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Archive for the ‘Innovation’ Category

Gesture Controlled Computing

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

We are moving into new spaces, new times and new ways of collaborating.  Technology is a key influencer in changing the landscape that we work and play in. Here are just three of the emerging trends that are set to change the way we interact:

  • Haptics -the ability to experience the sense of touch and apply pressure through a simulated environment. Will this help experts share their knowledge and skills (eg surgeons) in all countries without leaving home?
  • Surface Computing – smart surfaces with no keyboard mouse. So do we need to learn to handwrite beyond a basic level? Is it relevant in this day and age? How much longer will we need keyboard skills?
  • Gesture controlled computing – a swish of the hand to make yourself understood. How could we use this to communicate in new ways? Does this mean that communication will be more in the head and the gesture than in the vocal chords? Implications?

The videos below explore cutting edge technologies. They pose many challenges to the way we think, and open up many new possibilities. I’m not suggesting all these are positive. But we do need to be watching the trends and keeping up to date if we are to develop our preferred futures.

As you watch the videos you might like to consider some of these questions:

  • How could these technologies change the ways we learn?
  • As a leader, how will I adapt and help others adapt? What will I keep doing? Stop doing? Start doing?
  • How will I enable these new technologies to distribute leadership and to collaborate globally in new ways?

These are just some of the tensions that face leadership for the future. Take a look…and ponder…

Visteon Haptic and Touch Screen


An omnidirectional projector being developed by Microsoft

And another example: The g-speak Spatial Operating Environment inspired by Tom Cruise’s The Minority report film

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Posted in Change Management, Future Learning, Innovation, Leadership, information technology | No Comments »

What is the purpose of a school website?

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Last week our local paper included an advertisement for school open evenings. It is getting to that time of year when schools are vying for new students for 2011. In preparation for these open nights each school listed their contact details, including their website addresses, the idea being that you can find out more about the schools you are interested in. It’s all about marketing.

I was interested in finding out what was happening in all these schools. One process I use to do this is the web walk, a type of learning walk which involves looking through a site looking for key statements and ideas that provide information about the school:

  • What does it stand for?
  • What does it focus on?
  • Is it an ongoing ‘story’ or just updated for marketing?
  • What does it tell you about the benefits of attending the school?
  • Does it mention learning (you’d be surprised the number of schools that don’t)?
  • Is there any evidence of student voice?

My passion is leadership for the future so I was particularly interested to see whether there was any collaboration between staff, students, school and wider networks and whether the learning seemed to be future focused. So here is what I found…

Out of the 11 school sites I looked through 9 had up to date newsletters and term calendars. The sites had information about the structures of schooling – the buildings, the curriculum learning areas, the rules, the board of trustees…  I was hoping for more. I wanted to see the visiosn connect with ideas around key competencies, rich tasks and global projects. I wanted to see the odd glimmer of teachers being active inquirers. I wanted to see a glimpse into what might come next…

I see the challenge of schools for the future as articulating the processes of learning and collaborating with the world. While this may be happening in some of these schools, no evidence presented itself during my web walk. There is still a focus on students being involved as house leaders and school councillors. Nothing wrong with that (depending what the role involves and what is being achieved)….I just want the and… how have we moved on to really engage students in meaningful learning? Are they participants or observers? Give me examples of students having input into their learning and giving feedback to the school. 21st century learning was supposed to start 10 years ago. Have I missed it?

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Co-creating Deep Change

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

Deep change occurs when stakeholders are involved in the process, that is they have a chance to co-create the change. The process should include continuous conversation – both discussion and dialogue.

This co-creation occurs when leaders:

  • consider the needs of diverse groups;
  • involve stakeholders in the conversation from the beginning, rather when a draft plan has been written;
  • continuously communicate – where we are at, where we are going next, why we are going there?
  • use group processes to maintain transparency; and
  • allow all voices to be heard as a pathway to commitment.

    • Peter Senge describes commitment as being easily confused with compliance. People comply because they want to be part of  team. While it is easy to tell if people are apathetic or non-compliant, it is less easy to identify true commitment. True commitment is not ‘buy-in’, which suggests a transaction, nor is it only enrolment (by choice). True commitment occurs when people want the change and are prepared to make it happen. Not all stakeholders will be at this level of commitment, however moving from mere participation to co-creation is likely to result in greater commitment.

    Recently I came across the website of public engagement specialists Involve. They list nine principles of effective deliberative public engagement:

    • The process makes a difference
    • The process is transparent
    • The process has integrity
    • The process is tailored to circumstances
    • The process involves the right number and types of people
    • The process treats participants with respect
    • The process gives priority to participants’ discussions
    • The process is reviewed and evaluated to improve practice
    • Participants are kept informed

    This resource can be downloaded from their website. They make the comment that you should not pretend to involve people if you have already decided on the outcome or if their input will not be used. This breaks trust and will negatively influence any further conversation. Deep, committed change will not occur.

    Co-creation is not always easy nor does it always lead to consensus. Dialogue, conflict and respectful debate should be encouraged,  rather than a group think mentality. If we are developing innovative organisations for the future we have to be up for a challenge. What do you think?


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    Here and now learners..

    Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

    At the Pegasus Conference in Seattle recently we were lucky to have some school students attending. The discussion was about the needs of 21st century learners, learners of the future, millennial learners… One of the students made the point that they are learning NOW and so we should be focussing on the here and now learners as well as having an eye on the future. The urgency is now to push for the changes that we have been suggesting for some time, rather than something new, some radical change in the way people learn.

    We know what learning is about so why do we persist with irrelevant testing, focus on sitting and listening, and teaching just in case? We are great at talking about learning needs but not so great about practising what we preach. So here is the challenge – go find a student, go find the youngest person in your business …listen to what they have to say about their needs, their experiences, their future. Be curious. Ask questions. Reflect on what they say and what this means for you and your organisation. I am off to do exactly that. Watch this space for further information on reverse mentors and how they can be a great catalyst for personal and organisational change.

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    Posted in Business, Change Management, Education, Future Learning, Innovation | 2 Comments »

    A Plum Job

    Saturday, August 1st, 2009

    I love fruit. But lately my daily dose has been a bit less enjoyable lately. And it’s all to do with labels.

    Some great marketing executive came up with the idea that brand could be enhanced if each piece of fruit was individually labelled. So now the supermarket is full of fruit with it’s own little label saying “Pick me! Pick me!” As I inspect the apples and gently squeeze plums I become quite breathless with the beauty of the labels – little ovoids of colour with numbers and valuable information. It’s just a shame that my eyesight isn’t great, so my choices are a little blurred…lovely contrasting colours though.

    Today’s lunchtime fruit consisted of two ripe, luscious plums. I was looking forward to them – until I attacked the labels that is. Particularly sticky labels, in fact, hanging on for grim life labels designed to give me more time to enjoy one last look at the branding. So I could tell whether they came from NZ or USA. Just as well they didn’t come from Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma because there would have been no hope of fitting all that on the label (and I probably wouldn’t want plums from there anyway). Anyway, I am dexterous so I was able to remove each label in only seven pieces per fruit. I suggest that those of you who wish to become top rate surgeons add plum label peeling to your daily routine – those intricate movements are sure to improve your operating skills even better than gaming. I’m sure there’s a piece of research in there somewhere…

    Plums

    As I bit into the plums I pondered about this whole labelling fruit business. Did they decide that, due to the recession, they would employ people to stick labels on the fruit? New jobs created in the printing industry and all those workers standing in an assembly line labelling the fruit as it rolled past on the conveyor belt? Oops, I forgot that we have moved on since those days. A machine will have been designed to label the fruit as it came past, no humans needed. It would have taken a lot of clever thinking to develop a machine to do this, but once done the machines could be sold to all those other sticker loving fruit producers. Business could be looking up, I wonder if you can buy shares in fruit sticker machine making companies?

    With the number of unemployed still on the rise there are all sorts of business opportunities in this fruit labelling business. Imagine coming home and announcing that you had just landed a plum job. The family would be pleased for you. You could explain how you operated the flash machine that stuck the labels on fruit – “Hello, I’m Fred. I’m a plum machine operator.”

    Perhaps there is a whole new Guiness Book of Records section untapped – how many pieces can you rip from one small plum label? How many plum labels can you take off in 1 minute?

    Anyway, the labels are now history and the plums eaten. I’m wondering if I should just ignore the labels next time and eat the lot. Would it add to my fibre intake?

    Now don’t get me wrong, it is nice to know where your fruit comes from so you can make decisions about buying or boycotting, but couldn’t we just have a nice big sign on the fruit bin that says where the fruit comes from? See I spend a lot of my time thinking for my living, and right now I’m thinking we could do fruit labelling differently. What do you suggest?

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