Month: March 2009

Yummy Web2 Session

Michael ChalkLeave a commentace, classroom, e-learning, innovation, professional development

At the recent ACE e-showcase, Michael Gwyther from YUM productions gave a great account of how they have used web2 technologies in one of their multimedia courses. Here’s the list of tools they’ve used: Blog Social Bookmarks (delicious) RSS Feeds Podomatic Slideshare Flickr Video RSS Feed reader! (Bloglines) The key for Michael is RSS feeds. As multiple students post their course reflections and assignments to their blog, he is able to read the updates from a single place .. his RSS feed reader. For a feed reader, i like google Read More …

Wendell on Guided Reading with Adult Learners

Michael ChalkLeave a commentadult literacy, classroom

Interesting to read stories from an adult literacy worker in Canada. Wendell Dryden is “a poet, painter, literacy worker .. writing in Saint John, New Brunswick.” He’s written a few times now about using the Page Turners easy reader series in his adult literacy classroom. Just now he’s posted an interesting piece about “guided reading” .. or finding the right book for the adult learner at the right time. A good overview of which texts he uses for each level, eg: Grass Roots (canada) and Page Turners for the real Read More …

Holographic, networked interfacing?

Michael ChalkLeave a commentinnovation

The POV wearable computers in my earlier post had me thinking about how technologies might be integrated more closely with human bodies in future. Not only portable, but wearable. i stumbled upon a TED talks video which demonstrates a new wearable computer-like device. Camera and projector work together with your phone to create touch screens anywhere, linked in with the “hive mind” (portable projection). .. or you can download it yourself from their site. Fantasy and technology continue to converge. In this charming “World Builder” video, a man builds a Read More …

POV camera .. meets Taser !

Michael ChalkLeave a commente-learning, innovation

Great initiative via Leigh Blackall over in Otago, NZ. He and Michael and Alex have been experimenting with a wild new concept known as the Point of View (POV) camera. Worn on glasses, or on a head torch, the gadget allows you to video exactly what you’re doing, hands-free. Not sure whether it has audio recording built in yet. (Check: yes it does.) What also caught my eye (and my similarity radar) was an article on Wired, where the law enforcement agencies are investigating similar options .. a wearable computer, Read More …

real-time collaboration

Michael ChalkLeave a commentace, e-learning

Just had a great meeting with the one and only Lynne Gibb from Coonara House. We started out in the new Access ACE Victorian elluminate room .. moved across to a new wiki near the e-showcase ACFE wiki .. and then realised we couldn’t edit the same wiki page at the same time. So moved over to google docs, where it was easier to collaborate, because the system is set up to auto-save the work of all people editing. Really great to watch someone else typing as they talk you Read More …

facebook as multiple literacies

Michael ChalkLeave a commentadult literacy, research, technology

Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel’s (L&K) own chapter in their book “digital literacies” investigates the social networking site Facebook in the light of multiple literacies. Within that environment, literacies have a strong tendency to be “relational” rather than informational. Hence the “super-poke” is all about connecting with a friend or colleague rather than transmitting any particular information. Membership in “groups” signals identity, but may not involve any actual communication or participation within the group. Previous studies into social networking include: network theory, signaling theory, human geography theory, social contract theory, Read More …