Connecting the Dots AND Knowledge in the Air

For four days Dresden is host of a unique conference. The sub-conferences bound neatly together create Wissensgemeinschaften 2010 (Knowledge Communities 2011) - #delfi11 #geneme11 #gmw11 or #wige11 (which combines all).

Yesterday a pre-conference day with doctoral presentations and workshop put the setting and learning into gear. Issues like gesture use through smartphones in education and AR (augmented reality) as well as Ambient Displays were some of the most interesting topics. Some thoughts by workshop leader Mostafa Akbari on the relevant blog (translation via GoogleTranslate -a feature which is BTW just recently been added on Facebook). Quickly the dialogue of the session partners spurred into business world use and possible applications. However also the negative implication of overusing technology instead of becoming aware of what the human body and mind is really capable to use for learning as some participants outlined.

We are definitely on the turn of education, where standard education is what we see in most schools and universities, using the standards that were relevant some 20, 30 years ago with no World Wide Web in ubiquitous use - whether laptops, tablets, smartphones or even internet of things.

The first movers of these technologies are most often seen in the context of universities, where doctoral students are exploring new use of current technologies emerging quietly on the edge.

Being part of the "living cluster" of emerging technologies applied into education, a truly not easy to change environment these days, facing lots of strong head winds in public, is like seeing the future right in front.

.... to be continued .... more from #geneme11 from tomorrow and on.

Wild Dueck and Saxonian Entrepreneurs

Saxonian division of BVMW had its New Years Reception at Messe Leipzig and was actually tweeted. Gunter Dueck AKA wilddueck, Chief Technology Officer of IBM Germany, running his personal website, on the list of distinguished speakers. No agenda, no powerpoints (!), pure PASSION!

Story after story he drew the audience deeper and deeper into what is for techies and Web 2.0 addicts already inevitable: the WEB changes business, education, and society.

The knowledge worker 2.0 is morphing into reality. It is a Jules Verne story we are playing the main role right now and then. Future is written today! And we personally are as entrepreneurs, politicians, teachers, professors, managers, workers, employees the very active part of changing the world.

What is it your company is already adapting to that in order to be on top of list in the future?

PULL or PUSH?

Do you have a minute?

Imagine circling above your organization. What do you see? Some people
buzzing around, being in constant action.

So the organization drives and lives - so at least it looks at first sight.

But see, there are some folks who don't make lots of noice, they sit down
and do nothing. Do they really don't do anything worthful? What might
they really do?

Figuring out what the real purpose of the organization is not easy (never was)
and isn't it not the full field of diversity that flows and lives in an organization
that enables to see collectively the purpose (some call it intention) of the
organization, community, society (a group of likeminded people in general)?

.. and whoosh off we go collectively together, wouldn't you think?!

As in a natural eco-system it needs the diversity of players, even though at first
sight it seems they don't fit together or don't see the other's purpose of life. Being
full of just one kind, it would be very much of a "mono culture" doomed to die.

Yet we need both, the DOERs and the SYNTHESIZERs (you could also call
them THINKERs) - and perhaps there are even more of these unknown types
(Thanks a lot for StephenCollins for providing this, and MarigoRaftoupolus for
making me aware of it) in our knowledge driven world.

What is your favorite role in the play of life?

PS.: I have to especially thank JohnHagel and JohnSeelyBrown for their excep-
tional work and book, "The Power of PULL", which is constantly on my hands
and looked and read through.