Gather round everyone, it's Day 2 of the ALT-C 2011 Conference in Leeds. I'm meeting lots of folk today and doing a number of interviews, while trying to fit in as many of the paper and panel sessions as possible without keeling over. Sadly, my laptop Keith and I are on our own now. My faithful iPod Iggy passed away last night, and is now in a much better place (at the bottom of my case).
Yesterday was also a busy day, with plenty of food for thought, including two (yes two) sessions featuring the ubiquitous Richard Hall. The first session was a panel presentation where Frances Bell, Josie Fraser, Helen Keegan (both wearing bright red dresses), and Richard (sadly not in a red dress but wearing instead the obligatory learning technologist check shirt) held forth on the paradox of openness, covering issues of authenticity, misappropriation and identity in digital environments. It was cut and thrust all the way, and the packed room responded with questions, comments and ... er, more questions about what we should really be doing and saying online.
The second session was an interesting rehash of the infamous VLE is Dead symposium we conducted a couple of years ago at ALT-C 2009 in Manchester. This time, Richard and his colleagues discussed whether the VLE should be rebirthed. Again, as is usually the case when institutional tools are discussed, the audience was polarised and a healthy discussion ensued. It was all food for thought indeed.
Food for thought by
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No, this is not a hair salon advert. There is some really useful commentary and reflection from Richard Hall (De Montfort University) on the highlights of the recent Plymouth e-Learning Conference, held on April 4th. Richard says: "I had a really nice time last Friday, at the Plymouth e-Learning conference. Okay, it helped that the weather was great and that I was by the seaside, and that I love the train journey past the Cotswolds, through Bristol and along the coast beyond Exeter. However, the setting for the day, in the Roland Levinsky building, was excellent - an impressive use of building materials fused with a dynamic shape in the heart of the city. Plus, I met some really nice people - lots of smiling (I wonder if it's the sea air), and took away a few ideas."Thanks for the feedback Richard - a great endorsement! Hope to see you, and many others at next year's Plymouth e-Learning Conference on April 23-24th....
