It’s a year since the iPad came on the market. At first, I admired it vicariously via my partner, who is an early adopter with most things technological, especially computers, cameras, music and bikes.  Once I got my fingers on it,  (I did resist for a week or so), I changed to “I want one.”

Since then, I am increasingly loving my iPad.  It goes where I go: into every room in the house, the car, the plane, the boat, the doctor, the dentist, the hair salon, the beach, the park, the local coffee shop, bars, restaurants, and workplaces, of course.  My iPad is with me, everywhere.

What makes it so valuable to me and why do I love it?  It’s what I am able to experience with the iPad (location agnostic) that makes it so amazingly worthwhile to me.  In one year, the quality, standard and variety of applications that are coming to market beyond games and utilities (that are okay on smart phones) have made the tablet form a superb tool for engaging with content across the world, from boardrooms to schoolrooms, from hospitals to coffee shops, from beaches to office blocks and wherever else it works for you!

If you don’t yet own one, please just read down the following list and imagine how awesome it is to experience all of the following activities with one single, simple, elegant device – and remember, you are not constrained by location!

• You read books, magazines, newspapers, emails, text messages, business documents.
• You watch films, videos, YouTube, TV
• You write poetry and stories
• You doodle
• You draw pictures and shapes
• You listen to music and speech and radio
• You play games.
• You touch, reposition, re-order objects and images
• You annotate copy
  
• You edit text
• You record voices and sounds
• You access information and resources in your world, your immediate environment or across the world
• You take photos and video
• You participate in virtual meetings and web conferences via Skype
• You learn new facts and gain knowledge from global sources
• You develop awareness from new connections
• You laugh
• You gaze in wonder
• You reflect on ideas
• You create and develop your own thoughts
• You connect with people through social media
• You share what you want with others

And, you can do so much more, so easily, so effectively, so efficiently, so enjoyably, so consciously.  You can have all this functionality, utility, fun and enjoyment on a device that is totally unobtrusive and mobile!  That is why it’s extra cool!

I am so convinced that applications on tablet devices, (specifically the iPad over the next couple of years while other operating systems and manufacturers come up to speed) will continue to be the leading and most innovative tool for connecting people with content, ideas and other people,  allowing for increased participation in meaningful, developmental ways. I’ve witnessed the faces of children, professionals, the sick and elderly all light up with interest and curiosity when offered an iPad to interact with. My delight and commitment to sharing good content and experiences through this medium has me now developing apps to help bring about transformational shifts at personal and community levels.  Embracing Change is my first application in partnership with Polymash Digital Arts.

In my next post, I will share some of my favorite apps and some of my learnings along the way, and in my third post on this topic, I will share my excitements about developing applications in the learning and development space.

Workshop details – FREE

Wednesday, July 28 2010 5:45 – 8:00 PM

You’re invited to experience Appreciative Inquiry in Action and discover your strengths in relation to selling. If you think you can’t sell, or wish to improve, come along to this workshop on the affirmative topic of PURPOSE-DRIVEN SELLING and discover strengths you did not know you had in relation to selling.

I  will be facilitating this workshop which is one of the 21 workshops in my new book, Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions: 21 Strength-based Workshops.

Location

John Jay College
899 10th Avenue @59th Street
New York, NY
Room 531

To Register

Please register in advance at this link:  http://bit.ly/bQZxcN
Questions: contact robyn @ positivematrix.com

I am equally inspired by their responses, so I’ve created a comment area on my blog for us to continue sharing ideas, stories, experiences, insights and aspirations.

Below are some examples of their emails:

“I read the activity about Business as a change agent in the world … I love the legacy aspect. So this gave me an idea for my storytelling….You inspired me at lunch, and also in the subway! This book arrives at the perfect time for me it seems!”

“Now that I’ve had a little time to actually read the book (the first few sections), I love it more. It’s got clear insights and your tapestry of weaving together the several strands that influence your thinking/this book is one of golden and silver threads. Just stunning synthesis and vision. This book is simply wonderful.  Much success!”

“I’m back in Germany now after a very exciting two weeks in New York City. Your workshop at Marymount was one of the highlights of the workshop circuit. I am planning on using appreciative inquiry in BPW and present it, as you did, as a useful trainer tool and at the same time to find out what members and prospective members want and need from BPW.  Perhaps I can also use the method in a team building workshop.”

“I’ve had a quick browse – what a wonderful resource it will be for the AI community ”

“I love your book! It’s a perfect tool for incorporating Appreciative Inquiry in group coaching/training, so I can’t wait to put it into action. Thanks for this beautiful work, it’s really going to change things ”

“Looking forward to working with your book – maybe already next week in an interview with a friend to capture her Art of Hosting training experience in Sweden last month. Will let you know -   Here is my little report from Friday’s event on Pioneers of Change.”

“Robyn Stratton-Berkessel led us through an Appreciative Inquiry exercise that showed us the power of hearing other people telling our own leadership story.”

“Can your workplace benefit from better collaboration + appreciation of each others work? Try @robbiecat‘ s workbook.”

Please also read my interview on Axiom News,  whose mission is “To be the news agency of the world’s most socially generative organizations’.

I am very grateful to you all!

And let’s keep sharing and here’s the comment area to share ideas and practices.

My publisher had emailed me 3 days earlier with the following heartwarming message:

It’s here and it’s beautiful!!!!
Congratulations.  You should get your copy soon.

I am really happy, as my book is a unique application of Appreciative Inquiry to the world of learning and development.  Amid global challenges and complexities, the Appreciative Inquiry worldview asks, “What is it that we do already that is working for us, and how can we leverage our strengths going forward?”

The twenty-one workshops in this book are on topics of strategic importance, addressing the desire and need, in our interconnected world, for greater participation and active collaboration in meaning making and resource sharing.   This book is for change agents, leaders, trainers, facilitators, organization development professionals, and consultants.

All 21 workshops are ready for delivery; the topics are all highly relevant in today’s world, and with the Appreciative Inquiry design, they are equally applicable in global corporations, local communities, schools, colleges, universities, government agencies, non-profits, non-governmental agencies, special interest groups, communities of practice, and small business.

Workshop titles include classic topics, such as team building, leadership, and change, as well as on newer topics, such as cultural diversity, corporate social responsibility, intergenerational mix, and social media, to name a few.

This book takes Appreciative Inquiry principles and processes and applies them to real, everyday work and relationship issues in a workshop format that allows organizational members to resolve issues and create solutions from a strength-based perspective.

See larger image Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions: 21 Strength-Based Workshops (Paperback) By (author) Robyn Stratton-Berkessel List Price: $60.00 USD New From: $43.51 In Stock Used from: $43.53 In Stock