An ancient edublog
Yeh yeh, I know, I should know better but I’m a Windows user… like most people… and y’know sometimes it can be quite cool.
For example, this has got to be the easiest batch image resizing app (.exe) I’ve come across, and it’s free, and did I mention it’s easy.
Just select your files, right click and resize away.
[cross-posted from the edublogs blog, ‘cos it’s important]
On November 3rd 2007, 4 teachers from the UK will be heading off to Antarctica on a scientific expedition.
They will spend four weeks camping in Antarctica, hiking through areas deep in the Antarctic interior that have not previously been subject to scientific research. The expedition has been organised by the Fuchs Foundation in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first Trans-Antarctic crossing by Sir Vivian Fuchs.
The aim of the expedition is to inpsire pupils to take a greater interest in science, geography and the environment. Whilst on the ice, the teachers will be in daily contact with pupils through the internet. They will send back blogs, images and short video and audio files to enable pupils to ‘virtually’ experience field research in one of the most extreme environments on the planet.
And, yep, they’re doing it with edublogs too! Check out Amy Rogers, a science teacher in Nuneaton, and Ruth Hollinger, is a geography teacher in Sheffield.
Their edublogs to allow pupils to follow their progress through their selection and training and, naturally, they will update these blogs from Antarctica.
Hear more about it in a BBC Coventry radio interview.
Here’s the really important bit though: The teachers are looking for sponsorship as they each need to raise £10,000. If you are interested in donating money or in getting your company logo onto kit that would be visible in images and video footage please contact Dr Amy Rogers, Higham Lane School, Nuneaton: amy.c.rogers@gmail.com
Or forget the logo, and just help these guys run an amazing online educational experience by contributing or spreading the word to as many people as you can.
Wow, what a gripping read from Gary Stager on the history of Logo and that of the web, and yet, how utterly disappointing that he follows it up with what is, unfortunately, best described as an absolute pile of crap.
I should redirect you at this point to a much more detailed (and considered) response from Stephen – but if you’re into name-calling and silly pictures (with poor lulz)… read on :D
And should I say, first up, that I actually don’t have any real concerns about teachers not picking up on using social software because a. they are, and b. plenty don’t need to.
Stager basically whinges about web 2.0 tools saying, looking at them in comparison with Logo.
LOL – Moodle, Elgg, etc. etc. However… hang on, this devalues email, and, come to think of it chairs and desks… and what’s this paper stuff! To discount a technology (even a little bit) because it has no explicit ‘educational’ input is nonsense. Besides which, the very foundations of social software, could, arguably, be placed in education.
It is hereby written that anyone who is not a non-profit or academic is without genuine value. Oh fer fricks sake this is just petty. I can promise you one thing, if these tools were being developed in academic contexts… odds are, they wouldn’t be!!!
Absolute nonsense, ‘development’ is always hard to define but in terms of ‘use’ are you for real?
Apparently, the main issue with the above is that (to jump ahead a little) “there is no educational theory on which the tools are designed” and “no critically acclaimed or even popular manifesto”. I might suggest that to insist on a manifesto for tools or the design of them – is almost as ridiculous as to insist on a manifesto for school buildings (OK , go on and Christopher Alexander me) – but more importantly, are we not a little beyond a manifestor driven society, are not most of our beliefs informed by far more than they once were, has not… oh sod it, here’s a picture:
Hmmmm… I don’t know that many educators who do that. But talk about a nonsensical straw man, where’s this ‘democratiziation of knowledge’ come from, who’s holding this up as a fundamental principle and what on earth has it to do with pedagogy?
Actually that’s not true, they want to make a lot of money out of doing just that :) Seriously though, you complain about people being un-academic and then produce the broadest, most unjustified generalisation I’ve seen all week (and that’s saying something).
Hahahahahahahahahaha I reckon over 50% of higher ed based educational technologists have a background in edu psychology (from my experience, more) and as for teacher ed communities… you can’t belong to that many.
Evidently you could do with reading TWOC first, before knocking it. And there exists a massive amount of peer reviewed scholarship. And ‘openly contemptuous of theory and scholarship’ – are you for frickin’ real??? ‘Openly contemptuous’ of you, perhaps ;)
Just out of interest, who leads the ‘education’ community? And how often are ‘non-equivalent opinions’ given weight within it :D
Ahhhh… you want some lesson plans, now I see where your earlier point is coming from.
But realistically, there is a great deal of material available – on the web surprisingly enough – on how to effectively use communication tools in PBL, TBL or any number of other ‘creative fashions’. Perhaps your perceived ‘lack’ might be down to the fact that these tools don’t need manuals, or indeed dictate the way in which they are used in any more sense than, say, a telephone might.
WTF is an ‘object-to-think-with’?
Do you have the faintest idea about what social software is, about how it’s changing our dependence on information? Sorry, this makes me think you don’t actually know what you’re talking about.
Scant knowledge… bunch of dills… rather. We know nothing, never even read a book me, just on myspace most times.
Oh, I can hardly bear to go on… in fact I can’t, so I’ll finish here, except to say that that such an interesting overview of a slice of ed tech history has rarely, if ever, been followed by such a reactionary, limited and incomplete ivory-towered, condescending and ill-informed argument (if you can call it that).
Return to your Logo, your education technology as it should be – designed, lead and owned by academics and people (surprising this is!) like you dear self.
Heck, you might even fill a few more factories ;)
Sigh – it’s one thing getting blocked by a district – and another entirely to be locked out of the most populous country in the World!
Basically it appears that not just edublogs, but the whole series of IP addresses we use, have been well and truly put on the banned list in the PRC.
Any ideas how to manage this at a server end? Is it possible to talk to anyone? Is it entirely inevitable for a free blog service?
Tarnation, I can’t make it to the ABC!
Still, if you can, I encourage you to do so:
“This will not be a conference in the traditional sense. It will be relatively informal. Instead of lengthy presentations, people will be invited lead discussions on various topics throughout the day – some practical, such as how to build a better blog, and some theoretical on the role, influence and future of blogs.”
Thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with Will and the family on Friday in Melbourne, and begad, a photo has emerged in which I don’t look like a deranged psycho:
Well, not much!
Don’t think I ever mentioned that I made a ‘one minute introduction to edublogs’ video… well, I did, and here it is:
Do you reckon it’ll go viral ;)
Congrats guys, here’s to another year of taking WordPress from strength to strength.
Alice Mercer interviewed me yesterday, thought it went pretty well… good stuff Alice!
Interesting developments in the world of newspaper blogging down here in Oz, as Fairfax (my ex-employers) just gave their best online writer the heave ho.
For a pretty tame reason, and pretty tamely done to boot. They should roll through the archives if they want to find some really full on (and brilliant) stuff. They should also take a very close look at some of their other more popular blogs… I mean suggesting Kevin may have taken the matter in hand doesn’t really come close to defending your personal use of hookers, for example.
Anyway, besides all of that he’s the best writer they had – award winning, funny and well worth it… so IMO it’s dumb play on all sides.
For more details Cameron’s got a great interview up now at TPN with the man himself… well worth listening to, make sure you stay tuned to until the last 30 seconds too :D
‘Onya Jack, have a nice break.
