Disqus - Latest Comments for Sarah_Horrigan

Re: So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Sarah Horrigan — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:08:59 -0000

Many congratulations! Welcome to the East Midlands! And here's to new adventures!!

Re: Kinda Learning Stuff: If this then that...

Sarah Horrigan — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 03:37:21 -0000

It appeals to my inner nerd too! :)

Re: Help me develop my online course...

Sarah Horrigan — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 08:29:13 -0000

Cheers, Marek! Thank goodness for the checked shirt too. Coffee strong enough to melt your eyeballs still, huh?

Re: PMSL at Harrisburg University

Sarah Horrigan — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 04:12:40 -0000

Pure genius.

Re: CMALT - update

Sarah Horrigan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:12:06 -0000

Portfolio career - yes, guess so. I've always juggled lots of different roles, and generally (although it can be a bit knackering) I think that it's a strength since it's given me additional flexibility both intellectually and creatively throughout my career(s!). Plus, I find that it freshens my perspective continually as I never end up being rooted too deeply in a single institution which can sometimes be stagnating.

If nothing else, doing the CMALT portfolio thing reminds me why having multiple strands to what I do, *is* what I do!

Re: CMALT - update

Sarah Horrigan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:01:26 -0000

Ta!

Practical difference - not a great deal... however, part of it is about professional recognition in an uncertain HE climate... some of it is about having given myself time to review and think about what I've been doing and where it's going... it's also about opening up other possibilities and connections. In itself, it doesn't have much of a practical value - but in terms of what I might be able to do having given myself this opportunity for reflection and review, then I think its use will be measured in what I choose to do next as a result.

Re: OU Conference - a spot o' reflection

Sarah Horrigan — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:23:35 -0000

Yes, definitely harder - but... maybe there's a new set of presentation skills to acquire / define? A new set of techniques to use to help create that 'buzz'? Because some presenters certainly had those skills while others didn't (and to be honest, the ones who didn't sounded like they wouldn't have had those skills in a more traditional delivery sense either - even though I understand how difficult that is to master)

Re: CMALT ePortfolio

Sarah Horrigan — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:54:20 -0000

I've been 'starting' mine for getting on for 3 years! Creating the Google Sites template and video were prime examples of my ability to procrastinate.

Still, with the template, I'm getting there fairly rapidly... just got to write things up a little more neatly and pick a few more examples... then... CMALT happiness. :o)

Sarah

Re: Inspiring learners

Sarah Horrigan — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:26:48 -0000

That's brilliant too, Rebecca - isn't it fantastic when learning takes on a life of its own!

Re: Inspiring learners

Sarah Horrigan — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:51:46 -0000

I think the common background really helps and that photography is one of those areas where people realise there isn't an 'end point'. There's always another image to capture. Always something else to try. I really love the T189 communities and I regularly sneak into them even though I've never studied the course, I just enjoy being around such enthusiasm. It's infectious.

Re: The ePortfolio myth

Sarah Horrigan — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:42:57 -0000

Oversell to progress. There's a fair bit of truth in that, that's for sure.

Re: The ePortfolio myth

Sarah Horrigan — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:42:09 -0000

8 years use is hardly proof of 'lifelong learning' - unless you happen to be a deeply unfortunate 8 year old!

I'm also not saying that an ePortfolio is without purpose... however, I think the 'lifelong' aspect is a red herring and that if we focused more on relevance and meaningful usage, that would be far more productive than having a digital moth-infested collection of 'stuff'.

Re: The ePortfolio myth

Sarah Horrigan — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:16:59 -0000

Doomsday got revised - but then... the guy who championed the cause died and it's still offline a couple of years later. Not massively sustainable or future-proof an approach...

Re: The ePortfolio myth

Sarah Horrigan — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:07:54 -0000

Ah - the cue I need to get my rant on expiry dates! Will have a think about putting into words rather than half-formed conversations with colleagues!! :o)

I actually think that with ePortfolios it's far more healthy to think about their use in terms of purposeful 'chunks' of development / progression. The idea of having an ePortfolio for 'lifelong learning' just doesn't stack up. I can't possibly imagine what I'll be doing when I'm age 60... so how could I be collecting meaningful data for whatever event befalls me then (*if* there is a then at all!), now? It also presupposes that we know ahead of time what events or 'artefacts' will be meaningful in that future. Are we saving the right stuff? Is what I thought was relevant when I was 15 really relevant now I'm 35?? And that's a span of 20 years... hardly *life* long there, huh?

All very odd.

Re: Let the bad times roll: Job losses bite into HE

Sarah Horrigan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:18:38 -0000

So short sighted, Mary. Cannot get my head around university funding properly. First they promise some money. Then they claw it back. Then, they claw some more back. Just cuz.

Bizarre system. :o(

Re: Let the bad times roll: Job losses bite into HE

Sarah Horrigan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:13:07 -0000

FE and HE - all not good. The number of times I heard the phrase 'doing more for less' at our planning event last week... well... let's just say it's replaced any number of other management catchphrases lately.

We could be creative, innovate and find better / different ways of working - but at the moment everyone seems to have their best headless chicken impression going on as they try to protect their little corner and deal with the fallout of a seemingly never-ending stream of kicks in the teeth for education. *sigh*

Re: On boring VLEs

Sarah Horrigan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:59:58 -0000

Yes, I try to encourage people to embed other tools within our VLE to enhance its functionality and make it a bit more engaging. Using Etherpad as a group notebook is dead easy... using Wimba Create to embed other content and self-assessment quizzes etc. There is good stuff out there I think if people get their heads in a good, open place then it'll help them see it and see how they can bring things together to make learning more interesting. Here's hoping!

Re: On boring VLEs

Sarah Horrigan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:58:00 -0000

Thanks, Jo! Naturally my fees will be exhorbitant... where should I send the bill? :o)

Re: On boring VLEs

Sarah Horrigan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:56:55 -0000

Ah, but it wasn't a training session - it was just an overview of some new tools and to get them to think about their online teaching methods! I think that once you have a few concepts tucked away in your head, there isn't a great deal of training you need anyway. That said - even the tools we think are invisible aren't actually invisible. Children still need to be taught what the alphabet is. They still need to be taught how to hold a pencil. Nothing is completely ubiquitous... is it?

Re: Virtually Useless #fote09 #fote09vw

Sarah Horrigan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:46:40 -0000

Agree! SO agree! Horrible interface, clunky, awkward, appeals only to a minority, technology trumps learning. Just hate it.

Honestly, I've tried... and periodically I put my 'I'm going to give this a chance' head on and try again, but... to be frank, it's rotten.

Re: PowerPoint Laws

Sarah Horrigan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:28:08 -0000

Thanks, Andy - and yes, lacking imagination seems to happen somehow when most people are confronted with PowerPoint. I don't know what happens, but creativity and / or common sense seem to leave the room as soon as it's fired up. Thanks for the article link too - will take a peek!

Sarah

Re: PowerPoint Laws

Sarah Horrigan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:27:07 -0000

Great blog post, David - and thanks for sharing your blog... will keep an eye on it too as there's loads of good stuff there. Appreciate it! :o)

Re: PowerPoint Laws

Sarah Horrigan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:25:04 -0000

Same here, to be honest. It can be really useful - and if you use an image which acts as a memory nudge for people after the event, then that can be a powerful thing. But, reams of dull bulletpoints... no ta. :o)

Re: 10 Pleasing MacBook Pro keyboard shortcuts

Sarah Horrigan — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:17:24 -0000

Quicksilver sounds like just my kind of geeky tool. Let's get back to the keyboard, I say! :o)

Re: Three cool tools

Sarah Horrigan — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:16:39 -0000

Oooooh - that's an excellent tip, thanks, Mike!