BRAC net, world youth community and Open Learning Campus

Sir Fazle Abed -top 70 alumni networks & 5 scots curious about hi-trust hi-tech

News on Collaboratory and MOOC camp etc

The Collaboratory designs, pilots, and spreads new ways to further educational and cultural diplomacy. Past work has included developing new programmatic tools for the Department, cultivating best practices for the use of technology in exchanges, and coordinating major initiatives like Education Diplomacy. The Collaboratory also works to advance new work methods that allow State Department teams to better perform in today's networked world.

Some of the Collaboratory’s current projects include:

  • The design and coordination of the MOOC Camp initiative where 205 courses have been taken by 4500+ students at over 65 Embassies and Consulates around the world.
  • Supplying the first class of Mandela Washington Fellow alumni with virtual engagement toolkits, enabling them to develop virtual and on-the-ground programs using the Internet in low-bandwidth areas, as well as managing regional Connect Camps to drive innovation and social change.
  • Organizing internal workshops to advance new work methods that allow State Department teams to better perform in today's networked world.

The Collaboratory also has worked on adding virtual components to existing ECA programs, such as the Fulbright Program and International Visitor Leadership Programs, to increase their impact. These virtual exchanges extend the connections made before, during, and after traditional exchange programs; encourages project collaboration among exchange participants; and engages new communities in the United States and around the world. The virtual exchange team also explores piloting new technologies and facilitating entire virtual exchanges in circumstances where participants cannot physically take part in traditional exchanges for various reasons such as political unrest, illness, or travel restrictions.

The Collaboratory has piloted several new work practices that allow State Department teams to better perform in today's networked world, such as Design Thinking and Drop Everything and Read.

The Collaboratory also acts as a convener for the Bureau and Department, bringing together experts from the private sector, civil society, and government to collaboratively explore the frontiers of educational and cultural diplomacy. The Collaboratory team is always looking to work with other bureaus, agencies, companies, and organizations to foster partnerships, collaboration, and keep abreast of the ever-evolving field of educational and cultural diplomacy.

THE COLLABORATORY NEWS
Mandela Washington Fellows brainstorming at the feedback wall.
September 2, 2014
Welcoming First Class of Mandela Washington Fellows to ECA's Alumni Network and Resources
Read more
Mars Mission Virtual Trip Announcement
April 16, 2014
Mars Virtual Field Trip: The Coolest Destination for Exchange Students
Read more
Photo of Amy Carrdus facilitating virtual exchange with Gold Star participants, and MCID
December 30, 2013
Google Hangout Supporting Gold Stars IVLP Program
Read more
Photo of children in classroom
December 12, 2013
Local Baltimore Classroom Takes Virtual Field Trip to National Aquarium
Read more
Screenshot Photo of American Corner Coordinators Sharing IVLP Experience in Virtual Exchange
November 22, 2013
American Corner Coordinators Share IVLP Experience in Virtual Exchange
Read more

- See more at: http://eca.state.gov/programs-initiatives/collaboratory#sthash.CaS7...

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Permalink Reply by chris macrae on October 18, 2014 at 11:21am

MOOC CAMP

About MOOC Camp

MOOC Camp are facilitated discussions around massive open online courses (MOOCs), Open Courseware, and other free online courses. They are hosted at U.S. Embassies, Consulates, American Spaces, and other public spaces around the world. Facilitated discussions are led by alumni who have participated in U.S. government exchange programs, such as the Fulbright program, and U.S. Embassy staff, who are familiar with the course materials and volunteer their time. U.S. Embassies and Consulates in more than 60 countries are currently participating, in subjects ranging from entrepreneurship and college writing to science and technology. Course content is drawn from major MOOC providers, including Coursera, edX, and Udacity, as well as from multiple Open CourseWare providers.

The Department of State is committed to identifying new models that offer broad learning opportunities, help meet the aspirations of young people around the world, and offer skills and knowledge that they can use to succeed in life. MOOC Camps do exactly that – all the while offering students a chance to test-drive a U.S. higher education experience. Program participants will also be able to learn more about opportunities to study in the United States through EducationUSA, a network of hundreds of student advising centers around the world that the State Department supports. Participation in the program is free and open to the public.

Interested in volunteering to host a MOOC Camp or in partnering with us? Contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Facilitators of MOOC Camps can access the first version of our Guide for Facilitators online. One of the goals of the program is to learn about what works in blending MOOCs with in-person learning experiences. The practices in the guide are drawn from recommendations by facilitators, staff from our Embassies and Consulates, course professors, and MOOC providers. We are sharing this document publicly so that others can draw from past experiences and so that others can contribute recommendations where there are currently gaps. If you have a good practice you would like to share, send it to MOOC-WG@state.gov.

MOOC Camp, One Year Later

The MOOC Camp initiative was launched in August 2013 and formally announced in October 2013. After one year, we are excited to share some of the result of the program over the last year.

  •  Embassies, Consulates, and partner institutions hosted more than 200 total courses in more than 60 countries.
  •  In our first year, over 4000 students participated in the program.
  •  On average, between 40 and 60 percent of participants completed their courses. Camps in Kolkata, Kinshasa, Jakarta, and many other locations had more than 80 percent of their participants complete their courses.
  •  In Spring 2014, the most popular subjects were English Language learning and teaching (60% of courses) and entrepreneurship and business (20% of courses).
  •  In September 2014, we published the first version of our Guide for Facilitators

Courses

Below are locations that are hosting MOOC Camps. This list is updated regularly as new locations are added.

MOOC Camp Courses
MOOC Camp Courses
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Armenia

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Madagascar

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Peru

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Uruguay

- See more at: http://eca.state.gov/programs-initiatives/mooc-camp#sthash.yPkoLuxZ...

Armenia
Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Yerevan
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: educationusa@americancouncils.am

Benin
Course: Grow to Greatness: Smart Growth for Private Businesses, Part 1
Discussion Location: Cotonou
Start Date: January 20, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: IRCCotonou@state.gov

Bermuda
Course: Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?
Discussion Location: Hamilton
Start Date: March 18, 2014
End Date: May 2, 2014
Contact: HmlAmConGen@state.gov

China
Course: Introduction to Public Speaking
Discussion Location: Shenyang
Start Date: March 31, 2014
End Date: June 6, 2014
Contact: xiaob@state.gov

Czech Republic
Course: Understanding Terrorism and the Terrorist Threat
Discussion Location: Prague
Start Date: January 27, 2014
End Date: March 21, 2014
Contact: acprague@state.gov

Egypt
Course: Introduction to Public Speaking
Discussion Location: Cairo
Start Date: March 31, 2014
End Date: June 6, 2014
Contact: cairoculture@state.gov

Course: Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship
Discussion Location: Cairo
Start Date: February 3, 2014
End Date: March 21, 2014
Contact: cairoculture@state.gov

India
Course: Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?
Post Location: Kolkata
Start Date: March 18, 2014
End Date: May 2, 2014
Contact: KolkataMOOC@state.gov

Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: New Delhi
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: AmCenterND@state.gov

Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Mumbai
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: libref@state.gov

Indonesia
Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Jakarta
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: jakartasocnetwork@state.gov

Iraq
Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Baghdad
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: BaghdadEnglishLanguageOffice@state.gov

Course: Grow to Greatness: Smart Growth for Private Businesses, Part I
Discussion Location: Baghdad
Start Date: January 20, 2014
February 28, 2014
Contact: BaghdadEnglishLanguageOffice@state.gov

Kenya
Course: Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?
Discussion Location: Nairobi
Start Date: March 18, 2014
End Date: May 2, 2014
Contact: ircnairobi@state.gov

Lithuania
Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Vilnius
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: WebEmailVilnius@state.gov

Macedonia
Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Skopje
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: EmbSkoWebM@t-home.mk

Madagascar
Course: Grow to Greatness: Smart Growth for Private Businesses, Part 1
Discussion Location: Antananarivo
Start Date: January 20, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: PAOAntananarivo@state.gov

Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Antananarivo
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: PAOAntananarivo@state.gov

Course: Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?
Discussion Location: Antananarivo
Start Date: March 18, 2014
End Date: May 2, 2014
Contact: PAOAntananarivo@state.gov

Mexico
Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Mexico City
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: Emb.eua.mex@state.gov

Nigeria
Course: Introduction to Public Speaking
Discussion Location: Lagos
Start Date: March 31, 2014
End Date: June 6, 2014
Contact: culturallagos@state.gov

Peru
Course: E-Teacher: TESOL Methods for Teachers of English
Discussion Location: Lima
Start Date: March 31, 2014
End Date: May 2, 2014
Contact: lima_webmaster@state.gov

Course: Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?
Discussion Location: Lima
Start Date: March 18, 2014
End Date: May 2, 2014
Contact: lima_webmaster@state.gov

Russia
Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Moscow
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014
Contact: moscowirc@state.gov

Course: Introduction to Public Speaking
Discussion Location: Moscow
Start Date: March 31, 2014
End Date: June 6, 2014
Contact: moscowirc@state.gov

Course: Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Ec...
Discussion Location: Moscow
Start Date: April 28, 2014
End Date: June 13, 2014
Contact: moscowirc@state.gov

Slovenia
Course: Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?
Discussion Location: Ljubljana
Start Date: March 18, 2014
End Date: May 2, 2014
Contact: USEmbassyLjubljana@state.gov

Spain
Course: College Writing 2.2x: Principles of Written English
Discussion Location: Madrid
Start Date: January 23, 2014
End Date: February 28, 2014

Course: E-Teacher: TESOL Methods for Teachers of English
Discussion Location: Madrid
Start Date: March 31, 2014
End Date: May 2, 2014

Course: Introduction to Public Speaking
Discussion Location: Madrid
Start Date: March 31, 2014
End Date: June 6, 2014

Tanzania
Course: Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?
Discussion Location: Dar es Salaam
Start Date: March 18, 2014
End Date: May 2, 2014
Contact: paodar@state.gov

- See more at: http://eca.state.gov/programs-initiatives/mooc-camp#sthash.yPkoLuxZ...

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KERRY GLASGOWIS HUMANITY'S LAST BEST CHANCE - Join search for Sustainaabilty's Curricula

101ways-generation.docx 101 ways education can save the world WHAT IF WE DESIGNED LIFELONG LIVELIHOOD LOEARNING SO THAT so that teachers & students, parent & communities were empowered to be ahead of 100 times more tech rather than the remnants of a system that puts macihnes and their exhausts ahead of human life and nature's renewal 2016 is arguably the first time thet educatirs became front and centre to the question that Von neummn asked journalist to mediate back in 1951- what goods will peoples do with 100 times more tech per decade? It appears that while multilaterals like the Un got used in soundbite and twittering ages to claim they valued rifghts & inclusion, pubblic goods & safety, they fotgot theirUN tech twin in Genva has been practising global connectivity since 1865, that dellow Goats of V neumnn has chiared Intellectual Cooperation in the 1920s which pervesrely became the quasi trade union Unesco- it took Abedian inspired educations in 2016 ro reunite ed and tecah as well as health and trade ; 7 decades of the UN not valuing Numenn's question at its core is quite late, but if we dare graviate UN2 aeound this digital coperation question now we give the younger half if the world a chnace especially as a billion poorest women have been synchronised to deep community human development since 1970

Dear Robert - you kindly asked for a short email so that you could see if there is a CGTN anchor in east coast who might confidentially share views with my expectation of how only Asian young women cultural movements (parenting and community depth but amplified by transparent tech in life shaping markets eg health, food, nature..) can return sustainability to all of us
three of my father's main surveys in The Economist 1962-1977 explain imo where future history will take us (and so why younger half of world need friendship/sustainable adaptation with Chinese youth -both on mainland and diaspora)
 1962 consider japan approved by JF Kennedy: argued good news - 2 new economic models were emerging through japan korea south and taiwan relevant to all Asia Rising (nrxt to link the whole trading/supply chains of the far east coast down through hong kong and cross-seas at singapore)
1 rural keynsianism ie 100% productivity in village first of all food security- borlaug alumni ending starvation
2 supercity costal trade models which designed hi-tech borderless sme value chains- to build a 20 million person capital or an 8 million person superport you needed the same advances in engineering - partly why this second economic model was win-win for first time since engines begun Glasgow 1760 ; potentially able to leverage tech giant leaps 100 times ahead; the big opportunity von neumann had gifted us - knowhow action networking multiply value application unlike consuming up things
1976 entrepreneurial revolution -translated into italian by prodi - argued that future globalisation big politics big corporate would need to be triangularised by community scaled sme networks- this was both how innovation advancing human lot begins and also the only way to end poverty in the sense of 21st C being such that next girl born can thrive because every community taps in diversity/safety/ valuing child and health as conditions out of which intergenerational economic growth can spring
in 1977 fathers survey of china - argued that there was now great hope that china had found the system designs that would empower a billion people to escape from extreme poverty but ultimately education of the one child generation (its tech for human capabilities) would be pivotal ( parallel 1977 survey looked at the futures of half the world's people ie east of iran)
best chris macrae + 1 240 316 8157 washington DC
IN MORE DETAIL TECH HUMAN EXPONENTIALS LAST CHANCE DECADE? 
 - we are in midst of unprecedented exponential change (dad from 1960s called death of distance) the  tech legacy of von neumann (dad was his biographer due to luckily meeting him in his final years including neumann's scoping of brain science (ie ai and human i) research which he asked yale to continue in his last lecture series). Exponential risks of extinction track to  mainly western top-down errors at crossroads of tech  over last 60 years (as well as non transparent geonomic mapping of how to reconcile what mainly 10 white empires had monopoly done with machines 1760-1945 and embedded in finance - see eg keynes last chapter of general theory of money); so our 2020s destiny is conditioned by quite simple local time-stamped details but ones that have compounded so that root cause and consequence need exact opposite of academic silos- so I hope there are some simple mapping points we can agree sustainability and chinese anchors in particular are now urgently in the middle of
Both my father www.normanmacrae.net at the economist and I (eg co-authoring 1984 book 2025 report, retranslated to 1993 sweden's new vikings) have argued sustainability in early 21st c will depend mostly on how asians as 65% of humans advance and how von neumann (or moores law) 100 times more tech every decade from 1960s is valued by society and business.
My father (awarded Japan's Order of Rising Sun and one time scriptwriter for Prince Charles trips to Japan) had served as teen allied bomber command burma campaign - he therefore had google maps in his head 50 years ahead of most media people, and also believed the world needed peace (dad was only journalist at messina birth of EU ) ; from 1960 his Asian inclusion arguments were almost coincidental to Ezra Vogel who knew much more about Japan=China last 2000 years ( additionally  cultural consciousness of silk road's eastern dynamics not golden rule of Western Whites) and peter drucker's view of organisational systems
(none of the 10 people at the economist my father had mentored continued his work past 1993- 2 key friends died early; then the web turned against education-journalism when west coast ventures got taken over by advertising/commerce instead of permitting 2 webs - one hi-trust educational; the other blah blah. sell sell .sex sell. viral trivial and hate politicking)
although i had worked mainly in the far east eg with unilever because of family responsibilities I never got to china until i started bumping into chinese female graduates at un launch of sdgs in 2015- I got in 8 visits to beijing -guided by them around tsinghua, china centre of globalisation, a chinese elder Ying Lowrey who had worked on smes in usa for 25 years but was not jack ma's biographer in 2015 just as his fintech models (taobao not alibaba) were empowering villagers integration into supply chains; there was a fantastic global edutech conference dec 2016 in Tsinghua region (also 3 briefings by Romano Prodi to students) that I attended connected with  great womens education hero bangladesh's fazle abed;  Abed spent much of hs last decade hosting events with chinese and other asian ambassadors; unite university graduates around sdg projects the world needed in every community but which had first been massively demonstrated in asia - if you like a version of schwarzman scholars but inclusive of places linking all deepest sustainability goals challenges 
and i personally feel learnt a lot from 3 people broadcasting from cgtn you and the 2 ladies liu xin and  tian wei (they always seemed to do balanced interviews even in the middle of trump's hatred campaigns), through them I also became a fan of father and daughter Jin at AIIB ; i attended korea's annual general meet 2017 of aiib; it was fascinating watching bankers for 60 countries each coming up with excuses as to why they would not lead on infrastructure investments (even though the supercity economic model depends on that)
Being a diaspora scot and a mathematician borders (managers who maximise externalisation of risks) scare me; especially rise of nationalist ones ;   it is pretty clear historically that london trapped most of asia in colomisdation ; then bankrupted by world war 2 rushed to independence without the un or anyone helping redesign top-down systems ; this all crashed into bangladesh the first bottom up collaboration women lab ; ironically on health, food security, education bangladesh and chinese village women empowerment depended on sharing almost every village microfranchise between 1972 and 2000 especially on last mile health networking
in dads editing of 2025 from 1984 he had called for massive human awareness by 2001 of mans biggest risk being discrepancies in incomes and expectations of rich and poor nations; he suggested that eg public broadcast media could host a reality tv end poverty entrepreneur competition just as digital media was scaling to be as impactful as mass media
that didnt happen and pretty much every mess - reactions to 9/11, failure to do ai of epidemics as priority from 2005 instead of autonomous cars, failure to end long-term carbon investments, subprime has been rooted in the west not having either government nor big corporate systems necessary to collaboratively value Asian SDG innovations especially with 5g
I am not smart enough to understand how to thread all the politics now going on but in the event that any cgtn journalist wants to chat especially in dc where we could meet I do not see humans preventing extinction without maximising chinese youth (particularly womens dreams); due to covid we lost plans japan had to relaunch value of female athletes - so this and other ways japan and china and korea might have regained joint consciousness look as if they are being lost- in other words both cultural and education networks (not correctly valued by gdp news headlines) may still be our best chance at asian women empowerment saving us all from extinction but that needs off the record brainstorming as I have no idea what a cgtn journalist is free to cover now that trump has turned 75% of americans into seeing china as the enemy instead of looking at what asian policies of usa hurt humans (eg afghanistan is surely a human wrong caused mostly by usa); a; being a diaspora scot i have this naive idea that we need to celebrate happiness of all peoples an stop using media to spiral hatred across nations but I expect that isnt something an anchor can host generally but for example if an anchor really loves ending covid everywhere then at least in that market she needs to want to help united peoples, transparency of deep data etc

2021 afore ye go to glasgow cop26-

please map how and why - more than 3 in 4 scots earn their livelihoods worldwide not in our homeland- that requires hi-trust as well as hi-tech to try to love all cultures and nature's diversity- until mcdonalds you could use MAC OR MC TO identify our community engaging networks THAT SCALED ROUND STARTING UP THE AGE OF HUMANS AND MACHINES OF GKASGOW UNI 1760 1 2 3 - and the microfranchises they aimed to sustain  locally around each next child born - these days scots hall of fame started in 1760s around   adam smith and james watt and 195 years later glasgow engineering BA fazle abed - we hope biden unites his irish community building though cop26 -ditto we hope kamalA values gandhi- public service - but understand if he or she is too busy iN DC 2021 with covid or finding which democrats or republicans or american people speak bottom-up sustainable goals teachers and enrrepreneurs -zoom with chris.macrae@yahoo.co.uk if you are curious - fanily foundation of the economist's norman macrae- explorer of whether 100 times more tehc every decade since 1945 would end poverty or prove orwell's-big brother trumps -fears correct 2025report.com est1984 or the economist's entreprenerialrevolutionstarted up 1976 with italy/franciscan romano prodi

help assemble worldrecordjobs.com card pack 1in time for games at cop26 glasgow nov 2021 - 260th year of machines and humans started up by smith and watt- chris.macrae@yahoo.co.uk- co-author 2025report.com, networker foundation of The Economist's Norman Macrae - 60s curricula telecommuting andjapan's capitalist belt roaders; 70s curricula entreprenurial revolution and poverty-ending rural keynesianism - library of 40 annual surveys loving win-wins between nations youth biographer john von neumann


http://plunkettlakepress.com/jvn.html

101%20ways%20that%20lifelong%20education%20can%20prevent%20your%20kids%20being%20the%20extinction%20generation.docx

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