Self-organized teams of 4: The new model for learning?

I was floored by this recent TED talk by Sugata Mitra: Child-driven Education, all about the potential and power of self-organized learning.  Its message has huge implications for learning, no matter the age.  I got wind of this talk via Johnnie moore.  Here’s the video   Experimenting with education In 1999, Mitra and his colleagues […]

Social status and friendship = a pair of opposites

We choose our friends.  And, I’d like to be able to call anybody my friend, even if they are from a different social rank.  Why is this so hard? Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett offer up some insight in the The Spirit Level: Why greater equality makes societies stronger. The big idea Collecting internationally comparable […]

Your Mission: Create a Global Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) System

How do you create a global dispute resolution system? Its happening now.  Momentum is building to define a global Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) system to handle cross-border, low value disputes.  An ODR and Consumers 2010 Forum will be held in Vancouver on November 2 and 3, 2010 to keep the ball rolling. ODR and Consumers […]

17 ways the Community Kitchen at Saanich Neighbourhood Place = good collaboration

My timing was good.  The day I visited the Community Kitchen at Saanich Neighbourhood Place, there were oodles of cookies, strudels, zucchinni/spinach quiche and soup being prepared.  All of which I like very much.  I was there to learn about community kitchens. There are 3 community kitchens currently based out of Saanich Neighbourhood Place (SNP), […]

It's time for a Centre for Social Innovation in Victoria

I’m a fan of the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto.  It’s a dynamic model of collaboration for public good.  We could use one like it, here in Victoria, for Southern Vancouver Island. Last year, I wrote here about the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), and their executive director, Ashoka Fellow Tonya Surman.  (Ashoka Fellows […]