December 13, 2006 by karamonroe.

Thre is an outstanding article in the November 27, 2006 issue of eWeek (see p. 8 or http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2064441,00.asp).  The article by Eric Lundquist urges the reader to embrace collaboration technologies - particularly with their power to change not only our personal interactions, but more importantly our work interactions.  Lundquist says, “Add wikis to the world of blogs, podcasts, videocasts, and social networks, and the ability for the manager to control the company from the traditional top-down approach simply won’t work.  I’m not the only one thinking this way.”  And I would agree - he is certainly not the only one thinking this way.

Interactive technologies such as email and IM have changed the ways in which we communicate and now web 2.0 technologies like those Lundquist lists are changing the way we interact, plan, and even approach information sharing.  For example, I would never consider offering a training session anymore that didn’t also include a podcast version in both audio format and video format.  Not only that but products like MagneticTime allow me to now listen to my documents quickly and easily.  As an educator - I’ve always thought it was important for us to embrace multiple learning styles - these new collaboration technologies just make it so much easier to do so for anyone interested in publishing.

I wonder what the teachoutloud service provided by LearnOutLoud (www.learnoutloud.com) will do for educational provision - and the ability of individuals to license their products using a creative commons licensing - giving explicit rights of use to users without any question of the copyright you’re providing - are all powerful and important tools to consider as we continue to embrace interactive and collaboration technologies in the workplace, at home, and in education.

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December 12, 2006 by karamonroe.

As noted in my initial post, this blog was in many ways inspired by a post by Rosa Say on Lifehack (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/why-work.html). In this post, she provides several thoughts on the reasons why poeple might work.  In this post - and several others that follow it (see the tag why work), I’ll respond to each of these items for me and hopefully provide some thought provoking ideas for how you might consider this same item as well.  The first of Say’s items mentioned in the post is “Work in celebration of your natural strengths, talents and gifts.”

As I considered this item from Say’s list, I thought it would be important to determine what my natural strengths, talents and gifts are.  There are inventories, particularly associated with spiritual gifts, which one can take that help you to determine what it is you have as your strengths.  I have completed a couple of these over the years.  In each I score high in the organization and administration categories and lower in social and caring occupations.  In contrast to that, I have a high score for teaching and training  - generally referred to in these types of inventories as informing.

Aside from formal inventories such as these, there are is the less scientific, yet probably more realistic method of identifying your own strengths, talents, and abilities.  This is simply to determine what it is you feel you are good at, what you enjoy doing, and what it is you are often selected to do or asked to do.  For me, organization and administration come up again.  My ability to use technology effectively is also a significant strength and ability.  In addition, I have a passion for teaching and training others - although this is a skill which is always in need of improvement.  I love to learn and typically learn very quickly.  One of my lesser used skills and abilities is my appreciation for and some abilities in the arts - particularly music. 

So, once we determine our natural strengths, talents, and abilities  how do we work in celebration of these items.  The easiest way to do this is simply to find a job which allows you to use these items.  If you can not find a job which allows you to use these in a professional capacity - you need to find ways through your religious organization, civic organization, volunteer groups, or work with your children to put these skills to use.  What do you get in return?  There is a feeling that comes over you (or at least that comes over me) when I use my natural strengths, talents, and gifts.  I find that not using these things makes it hard to focus, hard to concentrate - and hard to stay dedicated to the task at hand.  It’s important to find your natural strengths, talents and gifts and to use them as often as possible.

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December 11, 2006 by karamonroe.

As I’ve pondered becoming a serious blogger - i.e. writing for the online world more than when I feel the urge - but rather writing regularly and consistently for a general purpose - the topic always seems to get me.  What could I write about on a regular and consistent basis that the rest of the world might find interesting?  Then I ran across Rosa Say’s post to Lifehack.org on October 26th.  The post, which is available at www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/why-work.html made me think that perhaps I could write about work - why do we do it, what is it, what should it be, what is its value to our life?  And so - ho-ohana (as stated in Say’s post - the Hawaiian value for intentional and worthwhile work) was born.  This will be a blog about the reasons why we work, the frustrating aspects of work and how to deal with them, balancing work with the other aspects of your life, although in truth, most things worth doing are work - even if we receive no paycheck for them.

My goal - to post once per day.  My hope - you will find the posts of interest, will interact with me, and we will have a meaningful experience together in the online world.  To continue with the Hawaiian ideas I think of life as similar to the Road to Hana on the island of Maui in Hawaii - you drive the trip not for the destination but for the beauty of the journey.  Our interactions with one another will hopefully form more beauty along each of our daily journeys.  May this blog help you along your path as the writing of it helps me a long mine.

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