Digital Dialogues

2006 VETnetwork 5th National Biennial Conference

"Exploring transitions and opportunities: A Topical Conference"
When: 11 - 13 October, 2006
Where: Cairns, North Queensland, Australia

A networking opportunity to explore:
International issues
Indigenous education and training
Partnerships
Flexible Learning
Changing nature of schooling

More information at: VET Network

Google Jockeying

By now you've probably heard of Google Whacking....
No?
The goal is to enter a query into Google and come up with a single result - oh - and it's just 2 words and no quotation marks!
I use this as part of an activity in classes to sharpen searching techniques...but now...there's Google Jockeying!

So what is it?
"...a participant in a presentation or class session who surfs the internet for terms, or web sites mentioned by the presenter..."

Now - some of my students regularly do this in class already - but here's an added dimension that could really add some value:
"A screen displays the jockey's searches for all participants..."

The challenge here is getting multiple screens or being able to assign the jockey to the data projector....
I like Stephen's suggestion of split screens....but I think the jockey belongs on the back channel (or chat area) or perhaps they post their finds to their Delicious accounts....use agreed tags, then with RSS we can pull it wherever they want it!

This is really worth exploring as part of information and digital literacy activities!
Thanks to Stephen Downes for pointing out this Educause Learning Initiative

Learning Technologies 2006

Call for Papers:
Learning Technologies 2006 Conference
Sunshine Coast, Qld, AUSTRALIA
9 & 10 November 2006

The theme for Learning Technologies 2006 Conference is: Learning Partnerships

We are seeking 30 minute presentations of papers that provide case studies about Learning Partnerships you have been involved in and how these have been actioned and managed, from planning to fruition.

Share your experience and successes with Learning Partnerships and how these have enhanced and supported your teaching and learning communities.

The audience will be teachers, lecturers, trainers and educators who use, or are thinking of using learning technologies and who are interested in all aspects of Learning Partnerships.

What is a Learning Partnership?
A Learning Partnership can be anything you want it to be. You can form a Learning Partnership with:

• Colleagues
• Students
• Other professionals
• Other educational institutions, both government and private
• Service providers
• Commercial companies

Learning Partnerships may be around people, content, technology, activities, issues, shared objectives - anything of common interest. They may extend across communities and even countries.

A Learning Partnership lasts as long as you need it to. Some partnerships operate for many years while others are formed to address particular issues or projects that are only relevant for a specific time.

Paper Submission / Abstracts should identify the following:

1. The educational need
2. The solution
3. How you selected a Learning Partner
4. What made the Learning Partnership successful
5. How the learner benefited from the Learning Partnerships

Deadline:  email an abstract to [email protected]

• half page of 12 point type (please be succinct)
• address the 4 key points above
• include half page bio of presenter/s
• include all of your contact details

More information at:
http://videolinq.tafe.net/learningtechnologies2006/papers.html

Tangled words blamed on blogging!! -

A recent article (2May 2006) in the SMH (replicated from the Guardian) opens the article with this claim:

"If you believe the internet is the fount of all wisdom, giving free rein to bloggers to exercise their vocal cords, think again. Ancient English cliches and expressions are being mangled by the culture of cut and paste and the spread of unchecked writing on the internet."

"Mangled by the culture of cut and paste ....unchecked writing on the internet".....oh please....is the internet and blogging solely responsible for this.... If someone is cutting and pasting, then doesn't that infer the original document/writing is also incorrect....that is before we even consider the nature or purpose of the writing being referred to!

There's no mention of sms language and what this is doing to written language....have you ever tried to read a 1,000 word essay written in sms?? I have - and it was a very frightening experience (knowing I couldn't read it - mainly!). But - isn't the beauty of English about the constant changing nature of the language? It's already a mish-mash of other languages, with words adopted/borrowed or stolen from so many others??

It's about the context of the language. Isn't it about communication with the intended reader? OK -so there's spell check - all those little red squiggly lines in Word documents and most weblog editors now include this function - but the problem is more complex according to the article. Here's some examples:

"Straight-laced" is used 66 per cent of the time even though it should be written "strait-laced"

"Just desserts" is used 58 per cent of the time instead of the correct spelling "just deserts" (desert is a variation of deserve), while 59 per cent of all written examples say a "font of knowledge or wisdom" when it should be "fount".

"butt naked" instead of the correct "buck naked" (perhaps they actually intended to use butt!)

"...another linguistic trend is the American habit of turning two words into one, such as someday, anymore and underway. "

That's before we start on the mixed metaphors....!!!

So - reviewing these examples - can we blame this on cut & paste and internet writing....I think not....perhaps we return to the teaching of the language... The number of my University students who don't know the difference between "their" and "they're" and then there's the apostrophe issue...punctuation and use of paragraphs isn't far behind and then...welll, I might stop here...before I get too carried away!

Productive Reflection at Work

UTS Training & Development Services Trainers' Network presents:

"Productive Reflection at Work"
Professor David Boud will talk about how this book articulates a new focus on "productive reflection". It emphasises productivity combined with satisfying the lived experience of work life. It points the way to a new focus on learning at work that moves away from an individual focus on reflection towards a collective one that critically mirrors the current context of production in workplaces.

This text has been highly recommended for students and practitioners concerned with Human Resource Development in organisations and Continuing Professional Education

Speaker:
Professor David Boud, Professor of Adult Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Technology, Sydney
Date: 12 May 2006
Time: 5.30 - 7pm (refreshments from 5.00pm)
Venue: Faculty of Education, UTS - 235 Jones St, Broadway (level 5)
Cost: $25.00 GST incl, payable by cheque or cash
You don't need to be a member of the network to attend!
email me if you'd like to attend (we need indication of numbers for catering purposes!)

Members' Musings #3 - Teaching Defiance

I've just spent an engaging coffee (or 2) with Mike Newman and have captured a short conversation with him regarding his forthcoming book - Teaching Defiance.
As always, Mike generates some provocative thoughts about the role/s of adult educators and shares some of those in this podcast.
See this post for more details about his book.
PS. Mike will be starting his own weblog soon - which will be a must read for adult educators - watch this space for launch details!
PPS. The audio is perfect this time!!! :-)

Download mike_newman_1may2006v1.mp3