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New Seven Wonders of the World

2007-02-13T22:10:49Z

Have you voted yet? Its free. Be a part of history. The New Seven Wonders of the World. As you know I've lived in New York for quite awhile so of course I voted for the Statue of Liberty as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World BUT not because of just my history with New York but because it represents Liberty and Equality. The location of Ms. Liberty, just like the rest of the wonders of the world on the list, shouldn't deter someone from voting for it because of its location but vote for it because of what it represents. Isn't that what the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World represented anyway? We all want to have equality and this is one way to tell future generations that we voice our belief that all humans are meant to be equal. Today I received a National Ambassador for Canada certificate from the Swiss based-New Wonders of the World Organisation as one of the New Wonders of the World National Ambassadors for Canada. I wanted to share this with you and encourage you to be part of history. As we celebrate and remember the past during this Black History month, I now engage you to be part of the future with this New Seven Wonders of the World global initiative. There is still time to VOTE and please use ambassador number 777202. It's your Canadian Ambassadors code (and you don't have to be Canadian to use this code). It is FREE. Choose your favourite New 7 Wonders of the World from the 21 that was shortlisted. On 7/7/07, the New Seven Wonders of the World, will be unveiled for all the world to see and you can say to your progenies that your vote was counted in making that a reality. Want to experience the wonders of the world by visiting them yourself? Check out airline rates today. We've created this quick portal for you.

Evaluating evaluator's evaluations...

2007-02-12T14:59:01Z

Check out the blog (StellarSurveys.com) posting survey forms and asking for comments for effectiveness of the form itself. I like the tag line Evaluating evaluator's evaluations... as it sounds like the critic's critic. This is useful for learners in assessments and evaluation classes. ibstpi is coming up with the Evaluator's Competencies book and this would be an opportunity to bridge competencies and test evaluator's assessment capabilities through the samples of this blog. A scholar-practise bridge! Great eh?

The Machine is Us/ing Us

2007-02-09T15:01:31Z

From the Media Ecology and Cultural Anthropology Department of the University Kansas, a 4:31 minute visual representation/explanation of Web 2.0. Behind the Digital Ethnography series of videos is Prof Wesch , creator of this video. Great video worth sharing especially to those wanting to understand what Web 2.0 and how it connects to previous understanding of the web's functions, features, capabilities, potentials. This video seems to posit questions like Is the machine the new learner? Are we becoming one with our machines? (cyborg images abound) Your thoughts?

370,909 letters written to the future and counting...

2007-02-08T14:08:11Z

What will you say to your future you? colleague? friend? family? partner? The idea of FutureMe is to write that email to your future you (or another person). Schools have used it in many ways - defining a better future for the world using today's ideals and visions; writing poignant life stories to oneself; letters you'd find in a time capsule; providing insights to one's thinking now and see if one's future decisions have been affected by this one course of action.... Sifting through the public emails, one would read about love, life, health, career, and milestones as the user determines which date the email will be sent back to that person. I saw this posting that was particularly touching ~ a letter from a student to a teacher after an erring act in class. For those teachers, like myself, who have been in the business for a long time (2 decades for me), sometimes you'd want to see whatever happened to those students who have hurt you or taunt you or were unkind in your classes - have they learned from their issues after all? have they become positive, creative, engaging individuals you've hoped them to be? whatever happened to them? I enjoy seeing students years after we've been in class because I find joy in knowing that somehow I hope I was part of how they've gotten to where they are. Do you feel this way too? Looking at this website, I find myself figuring out what to write not only to myself but to my spouse, my family, and my friends years from today. I need a moment to think about that... What will you say to your family?

You'll be earning what??

2007-02-07T21:32:11Z

This is what my spouse said when I read this aloud... Normally all positions require a Ph.D. and relevant experience. Minimum starting salary: $30,000.00 /annum. Full range of staff benefits. A real posting for a PhD required position at the Univ of Manitoba. My doctorate program cost me four times as much and that didn't include the residency expenses. Although this is not in Ontario and cost of living variances aside, it would still take me about 10 yrs before I could pay my student loans. It is a bit of a concern that as I look at teaching possibilities to complement my consulting work, these are the ranges in salaries that I see. Research questions came to mind: What does this translate to when it comes to instructor performance? What does this translate to when it comes to migration patterns? What does this mean for morale and perceived student satisfaction? What does it mean for perception of the city and province? Just wondering. I like the University of Manitoba programs actually and it would be great to work with Will Robinson , Stephen Downes and George Siemens but it was something I thought I'd share here in case you were looking at these possibilities as well.

Mind Mapping by Tony

2007-02-06T14:38:20Z

Tony Buzan worked to build the iMindMapping you can download a free trial to see if it works for you. I've done mind mapping a couple of times throughout my career and used white boards instead of software. This would be an interesting move. Let me know if you've used it and what your experience was. Also if you have used another product and if that is better. I'm still figuring out what to use as part of my management toolbox... Your thoughts?

Online Learner Survey

2007-02-05T13:54:37Z

One my projects that have passed through IRB recently is an Online Learner survey. Have you attended or taught an online class before? Your assistance in providing your thoughts on your online experience would be greatly appreciately. You'd be participating in a worldwide study that will result in the development of online learner competencies. This is part of my work as a Director with the International Board for Standards in Training, Performance, and Instruction (ibstpi).

Click here for the Online Learner survey

Are you putting together your own survey for your research studies? Here are 10 Tips to Improve your Survey Responses courtesy of Zoomerang.

Thank you!

Training Games

2007-02-04T21:07:05Z

Steve Sugar's new book - Training Games - outlines presentation, models and formulas to make facilitation games fun and exciting. Check it out. It's a practitioner book and its easy to navigate. Good addition to your book collection.

For additional training game ideas, a must know guru is Thiagi. You can click here for his free 146 training games.

Blogging to affect structural inertia

2007-02-01T21:00:42Z

As I ponder upon the takeaway determinants for my upcoming research at the Northern Voice conference, I find myself thinking of additional behavioural and organisational cultural shifts resulting from corporate blogging. One of the hypothesis that came to mind is a follow up to Colombo and DelMastro's 2002 study on Determinants of Organizational Change and Structural Inertia: Technological and Organizational Factors and see if our bloggers at the conference have experience a shift, thrust or even a breakdown of their own structural inertia. Following O'Reilly and Caldwell (1991)* six tactics to change, my question to you would be Is your blogging at home and/or at work perceived as a means to one, some, or all of the following: (1) educate and communicate, (2) participate, (3) facilitate and support, (4) negotiate, (5) manipulate or coopt, or (6) coerce? You tell me... I have a couple more questions that I've outlined already but you just have to see me at the conference so we could have a chat. *O'Reilly, C. & Caldwell, D. (1991). People and Organizational Culture: A Profile Comparison Approach to Assessing Person-Organization Fit. Academy of Management Journal, 34(3) 487-516.

A little levity today...

2007-02-01T16:02:11Z

R.U.B.R.I.C. 2.0 - Does it still apply? Let's study that!

2007-01-31T22:10:45Z

Jeffrey and I, along with a colleague, Dr. Brent Muirhead, published a “viability business blog model” called R.U.B.R.I.C., a year and a half ago. Since we all know how the blogging world moves faster than lightspeed, ensuring that blog related models continue to be current is very important for evidence-based research practitioners like myself. What better way to make sure that this model is still effective but to ask the blogging experts themselves - you! And what better way to do this qualitative research study than at the Northern Voice conference; thus this application for the travel bursary as I'm coming from Toronto and self-financed research studies can be taxing to one's ailing budget. So why would you care to participate in this study? The literature on blogging continues to be expansive but unfortunately the peer-reviewed academic journals, let alone Canadian research studies on this topic, are not as limitless. What ends up happening is that some researchers study a mesh of pop culture, media driven material, and input from various sources that may not always work with an IRB approved methodology. The PhD's and academics may end up with incomplete material or have to redo the study again. This is where your valuable input come in - its your voice that is being studied, so why not take part in it. It will be you who will validate this model and tell us if it works in your professional and personal blogs. You are continually shaping the blogosphere everyday, how about ensuring that the models that we portray about this landscape is true-to-form so that future bloggers and professors of e-sociology, internet psychology, and virtual organisational management will have a clear understanding of what truly makes up a great blog. We would be very happy if you could participate in this study and would be most grateful for Northern Voice bursary if they could provide some funding for this Canadian research project whose findings will be very useful for the conference participants and our global blogging family. Results will be posted on this blog and all participants (over 19 yo or with guardian consent) will remain anonymous unless they indicate otherwise. Thank you and see you at the conference.

Come in and say hello ~ I'm speaking at a Toronto CSTD event

2007-01-31T15:49:52Z

Want to have a chat with me after my talk at the CSTD Toronto Chapter event on March 1? Register, participate, enjoy and you get to have freebie consulting with me afterwards. Maybe I can even talk you into discussing about your certification programmes and how my firm, Phronetic International, can assist in enabling you to have consistently high performing stellar employees. What will I be talking about? The implementation of next generation organisational certification programmes. It'll be interactive, you have to stand up, move around, participate. No sitting by the corner. Hope to see you there.

TMI

2007-01-30T22:30:54Z

Can one ever have TMI (too much information)? Immediately I'd say I think not. Then again, that's a contextual question, isn't it? In the instance that it is about knowledge creation or pattern variance and not about water cooler chats on what your boss Victoria screamed at you on the phone this morning, then there isn't TMI. A new book by Joseph Dispenza explores how one's brain learns and processes info. I like the discussions on when the brain isn't stimulated enough by new experiences it can become addicted to comfortable, familiar patterns - which can be a good thing for some but not for the adventurous, Type-A personality, red color, or any other personality type ENTJ people in our lives... which includes me btw. So check out Evolve your Brain, you might find yourself learning how to needlepoint and karate in the same week some day.

So what did you do this weekend?

2007-01-29T23:17:48Z

So what did you do this weekend? How was your evening? How was your date? How are the kids? Oh my, when are you due?.. and the all encapsulating How are you? We hear 'em and say 'em all, don't we? Every morning (Mondays it seems; where it is more prevalent), every time we bump into each other; we say it at every opportunity to ask how one's life is coming along. In studying organisational behaviour, pleasantries play a significant part in humans' quest for bliss, reminds me of the first jhana of Samantha Meditation, or in this case, quest for a pleasant if not fully positive working environment. This is also one of the factors of being social beings. We build communities, we create governments, we form our associations, societies, and any excuse to be 'together.' Technology assists us into social networking globally and every form of blogotonomy (ok I made that word up). The fact that we are social, we feed on the need to have someone say "how are you?" to open a door for potential further communication. In as much as sometimes, we just want to be on our way and not be bothered by anyone (because we're oh so busy), maybe it try once and have a chat. I find that if I am in that crazy mode, my stopping for 2 minutes (and nothing past that), I feel better a bit. Barring circumstances like being verbally strangled by the office chatter or a crazy person, a little chat should be ok. This seems to be the reason why water cooler discussions bring lots of giggles. I personally like to discuss work while near the water cooler, fridge, vending machines, ... well food in general because not only does it provide me with an excuse to eat and work in parallel, it provides a relaxed environment with my team. Kubicek* indicated that 45.4% of organisations admit that the lack of training is impairing their people's ability to deal effectively with bullying or negative positioning of coworkers. Maybe with a little bit more pleasantries, this can lessen; does this mean its an excuse to have a bit of training? * Kubicek, M. (Nov 2005) On your best behaviour. 6

Get your moose on!

2007-01-29T06:10:23Z

I'm heading to Vancouver next month along with my best friend, Jeffrey. I love this moose design by Darren and just have meet him personally when we get there.... check out the Northern Voice website... its not too late to register, yknow!. Then we can chat live..