It could be that the purpose of your life is onlyto serve as a warning to others - Ashleigh Brilliant.This month, The Learning Circuits Blog has the theme:‘Presenting the Value of Social Media for Learning’.Tony Karrer puts The Big Question:How do I communicate the value of socialmedia as a learning tool to my organization?The answer I have for him is, perhaps very slowly.In the year 2000 I used Web1.0 technology in an attempt to emulate Web2.0. At that time I didn't know what Web2.0 was.As senior teacher, I began designing web pages and developing elearning resources permitting learner interaction and feedback. I was labelled as a geek. This was despite the organisational approval, funding and planning time provided for me to engage in the development of elearning resources.In 2002, as a full-time elearning teacher, this opinion of my role in using digital technology was confirmed by a newly appointed manager.When she saw what I was doing using Web1.0/Web2.0 technology, she openly declared that she was not a geek. She affirmed that she could never embrace what I was practicing, for she did not want to be seen as a geek.In 2007, a leading light on the staff created her blog especially, but not exclusively, for staff use and interaction. I was astonished that, from an organisation that supported hundreds of teaching staff, there were so few participants who entered into discussion on the blog.In 2008, while working in the same organisation, I started a blog.I discovered that many of my colleagues viewed this practice as a risky business. Some were still not sure what a blog was.They had a vague idea that web pages, blogs and wikis, were all related in some way, but their exact function, usefulness and operational value were unclear to many and often viewed with suspicion. I have many colleagues who still find Web2.0 quite elusive.In 2009, I'm pleased to share the blogosphere with several work colleagues ( 1 ), ( 2 ), ( 3 ), ( 4 ), ( 5 ), ( 6 ), ( 7 ) who actively maintain their blogs and post regularly.Some have been blogging since early 2007. Whether anything I did had any influence on my colleagues to do likewise is purely a matter for conjecture. It’s been a long time.But when it comes to communicating the value of social media as a learning tool, leading by example may be as good a way as any.

I attended the WEN 2013 Biennial Conference, April 3 - 5, 2013 at the Westin Memorial City Hotel in Houston Texas.  Overall, it was one of the best conferences I have attended in years - lots of good information and sharing of ideas.About WEN:  WEN was founded in 1994 by Karyl McCurdy Lawson with the purpose of fostering the development and advancement of women in energy by developing a strong network. After years of being the sole woman on energy transactions, Karyl believed that many women energy professionals were in the same position, but unable to connect with each other. Sixteen years later, WEN remains committed to providing high caliber events and networking to its diverse membership from across the energy value chain.  http://www.womensenergynetwork.org/ama/orig/WEN_Fact_Sheet_v5_10.2012.pdf Keynote Speaker for Thursday was Katty Kay, the lead anchor of BBC World News America.  Womenomics, a book written by Kay and ABC News' Good Morning America senior national correspondent Claire Shipman explores the redefinition of success for working women based on recent trends of the value of women to the business world.Keynote Speaker for Friday was Lynn Elsenhans - Former CEO & Chairperson - Sunoco and EVP Global Manufacturing, President Shell Oil Company, President Shell Oil Products.Here’s a list of articles and resources I gathered from the conference:Video series on the future of energy and current energy issues :  http://www.rationalmiddle.com/What Is Fracking? This Animation Is The Best Guide We've Seen Yet:  http://www.businessinsider.com/marathon-oil-animation-on-hydraulic-fracking-2012-8 Products made from a barrel of oil:  http://energy.gov/articles/hows-and-whys-replacing-whole-barrel  Interesting report on crude oil (Texas):  http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/nonrenewable/crude.php  What Are The Top Five Facts Everyone Should Know About Oil Exploration:   http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/04/03/what-are-the-top-five-facts-everyone-should-know-about-oil-exploration/ Energy Outlook 2030 :  http://www.bp.com/extendedsectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9048887&contentId=70825492013 Wasterwater training course:  http://www.pe.tamu.edu/gpri-new/home/index.htmVirtual Rig Simulation:  http://www.efdvirtualsite.org/Chemical Disclosure database:  http://fracfocus.org/Animation of Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY34PQUiwOQ&feature=youtu.be 

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Osmo, a gaming platform that can bring Leap Motion-style gameplay to anyone with an iPad. The goal of Osmo is to bring a physical and social learning experience to the iPad. In front of an iPad, Osmo can create a shared space between friends, and between humans and the machine. It transforms the human-device interaction... Read More ›

Design from JabberwockyGood that we have the radio to listen to, news and weather reports - how convenient it is to hop on a bus to work in the morning - I must post that letter before last collection today - how lucky we are to receive medical care when needed - what an amazing thing to send kids off to school to learn something before bedtime - so convenient to be able to book movie tickets on the Internet - isn’t it a great asset to switch on a light in the black of night and check a window rattling in the wind?The list goes onWe live within a complexity system called society. What’s listed above is some of what we expect from the place we live in. It’s as if it’s always been there, and always will be. If it collapsed tomorrow, the things we accept, and indeed rely on, might vanish.This is exactly what happened when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1992. Apparently it is something that can happen to any society, within any country. It’s only a matter of time.In a conversation on the radio this morning, someone suggested that efficiency within a society could be looked on as a threat that could precipitate collapse or at least make for a less robust society in the face of possible collapse. Funny enough, less efficient societies tend to be more resilient and more resourceful in crisis, or so mathematicians tell us.ComplexityLess efficient societies tend to possess repetitiveness within their makeup. They embody many processes within processes that are duplicated throughout their entirety. This feature of being recursively elaborate appears to be a strength within a society rather than a weakness.Contrary to expectation, high efficiency makes a society vulnerable. Maintaining efficiency means that the administration of resources is fine tuned, so there are fewer margins for adjustment. When things get financially or operationally tight, high efficiency can become a critical, vulnerable weakness.Close to crisisA society always runs close to possible crisis and collapse when it relies on a single provider of essential commodities. The hierarchical nature of the management of these commodities means that the job of managing them becomes more complex. Unfortunately, societies tend to evolve by developing hierarchies of control like this.Ultimately one person has to embrace the complexity of the whole system, a task that sooner or later becomes impossible and therefore unworkable. A decentralised or distributed network structure for administering such a task would be more vigorous and manageable.If we look around for a stable, vigorous and safe system built on a distributed network structure, we need look no further than the Internet. It has no central hub. It consists of many independent, yet interlinked nodes. If one node is knocked out, the operation of most if not all of the remaining nodes can continue as before.CompetitionFrom a lay perspective, and not being a mathematician, I look on complexity in a system as something that’s unpredictable, yet recognisable. The collapse of the Soviet Union occurred because of its high degree of complexity - true. My hunch tells me that, perhaps, the Soviet Union contained elements that actually reduced its degree of complexity. High complexity does not necessarily mean vulnerability.For instance, I wouldn’t consider the existence of monopolies as being a feature of complex systems. Their existence is a feature of how societies have evolved over time. Monopolies comprise complicated engines around which whole systems depend. They represent vulnerable nodes within any system.Oligopolies contribute to what are recognisable parts of complexity systems. As a group of nodes, they fit one of the key characteristics of a complexity system, that of being recursively elaborate. If one such node becomes extinct, the system can still function comfortably by using the other nodes.Education as we know itMight it be that the maintenance and preservation of future society is brought about by tending a degree of recursive elaborateness within that society? It’s what has kept education simmering for hundreds of years. Yet in many countries today, the signs are that education as we know it appears to be reaching a crisis point.Is there something to be learnt here?

Finding a quick solution to expedite work and improve accuracy is a win/win solution. According to a study conducted by the Microsoft PC Accessories group, American workers expend an average of six hours per day on the computer at work.  Much of that time often involves digital communication (e-mail, various online channels, etc.). What if you could reduce that time?  You can!Microsoft’s autocorrect tool can quickly replace long phrases with just a few key strokes. Here’s how set it up: In Word 2010, from the File tab, select "Options," then "Proofing" from the left panel. From the right pane, click the "AutoCorrect Options" button.A new window opens with a section to create your own abbreviations and replacement text.  Under the "Replace text as you type" section, enter your abbreviation in the "Replace" box and the full text in the "With" box.  Next, click the Add button to move this entry into your list of AutoCorrect words. When you have completed all entries, click "OK."Using the example provided, note that whenever "DSHS" is entered, "Department of State Health Services" will now appear in the document, reducing keystrokes from 31 to only 4.This tool can be useful for names (using initials as the abbreviations), businesses (such as government agencies), or complicated titles (such as people in the military). It helps prevent misspelling names of important people, businesses and locations, avoiding embarrassing situations while improving accuracy and speed.  Microsoft Outlook using this same feature. So, abbreviations entered under AutoCorrect in Word will automatically be available in Outlook.Tip provided by MicroAssist - Brandy Sommer.  Check out their Course Schedule for upcoming open enrollment classes on Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010 and contact Brandy Sommer at 512.794.8440 or bsommer@microassist.com if you have any questions.

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The fundamental premises of personalised learning have been a part of the writings of educators for decades but have become a realisable dream in recent years, thanks to the advent of new digital technologies. What does personalised instruction look like in practice? First and foremost, it means putting the individual student at the center of the learning process and expecting them to achieve high standards.... Read More ›

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In his book, Where Have All The Leaders Gone, Lee Iaccoca claims common sense as one of the Nine Cs of Leadership.The Ninth International Symposium on Logical Formalizations of Commonsense Reasoning, Commonsense 2009, took place this year to explore one of the long-term goals of Artificial Intelligence, that of providing computers with common sense.Stephen Downes claims common sense is what’s needed to avoid or prevent some Internet fraud.In 1776 Thomas Paine published anonymously a best seller 48 page pamphlet, Common Sense, challenging the authority of British rule in America.Have you ever thought about what makes up common sense?Have you ever tried to explain what common sense is?Seemingly, it’s an awareness, like the ability to judge temperature, recognise directions close to the vertical, or the talent for dress sense.Difficult to measureWe hear a lot about common sense today. It’s something that every school teacher admires. Possessing common sense seems to be one of the key attributes for achieving success - in any walk of life.Each of us has a quantity of it - some of us have more than others.Yet it is extraordinarily difficult if not impossible to measure, let alone define. We are more often made aware of common sense as an entity by its absence than through its occurrence.Intelligence & noticing the obviousThe brightest and most knowledgeable among us can succumb to a lapse of common sense. Even trainee doctors can suffer a lack of it. When it comes to recognising simple clues, it’s clear that what’s required is more than just expert knowledge or even skill.One of the most celebrated American scientists, Linus Pauling, undoubtedly possessed a fair amount of common sense in his day.His researches and passion for what is right earned him Nobel prizes in two disciplines.Common sense drove him to pursue research into vitamin C and the common cold in directions that have since been proven unequivocally fallacious. This is not a criticism of Pauling. I have a huge respect for all that he did in his life. But his efforts show the illusive nature of common sense and how it can direct or mislead decision making.Is it instinctive?If common sense is innate, does this mean that it cannot be acquired by someone who begins life with a less-than-average amount? This idea suggests that it’s like the gene for eye-colour - you are stuck with whatever calibre of common sense you had at birth.There’s a lot to suggest that common sense is instinctive. In action it tends to be intuitive rather than contrived. Generally the common sense decision is not brought about through a process or processes involving logical thinking strategies, though the use of these cannot be discounted when common sense is brought into play.Can it be learnt?If it isn’t an inborn trait, how can a person ensure that a useful amount of common sense is acquired?I’m only too aware of the rhetorical nature of these questions,but I’m going to ask them anyway:Is it possible to teach/learn common sense?Can common sense be assessed?If so, how can it be measured?Should common sense be included as an essential part of the school curriculum, like literacy and numeracy?