Category: teamwork

Posted in 21st Century Learning, coding, collaboration, hackathon, parents and technology, programming, teamwork

Hackathon Participants Figure a Way to Identify Fake News

Posted on by Marti Weston
Photo used with permission of Hack Princeton Team
Photo used with permission of Hack Princeton Team

A week or so ago four college students at a Princeton University hackathon came up with a way to identify fake news on Facebook. You can read about the specific fake news solution at a Business Insider article, Students Solve Facebook’s Fake News Problem in 36 Hours.

A hackathon is an event attended by students who gather for a few days to focus on solving problems by using their programming skills. Collaboration is key. According to Zachary Liu, a manager for the Princeton event, about 600 students attended from over 80 universities.

Photo used with permission of Hack Princeton Team
Photo used with permission of Hack Princeton Team

A hackathon is 21st Century learning at its best. The aim of each event is to identify problems that need solving and encourage students to work collaboratively, using their programming (coding) skills, to figure out potential solutions.

At the Princeton event, and at many other hackathons around the country, there is no charge for room and board, and in some cases buses pick up participants at different schools. Travel costs can be reimbursed.      Continue reading “Hackathon Participants Figure a Way to Identify Fake News” →

Posted in 21st Century life, 21st Century parenting, digital devices, digital devices and gadgets, digital life, parents and technology, smartphones, teamwork

The Right Age for a Smartphone? Interesting NY Times Article

Posted on by Marti Weston

os7iphone-2Take a few minutes to read What’s the Right Age for a Child to Get a Smartphone? by Brian X Chen. The July 20, 2016 New York Times article includes interviews with Internet Safety experts and contains some advice from other parents.

The Take-aways? (Well, we know most of this, but reminders are always useful.)                      Continue reading “The Right Age for a Smartphone? Interesting NY Times Article” →

Posted in 21st century job hunting, collaboration, digital parenting, parents and technology, teamwork

Multi-Generational Teams Do the Best Work

Posted on by Marti Weston

Have you been ever in a work situation where you feel especially old — as younger colleagues occasionally roll their eyes, proudly demonstrating their up-to-the-minute technology skills? Or maybe you’ve seen more experienced workers shoot down younger worker’s ideas. Lots of people in mid and late career periods, well people of all ages really, note these frustrations. It’s not all about age or technology — it’s about working together.

…and guess what?

Teams with differing ages and skills are often the most productive. While technology skills are important, collaborative skills and teamwork are more significant. In today’s fast-changing world, we are spending considerable effort teaching tech-savvy students how to work together with people who have differing perspectives and different kinds of ideas. Twenty-first Century employers are on the lookout for workers who can collaborate.

Sometimes older and more experienced team members offer points of view that add innovative problem-solving puzzle pieces to a team’s project. Younger workers can push limits and eagerly try new things. Older workers can also be skilled mentors. Skilled leadership, the ability to help people form a cohesive team, is a key to success.

Read, Why Multi-Generational Teams Are Best, over at bNet, the CBS Interactive Business Network.

Two broad reasons that a variety of age groups work together well and produce better results:                 Continue reading “Multi-Generational Teams Do the Best Work” →