In the world of learning management systems, it seems that Google is joining the bandwagon with cloudcourse.

The LMS space is filled with so many proprietary systems that cost and the risk of over-specializing may be impede and/or limit many organizations from really engaging and participating in an organized approach for their learning goals.  I’ve worked a little bit with other learning management systems, namely, Moodle, and it’ll be interesting to see how the space of more open-source systems may impact on how we manage and approach educational needs from a system’s perspective.

Not too long ago, I transitioned into the world of non-profits.  Recently joining an organization to help support and manage the transition towards upgrading its online presence, updating its digital media solutions to showcase and highlight its projects and research, and providing a more integrated network to meet its many operational, communication, and strategic needs, has introduced me to an area of technology that is focused on the non-profit world.

How one approaches not only their web design, but also how they reach out to their target audience (or constituents) is very different.  A non-profit’s brand is closely intertwined with its identity, and in turn, its identity – what it does, what it stands for and represents, what it creates and produces, what it defends – speak directly to a certain group of individuals.  And it is these individuals who will provide the kinds of brand-building, presence-developing, and ultimately, fund-raising, that most, if not all non-profits depend on.

The ownership of ones’ brand is extremely important, but in some respects, I find that the need to truly own one’s identity, to truly identify what one actually does and specifically, provides and offers, is of particular significant to a non-profit organization.

Certainly, it is increasingly easier and cheaper to spread the world about non-profits.  The lack of resources (both personnel and monetary) are no longer barriers that are insurmountable.  Twitter and its kind (twitpic)

An example of using YouTube to support non-profits (it’s a dated video, but I think still relevant):

I’ll elaborate more about how digital media (and all its fun, related aspects such as online marketing and campaigns, community building, etc.) come into play as non-profits seek to expand their networks, fundraising capabilities, and brand presence.  For the time being, I’ve listed some information here that could be a helpful start.

Useful links:

NTEN: Nonprofit Technology Network

Wild Apricot: a non-profit technology blog

Big Duck: communications for non-profits blog

Mobile Active: global network of non-profits applying mobile tech to serve their needs (this is definitely something I’m very interested in exploring)

It doesn’t surprise me that universities and other institutions of higher education are pursuing strategies and projects to bring the courses, curriculum, and programs from their on-campus settings to the Internet.  As someone who has engaged in on-line learning – taking credited courses in topics such as cognition and ethics in educational technology – I’m not surprised by this topic, but it is certainly interested to see not only how and where online learning stand in higher ed, but that may mean for other areas of learning (e.g. corporate training).

Perhaps, though, it challenges some current perceptions of higher education (and education, in general) and the sorts of practices that both learners and instructors/teachers/other educational professionals engage and participate.  I remember the perplexity and confusion that rose from M.I.T.’s announcement of their Open CourseWare project.  The thought of posting curriculum and courses for free, enabling individuals from all over the world to access content and information from such a prestigious and arguably, exclusive, institution – what does that mean?  Would people even bother to pay and physically attend a college anymore?  Obviously, this project has not made M.I.T. seem any less desirable for thousands of prospective students each year, but it does bring up some interesting considerations.

Still, how does the Internet and open learning impact, influence, and inform the kinds of ideas we have on learning, information and knowledge acquisition, and content creation?  In a broader, perhaps more far-reaching scale, how does this entire process impact the lives and livelihoods from social and economic perspective?  I’m only in the beginning of this conversation, but I welcome the opportunity to probe further at how the changes in the educational arena will, can, and are currently impacting our world.

Additional info: here

A recent article describing how today’s children, having been immersed so deeply with an environment filled with incredible advancements in technology, brings to mind memories of my own childhood experiences of play.  Surrounded by influences of environment, education, and parental guidance, paired with a child’s individual personality and interests, I am reminded of the sort of spirited pursuits of adventure of yesteryear.  There was this inventive curiosity and carefree exploration that seemed to percolate through childhood.  Think about how almost anything could be turned into a toy.  Think about the look of complete wonder on a child’s face when they see a colorful object, a stuffed animal, heck, even a pencil.

Learning the English alphabet with today's technologies

There’s been research probing the role of technology among today’s children and young adults.  What does it mean to have grown up during a time where there was always a cell phone and the Internet?  Moreover, how has the inclusion and use these technologies and games, as well, inform the practices, actions, thought processes, and assumptions that both children and adults make?

At some point, it stopped.  Suddenly, there was all this so-called grown-up concern of things called feasibility, practicality, marketability, and profitability.  How do we address all those things, but still come up with innovative products, tools, and services that achieve these market and profit-driven goals while simultaneously embracing a sense of marvel and open possibility.

I’m reminded of lab experiments conducted during physics classes that involved working with slinkies and using plastic toys and coins (purchased at one of those 99 cent stores) as props for constructing projects.  In graduate school, non-digital game prototypes developed in game design classes stretched my imagination how to use seemingly rudimentary and ordinary items to create and simulate a play experience.  Perhaps as our society continues its rapid and constant transformation and evolution, making use of these sorts of imaginative and creative processes that we seem to situate only in childhood, could play a larger role in how we think about technology – its function and role – in our lives.

Here’s a question that I’ve pondered about – what are the implications of real-time web information and accessibility towards knowledge acquisition and learning?  There’s been a lot of research into studying the role and influence of technology and media in the educational process and experience of children.  What does it mean when a student is working on a school research paper and is referencing information from wikipedia?  What sort of research and analytical skills are we trying to develop as technology increases accessibility (whether or not the information is accurate and correct)?  How does this inform the types of so-called 21st century skills not only school-age children, but adults are supposed to develop and utilize?

I find these all to be interesting questions, many of which have already been explored by researchers and educators.  Moreover, with the current economic environment in the U.S. (and perhaps, collectively, around the globe), what does it mean to be adaptive not only to how one consumes, creates, and critically analyzes information and content, but towards how one relates and uses that information?

And, thus, this leads to even further questions regarding the increasingly widening gap between the countries that “have” technology and those who do not.  Beyond the issues of hardware and software accessibility, how does one even begin to address those challenges of effectively and productively using these tools to obtain, understand, and create knowledge and information?  There are times I feel that so many countries, companies, and communities are speeding ahead in all this creative experimentation in technology, while basic, core challenges are only expanding and deepening in so many other places.  How do we start and/or continue to create a more even playing field?

The other day, I was asked to share what book I was currently reading that was helping me or introducing me to new ideas of learning and development. While I could have talked about the revisiting of a mobile games book I was reading (Eric Klopfer’s Augemented Learning – Research and Design of Mobile Educational Games – which is actually a really great overview of the history and current research into mobile game development), I ended up talking about a book on social business, specifically a book called Creating a World without Poverty – Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Dr. Muhammad Yunus. I’ve heard about the Grameen Bank and read up on concepts such as social entrepreneurship and microfinance, but I thought it’d be interesting to learn how Dr. Yunus conceived of his idea towards microcredit and ultimately, social business. Why would a shift in the existing paradigm of conducting business or the existing structure for charity and non-profit work with social goals be a productive, beneficial means to eradicating poverty? This ambitious goal reminds me of another book, Jeffrey Sachs’ The End of Poverty, that I read a while back. As the director of the U.N.’s Millennium Project, one of the goals is to provide universal education as a means to combat poverty.

What drew me to this book and why I reference this as book that has challenged me to reconsider and rethink the processes and systems of learning and development, was the focus on approaching an existing practice or system (conducting business) with a different set of ideas and perspectives.  In short, Dr. Yunus’ arguments lie in rethinking the role of a person in a business paradigm and considering the possibilities of pursuing business with social goals and objectives that can successfully alleviate poverty and help individuals overcome their poor socioeconomic status.

How does this relate with education or technology or design for that matter?  Perhaps in the first, most obvious sense it doesn’t.  But I think the act of confronting existing systems and structures that govern business principles and practices lends itself to how we confront educational and technology challenges.  Just like how there are these practices of corporate responsibility and social entrepreneurship; likewise, there has been continual rethinking of how we engage in learning.  From the rote memorization that still exists in many aspects in our overall learning experiences, the practice of incorporating social media (podcasts, wikis, etc.) and video games have taken on more prominent roles in learning.

Shifting one’s mindset on existing paradigms and practices is by no means a simple endeavor.  There are always obstacles and road blocks; frustration and exasperation are not uncommon.  Reading Dr. Yunus’ account on how he and his team struggled to get support from banks and lenders to provide loans to poor, I am inspired by how he took matters in his own hands and came up with a solution himself.

My interest here does not lie in the spectrum of argument regarding whether or not microfinance works, and whether or not the system he’s enacted can be replicated successfully (however that is measured) in all poor communities.  But, I think one can draw many important points from the book and apply that with all aspects in life (not just in aiming to solve hefty issues like poverty or education).  Like how one should not give up and keep on persevering.  How to be willing to think outside and beyond existing systems of practices (be it in business or teaching).  How to not be intimidated or downtrodden by the initial lack of support.  And most significantly, I think this book and similar ones I’ve read, reminds me of something that I learned a long while ago – to not be afraid to fail.  There’s a whole lot you can be doing if you don’t mind making a mistake or tripping up once in awhile. It’s about having an open mind and putting things into perspective.

As Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

*Also, a quote from Thomas Edison.

For the past year or so, I’ve been following this movement and call for applying design thinking into business.  Although this is different point on design, this is a great site that challenges designers to reconsider how they think and approach design as it applies and relates to the world.  (It also demonstrates, through the site’s many slideshows, some examples of how graphic design can be used to be informative and instructional.) It’s a call to action for designers to be more actively engaged in thinking about how to design and what to design, and how the processes and outcomes can affect the world.

Taking away the debate of whether or not it should be a designer’s responsibility or role to involve his or her work for these types of social, economic, and environmental issues, I find it rather inspiring to see how we can expand our perspectives of what we do, what we are “expected” to do in a given profession, and imagine and ultimately, act upon greater, far-reaching, positive change.

Indeed, the first few days of a new year bring about the sentiments of nostalgia, the creation of to-do lists, and the general musings of a seemingly endless possibilities of what could be.  I, myself, admit to being guilty of this and will thereby follow with some of these thoughts.

Not too long ago, exhaustion, frazzled hair, and sleep deprivation were my partners in crime as I researched, scribbled, designed, prototyped, and groaned and growled my way to completing my master’s thesis while tinkering away on the computer at my full-time job.  Now, somewhat more coherent and awake, I’m hit with this antsy, fidgety urge to embark on another journey or project.  Since my undergraduate days at NYU, I’ve always seemed a bit strangely wired to want to learn new things.  This has involved a dabble in film-making (a documentary course taken at the School of Visual Arts), which has resulted an incomplete documentary on food, but still offered useful skills I applied while working on a project interviewing SMEs (subject matter experts) on an educational website.

This seemingly strange desire to learn (and yes, for the most part, I actually liked school!), I think about the subjects that I seek out to learn, how I learn, and in what capacity I can actually learn what I want to learn.  There’s been growth in investigating and even employing neuroscience research into understanding how humans learn and thereby, designing ways to maximize learning experiences.

A recent NY Times article points to this quest towards understanding how the adult brain can learn.  One of the professors interviewed the article mentioned that, “a richer form of learning may require that you ‘bump up against people and ideas’ that are different.”  This seems to suggest that perhaps a way to engage in a deeper level of learning is to have the knowledge and information you presently have been challenged; as if, this confrontation will charge up the neural networks and get you to perhaps think more critically and openly to what you already and what you may not know.

I kind of like that concept.  It reminds me of political talk shows where you have individuals of extremely different viewpoints come together to discuss a particularly controversial topic.  Usually, though, it becomes less about learning from the opposition’s viewpoint and more of a screaming match.

Anyhow, I’m on a quest to learn something new and embark on a new challenge this year.  I think I’ve had enough time to recover from being a part-time graduate student and full-time web producer.  There was an interesting course on information design from SVA, but I’m thinking that maybe it’s time to try something that I have no familiarity with.  Like taking jewelry-making classes, or trying my hand in trapeze.  As in anything, you can learn something from whatever you do or encounter.  I might find out that I’m extremely terrible at both of these things, but hey, at least I try…and I might end up with some interesting tales that I can reminisce about next year!

Some interesting items to share:

Looking forward to learning about the most recent design, development, and implementation forays in serious games at the upcoming Games Before Entertainment Week conference this May.  I’m excited to see what kinds of new ideas have been developed and worked in the fields of serious and mobile games (or both together).

Seeing the next move in design and computer technology with tablets, including: iSlate, and how it relates with the goals and ambitions of the One Laptop per Child project

So, after reading a NY Times article about how people are doing their holiday shopping with their phones, I was inspired to think and stroll down memory’s lane.

My interest in the potential and possibilities of mobile technology for learning (or mobile learning) started when I headed to graduate school to study instructional technology.  There was all this interest whirling through the ivory towers about the use of phones in developing nations, how business and learning were being conducted, and then came the big iPhone landing.  I followed this part of my research paper for my thesis.  Unfortunately, there were no classes on mobile learning until I graduated, woe for me…  When I graduated this spring, a new introductory course on mobile learning was being introduced to the summer semester.  Alas, one does not need to be confined in a formal education setting to engage in learning (hence, an idea of mobile learning), so I’m poking around to learn more about the field on my own.

I’ve been trying to follow the posts and updates made on Mobile Active.  A lot of interesting folks coming up with innovative, beneficial ways to use mobile devices for positive change.  Think of mobile devices to record medical data, to support business transactions, to find directions, or to learn a new language.  All the possibilities contained in a compact, portable device.  I attempted to build a simple nutrition game for the Flash Lite Player; and this first attempt (not particularly successful, but at least resulted in a major learning curve towards ActionScript 3.0 and thinking about educational game development), highlighted both the frustrations and potential of designing and constructing learning experiences for a small, hand-held device.  Maybe when I finally get this mini-game to actually function as I want it to, I’ll post it.

This topic of mobile learning warrants a separate and more in depth posting, but here is a useful introduction and overview of the types of devices and environments that can be used for mobile learning: Are You Ready for Mobile Learning?

In the future, I will be pursuing a more in-depth review and examination of collaborative technologies. Until then, here is a brief note.

Team work and collaboration are often prominent skills as well as expectations found in both the workplace and educational institutions. The ability to create a hub or center where all relevant information and tasks, and the ability to have many individuals come together to one place to produce, assess, and respond to work can help streamline workflow and production processes. These ideas of using a content management system (CMS) or learning management system (LMS), housing reports, collecting data, managing accounts, etc. seem to generally accepted as good ideas. However, like many tools, collaborative technologies, their effectiveness is largely dependent on what we do with it. Create a wiki page for a team project? How helpful would the wiki be if only one of the team members ever contributes? When are the use of these technologies beneficial? When should we use collaborative technologies?

This is an informative panel discussion examining the current status and future of collaborative technologies in higher education, as well as their roles in broader, bigger-scale initiatives.