The Knowmads (NL) are launching an interesting social entrepreneurship experience in Western Asia. I’m sharing their release in its entirety because I believe this is a worthwhile learning and praxis opportunity for developing Knowmads:

Theme: Social Entrepreneurship
This summer course is all about experiencing the Knowmads way of working. We will work with you, in a team of minimal 15 and maximum 25 internationals, on a project in Israel and/or Palestine. The project we are going to create will connect to youth, community and entrepreneurship and will have an impact for you, for the community and for the world. We call it a win-win-win project.

The 4 weeks
The project takes in total four weeks. In the first week we will get to know each other and investigate each other’s talents. By doing this we create a team that will really rock the boat. The second week we will start with creative and innovative idea development for the project. The third and fourth week we will work together on the project and make the things happen planned in the first two weeks.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for outstanding, creative and highly motivated young people willing to undertake an entrepreneurial challenge. There is not a specific or ideal type of candidate for this course. You have to be willing to work with your head, heart and hands.

What does it cost?
The price of the course is Euro 2000,-. This is inclusive all the material, travelling in Israel/Palestine and housing. This price is exclusive travelling to (and from) Tel Aviv, food and drinks.

Why to choose Knowmads Summer Course?

• The course is a highly specialised programme, with a strong focus on a real life case.
• There are networking opportunities with entrepreneurs / companies / municipalities / NGO’s, also after the programme
• You have the chance for transferring successful ideas to your own country.
• You can challenge yourself and be coached in this
• There is didactic quality guaranteed by Knowmads; 3?6 Knowmads will facilitate the course.
• You will work in an International atmosphere in a truly multicultural environment.

How to sign up?

• Apply before the 24th of June 2010.
• Before the 26th of June we will confirm your registration; we will only start our course with a minimum of 15 applicants.

Practicalities

• The spoken and written language of the course is English
• During the course we will work six days a week
• The tuition fee needs to be paid before the 10th of July. We will provide details later.

Info: send an e-mail to Pieter@knowmads.nl or call 00 31 6 814 90 700.

I’m back from a busy week in the Netherlands. First on the agenda was Education Futures NL, an Education 3.0-focused workshop collaboration between Education Futures and Helikon (Fons van den Berg). In addition to our collaboration, the workshop was supplemented with contributions from Cristóbal Cobo and the Knowmads. Meeting space for the event was generously provided by the Creative Learning Lab, a part of the Waag Society. The event attracted 40 of the sharpest minds in the country, most of whom indicated that they were prepared to bring disruptive innovations to education immediately. The group will continue to meet and develop ideas — stay tuned for further developments, and make sure to view Marcel de Leeuwe‘s photos from the event!

My second conference visit was with i+i, where I gave a keynote talk on innovative teaching and learning “in the cloud.” An interesting component of the conference is the close relationships between its members, who, often, are isolated as technology leaders within their institutions. The event was therefore an intellectual reunion for many. One interesting aspect was “TeachMeetNL09,” an unconference within the conference, organized by Fons van den Berg and Marieke van Osch. By capitalizing on the social aspects of the i+i group and refocusing it into an unconference, I believe that Fons and Marieke are pioneering new trends that we will see emerge in professional and academic conferences.

As a side note, I also joined the Knowmads advisory board. With these great developments (and more), I hope to be back soon!

Photo credit:

Practical. Inspirational. Interactive.

November 2, 2009
10:00 – 18:00

Creative Learning Lab
Pakhuis De Zwijger, Amsterdam

Mark your calendars! On November 2, Education Futures NL, a workshop on designing education in the era of change, will kick off. Co-organized with Fons van den Berg (www.helikon.nl) and in cooperation with the Creative Learning Lab, we will bring Netherlands-area education innovators together to explore how to create educational contexts that are relevant in Society 3.0.

Here’s the teaser for our Dutch readers:

Hoe kan onderwijs voor zogeheten knowmads (a creative, imaginative, and innovative person who can work with almost anybody, anytime, and anywhere) eruit zien? Dat is de vraag waar John Moravec graag aan wil werken met Nederlandse onderwijsinnovatoren. Daarom organiseert Education Futures in samenwerking met Helikon een praktisch, inspirerend en interactief seminar over het ontwerpen van onderwijs in een continu veranderende samenleving. Naast prikkelende presentaties bestaat het programma verder uit sessies waarin deelnemers ter plekke ideeën met elkaar uitwerken. Na het seminar krijgen de deelnemers toegang tot een online tool om de discussies verder een vervolg te geven.

For our non-Dutch speakers, the good news is that our working language will be English. Also, we will also be joined by Cristóbal Cobo (by Skype) and a local speaker to be confirmed (stay tuned as we reveal the identity of this Mystery Speaker!). Following the program, we will adjourn to a networking happy hour — and a few seats are available for interested innovators to continue our discussion over dinner. For more information and to register, visit the event Web site at http://www.helikon.nl/educationfuturesnl

Normandale Community College

Learn what your students already know Games and simulations are powerful tools – changing the way we learn Hands-on Instruction Enables You to Play the Games Yourself Seated at your own computer, with an instructor as your guide, you’ll be taken into virtual worlds and 3-D environments where you become The newly elected President of Chimerica, responsible for stabilizing the country’s troubled economic and social situation, changing public policy and forming a new administration. (Hidden Agenda)   A 21st century student traveling back in time to a town besieged with health problems. Working with others, you track clues, form and test hypotheses, and make recommendations. (River City) A rookie newspaper reporter for the Harperville Gazette whose job is to write an article on the health and environmental implications of a toxic spill. (Behind the Message)   Leader of a pharmaceutical company’s research team. You must determine the product’s features, estimate demand, and set price and production levels. (SimSeries Business) A $100,000 investor in the stock market, using real Internet research and news updates to determine how to build and grow your portfolio. (Stock Market Game)   and more Integrating Games/Simulations into Education Now that you’ve played the games, the afternoon sessions address key issues that will help you take the next steps, topics include: How Games Improve the Learning Process Preparing the New Learner for the New Economy with Games Breathing Virtual Life into the Classroom Integrating a Game/Simulation with eLearning Like a Rock Star: virtual character development