Coming up for air…
Jeff and I met in Feinstein on Monday to begin the tape to DVD conversion process in the media lab. Luckily, Shaun spoke to Matt Marchant at the beginning of last week who informed him that this was a somewhat time consuming process. This was good information to have, because it allowed us to plan our time accordingly. I also passed this information on to Chris Braga.
(Shaun was unable to attend Monday’s meeting because he was studying for finals. For this reason we planned another meeting for Tuesday, so that we could all be present.) Jeff and I weren’t entirely familiar with the software, nor how long this process was going to take, so we wanted to get a head start. Upon arrival, the tech people on site were helpful. Going into the meeting Jeff and I knew we were going to have to cut out one major component of our event out of the tape. The taping of the event included the Room to Dream DVD. This is an absolutely wonderful piece which shows some of the RTD children, the before and after of their rooms, and the construction process. Unfortunately, due to HIPPA laws we are not allowed to show the DVD to the class, and had to edit it out. However, Jeff, Shaun and I wanted to maintain a copy for ourselves. So before we began to cut and edit our tape, we wanted to convert the unedited original into a DVD. While we were waiting for our uncut tape to convert into a QuickTime, Jeff and I began to plot out our presentation. This was an enlightening process for both Jeff and I as we were able to reflect on our project together, and come up with things we would have done differently, and the tremendous lessons we learned.
One of the lessons that we learned, which I was able to directly relate to a past theme was the utilization of technological resources, which we discussed in written response 6. This was something our group did not properly take advantage of until later in our project. As I have discussed before, once we smartened up and used the other blogs/wikis, we obtained some of our best information, which undoubtedly enhanced our event. The ideas that were generated by our peers far outdid anything that a Google search brought up. Looking back, Wikinomics was a great source of examples of people and companies that are adjusting accordingly to a world fueled by technology. What many of us fail to realize is that we do not and will never have all the answers. Instead of hoarding information, it is time to open our eyes to the exponential progress that comes from sharing knowledge. The modern organization is not about hierarchies and downward management. Today’s organizations call for people to be prepared to build sustainable firms by managing intricate webs of collaboration. Oftentimes, these organizations will utilize tools such as blogs and wikis to create an open system that embraces the free flow of ideas. This project then gave us the most relevant experience with technology and collaboration that I have had to date. It also provided us with concrete examples of the benefits that can be attained from utilizing these tools.
A key component in this environment is trust. Our class was initially extremely resistant to the utilization of these resourceful tools, and ultimately lacked trust. We were clearly still very much trapped in our bubbles, and were incapable of seeing the utility that could come from sharing our findings, and learning from others’ findings. Inside the bubble it makes absolutely no sense to share successful practices, or ways to advance. However, outside of the bubble, it was easy to see how information from say PC Youth Outreach’s blog could help our event. Once we began to actually collaborate with one another, we were able to increasingly build trust. This then translated into our discussions and posts. Eventually, everyone was willing to share useful information with one another. It was great when we could finally come to a point where we would have open dialogues where questions were asked, and advice and pointers were given. I now see how imperative it was for us to realize that we could attain significantly more success in conjunction with one another. Towards the end of the semester our class began to take the shape of an organization, whose departments were mutually accountable for one another. We even went as far as to base our success on the collective.
Jeff and I also discussed how much more energized we became once we were closer to the cause. The closer we were to the cause, the more energized we became, and that was the point when our project really took off. Chapter 10 of Senge’s book really spoke to me. I was engaged in this project from the beginning, but our first meeting with Stefan and Bill created a devotion I never knew I had in me. Stefan and Bill had so much knowledge to offer Jeff and I. Through talking to them we gained invaluable information. I vividly remember getting home from that meeting and feeling different, unlike my usual self. I came to realize that this was because I finally felt genuinely connected to cause, and motivated to make a difference. This fundraiser allowed us to work toward something that was so far beyond ourselves. I personally felt like I finally found my niche. The meeting made such a tremendous impact, that that night I decided to “[take] stock personally,” and found myself constantly re-affirming that this charity, and others like it, are what are important to me, what energize me. I genuinely care about creating a better, more sustainable environment for these children, and at our event, we were able to see how our efforts were going to improve their lives. Our group was fortunate enough to have dealt with inspired people and ultimately, leaders, whose energy was so captivating and contagious, that we could not help but be drawn to their ideas. Because of the wonderful relationships we had with our partners, our visions were possible. With this said, I wish we had created this passion earlier in the game. Reflecting back on everything has been a very enlightening process, and I know I could go on for days. Reading some of my past blog posts, I am also trying not to repeat myself. I am happy to say that my group did a pretty decent job reflecting on areas where we could have improved, and lessons we learned all along. I also don’t want to bore anyone, as we will be discussing a lot of this in our presentation. I could talk for days about the lessons that were learned while doing this project. But I will leave some of that to Shaun. Thank you for an interesting and insightful semester everyone! I look forward to presenting, and hearing everyone else’s presentations. Good luck next semester : )