Tag: rethink

My Three Words for 2014!

Business January 4, 2014
reconnect my 3 words

Thursday, I wrote about how my plan to capture my year plan with three words. Today, I reveal what they are.

Last year was a year of transition work wise. I had the gut to close At Home with Kim Vallee, the lifestyle blog that became my business. I questioned what I truly want to do for living. I analyzed business opportunities. I looked at where the market is heading. Should I create an agency, launch a startup or simply work as a consultant? I had too many choices. Now that I focus on consulting and training, I’m back into the game. I feel stronger and more confident about my choice.

This year is definitely about actions. It is about making things happen. My three words for 2014 are:

You want a 2,500 Square Feet House in 20 hours. Call your printer.

Business November 5, 2013
contour crafting

Most stories about 3D printers highlight what customers, designers and small businesses could do with their own 3D printer. When comes the time to produce robust pieces, you will need an industrial 3D printer. The process is known as additive manufacturing in the manufacturing industries. 3D printers have been used for a while now when it comes to producing prototypes and medical implants. I read in Technology review that GE aims to print the nozzles of jet engines that are due to go into planes in late 2015 or early 2016. This means that they are confident about the quality of the printed pieces.

It does stop there! 3D printing could change the home building industry forever. In this TED Talk video, Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis, a professor at the University of Southern California demonstrates that automated construction could become a reality sooner than later, if we are willing to give it a chance.

How a Web series made me think of how to break down silos

Business October 25, 2013
la grande idee :: infopresse

Watching La Grande Virée (not online anymore), a Web series produced by Infopresse in collaboration with Cogeco, made me think of how we could recycle the concept to explore new ways to work on projects.

To give you a little bit of background, La Grande Virée is an experiment where 14 advertising professionals — originally split into two teams — had to create and produce a new campaign for a non-profit organization. They have 2 days to do, from start to finish. The campaign will then be published on the various media platforms of Cogeco.

As I started watching the 6 currently available episodes of La Grande Virée, my initial thought was that a business could reproduce the concept of this Web series to explain what they do their clients and prospects. A business could use it to demonstrate their expertise. Seeing in action how your team members execute a mandate could educate your prospective clients and will reveal more about your culture and skills than reading your Web site.

Preparing Our Kids for the Job Market of Today and Tomorrow

Family September 4, 2013

As an entrepreneur, a citizen and a parent, I am concerned about our education system. I question how we educate kids, and more importantly, how we can give kids the best chances to succeed in life and at work. I am not alone with that concern. Homeschooling and the emergence of digital schools are an indication that some parents and students aren’t happy with the current school system.

Many thinkers, like Sir Ken Robinson, are looking at ways to change education from the ground up. Yes, the conversation goes further than whether kids should use a tablet in the classroom. It is the entire system that must be adapted to a new reality. Changing a few pieces at a time won’t work because there will be missing pieces. For example, you need to have applications and train teachers about the possibilities of the iPad. Turning the old books into a digital format won’t cut it. Teachers will need to reinvent how they teach their courses.

What we need to do is rethink the curriculum, the teaching methods, the tools that teachers and students will use, the workshops, and how this impacts the design of the classrooms and the school. We should also rethink the school calendar and the activities. More importantly, we must rethink the purpose of education in 2013 and beyond.