Conflict is #Solvable

There are so many podcasts out there these days it can be hard to find the quality. As soon as I saw Malcolm Gladwell's name associated with the 'Solvable' podcast, I knew it would be a winner. As the description states

 Solvable showcases the world’s most inspiring thinkers proposing solutions to the world’s most daunting problems. The interviews, conducted by journalists like Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg, acknowledge complexity while inciting hope that these problems are, in fact, solvable.

This interview features Jacob Weisberg talking to Victor Ochen about building peace in Africa through the African Youth Initiative Network. It's truly inspirational.

Listen to the Solvable podcast: Conflict is #Solvable

Where good ideas come from - Innovation

With all the turmoil in the jobs market at present; the loss of the car industry; retail trade taking a battering and jobs moving offshore, innovation is the word on everybody's lips.  But what is the process of innovation, where do those good ideas come from?

Where good ideas come from - Steven Johnson

A Discussion of Digital Deployment

This webinar - Avoiding the Pitfalls of Digital Deployment was created as part of Project 24 a district level initiative in US education.  It is an excellent discussion of deployment from the actual experience of experts-  Patrick Larkin, Scott Smith and Lenny Shad

Librii - new model of library for developing countries

Librii is an exciting new concept in libraries that has been successfully funded as a Kickstarter project raising $52,350, just above their $50,000 goal, with 650 backers.  Their plan is to develop a network of low-cost yet revenue-generating, digitally powered libraries deployed along the fibre optic infrastructure in the developing world.  It will be run by library and information professionals and provide access to people isolated from resources that could aid their independence.   

Librii's intention is to provide individuals and comunities with access to digital and physical tools to 'tools to solve their own educational, informational, and economic challenges'.  The purpose of being revenue-generating, they say, is to make them independent from government organisations and the like.  It makes sense.

The project was incubated with seed funding from the World Bank Institute and was awarded the Best Innovation Leveraging Technology from the Dell Social Innovation Challenge.  It's a project worth watching and provides inspiration to me personally, as we encourage our own library communities to look differently at the futures available to them. #Librii

Working in 'the cloud': workflow practices & personal learning

Working in 'the cloud': workflow practices & personal learning from Camilla Elliott

Efficient workflow practices assist your ability to manage the information explosion that is today's internet. No longer limited by time or device, ‘cloud computing’ enables us to work anywhere, anytime, on any device.  Tools such as Dropbox, Evernote, Google Docs have simplified file storage and access, enabling an efficient workflow that’s independent of your computer hardware.  

This presentation examines the indispensable tools of cloud computing and growth of your  digital literacy skills for both professional tasks and personal learning. Introduce your students to a workflow that will organise their learning and file management.  Share resources in a cloud-based learning network with applications such as Diigo and Delicious for social bookmarking, Symbaloo, Instapaper and most essentially Feedly and other RSS readers.