Natural Learning

Jay Cross über Natur und Lernen, Lernen von der Natur: ” A major component of informal learning is natural learning, the notion of treating people as organisms in nature. They are free-range learners. Our role is to protect their environment, shelter the newborn, provide nutrients for growth, and let nature take its course. Shouting at roses will not turn them into rhubarb nor artists into engineers. You can’t motivate a person to become something they are not.

Putting natural learning to work is more like landscape design and gardening than traditional instructional system design. All of life is interconnected. Organisms cannot live independent of their ecosystems. Self-service learners are connected to one another, to ongoing flows of information and work, to their teams and organizations, to their customers and markets, not to mention their families, friends, and friendship groups. We can improve their connections and nurture their growth but we cannot control them or force them to live …”

Subliminal messages ‘impact on brain’

Immer wieder ein spannendes Thema: Wirken sie, oder nicht? Hier ein aktueller Beitrag: “International research shows subliminal advertising techniques do have an impact on brain activity - but the question over whether this influences consumer behaviour remains unanswered.

Scientists at the University College London (UCL) have found the first physiological evidence that invisible subliminal images do attract the brain’s attention on a subconscious level.

The findings challenge previous scientific assumptions that consciousness and attention go hand-in-hand.

“What’s interesting here is that your brain does log things that you aren’t even aware of and can’t ever become aware of,” Bahador Bahrami from the UCL said …”

Web 2.0 Growing Faster Than Online Video, News

WEB 2.0 SITES MAKE UP the fastest-growing category on the Web–doubling their traffic over the last year, according to data presented Monday by Nielsen//NetRatings at an industry conference in New York.

At an ad:tech session titled “Web 2.0: Predictions and Pithy Analysis,” Nielsen//NetRatings Senior Vice President of Industry Solutions Charles Buchwalter and Roy de Souza, CEO of ad serving network Zedo also offered analysis of the usage habits of Web 2.0 “denizens” and advertising on Web 2.0 sites.

Web 2.0 sites–defined loosely in the session as those allowing users to “talk” to their “friends” via e-mail, messaging, blogs, and other social media tools–ranked first in year-over-year growth in unique audience and Web pages viewed. That put Web 2.0 ahead of categories including news and information, ISPs, video and movies, and family resources.

Social networking sites with the highest traffic growth included Feedburner (385%), Digg.com (286%), MySpace (170%), Wikipedia (161%), and Facebook (134%).

We Are What We Do

“Einfach die Welt verändern” - das ist das Motto von We Are What We Do. Denn es sind nicht immer die großen Dinge, die die Welt verändern, und - steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein. Im O-Ton: We Are What We Do ist vor allem eins - zum Mitmachen! Deswegen haben wir uns verschiedene Möglichkeiten überlegt wie du dich einbringen kannst, deine Ideen mitteilen, für die Dinge stimmen, an die du glaubst, deine Freunde zu neuen Dingen herausfordern, andere begeistern und dann… ultimativ die Welt verändern kannst. Wir brauchen dich! Alleine geht’s nicht!” Right!

Aus gegebenem Anlass

Don Justo’s Self Built Cathedral

Ein faszinierender Zeitgenosse - und wenn Sie mal wieder über die Leistungsfähigkeit meditieren, denken Sie an: “Justo Gallego Martínez is building his very own Cathedral in Mejorada del Campo near Madrid, Spain. This is no “model” cathedral and he is neither a qualified architect, nor engineer, nor bricklayer — he is a farmer. “The plans have only ever existed in my head” and have evolved over time in response to opportunity and inspiration. Nor does he have formal planning permission from the authorities of Mejorada del Campo — the town in which it is located (20 km from Madrid under the flight-path to the Barajas airport)…”

neues Audioportal: Conference Content

Gute Idee und noch besser, daß das Podcastportfolio langsam professioneller wird. Allerdings frage ich mich, warum IT Conversations rund 100 mal mehr Conference Content hat und noch dazu kostenlos ist? Abgesehen davon, dass das Startpaket ausgerechnet ein Mitschnitt der Volkswagen AG ist … any ideas?

Im O-Ton: “Conference Content ist ein Download-Portal von Voiceletter Ltd. & Co. KG, dem weltweit ersten Anbieter von Business Podcasts. Voiceletter konzipiert, produziert und vermarktet personalisierbare Audiomagazine und akustische Newsletter für Medien, Unternehmen, Trainer und Website-Betreiber. Die Produktion der Konferenzinhalte wird unterstützt von schoko pro, dem Wiesbadener Dienstleister für audiovisuelle Projekte.

From The Big Mo - 15 gute Tipps

15 gute Tipps!

1. Real security comes from growth ( Page xiv ) - To me this is the best statement in the book and it’s right there in the preface.

2. Wanting growth and attaining growth are two different things ( Preface xv ) - Companies usually end up paralyzed by trying to focus on how they’ll grow instead of actually growing.

3. Those who fit in now won’t stand out later ( Page 5 ) - It’s difficult to change once you get into a rhythm of mediocrity.

4. If you name something, you get power over it ( Page 18 ) - Ever try to change a bad nickname ? When a name catches on, it becomes very powerful.

5. Don’t concentrate on making a standard. Once you create the standard, you’ve created a commodity and your customers will seek something like it, but cheaper ( Page 23 ) - *cough* Netscape *cough*

6. Being efficient is not as good as being robust ( Page 52 ) - There’s such a thing as “good enough”. Being flexible is better than trying to squeeze out a few extra performance cycles.

7. You can’t predict the future (Page 55) - I already talked about this.

8. Everything is version .9, waiting for just one more upgrade before it’s done ( Page 86 ) - Releasing something stable, but not complete is better than waiting it’s “perfect”. It will never be perfect.

9. Betting on change is always the safest bet ( Page 91 ) - You can’t constrain change. People have scars from trying to.

10. Creativity is made up of iteration and juxtaposition ( Page 95 ) - Mash things together enough times, and something interesting will happen.

11. Compromise kills. Doing something half-ass is worse than doing nothing ( Page 97 ) - If you don’t have enough information to implement something, ignore it and move on. It’s better than trying to guess. Remember #7.

12. Novelty for the sake of novelty is risky and a recipe for irrelevance ( Page 100 ) - Solve a problem. I’ve written about this again and again

13. The energy isn’t in the idea, it’s in the execution ( Page 101 ) - Everyone wants to sit around and think up cool stuff. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to actually build something.

14. A product is what the customer thinks it is ( Page 131 ) - How many times have you gotten pissed at a user of your software for “using it wrong” ?

15. Don’t let the seeds stop you from enjoying the watermelon ( Page 134 ) - The world is grey. Every solution, product, feature is the result of several trade-offs.

The golden age of video is now

Emmy New Media Chief Tells Beet.TV the “Golden Age of Television Is Now!”….. Google Introduces Captions/Subtitles for Video Clips

eBook: Learning Spaces

Ich sag nur: Runterladen! “Space, whether physical or virtual, can have a significant impact on learning. Learning Spaces focuses on how learner expectations influence such spaces, the principles and activities that facilitate learning, and the role of technology from the perspective of those who create learning environments: faculty, learning technologists, librarians, and administrators. Information technology has brought unique capabilities to learning spaces, whether stimulating greater interaction through the use of collaborative tools, videoconferencing with international experts, or opening virtual worlds for exploration. This e-book represents an ongoing exploration as we bring together space, technology, and pedagogy to ensure learner success …”