Category: networks

#ODINetworks Online Event Backchannel Chat

Here is the fascinating and unedited back channel chat from todays ODI event on networks. I promised to get it up quickly. I’ll follow up with  something more reflective.

As a wee bit of background, the 2 hour event kicked off with these two papers about networks in international development.

1) Mind the network gaps:  http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5736&title=mind-network-gaps

2) Not everything that connects is a network:  http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5137&title=networks-network-function-approach-rapid

Here are the notes! ODI Networks Event Chat

Here are the tweets from the #ODInetwork hashtag

My Network Curates My Tool Choices

Thursday I’m a guest respondent for an ODI webinar on networks in international development. My friend and colleague Simon Hearn at ODI suggested a quick check of their online meeting room  my heart dropped a bit when I heard they were using GoToMeeting . While GTM tends to offer a lower price point, there is a cost. It is a very one way medium. There is no shared participant chat room. Questions go only to the moderators. Control of the visuals (which are pretty limited) are in only one moderator’s hand at any one time.

Now, does that feel right for a session on NETWORKS? I didn’t think so. So I challenged Simon for some options. (Boy, with friends like me, doing this at the last minute, who needs enemies?) I said, let’s experiment!

For example to facilitate loose connections so powerful in networks, let’s set up a parallel chat. My first choice these days is http://www.meetingwords.com – an instance of the open source Etherpad hosted by Peter Kaminski. But alas, I didn’t know if it can scale for 100 participants.

I personally like IRC but it is pretty geeky for the  unintiated. We were looking for something with little or no sign in requirements and easy, peasy interface.

Of course since I can no longer keep up with the rapidly growing and changing constellation of tools (volume and a 53 year old sleep deprived brain), I turned to my network — this time using Twitter as I find it a fast, effective environment for these quick, specific questions.

Within minutes the answers started coming from @lblanken, @qadmon, @band @livlab, @bmann, and @kabissa. I had three functional options within 30 minutes and Simon and I immediately started testing some of them.

Here are the options we are now considering:

Bottom line… my network curates my tool choices.

Could I have done this without my network? No way. That’s why understanding networks, having some sort of semi-shared language to talk about them is SO important. I’m looking forward to the ODI talk on Thursday.

If you are a network junkie, check out ODI’s two new papers:

Not Everything That Connects is a Network and Mind the Network Gaps.

Oh, and thanks to my dear Twitter friends!

(Edited at 10:40 am PDT to add another link)

Debbie Kroeker’sThoughts on Connectivism

Watch this. It speaks for itself and it speaks to me. Not just about learning, but about life. Sometimes letting go is the most powerful (and difficult) thing to do. Thanks, Debbie. (Hat tip Stephen Downes OLDaily)

Thoughts on Connectivism on Vimeo on Vimeo

via Thoughts on Connectivism on Vimeo.

Thoughts on Connectivism from Debbie Kroeker on Vimeo.

Understanding and supporting networks – May 5 online event

A heads up for what looks to be an interesting event on May 5th sponsored by ODI (Overseas Development Institute) and some good pals of mine. I’ve enjoyed working with Ben Ramalingam, Enrique Mendizabal and Simon Hearn over the years. I’m pleased to be one of the “discussants” with Rick Davies, someone whose work on evaluation I value and follow.

Understanding and supporting networks: learning from theory and practice


Thursday, May 5, 2011, 15:00 – 17:00 (London time, GMTT+1) (That’s 7am Pacific Daylight)

Speakers: Ben Ramalingam, Enrique Mendizabal and Simon Hearn
Discussants: Rick Davis and Nancy White
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/323577982
NGOs join them, researchers collaborate across them, civil society rallies around them, policy makers are influenced by them and donors are funding them. Networks are a day to day reality and an important mode of working for almost all of in the aid sector. They are increasingly being used as a vehicle for delivering different kinds of development interventions, from policy influencing and knowledge generation to changing practices on the ground. But how often do we pause and reflect on what it means to engage in a network or think about how networks work  and how they could work better?

This webinar will present two papers by the Overseas Development Institute that challenge the current ubiquity of networks and offer ideas and reflections for those facilitating networks. Ben Ramalingam will present his paper: Mind the Network Gaps, in which he reviews the aid network literature and identfies theoretical lenses which could help advance thinking and practice.

Enrique Mendizabal and Simon Hearn will discuss a revised version of the Network Functions Approach and how it can be used to establish a clear mandate for a network; and hence avoid situations where networks are established without consideration of the costs involved.

Following the two presentations we will hear comments and discussion from two experts in the field; Rick Davies, an evaluation consultant and moderator of the mande.co.uk website, and Nancy White, a expert on communities of practice and online facilitation and author of the book: ‘Digital Habitats’.

Title:
Understanding and supporting networks: learning from theory and practice
Date:
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Time:
15:00 – 17:00 (London time: GMT+1)

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Communities and Networks in New Zealand and Australia

I head down under in a couple of weeks to run a series of events in Napier, NZ (url soon), Wellington, NZ, Sydney and a free event that evening (Cracking the Door Open – Nancy White (4 April 2011) « NSW KM Forum), possibly Adelaide (to be confirmed soon), Canberra and Melbourne (two more events besides this one – urls soon!). If you are in the vicinity, I hope you might consider joining us.

In preparation, my co-conspirator, Matt Moore, and I made a couple of videos you might enjoy. Just a bit of fun.

YouTube – mattbm34’s Channel.