DiploNews – Issue 225 – 3 April 2013
Online Learning Day
The Online Learning Day (17 April 2013, 10.00–12.00 CET – online; and 18.00–20.00 CET – Geneva) is part of Diplo’s E-diplomacy Platform and builds on the first Geneva E-diplomacy Day (16 November 2012). Online learning allows busy professionals to continue training without taking time off from work and family life. At the same time, online learning is maturing: learning methodologies are improving and new platforms are emerging. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are reaching thousands of learners worldwide, while this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos signalled that online learning is likely to be one of the main global developments of 2013.
The Online Learning Day aims to facilitate an informed discussion on online learning. In order to reach a wider audience and showcase best use of technology for e-participation, the morning session of this event will take place online (10.00–12.00 CET) and is open to participants from anywhere in the world. The evening session will be an informal meet-up style gathering at Diplo’s office in Geneva. Discussion in the morning will look at the latest trends in online learning, teaching practical topics effectively online, gaining trust in online learning, and lifelong learning. Please help us decide which themes to address during the morning online session by taking a short online poll. For more information and to register please visit the event webpage.
Save the date: [Webinar] Essential E-tools for diplomats
Mr Stefano Baldi, Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union, Italian diplomat and one of pioneers in the field of e-diplomacy has selected a list of essential tools that he finds both simple to use and effective. In our next live webinar on e-diplomacy on Friday,12th April at 14:00 CET, he will try to answer some of the following questions: What is an e-tool?What is a fundamental e-toolbox? What are other non-essential but useful tools in e-diplomacy? What are the skills needed for a 2.0 diplomat? You can register online for this event.
Our next Advanced Diplomatic Webinar Evolution of Diplomacy IV is scheduled for Friday, April 26th 14:00 CET.
Summer online courses
This summer, starting on 22 July, Diplo offers the following courses:
Apply by 20 May for University of Malta accredited courses and by 17 June for Diplo Certificate Courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website. Register now to reserve your place.
For a limited time, we’re also still accepting applications for the following courses starting the week of 6 May:
Please visit our courses website to apply.
What's been happening in Diplo's blogosphere
In the wake of Diplo’s online discussion on persuasion, the essence of diplomacy, Katharina Höne takes a look at the conference contributions in light of Metaphors for Persuasion. On a similar theme, Aldo Matteucci looks at Circumstances: the great persuader.
Greek diplomacy is a hot topic with Aldo checking to see if Greek-style diplomacy is emerging in today’s world and Jovan Kurbalija asking What can Twitter diplomacy learn from Ancient Greek diplomacy? In his blog post, In praise of random promotions, Aldo argues that despite the warning that past performance in business is no indicator of future success, past performance is, in fact, the basis of meritocracy. Continuing in this business mode, Aldo also looks at what happens As diplomacy and business merge…
In her post When Mislers misle themselves and us, Biljana Scott takes an interesting look at how the verb ‘to misle’ has become popular slang for ‘to dupe’ or ‘to lie’, ever sine Hans Blix announced in 2005 that he thought the public misled themselves. Amb. Kishan Rana asks Why bilateral diplomacy? Is it relevant in an age of multilateral activity and global conferences?
While Jovan investigates how we can go about Developing more inclusive and effective diplomacy, Aldo takes up the NYT debate as to whether diplomacy needs star power in his post Celebrity diplomacy: Vanities and inanities. In Cultural differences (a tale of prejudice), he also takes a look at how some can use a simple photo (worth checking out!) to celebrate inventiveness, while others can use it to stigmatise.
Share your thoughts: you can comment on these, or any of Diplo’s blog posts.
Discussing Internet governance
Last week, a DDoS attack, dubbed ‘the biggest ever of such kind’, shook the Internet community. Diplo’s Vladimir Radunovic explained how the cyber-attack took place, and its effects. While not many people may have felt any remarkable delays, the mitigation efforts and the consequences are substantial. Read more in Waging a (private) cyberwar.
On Diplo’s IG community site, Grace Mutung’u wrote about the Kenyan experience with using technology during the recent general elections. Now that the new government (the Jubilee Coalition government) has been sworn in, Grace discusses the government’s promise to provide solar-powered laptops to schoolchildren within the first 100 days in office.
Robert Kikonyogo informs us that the National Information Technology Authority of Uganda (NITA-U) is carrying out sensitisation workshops on the laws that govern the Electronic Signatures, Electronic Transactions and the Computer Misuse Act. Read more in Electronic Signatures Act in Uganda.
Social media statistics provide insight into the demographic effects, and show us, for example, how citizens of a certain age have not embraced social media to the extent young people have. Tom Kizito Mayengo analyses the stats in Demographic effects on Social media and Internet penetration.
To read IG-related blog posts, follow Diplo’s Internet governance blog roll, and follow blog posts and comments on Diplo’s IG community site.
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