Encouraging others to use technology

I have worked with others collaboratively to build consensus or to gather input using technology. I try to emphasize that using Sharepoint to review and discuss documents is easier than a face-to-face meeting because it allows participants the flexibility to work together from different time schedules and and work spaces. However, I will cite this as a disappointment in that I had less participation than I had hoped to achieve. Using the ARCS model developed by Keller, I could have done much better with it in several respects. I will next review several aspects of the model which might have a favorable impact on the use of technology in the workplace or in a school.

Personal Networking Mind Map

Please click on my mind map! You will see the different ways I enjoy personal, professional networking. It can be read as a continuum from left to right going from official, work-related to personal fun-related uses.
Have a great week everyone! I am having a blast at the Walden Residency in Minnesota!
Wendy
http://mywebspiration.com/view/160022a155df

Reflection on mind map
These various ways of using technology represent a wide array of purposes. They show personal through professional uses and encourage me to continue learning in context of life and work. The main way that I can use digital applications is for inquiry into specific problems or focus areas. For instance, if I have a scheduling concern, I go onto Outlook and create a digital appointment to see how many participants I can gather at a time and place. Another way I use the digital tools is in web sites dedicated to learning on a particular issue. I belong to communities on Blackboard that contribute to networking with mentors, research and information on pertinent issues and documents in support of my endeavors. These are just two of the ways that I can use the connections in my world in an empowering fashion.

Collaboration for Meaning Making

Every activity results in some form of meaning. In using collaboration, the activity enriches all participants. Howard Rheingold (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html) discusses how the paradigm has shiften away from older views like the prisoner's dilemma and sharing even Steven or "50 -50" into a new way of thinking. Businesses no longer require that the traditional model is followed in creation of new ideas, products and methods. The internet has allowed individuals to transcend boundaries and to collaborate in ways that have made a new era. The question as to whether people's basic instincts to work together is part of the internet phenomena is a good one because there also the idea that the quickest or fittest will win or that realism predicts that anything held in common will become fodder for conflict and eventually despoiled. In my opinion, the internet can be a tool for useful and productive work amongst men, however, it will be vulnerable to attacks and the forces of evil as well. Why do men eventually have to sadden themselves and why are there societies that have no name for war? These are some of the deeper questions of man's soul. For now, we must continue to hope that the internet is used as an instrument of peace, productivity and prosperity. Men can work together to achieve wonderful understandings, expressions of themselves, creations and explorations of the world using the internet. Using blogs, web groups, virtual worlds, to name just a few, the possibilities exist for linking to others to accomplish one's goals in a constructivist sense.