WebEx: Ideas in Motion

Sandbox Time - The Importance of Play When Learning New Technology

Today’s blog was written by our guest, Phil Montero. He is the founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com and an evangelist for distributed work.For more than a decade he's been teaching how to work effectively from a home office, the road, or practically anywhere.Visit his blog TheAnywhereOffice.com for more tips and articles about living a digital lifestyle and navigating the changing world of work.

One challenge many teams and organizations face is getting their people to use and embrace much of the amazing collaboration software and technology that is available. In working with virtual teams, we find that many people tend to fall back on email rather than shared online work spaces - or opt for traditional conference calls rather than using web meeting or conferencing services.

Find Their Comfort Zone
The biggest stumbling block is getting your team comfortable with the new software or service and truly understanding the benefits it provides.

In short, why would it make my life or job easier?

Far too few companies provide training on these technologies - so you and your colleagues are forced to figure it out as you go along or after a very brief tutorial. This sink-or-swim mentality causes many of these powerful tools to go untouched and impedes productivity.

The secret to turn this all around is simple . . . play!

The Power of Play
Play is a non-threatening way to remove stress from learning and encourage exploration of the features of new technology. Create some type of project for your team that's fun and everyone will be excited about using the new tool.

Want your team to start using SharePoint or some other type of web-based discussion board or collaboration space? Why not setup a place where they can share recipes, bios, and information about their hobbies and families?

Want them to use WebEx or some other meeting service? Create time to have a regular virtual water cooler where they can share photos, create a poll about which books or movies are their favorites, or pass control of the desktop around to write a story together (with each person typing their paragraph into Word) or give a tour of favorite useful websites.

Play Let’s People Succeed and Fail - Safely
Let's face it, no one wants to explore using a new technology or tool with the pressure of a project deadline; or the possibility of looking foolish in front of peers and co-workers if you are not using it correctly. I'm extremely comfortable with technology, always have been, and I attribute that mostly to the fact that I play with it and explore it's features before trying to use it for something important.

When trying to learn Sony Vegas for video editing I didn't create some critical video for my business website - instead I took some family footage and created something fun to share with friends. When looking to learn more about desktop publishing I didn't immediately create a company newsletter - I created a mock CD cover for my band.

The only limit is your imagination!

Ask the people on your team, they may have some great ideas for fun projects. This is extremely useful for virtual teams: using a fun, playful approach to learning new technology not only leads to greater technology adoption and increased productivity, but also encourages informal communication and team building, which in turn increases trust and accountability.

It's not just about choosing the right tool - it's how you thoughtfully apply it. So find ways for your team to play with the tools you want them to adopt and you'll be amazed at how quickly they find new ways to apply them to their work process and teamwork.

Have you used “play” in your work environment? Tell us about it!

Steve Wozniak Delivers: Creativity and Technology Belong in Education

On Thursday, September 24th, Steve Wozniak presented a fantastic talk about his experiences getting kids excited about technology in education via a WebEx Ideas in Motion webinar [get the recording here]. 

His enthusiasm was contagious as he passionately discussed the results of his efforts.

Woz, as he is affectionately known, is a huge supporter of teachers and education. He spoke of his great experiences in school as a child and his incredible respect for his teachers and the schools that he attended. 

He acknowledged that testing has its problems, that it’s not as powerful as a subjective judgment. He’d rather see a way to evaluate that takes into account the individual and his or her talents and needs. 

Making the computer part of the process

His idea to inspire the kids is to get them using computers to do the things they are already doing by hand. By making the computer a natural part of the process – from doing homework to completing projects – kids have a way to get comfortable using the tool. 

Along the way, he encourages them to be more creative, to try new things and to not sacrifice communication – large, funky fonts might look fun, but they don’t necessarily help get the idea across.

You can learn more about what Steve is doing with kids and with technology at his website: Woz.org. 

Learn more about our presentation series

This presentation was one of a series being hosted by Cisco WebEx as part of our Pass the Ball efforts. You can click here to see future and past events. You can also subscribe to this blog or join our group on Facebook to learn about new events as they become available.

And don’t forget to Pass the Ball

Visit us at PasstheBall.com and share your ideas. When you share or rate an idea, we’ll make a donation to Teachers Without Borders. We believe when you share your ideas, they get better and we are working to help that become a reality for the ideas growing on PasstheBall.com. 

  

Webinar Must See: Steve Wozniak Talks Education Live! on Sept 24th

He’ll tell you he’s never written a speech out in advance. That alone should make the upcoming WebEx featuring Steve Wozniak a fascinating experience (register now).

Based on his 35 years of experience, Woz, as he’s known affectionately around Silicon Valley and beyond, will talk about how he has taken his ideas about education and technology and turned them into reality – impacting the lives of children hungry for new ways to learn.

In this WebEx, you will:

• Learn how Woz has evolved his many ideas and applied them in a way that has benefited thousands
• Discover how he brings computer capabilities and creativity to the classroom
• Hear about his various business and philanthropic ventures as he share stories from his experiences

Join us for a highly personal, unforgettable talk delivered by one of the most influential pioneers of technology.

Register Now

Event Details: September 24, 2009, 10am PDT  |   1pm ET   |  5pm GMT (-7:00)

 

Fuzzy Slippers? The Shower? Where do you get your best ideas?

There are two myths I want to debunk:

1)      I don’t own fuzzy slippers
2)      I don’t (usually) get my best ideas in the shower

But I do something that is increasingly common: I telecommute.

And telecommuting comes with a set of stereotypes (like the one about working in your fuzzy slippers), most of which are rooted in the 1960s-era concept that anyone doing any serious business did it in an office. But I work from lots of places, and the people I work with are scattered, quite literally, around the world.

My friend and colleague, Andrew Winston, asks “Will Video Conferencing Kill Business-Class Travel?” and he’s not the first to suggest that telework technologies will replace a lot of travel and commuting (and eliminate a significant volume of carbon emissions in the process). Web Worker Daily asks if this is “The End of Cubicle Dwelling?” concluding that many jobs can be easily (and maybe better) done from anywhere.

My colleagues here at Cisco also just released a study showing that tele-commuting increases productivity, flexibility and job satisfaction. 

Convinced? Good. Now back to my question.

If you’re like me, you have ideas. If you’re more like me, you love to talk with your colleagues, friends and other associates. And I know when I do, my ideas get better. New ideas get merged and hatched. And brilliant plans start to take shape. That’s how my ideas turn into initiatives that produce real results.

Sound familiar?

But when I’m sitting at my desk at home, there are no colleagues or friends there to talk with. Just me, my brilliant diagrams and my laptop.

And my WebEx account.

And that’s where things start to get interesting. I immediately reach the people – often scattered around the world - who really help make my ideas great. I can show them – not just tell them – my great idea, and every conversation helps turn those ideas into reality and results.

This is how I “pass the ball.” This is also how I make telecommuting work for me.

I’m not the only one. Take a look at this and this idea that people have shared on making telecommuting work.

Try it for yourself. And share your ideas on how you make telecommuting work for you.

And going back again to my original question: I don’t know about you, but I get ideas at the strangest times and in the most unusual places. But I know that wherever I am, I can act on them right then and there, and instead of letting them wither away in my head,  share them and let others help me make them better – and make them happen.

So, tell us, where do you get your best ideas?

Jeff Weinberger leads the Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives for Cisco’s Collaboration Software Group.

Big Think Video: Eat, Pray, Love and Get Creative with Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the book Eat, Pray, Love, discusses how she improves her creative process as we continue to share ideas as part of PasstheBall.com. She recently spoke at the TED Conference on the musing on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

This video clip from Big Think features her thoughts on creativity...

We want to hear your ideas for improving life - from healthcare to the environment to education - and more. We believe ideas get better when they are shared and using WebEx is one way to do it!