Author Archives: caislas

intensive workshop: ” Working for my Dreams” (1/2) – background & trip

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The reason for me to be in a, Tanzania, Africa is to run this workshop. Within my research this is the way to validate my model, but this will be material for other post. Right now let’s focus on “Working for your Dreams”.

Until now I am able to write about this. Before my trip, in Finland, was VERY . I was working hard until Nov 5. In that day we had an intensive and very productive meeting in Helsinki, which we will update later too, but that night I depart to South. Since I reached Iringa, my night sleep had been reduce dramatically (average 4 hrs), as days are HECTIC.

And  today I have time to update this blog and I want to share my African journey in few sentences. This post will focus in the idea, trip and background.

  • Idea

In July 2009, in Joensuu, Finland. I was talking with a Marcus Duveskog about why are we always “lecturing” about the subject of HIV/AIDS instead to make something more active and engaging for the students? more meaningful. Instead we could focus in constructive things as their dreams, and how we can support/help individuals to go forward instead to focus in the problems. We agree on this and together, and we like the idea and we start to conceptualize a workshop with this purpose.

First sketch of our workshop idea

First sketch of our workshop idea

  • Trip

It took me several days to reach Iringa. The route trip was:

Thursday Nov. 5th: Joensuu – Helsinki – München. Friday Nov.6th München –Dubai, Saturday Nov. 7th Dubai – Dar es Salaam, Sunday Nov 8th. Dar es Salam – Iringa.

Outstanding comments:

  1. Emirate Airlines – my favorite airline (confirmed after used it in 2003): good service, environmental aware (recycle plates, silverware, etc.), state of the art entertainment system (for me the game section is just GREAT!!! Individual and multiplayer with other flight members).
  2. Dubai Airport – where west meat east. Dubai airport is the most multicultural place I have met in my life. People gather together in one place being themselves. Hindu, African, Middle East outfits are present as much as western ones. You can see all colors, religions, backgrounds, shapes, is the planet in one airport. —— Tip if you are stock in this airport, as I was, forget about sleeping, they charge 60 US per hour in the hotels there. BUT you can get access to the SPA with a private shower for 17 US, worth it!
  3. Tanzania, my first reaction is EXTREMELY friendly people, I had a GREAT host in Dar es Sala.
  4. The trip to Iringa is long but I was lucky enough to see one elephant, some giraffes, zebras, antelopes,  monkeys, AMAZING!!! (no photos, we were driving fast). In addition to some country side, villages, outfits, colors…. I was tired, but I couldn’t close my eyes a bit.
Tetris game in my sit, with multiplayer options :)

Tetris game in my sit, with multiplayer options 🙂

  • Background

On Sunday I had on my hands for first time an OLPC. If you had tried to download the simulator and succeed, it will be good to hear about it. I didn’t succeed myself then to have this little thing in my hands was IMPORTANT.

A paper about our experiences with this XO (name of the computer of OLPC)  will come out, because in brief: there is much to say about it.

From the workshop perspective,  Marcus had set up everything perfectly. He had done all the in-site pre-arrangements, and even find me a place to live 😉 . He seems as  a fish in the tank.

Once we were together we start to get the information that we needed from Tutors and kids. Having a focus interview with the tutors on Monday and an individual interviews with the 17 children on Tuesday.

Wednesday the workshop started, but we had a no-show. The children were sent home. (something to do with the national examinations). Nevertheless was a good opportunity to talk with the teacher and explain how important the workshop is.

Instead we  join our supervisor and all the team from North-South project (they were running an even in here, which was making Marcu’s life a bit busier I must say). For me, it was a GREAT opportunity to talk with Seugnet Blignaut. She helped me and gave me valuable feedback about my research design and methodology. Quality of time I must say, and I start to see that my intensive period of thinking and writing this year, it seems will pay off.

This is the brief story of the idea, trip and background. Next post is a brief story of our workshop.

First contanct with OLPC

First contanct with OLPC

My first meeting with the tutors of our workshop. Outstanding Tumaini University students

My first meeting with the tutors of our workshop. Outstanding Tumaini University students

First contact with our workshop participatns :)

First contact with our workshop participatns 🙂

take advantage of critcism…

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Some weeks ago I read “How to Get Ideas” from Hack Foster. A very good book from different perspectives, giving me food for the thought and some reminders.

Today I feel the book is full of truth! This year I had been working in focusing my research. Besides my “Licentiate” I wrote 8 LONG papers and ANY accepted. With the first 4 rejections I got down. Then, after vented my “frustration” I reacted and got back to the battle camp. Before the last four rejections arrived, I was fully immerse in the theory and methodology of my work. Then, the rejections came and got them as relief. However got interesting feedback.

What do I want to say with this? Perhaps for anyone that has been in my situation or might be in my situation and by accident pop in this blog, relax!. Criticism is an advantage.

Why am I so sure?  well, today I do not only have 8 mature ideas (and popping better new ideas too), the valuable part is I have over a dozen of  inputs from experts (at this moment) helping me to clarify my own thoughts and teaching me how to transmit my message as clear as possible. Just do not get frozen keep on working, success will come.

I always wanted quality, but who said the path is easy?. It is clear, criticism is not simple to get or digest. Think about the critics, at the one transform them to you favor (take what it is worth of it). Furthermore,  “many people would rather die than think. In fact they do.” – Bertrand Russell.

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NOTHING IN THE WORLD TAKE THE PLACE OF PERSISTENCE

Talent doesn’t – nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talen

Wealth doesn’t – the born-rich who die poor are legion

Genius doesn’t– unrewarded genious is almost as proverb

Education doesn’t – the world is full of educated derelicts

Luck doesn’t – her fickleness has toppled kings.

PERSISTENCE AND DETERMINATION ALONE ARE OMNIPOTENT

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copy from “How to Get Ideas” pag 181

it is a right to have broadband in Finland

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Here is the news article. It makes me feel proud of this country.

This action shows, at least to me, how important is for Finns to have access to information. But it is clear, the population is educated enough to have their own critical thinking on the information they read. As more thinking minds you have, you create a smarter society. It is not matter of genius, is matter to give access to everybody to be their best. Things go hand by hand.

go for it! I trust and believe in this path.

PS. The photo will be publish later, as my wordpress is misbehaving.

genders…

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For me we, all of us,  are humans and each one has unique characteristics.  You can find any type of personalities in any gender and culture. Each person has its own weak and strong sides.  But I admit, the presenter of this video made me laugh 🙂

Perhaps that is one deep root of my lack of focus 😛 “everything is connected to everything”…

ROLF!!!!

when mind and heart are in conflict

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Three main points create me conflict and/or impotence:

1) Digital technology is a powerful and fragile tool.

One of the reasons why I see it powerful is because it can connect ideas, reflections, experiences, without physical boundaries. One reason why I think it is fragile is because without infrastructure (besides accessibility and know how) is useless.

A pencil or even a crayon is less fragile than a mobile phone. For example it can survive better natural disasters than a whole wireless or electricity network require for a mobile phone to work. Things to think about….

2) We see only what we want to see, and what media allows us to see.

In the transition from Sept to October 2009, millions of lives have been changed due to natural disasters just in Asia alone. My records only have the following events:

Those are only few tragedies, no idea how many are present. And yes I know natural disasters are always present, I shouldn’t get that surprise someone could say.

But what makes me wonder today is the press (at least the one that I usually read) hardly cover these events. Those sources of information are focusing in other matters as politics and fraud. Hmmmm…. if I remember well in December 2004, with the Tsunami where citizens of several western countries were victims, the same press I read had bigger coverage about this. I do not want to speculate, but…

… from what we are “allow” to see, we only see what we can see and want to see.

3) We have information about climate change through digital and not digital formats. But how many of this information indicates how to change our behaviors to diminish this.

Wondering who generates most of the CO2? who are the ones who demand more raw material to produce “x”? Who are the ones who flight? who are the ones who waste heater and air conditioner in their houses? Who consumes most of the meat produced overseas? Who are the ones who use driers? who uses a car only for one person? how many products wrap with layers of plastic do we buy?, who produces most of the e-Waste? ….

And when I find articles as “Debate Follows Bills to Remove Clotheslines Bans” I do not know if I should laugh or cry.

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*** Summarizing…

Each one of our actions are like a grain of sand. One grain might look insignificant, but all together form wonderful beaches. The same happened with disasters.

Even that I am a privilege person and have access to quality of information about how to be a better human for my planet, and I want to help and do things right. My trace of CO2 surely supports the actual disasters in Asia, and other countries….. I declare myself guilty 🙁

No related to environment, but related with lack of understanding to take proper action. This year I have 8 papers rejected in a row. I appreciate the referees’ feedback as they had stressed that focus is my main problem. I knew it, but I can’t fix it yet. Should I declare myself guilty too?

*** All these makes me think….

It is not enough to get the information on how to improve something. It needs to be adapted to the reality of the listener, to support as much as possible the understanding of such information. Learners are smart, and if it is close to their ZPD they will do fine and get into proper action.

But how can I change/improve “X” if the information that I seemed to understand is not linked to my reality?, less to the ZPD.   The clearer this information is adapted to my reality, the possibility increases to get close to my ZPD, and then move in some direction instead to follow an inertia.

It is not matter that others do my job or live my life, or lecture me about something. I want to understand how to improve and do things. I would imagine this happens with all the topics, and with all the persons.

*** Do not give up….

If I succeed with myself one day, I am optimistic that maybe I could support others to success by themselves afterward.

My research, baptized as Hypercontextualized Game, seeks to create awareness in-site about specific subject matter. It is paradoxical, right?  I want to be an expert of my weakest side.

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Then, my conflict makes me feel helpless when I know with my mind and my heart that something must be done. I kind of figure it out a proposal to take action to solve something, but I can’t succeed to make my message clear neither match my actions with my intentions.

My conflict makes me feel helpless when I see how humans are working constantly to make of our planet a mess. I do not understand humans and I do not want to do the same, but at the end I am one of them doing the same 🙁

Image source: Rachmat Lianda