AI MOOC (Guest Post)
My colleague, Andrew Walker, writes about his experience doing Stanford University’s AI course in a guest (and his first) blog post. cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by Darcy Moore In August last year, tech enthusiasts were buzzing with the news that Stanford University would be offering three classes online and free, in the upcoming spring semester. The classes being offered included an Introduction to Artificial Intelligence,... Read More
The best of both worlds: an anecdote
I have been asked to ‘lecture’ at the University of Wollongong this year. This position gives me the privilege of working with tertiary students preparing to become English teachers. This is an exciting opportunity and while preparing, thinking about the idealistic and the pragmatic, it became evident to me that the experience of organising to teach at the university might make for a useful introductory anecdote about the mixture of traditional... Read More
Viborg Katedralskole
My time at Viborg Katedralskole is coming to an end in a few days, which saddens me greatly. The liberal Danish ethos towards education and the general willingness of the students to engage with learning and life has been a joy to experience. The staff are very collegial. I have enjoyed their company and appreciated the professional encouragement offered. There is much for me to think about on return to Australia. cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr... Read More
Video Games: My Personal History and Recollections
Do you advocate playing video games in education? We should talk more about our own life experiences as part of this conversation. I have been reflecting on my video game playing past and finding it interesting to try and remember what was played and when. I thought I would share this with you in the hope that others would post or comment with their own personal histories in respect to video-gaming. I have a favourite books page above, so this post is... Read More
Thoughts About What’s Important in 2011 and Beyond at Our School
Hello colleagues, I jotted down a list of thoughts about 2011 that feel important for me to personally remember about our school and our directions. As you can imagine, it kept growing and is somewhat incomplete. Some are basic, somewhat mundane procedural matters that all schools employ but others are philosophically important, or fundamental, if each student is to engage with learning successfully and staff continue to have a vibrant workplace... Read More
Reflections on Education & Learning in Shanghai
Australian students with a Chinese background have long been respected in NSW schools for their diligence and conscientious attitudes towards learning and school. After my first experience of China, 12 days in the exciting metropolis of Shanghai, I can understand more completely why these students are excelling in our schools. To say that the Chinese value education highly is an understatement. What I experienced in the universities and schools visited... Read More
10 questions for your child’s teacher
I have never had a parent ask me any of the questions listed below, except, perhaps, the one about ‘happiness’ in a number of guises. I wish someone would. How would your child’s teachers fare if asked these questions: 1. What is your educational philosophy? 2. How are you assisting our child to become a self-directed learner? 3. What professional reading are you undertaking at the moment? 4. What are you reading for fun? 5. How... Read More
What do you think?
I have changed the look of my blog and am seeking some feedback. I really like a number of features available from this new theme: The extra sidebars available – top, bottom, left and right – give some good options The most recent post being highlighted (although this seems to be currently not working properly) The clean, crisp look My four major concerns: I tend to use Vodpod to post videos and this new design results in the user having... Read More
PLE Reflection (after a presentation for our Year 11 conference)
My brief, to present at a Year 11 conference about online tools, has accentuated, in my mind, how far away we are from providing the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) at school students need in a networked society. Your input, via comments at a previous blog post, twitter and yammer proved invaluable but also challenging, when one considers the realities for kids in our schools. Year 11 will have virtually no opportunity, in their day at school,... Read More
'How Has The Internet Changed The Way You Think?'
Here are the best answers you are likely to read, compiled by the Edge Foundation at their World Question Centre, to this important question. The following passage, from Tim O’Reilly‘s musings on the question, Pattern Recognition, made me reflect about the challenges of staying ‘educated’ and being and ‘educator’ in our ever-shifting culture: “It used to be the case that there was a canon, a... Read More
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