Reflections on the Knowledge Cafe
October 24, 2008Last week I had the priveledge of meeting David Gurteen. He was kind enough to spend some time walking a group of us through the Knowledge Café process.
I was interested to hear the story about how David came up with the concept. As he tells it: He was attending or running (I can’t recall exactly which) meetings with students at a University in the usual ‘chalk and talk’ manner. He wondered why most of the important and interesting conversations happened at the pub afterwards. He thought,”How can I harness that type of energy in the meetings?”. The Knowledge Café is the result.
I can’t help compare this story to that of Harrison Owen’s story about how he came up with the idea of running a conference, using what is now known as Open Space Technology.
Some years ago, Harrison had spent a long time planning a conference in great detail. He came to the realisation during the conference that participants found the ‘best’ part to be the coffee breaks. Dismayed, but also intrigued he wondered: “How can I plan a conference where the coffee break — or the type of conversations and interactions that happen during them — becomes the key element of the conference? Open Space is the result.
Strange that they both seem to revolve around drinking don’t you think? Well, it’s not really all that strange when you think about it. Actually, it seems quite natural — humans are, after all, social creatures.
And that is why techniques such as these are so important. They are conversational, inclusive, and largely unstructured. They promote dialogue over debate and harness the energy and passion of the participants for the topic. Above all — they’re usually a lot of fun!
Meeting in Second Life
October 24, 2008I don’t know about Second Life — I’m quite happy with my first one thanks!
I tagged along to a meeting last week in Second Life. I’m a complete n00b to Second Life or to anything like it. I never really got into video games post the early 80’s Atari fad, preferring to play music or sport. So this is all ‘weird and wonderful’ stuff to me and I was quite looking forward to this meeting as part the course.
But I must confess that I got quite frustrated with it. One of the most difficult things was not being able to control my avatar. It was quite off-putting. I couldn’t seem to work out even the most basic of functions, like how to sit down. I persisted, but it still felt quite awkward and unintuitive. Why is it that someone who is quite tech savvy (I’m certainly no neophyte), can be so lame?
This first experience with SL reinforced an important point about the various barriers we face as participants and facilitators when we are interacting online. We should never assume that everyone is competent nor comfortable with the medium. Some of the participants of FOC08 have expressed similar feelings about blogging and commenting on others blogs. Just because all of these ‘tools’ are available in the same ’space’ (online) we’re used to interacting in, doesn’t mean that they aren’t different or have their own nuances and subtleties. We have to remain mindful and aware of that. As facilitators, patient and vigilant.
I can imagine how Second Life might be useful for facilitating events and creating online communities. It certainly provides for a more interactive space online when compared with non-visual mediums like email and bulletin boards. It brings together a unique blend of auditory, visual and cognitive stimulation, although I’m not convinced that helps those of us who find it difficult to multi-task or concentrate on more than one thing at a time.
All is not lost. I’m prepared to give it another go. I’m sure it’s not all that hard.
Stigmergic Collaboration & the Evolution of Group Work
October 23, 2008I’m really looking forward to the Facilitating Online Communities Mini Conference coming up soon. I will be facilitating an online discussion with a guest — Dr. Mark Elliott.
Mark completed a PhD in 2007 that developed theoretical frameworks for collective activity and mass collaboration in conjunction with a number of real-world projects and now runs a consultancy that provides services surrounding online collaboration and social media / web2.0.
The one hour session, will include a very brief presentation, but will mostly be informal and conversational. Definitely no Powerpoint.
Mark will help us to explore:
- Stigmergic collaboration as a means of explaining how co-ordination is achieved in ad hoc, massively scaled collaborative contexts (i.e. Wikis)
- How we can, as facilitators, use social media and web2.0 tools to collaborate, share and learn
- His experiences from the Future Melbourne project — the world’s first, wiki-based, collaborative city plan.
Please join us!
DATE: Thursday 6th November 2008 at 7pm EDT. Check the time in your time zone.
VENUE: Join this online event at the Elluminate Meeting Room. Beforehand, please ensure that you computer is ready to use the web conferencing software (Elluminate).
RSVP: daryl [dot] cook [at] gmail [dot] com
ENQUIRIES: For any enquiries and/or for any assistance with Elluminate, do not hesitate to contact me.
Where I’m From
October 16, 2008Some time ago, Robyn suggested that I try using the George Ella Lyons ‘Where I’m From’ poem as a writing prompt. I really enjoyed the process of exploration and crafting the words. It’ll be interesting to re-visit this exercise some time in the future and see what emerges. Anyway, here’s my first attempt:
I am from north of the upside-down river; from the Gray-Nicholls double-scoop, BMX bikes and Paddle Pops.
I am from the brick veneer at the top of the court, where kids, big and small, play together and laugh. The smell of fresh cut grass lingers until late in the day.
I am from the eucalypt and spitfire sawfly; the bottle-brush and River Red Gum woodlands.
I am from The Cooks and The Twynhams. George, Floss and Bert, the grandparents I call by name — uncomplicated folk; stubborn and often sharp-tongued yet loving, generous and kind.
I am from the long road trips of happy wanderers and taking the mickey and having a laugh.
From loaves of milk and skies setting sky-blue pink.
I am from the church of sport; we worship our idols on Saturday and try to emulate their feats on Sunday, and dream of one day wearing a baggy green.
I am from the forests once inhabited by Robin and his band of merry men. From pork pies, sloppy peas and yorkshire puddings.
From grandparents who survived the blitz, one who claims the part in his hair was created by Hiawatha’s tomahawk. From parents who left everything behind to start anew.
I am from fond memories not seen or heard often, yet kept close to our hearts. Relatives now passed live vicariously through me — and my kids. I often catch a fleeting glimpse.
Blue Day
October 10, 2008Just a short post to mark World Mental Health Day — Blue Day.
Like many others, I’ve had encounters with the ‘black dog’ at various stages in my life. I don’t want to bore you with a long post about my personal trials and tribulations, so perhaps some words of wisdom from someone who takes happiness seriously:
Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions —the Dalai Lama.
If you are experiencing any symptoms of depression or anxiety talk to someone. Visit beyondblue for more information, or for urgent assistance call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hour counselling, information and referrals) in Aus.
