Follow The Leader

Class REP's Voted In

Morning BIPlings,

Apologies again for my mysterious lack of posts of the last few days, but I started one of our textbooks last wednesday evening and I have just finished the first chapter this morning it's like wading through porridge!

Last week we had our local elections and voted in our Class Representatives, Dave Bushe, Irene Bergin and Andrew 'Red Pants' Kinsella! The Sunday Independent is rumoured to have a breaking news story about the elections for the front page this week, it all centres around the financial reporting during one of the candidates campaigns. But I digress more on the breaking news as we have it!

I attempt on a daily basis to take the temperature of the class so to speak and to understand the daily feelings, for want of a better word, of the room as a whole. With those 'feelings' in mind I have put together a 'wish list' for the reps!

1. Printing Station - I am sure with the resources at the disposal of the academy that a simple pay per use printing station could be made available! Before someone screams 'environmentally friendly' if the cost was slightly higher than average and a recycled paper was used, also a recycling bin at the printer I am sure the carbon footprint wouldn't be anything that would keep us up at night! I am quite sure DCU main campus has several areas available for students to print.
2. Moodle & Non Related Class Questions - Could you please for the love of God, get the message out that anything unrelated to the class in front of us, the lecturers won't (shouldn't) answer! Our face time is limited and sometimes seems to be caught up with someone who can't log on to Moodle or can't find coursework! There have been several occasions over the past 2 weeks where the lecturers have been visibly annoyed by the questions of some of our peers, there are plenty of people in the room that do know and can help! There is also a bloody helpline, use your new found power and position to influence this please!
3. COFFEE - I cannot function without coffee and as we have the facilities, can a FUND be put in place to get some real coffee! I would gladly give a euro a week (and I am sure others would as well) to ensure we don't have to endure any more Maxwell House warm water!
4. Social Events - It was discovered and shared that there was over 2000 years of experience in the room and the average age was 49 (my God we're old (except me!!)), I think it would definitely be no harm for you to arrange some sort of social event where in a comfortable setting the social minded among us could meet and network/chat about things other that innovation SIDEBAR: I am now constantly bombarded by the word innovation on a daily basis anybody else getting that!.

Thats all my suggestions for now, but my fingers on the pulse of the BIPlings every day I am sure it will not end here.

We have just received some breaking news on the Blipping Student's desk, Fianna Fail is looking to appoint Andrew Kinsella campaign manager for the next election. This comes on the back of rumours that Andrew Kinsella was supported through the campaign by Snap Printing CEO. This allegation has been strongly denied and Andrew has stated very clearly that the campaign funds were donations from 'Friends' and the money was only 'resting in his account'. Andrew refused to comment this morning but fears are now raised that he could be removed from the Technical Group similar to the way Mick Wallace was earlier in the political season! More as this story progress'!

If you have news that the BIPlings should be aware of drop me a line at BLIPPING STUDENT , as you can see we will print unfounded allegations about anybody and anything in an unprofessional loose cannon sort of way. We will have a review of last week up before too long and will get down to the issues posed this week before the weekend.

I will be back soon with some more vital news for all of you, but I better start to concentrate here!


The BLIPPING STUDENT
dcublip3@gmail.com

p.s. Comments welcome but often ignored!

Week 2 - Down to Business

Down to Business

A Day for Searching the Soul!

Afternoon All,
Firstly thanks to Brendan today for putting the details of the Blog and Twitter feed up for the class to see, this is an opportunity for the whole class to interact and comment on the days events. While I will attempt to throw my opinion on the days info, I am far from infallible and always be receptive to the critical and constructive views of my peers! Plus this is meant to put a lighter point of view across.

We started the day with Innovation Management, with Geraldine. Today's class had much more of a college feel to it and I was immediately aware of the more focused approach to the course content and the stark realization that we were in fact here to learn! But I have a bone to pluck with Geraldine, Archimedes with a Rubber Duck in the Bath, c'mon! See Below the picture relevant to Archimedes discovery of Mass,

The picture of Archimedes with the Rubber Duck shows him discovering the Law of Buoyancy, attention to detail! Despite this rather discommoding cock up the rest of the lecture went pretty well, with us discovering more Eureka moments from inventions past, Thomas Eddison and the Lightbulb (eventually) & Pringles among them.  

The afternoon saw the introduction of Brendan Martin to proceedings a man with an enigmatic charm comparing to that of Danny DeVito , our research project leader for the course. He started his presentation with his own introduction, straight forward enough, he went on to look for the class' support in his pursuit of personal  constructive criticism with regard to his presentation slides and also reminded us to be very critical indeed of all the lecturers PowerPoint slides. He was insistent that we at every opportunity ensure that his work is of the best standard, outlining that slides should be no more than 35 words long, clear concise and without too many bullet points to ensure the reader has clarity of the message being delivered.

BRENDAN,

SLIDE 1 - 63 Words +

SLIDE 2 - 65 Words +

However when we got down to business proper Brendan gave us the QUOTE OF THE WEEK,

"Get out of yer Box"

We went on to explore our personal profiles and were sent on our way today with HOMEWORK!, now that's a new one. We have the Jung/Myers psychological profile to complete which will give us a guide to how well we play with others and interact at work. For more insight into this pretty common HR tool CLICK HERE, it will give you a guide to your responses and the Personality Type you are. It is definitely a bonus to understand the results of this test and how you can apply it in teamwork, career and interviewing. 

The practical research project represents over half the marks for the course so in reality we will be depending on the lectures and guidance of Brendan over the next couple of months to help us all get across the line with this one. I am sure I am not the only that does not know quiet what to expect from the placement phase of the course and the Team work aspect of same! I have worked in productive and destructive teams in the past and can find it very hard to conform to the politics of the workplace and the dynamics of teams, I say what I mean and mean what I say and if that upsets or offends (which it often does) then Tough Sh*t. I have a feeling the competitive nature of  teams & people and necessary confrontation that will bring about will be new to some of our class mates, but if it is taken that it will be a personal development tool we must embrace it and as Brendan highlighted we rarely get the opportunity to select our workmates and that may be similar for the tasks ahead.

With all that said it may be prudent to take the Personality Profiles a little more seriously and then evaluate ourselves and those around us to ensure where possible we create balanced teams. Ensuring all the necessary skill-sets are addressed within your team. Napoleon Hill's famous early 20th Century book 'Think and Grow Rich' highlighted the importance of 'Mastermind' groups where we ensure that we pull together people around us that will help, advise and develop us personally and professionally to ensure success. This is a task we must complete here.

We move on to Tuesday with the enlightening lecture in Project Management from David Staunton, a little bit more information on our project management lecturer HERE.

Until my next bout of Verbal Diarrhea,

A BLIPPING STUDENT 

Guerilla Attention Test

Count the White Team Passes Again

Focus - Focus - Focus - AAAAAHHHH Guerilla!

Hi Guys,

Just for those of you who may have missed the attention test posed by Mick Rock last week during our Induction Day, here it is again below! Post a comment on how many passes the White Team makes during the clip!!

The key points Mick highlighted during his Attitudes & Belief session were;

1. Change your Mindset
2. Control your Focus
3. Be Persistent
4. Mind Your Language
5. Take Action

The mindset and aptitude for changing one's mindset is a very important tool, in fact people have made millions just teaching/preaching this i.e. Anthony Robbins and the like. This culminates in what Henry Ford said;

"Whether you believe you are right or whether you believe you are wrong, you're right!"

Until Next Post,

A BLIPPING STUDENT

A Baptism of Fire - Now Thats Innovation!

Week 1 Down  - Innovation Now That's New, is it?

A 'Frank' look at how we got here!

Evening All,

After the first few days of DCU's Ryan Academy course on Innovation it is inherently apparent that even after years of work and study, my perceptions of Project Management, Innovation and after today even Evolution have been shattered. It has been revealed today by Frank Munnelly's distinct view and enlightening outlook on Innovation that in fact nothing can be considered new anymore it is but a reincarnation of that which already exists. Confused? I am! But then we should be or so we have been told.

I have a feeling already that perceptions will be destroyed and that the 'fundamentalists' will be rooted out by Frank's powerful views on Innovation and the practicalities of Innovative thinking. While our effervescent Academic Director Geraldine Lavin provided an 'Apprentice' feel to her inaugural proceedings where teams were created, managed and observed for their creative brilliance on a project more vague than that of the E-Voting machines (although I feel we may have accomplished more in less time and spending but a minute fraction of the cash), and like the E-Voting debacle in the end no one was wrong and certainly nobody was fired!

And that is where the early confusion, frustration and attempts at understanding have come unstuck by the (plus 35 - Thanks Frank) class of 2012/13 in the Business Innovation Programme, Innovation in and of itself is quite vague & up for interpretation! Despite David Staunton's excellent personally preferred definition of the concept of Innovation in Tuesday afternoons session it is inherently apparent that the brilliant minds of our day and that of the recent past have failed (somewhat) to come together on an overarching, all encompassing definition of 'What Is Innovation?', that they all can agree on! It's creativity - no it's not, sort of! It's invention, not really but kinda! It's Change - Yes & No! It's being New, but not!

It's early days and this immature student is far from getting weary of the debate, interaction and questions posed by the course. In fact I would come back Thursday to continue to digest opinion and shatter perceptions but I fear the flame doth burn too brightly and thus too quick and I must temper my enthusiasm and hunger for my innovation fix until Monday hence!

I share the above musings with you all as a way to review my first few days experience. As most of us returned to the classroom for the the first time in quite some time, it was obvious the nerves, trepidation and anxiousness throughout the class, which is of no surprise. Our BIP team however led by the beaming smile of Anne Marie Scott made sure that everyone was welcome and settled in neatly, it reminded me of my time in Junior Infants in primary school. All we have to make sure now is that we all play nice, for my part I will post intermittent musings and observations here weekly and also through my Twitter Account throughout the course or until I am silenced by the powers that be for the careless, sarcastic and sometimes caustic spin put on events over the term.

Until my next bout of verbal diarrhea, 

A BLIPPING STUDENT