Well, we have come to the end of the MERLOT conference...this one ended somewhat anticlimactically, having no event to really wrap it up; but the morning plenary was truly awesome. Barabara Dieu (from Brazil) addressed the room, bringing along a few of her friends from all over the world - who joined us in Second Life, Alado.net, webheadsinaction.org, and a couple of other technology gatherings, including a number of voice feeds from all over - from Canada to France, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and who knows where else. I am one who is nervous adding PowerPoint technology to a presentation or lesson, and Barbara joins up six or more to bring the world to MERLOT. No fear - that's the only way to go.
Well her talk was about the architecture of collaboration, so whether the technology worked or didn't (as she explained to me), the point would be made about what we need to do more of, better, faster and with higher stability is to keep developing the architecture and infrastructure that breaks down the barriers to bringing the world together. She threw in a sort of social comment slide early in her presentation that I really didn't get until just now - on reflection. The slide was of a child in some "inner city" sitting on the curb between two obviously busy lanes of traffic (maybe in the aftermath of Katrina?). The child looked the picture of poverty and the comment from Barbara - that this is too often the image of the inner city - was lost on me in the discussion about architecture and collaboration.
Maybe that was the point - to make us all stretch to figure out what technology and collaboration can do to change the reality of poverty and to improve the human condition. I think there are at least three points that could be made for us related to what we heard and saw: first, that the technology can offer an escape from the reality of the city and inspire us to create a reality that is more positive; second, that bringing the world together brings the hope that we can become a world culture - accepting and welcoming of our differences and working together to make it a better world; and that through technology we can be aware, conscious, motivated, concerned, and energized about making that change.
I still can't believe she pulled off that much technology, so smoothly....awesome!
I took in only a couple of short sessions today, but one of them - just a 30-minute presentation really got me thinking about how we might use wikis in problem-based learning. I also got introduces to a fairly substantial new set of technologies, tools, and tactics. I will put together a list of technologies and a basic taxonomy of learning that applies as a result of my learning here. My buddy Caroline C. has suggested I present something at the college; but I am thinking about how I might just make that available in another format - something that uses the technologies I have been introduced to or given the chance to play with.
MERLOT itself is the most important resource with which I have become familiar and I intend to help others use this on my return. I will also use it myself if possible to put together a couple of courses on eBusiness in a technology collection of some sort...still reflecting: still learning.
Time to head home - through Washington on the return trip. It will be nice to sleep in my own bed, but will certainly come back to New Orleans before too long. Bon voyage, cher.
Well her talk was about the architecture of collaboration, so whether the technology worked or didn't (as she explained to me), the point would be made about what we need to do more of, better, faster and with higher stability is to keep developing the architecture and infrastructure that breaks down the barriers to bringing the world together. She threw in a sort of social comment slide early in her presentation that I really didn't get until just now - on reflection. The slide was of a child in some "inner city" sitting on the curb between two obviously busy lanes of traffic (maybe in the aftermath of Katrina?). The child looked the picture of poverty and the comment from Barbara - that this is too often the image of the inner city - was lost on me in the discussion about architecture and collaboration.
Maybe that was the point - to make us all stretch to figure out what technology and collaboration can do to change the reality of poverty and to improve the human condition. I think there are at least three points that could be made for us related to what we heard and saw: first, that the technology can offer an escape from the reality of the city and inspire us to create a reality that is more positive; second, that bringing the world together brings the hope that we can become a world culture - accepting and welcoming of our differences and working together to make it a better world; and that through technology we can be aware, conscious, motivated, concerned, and energized about making that change.
I still can't believe she pulled off that much technology, so smoothly....awesome!
I took in only a couple of short sessions today, but one of them - just a 30-minute presentation really got me thinking about how we might use wikis in problem-based learning. I also got introduces to a fairly substantial new set of technologies, tools, and tactics. I will put together a list of technologies and a basic taxonomy of learning that applies as a result of my learning here. My buddy Caroline C. has suggested I present something at the college; but I am thinking about how I might just make that available in another format - something that uses the technologies I have been introduced to or given the chance to play with.
MERLOT itself is the most important resource with which I have become familiar and I intend to help others use this on my return. I will also use it myself if possible to put together a couple of courses on eBusiness in a technology collection of some sort...still reflecting: still learning.
Time to head home - through Washington on the return trip. It will be nice to sleep in my own bed, but will certainly come back to New Orleans before too long. Bon voyage, cher.
1 comment:
Stephen,
It was nice meeting you in NOLA and thanks for the nice review of my keynote on your blog. Three little things I'd like to point out though, based on architectures of participation:
a) please open the comment area of this blog for people who have accounts with other blog services (I happen to have an old one with Blogger and this is why I am able to write here, but if I had not, I would be silent or obliged to open an account with a provider which I might not want to)
b) tag your post "merlot2007onlap" so it can be listed in Technorati together with the others on the same event. It is easier to retrieve the different perspectives this way.
c)I had to use the comment area of this blog to say this because I did not find any other way of connecting to you otherwise (email or interactive webpage).
Warm regards from Brazil,
Bee
Current blog on Wordpress at:
http://beewebhead.net
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