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The Imagine Cup How a Week in Paris Can Change Your View. October 13, 2008 Ed Granger-Happ, CIO SC/US Chairman, NetHope & GTRB. What’s the Imagine Cup?. Microsoft’s Global Student Technology Competition. What’s the Imagine Cup?.
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The Imagine CupHow a Week in Paris Can Change Your View October 13, 2008 Ed Granger-Happ, CIO SC/US Chairman, NetHope & GTRB
What’s the Imagine Cup? Microsoft’s Global Student Technology Competition
What’s the Imagine Cup? “Everything that the world may become "someday" lies in the hands of young people today. As they look at the road ahead, their close relationship with technology enables them to dream in ways we never have before. Put the two together, and you have young minds holding the tools that can make their vision a reality.”
Some Facts and Figures • Began a year ago with more than 200,000 student applications from over 100 countries • Narrowed to 3,000 plus projects that competed to represent over 60 countries • Total of 370 students from 124 teams representing 61 countries made it to the finals in Paris • Ages ranged from 16 to 24 • There were nine categories of competition: Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Development, "Project Hoshimi" (Programming Battle), IT Challenge, Algorithm, Photography, Short Film and Interface Design • Awards were presented to 27 teams • These were truly the best of the best
Day one began at City Hall
City Hall looks Like the Sistine Chapel
There’s even a Liberty Duex (fitting on this 4th of July Afternoon)
OK, So What Did I Really Do in Paris? • Judged the Software Design Category (13 team presentations) • Judged the inaugural Rural Innovation Award (5 team presentations) • Judging was based on 9-10 questions using a 10-point scale for each. The questions varied for each category • Heard the final 6 teams in Software Design and 6 in Embedded Development • Thirty presentations in all (out of 124 teams) • Watched the six finalist short films (OK, that was more like entertainment)
Why Spend a Week with Students from 61 Countries? “If you’re a CIO, you need to spend a lot of time out on the fringes of the Web because that’s where the innovation’s taking place. You need to spend a lot of time with people under 25 years old.” –Gary Hamel
Emerging Countries as a Leading Indicator • Some of the technologies being developed in and for developing countries may be a leading indicator of technology opportunities and trends in developed countries. --Jackie Fenn • The “weak signals” for good enough technology may come from the countries that have the greatest need for low-cost, pragmatic solutions
Where should we look for innovation and ideas? Children, Students 1. Child-facing Field Tech’s, Workers, Partners 2. Field-facing Increasing Distance from HQ Corporations 3. Donor-facing HQ 4. Supporting Inverting the pyramid 16
Positive Deviance • Jerry Sternin’s work in Vietnam; finding the families that were thriving in malnourished cultures and replicating the successes by turning these “positive deviants” into teachers and examples for the community • As you build your technology base of applications, look for where the success stories are occurring: spotlight & scale them!
So What Did I learn? • Cell Phones are the bookends for applications • More things than I imagined can be mashed up on maps • Social networks are avenues for mobilizing emergency response • A mediocre presentation won’t sell great software • If you want to know about the future of technology asking what are the leading indicators is the wrong question; it’s all about who are the leading indicators. For this, you need to pay attention to what the students are saying about technology • Imagination does not have limits
So What Did I learn? • Cell Phones are the bookends for applications • More things than I imagined can be mashed up on maps • Social networks are avenues for mobilizing emergency response • A mediocre presentation won’t sell great software • If you want to know about the future of technology asking what are the leading indicators is the wrong question; it’s all about who are the leading indicators. For this, you need to pay attention to what the students are saying about technology • Imagination does not have limits
A Sample Video Imagine Cup Team AcidRain Ireland