial in your company.
- Get in touch with a venture capitalist.
- Teach a course at a university or local college.
- Be a guest speaker at a local or national event.
- Go to lunch with a peer from a competing company.
- Start a blog. Find out who reads it and how far it travels.
- Take advantage of your next business trip to reconnect with someone.
Not much diversity there. But you can imagine how to fix this - like, instead of spending time at a start-up, spend time in a food bank or social services agency. Instead of attending a conference, follow an anti-WTO demonstration. Instead of starting an online group, hang out at a GLBT group. Instead of getting in touch with a venture capitalist, talk to the local grocery store clerk about the economy. Instead of teaching a course, take a course in art history or zoology. You get the idea. Get out of your comfort zone. Sheesh, if I can attend business start-up seminars, business people can explore a bit of my world.
The Ubiquity of Informal Learning: Beyond the 70/20/10 Model
Ben Betts,
Learning Solutions Magazine, July 15, 2011.
"I’ve had a bit of a bugbear," writes Ben Betts. "It’s 70/20/10, the oft-quoted model from which we derive that the majority of learning happens from on the job experience... I think we’ve got the wrong model at the heart of the [informal learning] movement." First of all, he writes, the model - first mentioned here - doesn't have a basis in research. "70% as a figure isn’t a part of the case study results or conclusions." The model isn't useful either. "Informal learning has always been present. It isn’t a new idea and it certainly isn’t powered by the internet." So "what I believe is really important is that we maximize the effectiveness of informal learning and make sure the right habits get taught. And for that we need our good friend, formal learning."
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Research, Experience, Informal Learning]
Jawbone’s Next Frontier: Improving Your Health
Adam Ostrow,
Mashable, July 15, 2011.
Our electronic devices are getting closer and closer to our persons. Walking in an invisible soup of data, our devices will keep constant track of where we are and how we're doing - not to spy on us, but to help us (at least, if we get the right sort of government). Take Jawbone's latest: a bracelet that monitors your medical status. "The UP bracelet will automatically track your sleep patterns, movements and nutrition and provide that data to an app that in turn monitors and makes recommendations for improving your health." The first version needs to be attached to a mobile phone for data upload, but later versions will manage on their own (maybe, say, just using ambient WiFi to upload the encrypted data). The focus of this article is on health, but what the UP bracelet produces is feedback, which we know plays a key role not only in health but even more so in education.
Queen's, Calgary Latest To Drop Access Copyright Licence
Michael Geist,
Weblog, July 15, 2011.
Brief report from Michael Geist documenting a changing era of copyright management by Canadian academic institutions. "It appears," he writes, "that Queen's University and the University of Calgary are the latest Canadian universities to announce plans to drop the Access Copyright licence. Queen's has published a copyright policy document that indicates its current licence with Access Copyright will expire on August 31, 2011, while Calgary announced last week that it has notified Access Copyright that it will no longer operate
under the interim tariff."
SAM Broadcaster
Various Authors,
Website, July 15, 2011.
Jeff Lebow said today that he's using this for web audio webcasting. It's a commercial product, but looks like it might be worth the investment. "SAM Broadcaster is something of a genius. It's equipped with the same kinds of tools radio professionals use, so you'll sound like you've been at it for years (even if you haven't).
- Use professional mixing features like cross-fades and beat detection
- Stream on popular online servers like SHOUTcast 2.0
- Manage over 50,000 songs
- Get real-time listener statistics
- Enjoy a clear, balanced sound."
The Freesound Project
Various Authors,
Website, July 15, 2011.
Messing around with RSS feeds (and specifically bavatuesday) I ran across the FreeSound project. "The Freesound Project is a collaborative database of Creative Commons licensed sounds. Freesound focusses only on sound, not songs. This is what sets freesound apart from other splendid libraries like ccMixter." Basically it's a place to get sound effects and short clips. Fun! But I wonder - is it really a Creative Commons sound if you have to register and give your email information in order to be able to download? Oh, but hey, where else are you going to find frog sounds? More sample packs here.
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