Reflections and Concerns about Gamification (Part I)

(Cross-posted from Aaron’s Blog) I’ve been a member of Gamespot – a website dedicated to news and discussion on videogames – since 2003. My rank on it is Super Bagman (Level 23), which I gather isn’t particularly high, since the site suggests you can go up to at least Level 71. I also have a [...]

AshokaU and TechChange TwitterChat: How Will Technological Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship Transform Higher Education?

Have ideas for new models in higher education that use technology and social entrepreneurship? Interested in what universities will look like 10, 20 and 50 years in the future? Join TechChange and AshokaU on Friday July 22 from 1-2pm EST for a live Twitter chat on the impact of technology and social entrepreneurship on higher [...]

The Future of Games for Crisis Mapping

With the end of the JCU Crisis Mapping class in sight, discussions have turned to the future of this emerging field and practice.  Two classes were dedicated to the potential for gaming with a purpose and leveraging the cognitive surplus of a world that plays three billion hours of online games a week.  The topic [...]

Recap of TechChange Course at George Mason School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution

Over the weekend TechChange had the opportunity to teach a two-day course on Technology and Peacebuilding at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) at George Mason University. This was a first for S-CAR students and we were excited to see what the graduate students would bring to the discussions, case studies and group [...]

The Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted: Why the Mobile Phone is Still Critical to Reaching the Masses in the Middle East

The revolutions sweeping the Middle East and North Africa have captured the collective attention of the world, and with good reason: the images of millions mobilized in Cairo, the thousands protesting under threat of gunfire in Syria and Bahrain, and the successful ousting of long-entrenched despots are mesmerizing and inspiring.  The stories unfolding in the Middle [...]

Knowledge Management for Whom? A Response to USAID’s KM for Development Conference

I had the opportunity to attend a conference at USAID a fewweeks ago on the theme of Knowledge Management (KM) for Development (http://kdid.org/kmic). It was a great space to learn about the challenges that the development community is facing related to sharing, gathering, and analyzing data. Clearly, it’s critical to know what works (and doesn’t) when [...]

Techvest in Africa’s future: What Africa Really Needs Right Now

Moved by images of buildings crumbling like sand castles and children wandering the streets crying for parents buried in the rubble, I donated $10 to the Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund, excited that saving the world was as simple as texting — something I do daily without even thinking. Yéle reportedly collected more than $2 million [...]

TEDxSF a Study in Contradictory Concepts

TED events are always engaging and yesterday’s TEDx event in San Francisco proved to be no exception. The theme (and hashtag) was #ALIVE and the topics presented generally revolved around this topical area albeit in some surprising (and sometimes funny) ways. Although every talk was delivered well, a few really stood out here are summaries [...]

FrontlineSMS and Technological Responsibility

When an innovator is struck with a new idea for a technology, his or her first thought isn’t naturally “How can this be used for a humanitarian, development, or peace-building cause?”. Rather, it is more often “How can I sell millions of copies of this in the Apple App Store?” or “How soon will I [...]