Peter Bowden

Is LEGO setting up your son for a left-brained outsourced job?

Peter Bowden — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:49:46 +0000

I recently read the book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink, a great look at changes in our world that are pushing us toward a new right-brained (creative & relational) ruling class. That’s right, long gone are the days when logic and rule governed knowledge workers could have their pick of cushy jobs. India can take care of those positions for far less, and they have more honors students than America has students! Now its the creatives who have the skills to dominate, and I think LEGO may be setting up all your sons for failure…

With that in mind, you have to watch the Youtube video series The Lego Boys Club — Lego and Gender. You may watch part 1 above and part 2 at end of post.

As I watched I couldn’t help but think that LEGO is reinforces play that under values everything we want and need our children to be in order to succeed.

Okay, pause here and watch the videos. You can also click play and listen while you finish reading my post.

Two of the most important skills are

innovative thinking
empathy/relational skills

Watching The Lego Boys Club the play they are promoting appears to be

combative, violent
assembly of prescribed sets

Isn’t that the opposite of what we’re looking for? I remember building with beautiful rainbow bricks that I could make anything out of. Yes, they still have those, but try telling Junior he can’t have the super slick Star Wars sets. I love Star Wars, but with these and other sets the children are focusing on combat and brick by brick following the blueprints for building specific buildings and vehicles that someone else designed.

Brick by brick building something someone else designed…

Did you read that

Brick by brick building something someone else designed…

Sure, its fun to play in that Universe, but its a Universe someone else imagined. And the sets are all mapped out. Okay, sure you can mix and match and make other things, but when I tried to do that with a friends son, he was not happy that I deviated from the plan. “You’re suppose to make a ______ with these.”

Your suppose to do this.
Your suppose to build that.
Do what you’re told young knowledge worker!

Now don’t get me wrong. I love Lego building blocks. And my 3 year old daughter does too! But she builds with the raw building blocks, no sets. If she wants to build a Star Wars battle cruiser she can, but she’s going to have to figure out how to do it from scratch.

I know that some day she’s going to want one of those over designed, follow the blueprint sets. I’ll let her. But then I think I’ll buy several sets at once. Maybe mix them up and file away the directions. If she can figure out how to build what’s on the box from the pictures alone that’s fine. Nothing wrong with mastering a little reverse engineering!

Curious George promo with kids

Peter Bowden — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:45:30 +0000

Here’s a fun promo for Curious George including some of the live action. Each Curious George story is followed by an interstitial segment featuring kids modeling how viewers can engage with the same science, math and design engineering concepts as George did.

If you want to engage, you need to go where the people are…

Peter Bowden — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:56:03 +0000

As someone working with communication, social media is becoming an increasingly important part of my work. Every time I speak and mention Facebook there is almost always someone who declares they are never going on Facebook. For these people I think I need to print out wallet cards with this infographic. Okay, maybe too complex for a wallet card. A poster? If you want to engage with people, you need to know where they are. Facebook! Graphic Source: The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic.

Click for full size

Source: The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic

Social Media on Star Island next week

Peter Bowden — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:27:27 +0000

Next week I’ll be on Star Island, an island off the coast of NH, leading a week-long workshop on Social Media, Technology and Culture Change as it relates to congregations.

Interested in scheduling an event for your organization? Let’s talk… Write to me and we can schedule a call. Email Facebook Twitter

Video Blogging with the UU World Magazine

Peter Bowden — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:28:46 +0000

During the 2011 annual conference of the Unitarian Universalist Association June 22-26 I did some video blogging in partnership with the UU World Magazine. 14 videos all together. You can see them all here.

Keeping up with Social Media

Peter Bowden — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:39:12 +0000

This Spring I’ve been speaking regularly on the impact of cultural, demographic and technological trends on non-profits, including liberal congregations. Particularly how social media is changing how organizations need to engage with their constituents. What was particularly telling is that from one keynote and workshop to another, generally one or two weeks apart, the technology was changing on me! New offerings from Skype, changing Facebook layouts, and on and on. So, for the record, let me say that it is not easy keeping up. It takes consistent energy and intention. Kind of reminds me of that classic I Love Lucy segment in the chocolate factory (below). The changes keep coming and coming and coming…

Social Media Revolution (refreshed)

Peter Bowden — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:28:12 +0000

This week I mentioned the refreshed version of Erik Qualman’s Social Media Revolution video in a keynote I was offering to a group of educators. For conference participants, here’s the video as promised.

Peep Season 5

Peter Bowden — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:18:12 +0000

Right now we’re working on filming the live action segments for Peep and the Big Wide World season 5. We first started working on this show in early 2002. Almost 10 years! Take a look at this list of activity segments we’ve produced so far.

Making Giant Icicle Castles

Peter Bowden — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:06:30 +0000

Here in Boston our roof is producing icicles at an amazing rate. I’ve been removing them from the roof of our front porch when they get over three feet long. What to do with all those icicles? Make icicle castles!

This photo was taken after several days of melting, but you get the idea. The larger chunk on the right is what was left after knocking a five foot icicle off the edge of the roof.

“Peep and the Big Wide World” inspired craft projects

Peter Bowden — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:52:14 +0000

Here are some fun activities for kids posted on WGBH’s website inspired by the show Peep and the Big Wide World. I’m on the team producing the live action segments. Always fun to see what people do at home. The video and original post are by Angel Street Mom and are cross posted on the WGBH site.

Note there are more activities in the post than in the video. Make sure your check out the full Angel Street Mom post.