TECHSMO

theoverapp: The true purpose of education is to teach a man to...

Sat, 12 May 2012 11:45:38 -0400

The true purpose of education is to teach a man to carry himself triumphant to the sunset.

theoverapp: Over is the easiest, most beautiful way to add text...

Sat, 12 May 2012 11:44:54 -0400

Over is the easiest, most beautiful way to add text over photos. Enter you email below and be the first to know when this app is released.

theoverapp: The meaning of La Quinta. Picture of Aaron...

Sat, 12 May 2012 11:42:39 -0400

theoverapp:

The meaning of La Quinta.

Picture of Aaron Marshall, maker of Over, taken by the illustrious photographer Jason Coobs.

theoverapp: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve...

Sat, 12 May 2012 11:41:00 -0400

theoverapp:

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” by Robert Frost

theoverapp: Go big or go home.

Sat, 12 May 2012 11:39:41 -0400

theoverapp:

Go big or go home.

theoverapp: “Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the...

Sat, 12 May 2012 11:37:52 -0400

theoverapp:

“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why.” ~Bernard Baruch Thank you @StephenMonaco for sharing this quote.

theoverapp: My wife will not get this…

Sat, 12 May 2012 11:34:56 -0400

theoverapp:

My wife will not get this…

You should never start a company with the goal of getting rich....

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:23:05 -0400

You should never start a company with the goal of getting rich. Your goal should be making something you believe in and making a company that will last.

This is worth way more than the five minutes you will spend...

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:52:38 -0400

This is worth way more than the five minutes you will spend clicking through it.

Forget Gamification: It's Time For Mastery

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:52:00 -0400

Forget Gamification: It's Time For Mastery:

There are some fantastic nuggets of truth in this article. The potential of applying game design to education is very exciting. Contrary to the title, this writer is clearly pro-gamification, just not the goofy gimicky type i.e. lets add a few badges etc.

"Consider the traditional education system. It’s a kind of game. It’s got points. But..."

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:44:00 -0400

“Consider the traditional education system. It’s a kind of game. It’s got points. But instead of compelling us to care deeply about the subject, the game for students is simply to earn the points. That is why most students cram for tests and then forget the material almost immediately — because the system is designed to focus on the extrinsic reward, rather than allowing us to exercise our hard-wired need for mastery.”

- Forget Gamification: It’s Time For Mastery

awesomepeoplehangingouttogether: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:34:50 -0400

awesomepeoplehangingouttogether:

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

“Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world” -...

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:12:00 -0400

“Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world” - Might be one of my favorite TED talks of all time. Totally entertaining, and presents an awesome opportunity for an EPIC WIN.

Definition of Gamification on Wikipedia

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:31:30 -0400

Definition of Gamification on Wikipedia:

Gamification is the use of game play mechanics^[1] for non-game applications (also known as “funware”),^[2] particularly consumer-oriented web and mobile sites, in order to encourage people to adopt the applications. It also strives to encourage users to engage in desired behaviors in connection with the applications.^[3] Gamification works by making technology more engaging,^[4] and by encouraging desired behaviors, taking advantage of humans’ psychological predisposition to engage in gaming. The technique can encourage people to perform chores that they ordinarily consider boring, such as completing surveys, shopping, or reading web sites.^[4]

“Fun is the Future: Mastering Gamification” from...

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:30:00 -0400

“Fun is the Future: Mastering Gamification” from Google Talks

Photo

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:15:10 -0400

Photo

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:31:00 -0400

Direct Thought Control of a Computer’s Cursor

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:40:00 -0400

Direct Thought Control of a Computer’s Cursor

Superficial & Super Strong: The Power of Weak Ties in Social Media

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:37:31 -0400

We often wonder at the true power of social media and, more specifically, what gives it this power? The answer lies in the offline world. Mark Granovetter (1973) argues that weak social ties, those we engage “occasionally” or “rarely,” are our real assets when it comes to the sharing and leveraging of information. Our online world follows suit, but the constraints are far fewer and the possibilities are limitless.

Weak ties are the connections that provide us with information that leads to anything from employment to our next romantic relationship.

The irony of this relational rhetoric is that the people we are least connected to become our strongest social capital. Granovetter, himself, argues that those with whom we are weakly tied most likely move in social circles different from our own and have access to different information than we do.

We also see this in Levy’s theory of Collective Intelligence, stating,

“None of us can know everything; each of us knows something; and we can put the pieces together if we pool our resources and combine our skills.”

Because of the ease of developing weak ties in social media, in usually just a click, we are opening the channels through which we receive and process information. It is not just that information is more accessible through social media, it is that the breadth of information available is unrivaled by anything in history.

“Weak ties suffer no such restriction, though they are certainly not automatically bridges. What is important, rather, is that all bridges are weak ties.” –Granovetter

Social Media Provides the Bridge over the “Troubled Waters” of Social Norms

The genius introvert suddenly has a willing audience

One of the beautiful things about the exchange of ideas in the realm of social media is the possibility of anonymity. People who could never imagine speaking out in the physical world can make their ideas and opinions known on the web. The genius introvert suddenly has a willing audience that he can engage and share ideas with, while remaining comfortably secluded. His personality type no longer affects the exportation of his idea, and the weak ties of his network will perpetuate its spread.

The social constructs and structures that prevent the forming of weak ties in the real world are not present in the web space.

Outside of personal issues, we have more pressing discrimination against social constructs such as race, gender, and culture that can be circumvented within the framework of social media. Patriarchal societies are seeing a rise in female idealists who can now contribute to academic circles without fear of reprimand. The social constructs and structures that prevent the forming of weak ties in the real world are not present in the web space. This increases the ease of collaboration and unification toward common goals. Weak ties proliferate the spread of complex ideas over a broader web than previously possible.

“”Intuitively speaking, this means that whatever is to be diffused can reach a larger number of people, and traverse greater social distance (i.e. path length) when passed through weak ties rather than strong.” – Granovetter

Will time show the weak ties formed online are as profitable as the real world relationships they are modeled after?

TECHSMO

theoverapp: The true purpose of education is to teach a man to...

theoverapp: Over is the easiest, most beautiful way to add text...

theoverapp: The meaning of La Quinta. Picture of Aaron...

theoverapp: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve...

theoverapp: Go big or go home.

theoverapp: “Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the...

theoverapp: My wife will not get this…

You should never start a company with the goal of getting rich....

This is worth way more than the five minutes you will spend...

Forget Gamification: It's Time For Mastery

"Consider the traditional education system. It’s a kind of game. It’s got points. But..."

awesomepeoplehangingouttogether: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

“Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world” -...

Definition of Gamification on Wikipedia

“Fun is the Future: Mastering Gamification” from...

Photo

Photo

Direct Thought Control of a Computer’s Cursor

Superficial & Super Strong: The Power of Weak Ties in Social Media

Weak ties are the connections that provide us with information that leads to anything from employment to our next romantic relationship.

The genius introvert suddenly has a willing audience

The social constructs and structures that prevent the forming of weak ties in the real world are not present in the web space.

Written by Conner Forrest from Potluck

Slides from my recent talk at BibleTech 2011.