Paradigm Shift…

Always at the cusp of transition from one age to a new one the old systems no longer work and there does need to be a paradigm shift. We can see this in institutions whose structures are crumbling – world economies and banking for example.

The education/learning systems are probably one of the last systems to crumble by their lack of addressing the realities of what participants are facing today. It did not happen overnight that is for sure. I watch my 8 year old nephew learn how to play chess on his iPod touch and breeze through the many games that are available. His mind is fast and he can do at least 5 things at once. We are all going through this huge transition and certainly collaboration has come to the forefront – social networks, forums, instant chats, skype etc. We are all feeling the need to collaborate on some level and share our experiences of what is happening in our world.

I guess my question is how to assess one’s competencies if the entire learning process is based on collaboration, because in the end, when someone is applying for a job, it is based on the skills that they individually bring to that position. And yes teamwork is becoming very important (emotional IQ, etc) but I don’t think it is realistic to level the playing field so to speak. Or conversely, maybe everybody needs help in finding their right place and we don’t do enough of that in the educational system.

All the new technologies like wikis and cloud computing in general as well as the ones i mentioned above all indicate a desire to collaborate on some level. But all contribution is not equal so we need new measuring systems. We have a long ways to go for sure and it takes visionaries like Sir Ken Robinson to open the gates wide. And by the way if you do a google on transition from industrial age to information age, there is lots to discover! And it is reassuring to know that some of our communities can be on the leading edge of this paradigm shift with cloud frenzy free, user friendly Wiki collaboration.

This video animate will engage further discussion on the changing education paradigms.

YouTube video description: This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA’s Benjamin Franklin award.

10 Best Reasons To Use A Wiki

This video on YouTube provides “a look at 10 reasons how a wiki can connect teams within companies, helping them get more done, together.” (Description from YouTube)

Get the best people on the right tasks and produce better overall results by letting everyone contribute.

Break down information silos between teams, departments, and individuals – it’s crowd-sourcing for your organization.

#2 Anyone Can Contribute

Anyone can put content online, quickly and securely – just click ‘Edit’ and start typing.

A rich content editor does the work for you with Autocomplete, Autoformatting, Autoconvert, and shortcuts for everything.

#3 Connect People and Content

Bringing the right people into the work and discussions taking place in Confluence is easy.

Share content in seconds and @mention teammates in any page, blog post, or comment.

#4 Capture Knowledge, Forever

Capture the tacit knowledge of your co-workers, often trapped in email, in Confluence where it’s never lost.

Instant and familiar, engage everyone and encourage collaboration with Quick Comments and Likes.

#5 Discover What’s Popular

Confluence makes sure you won’t miss another important conversation again.

With a live ‘Popular’ content stream and weekly email summaries you’ll never lose touch of what’s trending in your company.

#6 Find Content, Fast

Quick Navigation and Search makes sure you find what you’re looking for, fast.

Start typing and watch Confluence suggest pages, blogs, files, and people.

#7 Keep Private Parts, Private

Confluence meets the demands of the enterprise environment by keeping your content safe and secure.

Permissions at the Global, Space, and Page level give you the flexibility to decide exactly who can view and edit content.

#8 Connect to Microsoft

Combine powerful free-form content creation and collaboration with the document management and workflow strengths of SharePoint and Office.

Get up-and-running quickly with out-of-the-box integration with Active Directory for user management and authentication.

#9 Easy to Customize & Brand

Create customized designs and brand Confluence to match your corporate style.

Expand your audience with complete branding, advanced design tools, drag-and-drop layouts, navigation, and drafts.

#10 Extend with Add-ons

Customize Confluence with themes, application connectors, content importers, and more.

Browse the Atlassian Plugin Exchange and find add-ons that extend functionality and connect Confluence to other enterprise tools.

Source: Atlassian Get your own wiki