The 3L Mantra to live by!

COLUMN Why role models are a scam Why do we insist on role models for our children? Why do we need fiction to aspire to when reality with its messiness is a better teacher? Every New Year starts with a media frenzy, offering us a buffet of role models. Reflective celebrities renewing their feminist vows in the post #metoo era. Ordinary heroes braving last year’s tragedies of hurricanes and terrorism. Past icons reviving in the history books. While the role models refresh every year, the idea of them as essential to our personal growth is unwavering. What do we do when role models disappoint? The year 2017 saw a host of role models fall to the ground due to sexual misconduct allegations. Can Louis C.K make us laugh anymore? Is Charlie Rose still a brilliant anchor and Kevin Spacey still one of our favorite actors? Role models do not have the privilege of redemption. They are frozen as ideal types for us to emulate. When they lose their perfection, they appear no longer usef...

Every year, The Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg (ISO)  holds an election for Teacher of the Year in higher education  across the Netherlands. ISO is the largest national student organization in the Netherlands and represents over half a million students of universities and universities of applied sciences. For 2018, I have been nominated by the Rector and the university board to represent my university for this national competition. Am very honored and grateful. Now the waiting game to see if I reach the finalists in April. Crossing fingers here!

South Africa, here I come! Am excited to finally head to the African continent for the first time. Will be speaking on how prizes are being used to spur innovation and strengthen the digital economies in emerging markets. My talk draws from the commissioned report for the UN on innovation in education in developing countries. Am being hosted by the timely initiative and network established by Richard Heeks and team called the DIODE network (Development Implications of Digital Economies) , funded by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council. Besides this, I will be exploring new sites for my research on privacy in the global South in Cape town. Also, I am looking into how I can further the mission of Catalyst Lab , the organization I founded in 2015 that stimulates new forms of engaging communication between academia and the lay public using social media. I will be exploring a partnership with CREST (Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology) at Stellen...