altc2009, conference, keynote, presentation, stuff

Day 16: Inspiring keynotes of the past

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Martin Bean's Keynote at ALT-C 2009 in Manchester.

This post is part of the #JuneEdTechChallenge series.

Despite the fact he used made up quotes I did find the Martin Bean keynote from ALT-C 2009 inspiring and did influence many of my own presentations.

The quotes Martin used, however weren’t real.

Before I knew that I used the quotes to remind the audience that scepticism and concerns about the introduction of new technologies or new ways of thinking are not new and that it is “normal” to be concerned about change.

Now I’ve always had my doubts on the validity or authenticity of the quotes as my brief internet research showed that lots of people used the quotes, but there was very little real “evidence” on their authenticity. However in terms of the message I was getting across the essence of the message was much more important than the content of the message. Audiences related to the essence of the message and the scepticism that they had encountered. In more recent messages I have used actual quotes and newspaper headlines about the “dangers” of technology to reinforce the essence of the message.

I used the quotes in a presentation at an ebooks event at UWE. I posted the slides online and I’ve had a couple of comments plus a really useful link that once and for all casts doubts on the quotes and pretty much says that someone in the 1970s made them up!

This set of statements was printed in the Fall 1978 issue of “The MATYC Journal”, a publication that focused on mathematics education. The quotes were assigned the dates: 1703, 1815, 1907, 1929, 1941, and 1950. But they may actually have been created in 1978. Copies of these quotes have been widely distributed and posted on many websites. They also have been published in multiple books and periodicals.

Ah well…. I knew it was too good to be true.

Though of course if you have listened to my presentations at the time you will realise that the quotes were a theatrical device to make the audience to stop and think about change and people’s reactions to change. This is still valid, the quotes merely add a bit of dramatic licence!

Now later I found some real quotes about the pace of life from XKCD. Continue reading Day 16: Inspiring keynotes of the past →

stuff

Day 15: Halfway through – wildcard

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This post is part of the #JuneEdTechChallenge series.

October 3, 2003

Meerkat

Do I need to say anymore?

Though I didn’t post these posts each day in June (and to be honest I didn’t post it each day on the Twitter either) except the final day, I have decided to retrospectively post blog posts about each of the challenges and back date them accordingly. There is sometimes more I want to say on the challenge then you can fit into 140 characters (well 280 these days).

stuff, twitter

Day 14: EdTech Twitter chats

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Twitter

This post is part of the #JuneEdTechChallenge series.

EdTech Twitter chats?

I don’t actually think I follow any…

I do #LTHEChat now and then, otherwise may interject if I see a tweet, but have rarely followed a tweetchat. 

I have done a few in my time though!

Though I didn’t post these posts each day in June (and to be honest I didn’t post it each day on the Twitter either) except the final day, I have decided to retrospectively post blog posts about each of the challenges and back date them accordingly. There is sometimes more I want to say on the challenge then you can fit into 140 characters (well 280 these days).

stuff, vle

Day 13: Acronyms I could do without

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scrabble letters
Image by Bruce Emmerling from Pixabay

This post is part of the #JuneEdTechChallenge series.

Probably the acronym I could do without has to be VLE though LMS comes a close second.

VLE is a virtual learning environment, though these days most people equate the VLE with a specific product such as Blackboard, Canvas or Moodle.

You hear people say things like, our VLE is Blackboard. The concept of the VLE is synonymous with a actual product.

For me thought I always saw the VLE as a concept, an online environment which could encompass a product such as Moodle, but would be supplemented with other functions through tools such as Mahara, WordPress even the Twitter.

The challenge then is if you change your VLE, you need to then start referring to a new product as people will associate the term VLE with the legacy product.

You also have that concept that we don’t have a VLE, we have Moodle.

The other issue I have with the term VLE, is that we don’t refer to the physical learning environment in the same way that we refer to the VLE.

So probably the acronym I could do without is VLE.

Though I didn’t post these posts each day in June (and to be honest I didn’t post it each day on the Twitter either) except the final day, I have decided to retrospectively post blog posts about each of the challenges and back date them accordingly. There is sometimes more I want to say on the challenge then you can fit into 140 characters (well 280 these days).

altc2009, stuff

Day 12: Who is your EdTech icon

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The inevitable mushroom risotto
The inevitable mushroom risotto

This post is part of the #JuneEdTechChallenge series.

When I thought about this challenge there were quite a few names that I thought about, but upon reflection I realised that there was one person for whom I would call my EdTech icon and that is the most amazing Josie Fraser.

I first met Josie back in the early 2000s and I went to see her at a Sixth Form in Leicester, the wonderfully named Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College. I was then Director of the Western Colleges Consortium and we discussed the concept of the shared VLE.

Over the years I have shared conference platforms with Josie, seen here speak, chatted and discussed Edtech stuff and loads more.

She encouraged me to enter the Learning Technologist of the Year award, she had won in 2008 and I won in 2009.

She did an amazing job in chairing the infamous VLE is Dead debate at ALT-C 2009. Keeping myself and others in check.

She invited me to attend and present at the #140Conference at the O2 on the use of Twitter in education.

Along with Frances Bell, Helen Keegan and others, she developed some great Web 2.0 Slam sessions at various ALT conferences which were so much fun.

We had a great time chatting at the LILAC Conference in Dublin on 2016. 

I was particular proud when she was awarded Honorary Life Membership of ALT in 2017.

She has had such a varied career and is a real inspiration and so she is my Edtech Icon.

Though I didn’t post these posts each day in June (and to be honest I didn’t post it each day on the Twitter either) except the final day, I have decided to retrospectively post blog posts about each of the challenges and back date them accordingly. There is sometimes more I want to say on the challenge then you can fit into 140 characters (well 280 these days).

weeknotes

It’s lovely outside – Weeknote #119 – 11th June 2021

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Lovely weather this week, I spent the week working inside.

Monday I went into our office in Bristol. It was somewhat quiet, and I actually spent most of the day in one of our meeting rooms by myself attending online meetings. However the reason for going in was a change in routine and it was nice to be back in Bristol.

I did go for coffee, which was nice.

Attended an online workshop about learning spaces. There was some discussion about dual mode or hybrid teaching and some of the technical challenges in creating an equivalent experience. I am still surprised by how important a small number of activities (such as examinations) which happen infrequently and for a short amount of time have so much impact on the design of some spaces. However what I learnt from the workshop will feed into an estate vision piece I am working on.

On Tuesday the internet broke… but it did get fixed in the end.

Spent some of the week planning for the Digital Leadership online programme I will be co-presenting with Lawrie over the next six weeks.

Continued to work on our projects, so much planning, reading and writing.

On Thursday I was presenting at EUNIS 21, which would have been nice if it was on the planned Greek island, reality was, that I was at home presenting over wifi. I was also part of a panel discussing the current landscape. I always find it fascinating presenting to an international audience, ensuring I come across clear and coherent. Also worked out in 2006 in Finland, that humour doesn’t always work for an international audience. Though the conference time was one hour ahead, it was quite a late presentation.

My top tweet this week was this one.

stuff, twitter

Day 11: EdTech hashtags to follow

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croissant for breakfast
Image by Pexels from Pixabay

This post is part of the #JuneEdTechChallenge series.

#thisiswhattwitterwascreatedfor

I actually don’t really follow hashtags in the way in which this challenge is thinking.

However I did create the #thisiswhattwitterwascreatedfor hashtag over ten years ago now, as a way to almost reinforce the notion that all people uses Twitter for was to post what they had for breakfast.

 

In reality I rarely saw such tweets and still don’t. However I still regularly post what I had for breakfast and add the hashtag.

Though I didn’t post these posts each day in June (and to be honest I didn’t post it each day on the Twitter either) except the final day, I have decided to retrospectively post blog posts about each of the challenges and back date them accordingly. There is sometimes more I want to say on the challenge then you can fit into 140 characters (well 280 these days).

stuff

Day 10: My office buddy

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This post is part of the #JuneEdTechChallenge series.

Lawrie

Though I didn’t post these posts each day in June (and to be honest I didn’t post it each day on the Twitter either) except the final day, I have decided to retrospectively post blog posts about each of the challenges and back date them accordingly. There is sometimes more I want to say on the challenge then you can fit into 140 characters (well 280 these days).

psp, stuff

Day 9: EdTech Student projects

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This post is part of the #JuneEdTechChallenge series.

PSP
PSP by WikimediaImages from Pixabay

Who remembers the PSP?

PSPs at Gloucestershire College

Though I didn’t post these posts each day in June (and to be honest I didn’t post it each day on the Twitter either) except the final day, I have decided to retrospectively post blog posts about each of the challenges and back date them accordingly. There is sometimes more I want to say on the challenge then you can fit into 140 characters (well 280 these days).

ipad, stuff

Day 8: Shiny gadgets I like…

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This post is part of the #JuneEdTechChallenge series.

Shiny gadgets I like…

It’s the iPad!

There are similarities in this day to Day 4: My favourite piece of kit for that day I said it was my iMac.

I use to post regularly every year a top ten of the technologies that helped me to do my job. The last one I did was for 2016, and my top technology was my iPhone, the iPad was in eighth place back then.

However we are talking shiny here and the iPad I think is one of those shiny gadgets that had a real impact on society, detect and education.

The tablet as a form factor isn’t that new, the Dynabook back in 1973 (complete with ebooks) was a concept which didn’t really connect.

In 2004 I had an HP Tablet (which were popular in hospitals) that used the Microsoft Tablet PC version of Windows. I did like the form factor, the pen input, just that the battery life was poor (a few hours) and the OS wasn’t really designed well for the way I wanted to use the tablet. This was the kind of device I wanted to use on the go, all day at a conference and on the train. However with a battery life of a few hours it wouldn’t even last the trip to London on the train; back then the trains I travelled on didn’t have power sockets!

When I first heard about Apple releasing the iPad my initial thoughts was that this was very much a consumer device. So much so I ordered one for me and didn’t get one through work. My iPad arrived on the day of release and I really liked it. A few weeks late I won an iPad in a prize draw. I did think about selling it, but in the end decided to use it as a work iPad, I didn’t think it would be that useful. Well I was wrong on that count, it was an incredible productivity device and changed very much my working patterns and the way I communicated and collaborated. I found it really useful for events and conferences.

I still use the iPad very much in the same way now as I did back then.

It is my favourite shiny gadget.

Though I didn’t post these posts each day in June (and to be honest I didn’t post it each day on the Twitter either) except the final day, I have decided to retrospectively post blog posts about each of the challenges and back date them accordingly. There is sometimes more I want to say on the challenge then you can fit into 140 characters (well 280 these days).

news and views on e-learning, TEL and learning stuff in general…