Invitation to Participate in ICT4Emergence Project Ning

As part of a project that I am engaged in with another member of this network--Anil Jaggi-- we would like to invite interested individuals, Telecenters, instructors and students to join us in GlobeNet Community TeleCenters 4 Emergence
Yes, it is another ning. We have no intention of taking away energy or aggregated collaboration from this ning. My hope is to summarize and continue to interrelate the two as much as possible and as appropriate.

Briefly, the intent of GlobeNet Community TeleCenters4 Emergence is to provide a platform for students to collaborate and learn social networking as a tool for the purpose of emergence. This is deeply grounded in my philosophy of education and my belief that ICT must be delivered in a 21st Century pedagogy. As Albert Einstein said, 'you cannot solve the problems with the same thinking that created them.' This is more true than ever given the leaps in technology which are occurring exponentially. The goals of this project are in alignment with eGyanKendra, our partner in this experiment. Since blog posts do not allow file uploads I will post that document as a discussion.

Looking ahead--maybe not so far as we think--much of the transition to a web 2.0 environment is in preparation for the transition to web 3.0, virtual worlds. Both of these emergent uses of the internet are tsunamis sweeping across the planet. The rubble are the institutions and paradigms of the past.

But it is critical to bring the tools of web 2.0 to our schools and our youth in a context that empowers them, and exposes them to 21st Century Learning Skills. A Ning is a brilliant and powerful tool, exemplifying many of the components of web 2.0. At first the steps seem tiny. But I am sure we have all experienced the joy and depth of collaborating with peers around the globe.

GNCTC4Emergence is of course a work in progress and we are eager to share our challenges, frustrations and breakthrough's with this esteemed group; indeed, we are dependent on your collaboration. It did not seem appropriate to me that this project be housed within this particular ning. But if you are interested in participating please join and encourage an instructor in your telecenter or school to join and begin introducing their students to collaborating. If you have any specific suggestions or concerns by all means contact me.