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The wonderful lightness of learning through twitter and video games
Convening groups of people, having fun and collaborating together on shared passions is our favourite way to learn together - and we’ve done a lot of that this year!
During our 6th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference in March, South African journalist Fiona Snyckers shared a panel with writers Shafinaaz Hassim and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers on the importance of women’s stories. I tweeted during Fiona’s talk as she referred to celebrated author of the legendary Fear of Flying, Erica Jong. We were both fairly star-struck as we got promptly followed. And that’s how this issue’s mini-interview came about.
Twitter also played a key role in sourcing this issue’s book review. Claire Diaz Ortiz leads social innovation at Twitter, Inc. and has just launched Twitter for Good: Change the World, One Tweet at a Time. It’s just the kind of book I’ve been waiting for: it uses the power of social media to do the kind of important work we can all do with a little bit of motivation and the click of a mouse. And I was one of the lucky ones entrusted with a sneak review copy (I love my job).
As part of our Inaugural #Wired Women conference last month, I launched a new presentation with my son Adam, which we have called What Gaming has to teach us about Leadership. What an exhilarating learning journey I am being exposed to as the world of gaming teaches me lessons about motivation, strategy and leadership.
We’re running it again as a breakfast forum on Wednesday 26 October. We would love you to join us if you have insights, questions and ideas about gaming and its impact on how we lead, manage and teach.
We’re also excited to introduce an exciting new course with digital storyteller Pam Sykes. (see below) And as luck would have it, my friend Martin Rutte from the Centre for Spirituality in the Workplace has just announced an international competition – the Spirit at Work Creative Video Contest - with prizes of of $7,500, $3,500 and $2,000. “We're asking you to make a short 3-5 minute video on what spirituality and work is, or how you would promote it in a workplace.”
Find more info http://www.spiritatworkcreativevideo.com
What a great incentive to come on the workshop, sharpen your storytelling skills and make South Africa proud.
After all, in the words of Erich Fromm, "Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the education of all adults of every age?"
Debby Edelstein
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Twitter for Good by Claire Diaz-Ortiz
Reviewed by Debby Edelstein
Biz Stone, cofounder of Twitter, Inc., writes in the foreword to this book: “Claire Diaz-Ortiz was my first choice to lead our Corporate Social Innovation and Philanthropy team because she passionately believes that by democratising activism, Twitter can help us all make the world a better place”.
In a world where more individuals have access to mobile phones than to clean water, the power of 140 characters can’t be underestimated.
The most exciting potential of all social media is its ability as a force for good rather than boosting sales and building brands. So for that reason alone this book falls in my category of “books that make me jump”.
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5 minutes with Erica Jong
By Fiona Snyckers
Erica Jong is an American novelist and poet, best known for her highly influential feminist novel Fear of Flying (1973). In her early novels, Jong explored the truly revolutionary notion that women could seek out and enjoy casual sexual encounters with the same emotional detachment as men. She is also well known and respected as a commentator on women's issues.
FS In South Africa, the diversification of our literature into genres is in its infancy. During apartheid, the freedom struggle was so overwhelming that there was little inclination to produce literature purely for entertainment. But now that we are 17 years into democracy, there has been an explosion of new writing in different genres. South African women writers in particular are starting to inherit some of the prejudices that their overseas counterparts have long been familiar with. Has the situation changed at all since you wrote in 2007 that "critics have trouble taking fiction by women seriously"? [Ghetto (not) Fabulous, Huffington Post 2007]
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Graffiti goes geeky
By Kim Shaw
From London to Latvia and Jersey to Jozi, yarn bombers are knitting and crocheting socks, beanies and cosies for trees, lampposts, fences, bridges and almost anything that stands still!
At the beginning of spring, the trees you might have spotted around Jozi adorned with story scarves and crochet blossoms were a yarn bombing project, as was the scarf tied onto the Hyatt Hotel sign in Rosebank - spotted by many people on their way to the Wired Women Conference.
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Digital storytelling
By Kim Shaw
Maya Angelou once said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you". Pam Sykes is teaching South Africans the skills of storytelling in a digital format.
After 15 years of writing for a living, Pam became captivated by the transformative power and potential of multimedia digital storytelling. As a digital storytelling facilitator, she empowers others with the technical skills they need to take their stories into their own hands.
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This month we have a weekend getaway for readers as well as two hi-tech products to give away to readers who follow us on twitter.
Congratulations to Cindy Pienaar, last month's winner of an overnight stay at Hotel Lamunu in Braamfontein.
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WIN A WEEKEND AT MISTY HILLS COUNTRY HOTEL, CONFERENCE CENTRE & SPA
One lucky reader will win a weekend for two in an executive suite at Misty Hills Country Hotel, Conference Centre & Spa, as well as a full body massage at the Spa.
Email your name and contact details to Lizzy together with the answer to the following question. Entries must reach us by 30 October 2011.
Question: What is the name of the world-renowned restaurant at Misty Hills?
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SPECIAL FOR READERS ON TWITTER!! WIN A JABRA EASY GO HEADSET AND A JABRA CRUISER 2 HANDS-FREE KIT
One reader on twitter will win a Jabra EASY GO headset and one reader will win a Jabra CRUISER 2 hands-free kit for the car. 1.Email your name and contact details, as well as the answer to the following question, to Lizzy. Entries must reach us by 30 October 2011.
Look for the tweet on @qualitylifeco about this competition and RT the link to this page
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During the next few weeks the QualityLife Company calendar includes an unusual breakfast forum as well as an exciting digital storytelling workshop. For more information or to book, email Lizzy, call 011 880 9749 or visit www.qualitylife.co.za.
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Breakfast Forum: What Video Games Teach us about Leadership 26 October, Johannesburg
The average young person in the UK will spend 10 000 hours gaming by the age of 21, world renowned game designer Jane McGonigal tells us. This statistic is enough to strike fear in the hearts of most parents. But it turns out that (video) games are not just about escapism. Games are a great way to hone leadership skills and maybe even change the world.
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Digital Storytelling to market your brand 10-11 November, Johannesburg
Digital storytelling takes memories, photographs, ideas or documents and converts them into short movies that capture the essence of a message. It’s not reportage or documentary – it’s about an organisation (or an individual) finding a strong voice. And this voice can impact on employee development,diversity work,fundraising,organisational development orchange management.
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Thanks very much to the following sponsors for helping us put together super goody bags for the recent Wired Women Conference:
BetuCare
Solal Technologies
Nativa Heart Science Nature
Wicount
Espresso Concepts
Elle Magazine
Joekels Tea Packers (Pty) Ltd
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To advertise in this newsletter call Dunne on 011 880 9749 or email Dunne.
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