When you are trying to think of ways to design, create or work through to your solution, the above quote always gets me thinking. How many times have you lost work, forgotten to save or just thought you needed to improve something. So many times these accidents lead to a far more creative or interesting solution then what you maybe would have originally come up with.
Maybe it isn’t failure at all but part of a detour to get to where you’re meant to be.
I know, I know, more blooming stuff about Twitter, and how boring this must all be getting….
I had to write this post. It’s about all things good in the Twitterverse. After all my complaining, I’m bigging it all back up again, because without twitter things would be different.
My wordpress template would still be messed up! When I had ‘issues’ as we all do with templates messing up when we edit the code, I got help from digital nature to sort it out. (more…)
What happens when a classroom exercise (using online video services like Seesmic, Viddler, Vimeo, YouTube to convey a message…) becomes interesting to the students.
If they are studying about a technology they will get a much richer understanding and appreciation for it if they actually USE it.
I asked my students to use a service of their choice, offering them Seesmic, Viddler, Vimeo or YouTube, but equally they could find one of their own, and see what the service offers.
This could have been a simple ‘write a report’ exercise, include a few screen captures *yawn* about how it works. Instead, we decided to take advantage of the capabilities of the computers we are fortunate to have in the college (iMac with webcam)
I asked them to just post a question, or a comment, to stress, just ease into it. At first most were shy, understandably, but once ‘DanceMatt’ (Matthew Meadowcroft) had taken center stage and really gone for it, the whole thing became far more relaxed.
Here is DanceMatts first attempt at using this communication tool. He used the integrated camera on the iMac and YouTube to post it. It was edited using iMove.
This submission followed, and remember all I had asked for was a quick comment or question, just to get them into the idea. This was all created in the session!
Day at the Zoo – This is from Matt Godfrey, who filmed it with the same equipment, and also used iMovie. (be sure to have sound ON to appreciate this first attempt)
Getting the students using the technology is the best way for them to learn about it. The errors made, the difficulties experienced when creating with it are all valuable. It offers them so much more then simply attending a session where I speak about, or describe something to them.
Are you also using technology in your sessions, what is particularily motivational for them, what technologies do they use the most?
I wrote this entry. Then I re-wrote it. I decided to put the most important thing first – the quotes that really made me think.
These words come from Paul Arden. (Initially I bought it for the cover. Not only did it have that powerful message, but it had gold lettering!)
Without having a goal it’s difficult to score.
Make your vision of where you want to be a reality.
Do not seek praise. Seek criticism.
Give away everything you know, and more will come back to you.
Don’t take no for an answer.
When it can’t be done, do it. If you don’t do it, it doesn’t exist.
The person who doesn’t make mistakes is unlikely to make anything.
Don’t be afraid of silly ideas.
Is inspiration something that we need? Wait for inspiration to come to you or…. ? Do some of us just have a capability to self motivate. Does inspiration or motivation depend on what we are doing, our current circumstances, the people we talk to or some other reason? I sometimes sit and watch people. Some hurry along, others just walk with the flow. All of them have their own paths and their own destiny. But is that true, what’s their motivation? (more…)
