Defrag Ohio

Defrag Lorain Class Videos

2007-05-02T07:40:00.001-07:00

Here is the first of posted video sessions from the Defrag Lorain conference posted by Mike Gesing's company, NEOhio.org

We'll have more posted soon. Enjoy!

Case: 0033 Nintendo Wii Bowling Introduction & Overview of the Video game Industry

MacArthur Foundation Invests $50 million in Digital Media, Learning & Education

2007-04-06T07:42:00.001-07:00

Grantmaking in education seeks primarily to gain a better understanding of how digital technologies are changing how young people learn, play, socialize, exercise judgment, and engage in civic life. Grantmaking is also exploring how learning environments – peers, family and social institutions (such as schools) – may be changing as well.

In 2006, the MacArthur Foundation launched its five-year $50 million dollar initiative in Digital Media and Learning. Answers are critical to developing educational and other social institutions that can meet the needs of this and future generations. The initiative is both marshaling what is already known about the field and seeding innovation for continued growth.

To read more about this innovative initiative, go here.

On Saturday, April 14, Defrag Ohio Lorain is offering a session "Connecting Families, Kids and Students through Digital Media," from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Ted Jordan, Funutation Tech Camps, Steve Simmons, EDR Media and Jason van Gumster, Hand Turkey Studios will lead the session. Participants will learn how to build a video game with sound and will learn about 3D modeling. Defrag Ohio Lorain partners encourage you to bring your kids to participate in this workshop. Not only will they learn new information, they will also have fun and an opportunity to connect with others who have similar interests.

In a Networked World It's All About What You Can't See and Don't Know

2007-03-23T06:44:00.000-07:00

The Portage-Geauga County Juvenile Detention Center will be participating in Defrag. What's the connection?

On-line skills training, workforce development in disciplines such as digital media and arts-in-education, for one.

In an opt-in world, how people see themselves connected can be completely unforeseen by other people in the network.

The value in a networked world is to learn how we are all connected. It is in these new, unforeseen intersections that the innovation opportunities are great.

This is another example of how command and control does not work in the civic space.

Open Source Meets Open Source Economic Development: How Cool is That?!

2007-03-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

Once again, the power of networks.

We haven't even had the chance to meet face-2-face yet, but Athena Diamantis, Director of Sales for SourceLabs (Just celebrating SWiK's First Birthday! Over 1 Million unique visitors served, and 10,000 wiki pages created), connects to Bruce Perens, a founding father of Open Source. Read more here.

Bruce may be coming from Berkely to Defrag in April. Bruce Perens is a wealth of knowledge and insight about working in Open Spaces. (What can digital media entrepreneurs learn?)

Northeast Ohio has a lot to learn about these new (really, not new) ways of working to catalyze unprecendented exponential growth.

Sounds scary, doesn't it? And, out of control?

Maybe, but consider what we have now: a no growth (No Growth.) region and the polar caps are melting. Not good indicators.

Open Source Economic Development tools and practices provides a way for us to get there from here by building the transformative initiatives we need to make the Big Shifts toward change.

Open Source meets Open Source Economic Development. Thanks Ahthena! We look forward to meeting you F2F at Defrag!

Jason van Gumster/Hand Turkey Studios

2007-03-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

Jason van Gumster from Hand Turkey Studios, connects to Ted Jordan and is excited about coming from Richmond, Virginia for the Defrag conference.

Jason will present information about his work in digital media, a research paper and a presentation on Red Hat High prepared for the Educators Program at this year's SIGGRAPH conference...he adds, "I'll be able to show and tell even more cool stuff. :)"

Jason's work is connected to student-created animations and audio.

Take a peek: here.

Session Summary:
Red Hat High: Using Open Source Software in a Technology Camp
In the summer of 2006, 52 rising 8th and 9th-grade students attended a week-long residential technology camp at North Carolina State University. Named for the program's initiator, Red Hat High's mission was to expose students to technology and software that they otherwise might not be aware of. Using open source software, students were introduced to audio creation, video creation, 3D modeling & animation, and web design.

Jason's Info:
Jason van Gumster is a co-founder and 'Production Monkey' of the Richmond, Virginia-based animation, illustration, and print design company, Hand Turkey Studios. He participated in the 2006 Red Hat High program as an instructor for the 3D Modeling & Animation track using the open source 3D suite, Blender, and is on the advisory board for the 2007 camp. He works professionally as an animator and print designer for his company and serves as an instructor for Blender workshops and training DVDs.

An avid advocate of open source software, Jason uses open source tools for the majority of his creative work and is active in the Free Software community, particularly the Blender community. He has given demonstrations at Linux Users Group meetings and SIGGRAPH conferences, and he currently serves as the Gallery Maintainer for Blender.org and writer for the primary Blender news portal, Blender Nation.

Born in 1978, Jason holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering and a B.F.A in Kinetic Imaging from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Be a Defrag Sponsor!

2007-03-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

If you are a company looking for quality, high volume, fast contacts consider becoming a Defrag Ohio Sponsor: Sponsor Document Defrag.

Defrag conferences build first generation contacts with really smart, really creative people, doing really cool stuff.

And here is the kicker: Defrag conferences are quarterly, raising the bar on exposure from your point of entry all the way forward through the year.

Are you looking for brand new points of market to access and all in one place? Defrag is a different model turbo charging leads across a VERY diverse and really cool network.

Fill out and return the Sponsor Form with your check and get in early on a steam train ride barreling through Ohio!

Liberating the Soul of Your Business

2007-03-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Meet Tony Felice of Cronosys LLC.

Tony will be building his connections to Defrag Ohio in April.

Cronosys specializes in the design, development and implementation of business solutions based on cutting-edge Open Source Internet technologies.

Shift Happens & Why Open Innovation is Where It's At

2007-03-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Take a View.

Education: Steel to Scholars at Defrag Lorain

2007-03-22T20:17:00.001-07:00

Tom Humphries and Reid Dulberger, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, were our hosts yesterday in Youngstown.

The Regional Chamber has developed the successful "Steel to Scholars" educational program with the keen insight of strong private business leadership to aid and assist educators and students in reaching educational metrics.

Tom and Reid will teach us about this successful model and lend us their insights into private business leadership.

Steel to Scholars is a replicable model ready to be spun out across the state of Ohio.

What is the digital media opportunity here?

What can we learn from their pragmatic and practical points of view about building projects and new businesses?

How can Steel to Scholars metrics be applied to quality attainable metrics and deliverables in for game developers?

Better yet, What can we learn to strengthen private business leadership in Cleveland?

Defrag Ohio Youngstown

2007-03-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today we spoke about Defrag with the Warren Youngstown Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Youngstown State University Business School leadership, YSU's Center for Urban and Regional Studies and the Youngstown Business Incubator to talk about Y'Town's opportunity to participate as a leader in the Defrag Ohio network in education, private business leadership, building quality, connected places, designing entrepreneurship curriculum for the 21st Century and the digital media industry.

Defrag's approach to building open networks of collaboration, of identifying and connecting Y'Town resources in digital media made sense to these practically minded leaders who talked about the Y'Town assets ready to be connected and lit up!

After our meeting, we visited the Youngstown Incubator. Jim Cossler, Chief Evangelist, spent time talking with us about the past, the present and the future of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Incubator and where Y'Town fits in the scheme of things between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. This successful incubator model relies on open communications between companies, simple rules of behavior, including "no poaching", shared and free services, and awesome coaching. Great free or cheap space. Great access. Good food across the street. Good parking. What more could any entrepreneur want? (Could that REALLY exist in Cleveland?...)

The result: innovation, learning and the acceleration of activity. Simple results, but really hard to get.

What is great about Y'Town is everything is within walking distance. A perfect place for building, connecting and innovating. We had a great day. Thank you Youngstown!

If you have had trouble registering for Defrag....

2007-03-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Don't worry.

People are emailing in that the Internet Explorer works just fine. There is a bug if you try to register with Firefox.

Recommendation: try later tomorrow to re-register at http://www.lorainccc.edu/defrag

I am sure they will have it fixed in the AM.

Digital City Network

2007-03-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Here is an article sent by Janko at Shout Youngstown (E: shoutyoungstown@gmail.com)with the question: What is the Defrag opportunity to connect to this larger network of digital cities?

Toronto Mayor David Miller signed an agreement with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom today that links Toronto with other international cities and regions in a global Digital City Network, which supports the commercialization of innovative digital media technologies and advancements. Cities that have signed on to the Network that San Francisco is spearheading include: Paris, France; Prague, Czech Republic; Dublin, Ireland; Guadalajara, Mexico; Skopje, Macedonia and Singapore.

"Businesses in Toronto's ICT sector constantly develop and use new technology to increase the city's international profile and presence in the global economy," said Mayor David Miller. "Developing partnerships with our international counterparts through initiatives, such as the Digital City Network are a positive step towards increasing global connectivity and collaboration."

"We're delighted to be working with Toronto on this initiative," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Both of our cities have strong ICT-based industries and creative enterprises. This agreement lays the foundation for the commercialization of new, innovative technology that will enable closer ties between our two cities and other regions around the world."

The signing was facilitated through video conference held at Autodesk in Toronto and at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and can be viewed at http://events.telemerge.ca/cityoftoronto/022107/index.php

The event was supported by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and by the Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco and Telemerge Canada.

The initiative is lead by Joaquin Alvarado, Director of the Institute of Next Generation Internet at SFSU. "The Digital City Network involves cities and regions that we believe are forward-looking," said Alvarado. "Toronto was chosen to be part of the Network because of its New Media and IT industry. We were looking to partner with cities and regions that we believe are creative and technological hubs. Toronto was a perfect choice to join the Network. "

Alvarado was introduced to City Council in March 2006. At that time, he invited Toronto to be part of the Digital City Network and was encouraged to move forward to strengthen the ties between the two cities. The signing of the Digital City Network Agreement formalizes this relationship.

The nine objectives outlined in the Digital City Network Agreement are to:

- broker international relationships between educational, business, and
community-based digital media organizations
- create new business to business ventures between jurisdictions
- support the growth and innovation of existing digital media
businesses
- develop new cutting-edge digital media companies in each location
- encourage private and public investment in advanced digital
technologies and linkages between jurisdictions
- expand workforce development and education opportunities in digital
media
- provide technical support for digital media incubators and business
accelerators
- develop strategies to respond to the rapid changes in new media
technologies
- inform shareholders about emerging digital media issues, innovations
and best practices.

Toronto ICT firms have already designed and implemented some of the
world's most advanced broadband networks and technologies for business,
research and educational applications.

Projects the Digital City Network may work on include:

- promoting cultural exchanges through specific digital media projects
- identifying and supporting the development of business to business
relationships, co-productions, joint ventures and investment
opportunities
- conducting joint research and development projects
- defining Next Generation Internet in terms of networking standards
and protocols
- creating cost-effective opportunities for existing companies and to
experiment, develop and prototype products using next generation
internet technology.

For more information about the City of Toronto's ICT cluster, visit
here.

Ohio Counseling Organizations: Connecting Young Defragr's

2007-03-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 14, at the Defrag conference Ted Jordan and Steve Simmons will led a young game developers session from 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at the Defrag conference.

In researching cool people and activities on in Lorain, Susan and I have spent time meeting many people on the Lorain County Community College campus. Catherine Worden is Project Director of Vision 2015, an initiative to create a new vision for the community’s college of the future.

Wise Catherine (she guided over 100 forums out in the community as the Listening and Learning part of the project in 2005!) advised us to connect with the school counselor network to identify young digital natives who might be interested in participating in Defrag.

We are learning there are several state wide organizations in Ohio devoted to counseling in education. By building the connectivity to existing networks, Defrag can begin to identify and connect young digital natives and accelerate learning between digital natives and the rest of us, digital immigrants. You can read Marc Prensky's article , here.

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) in Education

2007-03-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Ohio Arts Council is a longstanding national leader in arts-in-education.

The OAC sees opportunities to connect to Defrag in three areas: the Office of Arts Learning, Communications and in IT.

Check out their Handbook For A Successful Residency: For Schools, Community Organizations And Artists that offers guidance to artists and schools by teaching, organizing and leveraging metrics for arts in schools residency work.

Defrag Ohio Mashup: Strategic Doing in Web 2.0

2007-03-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

Join us at Defrag Ohio Lorain if you are interested to explore best practices and new ways of thinking about social software technologies.

Matthew Bernius from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has offered to share his research on how do we create value on line, video and audio mashups, and citizen journalism conveys culture.

How can we connect Matthew up with our citizen journalism community? Can we leverage this opportunity to affect research and have research inform us?

Matthew will be at Defrag Friday and Saturday. If you are interested in participating in a round table "mashup" (new convening format??) let us know (email info@i-open.org) and register here.

RIT does an awesome job of identifying and investing in cutting edge research. Just check out the subject list of the Labs and Centers page here.

See you soon! Bring a friend, get connected and learn at Defrag Ohio Lorain.

Grow Wisconsin Creatively and The New North

2007-03-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of websites about Wisconsin. Here is how the State of Wisconsin is meeting the challenges ahead and understanding the importance of the creative industries in economic development.

Wisconsin, to meet the challenges facing the state is moving forward with a public and private action agenda that uses the arts, culture, creativity and innovation -- the "creative economy" -- as essential tools for the state’s economic, educational and civic success. Grow Wisconsin Creatively will stimulate economic and community development, foster entrepreneurship, create jobs, enhance Wisconsin’s educational system, and sustain community livability and engagement.

For Wisconson to realize its full potential, addressing the state's participating in the Creative Economy will help them to achieve and sustain the following goals:

Stable public and private investment in economic development and community revitalization by using the state’s diverse creative resources
Assistance by the public and private sector in the creation and retention of high-paying jobs based in the creative economy
Support of a consistently high-quality educational system using creativity in the acquisition of local and global knowledge and understanding, and prepares students for the 21st century workforce.
Development of vital communities throughout the state that attract creative workers and organizations.

Another model in Wisconsin is NewNorth. What is New North?
The New North is the 18 county region in Northeast Wisconsin. The New North brand unites the region both internally and externally, signifying the collective economic power behind our 18 counties. The counties include Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, Waupaca, Brown, Shawano, Oconto, Marinette, Door, Kewaunee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Florence, Menominee and Waushara.

Key Initiatives of the New North:

Attracting, developing and retaining talent
Focusing on targeted growth opportunities
Supporting an entrepreneurial and small business climate
Encouraging educational attainment
Encouraing and embracing diverse talents
Promoting the regional brand

For more information on Growing Wisconsin Creatively, go here.

KnowledgeWorks Foundation & The Institute for the Future "Map of Future Forces Affecting Education"

2007-03-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Map of Future Forces Affecting Education was developed in partnership with KnowledgeWorks Foundation and the Institute for the Future.

The map was created by aggregating the opions of relevant experts who create intensive case studies based on field research. The map is a forecast - a credible, internally consistent view of how future forces will affect the components of public education.

Barbara Diamond is Vice President, Education Strategy at KnowledgeWorks Foundation. "As a lawyer," Diamond says, "I work for education because it is like working for justice. "Education is the key to a just society," she says. "Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to become an educated person who both contributes and benefits economically, socially, culturally, and in countless other ways to the whole. It just is not right to bypass some individuals, to waste their talents, and consign them to poverty, by failing to ensure that they receive an excellent, inspiring education." To read more go here

KnowledgeWorks' David Moore will be a presenter at the Defrag Ohio Lorain Conference. The conference dates are Aprril 12, 13 and 14, 2007.

The Ohio Artists Individual Opportunity

2007-03-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

The Ohio Arts Council supports an extensive website of resources and capabilities for Ohio artists.

On the site you can find the Individual Opportunity database which posts performance opportunities.

The Ohio Showcase of Mixed Media Exhibitions & Workshops at the Defrag Ohio Lorain conference is posted here.

Showcase Invitation to Ohio Mixed Media Artists & Ingenuity Artists

2007-03-10T18:02:00.000-08:00

The Defrag Ohio Lorain conference offers all mixed media performing artists the opportunity to test, preview, and perform experimental new work at a top Ohio performance venue, the Stocker Performing Arts Center, and at the Spitzer Conference Center. These facilities are the site of the Defrag Ohio Lorain conference hosted at Lorain County Community College, April 12, 13 & 14, 2007. (Be sure to register here.)

Defrag offers Ingenuity Festival artists a special performance preview invite here.

The conference seeks out disruptive, totally out-of-the-box creative concepts built for on stage, in a lecture hall, on your desktop or in your favorite VR lab.

Defrag has prepared an invitation for all artists in a Call for Mixed Media Exhibitions. Just assemble and return your information in the Defrag Response Sheet found on the same page.

A Pioneer in Mixed Media: Suguru Goto

2007-03-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

The Ohio University Aesthetic Technology Lab (The@ Lab) will be hosting an exceptionally talented new media composer who has earned international acclaim,
as well as a coveted Koussevetsky Prize at Tanglewood. His name is Suguru Goto, and he will be the @Lab's artist in residence for the entire Spring term.

Suguru's works typically marry robotics with music composition. You can explore his work here.

Suguro may be performing and presenting at the Defrag Ohio Lorain conference.

Mixed Media Exploration: Philip Mallory Jones

2007-03-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

The benefit of artists exploring new applications and forms of digital media is invaluable. Artists push the limits of art and technology, by envisioning new forms of storytelling. Artists and industry researchers need to work together to share learning.

Philip Mallory Jones will be participating in the April Defrag. Philip has been appointed as Ohio University's new media composer in residence at The Ohio University Aesthetic Technology Lab (The@ Lab). While there this semmester, Jones will lead a graduate seminar and other workshops, focusing on digital image-making and 3D modeling.

Jones's work in digital composition especially with an eye towards spatial development in the arena of Second Life is being featured in a gallery space developed on the Ohio University Second Life Campus.

Philip is an exceptionally talented speaker, and a visionary voice in the field of new media. View Paradigm Shift and learn more about this exceptional artist in Vo-Du Macbeth.

Philip can be reached directly at : philipmalloryjones@yahoo.com

Listening to Conversations

2007-03-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

Valdis Krebs's life work is devoted to thinking about measuring and mapping social networks. Orgnet.com

But for the April Defrag conference, Valdis will be demonstrating one of his latest explorations: listening to the conversations happening on the maps. Valdis worked with a software programmer in his homeland Latvia, and now we can hear the conversations too.

Here is what Valdis blogged last summer - take a listen.

(Valdis recommends that to listen to the music/soundscapes you need to click on the "brief intro" link in the blog post and then follow the links in the brief white paper on the subject.)

Defrag Minutes: Strategic Doing in Gaming, Destinations & Civic Journalism

2007-03-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

Be sure to bookmark this link to hear the powerful stories of Ohio entrepreneurs working to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in digital media. All video stories captured by Mike Gesing at NEOhio.org

And in Florida...A Center for Interactive Learning

2007-03-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

A collaboration to share science museum assets: The Center for Interactive Learning (CIL), a collaboration between the Miami Museum of Science and the University of Miami, was established in 2006 to begin the planning and innovative design of interactive learning environments and programming for the new Miami Science Museum to be located in Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami.

“Students will have the opportunity to participate in scientific research while learning about cardiovascular health,” said Judy Brown, Ed.D., director of the Miami Museum of Science’s Center for Interactive Learning. “We are very interested in determining how science museums can play an increased role in helping the public interpret research.

”The health education project will explore the extent to which 10th graders engaging in an enhanced museum experience and playing a "cardiovascular debate game" display greater gains in cardiovascular health knowledge and improvements in behavior than their peers.

You can read the article here.

Sinclair Community College: Center for Interactive Learning

2007-03-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

An early adopter in the late 90's: When Sinclair Community College decided to devote a new building to innovations in educational technology, they looked for a model on other campuses and in the business world. They didn’t find one – so they invented their own.

"It is imperative that Sinclair design a new facility that provides for experimentation with new technologies, includes space conducive to interactive formats, allows for varied learning options and provides a place for a systematic approach to the learning process." That was the conclusion of a 1996 task force charged with the responsibility of planning a facility that would help bring Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio, into the modern paradigm of teaching and learning.

Completed in the spring of 1998 at a cost of $16 million, the CIL building encompasses 75,000 sq. ft. on four different levels and includes 500 miles of wire. More than simply a large computer lab, the CIL is intended to be an incubator where faculty can develop new methods for teaching using technology and students can take advantage of the innovations they develop.

Read how this Ohio community college supports faculty innovation here.

Defrag Ohio Lorain April 12, 13 & 14 Lorain County Community College

2007-03-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

Defrag Ohio identifies and connects Ohio resources and capabilities in rich media. Join us for great sessions, industry exhibits and performances. The conference is free and open to the public, but we do ask you register here.

Get Video'd for the Lorain Conference! Share information about your company, product, project or idea. Contact Mike Gesing at mike@neohio.org to get on the schedule.

To Sponsor the event, go here.

Bookmark this link (here) to listen to interviews, see what is going on and learn about conference updates.

If you would like to present at a session, exhibit company product or perform/test a mixed media performance, download an RFP (below) and get back to us. See you there!

Call for Sessions
Call for Exhibitions
Call for Research

Defrag Ohio Lorain is presented in collaboration with Lorain County Community College, The LCCC Foundation and I-Open.

Questions? Contact Betsey Merkel or Susan Altshuler at info@i-open.org

A Fighter for Colleges that has Everything but Status

2007-03-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

Lauren Pope, who is 96, grew up in northern Virginia, a Democrat in a family he describes as “hard-core Republican.” Mr. Pope was an editor at Washington newspapers and a local radio station and an education editor at the New york Times. He advocates colleges that accept a broad range of students, not just the top academic performers and argues that colleges with fewer than 3,000 students offer the best educational experience because students will have more opportunities to get to know professors well, both inside and outside the classroom. “I’ve got egalitarian instincts, and that’s why I’m opposed to the elite schools’ status and prestige,” Mr. Pope said. Read the document here

Workforce Education high priority for Strickland administration

2007-02-28T11:55:00.000-08:00

The administration of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has convened an “Ohio Talent Tiger Team” to offer a roadmap for coordinating workforce investment and education with the economic development interests of the state. A primary framing document for the Team’s work is the recommendations submitted by the Ohio Workforce Education and Training Advisory Council (OWETAC) for aligning Ohio’s workforce education system.

KnowledgeWorks Foundation public policy officer Greg Harris was named to the team. “Ohio is at a critical juncture that could determine whether our higher education system will be able to meet the changing needs of our economy and our citizens,” Harris said. “In an era when postsecondary attainment is the ticket to employment and economic stability, Ohio must conform its higher education infrastructure to fit the needs of workers and employers in a technology-driven knowledge economy.” To read the article go here .

The Ohio High School Transformation Initiative: Champion of Change - Diane Smith, Southview's Pride School, Lorain

2007-02-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

Eleven ninth-grade students in Lorain Southview’s Pride School may not realize it but one of their recent school projects is a perfect example of the benefits of a small schools environment. The students, along with the ninth-grade teacher team, wrote, designed and published an eight-page Black History Month special supplement to the Lorain Morning Journal, the city’s daily newspaper.

Veteran history/social studies teacher Diana Smith led the project. “This is our fifth year for this collaboration and every year I feel I’ve got to top myself,” she said. This year’s publication highlighted the struggles of the Little Rock Nine, a group of black students who against all odds registered to attend an all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1956.

The cross-curricular flexibility of small schools made producing the supplement easier, Smith said. Science teacher Sue Pileski constructed a timeline while English teacher Laura Manning worked on the cover design. All, including math teacher Brian Hilko, allowed students to use team teaching time to work on the writing project in the library.

Smith said her biggest daily challenge – with this project and in general – is keeping students focused on academics without letting socioeconomic factors come into play. “As an educator I can’t change students’ circumstances but I can change their future,” she said.

To read the article go here

Empowering Communities to Improve Education

2007-02-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

In the February 2007 E-Letter edition, KnowledgeWorks Foundation is asking the question "What will schools be like in 2016? Will technology change everything about how students learn? What subjects will be taught in typical classroom - and will there even be classrooms as we know them?"

To help educators think about questions like those, KnowledgeWorks Foundation has created a comprehensive and provocative new tool called the Education Map of the Decade, along with an interactive website to explore its implications. Developed in partnership with the Institute for the Future, the education map identifies external forces that are likely to shape the primary and secondary education system over the next 10 years.

"The map is designed to provoke thought leaders to think ab out the future of education in new ways," said Barbara Diamond, KnowledgeWorks vice president of education strategy. "It encourages people to anticipate what the near future might bring and consider what should be done to shape or respond to that future." You can read the report here.

One of a Thousand Inconvenient Truth Leaders...

2007-01-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

Don't miss this week's 2007 Midtown Brews Series kick off conversation -

Thursday, January 11, 2007

''Our Global Imperative,'' conversation is lead by Jeff Friedman, partner in Webtego, an Ohio based technology company. Jeff is one of a thousand Inconvenient Truth National Leaders telling the story about planet sustainability challenges and solutions. You can learn more about The Climate Project here.

Updates from San Diego.com

2006-12-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

Video game companies develop technology for fun ... but the result also powers molecular research, medical imaging and other no-nonsense applications.

Updates on gaming and technology from San Diego.com.

Serious Games Europe

2006-12-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

Serious Games Europe is aprofessional one-stop gateway for information, news, events and views for games with an agenda.

Serious Games Europe brings professionals looking to use games for more than just entertainment together with games developers, technical experts and, as importantly, other professionals who are using games seriously.

Serious Games & Public Policy

2006-12-17T20:42:00.000-08:00

The Serious Games Initiative was founded at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, D.C.
and focuses on uses for games in exploring management and leadership challenges facing the public sector.

Read more.

12.17.06: CPL Counter-Strike Preview

2006-12-17T20:38:00.000-08:00

December 17, 2006 - Tomorrow, Saturday, one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in the world will kick off in the greatest gaming city, Dallas, TX. The CPL Finals have finally arrived and with a $150,000 in payout for the CS 1.6 and Quake 3 Arena tournament, both of which will feature some of the best players attending. It all started with "The Frag" in '97 and in 9 years, the Cyberathlete Professional League has grown to become the most prestigious tournament among gamers.

Read on...

Welcome to the world of serious gaming in India!

2006-12-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

..."Gordon claims to have played hundreds of computer, online, and console games. The Mumbai-based lad also runs an online gaming community on a popular social networking site that has close to 3,000 gaming fanatics as members."

Read the story about New Delhi gamers.

Defrag :: Q4 :: 2006

2006-12-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

(Larger version of the Defrag social network map.)

The December 9th Defrag conference was a great kick off with over one hundred participants.

A special thanks goes to Karen Riggs, Ohio University's GRID lab and to Tom Stead, Shawnee State University, who traveled from southern Ohio to tell their valuable story of building regional collaborations connecting resources in rich media.

Many thanks to the many people who worked together to make Defrag a valuable Saturday.

You can follow the progress and keep updated by visiting the Defrag wiki.

The Meet The Bloggers interviews with Defrag participants is fascinating; definitely worth a listen to get an idea of what people working and thinking about rich media are interested in and what they consider valuable.

Be sure to complete these surveys: the conference evaluation survey and, if you would like to be better connected to Ohio rich media, take this social network survey and be a part of the Defrag map!

Medicine meets Virtual Reality (MMVR)

2006-12-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

Medicine meets Virtual Reality (MMVR) Medical Education conference is the premier conference on emerging data-centered technologies for medical care and education. You can learn more about collaborative working groups and the application of design in MMVR's multidisciplinary forum for computer scientists and engineers, physicians and surgeons, medical educators and students, military medicine specialists, and biomedical futurists. At MMVR, developers and end-users collaborate and innovate. Info here.

Welcome to the World of We Think

2006-12-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

Our California partner, Ted Kahn, CEO, DesignWorlds for Learning, Inc. & DesignWorlds for College, builds online collaboratories for learning.

Recently Ted sent a link to an excellent Times Online article about the dramatic shifts taking place in the way we work together. The article discusses the success of global collaborative communities emerging and adapting to a changing world, and in the process changing organization as we know it.

Thanks to society's cognitive maturation partnered with technological advances, platforms like Wikipedia, You Tube, Second Life and Linux are connecting millions across the globe in lightning speed and forever changing how we learn.

No experts here. Just passionate people moving forward with their ideas and innovations, and not waiting for permission.

You can read the article here.

You can read about Ted's work building Internet based collaboratory educational programs for high school and college students here.