10 Ways for leaders to use Twitter effectively

For most people using Twitter as a Personal Learning Network, it’s a whirlpool of conversation – a duel-band mechanism that’s disruptive, constructive, insightful and meaningless all at the same time. It’s fun and helps people deal with the flow of unconscious thought that otherwise would be silent – or go un-answered. This is an important [...]

The frustration with online learning in HE

This is a podcast from the ABC’s Radio National, talking about University approaches to online education, distributed learning and the need for change. Lots of great ‘talk-back’ from students. Well worth a listen.

Questioning the Net Generation

Yesterday I briefly spoke in a webinar about Essential Questions (Driving Questions) in project based learning – and how difficult teachers often find it to write them initially. There are some questions that we can draw from how kids play digital video games that go someway to helping create a play book for inquiry. This [...]

VWBPE: OMG it worked.

Last week Mr.9 leveled up to be Mr.10 and due to a spot of good fortune we spent the week on Hamilton Island. In case you’re not sure, this is one of those paradise looking places with perfect white sandy beaches and more infinity pools that Gorden Ramsey’s got F-words. Big white yachts, the barrier [...]

An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

An entry at VWBPE. “WB Yeats – An Irish Airman Foresees His Death”. Made with a game. Another fine example of how to engage with play and not disrupt school. If you liked this – take a look (and vote) at for one of the other – amazing productions from virtual worlds! Enjoy.

Virtual Worlds Best Practices In Education

I was so stunned to be asked to present at Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education this year, it’s hard to say how much without using CAPS.  I’ve been to the previous years, and have to say that it’s not the virtual world that is amazing (though you can see the presenter stage is epic) [...]

Dream School – Why TV failed and YouTube won.

This post is about TV’s efforts to create Dream School and how Channel 4 did a far better job online. It’s also about being brutally honest about how serious we are about technology. So let me start by claiming that kids are virtual ethnographers, immersed in a culture for a long time, taking constant field [...]

Quick, the fires going out. Add another anecdote.

James Gee in 2004 (think birth of much of the things people are currently excited about) said “Unfortunately, our schools are still locked in endless and pointless battles between “traditionalism” and “progressivism,” between lecture-style teaching and immersion learning, as if these were the only two alternatives.” He was talking about games and immersion while future-billionaires [...]

Massively Productive

A brief history of Educational Technology

You may have missed this one. I certainly did, thanks to Kristina for pointing it out. It’s amazing to think it’s almost 2 years old. I like the up-beat dialogue and reminded me how fast time moves, and how slowly some of the messages do. It would be great to think how to pick up [...]