Automation

There have been phases of automation. An earlier phase (mid 20th c.) saw the elimination of many metal-bashing "male" jobs. AI is set to do the same to "women's work". Receptionists, PAs, Librarians, Admin Staff and HR. These roles were core to the domestic work portfolio of "traditional families" or households with two earning adults … Continue reading Automation

With my tin foil hat on

I am suggesting that there are sets of affinities that encourage people and their friends, firms, institutions, communities, governments and enterprises to act in certain ways. Blackboard provided a means towards control of the curriculum should someone want to. The patent application was, possibly, late dot-com chutzpah. Its subsequent deployment strikes me as strategic and in line with neoconservative affinities. Evidently, today in the deep winter of 2025.

Composting

The composting system. Kitchen and soft garden waste in... We get two veg boxes a week. One is from a local organic farm. The other is an "Oddbox" of farm-rescued veg that is surplus to supermarket requirements. We eat a lot of vegetable soup. Rots down And then gets turned into the second chamber... Second … Continue reading Composting

The war machine’s greed

George Monbiot was speaking over Al's shoulder, of the vandals who are wrecking the earth, and spoke of the energy industries, water and other extractive activities. But I didn't hear him name the "war machine", the defense and security industry, the military-industrial complex or the fin-tech infosys sustaining it all. When the masses are happy … Continue reading The war machine’s greed

Recording in a studio

Yesterday I booked two hours at our community recording studio, Soundworks, at Blackbird Leys Community Centre. I recorded nine poems. Hear them on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/thelastpoet. https://soundcloud.com/thelastpoet. I am getting used to SoundCloud and what it can and cannot do. In the studio, for two hours I got about 18 minutes of poetry recorded, listened and … Continue reading Recording in a studio

Recovering thelastpoet

I have been thelastpoet on Soundcloud for more than 10 years. I am planning now to start using the name and the space. I am negotiating for some time in a local studio. Meanwhile I have uploaded three new pieces. Words only. Rough and ready. Enjoy thelastpoet. thelastpoet · Another story in Ukraine thelastpoet · … Continue reading Recovering thelastpoet

Beginning of term

Systems or people? We can model learning in order to develop ways for our machines to acquire, store, process and apply data: information gathered from the world around. Although I put it as a vague question of preference at the start of this essay, it has many ramifications. Are people not just quite complex systems? … Continue reading Beginning of term

Backpacks, badges and epistemology: an interesting conversation that leads to happily ever after

Grant (2014) asks in the title to her book about digital badges, "What Counts as Learning?" This succinctly expresses the question of higher education and explains the continuing interest in badges, and in learning technologies in general. The fact this is less explored, gives me an opportunity to explore both learning technology and epistemology. I have developed … Continue reading Backpacks, badges and epistemology: an interesting conversation that leads to happily ever after

Badges: Learning Gain or Just a Game, and what’s wrong with that?

Badges are Digital image files with text metadata stating criteria for which the badge has been earned. Badges are (presently) self-certified by Learner or Earner and Self-certified by Provider or Issuer. Below are resources for a short session I ran for the Technology Experimentation Group (TEG). Badges assert achievement usually for employment or engagement or further educational/CPD purposes. … Continue reading Badges: Learning Gain or Just a Game, and what’s wrong with that?

Teaching conference #fslt15

Reflecting mid-week in the fifth and last week of First Steps into Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (FSLT). In four one-hour webinars, two on Monday and two on Tuesday, I have seen and participated in 12 Virtual Conference presentations by participants in week 5 of this open online course. And, for the first time … Continue reading Teaching conference #fslt15