eTwinning is a framework for schools to collaborate on the Internet with partner schools in other European countries. Their Swedish National Support Service will host a Professional Development Workshop (PDW) in Gothenburg, Sweden November 6 8, 2008. This PDW will have European secondary school teachers of social science as the main target group. The theme for the PDW will be Using eTwinning for strengthening the European Dimension and participants will focus particularly on exploring web 2.0 and ideas for using eTwinning in preparation for the European elections 2009.
I have been invited to make a key note address on the morning of the second day. Quite an honor indeed. My ambition is to provide a broad overview of the latest within social media and Web 2.0, focus in on young people, and give some examples of practical uses for schools. Think I also must bring in something about the importance of brands. Also came to think about Debating Live Online in Learning Times Green Room over a year ago. Also curios about eTwinning’s new portal that will go live late this month (platform?).
Really looking forward to this gig. Do you have any suggestions about what i must bring forward?
[Update the day after the gig]: Yo! My apologies for not posting my lecture slides (pdf) until now (got an unexpectedly busy afternoon yesterday. Anyway, thanks to all of you students for being so interested and conversant, even though I tended to mute you. Here are the links to the video stream from the first part of the lecture, the video stream starring students, and the photo stream. Well, the latter is kind of thin, will be closed for input within the next few days. As you can se in the comments below, the conversation goes on.
In May 2007 I did my first guest lecture at a course in Media psychology and Media development at Stockholm School of Economics (SSE). The course is led by Professor Richard Wahlund, and you can check my documentation for that gig (in Swedish). Unfortunately the SSE Web site sucks (e.g. here is the result of Wahlunds ”Teaching” link: http://www.hhs.se/404b). Hence, I do not know much about other stuff in the course and I am sort of hanging loose. I do not even know where I am supposed to show up. Furthermore I have to bring my own loudspeakres. But Wahlund is a great professor and the students so far has been wonderful. So, I am sure the lecture will be rewarding. At least our experiences from the previous ones support such an outcome.
With respect to the interest in new media developments (from SATU and from the Finnish President ) as presented by me, I find it appropriate to point at SIME goes Helsinki. SIME, or originally Scandinavian Interactive Media Event, has for over a decade acted as The hotpot for people and organizations engaged in the new ventures, possibilities, and challenges.
So, if you (are in Finland and) don´t mind being challenged by new thoughts and fascinating people, I recommend a visit to The Swedish Theatre in Helsinki next month. Oh, how I hope that the President will go there – because it is far beyond what we did in Naantali. And what happens at SIME will for sure affect the future of our children. If nothing else, you will hear from the inside of Stardoll, which is far cooler and more engaging than Republiken Finland barnens president.
(SIME will make a visit to Copenhagen November 6, and this years main event is taking place in Stockholm November 12-13).
Here is a video [updated] when a president napped ”my” stage, and the story behind that event. Last week I did a key note gig at Media & Message in Finland. SATU, who organized the conference, contacted me already in the spring and we agreed on the terms and dates right before summer. Then about a month ago I learned that the Finnish President, Mrs Tarja Halonen, would pay an (un-official) visit and address the audience with a short speech. Cool! The slightly rearranged plan was that the President would arrive right before I entered the stage (because she wanted to see me); I would do my gig with a brief Q&A; and after that she would be introduced and talk for about 15 minutes.
About half an hour before it was my time we were all told that the President was 15 minutes late, so I had to cut out some of my time. No problem, I am flexible. It was kind of funny when we all raised to greet the President, just to learn that ”she is in the building, not the room”. So, we had to stand up a second time a few minutes later. Anyway, I did my thing and it went quite well. I Ustreamed the whole presentation, and Bambused about 30 minutes (after that I handed over my Nokia N95 to the audience). Then the Q&A started. Apparantly the President was very engaged and eager to share her experiences of the Web. So, instead of asking a question, she took over the stage. That is an actionable President!
Perhaps what triggered her was that I Googled ”Tarja Halonen” and found the first hit to be the Swedish Wikipedia entry. In it there is an External link to tarjahalonen.fi, which she during my gig immediately commented ”that is an old one”. Whose responsibility is it to update that information? As I post this the old link remains, though I just added a new link.
Here is a YouTube clip from the unexpected, but fun, stage-napping. Enjoy! [Sorry, noted that the videa stops after a few minutes, blame Windows Movie Maker. Will fix later Update 2008-0-12: I made a new video, the intro animation was automatically created from Flickr photos and music by I Awake, check it out separatel at animoto.com]
The web site the President promotes is ”The Childrens President of the Republic of Finland” (in Finnish and Swedish). It sure is a nice web site, focusing children. But my humble opinion is that it is very Web 1.0, and would benefit from a social media fix. What do you say all (Finnish) innovators? Can we hope for a President´s blog?
Almost a year ago I did a gig for Worldwide Partners. According to the comments from the partners who attended (including those posted at weconverse), they kind of appreciated my thoughts. From my side I felt that the session went pretty well. Recently, during my summer vacation (June 11th), I got an e-mail with "Worldwide Partner news" (sorry, they offer no web version). To begin with the message was headed by a large image, wich made it difficult to read on my mobile phone. Right below the image was the header "WPI Launches New Public Website" (without any link) and below it another image. In the image I could read (but not my desktop search engine) "It’s a Wiki world. It’s a flat world." I thought that was cool and went on today to check out their new web site.
To begin with the home page is based on a slowly loading Flash implementation. As you can see there is no way to search the site. Therefore it was hard for me to quickly figure out if they had a Wiki, offered RSS feeds or utilized any other tools for social media. On the other hand, when I surf to the site on my phone it displays the basic content pretty well.
I do not have time to evaluate their new site, but it seems to me that none of the ideas, trends, or possibilities that I presented has guided their efforts so far. After all, they describe themselfes as:
"the world’s largest owner-operated agency network made up of 96 agencies employing 4,700 people in 143 offices located in 53 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America"
Wordwide partners could at least have implemented Google maps to allow visitors to browse their network. Or started a blog to supplement their Media room. As far as I can judge the whole thing is very Web 1.0. What did I do wrong???
Inlägg (RSS)