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WebDev
2001
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WebDev
2000

An interesting effect of merging teams of contestants and their cumulative points as the game progressed -- an intentional reversal of The Weakest Link, a TV game show in which a team gradually reduces itself to minimize winners -- was that it turned out to be a very close game, with only a one-point margin between the teams. The runners-up were awarded fairy wands (a traditional problem-solving device in the GCC Innovation Center) while the winning team took home royal scepters.

In the spirit of the feedback theme, the planners of "The Strongest Link" asked Ron Bleed to follow this session with an impromptu response to the exercise:

"Thank you, all those who did this wonderful exercise, who planned and prepared it. That was great; that really stimulated us a lot. I know they spent a lot of work for several months to do this, and when you get a chance to thank them, please do so.

"Just a couple comments, impressions I had...

"First of all, the questions and answers certainly get a lot harder the more pervasive this technology is becoming. When I started here 20 years ago, we had like 74 academic workstations across all the colleges. So the answers, and how we manage them at the colleges and District Office certainly were a lot easier than what we were bringing up here. The newness, also -- this is a seven-year-old field, basically, about which we're raising all these questions.

"Another thing that's bothered me is that we're asking all these challenging questions about technology that we don't ask about a lot of other things in this district. Maybe that's a darn good thing, though -- that we are facing up to these things first. There are many other things, where these so-called abuses may be existing but we never bring those to the same light that we do Internet technology.

"The final point I'd make is that it proves that technology is a tool, a vehicle only in this exercise. I think it really stimulated the discussions. The discussions at the table where I was at were great discussions, much better I think than if we had flip charts. So we view the technology as a tool, that more importantly brings people together to discuss things. I think we're on the right track. This was a great exercise, and it demonstrated how [technology] can most of all bring people together...

"So, enjoy your lunch and have a great day!"

Proceed to:
In the Loop: Sharing Innovations in Scheduled Sessions

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