I attended the recent Spatial Information Day (SID) which was held at the Wine Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. (Aug. 2007). Spatial Information Day's (SID) provide opportunities to showcase innovative spatial technologies and projects.
The event was an outstanding success, highlighting the diversity of projects and geospatial technologies, high level of expertise, potential careers in the geospatial industry using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and valuable networking opportunities. The beautiful venue, brilliant weather (late winter) and excellent South Australian hospitality topped off a memorable day.
The presentations are now available on the website.
Examples include :
'Global initiatives on environmental assessment & early warning: outlook to contributions of remote sensing & related geospatial technologies';
'Post Tsunami Banda Aceh - illustrative & spatial overview';
'Practical support for local level change: how spatial information can assist Aboriginal management of heritage at the local level in South Australia';
'The (South Australian) State Land & Soil Information Framework - what is it and what can it do?'
'Managing the Small Plague Grasshopper Control Program using GIS';
'Integration of Spatial Tools for Prioritisation of the River Murray Floodplain' & many more.
SID is already in my calendar for 2008.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Mahara (open source) PLE
I discovered Mahara while doing some research on Personalised Learning Environments (PLEs) and e-Portfolios. Mahara emanates from New Zealand and means 'think' or 'thought' in Te Reo Māori. It is a "fully featured open source electronic portfolio, weblog, resume builder and social networking system, connecting users and creating online communities." It stands out from many others in its aim to be more student-centric.
Mahara has an impressive range of tools designed to allow users to "demonstrate their life-long learning, skills and development over time" and the ability for users to select and control who can see their Artefacts. Discussion around a Roadmap about self assessment grids is worth following. Check the lernenzwei 'GPS for Learning' project for more information.
Mahara features include a file repository, blogging tool (creation of Artefacts), all important social networking capabilities and a résumé builder. All Artefacts have built-in metadata to aid discovery. Check the website for more technical considerations.
Another area of interest is the JISC (UK) SPLASH project in higher education which aims to "provide a more personalised learning experience....and ... management of artefacts," developed by the creative efforts of learners using popular Web2.0 mashup technology.
David Delgado's posting "On E-learning 2.0 and the Personal Learning Environment (PLE)" provides an excellent visualization and definition of a PLE as "systems that help learners take control of and manage their own learning, they are distributed, social and learner-centric." He uses another open source product, Elgg (which I have experimented with in recent years)and complements this with a range of Web2.0 tools and Moodle.
So much to explore! The PLE tag in Del.icio.us has been great!
Mahara has an impressive range of tools designed to allow users to "demonstrate their life-long learning, skills and development over time" and the ability for users to select and control who can see their Artefacts. Discussion around a Roadmap about self assessment grids is worth following. Check the lernenzwei 'GPS for Learning' project for more information.
Mahara features include a file repository, blogging tool (creation of Artefacts), all important social networking capabilities and a résumé builder. All Artefacts have built-in metadata to aid discovery. Check the website for more technical considerations.
Another area of interest is the JISC (UK) SPLASH project in higher education which aims to "provide a more personalised learning experience....and ... management of artefacts," developed by the creative efforts of learners using popular Web2.0 mashup technology.
David Delgado's posting "On E-learning 2.0 and the Personal Learning Environment (PLE)" provides an excellent visualization and definition of a PLE as "systems that help learners take control of and manage their own learning, they are distributed, social and learner-centric." He uses another open source product, Elgg (which I have experimented with in recent years)and complements this with a range of Web2.0 tools and Moodle.
So much to explore! The PLE tag in Del.icio.us has been great!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Classroom2.0 on Ning
I've recently joined a Ning community, "Classroom2.0," as you can see by my new badge on this blog.
Classroom2.0 is a "social networking site for those interested in the practical application of computer technology (especially Web 2.0) in the classroom and in their own professional development."
I think Ning has great potential for teachers/educators setting up their own social networks and exploring the potential of Web2.0. I've recommended setting up a community in Ning for a couple of local groups of educators, getting started in social networkiing.
Classroom2.0 is a "social networking site for those interested in the practical application of computer technology (especially Web 2.0) in the classroom and in their own professional development."
I think Ning has great potential for teachers/educators setting up their own social networks and exploring the potential of Web2.0. I've recommended setting up a community in Ning for a couple of local groups of educators, getting started in social networkiing.
8 Random Things Meme
I've been tagged by Jo McLeay with the '8 Random Things Meme.'
After a quick bit of research, decided to give it a go.
Here are the rules:
After a quick bit of research, decided to give it a go.
Here are the rules:
- Let others know who tagged you.
- Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
- Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
- Players tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.
My 8 random things meme.
1. I’m an occasional blogger, member of a web2.0/blogging group, nicknamed 'net2blazers', an explorer in the world of Web2.0 and especially into social bookmarking.
2. Have an avid interest in politics and love to discuss issues with others, especially in this election year (Federal) in Australia.
3. Consider myself to be a bit of a greenie and we have just installed more rainwater tanks in our home this year. We save and recycle water, recycle and compost etc..
4. I came to live in Oz while still at school. I have lived in 3 continents, including Europe and Africa. I once lived on a farm in Ireland and had my own pony.
5. I love the web and spend a lot of time on the computer at home but multi-tasking is the go!
6. I love reading. I’ve always had a voracious appetite for reading and English was my favourite subject at school. Thank heavens for RSS and aggregation!
7. Passionate about SouthOz (South Australia) and its charms. Under-rated by many but has great beaches, seafood, cafes and restaurants, wines and wineries, outback, climate, home of the Leafy Sea Dragon and Coopers, Tour Down Under and Festivals and friendly people.
8. Still one to go! Most interesting (?) clip on the Internet Archive: “Duck and Cover” – sign of the times (1951).
Thursday, June 07, 2007
What does RSS mean to you?
Kerrie Smith asks the question, 'What does RSS mean to you? Do you use it?' on her education.au blog 'You are never alone'.
Kerrie writes ....
"Web 2.0, blogs, wikis, virtual environments, and social networking tools are not going to go away. If we have any sort of online life then they are going to increasingly be part of the way that we work. And yet when I conduct face to face workshops and begin to talk about RSS, eyes glaze over, and clearly my audience largely do not know what I am referring to. "
I can relate to Kerrie's lament and have posted my comments to Kerrie's blog posting and repeat some of my response here.
Discovering the power of RSS some years ago, I have done my best to share understandings with colleagues/other educators/students with some success. I have also experienced the …’talk about RSS, eyes glaze over’… syndrome. Practical and relevant examples do help in demystifying this but there’s a big pool of internet users, including educators, unaware of the vast potential of the Read/Write (Web2.0) world.
Luckily, there are also many talented, inspiring and generous folk who are making a difference in this area through social networking, online conferences etc. RSS underpins so much in the connected, collaborative world and is now much more pervasive, tools abound and are simple to use! Understanding and using aggregation is a necessary skill to be information literate.
I have been reading recently about the Queensland Government Department of Education's introduction of an ICT Pedagogical Licence (and their 'Smart Classrooms Professional Development Framework'). These initiatives provide support for educators and 21st century learning environments in a connected Web2.0 world. A positive step!
(And fewer instances of 'eyes glazed over' in Kerrie's future workshops!)
Kerrie writes ....
"Web 2.0, blogs, wikis, virtual environments, and social networking tools are not going to go away. If we have any sort of online life then they are going to increasingly be part of the way that we work. And yet when I conduct face to face workshops and begin to talk about RSS, eyes glaze over, and clearly my audience largely do not know what I am referring to. "
I can relate to Kerrie's lament and have posted my comments to Kerrie's blog posting and repeat some of my response here.
Discovering the power of RSS some years ago, I have done my best to share understandings with colleagues/other educators/students with some success. I have also experienced the …’talk about RSS, eyes glaze over’… syndrome. Practical and relevant examples do help in demystifying this but there’s a big pool of internet users, including educators, unaware of the vast potential of the Read/Write (Web2.0) world.
Luckily, there are also many talented, inspiring and generous folk who are making a difference in this area through social networking, online conferences etc. RSS underpins so much in the connected, collaborative world and is now much more pervasive, tools abound and are simple to use! Understanding and using aggregation is a necessary skill to be information literate.
I have been reading recently about the Queensland Government Department of Education's introduction of an ICT Pedagogical Licence (and their 'Smart Classrooms Professional Development Framework'). These initiatives provide support for educators and 21st century learning environments in a connected Web2.0 world. A positive step!
(And fewer instances of 'eyes glazed over' in Kerrie's future workshops!)
Add your vote: Best 100 Web2.0 sites
There's only a few days left to make your vote count in the Webware 'Best 100 Web2.0 sites' awards. Webware has whittled the field down from over 5,000 nominations to 25 Web2.0 tools and services in each of 10 categories.
I found it difficult to make just one selection in many of the categories eg. Browsing, Community, Data, Media, Productivity and Publishing. Voting closes on June 11th and the winners will be announced on Webware on June 18th.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Recommended reading (Folksonomies)
Recommended reading from the past month for anyone interested in this topic.
European Schoolnet - Insight (Observatory for new technologies and education) has released a special research report 'Folksonomies, social bookmarking and tagging: state-of-the-art' by Research Analyst, Riina Vuorikari, (May 10, 2007)
European Schoolnet - Insight (Observatory for new technologies and education) has released a special research report 'Folksonomies, social bookmarking and tagging: state-of-the-art' by Research Analyst, Riina Vuorikari, (May 10, 2007)
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