Mon, May 09, 2005
Flame Warriors Gallery by Mike Reed
The humorous Flame Warriors site explores the various types of people who get involved in “flame wars” (i.e. disputes on discussion lists, web boards or blogs). Website proprietor Mike Reed is an illustrator who has used his skill at caricature to create a rogues gallery of of several dozen illustrations. Be sure to check out the fate of the “Diplomat” who dares to butt in to an online dispute unprepared! 
Thu, May 05, 2005
Brynania Peacebuilding Simulation
The Brynania Simulation, run annually by McGill University Professor Rex Brynen, is intended to recreate many of the issues and challenges that confront real life decision-makers concerned with war-to-peace transitions. Participants (or teams of participants) assume the role of different parties (regional actors, selected external states, international organizations and NGOs) over the course of 10 days of interaction done mainly via email, supplemented by occasional face-to-face and online meetings. The simulation, now quite well-developed, is part of the Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Reconstruction course offered by McGill’s Political Science Department. 
Teaching Guide on Peace Education for English Language Learners
This 100+ page Teaching Guide on Peace Education was prepared by the United States Institute for Peace, based on the framework of a manual for Israeli and Palestinian high school students developed by Edy Kaufman and Manuel Hassassian. It is divided into five sections: Trust Building, Defining Conflict, Prejudice Awareness and Reduction, Communication, and Conflict Management. The guide includes all lesson plans, student handouts and instructions.
WebQuests for Teachers Tutorials at CommunityMX
Shari German has prepared a series of three short articles on WebQuests for Teachers that provides a good overview of developing WebQuests and points the reader to useful resources in the process. If you are thinking about building a WebQuest, this is a good way to get oriented. 
Wed, May 04, 2005
Newsmap Makes Google News “Heat Sensitive”
Programmer Marcos Wescamp has created a visual flash interface for Google News called Newsmap that makes scanning the news more engaging. News headlines are presented to fit on one page, with the news items that are more important in larger type. Stories that are fresher have backgrounds of brighter color. The opening page is divided into the seven categories of newsñWorld, Nation, Business, Technology, Sports, Entertainment and Health. Each section has its own area on the page, which is easily identified by a color scheme. Probably the best way to understand it is to have a look. 
Tue, May 03, 2005
Conflict Resolution - Work It Out (Student produced video)
This short two and a half minute quicktime video on conflict resolution was developed by students at the Rhodes Technology Academy in 2002 in their Advanced Video Production class with production done by William Davis. It shows middle school age students discussing and enacting the kinds of problems that lead to violence and alternative behaviors that can help eliminate it. 
Sun, May 01, 2005
Video Interview with Jennifer Lynch on Dispute Systems Design
Dispute Systems Design is an area of conflict resolution work that involves examining an organization or practice area and developing a conflict resolution procedure that minimizes the negative costs of conflict for the participants and broader system. In this video (97 mb) Jennifer Lynch explains her work developing a system for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Ms. Lynch leads PDG Group, a consulting firm that provides change management advice to leadership (management and labour) in public and private organizations. The video was made in September 2004 when John Ford interviewed her about organizational conflict management and system design. (Thanks for John for the link…)
File details:
Play Length: 52 minutes
Format: Windows Media
File size : Close to 100mb (best results with broadband)
http://www.mediate.com/interviews/jenniferlynch.wmv