One part of this Open Innovation phenomenon seems to be crowdsourcing and providing addictive user experiences.
In that sense the latest opening of Google was interesting:
Welcome to Google for Educators
In their own words: "We are inviting teachers to share your best ideas for using Google technology to innovate in the classroom."...." The Google Teacher Academy is a pilot program designed to help K-12 educators get the most from innovative technologies."
This is actually nothing new, for example Microsoft has had similar programs: Partners in Learning. Still, I see that Google's invitation is more addictive, just look at those teacher interviews behind every Google tool. Still, this kind of integration of business, teachers and kids is not an easy topic. I wonder what Professor Nigel Thrift would say/write about this? His latest article "Re-inventing invention: new tendencies in capitalist commodification" is worth reading.
C-o-n-n-e-c-t-i-o-n : I am currently writing with Maria Antikainen and Marko Mäkipää an article for The Second Finnish Mass Customization and Personalization Forum - MCPF 2006. Our draft title (not a final one;-) "What Motivates Customers to Innovate and Participate for Free
- Web 2.0 Communities and Mass-Customisation".
Perhaps Google for Educators will be one of the cases we will present?! We are not in a hurry, the article will be out in January 2007.
Any comments about the Google for Educators? Do you see the link with mass-customisation superficial ... or realistic?
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