All posts for the month July, 2011

Secure your name!

With personal websites, blogs, e-portfolios, and the like, one creates a digital identity. Sometimes it is anonymous, as you cannot readily see the person behind it. At other times, the author/owner is clearly identifiable. Not everyone is comfortable with being open on the web, but they may change their mind in the future. There may come a time where they want their name to be their domain name for their online site or blog.

Have you had difficulty registering a username, finding that you have to add 1001 or some other number behind the one you want? The shorter and more common ones are likely to be taken. One recommendation was to choose your username and register it consistently on many social media sites so that your username is part of your identity and carried from site to site. Of course, the contrary argument is to use something obscure and different for security reasons.

Returning to the domain name issue, many have purchased their name with one or more extensions such as .com, .net, .org, or .ca. Fortunately, many people have not given their personal domain name much thought, so your name may still be available. It is inexpensive and easy to register your personal domain name. You do not actually have to use it until you are ready to do so. If you are using a hosted site, such as a blog on WordPress or Blogger, you can point your domain name to it. There are lots of options, and your friends and colleagues are likely to offer you advice.

For me, my personal domains, www.tonyratcliffe.com,
www.antonyratcliffe.com, and www.aeratcliffe.com, are just three of the ways I maintain my identity online! Is your digital identity/name secured? I look forward to your comments, questions, and suggestions.

A.E. (Tony) Ratcliffe
PhD Research Student, BDRA

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by ILI Leicester on July 29, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by ILI Leicester on July 29, 2011

http://beyonddistance.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/secure-your-name/

Confessions of a PhD Student (8): “Sometimes I ignore my supervisor”

Ok. I know how this title must sound. I know what some readers must be thinking: “It is not a good idea to write that! Even if it is true!”. :-)

Let me explain. First, my supervisor is great. He has been able to deal with my unconventional ways (if you read my previous confessions, you will know what I am talking about!) and teach me so many things at the same time!

But still, sometimes I ignore him. It took me a while to realize I had to. He tends to show me a wide range of resources, frameworks, paths I can walk on. It is my job to decide which one suits me best. Even when it is clear that he has a preference, I have to be responsible for my own study and take my own decisions, which might be in line with his ideas or not. As long as I can justify my actions, it is ok. There is more than one right way of doing research.

Once my supervisor told me, “You have never asked me what to do. That would go against your nature”. He is probably right. I am very independent in my learning. However, that does not mean that I do not ask for help if I need it. It only means that I am able to set my own goals and follow them through, even if that implies ignoring my supervisor every once in a while.

– Brenda Padilla

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by Brenda Padilla on July 27, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Brenda Padilla on July 27, 2011

http://beyonddistance.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/confessions-of-a-phd-student-8-sometimes-i-ignore-my-supervisor/

How will teachers make a living in the future?

When I was ten years old, I had a brilliant, inspiring teacher. She used to ask us: “Why do you go to school?” After a series of answers, she would give hers: “To learn how to learn”. I knew Miss Blencow (I don’t know the spelling) was a good teacher, because I liked her and we did all sorts of interesting, creative activities. It took me until somewhere around the start of my PhD though to understand fully what she was telling us.

I was reminded of this today when I read a blog post by Damien Walter entitled “How will writers make a living in the future?”. The basic premise is that the increasing availability of free information on the internet is devaluing the written work to a possible future where writers will not earn money from writing anymore, with a comparison to the Dark Ages where reading aloud was a good career for “…the priest who read from the bible only he could translate to his Dark Ages congregation.”

As more and more information fills the internet a proportion of that is well presented and easily used for self-directed learning. It is becoming less and less necessary to go somewhere and be “taught”. Learning how to learn – the new learning to read.

So what future for teaching? The future, surely, must lie in teaching children how to be self-directed learners, and in inspiring, motivating and supporting them as they learn.

I do hope that Miss Blencow, once of Stimpson Avenue Junior School, is around to see the future she helped create.

Paul Rudman, BDRA

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by ILI Leicester on July 12, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by ILI Leicester on July 12, 2011

http://beyonddistance.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/how-will-teachers-make-a-living-in-the-future/

A tool for academic writing

A colleague in the Twitter #phdchat discussion encouraged me to blog about a writing program I use for my doctoral thesis (‘dissertation’ in North America). Scrivener, from Literature and Latte, was exclusively for Mac computers but is now in Beta for Windows.

I’ve developed a couple of courses using Microsoft Word and WordPerfect, years ago, and I can’t forget my master’s thesis. I recall the non-linear nature and the confusion working in one document or numerous smaller ones. There are certainly powerful features in Word and other programs, and there is guidance available for working with long documents. In fact, I assume that I will use Word at a later stage in the thesis. However, for the development, I am using Scrivener for the research and writing. It is a program for writers.

I’m fairly new to Scrivener, so there are a lot of features to learn and use, including imbedding citations and exporting to Word. The screenshot shows some of my organisation. In the ‘Draft’ section, folders are created and text notes are made within the folders. All of this is compiled as a larger document. There is a ‘Research’ section where documents, graphics, and other items may be imported and stored. These are not captured in the larger document unless specifically used. My notes and other writing are shown in a pane to the right. I click to see it rather than having to open individual files or move through a larger document. For me, the major advantage is to work in chunks, quickly move from one to another, and drag pieces around. I also like the option of using split panes to see two sections at once.

For many publications I read, I create a text field under a folder for the type of resource. My notes may be short or long, but they are quick to make and are easily accessible or searchable. I create folders for other related activities, such as attending a conference, writing a blog post, making notes from tutorial sessions, or keeping a research log. If I want to add to a section other than what I am working on, I can quickly move to it, write, and return to where I was. A caution would be to keep on top of the organisation, as I can already see a need to do some cleanup.

Writing occurs within a ‘project,’ such as the one for my PhD research. I also have a project for business client notes, opened separately when I need it. Rather than me describing in great detail, I encourage reading of their web pages and watching the video tutorials, starting with the first on the page (10 minutes) and the second (35 minutes).

There are other programs that may be of interest to you, and competitors are even described on the website. It is important to know that there are tools that may make the writing easier, and I encourage you to explore them and share what works for you.

A.E. (Tony) Ratcliffe
PhD Research Student, BDRA

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by ILI Leicester on July 11, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by ILI Leicester on July 11, 2011

http://beyonddistance.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/a-tool-for-academic-writing/

Academic Pecha Kucha

Pecha Kucha is not new, but it’s new to me. Pecha Kucha was born in Tokyo in 2003, the brainchild of designers Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. In their Pecha Kucha (which I’m told is Japanese for ‘chit-chat’) night, young designers gathered and gave presentations consisting of exactly 20 images displayed for exactly 20 seconds each, with the presenter speaking over the progressing images. Since then, Pecha Kucha nights have sprung up all over the world, mostly in creative contexts.

Amsterdam Pecha Kucha night; Photo courtesy of sic

Pecha Kucha came onto my radar while I followed the Education in a Changing Environment Conference Twitter stream #ece11. There was a Pecha Kucha session at the conference which generated much enthusiasm and comment. What I’d like to know is: is there particular academic value in arranging presentations in such a clearly constrained way? I can certainly see the value in cutting down waffling and keeping things very engaging for the audience. Is there anything else?

This past week, I spoke at the University of Greenwich ELearning Conference. We were given what felt at first like slightly constraining presentation guidelines: 20 minutes to speak, 20 minutes for discussion, no more than 10 slides per presentation. On conference day, I could see the benefit of these guidelines, as discussion was emphasised and, as a presenter, I felt a bit freed from feeling I had to fill time and include loads of text in my presentation.

What is the case for academic Pecha Kucha?

Terese Bird, Learning Technologist

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by ILI Leicester on July 8, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by ILI Leicester on July 8, 2011

http://beyonddistance.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/academic-pecha-kucha/

Confessions of a PhD Student (7): “To be or not to be… serious”

I love my research topics. I am really passionate about them. When I present them, I try to transmit that passion to the audience.

I recently showed my flatmate some presentations I gave at a conference. I thought they were so pretty and engaging. They had colors and images. They were made in such a way that they could complement my words. There were some slides designed to make people smile… But he did not smile. He did not like them. He said my presentation was not formal and not appropriate for an academic audience.

 

Slide with image

This is one of the slides I used. I think it looks pretty and interesting. Plus, I took the picture, that is my friend, and it is a couch in Freud’s house in Vienna.

 

My flatmate argued that instead of using images of people with thinking/speaking bubbles, I should use graphs and diagrams… … It is not that I have anything in particular against graphs and diagrams. I do use them, sometimes… But I like thinking/speaking people!! I like using humor in my academic presentations!!

 

Slide with image2

This is another slide I used (in a different conference). It was designed to reflect what people were probably thinking at that point of my presentation and to make them smile. That is also my friend.

 

Are images engaging or distracting? I think it depends on how you use them. If they do not relate to your content (e.g., a gif of a dancing banana), well… I agree that they might be distracting. However, if they help you give your message in a more entertaining way, I really do not see the problem.

What do you think?

– Brenda Padilla

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by Brenda Padilla on July 6, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Brenda Padilla on July 6, 2011

http://beyonddistance.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/confessions-of-a-phd-student-7-to-be-or-not-to-be-serious/

Attended Thinking Qualitatively Workshop Series

Familiar in the UK, but not so much in North America, I’m in a ‘research’ programme toward a PhD rather than a ‘taught’ programme with formal courses. However, the absence of courses does not mean an absence of work and learning. A personal research plan is essential, and areas identified for further knowledge require it be obtained in some way. I certainly have a lot to learn. This means I have a choice, but I need to respond to learning opportunities. For one, the Centre for Labour Market Studies, under which the Beyond Distance Research Alliance is located, provides three modules to students. Each can be considered a self study course: Introduction to Ph.D. Research, Qualitative Methods and Analysis, and Quantitative Methods and Analysis. I still have to spend time with the latter two.

The Thinking Qualitatively Workshop Series came to my attention. It was being offered in my home city of Edmonton, Canada, where the  International Institute for Qualitative Methodology is located at the University of Alberta, June 20–24, 2011. While I initially thought to wait until 2012 to attend, I was encouraged by a Ph.D. student colleague whom had attended before, and by a former professor. Reflecting on the week, I am thankful that I listened to their advice and registered. Three of the days were half-day workshops, and two days were full-day workshops, with choices of topics. I understand that a total of about 184 participants represented 14 different countries: Australia, Sweden, South Africa, Ghana, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Finland, Jamaica, The Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, UK, USA, and Canada.

I attended the following sessions:

  • Introduction to principles of qualitative enquiry (Maria Mayan)
  • An introduction to thinking about questions in qualitative research (Billy Strean)
  • Approaches to qualitative analysis (Maria Mayan & Sarah Wall)
  • Writing your dissertation (Linda Ogivlie)
  • A critical lens as a qualitative method (Jane Sumner)
  • Issues in observational research (Belinda Parke)
  • Introduction to qualitative interviewing (Gina Higginbotttom & Jennifer Pillay)
  • Panel discussion space–space rating proposals for qualitative research (Nick Holt, Kim Raine, Wendy Rodgers & Cam Wild)

My task now is to review my notes and the materials provided in each session, reflecting and determining how each fits with my future research. I know I now have a greater understanding of qualitative research, and I have potential avenues to explore while information is fresh in my mind. This is also a time to open the university research modules and read in greater depth, as I’ve started to do this week.

Unfortunately, the weather and resulting river conditions forced cancellation of our social event, the Edmonton Queen River Boat Dinner Cruise. Perhaps we can try this again, as I am sure to return. The time was right to attend, and next year will offer more including intermediate and advanced sessions.

A.E. (Tony) Ratcliffe
PhD Research Student, BDRA

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by ILI Leicester on July 3, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by ILI Leicester on July 3, 2011

http://beyonddistance.wordpress.com/2011/07/03/attended-thinking-qualitatively-workshop-series/

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