mlearn 2008

I'm at Handheld Learning blogging about 2008 - that's how it goes in the fast moving world of m! I'm actually watching Selena Chan, whose presentation I saw in Telford - she works at Christchurch Polytechnic in NZ with apprentice bakers. her work crosses the informal / formal divide into a new educational space in which (maybe) the two will meet and merge (ooh more ms)This was a recurrent theme at mlearn - along with a set of presentations about overcoming teacher resistance (presentations from Elizabeth Hartnell Young and Ian Watkins from Melbourne spring to mind). Two favourites for me (apart from excellent keynote from Diana Laurillard a lovely elegant model which Geoff and I used in our presentation in a rather cheeky way) - one by Debra Poulson talking about MiLK - a project from OZ which uses interactive games with kids in both formal (eg town planning) and informal (exploring a museum with your families)- she gets PhD students to make the games - and the results are really interesting - doesn't have to be Sim City to work! The other was by JulietA really enjoyable and stimulating presentation from Juliet argh haven't noted her surname! (of Mudlarking in Deptford fame) whose interests are in location / place and what the subject brings to the location – and may leave behind for others to find.. She has done projects in outside locations like Deptford but also in buildings / institutions such as the V and A museum with children – called cracks in the concrete – the other lives of buildings - absolutely fascinating. So there was definitely gold at the end of the rainbow in Telford (and Morris Dancing)