This was little post I put in a Mlearning EDNA today;
"......A couple of years ago I was working with a bunch of young people in an off campus location youth center in Western Australia delivering three certificates in General Education ( CGVE ). The pace and diversity of learning experience which these students brought to this environment was nothing short of inspirational for me, who, after years of working within the Justice sector had seen a great deal of the negative effects of incarceration on young people.
Having read some of Howard Rheingold's musings on the potential for SMS messaging to mobilise people ( flashmobs )to attend / participate in public events I decided to give it a go myself. Part of the semesters budget was assigned to a trial Telstra SMS portal which distributed ( and received ) messaging and had an inbuilt calendarised function which allowed for preset messaging.
You can now do such things through a number of other platforms such as RedOxygen, Optus Redcoal and any number of telco personal login environments. Some have a capped daily limit to avoid spamming and so on.
What struck me at the time and still inspires me, is the ability to network people easily and with immediacy. I setup a range of scenarios which brought my students together at various locations at differing times all of course with a pre-empted permissions granted type arrangement. We 'visited' an art gallery, attended a political function, mapped graffiti in a localised area to mention just a few.
The students all had phones ( half of them hardly had confirmation of where they were living at any time yet had a phone) and the concept went from an idea to immediate and sustainable success. The results of these networked activities lead on to a number of fantastic student generated activities which included a networked art event, creative workshops and any number of great occasions such as planned BBQ's, birthday celebrations and the like.
What really got me going was the fact that, despite the students hectic and often tragic lifestyle or life based experiences, the use of simple text messaging brought them into a networked occasion and after a number of events the students started to get the idea that they could generate these activities themselves , as they already were in 'reality' for minimum cost.
I've heard from Robyn Jay at NSW Learnscope that we are due to meet at Byron Bay youth facility this coming Friday to explore this flashmob concept further working with students and course facilitators . I can see great potential for mapping the m-learning journey using such means to realise learning outcomes which are heavily imbedded with numeracy, literacy and other related foundational competencies.
I'll be posting some feedback and links to some occasions through the NSW Learnscope wiki, blog and podcasting platform and invite you to interact with the discussion. If you have any similar experiences then I'd be keen to hear from you............."
Now reading over at TALO it's getting me to thinking about using the Flashmobs principle for bringing together people for an un-conference on mlearning technologies in Sydney. The whole BarCamp lowdown is a good read on whats possible.
http://www.redhat.com/magazine/022aug06/features/barcamp/
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Dot's Links
..........and this one courtesy of Dorothy Waterhouse.
How to start a protopage
How to create a blog
How to create a Survey
How to use Bloglines
How to create a wiki
How to set up a free email group
Free Clipart
Free Pictures - 1
Free Pictures - 2
Free Pictures - 3
Free Pictures - 4
How to find free images
More about pictures
How to resize pics using Image resizer
How to prepare pictures
How to shorten long urls
How to create an avatar
How to set up and use Skype
How to start a protopage
How to create a blog
How to create a Survey
How to use Bloglines
How to create a wiki
How to set up a free email group
Free Clipart
Free Pictures - 1
Free Pictures - 2
Free Pictures - 3
Free Pictures - 4
How to find free images
More about pictures
How to resize pics using Image resizer
How to prepare pictures
How to shorten long urls
How to create an avatar
How to set up and use Skype
Geek Week
From Foxatomic through Jumpcut and Youtube and back again. No wonder kids are bored shitless at school.
Here's a thread extract;
My loyal followers, I have returned from AtomicCon 2006, and the pillaging was most excellent. Many a fine maiden and noble warrior were seen rejoicing at the Fox Atomic booth, surrounded by belligerant hordes of adoring nerds. My ally, The Great Zimmortal, was representing to the fullest..kicking it both old school AND new school. Yet...Lothar also see..the dark side of ComicCon. Early Friday morn, as the doors were opened to the great event, a flood of delirious and unrelenting dweebs, trampled a small group of Power Rangers. Lothar has not seen such devastation since the Neverending Battle Of Endless Tears..and I truly mourn for their souls. May the Great Eagle God guide their spirits to the resting place of our ancestors, and let their nerdiness be celebrated for centuries to come! It had been many moons since last wreaking havoc with such wild abandon, and Lothar must now rest with his abundant and most gratuitous harem. My faithful minions, I bid you farewell, and look forward to our next quest for glory and supremacy.
Well there you go .....another language I'm bound to learn sometime.
Here's a thread extract;
My loyal followers, I have returned from AtomicCon 2006, and the pillaging was most excellent. Many a fine maiden and noble warrior were seen rejoicing at the Fox Atomic booth, surrounded by belligerant hordes of adoring nerds. My ally, The Great Zimmortal, was representing to the fullest..kicking it both old school AND new school. Yet...Lothar also see..the dark side of ComicCon. Early Friday morn, as the doors were opened to the great event, a flood of delirious and unrelenting dweebs, trampled a small group of Power Rangers. Lothar has not seen such devastation since the Neverending Battle Of Endless Tears..and I truly mourn for their souls. May the Great Eagle God guide their spirits to the resting place of our ancestors, and let their nerdiness be celebrated for centuries to come! It had been many moons since last wreaking havoc with such wild abandon, and Lothar must now rest with his abundant and most gratuitous harem. My faithful minions, I bid you farewell, and look forward to our next quest for glory and supremacy.
Well there you go .....another language I'm bound to learn sometime.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Social Networking : Risks / Mayhem / Safety
Agreed.
Looks like the Aussies have a long way to catch up.
Net.safety software for all Australian hoseholds rollout be damned.
Looks like the Aussies have a long way to catch up.
Net.safety software for all Australian hoseholds rollout be damned.
Sunday
Another day spent helping Barbara Wullf, Artist, Sydney setting up a PLE. Keep an eye on this one. It's sure to be an interesting and soulfull journey.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Startup : NSW Learnscope
The issue of spam is a real one particularly in the scheme of all things blogosphere.
Today during the NSW LearnScope Startup Team induction day I spoke with Robyn Jay, my boss, who's recently been appointed the managerial role for NSW LearnScope in 2007. The blog that we've both been working on is starting to see some traffic and this means that so does the attraction for spam agents l0oking for somewhere to bury their insidious wares.
To Robyn's credit and with some deliberation for obvious reasons the blog to date has been a commented moderated environment till teething problems are sorted out. Today the comments feature has now been opened to all and sundry - of course with a number of features disabled to hopefully thwart the intent of unwanted guests. The resultant dialogue and feedback that we will now receive can only be a good thing.
It's a real issue with those first starting out in web authoring when spam attacks start and the natural and almost automatic reaction is to turn all comments off or in some cases cease blogging altogether. No doubt I did when I first embraced information sharing and realising that I was actually speaking to the world and not just to those that I gave my blog URL.
I'm now of the opinion that a critical mass of humans are embracing the great things of the web 2.0 environment and with that there is a growing awareness of the privacy, security and digital rights management that comes with the territory. It's getting easier.
I'm thinking of my two beautiful daughters as I blog this, my extended family around the world, my ex-girlfriend who decided it was time to return to Perth and a different life and I'm thinking of all the good things that the next part of my life journey will bring me. My parents are arriving for dinner and I managed to avoid the pub on the way home from work.
It's easier to travel the middle path in life. It's hardest staying on that path. This is in the middle of it all.
Today during the NSW LearnScope Startup Team induction day I spoke with Robyn Jay, my boss, who's recently been appointed the managerial role for NSW LearnScope in 2007. The blog that we've both been working on is starting to see some traffic and this means that so does the attraction for spam agents l0oking for somewhere to bury their insidious wares.
To Robyn's credit and with some deliberation for obvious reasons the blog to date has been a commented moderated environment till teething problems are sorted out. Today the comments feature has now been opened to all and sundry - of course with a number of features disabled to hopefully thwart the intent of unwanted guests. The resultant dialogue and feedback that we will now receive can only be a good thing.
It's a real issue with those first starting out in web authoring when spam attacks start and the natural and almost automatic reaction is to turn all comments off or in some cases cease blogging altogether. No doubt I did when I first embraced information sharing and realising that I was actually speaking to the world and not just to those that I gave my blog URL.
I'm now of the opinion that a critical mass of humans are embracing the great things of the web 2.0 environment and with that there is a growing awareness of the privacy, security and digital rights management that comes with the territory. It's getting easier.
I'm thinking of my two beautiful daughters as I blog this, my extended family around the world, my ex-girlfriend who decided it was time to return to Perth and a different life and I'm thinking of all the good things that the next part of my life journey will bring me. My parents are arriving for dinner and I managed to avoid the pub on the way home from work.
It's easier to travel the middle path in life. It's hardest staying on that path. This is in the middle of it all.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
TokiDoki : Mobile Moderation
As always the TokiDoki site has got me intrigued.
Ever since I saw a number of students using the cartoon /manga skins for PC desktop wallpapers I've been struck with the seemingly endless array of creativity this artist/s pump out.
I can only wonder as to the educators that have banned such mobile skins appearing in their classrooms.
Perhaps the issue of reality is encroaching too soon into learning dominions which are ever increasingly handheld.
Dynamic Editing : Wiki pages
Over the last week or so I became increasingly frustrated with the plethora of gumf arriving in my inbox as emails so I've decided to do domething about it.
Instead of continually distributing updates of where I'll be with respect to workshops and related tasks I began transferring the public domain information of projects which have been approved and funded by NSW Learnscope to a wikipage and linking visit schedules and a heap of other relevant stuff. Obviously funding information, personal details etc. are excluded and anything else that compromises.
The updates I'll send now contain the link and some quick instructions. Mass emails and unsolicited cc's can cease to be. Emails with enquiries can now be directed to the source - not the version. If need be anyone can access this and print the web down rather than amass it up.
The change in my own way of thinking as to making information immediately available to others via the wiki environment has some resounding things which I'm now mulling over. Not only can I direct people somewhere 'live', they can make changes to suit. I'm not the primary controller anymore and the beauty of it all is that anyone thats logged in can make changes and versions are kept as well as a discussion area for each page made available.
Not that this is anyway new or cutting edge.
I'm just acknowledging that all the good that Sean and Leigh have explored in the past is now having resonance with me in a real way. I can recall Paula Williams from OTEN saying that the wiki environment will eventually replace email however I think we are a considerable way off that yet. I think we have begun the journey though and I'm heartened to hear that others think also.
Sharing construction and de-evolving the competitive and narcisistic enterprise solutions that the web imbues will be a journey that I stuggle with myself. The fluid and transitory medium of the web is as ever, apparent and reflexcive of life itself. It is mortal and will cease as we will.
Trying to take these changes into an education setting and really apply them with rapid and sure fire linking to indformation means ( and I concur ) as Graham Wegner reflects that "......I have to be a bit smarter and have the websites, interactive links etc. at my fingertips a bit more so to speak.
The trick will be in encouraging, nurturing and empowering others to work this way - dynamically.
Instead of continually distributing updates of where I'll be with respect to workshops and related tasks I began transferring the public domain information of projects which have been approved and funded by NSW Learnscope to a wikipage and linking visit schedules and a heap of other relevant stuff. Obviously funding information, personal details etc. are excluded and anything else that compromises.
The updates I'll send now contain the link and some quick instructions. Mass emails and unsolicited cc's can cease to be. Emails with enquiries can now be directed to the source - not the version. If need be anyone can access this and print the web down rather than amass it up.
The change in my own way of thinking as to making information immediately available to others via the wiki environment has some resounding things which I'm now mulling over. Not only can I direct people somewhere 'live', they can make changes to suit. I'm not the primary controller anymore and the beauty of it all is that anyone thats logged in can make changes and versions are kept as well as a discussion area for each page made available.
Not that this is anyway new or cutting edge.
I'm just acknowledging that all the good that Sean and Leigh have explored in the past is now having resonance with me in a real way. I can recall Paula Williams from OTEN saying that the wiki environment will eventually replace email however I think we are a considerable way off that yet. I think we have begun the journey though and I'm heartened to hear that others think also.
Sharing construction and de-evolving the competitive and narcisistic enterprise solutions that the web imbues will be a journey that I stuggle with myself. The fluid and transitory medium of the web is as ever, apparent and reflexcive of life itself. It is mortal and will cease as we will.
Trying to take these changes into an education setting and really apply them with rapid and sure fire linking to indformation means ( and I concur ) as Graham Wegner reflects that "......I have to be a bit smarter and have the websites, interactive links etc. at my fingertips a bit more so to speak.
The trick will be in encouraging, nurturing and empowering others to work this way - dynamically.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Mobile Dream Telling
I'm not the sort of chap who will shy away from a good media installation and where possible document the journey via my moblog which is essentially an album of what's occuring in my life - complete with ex-girlfriends, breakups, nasty late night graffiti and the odd beautiful moment.
It often suprises a few people when you take a photo and say...hey....in one minute a whole community of mobile bloggers has access to that. We definetely need a tradies moblog......how do we convince a bricklayer to meet an artist and mesh their collective experience as a mobile dream tale ? It will happen I'm assured..............he say's knowing full well that the reality is a way off.
Today was no exception. Paula and I headed on down to Custom House , Sydney for the Mobile Dream Telling installation / event / interactive spot where Joanna Callaghan was unfolding some interesting stuff, even if it was a little on the modern side of things. The whole event is part of the Sydney Esquisse Yourself arts events.
Simon Horauf popped by and spoke of the iWall, GPS-Quisse, Ping Meets Pong, Walk Through, Human Browser, Mobile Dream Telling and a few other juicy bits. I couldnt get any site info. off the brochure for the event..... in amongst the camera rich and marble clad foyer of CH I was feeling a little under interrogation. ............ a thousand cameras and little interaction. I suppose thats the whole point of it all......posing visually, rich questioning and other musigs of just how much mobile communication technologies reshape our whole interpretation of the world.
Joanna speaks of mobile activism, the up-turn of citizen journalism, mobile dream telling ( sounds a little of digital story telling with a slight tweak of nomenclature ) , research principles for media interrogation, swarming and a host of other really interesting stuff.
It brings to mind how far the geek e-learning world is removed from the arts and yet inextricably woven through every fibre of its form. Simon, Paula, Joanna and I spoke of how the education sector builds walls around knowledge and streams information for consumption and yet at the same time we have the advent of the mobile web 2.0 space punching its way into what we do. It seems like a lone journey at times with the importance of embracing the changes that the sector ( ed. ) needs to bring it up to mobile speed ( not just friggin PDA's for Petes sake ) of what the arts regularly mashes for our immersion pleasure.
What intrigued me today about this visit down town at the Customs House was the imbedded plasma screens showing historical rather than live screening of, as the art world would like to call them, 'spectators' or audience.
Thats a term coined only in a limited few circles.
Joanna seems to have pushed this a little further with definitive excerpts like 'mobile technology [mobile phones] are now beyond mere technical object , more a key social neccesity'.
There was reference to the need of individuals now seeking to 'belong' to a communication network and the usual guffy relational aesthetic stuff about the audience deciding whether it is witness or particpant. In my lowly informed opinion I believe humans are now more like distributive agents empowered to capture and distrubute via user-generative content devices , script sniffling and feeding information to selective or all and sundry.
Unrelenting.....a bit like the backlash to TV.
Hey.....if this is sounding like a review forget it. I've embarressed myself enough in the past with writing that would make a ninety year olds hair go black so.........I spoke my mind but as I had hammered into my young brain at the time that a dog shouldnt poo in its own nest......true and fair enough..........I'll leave the critical stuff for others........I'm taken with performance that brings you dear visitor, you and your ideas into an experience where you can weave, pixelate, create, invent etc.
I'm in it for the fun and the Esquisse rock.
They make it relevant and the audience is obviously engaged...better than some of the dishing out that education seems to effect its audience.....we could learn a little from it all and see how we could apply it elsewhere......and vice versa. Of interest is that Joanna is from over at the University of Bedfordshire and Simon touts himself as an experiential marketer.
I dropped a few words about the AFLF, things happening over at Parnngurr and some of the TALO mob stuff as well as the old AMLN
It's a frightening bridge of digital worlds I straddle......... none more so that my current Learnscope enterprise. Anyways.....I'm off to the Esquisse after party which should unfold a few more mobile dream tales. It's an interesting time.
It often suprises a few people when you take a photo and say...hey....in one minute a whole community of mobile bloggers has access to that. We definetely need a tradies moblog......how do we convince a bricklayer to meet an artist and mesh their collective experience as a mobile dream tale ? It will happen I'm assured..............he say's knowing full well that the reality is a way off.
Today was no exception. Paula and I headed on down to Custom House , Sydney for the Mobile Dream Telling installation / event / interactive spot where Joanna Callaghan was unfolding some interesting stuff, even if it was a little on the modern side of things. The whole event is part of the Sydney Esquisse Yourself arts events.
Simon Horauf popped by and spoke of the iWall, GPS-Quisse, Ping Meets Pong, Walk Through, Human Browser, Mobile Dream Telling and a few other juicy bits. I couldnt get any site info. off the brochure for the event..... in amongst the camera rich and marble clad foyer of CH I was feeling a little under interrogation. ............ a thousand cameras and little interaction. I suppose thats the whole point of it all......posing visually, rich questioning and other musigs of just how much mobile communication technologies reshape our whole interpretation of the world.
Joanna speaks of mobile activism, the up-turn of citizen journalism, mobile dream telling ( sounds a little of digital story telling with a slight tweak of nomenclature ) , research principles for media interrogation, swarming and a host of other really interesting stuff.
It brings to mind how far the geek e-learning world is removed from the arts and yet inextricably woven through every fibre of its form. Simon, Paula, Joanna and I spoke of how the education sector builds walls around knowledge and streams information for consumption and yet at the same time we have the advent of the mobile web 2.0 space punching its way into what we do. It seems like a lone journey at times with the importance of embracing the changes that the sector ( ed. ) needs to bring it up to mobile speed ( not just friggin PDA's for Petes sake ) of what the arts regularly mashes for our immersion pleasure.
What intrigued me today about this visit down town at the Customs House was the imbedded plasma screens showing historical rather than live screening of, as the art world would like to call them, 'spectators' or audience.
Thats a term coined only in a limited few circles.
Joanna seems to have pushed this a little further with definitive excerpts like 'mobile technology [mobile phones] are now beyond mere technical object , more a key social neccesity'.
There was reference to the need of individuals now seeking to 'belong' to a communication network and the usual guffy relational aesthetic stuff about the audience deciding whether it is witness or particpant. In my lowly informed opinion I believe humans are now more like distributive agents empowered to capture and distrubute via user-generative content devices , script sniffling and feeding information to selective or all and sundry.
Unrelenting.....a bit like the backlash to TV.
Hey.....if this is sounding like a review forget it. I've embarressed myself enough in the past with writing that would make a ninety year olds hair go black so.........I spoke my mind but as I had hammered into my young brain at the time that a dog shouldnt poo in its own nest......true and fair enough..........I'll leave the critical stuff for others........I'm taken with performance that brings you dear visitor, you and your ideas into an experience where you can weave, pixelate, create, invent etc.
I'm in it for the fun and the Esquisse rock.
They make it relevant and the audience is obviously engaged...better than some of the dishing out that education seems to effect its audience.....we could learn a little from it all and see how we could apply it elsewhere......and vice versa. Of interest is that Joanna is from over at the University of Bedfordshire and Simon touts himself as an experiential marketer.
I dropped a few words about the AFLF, things happening over at Parnngurr and some of the TALO mob stuff as well as the old AMLN
It's a frightening bridge of digital worlds I straddle......... none more so that my current Learnscope enterprise. Anyways.....I'm off to the Esquisse after party which should unfold a few more mobile dream tales. It's an interesting time.
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
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