This morning during one of the rare instances when I actually get to browse through my neglected list of RSS feeds I saw a passing call for predictions and commentary on the future of education in preparation for a short course that (I believe) David Cormier and George Siemens are facilitating.
Not being one to shy away from the opportunity to criticise the establishment, I wanted to offer up a few thoughts of my own on the matter.
Perhaps I’m in a pessimistic state of mind, or my years in the uni …

I’m going to have to unpack this considerably to properly interpret the meaning of what happened this afternoon – or more appropriately what didn’t happen – because the information session I just finished presenting for the entire faculty attracted a total of 3 people. Three people, that is, including the guy from central IT who wanted to see what people thought of the service.
I don’t take this personally by any means. I think the realities of the situation are more complex than that. In fact the two people from the …

This afternoon I am presenting an information session on Lectopia for staff in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at UNSW. The session is intended to provide a basic overview of what Lectopia is, address some of the recurring questions that arise with respect to the service, and answer any questions that staff may have.
Session Recording
A recording of the session is available below (click here to download the MP3).

Session Information & Resources
The majority of the session will be devoted to demonstrating and discussing different aspects of the service, …

Following on my post yesterday on individuality and diversity, there is a flip side of the discussion that needs to be covered too.
A common argument in the face of innovation or new systems – which I explored here just the other day in fact – is the lack of resourcing. Resourcing for support, for maintainance, for training and documentation. Basically the issue of how the system is to be effectively translated to a sustainable service.
This is a significant crux in the issue. When we view systems as "services" that others …

There is a unfortunate tendency within organisations and central units to undermine innovation on the fringe by virtue of preferences to central infrastructure and systems. "Supported systems" are seen as better than those that might exist off-site, and obsessions about web presence and branding are such that individuality and uniqueness are seen as undesirable – as if learning is a package to be purchased in a neatly wrapped box.
Well, learning is not a neatly wrapped box. It is a complex, chaotic unpredictable process characterised by extraordinary uniqueness and individuality. It …