How do we teach young consumers to grow up in a "free" economy?

We all like to win something or get something for free. I dare say, that people have even spent money on something they really didn't need so they could get the "free" offer. That is called marketing.

But how do we deal in a technology economy where most things (free or otherwise) are available within the comforts of ones home through their computer? Freeconomics is now driving the web.

A great article that I came across in Wired called "Free! Why $0.00 is the future of business" put more questions in my head than answers.

"Until recently, practically everything "free" was really just the result of what economists would call a cross-subsidy: You'd get one thing free if you bought another, or you'd get a product free only if you paid for a service."

Classroom Chat.....

What is the cost to society for "free?" How do schools prepare students for freeconomics? Can entrepreneurs be successful in a free society?

Pushing Communicaton and Collaboration to a New Level: Create, Manage and Share Presentations on the Web

One of the many great perks of being a part of the Adobe Education Leadership (AEL) program is learning about new technologies, applications or services that are up and coming. Tech Wednesday (they are "Tech Thursday" for us in the Southern Hemisphere) are live Acrobat Connect presentations that Adobe hosts almost weekly. AELs and other Adobe user groups are invited to view/participate in the presentations. They are great and range from new product releases to 3rd party customers. I wasn't able to attend the presentation live this morning, but since the live presentation was recorded through Acrobat Connect, I was able to easily view it later by accessing a web link.

This morning Mitch Grasso - the co-founder of SlideRocket was the presenter. SlideRocket is an exciting new (you can sign up for a beta account on the website) web based application that has been designed using Adobe Flex and Adobe AIR.

SlideRocket is pushing presentation desktop products like PowerPoint and KeyNote by allowing users to "design, manage and share libraries of slides and assets, and to deliver presentations in person or remotely over the web." It has many of the features you have come to use in the desktop products plus more!!!

The cool thing about SlideRocket is that you (as the publisher of the presentation) can add users with different permissions and roles. Some of the other unique aspects of SlideRocket:

• use existing or create your own themes.
• you can pull data in from Google spreadsheets to create charts and tables.
• images can be uploaded to SlideRocket, pulled from your computer or in from Flickr.
• you can add Flash Videos (.flv) and Flash Movies (.swf) to your presentations.
• availability of a "plug-in architecture" that can be adapted and extended then shared with the SlideRocket Community.
• the folks from SlideRocket are presently working with SalesForce.com to create some very unique work flows for the SlideRocket community.

I would encourage you to sign up for a beta account and give SlideRocket a try. I think it will be a very exciting tool that will help to introduce a unique work flow not only for corporate but for the education community as well.

Web 1.0 - Web 2.0 - are you ready for Web 3.0?

Some people laugh when you say Web 3.0 or semantic web....they don't believe there will be a "Web 3.0" but rather something completely different.

The folks at Project10X will argue that Web 3.0 is the next wave and it is starting now!

Project10X is a "research consultancy specializing in next wave semantic technologies and solutions. The firm’s clients include technology manufacturers, global 2000 corporations, and government agencies."

A quote from a report just released by Project10X looks at the 4 stages of Internet growth....

"The semantic wave embraces four stages of Internet growth.

1. The first stage, Web 1.0, was about connecting information and getting on the net.
2. Web 2.0 is about connecting people — putting the “I” in user interface, and the “we” into Webs of social participation.
   
3. The next stage, Web 3.0, is starting now. It is about representing meanings, connecting knowledge, and putting these to work in ways that make our experience of Internet more relevant, useful, and enjoyable.
   
4. Web 4.0 will come later.

It is about connecting intelligences in a ubiquitous Web where both people and things reason and communicate together."

The executive summary of this 400+ page report is free to download
[ .pdf ]

This report looks at emerging technologies and explores the market readiness. Project10X also "projects that public and private sector R&D relating to semantic technologies in the 2008-2010 period will exceed $8 billion and that global ICT markets for semantic technology infused products and services will grow from $2.1 B in 2006 to $52.4 B in 2010."

If this evolves as predicted, it means a lot of new/spin-off companies will be formed around this growth and development. One just has to scour the web now to see all of the new websites/companies that have been born during the Web 2.0 era.

School Chat....
This means that schools need to "wrap their head around" what impact all this will have on their students and their programs. What information and skills will need to get to the students in order for them to be "future-proofed".....ready to take on the semantic entrepreneurial spirit.

GoSee4Me - the dream of letting people see "anything"

GoSee4Me is a unique concept that connects photographers from around the world with an opportunity to earn some money. Using a bidding buyer/seller concept....it works like this.

Say I was developing a presentation and I needed a great photograph of a certain angle of the Eiffel Tower....only problem is....I live in New Zealand. I put my request in for this photograph on the GoSee4Me community. Any of the registered photographers that may have this photo or are in the area to take the photo, then bid online to be the chosen photographer. The bid is what it will cost you to pay the photographer for the photo. You choose which photographer you want, payment and photo transaction occurs, and everyone is happy.

Great idea to give new and budding photographers some pocket money and exposure!

Meet the digital media interpreters.....

Remember the discussion about "education needs to prepare students for jobs that don't even exist yet" (if not...see sidebar of this blog). Here is an enterprising group of folks that you can bet did not know that this niche would exist when they were in school.

Commoncraft is a unique pair of entrepreneurs who have created a company around the concept of digital media "interpreters." They present a product or service for their clients in plain English by using "unique and understandable videos in a format they call Paperworks."

Could YouTube have inspired these entrepreneurs? Web 2.0?

Possibly.

We know that in today's business world, many business doors are closed before they even have a chance to stay open. We need to teach our students that for every closed door they need to look for new open doors (possibilities) and/or create their own open door.

Well done Commoncraft!

Okay, still having a problem understanding what a Wiki is? Need to have a simple explanation for your school administrator or a class of students?

See Commoncraft in action (you can also search on YouTube for Commoncraft to find more of their great work.)

Wikis in Plain English



Social Networking




Use in the classroom....
Great process to replicate....the "Commoncraft communication model"! Try this in a variety of classes: English, Interactive Media, Media Studies, Communication, Business, etc... Choose a concept that you need to get across to a customer in an easy and creative manner. Students must create a storyboard for their idea, decide what tools they will use to capture their story (e.g. paper, chalk, etc...). Write their script, film, add audio and then publish (easily done with Premire Pro or Premiere Elements and Audition).

_________________________________________

P.S. - Happy Halloween!