Aldo de Moor

04
Apr
2014

New publication: The “Kids’ Knowledge Base”: Connecting Junior Science to Society

Just published: A. de Moor  (2014), The “Kids’ Knowledge Base”: Connecting Junior Science to Society. In Proc. of Chi Sparks 2014, The Hague, the Netherlands. The Hague University of Applied Sciences, pp.108-111.

Abstract

Universities try to reinforce their connections with society in many different ways. Introducing children to science at an early age is an important part of this mission. The online “Kids’ Knowledge Base” is a key instrument for presenting showcases of various scientific fields to primary school children, thereby aiming to pique their curiosity. We outline the architecture and development process of the Kids’ Knowledge Base, and describe how it is increasingly being embedded in an ecosystem of online and physical tools, stakeholder networks, and activities.

… Read more...
Posted by Aldo de Moor in CommunitySense, Projects, Publications, 0 comments
12
Mar
2014

Happy 25th birthday, World Wide Web!

World Wide WebToday, the Web’s been around for 25 years, hip hip hurray! In this excellent interview, founder Tim Berners-Lee makes some remarks that should be particularly close to the hearts of fellow community informatics researchers and practitioners, e.g.:

– “I’ve been very satisfied with the international spirit. It’s wonderful how the Web has taken off as non-national thing. I don’t think of it as international, because that’s nations getting
together.”

– “The control thing — we’ve got big companies and big governments. Now in some countries the corporations and the governments are very hard to tell apart. I’m concerned about that.”

– “what I want to see that I haven’t seen is the Web being used to bridge cultural divides. Every day we get people falling for the temptation to be xenophobic and to throw themselves against other cultures.… Read more...

Posted by Aldo de Moor in Ideas, Tools, 0 comments
23
Jan
2014

Communities & Technologies finally meeting Community Informatics

workshopI’m currently in Siegen, Germany. attending the Communities & Technologies Future Vision workshop. A main goal of the workshop is to build more common ground between the two very related fields of Communities & Technologies (C&T) and Community Informatics. We’re having very positive, fruitful discussions. To give you a flavor, here are the notes I just took of the discussion about the possible points of intersection in a breakout group consisting of Volker Wulf, Michael Gurstein, Susanne Bødker, Marcus Foth, and Aldo de Moor.

Common research themes
  • Societal role: the roles of communities in their various forms in society.
  • Common goals & Institutions. Community norms sometimes translate into goals, institutions.
  • “The Other”: Communities can also be against something, working on the boundaries, The Other.
… Read more...
Posted by Aldo de Moor in Conferences, 0 comments
29
Oct
2013

New publication: Public Libraries as Social Innovation Catalysts

Just published: A. de Moor and R. van den Assem (2013), Public Libraries as Social Innovation Catalysts. In Proc. of the 10th Prato CIRN Conference “Nexus, Confluence, and Difference: Community Archives meets Community Informatics”, Prato, Italy, Oct 28-30 2013.

Abstract
Public libraries urgently need to reinvent their role in society. Through social innovation, libraries may adopt new functions and roles and even act as innovation catalysts in networks of increasingly interdependent stakeholders from different sectors. We investigate how to design such inter-sectoral public library innovations that are embedded in existing organizational practice and are both sustainable and scalable.  We outline a practical social innovation sensemaking method based on a combination of a social innovation collaboration network model and process model.… Read more...

Posted by Aldo de Moor in CommunitySense, Publications, 0 comments
17
Sep
2013

social innovation ecosysteemOp 16 september is er in het kader van de European Social Innovation Week een bijeenkomst gehouden over Midden-Brabant als “smart region”.  Een onderdeel van deze bijeenkomst was een discussie onder leiding van Hans Mommaas over hoe dat social innovation ecosysteem handen en voeten zou kunnen krijgen. Hier een informeel verslag voor degenen die niet bij deze bijzonder interessante discussie konden zijn.

Centrale vraag: hoe krijgen we een social innovation ecosysteem van de grond in de regio? Een voorbeeld zijn de Pathfinders.  In organisaties heb je de bestaande werkelijkheid en de exploratieve kant, die van de vernieuwing. “Transition leaders” zijn mensen die de mensen in hun organisatie kunnen meekrijgen voor die vernieuwing.  Ook die leaders hebben echter weer inspiratie nodig.… Read more...

Posted by Aldo de Moor in Conferences, 0 comments
04
Sep
2013

Collaboration Patterns for Social Innovation: The Dutch – US Connection?

As part of my visit to the  University of Alabama in Huntsville I gave a presentation “Creativity Meets Rationale – Collaboration Patterns for Social Innovation” at the College of Business Administration. It was based on the book chapter with the same title that was published earlier this year in the book “Creativity and Rationale: Enhancing Human Experience by Design”. The slides can be downloaded here.

From the discussion, it seemed that Europe is ahead in implementing scaled applications of social innovation,  although the US is catching up and making it a national priority as well, as indicated by the White House having created an Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.  See also the Economist article Let’s Hear Those Ideas.… Read more...

Posted by Aldo de Moor in CommunitySense, Presentations, Publications, 0 comments
29
Aug
2013

Expanding the Academic Research Community: Building Bridges into Society with the Internet

Below the slides of the honors lecture I just gave at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The slides can be downloaded here.

The talk is based on a book chapter with the same title that will be published by Monash University Publishing in the fall.  A preprint of this chapter can be downloaded here. Thanks to the students for all your great questions. If there’s any more, feel free to post them here as comments.

Posted by Aldo de Moor in CommunitySense, Presentations, 0 comments
30
Jul
2013

Research Communities 2.0

Deze presentatie laat zien hoe research communities door goed gebruik te maken van Internet het academisch onderzoeksproces kunnen helpen hervormen. Ik heb deze gegeven in het kader van de Masterclass Research Support die het Avans Leer- en Innovatiecentrum op 20 juni jl. heeft georganiseerd. De presentatie is gebaseerd op een hoofdstuk voor een boek (“Expanding the Academic Research Community: Building Bridges Into Society with the Internet”) wat binnenkort door Monash University Publishing gepubliceerd zal worden. Binnenkort zal ik dit hoofdstuk via deze blog beschikbaar stellen. Ook zal ik op 29 augustus een bewerkte versie van de presentatie geven als Honors Lecture op de University of Alabama in Huntsville.

[NB This presentation is in Dutch. An English version will be presented as an Honors Lecture at the University of Alabama in Huntsville on August 29 and made available through this blog afterwards]

Posted by Aldo de Moor in CommunitySense, Presentations, 0 comments
27
Jun
2013

New publication: Improving Communication for Collaboration in Social Innovation Projects – A Framework for Pragmatic Research

Just published: H. Weigand and A. de Moor (2013), Improving Communication for Collaboration in Social Innovation Projects – A Framework for Pragmatic Research. In Proc. of the 2nd international SIGPrag Workshop on IT Artefact Design and Workpractice Improvement (ADWI-2013), June 5, 2013, Tilburg, the Netherlands.

 

adwi

 

Abstract

Nowadays, many innovation projects are based on the collaboration of multiple parties to co-create value. Communication is a critical success factor. This paper introduces a pragmatic research framework that aims to improve communication practices in innovation projects. The framework draws on a revised Theory of Communicative Action in which the boundaries between spheres are explicitly acknowledged, as well as Bourdieu’s practice concept and the theory of boundary spanning. In this way, justice can be done to the many different communities that are involved in social innovation and the various ways they interact.

Posted by Aldo de Moor in CommunitySense, Publications, 0 comments
28
Apr
2013

Social Innovation Meetup: “Exploring Labs for Social Change” – presentation notes

130425_Social Innovation MeetupOn April 25, Social Innovation Meetup #4, organized by Hivos and Kennisland, was held in Amsterdam. Theme: “Exploring Labs for Social Change”.  Social innovation labs are very popular as instruments for “changing the system”. However, what actually happens in these labs? How do they help accomplish social change? What’s in “the black box”?

Keynote speakers sharing innovation stories from Kenya, Finland, and Canada were Daudi Were of Ushahidi, Marco Steinberg of the Helsinki Design Lab and Vanessa Timmer of One Earth. In the two days prior to the meetup, representatives of living labs (hubs, experimental learning spaces, etc.) from all over the world gathered in “Lab2“.  Together, these people in the vanguard explored new examples and solutions for system change, some of which were reported at the meetup.  
… Read more...
Posted by Aldo de Moor in Conferences, 0 comments