You left us one year ago today Mum. Rest in peace. Here's what Sarah thought.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
This is where it all begins...
Saw these adds in a street in Chennai. Sounds like a good job doesn't it - about $600/month. My guess is that may be reasonable income here, but I'll check. Funny there's no mention of driving Australian people crazy...after the way Mohammed Haneef was treated that might solicit a few more interested takers.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
A Conversation about Podcasting
Recorded in May - present were Michael Coghlan, Trevor Bennet (Edith Cowan University), David Day (Pilbara TAFE), Jenny Heathcote (Swan TAFE), Stuart Knox (Flexible Learning Framework) and Sue Waters (Challenger TAFE). The pedagogy of podcasting (podagogy?).
Monday, July 02, 2007
Getting Up Close and Friendly with Your Helpdesk
I'm adding this here because
1) it's funny. (Communication with Indian Call Centres is a fact of daily life Australia these days.)
2) Marlene requested that I add it to my blog so it could be seen behind TAFE firewalls.
So Marlene - your wish is my command. Let me know if it works.
1) it's funny. (Communication with Indian Call Centres is a fact of daily life Australia these days.)
2) Marlene requested that I add it to my blog so it could be seen behind TAFE firewalls.
So Marlene - your wish is my command. Let me know if it works.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Talking about Webheads
Sue Waters, a friend and colleague in Perth, has posted a conversation about Webheads that took place in Perth in May on her wonderful Mobile Technology in TAFE podcast site. I think I was a bit grumpy and a little cocky - it sounds like people had to drag the information out of me. I know I was very tired at the time....
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Goodbye Cathy
In memory of Cathy Birnie, my dear mother-in-law, who passed away peacefully this afternoon aged 81. We'll miss you Cathy. You've been a wonderful friend to us all.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Photo Blogging by Phone?
Not quite sure what this photo of the Burswood Casino in Perth is doing here. It may have been me experimenting again. I'm going to leave it here till I work out how it got here! Days later: OK - Telstra still can't manage posting direct to your blog. This average pic has come via Flickr - where you can upload directly using a Telstra account. (Telstra is the main Australian telco.)
Telstra MMS to Email
Telstra MMS to Email
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Weligama Revisited
Me and Jyothipala
Firstly, I stand by what I said in my previous post. Further observation and conversations with others corroborate what I said – Sri Lanka is slipping behind other countries in Asia. The civil war cuts down the numbers of tourists and deprives the nation of what was a profitable stream of income, and any excess government cash goes on the military. And then there was the tsunami. It was clear too that as one got further from Colombo that conditions improve. But….
I took the train like I used to – a second class pit of dirt and heat. At least when the train was moving you had moving air on your face if you had a window seat. Tuk tuks were lined up at Weligama station on arrival (they didn’t exist in the villages before) and one whizzed me to the Bay Beach Hotel. And I set off on my pilgrimage to 26 years ago. I hadn’t walked 5 minutes when Lalith, a young man on a bicycle, asked me where I was from, what was I doing etc. He knew Jyothi Pala, and took me to his house. Long and very pleasant story – we all wanted to believe we knew each other and we agreed to make contact next day, but I wasn’t convinced. Lalith said he also knew Walter – he lived next door to a wine shop. We continued there on his bike, me riding donkey. We stopped outside the house. I saw Walter and I knew it was him, Titus brother. I greeted him with tears streaming down my face. Through the mists of time it dawned on him who I was and a smile broke through. Words can’t explain the happiness and intensity I felt. Somar, Walter’s wife appeared and verily screamed when she saw me. She knew who I was. Out came the photos and there was lift-off. A coffee, happy conversation in broken English, we shared our memories in words and looks and eventually got to the topic of the tsunami. Walter and Somar had avoided it because they were inland at their daughter’s house when it happened. But it took everything they had except their house. The wave lapped the ceiling and deposited a one metre layer of back mud throughout their house.
They invited me back for lunch the next day and I walked out into the street. I got no more than a few metres when a woman walked up to me and said ‘You know Lou!” “Yes.” Mayhem. Photos again. Bubbling conversation. The name Titus was spoken. A man behind me said “Titus my friend”. I turned to him and said “Titus was my friend too” and I realized who it was. It was the real Jyothipala. Again a flood of tears – not from Jyothi – just a look of warmth and empathy that was his trademark. The woman who recognized me was Champa, his daughter, and she spoke fondly of Lou and Nanette. We went back to Jyothi’s house and it was just like 26 years ago. Friends and extended family everywhere. The photos did another round and one by one people started identifying themselves or others in the photos they knew as kids. And then came the first really sad tsunami story. Jyothi’s delightful intellectually disabled son died that day. The rest of the family were out when the big wave came and wiped out half their house.
Others on the roll call – Eden died several years ago of a heart attack. Nandi in a car accident. Lillian lives in Colombo and all the kids are well and employed. A couple of people told me the boys were tall and handsome (“just like Titus!”) and working in banks.
Jyothi and I then went down to the beach to see where the old cadjan huts, Titus’ and Walter’s, used to stand. Not a trace of them. Now just a busy bus stop. But they weren’t taken in the tsunami. There had been recurring storms and high tides over the years that frequently damaged these houses and the local government decreed that they be removed and everyone relocated. Good thing too given what happened further down the track.
I had one more thing to do before my pilgrimage was complete. I wanted to go to Titus’ gravesite and formally bid him farewell. Jyothi, me, and one of his daughters (Genaderie) went there by tuk tuk next day only to find that the site where Titus and others were buried had been reclaimed and built upon. This apparently happens in Sri Lanka if you are buried on public land.
So a little while ago I stood outside the hotel, looking out over the bay, and thanked him for the huge role he had in my life for a short time. He was a teacher to me, before I ever was.
I’m going back to see Jyothi and Walter and families tonight, and will spend time at both their houses watching the cricket. An amazing coincidence has Australia and Sri Lanka playing off in the final of the World Cup. I think I hope Sri Lanka wins!
So it’s done. I’ve shed the tears, shared the joy, and thanked people for their incredible kindness all those years ago. I think they know now how much it meant to me – and Lou, and Nan, and Pete Brennan, Minou, Pete and Sue, Jean-Pierre, Frank. They had a huge impact on many lives many years ago. I can let this go now. It’s been something I’ve been holding on to for 26 years.
(lots more pix)
Firstly, I stand by what I said in my previous post. Further observation and conversations with others corroborate what I said – Sri Lanka is slipping behind other countries in Asia. The civil war cuts down the numbers of tourists and deprives the nation of what was a profitable stream of income, and any excess government cash goes on the military. And then there was the tsunami. It was clear too that as one got further from Colombo that conditions improve. But….
I took the train like I used to – a second class pit of dirt and heat. At least when the train was moving you had moving air on your face if you had a window seat. Tuk tuks were lined up at Weligama station on arrival (they didn’t exist in the villages before) and one whizzed me to the Bay Beach Hotel. And I set off on my pilgrimage to 26 years ago. I hadn’t walked 5 minutes when Lalith, a young man on a bicycle, asked me where I was from, what was I doing etc. He knew Jyothi Pala, and took me to his house. Long and very pleasant story – we all wanted to believe we knew each other and we agreed to make contact next day, but I wasn’t convinced. Lalith said he also knew Walter – he lived next door to a wine shop. We continued there on his bike, me riding donkey. We stopped outside the house. I saw Walter and I knew it was him, Titus brother. I greeted him with tears streaming down my face. Through the mists of time it dawned on him who I was and a smile broke through. Words can’t explain the happiness and intensity I felt. Somar, Walter’s wife appeared and verily screamed when she saw me. She knew who I was. Out came the photos and there was lift-off. A coffee, happy conversation in broken English, we shared our memories in words and looks and eventually got to the topic of the tsunami. Walter and Somar had avoided it because they were inland at their daughter’s house when it happened. But it took everything they had except their house. The wave lapped the ceiling and deposited a one metre layer of back mud throughout their house.
They invited me back for lunch the next day and I walked out into the street. I got no more than a few metres when a woman walked up to me and said ‘You know Lou!” “Yes.” Mayhem. Photos again. Bubbling conversation. The name Titus was spoken. A man behind me said “Titus my friend”. I turned to him and said “Titus was my friend too” and I realized who it was. It was the real Jyothipala. Again a flood of tears – not from Jyothi – just a look of warmth and empathy that was his trademark. The woman who recognized me was Champa, his daughter, and she spoke fondly of Lou and Nanette. We went back to Jyothi’s house and it was just like 26 years ago. Friends and extended family everywhere. The photos did another round and one by one people started identifying themselves or others in the photos they knew as kids. And then came the first really sad tsunami story. Jyothi’s delightful intellectually disabled son died that day. The rest of the family were out when the big wave came and wiped out half their house.
Others on the roll call – Eden died several years ago of a heart attack. Nandi in a car accident. Lillian lives in Colombo and all the kids are well and employed. A couple of people told me the boys were tall and handsome (“just like Titus!”) and working in banks.
Jyothi and I then went down to the beach to see where the old cadjan huts, Titus’ and Walter’s, used to stand. Not a trace of them. Now just a busy bus stop. But they weren’t taken in the tsunami. There had been recurring storms and high tides over the years that frequently damaged these houses and the local government decreed that they be removed and everyone relocated. Good thing too given what happened further down the track.
I had one more thing to do before my pilgrimage was complete. I wanted to go to Titus’ gravesite and formally bid him farewell. Jyothi, me, and one of his daughters (Genaderie) went there by tuk tuk next day only to find that the site where Titus and others were buried had been reclaimed and built upon. This apparently happens in Sri Lanka if you are buried on public land.
So a little while ago I stood outside the hotel, looking out over the bay, and thanked him for the huge role he had in my life for a short time. He was a teacher to me, before I ever was.
I’m going back to see Jyothi and Walter and families tonight, and will spend time at both their houses watching the cricket. An amazing coincidence has Australia and Sri Lanka playing off in the final of the World Cup. I think I hope Sri Lanka wins!
So it’s done. I’ve shed the tears, shared the joy, and thanked people for their incredible kindness all those years ago. I think they know now how much it meant to me – and Lou, and Nan, and Pete Brennan, Minou, Pete and Sue, Jean-Pierre, Frank. They had a huge impact on many lives many years ago. I can let this go now. It’s been something I’ve been holding on to for 26 years.
(lots more pix)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Colombo Revisited
Sometimes a lot changes in 25 years. Sometimes the fact that nothing changes can be the problem. There is evidence of both in Colombo as seen through the eyes of someone who last saw the place in 1981. A lot of what hasn’t changed is the result no doubt of being riven by civil war. The main part of town, Fort, is a high security zone – the Tamil Tigers have left their mark here. Bombs have left buildings destroyed and lots that once had buildings on them are left empty. Those buildings that do remain in Chatham St are left to rot – there’s no investment in an area that has few people filling it. The Pagoda Café was an icon back then – a stylish model of old-world charm that had the place thriving. People flocked to the Pagoda for the ambience, and the instant plate of cakes that arrived as you sat down. They, sadly, don’t do the plate of cake thing anymore. You have to go the counter and choose what you want like you do in normal places. But the Pagoda wasn’t normal. That was the whole point. And there’s not much point anymore. One waiter in the full length white attire (when there were once 6 – 10 of them) goes through the motions. The fans still turn and keep the place relatively cool but they are about the only thing providing any buzz.
The Pagoda’s neighboring buildings are all run down or half used. The traditional heart of Colombo is dead. I wasn’t able to record any of this with photos because of the ‘high security’ status of the area – no photos, no videos.
Elsewhere in Colombo I have been surprised at how poor the place looks. I don’t remember it looking like that. In ’81 Sri Lanka was considered one of Asia’s more comfortable nations – real poverty and hunger were scarce. People in the main still look well-fed, but it’s the infrastructure that’s suffering. The lack of paint, the overflowing open drains, the giveaway smells coming out of small laneways, rubbish on the streets, broken windows.… The typical little roadside stalls have a touch of well-being about them in downtown Saigon, or in Kuta and environs in Bali, but not here. It looks depressed. It’s as if no money’s being coming here and nothing has been spent on the basics for a long time. It could be that in ’81 Sri Lanka seemed fairly comfortable compared to other Asian countries, but it’s marked time and its neighbors have progressed. You can probably put all this down to the civil war.
One charming custom hasn’t changed. As you walk along Galle Face Green (under the watchful eyes of soldiers) young lovers still huddle under parasols on the park benches by the seafront. It’s the guy’s job to bring the sunshade to keep the one he’s courting sheltered from the surging sun, and it enables couples to steal pecks and kisses out of the sight of prying eyes of those who wander by.
Meanwhile, the soldiers train their eyes out to sea to make sure we don’t get any unexpected surprise from the Tigers. And in a lovely mash-up of commerce and military, they sometimes use the booths of companies like Commercial Leasing (who must have practiced there in the past) as their observation points. So heavily armed soldiers look like they’re at a trade show ready to answer your questions and lend some advice about your financial future, but I doubt they’d get the joke.
In other areas much has changed. The hotel I’m staying in for one. It’s all a Western traveler could ask and the price is fine. WITH IN-ROOM BROADBAND!!! at a reasonable extra charge. There’s now a World Trade Center for heaven’s sake. And yes that’s what it called, and it has twin towers. So money is being spent on development at the top end of town, but I haven’t seen much evidence of the average punter getting much leverage out of it. But I’ve only been here 24 hours and may not know what I’m talking about! :)
Monday, April 23, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Weligama
Alex is at this moment on a bus traveling to inland NSW. My son is somewhere in the ACT camping out while building a structure somewhere that will replace something that went west in the ACT bushfires. My brother is somewhere in the red centre in the Uluru region. And I’m at my desk at home. Happily. Partly because I’m about to join the travelers. In a couple of days I’m going here - Weligama - a place I visited several times 25 years ago.
25 years ago I traveled with nothing that needed plugging in. Now I have to check here to make sure I’m prepared. Make sure that I’m able to connect and share. I will read what you have to say when I’m half a world away. I will share pictures and words from where I am. 25 years ago I’d happily be out of contact with everyone I knew for weeks. But times have changed. My phone will beep on arrival in Sri Lanka telling me I’m connected. Hotel rooms in Colombo will have Internet. There’ll be Internet cafes in the villages. I can post images, movies, and audio to the Net from my phone.
I will post content to a collection of sites that may not be compliant, probably break laws of copyright, and I will engage in debate and discussion about learning in between swims and seeking out old friends. I won’t be enrolled in any course but I’ll be learning because I’m networked. Happily. I’ll be engaged. It will just seem natural to continue the conversations from a place far removed from the desk I sit at now. And I know I’m not alone doing this. The world has changed…….
25 years ago I traveled with nothing that needed plugging in. Now I have to check here to make sure I’m prepared. Make sure that I’m able to connect and share. I will read what you have to say when I’m half a world away. I will share pictures and words from where I am. 25 years ago I’d happily be out of contact with everyone I knew for weeks. But times have changed. My phone will beep on arrival in Sri Lanka telling me I’m connected. Hotel rooms in Colombo will have Internet. There’ll be Internet cafes in the villages. I can post images, movies, and audio to the Net from my phone.
I will post content to a collection of sites that may not be compliant, probably break laws of copyright, and I will engage in debate and discussion about learning in between swims and seeking out old friends. I won’t be enrolled in any course but I’ll be learning because I’m networked. Happily. I’ll be engaged. It will just seem natural to continue the conversations from a place far removed from the desk I sit at now. And I know I’m not alone doing this. The world has changed…….
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Where I could have been....Nagoya
I wasn't able to make the one day Wireless Ready conference in Nagoya, but Aaron Campbell's done a great job describing what happened over in his blog. I was interested to read that "the salient point for me was that Web 2.0 technologies do not necessarily imply 2.0 mindsets, and the institutional “fit” here in Japan isn’t all that great."
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Goodbye Dad
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Womadelaide Wrap
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Swan Reach
As I say in the audio - it's nice to know there are still places where life is still slow enough to accommodate this kind of transport across rivers.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The New Tools Keep on Coming - Splashcast
So here's another one. As Robin Good wrote on Jan 30th:
"Every week it seems to become a little bit easier to get involved in multimedia content delivery and syndication - whether through sharing videos using Youtube, photos through Flickr, or your thoughts using popular blogging platforms. The ability to upload, embed and easily share media content is now something we take for granted, but until now there hasn't been an easy way to gather all of this content together into a personalized online channel. That is all about to change starting today."
And as usual, the following example is light in content, but should be enough to give you an idea of what Splashcast can do. You can mix and match audio, video, images, and text.
"Every week it seems to become a little bit easier to get involved in multimedia content delivery and syndication - whether through sharing videos using Youtube, photos through Flickr, or your thoughts using popular blogging platforms. The ability to upload, embed and easily share media content is now something we take for granted, but until now there hasn't been an easy way to gather all of this content together into a personalized online channel. That is all about to change starting today."
And as usual, the following example is light in content, but should be enough to give you an idea of what Splashcast can do. You can mix and match audio, video, images, and text.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Adding Spoken Thoughts 2
UPDATE OCT 16, 2007: MYCHINGO NO LONGER FREE :(
Ok. Here's another option using MyChingo. The advantage of this tool seems to be that all messages are kept here for others to hear, and unlike Gcast, the messages don't autoplay. (Messages have 60 second limit.)
Ok. Here's another option using MyChingo. The advantage of this tool seems to be that all messages are kept here for others to hear, and unlike Gcast, the messages don't autoplay. (Messages have 60 second limit.)
Add Your Spoken Thoughts
It seems it may finally be possible to enable visitors to make spoken comments in blogs using this little plug-in from Evoca. I'll believe it when I see it. Still, here goes....
.....it's not quite as neat as it seems. You can indeed record a spoken message using the recorder below, but of course the audio is sent off to Evoca so people who come in later can't hear the spoken posts unless I go over to Evoca and copy the code and paste it here. Which I might do. I don't seem to be able to enter my email or any written text in the applet below so you might not be able to either, but if you drop by record a spoken message and I'll see if I can get the code and insert it here. Capiche? :)
.....it's not quite as neat as it seems. You can indeed record a spoken message using the recorder below, but of course the audio is sent off to Evoca so people who come in later can't hear the spoken posts unless I go over to Evoca and copy the code and paste it here. Which I might do. I don't seem to be able to enter my email or any written text in the applet below so you might not be able to either, but if you drop by record a spoken message and I'll see if I can get the code and insert it here. Capiche? :)
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Welcome to BAW 2007
My Tagroll
Well I've finally weaning myself off Powermarks (which was the greatest bookmark manager until Delicious et al arrived) and am now routinely dumping things into my Delicious account. And because I'm fascinated by the number of things you can do with a blog I'm adding my tagroll here!
GCast v Hipcast
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Life's a Beach
In this short vid I'm referring to Greg Whitby's presentation (podcast) here. And boy it's weird to see yourself up this close. Still...here ya go:
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Students' Thermoses
Chinese students like to take a thermos of hot water with them to Uni. They use it to make tea or just to drink hot water. I found out in my last day in Nanjing that Chinese people regularly drink plain hot water with meals. You live and learn!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
Wonderin' Aloud
Well I haven't posted any movies on BlipTV yet but dear Steven has done one for me here. Ian Anderson's Wonderin' Aloud - just about my all time favourite song. Filmed in the lounge of a hotel in Christchurch. My bit starts about half way through.
Monday, October 09, 2006
The End of Audioblogger!
What a bummer! Got this in my inbox a couple of days ago. Interesting to see that it comes from the folks at Odeo! I'll now have to look at the other options. Stay tuned.
====================================================================================
As of November 1, 2006, Audioblogger will no longer accept phone
calls. MP3s made with the service will continue to be hosted and
served but you will no longer be able to use Audioblogger to post
new audio.
Audioblogger is an independent product, run by Odeo, Inc., a small
startup company in San Francisco, CA. We are not affiliated with
Google or Blogger except that we operate and provide the
Audioblogger service.
Given our limited resources, we have to make tough decisions
about what projects to focus on. And we've come to the difficult
decision that Audioblogger demands too many resources, time, and
money for us to continue its operation.
However, there are several other services that offer similar
functionality. Odeo is not affiliated with any of these services,
we only suggest them only in hopes that one or the other will be
a good alternative for you.
Gabcast.com is a free service for recording by phone
Hipcast.com has a seven day free trial and lots of features
Gcast.com is another free service for phone recording
All of the phone posting services listed above are compatible
with Odeo in that they produce podcast feeds, which can be
imported to Odeo. Any audio file at Odeo can be posted on a blog
by copying and pasting some embed code.
Odeo would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has
tried Audioblogger. If you are interested in keeping up with our
other blog-friendly projects, please have a look at Twitter.com
and our customizable audio players.
Thanks,
The Odeo Team
Links:
Gabcast - http://gabcast.com
Hipcast - http://hipcast.com
Gcast - http://gcast.com
Odeo Importing - http://www.odeo.com/create/addfeed
Twitter - http://twitter.com
Players - http://odeo.com/channel/102054/embedded_player
====================================================================================
As of November 1, 2006, Audioblogger will no longer accept phone
calls. MP3s made with the service will continue to be hosted and
served but you will no longer be able to use Audioblogger to post
new audio.
Audioblogger is an independent product, run by Odeo, Inc., a small
startup company in San Francisco, CA. We are not affiliated with
Google or Blogger except that we operate and provide the
Audioblogger service.
Given our limited resources, we have to make tough decisions
about what projects to focus on. And we've come to the difficult
decision that Audioblogger demands too many resources, time, and
money for us to continue its operation.
However, there are several other services that offer similar
functionality. Odeo is not affiliated with any of these services,
we only suggest them only in hopes that one or the other will be
a good alternative for you.
Gabcast.com is a free service for recording by phone
Hipcast.com has a seven day free trial and lots of features
Gcast.com is another free service for phone recording
All of the phone posting services listed above are compatible
with Odeo in that they produce podcast feeds, which can be
imported to Odeo. Any audio file at Odeo can be posted on a blog
by copying and pasting some embed code.
Odeo would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has
tried Audioblogger. If you are interested in keeping up with our
other blog-friendly projects, please have a look at Twitter.com
and our customizable audio players.
Thanks,
The Odeo Team
Links:
Gabcast - http://gabcast.com
Hipcast - http://hipcast.com
Gcast - http://gcast.com
Odeo Importing - http://www.odeo.com/create/addfeed
Twitter - http://twitter.com
Players - http://odeo.com/channel/102054/embedded_player
Monday, October 02, 2006
Future of Learning in a Networked World - Reflections
OK. It’s time to get this down before the thoughts float away in time. People who experienced the whole 2 weeks of the roadshow may even forgotten I was there! But I was there for the first five days in Dunedin and Christchurch. I wonder if what I think and feel now might be different if I’d been part of the whole event….
As Konrad hinted, this was one of the more significant experiences of my life. Not something that I could or would want to forget. A pressure cooker of learning, thinking and relating. I find my thoughts about it all are more about process than content. I can’t tell you what extra knowledge I gained in the sense of hard facts or artefacts or new skills. That’s something of a disappointment actually as I had hoped to sit down quietly in a corner and grill Sean, or Leigh, or Stephen et al. But it just wasn’t like that. I think about how it was, what it was, what we did, what was said, who I spoke to……
It was exhilarating and exhausting (as I think everyone found) – even for those 5 days. So much information was relentlessly taken in, shared, and recycled or created as audio, text, photos, video. Others have written about it taking ages before it all finds its place in the overall – I know it will be like that. But I’ve already had the chance to run a kind of debrief session with some interested colleagues in a workshop back home. After outlining what it was and how it worked I asked the 12 or so present whether they would like to take part in that kind of professional development event and most were extremely amenable to the idea so I think the idea has legs. Not only for larger groups geographically dispersed, but small groups from the same location or workteam.
One of the more challenging aspects for me was to have to surrender myself to the group totally for all my waking hours, and in the case of the Marae, sleeping hours as well! Stephen’s initial comments about groups v networks, and subsequent discussion from others, are all the more interesting in this context. I came prepared to do that – surrender to the group – and consequently found myself feeling much closer to people within days. So for me it was not just an intellectual exercise of processing ideas and discussion, but about managing personal relationships. None of this was hard per se. It’s just that there was so much of it! Relentless as I said. And as a group travelling together in real as opposed to virtual space, I don’t just function as a head or a brain as I might be able to do online. Online there is also personal stuff of course, but it takes longer, and you have a choice about to whether to explore that side of a relationship with someone.
Though I was there for only 5 days I frequently heard, and have since read, how people needed more time and space to process what was happening. We were in a totally networked environment, even when we were ‘decapitated’ with no Net connection. No break for personal grounding. And I hear everyday how people are busy. Too busy. So networking of any kind 24/7 is too much. OK. This was an experiment and we were learning as we went, but next time round I’d be suggesting allotted times for
I guess this is stating the obvious really, but it’s now down on record. I think what I’m trying to say is that we need to be able to model how living the life of a networked knowledge worker/educator can be managed in such a way that there is equilibrium with other parts of your life. That it’s not just constant cognition and personal media bombardment.
Leigh - for all the driving you did before we all arrived in Dunedin – a huge thank you. You have proved that such things are possible. To everyone else who was in Dunedin and ChCh physically or virtually, thank you for a smorgasbord of media, stimulation, and good vibes.
And is this still the best one stop shop to go to get as much of what was produced as possible? (It’s still pretty daunting for the uninitiated BTW. Will there be a book/CD/DVD?
If you’re interested a few other thoughts HERE
As Konrad hinted, this was one of the more significant experiences of my life. Not something that I could or would want to forget. A pressure cooker of learning, thinking and relating. I find my thoughts about it all are more about process than content. I can’t tell you what extra knowledge I gained in the sense of hard facts or artefacts or new skills. That’s something of a disappointment actually as I had hoped to sit down quietly in a corner and grill Sean, or Leigh, or Stephen et al. But it just wasn’t like that. I think about how it was, what it was, what we did, what was said, who I spoke to……
It was exhilarating and exhausting (as I think everyone found) – even for those 5 days. So much information was relentlessly taken in, shared, and recycled or created as audio, text, photos, video. Others have written about it taking ages before it all finds its place in the overall – I know it will be like that. But I’ve already had the chance to run a kind of debrief session with some interested colleagues in a workshop back home. After outlining what it was and how it worked I asked the 12 or so present whether they would like to take part in that kind of professional development event and most were extremely amenable to the idea so I think the idea has legs. Not only for larger groups geographically dispersed, but small groups from the same location or workteam.
One of the more challenging aspects for me was to have to surrender myself to the group totally for all my waking hours, and in the case of the Marae, sleeping hours as well! Stephen’s initial comments about groups v networks, and subsequent discussion from others, are all the more interesting in this context. I came prepared to do that – surrender to the group – and consequently found myself feeling much closer to people within days. So for me it was not just an intellectual exercise of processing ideas and discussion, but about managing personal relationships. None of this was hard per se. It’s just that there was so much of it! Relentless as I said. And as a group travelling together in real as opposed to virtual space, I don’t just function as a head or a brain as I might be able to do online. Online there is also personal stuff of course, but it takes longer, and you have a choice about to whether to explore that side of a relationship with someone.
Though I was there for only 5 days I frequently heard, and have since read, how people needed more time and space to process what was happening. We were in a totally networked environment, even when we were ‘decapitated’ with no Net connection. No break for personal grounding. And I hear everyday how people are busy. Too busy. So networking of any kind 24/7 is too much. OK. This was an experiment and we were learning as we went, but next time round I’d be suggesting allotted times for
- Working with specific others in the group (though many made this happen anyway)
- Thinking time for processing, creating, and uploading
I guess this is stating the obvious really, but it’s now down on record. I think what I’m trying to say is that we need to be able to model how living the life of a networked knowledge worker/educator can be managed in such a way that there is equilibrium with other parts of your life. That it’s not just constant cognition and personal media bombardment.
Leigh - for all the driving you did before we all arrived in Dunedin – a huge thank you. You have proved that such things are possible. To everyone else who was in Dunedin and ChCh physically or virtually, thank you for a smorgasbord of media, stimulation, and good vibes.
And is this still the best one stop shop to go to get as much of what was produced as possible? (It’s still pretty daunting for the uninitiated BTW. Will there be a book/CD/DVD?
If you’re interested a few other thoughts HERE
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
FLNW Day 2
Invite a group of elearning experts to gather in one place to take part in an unconference on the Future of Learning in a Networked World and the rest will take care of itself. Konrad Globowski, Teemu Leinonen, Barbara Dieu and I spent several hours wandering around Dunedin yesterday discussing what might happen at such event. We questioned each other about why we had been invited, and how we might present ourselves and our work at such an unstructured event.
There was a level of uncertainty at how one might ‘present’, or not present, but the conversation naturally turned to many of the issues that resulted in the need for this kind of event. In essence it is to present an alternative model to the stand and deliver model of the typical conference, and that typifies so much teacher methodology in classrooms. With a new breed of technological tools available that encourage personal publishing and collaborative learning among groups of connected learners it is timely to offer another way of offering professional development that more closely mirrors what might be regarded as better practice for teaching in a networked world.
Fragments of the conversation as we walked included:
Konrad: the creative aspect is key. Blogs, wikis, repositories for self-created media like YouTube and Odeo offer free publishing and storage of student work that can be used for self-expression, connecting with like-minded students, and even assignments set by imaginative teachers, and that engage students in ways that traditional text based or rote learning may not. The urge to create and make sense of the world through self-expression in various media is a natural human urge and not typically found in average courses. (I didn’t have one art lesson in my entire school life.)
Teemu: the railway is a symbol of how connection was expressed in previous eras. In particular, the grandeur of the Dunedin railway station is indicative of its importance at the time. These days connections via the Net join more people across time and space than railways ever could.
Later in the day the entire unconference gang gathered at a Maori marae. Caroline bemoaned the reduced importance of physical place in the new networked world. She wanted her children to feel grounded and know where they come from. I suggested that this notion of place has indeed been reduced in importance, and had been counter balanced with the ability to know people far away from your neighbourhood – people who you perhaps had more in common with than the people who lived next door. The concept of virtual place is now a reality, and rather than detract from my sense of being grounded in my home location, my attachment and enjoyment of home has been enriched by global connections made possible by the Internet. “Home is the where the Internet is.”
Teemu : it was only when he realised that he could use them to communicate with people elsewhere that he became interested in them. This initial intrigue has resulted in him taking a path where he has developed a sytem of communication between a mobile phone and wikipedia. Using this system you can ask for wikipedia for an entry on a particular topic and it will call you back and read back the entry on your queried topic.
Konrad wanted to do his Ph D on the role of blogging in forming communities for year 8 students. When he presented his proposal to his review committee they asked what previous research had been done on this topic. Of course there is none (because it is a new field) and they were consequently not keen to approve his topic. Such courses of higher study are normally assumed to be based on the work of other scholars, and approved on that basis. This is another example of how new tools and approaches (blogging for example) are challenging accepted practice in education. The educational world is now a place where knowledge is being created and distributed via egalitarian networks without a role for the traditional gatekeepers. Published academics are no longer the people you would seek out if you wanted information on most recent good practice in elearning.
So before this unconference had begun, the conversations had already covered:
- The importance of creativity and personal publishing tools in the new and connected world
- The importance of the Internet as tool of connection between people
- The role of the mobile phone as a tool of inquiry and information retrieval
- Changes in how we view the concept of place
- The challenge to education presented by distributed knowledge sharing networks
The learning and discussion on the future of learning had begun in earnest without a single presentation!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
First Church Garden
Yep - Bee and I are both in New Zealand for the 'unconference'.
We spent some time this afternoon at language school talling about blogs, community, role of the teacher, personal publishing, etc
Lovely to be here together!
We spent some time this afternoon at language school talling about blogs, community, role of the teacher, personal publishing, etc
Lovely to be here together!
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Blog Cheese and Value of Video
Just when you think that you can have everything in the one place like here at Blogger you find something else....Apparently it's been around for a while but I only found it yesterday....Blog Cheese is a video blog. See my beginnnings over here.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Embedding Podomatic
This is very neat! Now I no longer need to refer people over to my Podomatic (podcast) site. It can all happen here in the one space. Bravo Podomatic and Blogger!
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Day of the Longtail
I seem to be on a roll here - need to be able to find these videos again in hurry so if I put 'em here on my blog I know where they are. This one on DISINTERMEDIATION (Thanks for the tip Alex.)
I seem to be on a roll here - need to be able to find these videos again in hurry so if I put 'em here on my blog I know where they are. This one on DISINTERMEDIATION (Thanks for the tip Alex.)
Friday, August 25, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Saturday, August 12, 2006
The Australian
The average Australian relaxing on an average day in the average Australian back yard :)
Broome at Sunset
Just ensuring that Flickr still talks to Blogger....I haven't tried this for a while. There is really an astounding number of ways to get content into your blog - directly via Blogger, via phone, via email, via Word, via Google Videos and YouTube....
anyway...this is one of the many beautiful classic images of a Broome sunset. The boat is just there for tourists - it's a fake lugger that takes you out for a pearling demo and a few drinks, but it looks really inviting as you fly in to Broome, and gets the digicams clicking if you're on the beach watching the daylight fade.
anyway...this is one of the many beautiful classic images of a Broome sunset. The boat is just there for tourists - it's a fake lugger that takes you out for a pearling demo and a few drinks, but it looks really inviting as you fly in to Broome, and gets the digicams clicking if you're on the beach watching the daylight fade.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
To Blog or Pod? Blog or Pod? Blog or Pod.....
...this time I decided to pod(cast). Go over here for some thoughts on a recent seminar where Philip Adams and James Farmer were two of the speakers.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Blogging Movies in YouTube
Me on August 2nd
Sorry about the poor audio quality. Just seeing how YouTube links to Blogger.
Sorry about the poor audio quality. Just seeing how YouTube links to Blogger.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
What Old People Do For Fun...
Just trying out the post to blog feature from Google Video.....looks very impressive. |
Thursday, June 29, 2006
LECTURER DROPS LECTURES FOR PODCASTS
From: berquist <berquist@PA.NET>
LECTURER DROPS LECTURES FOR PODCASTS
A lecturer in microbiology at Bradford University in the United Kingdom
has said he will eliminate traditional lectures from his biochemistry
course and replace them with podcasts. Students in Bill Ashraf's class
will review the podcasts on their own time. They will submit questions
to Ashraf through text messages, and he will respond to those inquiries
on his blog. In addition, students needing to meet with Ashraf will be
able to check his schedule online and make appointments with the
professor through the Web. "Some lecture classes have 250 students,"
said Ashraf, "so I question the effectiveness of a didactic lecture for
an hour." He said the new format will be especially beneficial for
distance and part-time students and those with less flexible schedules.
BBC, 26 May 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_yorkshire/5013194.stm
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Storing Media Elsewhere
The audio above was phoned in.
This audio is stored over on Podomatic.
This photo of a beach in Portugal is stored on Flickr.
This movie (about Audacity) is stored at YouTube.*
So I can use a blog to point to media stored elsewhere on free sites. Wondering where to put large files on the web is no longer a problem. (I could also have just inserted the photo here in Blogger.)
* But check this re YouTube!
Friday, June 02, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Friday, April 14, 2006
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
Friday, March 17, 2006
Monday, March 06, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
The Uraidla Show
There's yet another neat new blogging tool to play with - Bubbleshare! It allows narrating a sound track over a series of photos to produce shows like this. (You create your slideshow and Bubbleshare gives you the code to paste into your blog. Easy!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Online Teaching - the Very Early Days
EFI – English for Internet In its early days study.com went by the name English for Internet (EFI). I first discovered the site sometime e...
-
Today concluded 25 years of working with TAFE SA. Some reflections on that (mostly) wonderful part of my life... My first teaching app...
-
On Thursday last week about 70 friends and colleagues gathered at the Port Adelaide TAFE campus to bid farewell to Marie Jasinski. Marie had...