BSL signing

I have just come back from my first proper sign language class. perhaps it is no surprise to some but the level of concentration required as I found tonight is huge. I thought I was pretty good as far as visual memory but it was stretched today, hopefully I will be able to learn and progress in the weeks to come. it is very odd to learn in a relatively speech free way.

thinking too much again >>

luckily as it doesn't happen that often but every now and again I wake up with the most horrid headache, (nothing suspicious). 

today was one of those days. might have been something to do with the planning stuff I was doing late in to last night last. I still haven't got it all done as there is many more hours of planning to do, and what is worse I felt too rough to go it to work today, still don't feel good now. I never learn, when I get busy with something I seem to never be able to stop.

I should have gone to bed early and then would have achieved more today, perhaps next time.

conference >> stayed longer than usual

well it is unusual that I actually choose to stay longer than I have to at a meeting especially when it is a friday and I have to drive over the moor to get home in cold icy/snowy conditions. but strangely this time I stayed a bit longer (not because I had bought a ticket in the raffle I didn't, they had sold all the tickets; have to say it is a great way to stop people sneaking off early). but I was actually very interested in what was being discussed.

in my real work (the stuff that pays me) which this was part of. I have to really think sometimes whether things are actually worth doing. is the amount of work needed to get something done worth the trouble (after all I could simply bumble along) .
today I saw/listened to things that both inspired me as well as made me realise that what I can do is/can be important. even make learning and a students educational experience better. it takes days away from staring stuff in the face to realise this. unfortunately I don't think I get enough or make enough time for me to do this. so I have made a promise to myself to take a step back as much as possible in order to make sure that I don't loose myself in the day to day nonsense of tiny detail without realising the importance of the bigger picture. not that detail isn't important it is something to come back to at a projects conclusion.

sorry for an uninteresting post but hopefully the fruits will be here to see in the coming weeks and months, as I get back to what I know.

education >> interesting views about learning in the USA

I am a regular reader of lifejotter, the blog makes me think and I couldn't ignore their post on 'bending reality in the classroom' (in the USA).

it is a very interesting post (especially to me as teacher). I have to say on the whole I agree with the sentiment, but really believe the system as we work it in the UK (though I can only speak of the area I work within) addresses the major points the post makes.

all that said we are far from meeting the needs of the learner and constantly evaluate the way we have to understand the way people on this new age of technology learn.
it is something that has to be thought about and acted upon as the needs of the learner are constantly changing and someone who appears to be computer literate does not necessarily able to learn in a formal way and therefore their learning is not extended.

it is a bit like giving a student a very good pc/mac and expect them to be able to write or understand and fundamentals vital for their future. have a look at lifejotters blog and see what you think

professor guy claxton >> creativity

I spent a large part of today listening to professor guy claxton speak at a network learning day he managed to make me think about things like I haven't done for some years, which has to be a good thing & I am still thinking................ as much about my work as a teacher as I am about myself as a learner.
creativity a guide for the advanced learner (and teacher) .pdf
guyclaxton.com

lego >> films >> youtube

I have often checked stuff that the students I teach as well as what my own children look at on the internet as well as how they use it. it is for many reasons not just the obvious (their security).
I often get ideas for new ways of teaching ICT in the classroom, I nearly always find that the younger they are the more intuitive they are. perhaps it is because they are not being scared to try stuff without thinking things might go wrong with the 'expensive machine'.

the other day I was amazed to find that my normally busy, happy, sporty, easily distracted 9 year old was sitting silently at my computer totally absorbed. I had to see what was so good, he was watching lego films on youtube.
the good thing after I had managed to get him away from the computer he continued to play with his own lego even having a go at making his own films with improvised sets. I don't get cross now when I tread (barefoot it really hurts) on his lego all over the front room floor early in the morning. I am pleased with the creativity and the thinking behind making new stuff from created stuff.

obviously this film is not one of his but it I like it, give it a chance its really quite good.

negative > positive > residuals

this is some of what I have been doing today. thought you would be interested!? I have been looking at the residuals from the exam result from the students I taught last academic year.the image below is not the actual data as that is confidential but a simple illustration.'

The term "residual" defines the fraction of variability which cannot be explained by a given model. Residuals should be inspected carefully when establishing models, since they give valuable hints on the fulfillment of model assumptions.'
Residuals are calculated by subtracting the model estimates from the actual data. The figure below shows the model and the data on the left, and the residuals on the right.
it is interesting honest!
I found out by doing a girl / boy split, that the girls did less well gaining high grades but were more consistent against expectations. whereas the boys consistently achieved above their target. on the whole results were good, but does this now mean I have to re-consider how I teach girls?

it's back to pencils >> davo

as usual it was a chance message that led me to the blogs / website that I am introducing to you through dgthekneelo today. I really never know what I will be writing about form each day to the next. that is what makes stuff so interesting and fresh.

I knew that I was not crazy when I detailed the things like to always have with me in a blog I wrote a while ago 'found a nice pencil'.

troy worman's blog 'orbit now' was the starting place leading me to pencil revolutions and finally on to dave's mechanical pencils.
now this site is a real work of passion I have to say I spent far too long reading it earlier

nothing to do with the blogs mentioned but check out davo, a new concept is instant blogging that I have started, with the idea that snippets or section of conversations that seem interesting. at the moment it is very early and the only person set up to update is me, but if things work out I would like to open it up to anyone. Have a look and leave your thoughts.

what more surfing >> design has not been forgotten

I feel a bit bad/lazy having two posts in a row with a video from youtube in them.
gabes sent me the link and it made me feel so happy I had to share it.
it has such a great feel about it really makes me remember just how many great days at the beach I have had with hopefully many more to come.
even the song is written by: (b. gallagher/g. lyle), who funnily enough I went to see at the brighton dome in 1976, with due reverence to davidthedesigner's post today with the fabulous stevie wonder youtube clip, giving me an idea.
granted gallagher & lyle live was not the best concert I have ever been to but the surf film is so good and the music fits it.



strange then at the same time I was in deep consideration about some of the interesting thoughts muted by digital nomad & others got side tracked in to looking at fusionview however both blogs are well worthy of a look.

I am the one who introduced the 'innovation equation' you know (insight/ideas/impact) in to the conversation but I do like the idea that information + experience = knowledge taken directly from soho-quest friday the 13th post.

perhaps I should watch the donavon frankenreiter (green board-shorts) & rob machado (multi coloured board-shorts) surf clip again? yes, do you I think I will.

ideas >> associated place >> learning >> create

funny isn't it how ideas just seem to happen (or not) I always think it strange when creative agencies have a time and a date to have an idea.
I find that ideas happen, but the more I work at it the more they happen.
I am not one of those people who just has a great idea and then goes away to create.
when I have an idea usually I try it, realise that it doesn't or wont work, but the fact that I am trying to work at it makes other ideas come through. this can happen lots of times before I reach a solution to the original problem.

the reason for mentioning this is because in the normal run of things we wait for a problem think about it then spend ages working on it eventually solving it by one way or another. this includes for me pretty much everything I do from the smallest pre-prepared hand out for a specific lesson plan or a complete corporate identity.
must say the last major id I did was a few years ago and it was for a surf-wear company (flip-flops and surf sandals) three peaks see picture.

the thinking behind it took weeks but the actual design was relatively quick to do, and it came to me reasonably easily. we all have our own ways of creating and I believe it is experience that makes us able to re-think and re-design and while we continue to do this we will be able to maintain a design life. I find it much harder to try to instill in students the confidence to try.

I have had some ideas about the room I work in, teach in, spend hours in, that I am currently working on, in the hope that something may come of them.

I really believe that by changing the way the room looks/works I can start to challenge the way the students entering the room think, while challenging I hope to motivate and encourage even draw out some kind of creativity from an otherwise quietly compliant youth, who consider using msn, myspace and bebo as creative, perhaps surprising of all create graphics in ms paint 'cos thats what they have got at home', even though they have the complete macromedia studio package available to them!
we will see what happens?

in a rush >> waiting >> store design/layout

how many times have you rushed to get somewhere got there exactly on time only to be kept waiting and waiting! well that happened to me today I had to go into work two hours teaching then into a meeting then rush to see the consultant (about my shoulder) but ended up waiting for 2 hours 20 minutes. now I know that there are always people worse off and I realise that my need is not as great as others but it was a clinic I had an appointment time! I just had to wait quietly.

I don't want to use this blog to complain about stuff that has nothing to do with what the blog was started for so I'll stop.

I did however have a chance afterwards to go for a surprisingly nice coffee, (I chose not to have it black as would usually in case it was not very nice) at a very large retailer, as I was enjoying my coffee and carrot cake. I got set to thinking if this retailer take £1 of every £8 spent in the the UK, how does this reflect on the design/layout of the shop.



I also remembered that in the early 90's I was responsible for designing the floor layouts for a very large menswear retailer when they opened their flagship shop on oxford street, london and across the country the group where then bought up by eventually (arcadia). the design/layout of a shop obviously makes an enormous difference on how much money it makes I then realised why I had stopped doing it!

I have added a few pictures I took while I was there. I can't say I found any of it inspiring in any sense. though is so successful perhaps i need to think why, it can't just be price can it?


love the jars of octopus, I am sure not all the shops in this group sell them, so regional tastes must be catered for.

too tired >> red nose day

a poor excuse for not producing a proper blog today but I am really very tired indeed.
I have had a great two days all full with up big holes in knowledge, thought and then discovery but I will leave that for another blog, may be even tomorrow.
thoughts about presenting to an audience will be the next blog I hope.


until then enjoy the rest of comic relief (red nose) day.

mr westwood, sorry but I laughed (not sure if I was supposed to) at this picure but that's good you are involved.

whatever it made me donate some money so thats good.