Recent ruminations on higher education … in the US

It started with Clay Shirky. Like many commentators from the US, he can at times come across as somewhat pompous (not just the province of the English!) or grandiose. There’s a tendency of such writers to make pronouncements as though they’re the first to have thought of it, or to take their arguments just a tad too far (or even much too far!). Continue reading

Digression: my brief life as a Simpson

A few weeks ago I was alerted to a bargain offer from a web site where I could get a Simpsons character of myself for a mere $5 (US, that is – translates to nearly A$6, thanks to the Aussie dollar’s recent fall). Somewhat intrigued, and being as vain as the next person (perhaps even more so, you might argue), I visited the site, Fivrr, and discovered that there was a host of eager artists readily willing to turn me into a Simpson. Continue reading

Guest post*: Changing Times, Changing Face of Education

Education evolves continually, responding to changes in society and advances in our understanding of how learning unfolds.  Technology itself plays a major role in the way we access and absorb information, so advances open new doors for educators striving to reach students in ways they relate to.  This has never been more pronounced than what we see in the current digital age, where the shift from pencils and blackboards increasingly sees educators learning on keyboards, computer screens and other emerging education technology. Continue reading