Chapter 9: The Wiki Workplace

Unleashing the Power of Us

Enter the "Geek Squad!" -- now a part of BestBuy, the Geek Squad is just one example of a company that depends on collaboration through wikis, video games, and a host of collaboration technologies to build collective knowledge. 

"The continuous flow of new technologies into the workplace has been a key source of change in the way that we work (p. 246). Why do you think education is so slow to adopt new technologies into instruction?  Do you agree that web-based tools "often confound older generations?"

On pg. 252, Ross Mayfield thinks the "solution is collaboration tools that adapt to the habits of the workplace teams and social networks, rather than the other way around." How can we "discover our agenda, and serve it?" How can we best cultivate a culture of collaboration? We have the weapons of mass collaboration, why are we not using them? Or, are we? Do we have inertia? (See "Demographic Kick for Change" on p. 266)

Could you imagine being able to give your students the same 20% time that Google allows its employees, for self-directed learning? What do you think your students could do in that 50 minutes per week?