Tutor Education

Get schooled in ‘Economic Complexity’ with MIT and Harvard

November 24, 2011
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Get schooled in ‘Economic Complexity’ with MIT and Harvard

Licensed through the Creative Commons, The Atlas of Economic Complexity: Mapping Paths to Prosperity is a collaborative project that builds visualizations on import/export trade flow of products and goods. Once the visualization is built, learners can scroll their mouse over each category for further details. Click here to read up on the research methodology used. With green marking ‘garments’ let’s check out a tree map of Cambodia for exports in 2009 (click on the image to be taken to the interactive map): Visualizations can also be built in stacked area charts and product space visualizations. Here’s a product space map of Hong Kong...

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Anti-Slavery International targets European Parliament through Cotton Crimes campaign

November 23, 2011
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Anti-Slavery International targets European Parliament through Cotton Crimes campaign

Anti-Slavery International has recently relaunched their Cotton Crimes campaign with a new video. “It is our hope that, through our short video, we will reach out, inform and encourage people to act in the interests of the children of Uzbekistan.” (Samuel Cooper, Anti-Slavery International) Anti-Slavery International is calling on the European Parliament to remove preferential trade tariffs with Uzbekistan. Click here for more information and to sign the petition. Over 60 international retailers have joined forces to boycott Uzbek cotton, publicly stating their commitment to the eradication of forced child labour through the Responsible Sourcing Network, an As You Sow...

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READ // Let’s Clean Up Fashion 2011, Labour Behind the Label reports

September 16, 2011
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READ // Let’s Clean Up Fashion 2011, Labour Behind the Label reports

Labour Behind the Label has released a new report, Let’s Clean up Fashion 2011: The state of pay behind the UK high street (LCUF). With respect to a living wage on the high street, this is the 5th edition in a series of LCUF reports from LBL. The findings have ranked Levi Strauss and Gap Inc. with a score of 1 out of 5 (along side H&M, and others), while Zara, Monson and NEXT were found with the highest scores at 3.5 out of 5. According to LBL, initiatives taking living wage seriously must be grounded by four essential...

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ATTEND // Sustain – Fashion/Textile Tutor Conference, Fashioning an Ethical Industry

September 11, 2011
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ATTEND // Sustain – Fashion/Textile Tutor Conference, Fashioning an Ethical Industry

“Ethics are on the agenda. Those involved in fashion education need to be teaching the next generation of industry players – fashion students – about the social and environmental impact of the industry so they can find creative and innovative solutions in the fashion industry of the future.” (Fashioning an Ethical Industry) 28th September 2011  – 10.30 – 3.30 Impact Art’s new Eco-chic Shop, 45 High Street, Glasgow This conference for fashion & textile tutors will feature industry and academic speakers and will provide those involved in fashion education: with background information to ethics in the industry ideas and...

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LEARN // We Day introduces new teacher resources for pre-16 learners

September 10, 2011
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LEARN // We Day introduces new teacher resources for pre-16 learners

Just in time for the new school year, Free the Children has launched an updated We Day website, showcasing their lesson plans for elementary and secondary school educators and learners. Topics include the Millennium Development Goals, children’s rights, clean water, hunger, education and community mapping, among others. This is what it’s all about—empowering educators to empower learners. Although the lessons and activities are not published through the Creative Commons, they are downloadable for free in PDF. Here are some videos on child labour and globalization, presented by Dr. Jonathan White, Professor of Sociology and Political Economy at Bridgewater State...

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Otto von Busch Hacks Fashion Theory

September 2, 2011
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Otto von Busch Hacks Fashion Theory

As you know, we’re huge fans of Otto von Busch for his innovative work and research in ir/responsible fashion and hackivism. In a recent project, Otto hacks fashion theory through a series of small booklets. We’ve just added them to our required reading list and so should you! “Fashion is the celebration of the immediate future. By being constantly new, fashion indicates that the future can be something else, and it pulls us there, by force almost, promising the endless possibilities of the new, the unwritten, our possible better self.” (The Virus of Fashion, Axel Trumpfheller and Otto von...

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Mass Faintings, Fixed-Duration Contracts and the ILO’s Better Factories Cambodia Program

August 30, 2011
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Mass Faintings, Fixed-Duration Contracts and the ILO’s Better Factories Cambodia Program

You’ve likely followed the mass faintings of garment workers that have taken place in Cambodia this year. While most reports have cited gruelling working conditions and worker exposure to toxic chemicals as likely causes, reasons for the faintings remain unclear.  - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - Fast Facts // Cambodia “The face...

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i-Sustain // The Centre for Sustainable Fashion partners with i-D to transform perceptions of clothing

August 9, 2011
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i-Sustain // The Centre for Sustainable Fashion partners with i-D to transform perceptions of clothing

The Centre for Sustainable Fashion has partnered with i-D to deliver a 12 part series designed to transform the way we buy, wear and consider fashion. In i-Sustain: Issue III—the third instalment— Alex McIntosh investigates marketing, consumption and notions of a collective conscious while featuring designer Ruth Ferguson’s responsible swimwear collection: Olga Olsson “We’re not foolish enough to think that in a few hundred words it’s possible to shed light on the ethical black hole from which the ‘democratically’ priced fashion we crave emerges but one thing is for sure, as long as we keep demanding it faster and...

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Sneaky Business // Oxfam Australia organizes virtual protest to support the rights of footwear workers

August 9, 2011
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Sneaky Business // Oxfam Australia organizes virtual protest to support the rights of footwear workers

Oxfam Australia has launched a new online campaign: Sneaky Business—a virtual march touring protesters across factories in Southeast Asia, China and Central America, all the way to the headquarters of leading shoe manufacturer, Nike. The march is a call for action for workers rights in the global footwear industry. As I write this post, there are 205 virtual protesters marching through Indonesia. “The journey shows that poor working conditions are a global problem. Worker exploitation exists whether in Australia, South East Asia or Central America. However Sneaky Business also demonstrates that there are companies doing the right thing— ensuring...

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From Understanding to Design and Back Again // Denver Cumulus

August 4, 2011
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From Understanding to Design and Back Again // Denver Cumulus

The Cumulus conference will be held in Denver from Sept. 29 – Oct.2, under the theme From Understanding to Design and Back Again. “Designers can no longer be spectators. The boundaries we are used to have disappeared and as human beings we ‘play’ a real role in designing the world around us.” (Cumulus) Cumulus is a global association serving art and design education and research. The Paper Lectures and Discussion Sessions look very interesting. Here are just some that caught my eye: Ethics Matters! Re-Thinking the Moral Discourse in Design: Lorenzo Imbesi, Carleton University Canada Visions of Environmental Art...

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